{"id":2714,"date":"2012-07-05T08:31:36","date_gmt":"2012-07-05T12:31:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.gadflyonline.com\/wpblog\/?p=2714"},"modified":"2012-07-27T12:03:44","modified_gmt":"2012-07-27T16:03:44","slug":"my-movie-by-jordan-breeding","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/gadflyonline.com\/home\/index.php\/my-movie-by-jordan-breeding\/","title":{"rendered":"My Movie"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

I like to tell people I\u2019m from California. There\u2019s so much glitz and glitter associated with the place. People think being from <\/em>there means you must have some access to it. As far as I know that may actually be true. Californians may be our modern Olympians, and Hollywood our modern Olympus, but I wouldn\u2019t really know. I was born<\/em> in California- but I, along with my small yet growing family, moved five times before I was able to properly piss in a potty.<\/p>\n

My father and mother began their marital journey as creative arts missionaries in California- a graphic designer and feature writer, respectively. Their promotional pieces for World Vision\u2019s magazine told the colorful stories of the missionaries actually \u201cin the field.\u201d They lived in San Bernardino, the least magical city in an otherwise glorious state, for seven years.<\/p>\n

Eventually my parents felt confined by the parched, gasping heat of Southern California. My mother shot out a baby me, causing my father to decide to shoot the family off to my parent\u2019s native Virginia. He wanted to grow his own graphic design firm in a place where summer didn\u2019t require a shirt change every time he crossed the street.<\/p>\n

Sprawled in my burgundy armchair, watching the sun sink behind the hills, sipping a glass, or maybe a bottle, of scotch, I often wonder what might have happened if I had stayed in California. As a kid, I too got caught up in the California dream and loved watching Hollywood movies. I loved hearing the stories my parents would tell about the missionaries and all their crazy experiences. Movies were a way for me to see that kind of action I had until then only heard about. Not just any movies would do, though. I wanted to see epic movies with fantasy and action and love and betrayal. I wanted to get wrapped up in a story like that. I told people I was from California hoping that I could live my own movie someday. I hoped if I said it enough, maybe it would come true. What I didn\u2019t get was that sometimes a movie is so fun to watch because you assume<\/em> you’ll never really face that situation yourself, or actually become any of the characters. Sometimes distance is everything.<\/p>\n

* * * * * * *<\/p>\n

When I was ten I lived in a home that, during the summer days, consisted of my mother, my two delicate sisters, and myself. During the hours from eight to five, while my father was at work, my Y chromosome was not particularly welcome amidst the constant tea parties and impromptu fashion shows my sisters always held. I wished desperately, and often, that I had a brother. Preferably an older brother (and if he came with a video camera I certainly wouldn\u2019t have minded), but I wasn\u2019t particularly picky. I constantly wanted somebody to help me offset all the femininity in my life.<\/p>\n

On about the third day of that summer, while pretending I was King Kong, I found myself ripping some doll\u2019s arm off, leaving it forever crippled (until, of course, our capable mother could get around to performing miracle limb-reattachment surgery). I was promptly evicted and told to amuse myself elsewhere. This suited me just fine. What movies were made sitting around a house full of girls? And, of course, once I was no longer confined in the overly feminine house, I made for the pool as quickly as my bare feet would allow.<\/p>\n

Our neighborhood was named Redfields, or \u201cHappydale,\u201d as my sarcastic cousin Keith called it. Sarcastic though he was, Keith was much closer to the truth than Redfield\u2019s modest residents would likely admit. And while there was nothing so wondrous as perpetual sunshine in that little community, there did always seem to be an air of light-heartedness and prosperity. These feelings stemmed from being safely anchored in the middle-class, and living in a place with too-green grass and slowly sloping hills packed with sturdy residential dwellings. I didn\u2019t really feel like this neighborhood was exactly an ideal starting point for any film-quality adventures, but I was determined to experience my movie regardless. Many movies started in a seemingly mundane setting and I was sure I could find a story worth living here.<\/p>\n

As Redfields grew, the pool quickly revealed its inadequate size. In those languid summer days, large populations of children came out, or were kicked out by their exasperated mothers, to cool their fidgety bodies in the pool\u2019s welcoming three to five foot depths. Though the pool itself was gated, it seemed to be a mere formality. The pool was unguarded and unsupervised, except for some (evidently useless) security cameras rolling their lazy, metal eyes over non-specific areas of the pool. This minimal security made it especially easy for kids of surrounding neighborhoods to sneak, or rather clamber, over the squat, blunt gate and tumble ungainly into the shallow waters.<\/p>\n

This created a sort of adolescent utopia out of the pool area and adjacent park. I spent countless summer days thrashing in those waters along with the other neighborhood boys. And when we grew bored with the water we charged over to the rise in the middle of the park and played king of the hill- throwing each other from the top and staining our knees a violent green as we tumbled from the peak. When we grew sufficiently dirty, we simply turned and scrambled over the pool\u2019s low-lying, black metal gate and sterilized ourselves in the chlorine-rich waters.<\/p>\n

