1979

They sat there on tree stumps around a fire in a clearing. There was a record player plugged into the battery of a nearby car and empty beer cans strewn about. They sat around talking about the good old days when the last game of their senior year in high school was never finished because of a brawl. They sat there in their tassel caps, flannel jackets, holy jeans, and steel- toe workboots that would often pack a switchblade. This was the place where they felt safe to open up about their insecurities. This was during a time where if you weren't crazy enough to be like your old man and die over there, you were a Godless Commie. Or just plain crazy. Harsh words to say. But the old man was the man of the house and he was the one with the war medals. Also, with your brother fixing helicopters in some rice paddy, it didn't matter if he came back home worse off than when he left, they were the ones running things despite there arising a need for self- sufficiency because they weren't really running things... As the violence- hardened fellows continued to share their pains of living in a dead steel town during a time of war and cultural upheaval, one said to the other "Put on some Frampton, man" as they thought about that plant that made the rabbits down by the river all glassy- eyed... The railroad bridge loomed ominously in the distance.

2005

It had been a busy few weeks. Busy few years really. Two more children came into the family after much debate. The Old Man hadn't talked to Booger Boy in a while. He was doing the marching band thing quite frequently now and this weekend, Booger Boy was the fastest JV guy on a conference championship cross country team. Districts was up in the next couple of weeks, and they were gaming to qualify for Regionals, where Booger Boy would be the alternate. They deserved it for all the 35 to 40 mile weeks that they put in all summer. It would make all those repeats by the lake and trail runs along extremely questionable footing all worth it. But in the midst of all that business, there was trouble. Threats had been made. Deceitful actions, lies, and cover- ups had been used. Over what? Some girl drama. He took Booger Boy home from Homecoming that Saturday night. Both had somber looks on their faces. The silence between them was ominous. Then they mutually lashed out at each other.

"DAMMIT BILLY! WHAT DID I TELL YOU?!?!"

"I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT ELSE TO DO, DAD!"

"YOU SHOULDN'T HAVE GONE!"

"You were definitely right about that, Dad...."

The next morning, instead of going to church as usual, The Old Man and Booger Boy drove out to those old woods where the neglected kids armed with switchblades sat there drinking about 25 years prior. Booger Boy asked his dad "Why do we always go here when I'm in trouble?" The Old Man attempted to hold it back in a choked-up sigh, but said "Well, when I was your age, I did a lot of stupid things that I don't want to get into. Whenever I've fought with your mother to the point where I drive off, I come here. Sometimes, I lift. Other times, I go for a little jog. But I always say a prayer for my friend who died here. A week after he died I remember sitting at the bar and a girl was singing

Now here I go again

I see the crystal visions

I keep my visions to myself

it's only me who wants to wrap around your dreams

and have you any dreams you'd like to sell?

dreams of lonliness like a heartbeat drives you mad

in the stillness of remembering what you had and what you lost

what you had, and what you lost...

and then I realized how depressed and how angry and just how messed up my life was, and that night I crashed my truck and the officer that pulled me out of the wreck started to take me to AA meetings..." The Old Man trailed off and started to cry, and Booger Boy didn't know what to say. He never knew what to say when the Old Man got like this.

2010

Years later, Booger Boy was working in a soup kitchen. Being that he was behind on hours for the week, he felt like he had to work through lunch as he gave groceries to homeless people. As the homeless people cleared out he started bagging rice with his friend Angela who he met on the job. For whatever the reason, it was just them. There were rumors going around that they were an item, but the truth was, despite a mild crush on his part, they were just friends, and for the time being, he intended to keep it that way. As they were chatting, Angela asked "Tell me your secrets, Billy." It was then that Booger Boy (Billy) broke down and started crying. "Angela, I feel like shit because I am a bad person. My best friend was dating a bad person and I tried to break them up, and now she's crazy and it's all my fault!" "No it isn't." Angela said. Billy replied "You're right... Maybe it wasn't my fault, what with my parents being who they were." "You know what you need?" Angela asked as she picked up a handful of rice. "What?" Billy asked as he got pelted with a handful of dry rice. They continued to throw rice at each other for the next few minutes. "My my, look at the mess we made," Angela said, "Get a broom, will ya?" Billy swept up their mess, chuckling to himself. For the rest of the summer they continued to carry on like that.