Post by Deleted on Dec 21, 2016 12:58:23 GMT -5
OFF CAMERA
FLASHBACK
“Get it Zach! Dig in, don’t give up the plate!.”
Zachary Knight is a thirteen year old kid and he is up at bat in a little league game. The pitcher is a boy that looks older, stronger, and bigger… but Zach is not intimidated.
The pitcher throws the first pitch.
“STRIKE ONE!”
“That’s okay Zach, it wasn’t your pitch! Just dig it, and let it rip!”
A second ball.
“STRIKE TWO!”
“That’s okay Zachey… you got this. All you need is one pitch!”
The pitcher tosses the third pitch, a fastball down the middle. Zach does not swing.
“STEE-RIKE THREE!”
The other team celebrates a win with that strikeout. Three straight pitches and Zach is just looking at them go by. Zachary’s father heads over towards the youngster and puts his arm around him,
“It’s okay bud, just not your game. You will get them next time!”
He takes the bat and helmet from Zach and heads towards the dugout.
“Dad?”
“Yeah bud?”
“Can I still get ice cream?”
“Yeah ZK.”
ZK. His initials. Zachary Knight. But it had become a bit of a nickname for Zach from his father. A bond the two of them shared.
“Thanks dad.”
The boy brightens up a bit and runs ahead. He was not very self confident, nor was he the driven athlete that he is now. He loved sports, and much of it because he bonded over it with his father. His father approached his mother to gather his things.
“The boy isn’t going to learn anything if you coddle him.”
“Delia! He is just a kid. Ease up!”
“He won’t ever win an Olympic medal unless you push him!”
“Oh, like your father pushed you..and that didn’t help you at all.”
“Really Jamie? And you didn’t win a medal either.”
“But I had fun doing what I did, and enjoyed the experience.”
“Whatever. Let’s go home. I need a drink.”
“You always do.”
With that, Jamie and Delia head to the car where young Zach is waiting. He knew when his parents were fighting. He knew the look on his mom’s face; she was disappointed and he was not getting ice cream because only winners get ice cream. Instead of a mother’s love, Zachary would get his mother’s disapproval. Even years later after his father’s death, Zach was still a “boy” to his mother. A twenty six year old, boy.
*****
OFF CAMERA
PRESENT DAY
His mother, Delia, heads into the kitchen and brings an apple pie into the dining room. She cuts a large piece the pie and sets it on a plate in front of him.
“Eat up Zachary. I didn’t slave over a hot kitchen in this weather to let pie go to waste!”
“Fine.”
He begins to eat the pie, mushing it around the plate to make it appear as though he is eating more of it then he actually was. He leaves the crust, before finally pushing the plate forward.
“Finished, happy?”
His mother heads over to him and pinches his cheek.
“Very.”
She smiles and takes the plate, heading back into the kitchen.
“I’ve got to go now. Love you ma.”
“Go? Already?”
“Yeah. Training to do.”
“Good! You’ve been looking sorta sluggish lately.”
“Thanks, ma.”
He heads out of the house and into his car. Taking off down the street he headed not for the gym but for a quiet cafe actually. He had done his training earlier in the day and just wanted some time to unwind and relax. He had been living at home to help care for his mother. A month turned into three years, and he felt bad every time that he brought up leaving her alone. These moments of being without her were fleeting but he enjoyed them.
He knew of a quiet cafe, and every night of the week there would be a group discussion, often religion, politics, or even discussion of a book that people are reading. A man of his physical stature would normally stand out in a group like this; typically hipsters and soccer moms looking to escape from the brats for a night. But this was his safe place; he was just Zach here. His phone buzzed, it was a text from his mom.
-Make sure to work out your legs! Love you ZK-
He hated when she called him that. That was his dad’s nickname for him, not hers. He ignored the message, and slid the phone back into his pocket as the group discussed the idea of further space exploration.
This was the real Zachary Knight. He thought of himself as The Legacy, and but was fighting his father’s way of enjoying life and his mother’s way of never looking weak.
