Short story

The Way of Life                                 Porter 1

Joseph Porter

Mrs. Woods

HE10

22 December 2011

           

            The end of the wrestling season was coming to an end. The days getting slightly brighter and longer. That thought wasn’t in my focused mind as I was running my laps. 1. I hadn’t seen the sun since September and even then the sky was cold and gray, very cold and gray. Life seemed full of despair over these past few months, as time flew and practice turned from pain and torture to bearable. There is only one thing that matters in life: It wasn’t school, it wasn’t having a social life, but it was winning the high school division 2 State wrestling Championship.

            My life was an empty hole filled with the bubbly juice of revenge: revenge for my mother’s death, who just died a year ago, revenge for all the times I lost at wrestling, revenge for all the pain I went through to get where I am right now. Every day after practice I go home late at night to my father full of despair and loss of will to live. 2. It was these reasons that drove me to my goal. Though I knew I wouldn’t be able to bring my mom back or make my dad feel better, I realized that this would help me fulfill my dream and maybe, just maybe make my father happy.

            But here I was in a dark room with a flickering light, all that is heard is the hot breath of my partners and teammates under the hood of sweatshirts and headgear. It had been to long since we had a break, but without determination and practice comes defeat. We knew how

Porter 2

hard it was with state only a week away. As the time ticked on the clock no one noticed as this is the sport we loved. But in a way it wasn’t a sport more than a way of life. We have sacrificed four years of our high school lives so that one day our hand may get raised. Something so stupid yet so honorable, It was the most honorable thing there was. Almost like getting a wreath at the Olympic Games or a gold medal. There I stood a measly 113 pound senior, Now was my chance to prove my-self on the mat.

             The little freshman looking up at the upperclassmen as though we are gods, yet in a way we were just that. The disparity of it all is that they had no clue the pain and torture we went through.         It was the closest that we could come to fighting yet it made us feel good. We were locked in a battle and once that whistle sounded the only way to end it was winning in those short six minutes. But as a sport is important so is daily life yet I haven’t seen the sun or bright sky in many days.

            I was pushing off all the pain getting into my head. We were drilling takedown after takedown on the dirty mat so that one day we might be perfect at it. Although my school had not won the conference in so many years, due to the loss of a great coach that once stood here. 3. My life was a sad routine that was practiced daily, school, practice, home, bed, in between running mile after mile hoping it would end. Constantly reminded me of how my life was different from those who could hang with friends or even have friends, I felt worthless and troublesome. There was no way I could continue until I felt like my time on this ghostly world had ended.

            Porter 3

            The troubled look on my face with the constant sweat of it all said what I was about. Nothing to live for but my mom, yes, I knew she would want me to continue as she was my greatest fan. I was like a superhero to her one that is praised and upheld even in rough times she held me dear. But now that kid stuff was over and it was time to be grown up.

            The greatest distraction in wrestling was not losing weight or paying attention to the teachers in school or having butterflies from being nervous for the meet that night but it was the girls. Yes, those girls were 95 percent of the distraction that kept even the great from achieving their goal. Though that was not going to get in my way, that distraction above them all was succumbing but not necessary. The only need in the world right now was focusing my mind on the one golden goal.

            The last week of wrestling was soon on its way and we were practicing harder than ever. The drowsiness we felt during the day and the rumbling of our stomachs were pain beyond pain. But we knew that with winning comes sacrifice. There were only 6 of us left now, though we saw everyone leave at the end of the day we knew ours had just begun. I was now down to 106 weight class to make going to state easier for me. The thought of food growing closer every day, especially at lunch with all the happy eating people around all six of us sitting at our lonesome table where food was a taboo. The practices were getting harder with every passing moment we performed 15 takedowns a minute, practice was perfection and perfection was necessary to be the best.

           

            Porter 4

            The thought of it all coming to an end was sad though I believed that my end would not come soon, it would be a while before I looked back on my career. State was on its way as we went through regionals and sectionals. Only 4 of us left now. My friend group was growing smaller as I saw everyone that was with us until they got eliminated, eating as much as their body can hold; happily as though nothing happened. We were in Madison, the wrestling capitol of Wisconsin. This was where state was held and glory and dreams were given and taken away.

            The first round passed with ease as each member of my team won. Advancing into the second round was a little harder as we started to go up against greater opponents that were similar in strength and style to us. As the 106’s finished their matches, I watched with horror as the time counted down for my turn. This was do or die, there was no turning back, all the hard work and everything I did was for this.

            The last round…… the championship round. I couldn’t believe that I had made it here yet I was still standing here waiting. It was going to be me against a kid who had won state 3 years in a row going for 4, the only person between him and that goal was me.  The ref called us up to the score table and out to the mat as I felt butterflies. I hadn’t eaten anything that day so that I could make weight and because I was nervous. Now I was feeling the effects of it hitting me hard. We shook hands and the ref came out and got ready to blow the whistle to start. That was the last thing I heard before I saw light then darkness creep in. It filled my body and I was nothing.