Post by twilight on Jan 31, 2020 15:15:08 GMT -5
The year was 1954. My name was Thomas, I was 11 at the time. We lived in Atlanta Georgia. My fathers name was Jim and was an insurance salesman. My mother name was Martha, and she was a housewife. I was an only child. We had a good life, middle class, I was in the boyscouts. My father belonged to a lodge and my mother had her book club.
But my father drank. Not often you see. But when he did drink he was a mean drunk. And once in a while he would hit my mother. He made excuses afterwards of course. Promised he would never do it again and he would keep that promise for a while. But eventually, he would fall off the wagon.
The question became, could a good man still be good if he did bad things to his family? The answer depends on if you are the family or if you are the “good” man? It depends on your point of view. If you asked me today I would say no man can really be good if he hurts his family.
A good man loves his family, protects his family, provides for his family. He does not run away, or disappear. He sticks around and rides out the bad times. Yes not all people are created equally, some can handle things better than others.
When I was a kid growing up in the 50s I thought life was perfect, but every other month on a late Friday night or Saturday I would be reminded just how not perfect life really was. And that was alright . As the 50’s became the 60’s, things got worse, the war in Vietnam escalated and by the mid 60s I had enlisted. My father was very proud of me, so was my mother. But I no longer wanted to leave. My fathers drinking got worse and worse and soon he was drinking almost every night. And my mother was paying the price. Dearly.
It was the summer of 61 and I had just graduated high school. I was allowed 2 months before I was going to join the marines. Little did I know it would be my final summer of my life, of that life. One early evening, my father midway through a bottle of Jack got angry at my mother because she had meat loaf and macaroni and cheese. My father yelled that any semi smart person knows you make mashed potatoes with meat loaf. And he would not let it go. He started screaming and my mother began to cry and she started to boil potatoes, I told her to leave it be but that made my father angrier. I told him that it was already 9pm at night and what would be the point of eating dinner after 10pm? He said the point was to have a correct dinner with the correct sides. Things escalated, very quickly. I was no longer a child, I was as big as him, stronger, younger, and faster. We fought, my mother threw the point of boiling water at his face and he screamed, he went for a kitchen knife, so did I. It was all over after that. I will stop there, there is no need to go forward.
So now I will talk about Cassandra and Reno Destiny. I want to say welcome back to both of you. It is good to see you both back. But this week I am one of your opponents. So the pleasantries stop there. I will talk about Reno first. I will ask you a question, are you a good man? A simple question I know, but the answer will determine if you are or aren't. You see Reno a good man does not leave his wife and new born child. But you did right? Was there a good reason? That's alright, I know the answer. There is never a good reason.
We were your family too, you left us, what hope did we stand if you couldn't stand by Cassandra and your child? You have always been a bit of a flake, ever since I have known you. All the talent in the world and never able to follow through with anything for any given time. Did I miss something? I don't think I did.
And Cassandra? For a long time I thought you were a strong independent woman. But you are just like my mother. Or one of my mothers. You let your man back into your life any time he sees fit showing up. You are better than that. Well I thought you were better than that. You need to stand up for yourself and for your son. Do not let a good man turn a strong woman into a good woman.
And with that I bid you both a good weekend.
Fade to light
But my father drank. Not often you see. But when he did drink he was a mean drunk. And once in a while he would hit my mother. He made excuses afterwards of course. Promised he would never do it again and he would keep that promise for a while. But eventually, he would fall off the wagon.
The question became, could a good man still be good if he did bad things to his family? The answer depends on if you are the family or if you are the “good” man? It depends on your point of view. If you asked me today I would say no man can really be good if he hurts his family.
A good man loves his family, protects his family, provides for his family. He does not run away, or disappear. He sticks around and rides out the bad times. Yes not all people are created equally, some can handle things better than others.
When I was a kid growing up in the 50s I thought life was perfect, but every other month on a late Friday night or Saturday I would be reminded just how not perfect life really was. And that was alright . As the 50’s became the 60’s, things got worse, the war in Vietnam escalated and by the mid 60s I had enlisted. My father was very proud of me, so was my mother. But I no longer wanted to leave. My fathers drinking got worse and worse and soon he was drinking almost every night. And my mother was paying the price. Dearly.
It was the summer of 61 and I had just graduated high school. I was allowed 2 months before I was going to join the marines. Little did I know it would be my final summer of my life, of that life. One early evening, my father midway through a bottle of Jack got angry at my mother because she had meat loaf and macaroni and cheese. My father yelled that any semi smart person knows you make mashed potatoes with meat loaf. And he would not let it go. He started screaming and my mother began to cry and she started to boil potatoes, I told her to leave it be but that made my father angrier. I told him that it was already 9pm at night and what would be the point of eating dinner after 10pm? He said the point was to have a correct dinner with the correct sides. Things escalated, very quickly. I was no longer a child, I was as big as him, stronger, younger, and faster. We fought, my mother threw the point of boiling water at his face and he screamed, he went for a kitchen knife, so did I. It was all over after that. I will stop there, there is no need to go forward.
So now I will talk about Cassandra and Reno Destiny. I want to say welcome back to both of you. It is good to see you both back. But this week I am one of your opponents. So the pleasantries stop there. I will talk about Reno first. I will ask you a question, are you a good man? A simple question I know, but the answer will determine if you are or aren't. You see Reno a good man does not leave his wife and new born child. But you did right? Was there a good reason? That's alright, I know the answer. There is never a good reason.
We were your family too, you left us, what hope did we stand if you couldn't stand by Cassandra and your child? You have always been a bit of a flake, ever since I have known you. All the talent in the world and never able to follow through with anything for any given time. Did I miss something? I don't think I did.
And Cassandra? For a long time I thought you were a strong independent woman. But you are just like my mother. Or one of my mothers. You let your man back into your life any time he sees fit showing up. You are better than that. Well I thought you were better than that. You need to stand up for yourself and for your son. Do not let a good man turn a strong woman into a good woman.
And with that I bid you both a good weekend.
Fade to light