It was there, amidst the sea of squirming bodies and unruly little hellions, that I met Johnny and Daniel. I ran first into Johnny in a very literal sense, headfirst. Pursued by my friend Joseph, who was threatening to end my existence with his laser sword built from a flimsy, foam aquamarine water-noodle, I plowed blindly into Johnny\u2019s chest, toppling us both into the water.<\/p>\n

\u201cWha- what in the heck are you doing?\u201d Johnny said, spluttering to the surface.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2026\u201d Thwack! <\/em>Before I could finish replying, Joseph, who had seized the opportunity to deliver a crushing blow, slapped me in the back of the head. Joseph half ran, half flailed as he tore away from us in order to regain his strength and plan his next attack. I turned around to face the kid I\u2019d just smashed into, only to find that another, decidedly older, boy was already there.<\/p>\n

\u201cJohnny, you okay?\u201d this new boy asked of the recovering Johnny.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m fine, I\u2019m fine. You don\u2019t need to baby me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not babying you, you idiot,\u201d rejoined the other boy. \u201cI\u2019m just being a brother. Making sure you weren\u2019t dead so Mom won\u2019t get pissed.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m fine. Thanks.\u201d<\/p>\n

The boy, sure his brother was sufficiently undamaged, smacked Johnny on the cheek playfully before finally turning to me and smiling.<\/p>\n

\u201cHey,\u201d he said extending his hand, \u201cname\u2019s Daniel. That little wiener there,\u201d he gestured to his brother, \u201cis my brother Johnny. Sorry if he got in your way.\u201d He waved a hand in his brother\u2019s direction without looking to silence the boy\u2019s impending protest.<\/p>\n

\u201cYea- Yeah thanks. I\u2019m Addison.\u201d I hated telling people my name. It was such a girl\u2019s name. Just one more feminine thing in my life. I needed a name like Alan or Rick. Anything from The<\/em> Predator<\/em> really. Nobody messed with those guys. \u201cI think I kinda ran into him though,\u201d I said, somewhat confused at the boy\u2019s friendliness. Daniel was certainly older, looking to be about fourteen or thereabouts, but he wasn\u2019t all that much bigger than I was. His short-cropped, whitish-blonde hair sat atop a blindingly pale face. His fair skin seemed to be burning from the sun right before my very eyes.<\/p>\n

\u201cTold you!\u201d Exclaimed his tanner, healthier-looking younger brother.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhatever,\u201d Daniel said. \u201cDo you live around here?\u201d he said, directing his attention back to me.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, over on Grace Street.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNice. We live on Oak.\u201d Daniel pointed imprecisely over his shoulder. \u201cHey!\u201d Daniel exclaimed as he remembered, \u201ca bunch of us were going to try and pet or ride or whatever some of the horses in that pasture over by the nature trail in a few minutes. You should come with us.\u201d Johnny, who had been mostly staring off absentmindedly, quickly forgot any potential animosity toward my head butting and suddenly snapped to attention.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah!\u201d He shouted, waving his arms wildly. \u201cI want to ride on George!\u201d He was referencing George the Pony, a pony well known for being both the perfect height for a small kid to ride and perfectly impossible to catch. All of the neighborhood boys wanted desperately to snag the pony, but none had ever succeeded.<\/p>\n

\u201cSure!\u201d I said quickly, knowing I still wasn\u2019t allowed back in my house, and still wary of another sneak attack by Joseph.<\/p>\n

\u201cLet\u2019s go then.\u201d Daniel slowly pulled himself out of the pool, favoring a splotchy, purple bruise on his forearm, and went to dry off.<\/p>\n

Johnny hopped out after him but, noticing my hesitance, turned back to me saying, \u201cCome on, man. Let\u2019s go ride a freakin\u2019 horse!\u201d and offered me his hand. I grasped it quickly, noticing his surprisingly strong grip- considering he appeared to be no more than a year older than me- and hoisted myself from the pool.<\/p>\n

* * * * * * *<\/p>\n

The \u201cbunch of us\u201d Daniel was referring to turned out to be several of his siblings. It just so happened that Daniel and Johnny ranked fifth and sixth oldest in their family of ten children. The four eldest were all daughters and the three oldest had left Redfields as soon as they were able. Their very-strictly Catholic father had evidently decided early on in the marriage that he was against birth control. Not surprisingly their family grew exponentially almost immediately and had been growing ever since. A military man, their father, Leo, had been stationed in Virginia right after the Gulf War. He moved his family to Redfields soon after acquiring a job at the University of Virginia as a Reserve Officers\u2019 Training Corps instructor.<\/p>\n

And so it was that I found myself with five blonde-haired, blue-eyed people of varying age from fourteen to eight years old, wandering off into the woods in search of adventure. It felt like a movie. It felt like I had brothers.<\/p>\n

