Post by Walls on Mar 3, 2022 14:13:00 GMT -5
Two young girls chase a gaggle of chickens and are in turn chased by a trio of bounding dogs. Cherubic smiles light up their faces, squeals and giggles carrying across the white fence encased lawn and back towards the humble two story to which a well worn gravel road leads. Sitting on a porch in need of a repaint and some repair is Shane Locke. The large, looming figure rests a coffee cup in a thick, work gnarled hand. A blue worn shirt is stretched across his torso, his feet strangely bare. He looks out at his children, a smile permanent.
"After I got hurt I got to watch this every day. The girls running and playing and learning to work with me. Hide and seek and tag. I got to hear my lil baby cooing and crying. Just sit and stared at my wife as she slept. But something out there was missing."
He shakes his head, trying to gather his thoughts.
"I kept watching, I kept working out in the back forty. Every day in the tractor. Every day pounding fence posts. Gathering the animals. Every day I kept having that something creeping in the back of my head, something I couldn't pin point. But then one day it clicked. I told you all what happened before. When I came back I told you how my girl said I looked sad.
It wasn't sad, but bless her heart. I wasn't complete. I was missing that something. That something was a promise I gave to my Grandpops, the toughest sonuvabitch I ever knew. He gave me his hat and he put it on my head and he told me I was gonna be real good at this wrestling thing and he wanted me to remember that every time I saw that hat, every time I got to the ring and took it off, kissing it and put it aside.
Then.
Then it clicked."
The good hearted farm boy snaps his finger in emphasis.
"Caff called. He gave me this idea for five minutes of hard work."
Finger snap.
"It clicked."
Whispering.
"It clicked. And now, I am gonna put whoever wants through five minutes of good ole hard work and it starts with this Ace Sky fella. Nothing against him but boyo... ain't a lot of men in this world who can last five minutes working at my pace. Maybe you will be and when it's all done I'll shake your hand. Or maybe you won't last, but you tried and that deserves a hand shake as much as anything. It's just up to you, sir, what you're willing to do and how hard you're willing to work.
Because see those girls running around out there? They, my baby, my wife, my family, this farm... it's everything that hard work blessed me with. Ain't no one taking that from me.
No one."
"After I got hurt I got to watch this every day. The girls running and playing and learning to work with me. Hide and seek and tag. I got to hear my lil baby cooing and crying. Just sit and stared at my wife as she slept. But something out there was missing."
He shakes his head, trying to gather his thoughts.
"I kept watching, I kept working out in the back forty. Every day in the tractor. Every day pounding fence posts. Gathering the animals. Every day I kept having that something creeping in the back of my head, something I couldn't pin point. But then one day it clicked. I told you all what happened before. When I came back I told you how my girl said I looked sad.
It wasn't sad, but bless her heart. I wasn't complete. I was missing that something. That something was a promise I gave to my Grandpops, the toughest sonuvabitch I ever knew. He gave me his hat and he put it on my head and he told me I was gonna be real good at this wrestling thing and he wanted me to remember that every time I saw that hat, every time I got to the ring and took it off, kissing it and put it aside.
Then.
Then it clicked."
The good hearted farm boy snaps his finger in emphasis.
"Caff called. He gave me this idea for five minutes of hard work."
Finger snap.
"It clicked."
Whispering.
"It clicked. And now, I am gonna put whoever wants through five minutes of good ole hard work and it starts with this Ace Sky fella. Nothing against him but boyo... ain't a lot of men in this world who can last five minutes working at my pace. Maybe you will be and when it's all done I'll shake your hand. Or maybe you won't last, but you tried and that deserves a hand shake as much as anything. It's just up to you, sir, what you're willing to do and how hard you're willing to work.
Because see those girls running around out there? They, my baby, my wife, my family, this farm... it's everything that hard work blessed me with. Ain't no one taking that from me.
No one."