I Am the Pebble

 

            The female drama in his home had almost become overwhelming and Henry began to wonder just how much more of it he could absorb without exploding. His wife, Marigold was nine months pregnant and struggling to take care of their three daughters. Henry was more than happy to work full time, do home renovations, and juggle the bills and responsibilities of a growing family.

              He and Marigold agreed to not learn the gender of the baby, wanting to be surprised on the day of delivery. Henry envisioned having a son that would grow up to be bold and responsible like him, yearning for a son to watch play sports, watch sports, and wrestle with when he grew old enough. The clock reached the ninth hour, and he scooped up the little girls to shuffle them off to bed while his wife collapsed on the couch.

              “Remember, girls,” he said, “Mommy will be having the baby very soon. Grandpa and Grandma will stay with you while we’re at the hospital. It should only be for one day and I’ll come home to pick you so you can see the new baby. This is so exciting.” He tucked them into their three-layer bunkbed, kissed them goodnight, turned out the light and sat with Marigold on the couch.

              “Can I get you anything from the kitchen,” he asked.

              “No, thank you,” she said, “I ate too much dinner and I’m just really tired. Hopefully this baby comes sooner than later. We’re only four days away from the delivery date. I have a feeling that this little one is going to be early.  Let’s hope for the best. My parents are ready to come over at a moment’s notice.”

              Henry pulled himself to his feet, shuffled into the kitchen and returned with a small glass of Merlot. He rolled Marigold to her side, gently massaged her back and feet, carried her to bed and enjoyed the silence of their little home while sipping his wine. He turned on a rugby match with the sound turned off and quickly came to the realization that it was almost midnight.

              He returned to the kitchen, washed the dishes, and an agonizing groan come from the hallway. “Henry, come quickly, my water just broke,” she cried out. Henry threw on his shoes, grabbed the car keys and carried Marigold to the car. Leaning her seat back, he assured her that they would arrive at the hospital in less than fifteen minutes. Before she sat down, she dialed her parents to see them arrive within five minutes.

              Henry, Marigold, and little Arthur returned from the hospital two days later, Henry was beaming with excitement at the prospect of not being the sole male in the family. He had visions of Arthur dominating on the football field, the baseball diamond, and the basketball court. The years passed by quickly and Henry grew more and more concerned as Marigold and the girls continued to baby Arthur, dressing him up like one of them and encouraging him to be more emotional and kind to everyone he met.

              When Arthur began kindergarten, he and Henry began to play catch, wrestle, and watch rugby together on Tuesday evenings. Henry could feel his hopes and dreams of Arthur being a dominating force on the playing field begin to shrivel. Arthur consistently failed to catch the ball, to throw the ball, and to even run with anything resembling any speed.

              Arthur finally reached the seventh grade and would return home each day after school complaining that he was always chosen last to be on one of the teams. He constantly complained about his failures in PE, but he maintained straight A’s in all of his classes. Thrilled to have something to encourage Arthur, he constantly commended him on his grades and the kindness he showed to everyone at every opportunity.

              When Arthur transitioned into high school, he confessed to his father that he had no interest or ability to pursue athletics. His passion was for learning and for music, having risen to first chair playing the trumpet. Henry and Marigold watched Arthur deliver the valedictorian speech at his graduation. His three sisters all glowed with pride at their brother’s achievements, thrilled at the good and kind person that he had become.

              Four years later, just like at his high school graduation, Arthur once again delivered the valedictorian speech at his university graduation. One week after returning home, he received a letter in the mail from a small software company on the other side of the state, offering him the lead position for their IT department. True to form, Arthur researched all of the details, facts about the small town, the cost of living, the opportunities that such a position offered, and the travel time from this new opportunity to his parent’s home. Feeling confident and settled with the offer, he accepted the position, traveled with Henry to the town to meet the office manager and find an apartment to rent.