Their family was not a family of athletes. The trek to where the horses were located was no more than a mile through well-marked, relatively flat terrain. They moved as if struggling through a mudslide. Being the rambunctious kid that I was, I was quickly leaping and bounding around the others like an excited puppy while they traipsed slowly up the slight inclines.<\/p>\n

And if the family as a whole was struggling, Daniel was certainly having the worst of it. He was sweating profusely and dragged, rather than walked, along. But despite the apparent fatigue, the whole family was very friendly and happy, to a fault. (Today, I realize that the family’s pace was likely in deference to Daniel’s physical challenges rather than to their own limitations.)<\/p>\n

I ran ahead when I became tired of such slow movement, and imagined myself lost in enchanted woods. The trees swayed together and whispered about these disturbances in their grove. They reached out with their strong, supple boughs to grab me. I was too quick for them. I ran from the great trees and felt their frustration in the rustling of their leaves. My heart leaped in my throat cutting off my air passages as I started to believe in my own wild imaginings. I tripped, crashing into a pile of dead leaves and scraping my elbows on the rough dirt. I yelled out in my pain, unable to contain my fear of the trees that were bending over me. Before I could even begin to pick myself up or turn around, I felt a hand upon my shoulder.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou all right?\u201d Daniel asked, still breathing heavily. The trees straightened and looked elsewhere for amusement.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think so. I just kind of tripped over those roots.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou were running like a thing possessed,\u201d Daniel said, laughing. \u201cI half expected you to get lost, or die.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSorry,\u201d I replied, looking down sheepishly.<\/p>\n

\u201cNot a problem. But hey, we\u2019re here.\u201d<\/p>\n

I looked around, realizing where I was. Fortunately, in my mad rush I had stopped just before crashing into the strips of barbed wire that separated the woods from the horses\u2019 field. These horses were known to be wild and I knew any wrong movements could invite a swift kick to the chest and a swift trip to the emergency room. On top of that very real danger, there was Farmer Meyers.<\/p>\n

Farmer Meyers owned the pastures adjacent to the nature trail, but he was nothing if not elusive. I had been in that pasture several dozen times growing up and I never saw the man tending to the horses. There was a house at the very far end of the pasture, on top of a grassy knoll. Presumably that was where he lived, and doubtless he could see anything that happened to his horses. We were afraid that in messing with his horses we would incur his infamous wrath. Nobody had ever actually seen him out in the pastures and as far as I can tell he never was.<\/p>\n

Maybe he was scary and maybe he wasn\u2019t. We were more afraid of him than was certainly plausible or rational. That was the point. When the lights were out and we huddled in makeshift tents like the kids we were, we would tell stories of how Farmer Meyers had abducted our once friend Kenny and drowned him in the lake. Obviously that<\/em> was why Kenny\u2019s family had moved away. We relished the fear. We were afraid of Farmer Meyers because it was fun to be afraid of him, and we became closer friends because of it.<\/p>\n

It was with that fear and pulsing excitement coursing uncontrollably through our veins that we all slowly stepped under the barbed wire and into the long, sundrenched grass. The first thing we saw, the only thing we could see, was the vast array of horses. Running, grazing, and simply standing, horses littered the fields. Their coats created a sort of muddy rainbow with colors ranging from the darkest blacks to the purest whites to the reddest browns, and everything in-between.<\/p>\n

I spied a particularly striking chestnut-colored horse not too far from me and I crept toward it in the hopes of petting his flowing mane. He looked to me like the horse from the movie National Velvet<\/em>, which only made it that much more exciting. When I got within five feet of the beast he reared up on powerful limbs in a snorting reddish-brown fury and galloped away. Undaunted, I moved toward a horse that was as black as the end of a movie.<\/p>\n

Within minutes, agitated horses were hurtling through the long grass, creating ripples like rocks skipping across glassy ponds- here one second and three feet farther the next, moving too quickly to track. Johnny snuck up behind a massive, snowy stallion, attempting to leap onto his back. The huge creature simply bucked up, throwing Johnny into an awkward bundle on the ground without so much as turning. While I watched Johnny, my second horse galloped away. I glanced behind me, scanning for Farmer Meyers and his fabled pitchfork.<\/p>\n

What I saw astonished me. Daniel was approaching George; impossibly shy and difficult to even touch George, and making little cooing noises with each step. George\u2019s coat was a fuzzy tan, his black mane draped over his forehead falling lightly into his large auburn eyes. Wary of Daniel\u2019s approach, George kept making as if to bolt at any second but yet did not. George shook his head and made little grunting noises and lightly stamped his feet, but wasn\u2019t actually moving anywhere. Daniel kept coming closer and closer whispering to him all the while, like the pony was a newborn child.<\/p>\n

Then he was petting George. Daniel just laid his hand on the pony\u2019s muzzle and a quiver ran through its entire body. But George did not run. He stayed there letting the strange boy pet him, becoming less ill at ease with each passing second. I stared dumbfounded at the boy who had managed to pacify the most elusive, distrustful beast in a difficult herd. I was the only one who witnessed the event.<\/p>\n

