Chapter 595: The Weight
Sunday, March 5th, Morning
(Song lyrics in italics)
The door opened with her pass easily and shut off the alarm. Certain perks came with the red and black striped passes. Walking down the hall, she looked at the pictures; she stopped at one and studied it. It was a picture of herself when she recorded her last album, HJS.
Haley smiled at the picture. It was done just after LK went to kindergarten. This album was only made to raise money for charity. It was all worth it in Haley's mind.
Moving away from the picture, Haley looked at the next one. The picture was of Nordwind. This was a couple of albums ago, and it shows Kat and Psycho working on vocals together. They were great at singing together. Haley smiled and walked away.
Haley walked down the hallway to the studio at the end; she opened the booth door and stepped in. Haley turned on the lights and the boards. Looking out the windows, she could see the studio before, taking in the emptiness and quiet. Haley smiled and nodded.
Leaving the booth, she entered the booth. She took in the room's scent and put down the guitar case she carried. Haley picked up her dreadnought-style acoustic guitar and slung it on her shoulder. She carefully plucked at the strings and made sure they were in tune.
Haley would fix the string, then play a few notes and adjust it. Finally, she would switch to another string and do the same. She progressed through each string. Once satisfied, she closed her guitar case and looked around the studio. Haley found a stool sitting in the corner.
Haley pulled the stool from the corner to a spot in the center of the studio. Once it was where she wanted, she took a seat on it. Adjusting her guitar on her lap and started to pick at the strings.
Slowly, the picking started to become notes. The notes were random and didn't put anything in a coherent pattern of sounds. As she got her bearing, again, she started to string these random notes into chords. As the chords begin to become more and more coherent.
As Haley became more comfortable, she started to play the chords in a particular order. Haley noticed the chords began to make sense, and she leaned into it. Finally, the song clicked into her head. Haley started to hum to the notes.
Once she finished the song, she smiled. Nodding, she stretched and adjusted her guitar. When the cue for the singing came, Haley started to sing.
I pulled in to Nazareth
Was feeling 'bout half past dead
I just need some place
Where I can lay my head
"Hey, mister, can you tell me
Where a man might find a bed?"
He just grinned and shook my hand
And "No" was all he said
Take a load off Fanny
Take a load for free
Take a load off Fanny
And (and, and) you put the load right on me
(You put the load right on me)
After breakfast, she chose to retreat to the small private office. The girls were off doing their thing, and the three boys were down in the gym. Her dad would be collecting some of them and heading off to services. That gave her time to do work.
Ashlyn sat at the desk and opened a desk drawer. She pulled out a case and placed it on the desk. Looking over the case, she sighed and looked away. It was like she was Pandora, her box sitting on the desk. Ashlyn steepled her fingers, and she contemplated the case. Finally, Ashlyn reached forward to the case.
"It's just the past in there, and the past can't hurt you," Ashlyn said to herself.
She opened the case and looked at the content. Ashlyn pulled out a modest pile of pictures. She adjusted them, so they were in a neat pile.
Ashlyn looked at the first picture. It made her smile. Standing next to Ashton Perry and Angela Scott, she looked at the middle school self. They were wearing their Scott Brother's Motors uniforms, and judging by the numbers they wore, it was when they were twelve. So, much better times; back then, Ashlyn was considered the talented one.
The following picture was taken the summer after she gave birth to Brett and had her first knee surgery. The same three girls, all around fifteen, were sitting at the beach. Ashlyn had an uneven tan on her legs that summer; she hated that cast. She was never the same after that summer.
The third picture was from another year; this time, the three girls were sixteen. It was when Angela started to grow her hair back out after chopping it off. This time they were in Karen's Cafe, books open but not studying being done. They would get deep into the playoffs that year. But in their final game, Ashlyn's knee would lock up, and Angela would foul out. The last shot came down to a freshman, and it missed. It should've been hers.
The fourth picture was after the championship game. In this picture, the same three young women stood in front of the championship trophy. In Ashlyn's arms, she held her then two-year-old daughter Brett. That night ended an era, and they went out on top.
The following picture was of Ashlyn's wedding day. It was her and her bridal party, Angela as maid of honor, and Ashton and Chase as bridesmaids. This was taken during the picture time after the ceremony. On the back of the picture was scrolled.
Time is too slow for those who wait,
Too shift for those who fear,
Too long for those who grieve,
Too short for those who rejoice,
But for those who love, time is eternity.
Henry VanDyke
Ashlyn nodded.
