Dark & Deep

Meticulous - Happily Ever After-1

Meticulous - Happily Ever After“You kick the ball like my grandmother,” said Patrick Maloney. He sneered at Jack Willow who was the captain of the opposing team, with his team laughing and encouraging him. The coach had made the team into two for practice and was busy talking to the principal.

“Oh Yeah? Do I hit your face like your grandmother too?” Jack rammed his fist on Patrick’s face and down he went bleeding from his nose.

Then the fight began until the coach came running and intervened.

“Are they fighting again?” asked Cathy McArthur to Candice Macarthur, as the McArthur twins looked to the soccer field from the steps. They ran towards the commotion and Cathy dragged Jack to a side and Candice, Patrick to another.

“You are a jackass. If you guys continue like this things won’t reach anywhere,” said Cathy.

“Your sister is crazy to date that i***t,” erupted Jack.

“That moron started it,” said Patrick, wiping his bleeding nose with a hankie Candice gave him. “I don’t know what your sister sees in him.”

“Whatever, you are a moron. You guys have been classmates and neighbors since childhood. Your parents are best friends. Can’t you guys stop flaunting your machismo every time? We are f*****g impressed. Okay? It is time to stop. We want to introduce you guys to our parents.”

Patrick Scoffed.

“Patrick, honey,” called Candice tenderly. “Promise me you will try.”

In the state of New England, in a small town called Fox Worth, and in the soccer field of St. Peter’s high school, after a few minutes of coaxing both Patrick and Jack promised to Cathy and Candice that they would be nice to each other

Patrick Maloney and Jack Willow were born on the same day, the same year. Once apart from each other they were united as neighbors when Jack’s family moved next to Patrick’s. Since then both families have become the best of friends. They spend weekends and many evenings together. While the fathers played snooker, mothers cooked together. If Jack’s family made something special, a portion of it was given to Patrick’s family and vice versa.

They had everything in the world except wealth.

Patrick’s father did many jobs and his other worked as a pharmacist at Walgreens. After trying his luck with many jobs he finally procured a foreman’s job in a lumber mill in Fox Worth and moved here. His wife got herself transferred to the Walgreen, Fox Worth branch.

Jack’s father ran his small oil mill and his wife, Jack’s mother, was a homemaker. They also have a daughter named Sophie, four years younger than Jack.

Patrick was the only child.

Patrick was eight years old when he moved to Fox Worth and the feud between the boys started almost a week later. They immediately found friendship with their neighbors, the Willows.

Soon Patrick shared Jack’s kingdom of handsomeness and smartness.

When things went bloody, and the no care attitude from school, which is a small school, and couldn't dream of competing with the big ones, having made two teams under the two boys, who stood as two strong pillars, and a newfound dream of making a sports team for the first time in its history, didn't bat an eye. To the school, the studies and careers of the boys were not important. Not too many would go chase their dreams. It had seldom happened. The small-town boys either dropped out, or merely graduated, took menial jobs around the town, or went to other destitute states. The girls looked forward to marrying the boys and bearing a few children. Their gossip, weekend hangouts, poker, and other things that nowhere women did.

Many marry just out of school. Byt the time they were thirty, they had popped out half a dozen kids.

The boys who somehow graduated would study a bit further, in the nearby community college. Only those who were rich enough could arrange private tuitions for their boys and girls and would send them to other states, and prolific universities. But most of the rich in the state had local businesses and wanted their kids to take over them. Even if they dreamed of a bright future for their kids, none of them knew how to make it happen. For them, money, money was everything, no matter where it is made.

Money made stature. Having money meant success.

The boys' parents found a plan. They had it up to their noses. To them the boys and their rivalry...

When you wake up on the wrong foot the day bites. That’s exactly what happened with the boys. When Patrick arrived next door, the Willow family visited them with Jack and Sophie who immediately liked Patrick, much to Jack’s dismay. Sophie never had that intense connection with Jack for they fought almost every time when in each other’s vicinity. He liked his personal space and never liked the little girl’s little girly things and the color pink.

Her dolls, he burned them whenever he had a chance.

Then the boy’s fights matured into physical form.

Both families didn’t know what to do, and they couldn’t afford the celebrated therapists. In games, studies, gangs, popularity they fought. They fought for approvals and attention. When Jack made Patrick out for his gang, Jack made his own gang. The boys fought with each other near the valley, in the lake, on the ground.

Both boys grew up handsome and athletic.

Patrick grew up to be tall, blonde, and packed lean muscles.

Jack grew up to be a brunette, handsome, and packed lean muscles.

Their athletics grew profoundly, and their studies dwindled.

Both wanted to play the cop, not the robber.

Both wanted to play the good guy, not the villain.

When things went bloody, and the no care attitude from school, which is a small school, and couldn't dream of competing with the big ones, have made two teams under the two boys, who stood as two strong pillars, and a newfound dream of making a sports team for the first time in its history, didn't bat an eye. Instead, they wanted to keep their arch rivalry strong. The more they fought, the more they grew stronger, the more they grew strong, the better for the team. To the school, the studies and careers of the boys were not important. Not too many would go chasing their dreams. It had seldom happened. The small-town boys either dropped out or merely graduated, took menial jobs around the town or went to other destitute states. The girls looked forward to marrying the boys and bearing a few children. Their gossip, weekend hangouts, poker, and other things that nowhere women did.