At the time I couldn\u2019t comprehend what was so special about Daniel. I just assumed it was some fluke or blind luck that allowed Daniel to get so close to George. But I think George must have been able to sense Daniel\u2019s delicate nature.<\/p>\n

Daniel had always had a weak stomach. When he was born the doctors weren\u2019t sure he would live through the night. Now that he was fourteen, he still spent a good deal of his time in and out of hospitals for surgeries on his stomach lining. He knew that he could die randomly at any minute, so he figured there was no point in being afraid of living life while he could. That’s why he had chosen to come out and mess with these horses despite it being quite dangerous for him.<\/p>\n

He tried to explain to me his condition once. From what I remember it was as if the walls of his stomach couldn\u2019t keep the acid inside. No matter how many surgeries he had, no matter how many pills he swallowed or shots he took, he could not keep that damaging acid in his stomach. I think Daniel himself was just like that. He couldn\u2019t hold onto anything bad, anything unkind or evil. Those things would just leave his mind and his body. But some things you can\u2019t let go, no matter how weak your stomach is. Those things will tear you apart just like acid eating away at your organs.<\/p>\n

* * * * * * *<\/p>\n

About a month after Daniel\u2019s encounter with George I still had never seen inside Daniel and Johnny\u2019s house. I had frequently watched the brothers gallop down their front steps to meet me and begin our day\u2019s meanderings. I had even gone so far as to throw rocks at their window at night, but never had I managed to penetrate the exterior of the house or even glimpse into the foyer.<\/p>\n

I had suggested several times that we spend the night at either our house or theirs and they had always settled on mine. Being fairly young I didn\u2019t think twice about it, the first seven times. Then it began to be noticeable, even to me. We were spending time together nearly every day (due to it still being summer and us continually neglecting our summer reading). Reluctant to cut our fun short when the sun went down, I often suggested we continue to hang out as night crept in. And after several consecutive nights of our hangouts being deferred to my house I felt compelled to ask them the reason. As with all things, I was tactful. \u201cWhy the heck do we always stay at my house? Does your house have, like, crap smeared all over the walls or something?\u201d I made a vulgar, sweeping gesture. \u201cAm I not allowed?\u201d I asked, laughing. Daniel and Johnny looked at each other, having a hurried conversation with their eyes. They turned to me.<\/p>\n

\u201cActually\u2026 yeah. Kinda,\u201d Johnny said, falteringly.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s crap all over the walls?\u201d I said, spitting up my coke.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, you idiot! You aren\u2019t allowed. Nobody is allowed. Not just you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOur dad-\u201d Daniel paused. \u201cOur dad can be a little crazy about people coming over.\u201d Daniel stared angrily at the floor.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe doesn\u2019t let anybody in the house except us.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd repairmen!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes. And repairmen,\u201d Daniel said with not a little sarcasm.<\/p>\n

\u201cI mean that\u2019s cool, I guess. Just wanted to know.\u201d I turned back to the television screen, suddenly engrossed in the antics of Ace Ventura. I wondered what their father\u2019s reasoning could possibly be. Why couldn\u2019t people go into their house?<\/p>\n

\u201cHe just doesn\u2019t like it. We don\u2019t like to get him pissed\u2026 He can really- really get mad. He just hasn\u2019t been the same since he got back from the war.\u201d Daniel trailed off his sentence, unsure of what to say. \u201cI just wish he wasn\u2019t around… If it was up to Mom you could be there all the time\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s cool. Seriously, I don\u2019t care. I was just wondering what it was. And now I know, so-\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo we can get back to Jim Carrey talking with his butt,\u201d Johnny finished.<\/p>\n

\u201cHear, hear,\u201d said Daniel, glad to be finished with the awkward topic, and we did exactly that. We watched Jim Carrey cry out to the animals by spreading his butt cheeks apart. I soon stopped thinking about the issue and everything returned to normal. Or as normal as it could be, considering the spread butt cheeks.<\/p>\n

* * * * * * *<\/p>\n

Another week trolled listlessly by. We were getting well into the summer now, and we were beginning to grow restless. After several days of watching and re-watching the \u201cStar Wars\u201d films we were ready for some cinematic excitement of our own.<\/p>\n

I suggested we see if there was any adventure to be had in the woods, so we trudged off into the great wilderness of the nature trail in search of danger. Something rustled in the underbrush. We stopped to listen. Suddenly a squirrel exploded out from under a pile of leaves, causing Daniel and me to jump back. Johnny laughed at our reaction then continued meandering.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou know what would make this really exciting?\u201d Johnny said, clambering to the top of a massive rock. \u201cIf we took Dad\u2019s gun out here and hunted some of them squirrels.\u201d He pretended to shoot at a low-flying hawk.<\/p>\n

