Justice For Eric Kleemeyer

Eric’s Story

Part Four

CostCo

     Eric did make it to work on time. As he walked through the store he was greeted by just about everybody who worked there because just about everybody who worked there knew who he was and liked the young man who was always smiling and always ready with some new awful joke to pass along. 

     That Eric got along well with his peers was nothing new but there was something different about his job at CostCo. Eric was finally starting to have positive relationships with people who had power over him. Not only did his managers and supervisors like him and the job he was doing, Eric liked and got along with his supervisors and managers.

     As he was growing up Eric never had much use for people in positions of authority and he didn’t mind letting his lack of respect for them be known. Here’s the funny thing. Eric was generous to a fault and would always be there to help a friend out but you had to ask him or at the very least just show a little respect in order to get his cooperation.  If someone made the mistake of ordering Eric around or telling him that he “had to” do something they would elicit a response from him alright, just not one the person probably had in mind.

     Thiswas because Eric was one of those rare people who lived by his own individual code. When he gave his word he meant it and if he was your friend he stood by you no matter what.

     The problems came when people either tried to bully him around or they somehow let him down by lying or not following through with something when they said they would.

     It was not that Eric was apposed to doing any particular thing. He just wanted to know the reason why he should it. The most unacceptable reasons for doing anything for anyone were “because I’m bigger than you” and “because I said so!”

     Respect and honesty meant a lot to Eric and to him respect was something that you didn’t just out to everybody that thought they deserved it. Respect was more than a fancy title or position Respect was something a person earned over time and then continued to earn through their words and actions.

     What this all boiled down to was the more someone who had not earned Eric’s respect attempted to control him the harder the ensuing rebellion would be. This sort of behavior is not at all uncommon with male children from families of divorce. Usually however, with any luck, after the turmoil of a turbulent adolescence these boys mature into and simply grow out of it. Unfortunately that process of growing out of can be quite painful for everyone involved.

     Nobody knew this better than Bill Chapman who was the principle of <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />New Valley High School where Eric was a student from 1998 to 2000. Principle Chapman had to deal with Eric more often than he cared to due mainly to truancy problems and anger issues.

     Principle Chapman never observed Eric being violent towards anyone but he did witness his temper on more than one occasion where Eric would blow up and yell insults at the staff. The principle initially did not like Eric at all because of this disrespectful attitude towards his teachers.

     One time things got so out of control that he had suspended Eric when Eric had called principle Chapman himself a “fxxxng Axxxxxxe”. Eventually Eric went on to finish high school at Wilson Adult Education in Santa Clara.

     Principle Chapman represented the ultimate symbol of authority as an uncompromising disciplinarian. He was the culmination of everything Eric Kleemeyer hated all rolled up into one person. After asking Eric to leave the school principle Chapman thought he had seen the last of the rebellious young trouble maker so he was surprised when Eric came to see him in early 2002.

     Eric told him he was having a hard time dealing with his friend Little Joe’s murder. He broke down and cried while describing what had happened that terrible night. Hurting and in need of support Eric was turning to his former arch nemesis for help. Principle Chapman grew to be quite fond of Eric and believed he really had a chance of making something of himself.

     This was an opinion shared by his managers at CostCo. For a “show me” person like Eric actions always spoke louder than words. It was one thing to say that he could make something of himself but as the saying goes talk is cheep. CostCo had really stepped up to the plate and put its money where its mouth was by sending Eric to management training school. It showed Eric they really did believe in him.

     As it turned out that first Monday of the New Year was pretty much the same old business as usual. Nothing exciting or particularly interesting happened during his shift.

     Around 7:30 Eric got a call from his father in Washington. Eric’s dad had been down to visit in October and he usually spoke to Eric at least once a month. He was calling because he had just found out that Eric’s brother Danny, normally considered “the mature one” of the three boys, had suddenly gone and gotten married. Eric’s dad wanted to know if Eric knew anything else about this.

     Eric’s father was glad to hear that Eric sounded like he was doing alright and not having any problems. Eric really seemed to be getting back on track. Eric had told him that he was paying his fines off and than if he stayed clean he would be off probation in February or March at the latest.

      Then he would get back his driver’s license. He had been doing everything the court said he was supposed to so even though he was officially still on probation he no longer was required to report in.

     His father had concerns when he found out that Eric had gone ahead and bought the Dodge Dart. That was some big temptation to take on. His Dad gave what he felt was the obligatory father/son talk about the dangers of driving the car without a license but deep down his dad also knew being 700 miles away it probably didn’t do much good. No matter what wisdom he imparted over the phone Eric was inevitably going to be Eric. He proved that when after his father told him not to buy the car in the first place he went right ahead and did it anyway. What made him think telling him not to drive it now would bring about any different results. He didn’t think it would but he told him anyway and then he asked Eric to please be careful.

     Eric said of course he would be careful but was still working when he took the call so the conversation was short. Besides, the battery on his cell phone was getting precariously low and Eric reminded himself to charge it as soon as he got home. 

     Mike got off work at 8:30 but Eric still had a half hour to go. This last half hour always seemed to drag on endlessly and Eric tried not to clock watch because that made it go by even slower. When he was sure it was 9:00 Eric checked his watch. It was 8:43.

     At that very moment clear over on the other side of town forty-four years old James Earl Trisler of San Jose California was out walking with a companion. James and Eric did not know each other, had never met, and didn’t really know each other even existed. They did share a personality trait however that James was about to exhibit and that action would cause the two strangers to have something else in common that would forever link them together. The common link they would share is that neither one of them would live to see the sun rise again.

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