Sissy is no slouch, but she wasn’t remotely running her best. Just a training run, after all, and she’s a veteran, smart enough not to make a race out of every practice. Sissy had steel ovaries, believe me. Brooks, red face screwed up with determination, cocked his head like he was listening to something. then he charged into the distance, all elbows and butt, getting smaller with every stride.
***
Couldn’t straight think. Kept running. Felt somebody poured concrete in shoes. Guys ahead of me. See four. Must try to catch them.
***
Buck Farris sailed into sight through the break in the wall, totally in control, powered the final fifty meters, breaking the tape unchallenged. He’s my top dog and I’m proud of him. Got the right stuff. Trained hard all summer long, road races and all-comers meet. This will be his year, he’s earned it.
Wasn’t prepared for what I saw next. Dirk and Benji, the best of the rest, were looking over their shoulders and there’s the Rocque kid. Geezus, what a piece of work. In the old days, before the popularity, before the big events, they used to say… and then there’s always one from the ranks.
Obviously startled, Dirk and Benji looked not unlike old Jim Foxx when the oysters ran out and his daughter married a member of the Clackamas tribe. Like deer in headlights.
Benji, God love him, found another gear somewhere. I suspect raw terror. But poor Dirk, he wasn’t the kind of guy who went looking for a fight. Certainly not with a 132-pound psycho coming hard with a full head of steam.
***
Went by one guy. Like he was road kill. Possum. Armadillo maybe. Finish line the starting line. Running. Running…out…of…time.
***
Out of his head, he was. Clearly. Must be the shoes.
Couldn’t catch Dirk, let’s give credit where due, a talented athlete in his own right. But the kid tried. I will always says that about Brooks Rocque. He tried. That he always did. He tried.
***
I puked.
Coach Pro, shit-eating grin, gave every member of the varsity a THE HOLE IN THE WALL GANG t-shirt. Every one an extra-large; he said we had all run huge. On the back of the tee, Who are those guys anyway?
Still have that shirt.
This is the fourth installment. And so concludes Chapter One. Stay tuned for Chapter Two. – JDW