\u201cYour dad has a gun?\u201d I was shocked.<\/p>\n

\u201cA big one. I think he kept it from when he used to be in the army. Kinda looks like the Cougar Magnum in Goldeneye<\/em>. I bet we could shoot a bear!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat sounds like a horrible idea.\u201d I didn\u2019t like the thought of getting in any trouble with their father. I did wonder what it would feel like in the palm of my hand. How heavy would it be? Would the steel be cool or warm? When I fired, would there be any kick back? Would my arm shatter from the recoil? Would I look as awesome as Pierce Brosnan did in the movie Goldeneye<\/em>? The thoughts were equally exciting and frightening, and my pulse quickened at the thought.<\/p>\n

\u201cA gun is not a freaking toy, Johnny,\u201d Daniel said. \u201cI think we should find something to do that doesn\u2019t involve fighting bears.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s more exciting than fighting bears? I can\u2019t think of anything more exciting than fighting bears,\u201d Johnny said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe could go to Farmer Meyers\u2019 house,\u201d I said. They spun around to look at me.<\/p>\n

\u201cIs he even real?\u201d Johnny shuddered. \u201cI\u2019d rather fight a bear.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI mean somebody\u2019s real. There\u2019s a house isn\u2019t there?\u201d Daniel pointed to the top of the hill, peaking just over the tree line.<\/p>\n

\u201cIsn\u2019t he like, evil, though?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJohnny, even if he is evil, he won\u2019t be able to catch us.\u201d I placed my hand reassuringly on his shoulder.<\/p>\n

\u201cAddison,\u201d Daniel said, placing his hand on my shoulder. \u201cYou\u2019re an idiot.\u201d<\/p>\n

Johnny, aware of an imbalance, placed his hand on Daniel\u2019s shoulder, creating a triangle of hands on shoulders. \u201cDaniel, I don\u2019t have anything clever to say.\u201d We laughed, shaking the hands off our shoulders.<\/p>\n

\u201cCome on guys. We\u2019ll just go touch the house and run away. Then we\u2019ll be legends.\u201d I was getting excited about the drama and danger that would come from approaching that house. It felt like something the kids from the Sandlot<\/em> would do. Those kids were awesome and I wanted to do something worthy of the silver screen, just like those kids did. I remembered a quote from that movie. \u201cRemember guys, \u2018heroes get remembered, but legends never die.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSandlot?\u201d Johnny said.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNice.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLet\u2019s do it,\u201d Daniel said. \u201cI\u2019m bored with just sitting around anyway.\u201d He started walking in the direction of the hill.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou sure you\u2019ll be okay? Like with your stomach\u2026\u201d I realized as I spoke I was likely just going to piss Daniel off.<\/p>\n

Daniel stopped walking midstride. \u201cI\u2019ll be fine.\u201d Unwilling to push the issue further, the three of us set off toward Farmer Meyer\u2019s place.<\/p>\n

The hill Farmer Meyer\u2019s house upon was almost wholly covered in thick oak trees. The house itself was entirely encircled by trees, but the shack was inside a clearing, having no trees within about fifty yards. The walls of this hovel were built with logs while the rest of the house appeared stitched together with random pieces of warped, grey wood. The cabin sagged to its left, threatening to tip at the slightest breeze.<\/p>\n

We arrived at the place around mid-afternoon, approaching the front of the house. It looked empty. There was no car in the little, gravel driveway. The grass around the house was well kept, but there were no signs of any sort of flowers or garden. It didn\u2019t appear to me that anybody was home. I felt a little relieved. This would be easy. I couldn\u2019t imagine anything better than achieving legend status fit for a movie without having to actually do something dangerous. We crouched behind the massive trunk of a fallen tree just on the outer rim of the clearing.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust run up and touch it.\u201d I pointed to the lilting wooden door.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou first,\u201d Johnny said. His eyes darted furtively across the windows. \u201cIf he\u2019s here he\u2019ll shoot you first so I can get away.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll all do it together. That way it\u2019ll be quick.\u201d Daniel held up three fingers. \u201cReady? One-\u201d He lowered the first finger. We sat up on our haunches, ready to spring. Adrenaline gushed through my veins. Daniel kept counting. \u201cTwo\u2026\u201d I started breathing more rapidly. Daniel lowered another finger. \u201cThree\u2026 Go!\u201d We leapt up from our hiding place and ran wildly toward the house. Johnny reached the house first, smacking the creaky wooden door with his palm before whirling around and sprinting back toward the woods.<\/p>\n

\u201cBetter hurry up, slow pokes!\u201d Johnny said as he galloped past us. I reached the door second, and as I slapped the timber the front door erupted open. I paused, staring at the old man standing before me. He was stooped over and his flowing grey beard was draped over his ample stomach. He glared at me intently. I spun around and sprinted away from the old man. Daniel hadn\u2019t fully turned around, and I collided jarringly with him in my desperate bid to escape. We collapsed to the ground in a heap. Heavy footsteps crashed back inside of the house. I heard a loud snap like a round being chambered into a shotgun.<\/p>\n

