This is Part II...please see Part I from April...
As Jack approached the
field he attempted to muster up some fake happiness and give his parents a
friendly, warm, and confident smile and wave. He was unable to tell if he had succeeded, he
certainly didn't feel confident nor all that friendly. In his heart, he had no joy. He hated this moment and just wanted it to be
over so he could go home and forget he ever met Roberta. How could she not be here? How could she be so selfish? How could he have been so wrong about her? With those and a million more thoughts, Jack
stepped up to the throwing circle.
Mr. Riley, the track
and field official (and sea turtle) came over to Jack and gave him his first Hammerhead
to toss. “Now Jack once that bell rings you have 60 seconds to throw it otherwise it is a fault. Let that happen twice and you
double-fault and are disqualified from the competition. After your first throw, you will have two
minutes before your second throw to make any adjustments. Do you understand?”
“Mmph” was the only
reply Jack gave. Apparently, it was
satisfactory for Mr. Riley as he shuffled off to ring the bell.
*Ring ring*
Jack could have sworn
that bell could wake the dead. The big
countdown clock flashed on and started counting down. It was Jack’s normal routine in the
Hammerhead toss to use the full 60 seconds before making the throw. He always felt it was a waste if he didn't take all the time allotted. For today,
at least on his first throw, he didn't care.
Before the clock even reached 50 seconds Jack went into the classic spin motion that
Roberta had encouraged him to use and that he was most comfortable
with. Unfortunately for Jack, it was also
the riskiest of the methods in the Shark toss. Using this method Jack would normally spin around twice and on the third
time around he would step up and let loose his shark. Spinning more than three times was just not a
good idea.
Jack tried to
concentrate and put Roberta out of his mind and focused on the throw. He knew his parents loved him regardless of
his performance and whether he succeeded or failed he knew they would still be
the same great parents at the end of the day. However, as he spun to throw on his third spin a wave of sadness came
crashing violently inside of his head like a tsunami. He accidentally stepped on the stop-board,
stumbled as he threw, and stepped outside the throwing circle.
The silent shock of
the onlookers was like a cacophony to Jack making him wish he were dead and desperately
hoping the next bell wouldn’t bring him back. “How could this have happened?” Jack cried aloud in his heart. It was then Jack realized he should have just
quit months ago; that this whole season had been a monumental waste of his
time.
Mr. Riley quickly came
over to make sure Jack was okay and signaled to the other official he might
need some additional time before his next throw. “Jack, oh boy Jack are you
okay? That was a nasty trip. If you are hurt you are allowed an additional
five minutes to recover if needed.”
Jack was silent.
“Jack? Did you hear me?”
Pleaded Mr. Riley.
Jack was in a
daze. He didn’t even want to make his
next throw, what was the point? He had
utterly embarrassed himself on the biggest stage possible! There was nowhere he could go though. He didn’t want to be a failure in the eyes of
his fellow athletes not after making it this far. His third and fourth tentacles ached but nowhere
near the ache in his heart. He simply didn’t
feel he had the strength or desire to get up and throw again.
"Please let me
have a few minutes,” Jack said.
“Yes of course, of
course!” the old sea turtle replied. “When
the buzzer rings next that will mark the end of the five minutes you will then
have to head back to the throwing circle for your final toss.”
“I understand,” Jack
said without emotion.
His parents looked
concerned and how could he blame them? He had made a fool of himself and Octopuses everywhere! Now he had only one chance at redemption, one opportunity to salvage his
dignity but he wasn't interested. His
mind began to drift and he just sat staring straight ahead. He didn't know how long he had been doing
that when from behind him; somewhere off in a faraway world he heard his father’s
voice, “Jack, Jack! Son, come over here quickly!”
His father had climbed
down to the edge of the field, as close as he possibly could to get Jack’s
attention. Snapping out of his haze Jack
dejectedly walked over to where his father now stood. Only an ugly grey fishing net separated
father from son.
“Jack I know you are
sad that Roberta isn’t here. Neither
your mother nor I know where she is, nor do we know why she chose not to show
up today. I can only imagine how devastated
you must be.”
Jack’s eyes began to
well with tears.
“Two minutes! Two
minutes before the bell!” Mr. Riley yelled from across the field
His dad continued, “Sometimes
in life, you are going to be disappointed. On some occasions, it will be those
closest to you that will disappoint you the most. It is great to have people who will help you
during difficult times and encourage you when you are down. Yet there comes a time when there is only
you, Jack” His dad’s voice thick with emotion.
“There are times when
you have to find the courage to press on and fight, to compete against
all odds and in the face of great adversity. Your mother and I are so proud of you Jack, no matter what happens today
we are proud you are our son. Nothing
will ever change that.”
“Yea Dad I know, but uh…”
began Jack.
“Son, this is a time
to listen, not to speak, okay,” said his father firmly.
“Okay,” Jack said out
of frustration. Jack knew what his father
was saying was true but it was just so hard to overcome his disappointed and
heavy heart.
“Jack this is your
chance, you have to search inside of yourself and throw that damn shark as far
as you can. Don’t do it for me or your
mother and certainly don’t do it for Roberta. You have to reach way down deep inside your soul to your very essence
and throw this shark for yourself. You
are at a defining moment in your life. You
can look back many years from now and realize the significance of your decision
or regret your decision and blame whatever happens next on Roberta. I love you, son, now step up there and show
this crowd what an Octopus is all about!” with that his Father hurried back to
sit next to his Mom.
*Ring Ring*
Whether it was the
last words his dad spoke to him are that awful bell, Jack couldn’t be sure. Whatever it was, Jack snapped back to reality. He now realized the truth of what his Dad had
said to him. No matter what the results
of this Hammerhead Shark toss would be Jack would compete for himself. Not for
Roberta and not for his parents but for his pride and his future. All that mattered now was he gave his next
(and last toss) everything he could. Deep
down Jack now understood he wasn't a quitter. The temptation to quit is always there but following through on that idea just wasn't in his DNA, not under any circumstance. He
knew now that if he gave 100% of himself at this
moment, no matter what the outcome, he would have no regrets and could hold his
head high. For the first time in his
young life, Jack realized he was no longer a child Octopus but had grown into a
man. It was time to put away his
childish thinking forever and embrace his emergence as a grown Octopus.
This time Jack stepped
confidently into the throwing circle, his face set like flint. His eyes were full of focus, concentration, and
purpose. The onlookers begin to offer up
an encouraging cheer but Jack barely hears them as he quiets his mind, grabs his shark, and prepares for his final toss. Jack patiently waits for the clock to run down to 10 seconds before he
begins his first spin. His mind is clear, he feels sad
for Roberta that she is going to miss this moment but that is her loss, not his.
Second spin…a big smile begins creeping across Jack’s face…into his third spin
and woosh…the shark leaves his tentacle. At
that very moment, Jack knew he nailed it, this would be one of his best tosses
ever. It wouldn't matter where he placed
or if he won. In his mind, he knew he
already had won a major victory.
As his shark comes crashing
down at the 75-meter mark the crowd erupts in thunderous applause. In the end, Jack will place second in the
event, falling half a meter short of the eventual champion. None of that matters at this moment. He cannot believe how loud the cheers are
now!
"Jack! Jack! Jack!" the crowd roars!
It is almost deafening and Jack thinks to himself this must be the sound that awakens
the living…
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