Really though, I am somewhat proud of that. I should have breezed by that milestone long ago, however, if I had stayed on track and posted at least once a week. Still, it does mean that I have written 100 pieces and published them for public consumption. So, I have that going for me.
Anyway, since I am speaking of being proud, I want to turn to one of my favorite topics, my kids, and ramble about a moment that I am particularly proud of. As many of you may know, I am a teacher and coach. I had the immense pleasure of teaching Emily in honors English during her freshman year at BHS. The times we shared in my classroom provided me with countless moments that caused me to swell of with pride. I have watched her grow and develop as a person, a young person that makes it incredibly easy to be hopeful for the future.
Now, my son is preparing to enter his freshman year at BHS. Now, for most football coaches who are fortunate to be blessed with a son, one of the proudest moments that could occur is when they get to help him strap on the pads and lace up the cleats and coach him on the gridiron. That has to be a moment each one of those men files away in the warmest places of the heart to be thought of fondly over the years. I experienced a moment that I hold just a warmly and just and fondly, and it has absolutely nothing to do with football.
Let me step back a moment. Each year since Dylan 8, I asked Dylan if I should sign him up for Gladiator football. Each year, he said, "No, I don't think so this year." Going into the seventh grade, he told me, "Dad, sports just aren't my thing." I won't lie; I was disappointed because I had to accept that I would not have the chance to coach my son share a passion for football, which does take up a good chunk of time for me. Should I have just signed him up when he was in the fourth grade and just forced him to develop the habit of playing football each fall? Honestly, I don't think so. He is his own young man, and he has his "things" that he finds interesting and rewarding. He is not living my dream, and I am not living through him, trying to make him into someone I wished I might have been. Right or wrong, as far as sports are concerned, it ain't happening. And I am honestly fine with that. He provides and will continue to provide plenty of moments that will allow me to swell with pride, some of which will be obvious, and others that perhaps no one else will truly understand.
One of those pride-inducing moments took place recently. Last week, Dylan said something, and I am sure he has no idea just how much pride welled up for me at that instant. HE said, "Dad, I wrote a short story this week, and I emailed it to you." For me, that is every bit as perfect a moment as anything that could take place on a grassy field. I love to write, and I love to read. I have a few creative pieces in the works. I would love to publish a collection of my poetry or some of my short stories someday. So, when Dylan let me know that he had put electronic pen to paper and let his creativity spill out onto the digital page, it was a special moment for me. Due to some email issues, I did not receive the email with the story. In the car on Saturday, as we drove to a celebration of my parents' 50 wedding anniversary (talk about something to be proud of), he asked me if I had had a chance to read his story. The fact that he asked me a second time about reading the story is an undeniable indication that he really wanted me to read it. That is a big deal. No, that is a mountain of a deal. The fact that he wants me to read what he wrote, that he wants me to be a part of that world of his is important to me.
So, I have that moment of irrepressible pride that each parent has to hope to experience. But it goes a step further than that. The story is really good. And I don't mean that "Um, yes son, that is, well, interesting"-type of good. It is actually a short story with a developed plot and twists of irony. It is titled "The Vents". With his permission, I am posting the story below. I hope you enjoy it. We have even discussed some revisions, which is was another one of those moments that I truly enjoyed and value.
So, with no further adieu, "The Vents" by Dylan Thomas Kohls, June 2015.
At my last home I heard a strange noise go throughout the vents. At the time I simply denoted it as maybe the ac kicking on. One of the first times I noticed this was when I was talking to my wife about buying a new car. Our old one was just about dead at the time. After the conversation was done the sound started up and then faded away.
That night I went to a local bar. I sat down and ordered a drink. Then this guy sat down next to me and ordered the same drink. We started talking. He mentioned me getting a new car. I found it weird that he would know that but we live in a small town, news can travel fast. After a while I left. When I got home I described the guy to my wife and she said she saw him at the office. I came to the conclusion that she probably talked to him and mentioned it.
Then next time I heard the noise was when I was talking to my wife in the morning about my daughters birth day party. She was turning nine at the time. After the conversation I made a call to a baker to make an order for a chocolate cake. My wife wasn't in the room at the time. After the order was made I heard the same noise again and almost the exact same fade. I again brushed it off as the ac. Later that day, in the late afternoon, again I went to the bar sat down and got a drink. And the exact same guy copied my actions and started to talk to me. He mentioned the cake being bought and I simply thought that my wife probably over heard me and again mentioned it. I checked my watch and said something about me leaving and he said his name. But I wasn't paying attention and I think he said Jimmy or something. When I got home I mentioned him to my wife and she said a Jimmy doesn't work there.
The next day I mentioned the sounds to my wife and she said that it wasn't normal for the ac to randomly kick on, well at least with our model. So we at someone check it out. They said that it might take a while so if you wanted to leave for lunch of something go ahead. We left and when we had come back the one of the vents was open and a note was on a table. The note read "the vents are fine, the sound was probably just some mice that got in there, but got out by the time I got in." We thought that the open vent was probably just them forgetting to close it when they left. I sealed it back up and went on with life. In the next few days I found out about some problems with money the family had. We sold the house and are living in an apartment right now.
The reason I brought up this whole story is because a news report has showed up. What it reported was that a starved dead man was found in the vents of my old house after the new owners smelled a decaying body.
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