I sprang to my feet. \u201cDaniel, let\u2019s freaking go!\u201d I tried to pull him up but he was holding his stomach and groaning. \u201cLet\u2019s\u2026 Go!\u201d I jerked him to his feet and dragged him, stumbling behind me, as I ran. The old man, back on the porch, swore, yelling something about trespassing and stupid kids. The sound of the shotgun blast ripped through the air as he fired into the trees well above our heads. We didn\u2019t stop running, crashing through the underbrush, until we left the nature trail and reached the street. We buckled to the ground, falling on our backs and gasping for air. Johnny had beaten us there and bounded over to us when we emerged from the woods. I looked up at his excited, nervous face and began laughing.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat are you laughing at? We almost got shot,\u201d Johnny said, starting to smile himself.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are freaking legends!\u201d I said. I laughed again. \u201cNobody has ever even seen Farmer Meyers. We not only saw him but we ding-dong-ditched his house.\u201d I realized maybe there were some stories to be told in this quiet neighborhood.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey will tell great tales of our adventures I\u2019m sure,\u201d Daniel said, panting and holding his stomach.<\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe we should just stick to playing videogames,\u201d Johnny said and laughed.<\/p>\n

* * * * * * *<\/p>\n

We needed a Nintendo 64. My friend Joseph had just gotten one and I had been over to his house, with Daniel and Johnny, probably fifteen times to play 007 Goldeneye<\/em>. The game box\u2019s sleek, smooth curves were a technological masterpiece, fusing art with science. The game itself was unlike anything that we had ever seen before. I felt as if I actually was Pierce Brosnan, taking down communists and snagging women. It felt just like a real movie, except we actually had an active role- like a movie you could play. This used to be the real draw for me. It was the closest thing I could find to actually being in a movie. I wanted my life to be a movie and a videogame provided a sort of virtual sense of just that. Living a movie. There was only one thing that shattered that illusion for me. Joseph.<\/p>\n

Joseph did not see the beauty of the game. He did not see how we were playing out a movie with our own choices. The only thing Joseph saw was the dripping blood on the screen indicating he did not win the game. And if this was the case then everybody had better look out. He would throw his controller at us and rampage around the room screaming. \u201cYou guys have cheats in your controllers! There\u2019s no way I missed that shot. You were right there!\u201d These pointless howlings echoed through his basement, until he finally settled down enough to play another round. It was frightening.<\/p>\n

There was no way for us to enjoy the game, because beating Joseph brought the aforementioned verbal abuse. Winning consecutive games brought his uncontainable rage and a vigorous water-noodle-thwacking form of physical abuse. He always had that thing with him. And of course none of us wanted to lose, and doing so intentionally to simply appease Joseph did not make a loss any easier to swallow. We needed a Nintendo 64.<\/p>\n

One night, as Daniel, Johnny and I were sitting in my basement, we brainstormed schemes to pool together enough money to get the system, game, and extra controllers.<\/p>\n

\u201cLet me finish before you say anything,\u201d Daniel began, clearing his throat. \u201cWe sell Johnny.\u201d Daniel received a swift slap to the face.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat if we did yard work?\u201d I said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat if YOU do yard work?\u201d Johnny said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat if I throw you into a wall?\u201d Realizing the conversation was going nowhere I stood up to go get more chips from the pantry on the first floor. On the way back down I noticed a deck of dusty Pok\u00e9mon cards I hadn\u2019t touched in well over a year resting on the bookshelf. It hit me.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat if we just walk around the neighborhood selling our crap?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDude. I\u2019ve smelled your crap. There\u2019s no way I would buy it. No matter how well it could fertilize a plant.\u201d Daniel received a swift slap to the face.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo! Like our old toys and stuff.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHmmm, I like it.\u201d Daniel\u2019s muffled voice rose from the thick, maroon shag carpet.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m down,\u201d Johnny said, grabbing a stuffed animal from under the couch.<\/p>\n

Two days later we assembled in front of their house to inspect our goods. We had one deck of Pok\u00e9mon cards, eight various stuffed animals, my old Gameboy Pocket, some rocks, an etch-a-sketch, and several other random games and toy novelties. Almost everything in the pile was mine.<\/p>\n

\u201cOkay,\u201d I started. \u201cWe need to get fifty-eight dollars out of this mess. I\u2019ve got about thirty saved from allowance, which has taken me almost a month to save. So how much do we need?\u201d I rapidly spun around and thrust my finger directly at Johnny.<\/p>\n

\u201cTwenty\u2026 twenty-six? No. Twenty sev-\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTwenty-eight, moron,\u201d Daniel said without so much as a glance at his brother.<\/p>\n

\u201cBrilliant. I guess we\u2019ll split up and meet back here in a couple hours before it gets too late. Sound good?\u201d The brothers nodded, turned, and headed toward the lower parts of the neighborhood. I watched as Johnny almost walked in front of a car before being pulled out of the way by his brother, who then smacked Johnny in the back of the head, laughing. I wished I had a brother like Daniel. He looked after Johnny and everybody else in his family. I wondered what it would be like to have a brother that would do anything for me. I turned slowly and something caught my eye. The lower window next to the door was completely filled by the massive figure of Leo. He didn\u2019t move but he seemed to be looking directly at me. Was he watching me? I quickly looked away hoping he hadn\u2019t noticed and scurried up the road toward the houses on the opposite side, my bag filled with various sale items bumping forcefully against my leg.<\/p>\n

