Finding My Worth

The day it all changed

| When I started the day I would have never thought that this would ever happen to a country boy like me. Especially since my grandfather was the one who didn't believe in things like this. Boy was I wrong! |

"Dad I don't want to! Please, please, please don't make me do this. Don't you love me!" that was me on the way to my grandfather's storage space. "You have to go, I'm sorry. I know it's hard, especially now that he's gone, but it's either now or when I can't drive you anywhere. I don't think you want to be walking in the rain with fifty pounds on your back." That's my dad. He's pretty cool, but he always has to work and doesn't make much money. I'm that one kid at school that gets school supplies from teachers, and I get rides home from my friends and coach. I even have to wear my coaches shoes because we don't have enough money to buy them. Which is fine, I'm not complaining or anything, but when you're in a school full of rich people wearing tuxedos and dress shoes, you know you kinda stand out.

After he dropped me off at the front of the gate with the key to the scratchy storage space, I watched him drive away with all of the dust and dirt kicking up after him. "Man why am I doing this again?" I turned around to meet my eyes with a metal gate that looked like it was straight out of a horror movie. The scene right before the kid gets kidnapped and all that. "Hey kid, have a key?" a rusky old voice sounded from the right of me. "Ummm- yeah I do." I was scared I don't know why though I'm usually not the type to get nervous talking to people. "Well then give on here boy I ain't got all day now, give it." I had trouble making out half the words he was saying they were all so slurred and muffled. I pushed my way through all the sticks and dead bushes then laid my hand upon the rusting metal slab he used as his desk top. "906, this is old mallards key, such a sad week for him. I wish him the best I truly do. You know boy back in the day me and him where-." I didn't catch the rest of what he was saying it was either because I dozed out for the half hour he was talking or he slurs his words so much I stopped trying to understand, and I ended up just nodded my head up and down the whole time.

When he was finally finished telling his life story, he looked at me and pulled himself real close and whispered " Boy I hope you know what you'sa getting yourselves into going in there, and I hope you better be knowing how to talk them animals." He pushed myself back up with his arms and punched in a few numbers in his duct taped computer. I stood there awkwardly watching him type on the half of his keys he still had remaining, but soon he looked at me and nodded.