Fields
Life after prison labor is so easy that it's hard. Bo's not sure he can do this.
When he gets out--is thrown out, really--Bo doesn't really think about where he's going, or what he's going to do there. Mostly, he remembers. Life before. It is faded in his mind, for all that he lived outside the 4-7-1far more than in it. It takes him a little while to figure it out. And then he realizes.
He was never one of these sheep, who needed to be protected under layers of clothing and padding even to walk to school. He has never been so weak. It just took him longer than anyone else to see it.
So he knows he can't comply with all of their safety laws, not for long and not in any quantity. He's run over twenty miles across frozen tundra, out paced a polar bear. He knows the rush of looking out across a field and knowing that the guys you're facing are out to break your neck. There's no feeling quite like it, but he's become addicted to the adrenalin rush.
He leaves the country, to other places that aren't quite so strict with their laws. His mother says he's looking for his death. His grandfather doesn't say anything. His father isn't around to comment. Bo doesn't care anymore.
South America, where they still play football. He gets accepted to a team as soon as they see how good he is. Other players ask how he got so good, and he tells them he remembers the time he raced a polar bear. They don't really believe him, Bo can tell, but it makes for a good story.
He meets up with Rhino, on the field once more. They're on opposing teams. The huge man is still a lethal mix of muscle and fat. They stare a little, then nod to each other. Bo's team wins, because he ran the ball down the field so fast that no one could catch him.
After that game, he never sees Rhino again. He wonders what happened to his prison friend sometimes, but doesn't dwell.
Eventually, someone catches him on the field. They bring him down, and both his legs are broken. They heal perfectly, but take too long. He leaves football for track. Years later, he's been the champion of several things, and he is well off.
He's forty-two when he realizes he hasn't been home in decades, and that he can't remember his mother's face.
Still, he doesn't return.