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CHRISTOPHER MCKAY'S FATHER DEMANDED excellence.
"although she feeds me bread of bitterness, and sinks into my throat her tiger's tooth, stealing my breath of life, i will confess. i love this cultured hell that tests my youth. however strong you think you are, you are stronger. her vigor flows like tides into my blood giving me strength erect against her hate, her bigness sweeps my being...like a flood." he recited.
"let's go, let's go." his dad called out.
"yet, as a rebel fronts a king in state..." he began as he practiced.
"there you go. up, up." his dad instructed.
"i stand within her walls, without a shred of terror, malice, not a word of jeer..."
"however strong you think you are, you are stronger." his dad told him.
"darkly i gaze into the days ahead, and see her might, and grin at wonders there. beneath the touch of time's unerring hand, like priceless treasures sinking in the sand."
"great work, son." his dad applauded, "get some water. get ready for practice."
as much as he hated his father for the pressure he put on him, he knew it was because he was special, because he had a gift, because he saw something in him that could one day lead to greatness.
the truth was, mckay was shy, but winning gave him confidence. and that confidence was the result of his dad's beliefs. routine. routine. routine. he was recruited to play division one football at the state college, 30 miles from his house. he began to imagine a life in the NFL.
when he was a junior, he started hanging out at the jacobs' house more often. he'd been friends with nate since he was a sophomore, they became best friends his junior year and nate's sophomore year. he remembered the first time he went over to their house. before she was sent away, odessa used to have a habit of tanning in her front yard in string bikinis. pretending not to notice the boys who would crash their bikes due to staring at her, or the mailmen who would hold the mail between their crouches.
odessa laid out in the sun on an orange towel, wearing her favorite white string bikini and sunglasses. her hair was in a side braid, she heard a car approach and park in the driveway. nate stepped outside of his truck, mckay followed after him. odessa leaned on her forearms to hold her up, pulling down her sunglasses to get a better view of mckay.
"this is chris mckay." nate introduced, "that's my little sister, odessa."
that's when the trouble began.
odessa held out her hand for mckay, mckay shook it, "nice to met you, mckay."
"you too."
"dess, the boys are coming over soon. can you change into something that makes you look like a person?" nate asked.