FLASHBACK
“Get it Zach! Dig in, don’t give up the plate!.”
Zachary Knight is a thirteen year old kid and he is up at bat in a little league game. The pitcher is a boy that looks older, stronger, and bigger… but Zach is not intimidated.
The pitcher throws the first pitch.
“STRIKE ONE!”
“That’s okay Zach, it wasn’t your pitch! Just dig it, and let it rip!”
A second ball.
“STRIKE TWO!”
“That’s okay Zachey… you got this. All you need is one pitch!”
The pitcher tosses the third pitch, a fastball down the middle. Zach does not swing.
“STEE-RIKE THREE!”
The other team celebrates a win with that strikeout. Three straight pitches and Zach is just looking at them go by. Zachary’s father heads over towards the youngster and puts his arm around him,
“It’s okay bud, just not your game. You will get them next time!”
He takes the bat and helmet from Zach and heads towards the dugout.
“Dad?”
“Yeah bud?”
“Can I still get ice cream?”
“Yeah ZK.”
ZK. His initials. Zachary Knight. But it had become a bit of a nickname for Zach from his father. A bond the two of them shared.
“Thanks dad.”
The boy brightens up a bit and runs ahead. He was not very self confident, nor was he the driven athlete that he is now. He loved sports, and much of it because he bonded over it with his father. His father approached his mother to gather his things.
“The boy isn’t going to learn anything if you coddle him.”
“Delia! He is just a kid. Ease up!”
“He won’t ever win an Olympic medal unless you push him!”
“Oh, like your father pushed you..and that didn’t help you at all.”
“Really Jamie? And you didn’t win a medal either.”
“But I had fun doing what I did, and enjoyed the experience.”
“Whatever. Let’s go home. I need a drink.”
“You always do.”
With that, Jamie and Delia head to the car where young Zach is waiting. He knew when his parents were fighting. He knew the look on his mom’s face; she was disappointed and he was not getting ice cream because only winners get ice cream. Instead of a mother’s love, Zachary would get his mother’s disapproval. Even years later after his father’s death, Zach was still a “boy” to his mother. A twenty six year old, boy.
*****
OFF CAMERA
PRESENT DAY
His mother, Delia, heads into the kitchen and brings an apple pie into the dining room. She cuts a large piece the pie and sets it on a plate in front of him.
“Eat up Zachary. I didn’t slave over a hot kitchen in this weather to let pie go to waste!”
“Fine.”
He begins to eat the pie, mushing it around the plate to make it appear as though he is eating more of it then he actually was. He leaves the crust, before finally pushing the plate forward.
“Finished, happy?”
His mother heads over to him and pinches his cheek.
“Very.”
She smiles and takes the plate, heading back into the kitchen.
“I’ve got to go now. Love you ma.”
“Go? Already?”
“Yeah. Training to do.”
“Good! You’ve been looking sorta sluggish lately.”
“Thanks, ma.”
He heads out of the house and into his car. Taking off down the street he headed not for the gym but for a quiet cafe actually. He had done his training earlier in the day and just wanted some time to unwind and relax. He had been living at home to help care for his mother. A month turned into three years, and he felt bad every time that he brought up leaving her alone. These moments of being without her were fleeting but he enjoyed them.
He knew of a quiet cafe, and every night of the week there would be a group discussion, often religion, politics, or even discussion of a book that people are reading. A man of his physical stature would normally stand out in a group like this; typically hipsters and soccer moms looking to escape from the brats for a night. But this was his safe place; he was just Zach here. His phone buzzed, it was a text from his mom.
-Make sure to work out your legs! Love you ZK-
He hated when she called him that. That was his dad’s nickname for him, not hers. He ignored the message, and slid the phone back into his pocket as the group discussed the idea of further space exploration.
This was the real Zachary Knight. He thought of himself as The Legacy, and but was fighting his father’s way of enjoying life and his mother’s way of never looking weak.