The final picture was the last night Angela and Ashlyn were home before heading to the Atlanta Dream's training camp. It was taken at Club TRIC with Ashton and Chase. The future had no limit, but her career would end soon after.
At the bottom of the case were two championship rings. One was from her senior year, and she hardly looked at it. The second was from the third championship at Tree Hill, her first year as a coach. Ashlyn nodded and stared at it all.
I picked up my bag
I went looking for a place to hide
When I saw Carmen and the Devil
Walking side by side
I said "Hey Carmen, come on
Let's go downtown?"
And she said, "I gotta go
But my friend can stick around"
And take a load off Fanny
Take a load for free
Take a load off Fanny
And (and, and) you put the load right on me
(You put the load right on me)
Long ago, he had much of his game footage digitized and kept in the cloud. Often he would sit and watch the past, sometimes for memories, and that trip down memory lane, while other times, he did it to review and relearn past lessons. But many nights, he would sit and watch the footage.
Lucas leaned forward and watched the footage of an old basketball game at NCSU in Raleigh, a championship game. Lucas nodded and watched the team run the court. He watched as black #17 ran the offense. That year he had great guards, and that year they often ran three guard offense. The bigs were not as good as the previous years, so he played to the team's strength. Black #17, black jerseys were Tree Hill's neutral site colors, passed an outlet to Black #5. Black #5 was on the baseline by the three-point arch, got the ball, and sank a dagger. Lucas smiled and looked at his current roster.
He didn't have many guards that could play at this level. Watching another play with Black #7 pushing up the court, called the set, then passed across the court to Black #30, who then passed it to Black #52 for an easy put-in. While not his favorite of his three championship teams, the second was a fun team. There were many holdovers from his first championship team, but most were new, three from the previous season and four from that season.
The two senior captains were large and in charge. They were about the same size, the point guard, #17, and the small forward, #30, which meant he had an oversized point guard. But the Lakers did it with Magic; if it works, go with it. There were issues that season, too; his starting point guard wanted to change numbers from #13 to #17, which had been vacated by graduation. It was a bit of a debate, but the player said #17 was the number of her favorite player. So, he relented.
The following clip was of a play by his single-digit backcourt. The point guard, Black #7, passed to one of the other guards, Black #5; when Black #5 couldn't penetrate, she passed out to the other guard, Black #3, who posted up and shot a two-pointer from the mid-range.
His watching of the film was interrupted by a knock on the door. Lucas paused the film and looked at the open door; to see Sawyer. "Yes, Sawyer?" Lucas asked.
"What are you doing?" Sawyer asked.
"Watching Film," Lucas said.
"Can I join?" Sawyer asked.
"Sure," Lucas said. Sawyer nodded, entered the room, and stood behind the desk. Lucas took it off pause.
"Is that?" Sawyer asked.
"The Second Championship," Lucas said.
Sawyer nodded, "I don't remember this," she said.
"You were two," Lucas said.
Sawyer smiled, "Oh," she said, which caused Lucas to laugh.
Go down, Miss Moses, there's nothin' you can say
It's just ol' Luke, and Luke's waitin' on the Judgement Day
"Well, Luke, my friend, what about young Anna Lee?"
He said, "Do me a favor, son, won't ya stay and keep Anna Lee company?"
And take a load off Fanny
Take a load for free
Take a load off Fanny
And (and, and) you put the load right on me
(You put the load right on me)
The UBER driver was friendly enough, and even though she didn't need the help, he loaded her bags into the car. He even held the rear door for her. He got behind the wheel and drove off. She looked out the window at the South Loop of Chicago. This wouldn't be the last time she was in Chicago, she would be back for games, and she would need to finish her sleeve.
Kay watched as they passed the Willis Tower, one of the dominant sights of the last few years of her life. She watched as they turned down West Madison and crossed the Chicago River over the Lyric Opera Bridge; Kay sighed as they merged onto I90 Westbound. The Second City was slowly disappearing in front of her eyes. The name Second City came from the rebirth after The Great Chicago Fire, but it had another meaning to Kay. This was the city of her second chance, where she rebuilt her game and improved her shoulder. Chicago took her on its big shoulders and carried her.
With a big exhale, she looked forward and watched the traffic. Leaning back, she closed her eyes. Now she is heading to her third team and is on the way back to Connecticut. A nonstop flight from O'Hare to T.F. Green, which was in Providence, Rhode Island. There will be a limo ride to Uncasville. Uncasville is a funny name for a place. What is a Uncas?