Many marry just out of school. By the time they were thirty, they had popped out half a dozen kids.

The boys who somehow graduated would study a bit further, in the nearby community college. Only those who were rich enough could arrange private tuition for their boys and girls and would send them to other states and prolific universities. But most of the rich in the state had local businesses and wanted their kids to take over them. Even if they dreamed of a bright future for their kids, none of them knew how to make it happen. For them, money, money was everything, no matter where it is made.

Money made stature. Having money meant success.

The boys' parents found a plan. By the time the boys became seniors, they had had it up to their noses. Time after time one of them, sometimes both of them would come home bloodied. To them, the boys and their rivalry were out in the open too far and too stretched. It was one of those weekend get-togethers, both boys were called, summoned.

“Have a seat you guys,” said Patrick’s father.

Both boys sat apart from each other, with their respective families. Jack nudged Sophie’s head to which she sneered at him and smiled at Patrick. Jack noticed it, and he frowned and made fists.

Both parents noticed it.

“Honey, be nice,” said Jack’s mother.

“Here is the deal,” said Patrick’s father adjusting the barbecue fire, sipping his beer.“This has to stop. I mean, this has come way up here.”He raised his palm to his nose.“If you fellows can’t get along, no one’s going to school anymore. You can start working with me at the timber mill.”Patrick’s father looked at Patrick.

“Same applies to you too,” said Jack’s father.“You can come and start helping me with the oils. We’ve been hearing a lot about what’s happening at school.”

Patrick’s and Jack’s eyes met and fell on the ground.

“The choice is yours,” said Patrick’s mother.“Why can’t you get along? We have been friends for a long time, and we’d like to keep it that way and no way are we going to jeopardize what we have on you boys.”

“I back you,” said Jack’s father.“Don’t you agree on honey?”He tousled Sophie’s hair. She smiled, looked at Patrick, and nodded.

“Okay, here is the deal. Your grades are too low. You guys have been concentrating more on games and hanging out with those morons you call friends. We are not that rich. If you want to continue and live your lives like this you can. But if you want to be rich and live your lives like those folks in big cities, you have to study. From here on you will be friends and help each other with homework and stuff.”Patrick’s father looked like he meant those words.

“Do you hear that?” asked Jack’s father.

Jack nodded. Patrick followed.

“Good, now both boys shake on it.”

Jack and Patrick didn’t move.

“NOW,” screamed Jack’s father. He squished the beer can in anger, spilling the beer on his palms arm.

Both boys sprang to their heels and shook their hands.

Sophie smiled. She winked at Patrick. Jack gave her a fiery look, and she sat beside her mother, in the circle of safety.

Patrick and Jack were no fools. They both knew that their parents were right, and they both had ambitions. They have seen, heard about folks in NY and LA, and the flashy things they had. Their life, all glitter and those toys they had. They both knew that they were out of the big boys’ league.

They both wanted to get rich.

They both knew with riches; everything else follows.

They wanted to get rich quick.

Most of their friends longed to get out of school and anticipated taking over their family businesses, small and medium. Both boys were not interested in that. Patrick knew if he worked at the mill, he would do the same thing for decades and may never get rich. Jack knew that he would drown in shallow oil if he’d work at their mill. That’s not the kind of rich they wanted to become. They were not ready to work for being rich.

Both Patrick and Jack pretended to be friends and amiable to each other in front of the whole world. Both parents sighed in relief and smiled at each other as their plan had finally worked. But little did they know it was all a hogwash. Blood was not shed.

But the boys had their plans.

Every night when the rest of the world slept, they both dreamed, and they both did a good job of keeping their plans to themselves.

A few years later, before they turned eighteen, both Patrick and Jack enrolled in the community college in the town for their bachelor's in commerce. The college they enrolled in was not that different from their school. People came to college to make friends and indulge in whatever carnal pleasure they could. The nerds’ flocked together, for they were destined to become someone, someone important in the future. Most of the destitute folks appeared for the sake of it. There were students from a few schools around the town. In a community where nothing greater was expected, going to the college itself was something dreamy. The town folks consisted mainly of laymen who worked for big family businesses. Those few families owned almost all the businesses and real estate of the town.

It was one of those places where time stood still, petrified to move.

It was there Patrick and Jack met the McArthur twins.

Astor McArthur was expecting a boy. And when he was hit with the news of a girl his smile contracted, the flesh around his eyes constricted, and when he heard twin girls the crescent moon on his lips fell upside down. Girls mean no business heirs, and if they were his girls they would take the traits of his wife who knows only to cook and knit, watch day time TV and gossip with neighbors …and get fat. If this business was in NY or LA, he wouldn’t have minded girls as his hers. But here, no matter how hard they try they wouldn’t get that flavor. Many times he thought about relocating to one of those happening states, but he wasn’t a fool. He knew that he would be burnt to dust pretty soon. Here he was the king and had inherited the businesses from his father. Here, he gained respect from other rich families that had crowned him as their leader, and the town folks feared him. But out in NY or LA, he would be nothing.