I had no idea on how to begin my first experience in sales, so I just sort of meandered from street to street hoping to find a wandering kid to approach and swindle.<\/p>\n

I imagined myself a brave explorer, bringing furs and trappings to trade with the Indians. I felt like John Smith from Pocahontas<\/em> on a grand adventure. I hacked away at invisible vines impeding my progress, searching for an Indian with whom I could make a deal.<\/p>\n

After an hour I had sold exactly nothing. Surprisingly, nobody wanted to pay for any of my treasured goods. Increasingly frustrated, I felt the sweat trickling down my back from heat of the midday sun. I had decided to give up early and just head home, when I noticed Molly, Daniel and Johnny\u2019s older sister, lounging outside their house reading a book. I feared walking so close to their house, at least during the daytime, but I wanted to see if I could potentially make a sale, seeing as I actually knew her fairly well. I settled on shouting at her from the road.<\/p>\n

\u201cMolly! I\u2019ve got the deal of a lifetime.\u201d She turned leisurely toward me.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh yeah? And what might that be?\u201d She brushed her hair back from her face revealing a faded bruise near her temple.<\/p>\n

\u201cA Wartortle Pok\u00e9mon card, no scratches. Only five dollars!\u201d She threw back her head and shrieked with laughter.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat is the worst trade ever,\u201d she eventually replied, gasping for breath. \u201cThe only way I would buy something from you would be if you had a portable videogame or something like that. Dad won\u2019t let me have any videogames, says they\u2019re sinful. He says they make you want to go out and shoot people in real life. He flips out any time a video game is even mentioned.<\/em> Obviously he won\u2019t get me anything and I don\u2019t have a car to get anywhere. At least if it was portable I could hide it.\u201d I rummaged through the articles in my bag, finally grabbing the Gameboy.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve got a black Gameboy Pocket!\u201d I exclaimed. \u201cMint condition.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cReally? Bring it over here.\u201d<\/p>\n

I looked around hesitantly, afraid to tread on their lawn in the open daylight. Molly noticed my tentativeness and laughed again, \u201cCome on. Dad\u2019s not home and won\u2019t be for several hours. You\u2019re fine.\u201d Reluctantly I slinked over to her, constantly scanning around me. I handed her the Gameboy.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, okay. I\u2019m down with this. How much do you want for it?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThirty dollars,\u201d I said immediately and without thinking. Instantly I regretted it. There was no way she\u2019d give me that much money and, now that\u2019d I\u2019d asked for such a high price, she\u2019d surely tell me to bug off rather than haggle for a better price.<\/p>\n

\u201cSounds good. I\u2019ll go get what\u2019s left of my birthday money from last year. If the thing breaks though, I\u2019ll get Johnny to sit on your face.\u201d Afraid that if I said anything I might change her mind, I simply nodded. I fidgeted nervously while she went inside to get the money. As soon as she returned, I grabbed the money from her outstretched hand, and flew like a drunken tornado toward my house.<\/p>\n

* * * * * * *<\/p>\n

Eager to get back to Daniel and Johnny, I decided to take a quick shortcut through a wooded area between a few streets, rather than running along the main road. I was so excited to get back to them that I didn\u2019t notice the two boys until they grabbed my shirt, wrenching it across my throat and knocking me to the ground.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhere you going so fast?\u201d The first boy asked, bending over me. The two boys wore dirty gray t-shirts and ripped jeans. I recognized them as being thug high schoolers from the apartment complex right outside of Redfields. They had stolen over the fence a few times to dip in our pool.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust headed home.\u201d I was having difficulty breathing and was painfully aware of the wad of cash in my back pocket.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh yeah?\u201d The second boy poked me in the chest. \u201cExcited about that little sale you just made?\u201d My stomach dropped. They must have seen Molly hand me the cash.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat sale?\u201d The first boy kicked me in the ribs; I felt the wind rush out of me. I couldn\u2019t breathe. My eyes roved wildly, desperately searching for help.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou know exactly what we mean. Give us the cash, punk.\u201d The second boy lifted me up and started digging through my pockets. I squirmed trying to break free of his grip, but he was too strong.<\/p>\n

\u201cStop struggling.\u201d The first boy\u2019s stomach punch doubled me over. Darkness circled the edge of my vision, but I couldn\u2019t let them have the money. It would take way too long to get that much again. I tried to stand up. They knocked me back to the ground laughing. They flipped me, grabbing at my pocket<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat are you jerks doing?\u201d The boys released me.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat does it look like we\u2019re doing? Get out of here.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt looks like you\u2019re about to get in some massive trouble. My brother is going to get help- don\u2019t think I don\u2019t know who you are, Baxter, Ralph.\u201d I rolled over slowly, recognizing Daniel\u2019s voice. He was standing twenty feet away, cool and collected, a massive branch in his hands.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t believe you.\u201d Baxter looked around furtively.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt doesn\u2019t matter if you don\u2019t believe me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ralph looked nervously to Baxter. \u201cDude, maybe we should go.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe could beat the hell out of him before they get here, and take the cash too.\u201d Baxter whipped out a small pocket blade.<\/p>\n