Three hours of time, she'll lose an hour as she is heading east. But what could they do to her that they already have done? Kay nodded, looked out the side window, and mournfully sighed as she watched Chicago drift away over the horizon.
Kay sighed; she had lost Ivy. The last words they said to each other were, "Especially if it is." Of all the times she expected to see Ivy, it was today. Ivy was there, Kay waited as long as she could, but Ivy was a no-show. So, Kay sent her a text before they passed the Willis Tower. There has been no response.
The UBER pulled into the terminal. The driver let Kay out, then he went to retrieve her bags. Kay thanked the driver, tipped him well, and gave him a good review.
At the desk, Kay checked her bags and received her boarding pass. After taking one last long look across the terminal check-in area. Kay shook her head and walked into the airport.
Kay passed through security and took one last look out towards the entrance. Finally, she walked over to the gates. As she headed to the gate, Kay stopped at a newsstand and bought a water bottle and some gum.
Once the purchases were completed, she found her gate and took a seat. Kay checked her watch and waited for her boarding call.
Crazy Chester followed me, and he caught me in the fog
He said, "I will fix your rack, if you'll take Jack, my dog."
I said, "Wait a minute, Chester, you know I'm a peaceful man."
He said, "That's okay, boy, won't you feed him when you can."
And take a load off Fanny
Take a load for free
Take a load off Fanny
And (and, and) you put the load right on me
(You put the load right on me)
He sat in the cramped living room. In all honesty, he admitted his aunt and uncle's place wasn't cramped for their family, but they were sharing his house with his family; it was cramped; everything was cramped. Hopefully, soon the new home will be closed on, and they could move out of here.
Kyler picked up his book and looked over his homework. He didn't know what else to do on a Sunday, the channels on the TV were strange, and he was caught up on his internet video viewing. So, Kyler decided to do his homework.
"Are you really nerding out?" a young male voice asked. Kyler turned to see his younger brother standing at the door.
"What else is there to do, Ken?" Kyler responded.
"We can get out of here and try to find girls," Kenelm said.
"Is that all you think about?" Kyler asked.
"Have to establish yourself," Kenelm said.
"Yeah, this is prison," Kyler said and rolled his eyes.
"Not quite, but I heard you been n the path of big game," Kenelm said.
"What are you talking about?" Kyler asked.
"I heard you were making inroads to one of the popular girls in your year," Kenelm said.
"Again, Ken, what are you talking about?" Kyler asked.
"You've been talking to that Brett chick and her friends," Kenelm said.
"Are you shitting me?" Kyler asked.
"That's what I heard," Kenelm said.
"I've talked to her twice; nothing is going on there," Kyler said.
"Man, Big Brother, you got to up your game," Kenelm said.
"Why do I have to?" Kyler asked, shaking his head.
"Because your little brother has already started to make his move on someone," Kenelm said.
"Sawyer?" Kyler asked.
"Yeah," Kenelm said.
"Good luck there," Kyler said.
"What do you mean?" Kenelm asked.
"Boys, you here?" an older male voice said.
"Yes, Dad," Kyler said.
"Yes, Dad," Kenelm said.
In the door, Royce Parker stood, "Let's go get lunch," he said.
"Okay, Dad," Kyler said.
"Sure, Dad," Kenelm said as the two boys got up and joined Royce.
Catch a Cannonball, now, to take me down the line
My bag is sinkin' low and I do believe it's time
To get back to Miss Fanny, you know she's the only one
Who sent me here with her regards for everyone
Looking through the closet, she sighed, and closed the closet door. She walked over to the bed and started to look over what she had laid out. Slowly, she started to fold up her clothes and put them into one of her bad. After a few minutes, she looked up and turned to the door. Standing there was her step-mom.
"Still watching me pack, Mama Chase?" Brett asked.
"Some habits die hard, especially since I used to take you to your Momma's," Chase said.
"Well, I do it for myself now," Brett said.
"Yeah, but I hate to see you leave," Chase said.
Brett nodded, "What are you going to do when I head to Notre Dame?" she asked.
"You know I'm probably going up there when you move in," Chase said.
"You don't have to come; I'm not even sure I want anyone to go with me," Brett said.
"Why?" Chase asked.
"I don't want the drama," Brett said.
Chase looked at Brett. "What drama?" she asked.
"Showing up with two dads and two moms will cause drama," Brett said.
"We get along great; it shouldn't cause any issues," Chase said.
