Awethentic

Johnny woke up to his old school Spartacus brand alarm clock stabbing at his ears with an awful  but effective buzz that he ended with a too hard slam of his hand on the snooze button. His eyes fell on the mess he had yet to resolve in his apartment. Then on to the don’t tread on me poster prominently located near his bed. For a few seconds it caught him and in it’s message, and took him. As was his routine, mentally to his two tours in Vietnam. He made it back both times, but the adhesive we all have in us that holds together who we are and what we think about things for him had lost most of it’s effectiveness.  His old man had a strong respect for the role of the military, how necessary it was, and in his mind how what was owning was worth fighting for. Taking on this adage, Johnny clung to life in society by working nights on airplanes. His skills accumulated in the military not wasted there. From the hanger where he worked he could see people coming and going, wrapped up in hallmark-esque versions of life that to him seemed plastic and unattainable. Johnny struggled with these observations and the relentless anger he felt for the soft underbelly of society he fought so hard to defend. Stuck on this feeling, and desperately wanting to keep things in his life on an even keel, he internalized his rage. On top of this rage was a thick layer of duty partially from his parents and partially the military. As a man driven by a series of routines, he took the same route to work every night. One private pleasure he cherished was soda. So-da-licious he thought. Another pleasure was throwing out his soda bottles onto the lawn of one Alabaster Pebblebottom. The motivation of Johnny doing this to Alabaster was truly unknown to himself. Most likely it was the large peace sign Alabaster had constructed from disposable plastic products that set Johnny off.  Alabaster grew up in the same neighborhood as Johnny.  However, they had become quite different as they grew. Alabaster had never been to war because he had flat feet. His craft prone life had never carried him very far monetarily. Despite this he had always listened to the curious creator inside himself and acted accordingly no matter how whimsical it may have seemed to anyone else. That bravery had often caused/cost him trouble in groups where independent thought was nowhere to be seen. So he kept to himself mostly and shared his creations with anyone who seemed interested.  This included a colorful man named Chauncey who lived in New York and had a pension for the dramatic in most aspects of his life. Included in this was his fondness for Alabaster‘s creations. Over a period of six months, Chauncey had commissioned Alabaster to build an effigy of his late father Travertine. On the whole, Chauncey‘s life and success were a result of Travertine‘s business savvy and kindness. With special care, he balanced his selfish desires with private philanthropy. Absent of the desire for being recognized, he actually made a point of supporting anyone he met who seemed to bring something good into the world. Alabaster was just such a person to Chauncey. Stayed tuned for the next chapter for these characters 🙂