\u201cTry it,\u201d Daniel said. Baxter walked right up to Daniel and stared him in the eyes. Daniel held his gaze. Ralph, unnerved by Daniel\u2019s demeanor, tugged at his friend\u2019s sleeve.<\/p>\n

\u201cLet\u2019s freaking go!\u201d<\/p>\n

Daniel took a step toward Baxter. Baxter wavered. He looked back down at me and spat. \u201cLucky thing your friend was here.\u201d They turned tail and dashed off into the woods.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd don\u2019t come back,\u201d Daniel shouted after them, cupping his hands around his mouth. He bent down to help me up. \u201cYou okay? You look pretty beat up.\u201d He extended his hand to me, pulling me back to my feet.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah I\u2019m okay I think. My stomach hurts.\u201d Daniel laughed and clapped me on the back.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know the feeling.\u201d He touched his own stomach. \u201cI\u2019m just glad you came this way. Johnny is hiding somewhere along the main road. One of us was going to scare you as you came by.\u201d I thought about this for a second.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou mean Johnny isn\u2019t getting help?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNope, just a little trick I pulled. Good thing they believed me.\u201d He laughed again.<\/p>\n

I looked at him, stunned. \u201cDude, you are like an action hero! You\u2019re like freaking Rambo. There are probably a dozen movies with a scene just like this.\u201d<\/p>\n

I still can\u2019t believe he did that for me. I can hardly believe that he would risk getting hit in his feeble stomach, or worse, just to keep me safe. I still can\u2019t believe how self-sacrificing he was. I realized then that I did have a big brother. Daniel would be there for me just as he was with his own family.<\/p>\n

\u201cCome on, man. Let\u2019s go to your house and get cleaned up,\u201d Daniel said. I put one arm around his shoulder and limped back to my house.<\/p>\n

Johnny was waiting for us at my house when we got there. \u201cWhoa! What the heck happened to you?\u201d He gestured to my limp.<\/p>\n

\u201cNothing really. Just some punk kids jumped him in the woods. They\u2019re gone now.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIf I\u2019d have been there I would have beaten the crap out of them.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sure you would have, you little Hercules,\u201d Daniel said, patting Johnny\u2019s head.<\/p>\n

I sat down to rest for a second. \u201cCheck this out.\u201d I pulled out the cash I\u2019d gotten from Molly. Daniel and Johnny stared at it wide-eyed.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhere the heck did you get that?\u201d Daniel asked, unsure if what he was looking at was real.<\/p>\n

\u201cI sold my Gameboy Pocket to Molly. I can\u2019t believe she bought it.\u201d Daniel and Johnny looked at each other. They erupted in laughter.<\/p>\n

\u201cHer birthday is on Wednesday. She\u2019s getting a Gameboy Color,\u201d Johnny said, laughing at the irony of her having bought a much crappier version of the present she was about to receive in three days.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were going to give it to her as a secret, since Dad won\u2019t let her have it,\u201d Daniel said. \u201cAnd,\u201d he added. \u201cThat\u2019s why we don\u2019t really have a lot of cash of our own\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh. Turd. I have plausible deniability right?\u201d I said, using a phrase I had just learned from watching the movie Independence Day<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\u201cDude. Shut up. The fact that you even said \u2018plausible deniability\u2019 makes me want to punch you so hard you\u2019ll wish you weren\u2019t punched so hard.\u201d Johnny motioned mock-menacingly with his fist. \u201cExcept, you know, that kinda already happened.\u201d He gestured broadly to my entire person.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll protect you.\u201d Daniel placed his hand reassuringly on my shoulder. \u201cNothing more will happen to our little titan of industry.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cOkay,\u201d I said. Feeling better, I pulled myself up. \u201cWell, let\u2019s go do this thing!\u201d<\/p>\n

—-<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

To be continued, Friday July 6.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I like to tell people I\u2019m from California. There\u2019s so much glitz and glitter associated with the place. People think being from there means you must have some access to it. As far as I know that may actually be true. Californians may be our modern Olympians, and Hollywood our modern Olympus, but I wouldn\u2019t […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":43,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,200,219],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/gadflyonline.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2714"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/gadflyonline.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/gadflyonline.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/gadflyonline.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/43"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/gadflyonline.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2714"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"http:\/\/gadflyonline.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2714\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3576,"href":"http:\/\/gadflyonline.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2714\/revisions\/3576"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/gadflyonline.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2714"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/gadflyonline.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2714"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/gadflyonline.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2714"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}