Brett shook her head, "It's just, I don't know, Mama Chase," she said.
"Brett, what is bothering you?" Chase asked.
Brett shook her head, "A few things, but I'm not quite ready to talk about it," she said.
"Is it about going to your mom's with your granddad and cousins living there?" Chase asked.
Brett shrugged, "Some of it is that," she said as she kept packing.
"How does it make you feel?" Chase asked.
Brett shrugged, "I don't know, it's not like we have a relationship. Uncle Jack was more a granddad to me than my granddad," she said.
"I feel you," Chase said.
"You do?" Brett asked.
Chase nodded, walked over to the bed, and started to help Brett fold her clothes. "I've not had a relationship with my father since well before you were born," Chase said.
Brett nodded as they finished folding the clothes and packing. Once done, Brett kissed Chase on the cheek and collected her bags. Brett nodded and headed out to her car to leave for her mom's house for her week there.
Take a load off Fanny
Take a load for free
Take a load off Fanny
And (and, and) you put the load right on me
(You put the load right on me)
English is a funny language, as it could have two words when spoken, sound the same, but are spelled differently, and mean different things. Like the words, weight and wait. One can be taken as something of a burden and while the other can be a burden. They both can be applied to what is coming up, like a final countdown to something, both a burden and being a burden. Have you ever noticed something like this? Please comment below.
RavenHussar
T3 Collective
Episode 15 didn't have a name until almost when it came to writing it. That's not the first time that has happened. I had Episodes that didn't have a name up to when I finished them. At almost the eleventh hour, I focused hard and saw this Episode would have to carry a lot of weight. It had a few purposes, balanced things, and set up the end of the middle third of the story. It started and ended several storylines. So, I focused on two songs, The Weight by The Band and The Wait by Killing Joke. Both work in their own way, and I say when all else is equal, go with the punk song. But each equally applies to this episode.
The Annus Horribilis Secrets
1) Carson Murphy has passed away. (Episode 2)
2) Spencer Churchill "Church" Grady was killed in action as a US Navy Seal and buried in Arlington National Cemetery (aka The Garden). He is also Jessica Ashlyn Scott's Dad. (Episode 4)
3) Constance "Connie" Garland is in a permanent vegetative state. (Episode 6)
X
X
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Playlist
Chapter 575
Seether (ft. Amy Lee) – Broken
Chapter 580
Nightwish - I want my tears back
Nightwish - Love Slow Love
Chapter 582
The Main (W/Taking Back Sunday & Charlotte Sands) – Loved You a Little
Chapter 590
Doro (Ft. Lemmy) – Alone Again
Chapter 595
The Band - The Weight
Poems
Chapter 595
Henry J VanDyke Jr. - Time is
Quotes
Chapter 560
"There are gods in Alabama: Jack Daniel's, high school quarterbacks, trucks, big tits, and also Jesus!" - is the opening line from Joshilyn Jackson's Gods in Alabama.
There was a land of Cavaliers, and Cotton Fields called the Old South... Here in this pretty world, Gallantry took its last bow.. Here was the last ever to be seen of Knights and their Ladies Fair, of Master and Slave... Look for it only in books, for it is no more than a dream remembered. A Civilization gone with the wind... – is the opening prologue from the movie Gone with the Wind
Lord God of Hosts, be with us yet, Lest We forget - lest we forget. – is the refrain from Rudyard Kipling's poem Recessional
Translation Guide
Chapter 554
Mein Gott! Können wir nicht einfach miteinander auskommen? - is German for "My God! Can't we just get along?"
Mausbär - is German for "Mouse Bear", a term of endearment.
Danke, Opa - is German for "Thank You, Grandpa"
Packen wir unsere Taschen, Mausbär - is German for "Let's load our bags, Mouse bear"
Babushka - is Russian for "Grandma"
Chapter 561
Meine Liebe - is German for "My Love"
Chapter 563
Banríon - Irish for "Queen"
Chapter 569
Meine Liebe - is German for "My Love"
Opa – is German for "Grandpa"
Chapter 577
Y Ddraig Goch - is Welsh for "The Red Dragon."
Chapter 580
Was hat Sie dazu bewogen, diese Skulptur zu malen? - is German for "So, what made you want to paint this sculpture?"
Es hat eine Qualität der Unschuld, die mich ansprach. - is German for "There is a quality of innocence to it that appealed to me."
Chapter 589
Anya - Hungarian for Mom or Mother
Apu - Hungarian for Dad or Father
