a story & an excerpt
my dad and i were driving home, hurtling through the streets of downtown dayton. it was around 2002, so much of the area was in a dilapidated state: little care for infrastructure was extended other than maintaining the wright brother’s bike shop.
so at night the streets remained a level of dark that made even riding in a car uncomfortable. sure enough that was felt in my pop’s grey saturn sedan. in the hush of the night, the hum of my father’s frustration and the poor streets soundtracked the drive.
my lil brother thrived in the discomfort, so much so he let the potholes and rhythmic chiding from pops rock him fast asleep in the back seat. he also kicked his little power ranger heart out in karate, earlier.
my pops was a multitasker: he paid attention to the road and my struggle to finish my english homework in the front seat. to his dismay, i couldn’t complete an assignment that i, quote, “knew how to finish.”
the worksheet blinkered in my lap, in the darkness. as the car passed under the street lamps, an answer, for a moment, would illuminate itself on page before falling from my mind and sliding into the night, just like my shadow.
my pops and his disembodied voice sternly asked, “what’s the contraction for will and not?”
i had only paused for a beat, but the weight of the night made silence move through time with a heaviness.
i really, really couldn’t think of what to say; i didn’t know “will not” had a contraction.
impatience was my father’s favorite kind of waiting. with more vigor, he said, “son what’s the contraction for ‘will’ and ‘not’?”
again, i scratched all the available mind space i was aware of, hoping a truth would reveal itself under the surface. yet nothing came.
and because of rules of three, he said once again, demanding more than asking. “‘will’ and ‘not’ makes what jay?”
i didnt process anything he said fully, because with no confidence, i immediately blurted out, “willn’t.”
funny to think of that kid b/c he’d still probs say that and be amazed that now i write. thanks for
@center4fiction creating this pathway.
s/o the judges
@elyshoshine @mitchsjackson @likaluca .
@paulhempstead @noahny 📸 fits this
