Freedom’s just another word for nothing left to lose.
Me and Bobby McGee by Kris Kristofferson
Ben clenched his hand tightly and tried to rein in the anger that was welling up inside him. He knew he needed to stay calm if he was ever going to get his son to listen. He blew out a slow breath before turning to face his youngest boy. The boy who thought he was all done with boyhood and had made it into manhood.
“Joseph.” Ben paused as he looked into his son’s face. Joe was struggling to hold his temper in check and Ben had to give him credit where it was due. Not that long ago, Joe would have just launched into an argument and been shouting at him by now. It wasn’t too far below the surface, judging by the tense set of his jaw, but for the moment, his son had his mouth clamped shut. Ben almost smiled as he knew how much that was costing him.
“Son, I know that you think I am being unreasonable, but …” He held up a hand as Joe began to open his mouth. “But hear me out, Son. Your brothers are both adults and get freedoms that you have not yet earned. Being an adult does not mean you can just do as you please. In fact, it very often means just the opposite. There are usually others to consider besides yourself.”
Joe gripped his hands around the edge of the chair and Ben could see his knuckles were rapidly turning white. It was costing him enormously to put into practice his newly-declared ability to keep quiet and listen.
“Joseph, freedom to make your own choices comes with a price tag. And sometimes it’s a very costly one. It means that a man must take responsibility when those choices go bad. Or when there is a consequence that is unforeseen.” Ben waited to see if his words were sinking in. “Some men believe that freedom’s just another word for nothing left to lose. They value nothing so there is no cost involved.”
Ben watched as his son weighed up that last comment and his hands seemed to loosen a little on the back of the chair. Joe scowled at the floor as if tossing something back and forth in his thoughts. Ben was fairly certain what that something was and he tried again to get his point across.
“That’s an empty kind of freedom, Joe. And it always takes more than it gives.”
“Pa … I just …” Joe felt his anger slowly dissipating as he really looked at his father’s face. Where his friends had tried convincing him that his father’s strict boundaries meant one thing, he was slowly beginning to see it another way.
As Adam and Hoss returned from putting up their horses for the night, they could see that the storm had blown over and Joe was nowhere to be seen.
“Is it safe in here, Pa?”
Ben smiled and nodded. “For now. Until the next time he wants his freedom!”
Dix émouvantes histoires . . . Ils ont tous un coeur, profond comme l’océan . . . Mais le coeur de l’écrivain est comme l’univers, incomensurable.
So cute!!! I loved it!!
I enjoyed each one of these. For so few words each one packed a powerful story. Not sure if I could pick a favorite but Hoss’ death and Adam at sea stand out. I also liked Joe’s reflections about Carrie.
Thank you. I think the one about Hoss got me the most as I was writing it. Glad you enjoyed them.
Thanks for posting your Pinecones in the Library. Quick vignettes filled with emotion.
Thank you. It’s been fun getting into writing them.
I’m so glad you posted these, I loved reading through them. Such good responses for all of the prompts. Looking forward to reading more of them from you in the future! 🙂
These are fun to write, aren’t they? I’ll race you to the next one! 🙂
You’re on… ?
Thank you for prompting me to post this and thank you for the lovely comments. I had a mental picture with those lines that made me ache for Adam.
Questfan, I love all of these, each one compact with stirring imagery. Hard to pick a favorite, but the one about heroes (Hoss) tugs at me, especially this part: “The words began slowly. A trickle of his heart as it leaked out its pain onto the paper. Soon it began to flow and he feared he may drown under its weight.” Don’t I wish I’d written that! Thanks for posting them here for library readers to relish. 🙂