The Bird

Flight

        He may have not have been the most perfect man in the world. He may have not have been there for those he loved all the time. He may have not had the best life, but he was all they had. He was there and people loved him. Born on the third of September, 1963, he was an innocent child who knew none of the new world he had just entered and what would happen in the future, if there was one. His parents moved to search of a place to stay for the rest of their lives. When they found a plot of land that was suitable, they built a house and sent him to school. He went to school and grew up as three new family members were born. As he went through elementary school and high school his dad, his brother, and him learned how to mend fishing nets and fish. He never found any interest in sports despite trying football and basketball. After graduating high school, he left for college. After his time in college, he stumbled out of college not knowing what to do for a life career. He decided to sell his wooden fishing boat and buy a brand new bow-picker.

        The name of the boat was inspired by his all-time favorite song, Free Bird by Lynyrd Skynyrd. He fished and mended nets as a living until he met my a beautiful woman in 1999. He married her and she gave birth to his child the next year. the boy came in the world to meet the two indivduals that loved him immensely as they did back. Three years after, on July 4th, a baby girl came into the world. The father had been out fishing when he was radioed and told that his wife was begining labor. Despite the day being an amazing fishing day, he turned the boat around and put it to full throttle for home. She was one of the best gifts he had ever recieved. When his son met her, he smiled and called her *baby.* Shortly after her birth, the father was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.

       He then after continued fishing and would not see him for relatively long periods of time during the summer fishing seasons. Skipping ahead, it was around 2010 when him and his family moved out of their duplex and moved into a bigger house. He had quit fishing his own boat and went on his dads boat but was still mending nets. The next year on the way to his dads house for his birthday he recieved a call that said that his mother had a stroke. He held down the urge to cry and had a small hope inside himself that it was a minor stroke.

        He was quiet for following two days and prayed and tried to talk to God. He was seen occasionally, but was praying for a miracle. On Sunday December, 5 (2 days after the stroke) after church, he told his family to gather in the living room. He told us that his mother had a major stroke and could not respond to anyone. They went to the hospital and the entire family (aunts and uncles included) stayed in her room talking about all of the good times and saying their last words. It was one of the worst experiences of his entire life up to that point and could not be made better by any of the people who tried to comfort him. At around midnight, his brothers, sister, and father went into his mothers room one by one and prayed by the bed and said their goodbyes. He, however, still thought that a miracle would happen. His dad and brother then proceeded to pull the plug.

        The miracle did not happen. He was quiet afterwards being quiet and not expressing much emotion. He and his family went home. In the following weeks he started to think abnormally and believe that every number meant something significant. He began to believe he was a prophet saying that the world would end soon. It scared his family and those who loved him. He stopped working and eventually was kicked out of the house and went to live at his fathers.

        His son cried every night lying to his mom that he did not care. He didnt want her care, he wanted his dad. Over the next year and a half the fathers health continued to decline due to the diabetes and his sense of what was wrong and right was deteriorating. 

        During the summer he came along during fishing but was unable to work. He came only as a permit holder and only argued with his brother and father. On several occasions he stated that he wanted someone to put a bullet in his head and end it all. His son, hearing this, silently cried everytime he heard it and wanted to tell him how much he loved him.

        It was August 25, 2014. His son was trying to sleep when he heard his mother talking. He tried to go back to sleep, but heard her talk to his uncle. He didnt hear what his uncle said except for the loud sobbing of his mother. He knew instantly what had happened. He remembered flashes of my last summer and then locked the door, crying to himself.

        It was August 25, 2014, the sons birthday. His dad had a rational conversation with his father before his father had to go to a doctors appointment. While his father was gone, he decided that it was time for him to depart from this world. With that, he let go of his chains, and opened the window, flying into the sky, above the clouds, like the free bird he was.