              It was with tears, hugs, and grief that Arthur packed his few belongings, said goodbye to his parents, his sisters, and his few friends around town. He quickly settled into the new role as lead IT manager to find that two of the other employees on the IT team were unhappy about someone new coming in and taking the job they believed should have been theirs. Several weeks passed and he found himself connecting with one or two others at the company. During all of his interactions with his co-workers, with people around town, and with his new neighbors, he had visions of his former life as the one who was picked on during all of his years of schooling.

              Six months into his job, he returned to his apartment, looked at his weak and skinny frame in the mirror and was struck with the idea of eating healthier, exercise, and possibly begin lifting weights. He placed an order online for all of the necessary equipment to turn his body into a shapely and muscular frame. Within the week, his equipment arrived, and he made the plan to start light, a consistent and faithful jogging routine as a way to ease into it all.

              Arthur filled his water bottle, changed into workout clothing and put on his new shoes. Following this, he stretched every muscle he could think of before he started running. He followed the outermost roads around the town, determining that this path was just slightly over four miles long. He smiled and waved at more people than he could count, hoping that their kindness was genuine and not done merely to be nice. “Because that’s what people are supposed to do,” he muttered to himself.

              Three miles into his job, he felt a small stabbing pain in his left foot. He immediately stopped, removed his shoe and extracted a small pebble from his heel. “Wow, it’s funny how such a small object can cause such discomfort,” he said. “Now there’s a funny image. Just like this little rock, I now see that I was the pebble in the shoe of so many people upon whom I imposed myself.”

              “Every time the team lost, it was because of me,” he grumbled. “Now I understand what a pain and hassle I must have been all of those years, trying to be an athlete.” He tossed the pebble to the side of the road, slipped his foot back into his shoe, stretched a bit, and once again began running. Disappointed that his water bottle was empty, he slowed to a walk and followed the pathway to his front door. “I suppose this is going to take a while to build up any kind of endurance or muscle strength,” he grumbled. “I’ve got to be patient, consistent, and stay with it.”

              After a short and cool shower, he microwaved two beef and bean burritos, opened a can of pineapple and enjoyed a spicy and sweet dinner. “I need to share this new path I’m on with someone. I know, I’ll call Angelica, she’s always been the sister who was there for me, has always been supportive and helpful.” He dialed his sister’s number, chatted with her husband for a few minutes and then poured out his newfound passion to his sister.

              True to form, Angelica was kind, thoughtful and supportive, encouraging him to keep her up to date on his progress. He thanked her for her time, hung up the phone, poured himself a glass of Malbec and turned on a documentary about body building. When the movie was over, he cleaned his kitchen and found himself once again thinking about being a pebble in the shoe of so many people over his many years.

              He rose the next morning, feeling stiff and ravenously hungry. He could feel every muscle in his body complaining as he went through his workday. Determined to not allow a little bit of ache and fatigue keep him from his commitment to making himself stronger and healthier, he began a routine of running four days a week and lifting weights three days a week.

              After nine months of consistent running and lifting, he began receiving compliments from the secretary at the front desk. “Hello, Arthur,” she said when he entered the office. “I think you’re looking bigger and stronger than you were when you started here.”

              “Good morning, Anne,” he said, “thank you for noticing. I’ve been running and lifting for several months now and wow, do I feel so much better.”

              “Oh, good for you,” she said. “You should take me out for dinner on Friday. We really should get to know one another better. I’d like to hear more about you, your family, why you moved to his dumpy little town and your workout regimen.”

              “That would be great,” he said. “Does six-thirty work for you. Give me your address and I’ll pick you up. I know a great Italian restaurant in the next town over.”

              “Perfect,” she said, “six-thirty sounds great. I’ll text you my address.”

              Arthur returned to his desk, feeling more alive and energized than ever before. Wow, I did not see that coming. Anne is stunningly beautiful. I can easily see her becoming part of the family. I know my parents and sisters will love her. It doesn’t get any better than this. Wow, so awesome.