The Hondo(page-4)

 

       Kevin bought him a brand new Honda car, but, it was a flying machine, it registered 180 mph and how he managed for all those years without losing his life in that suicide machine is another one of God's little everyday miracles. He finally succumbs to selling it after several years because his feet couldn't adjust the mechanisms of driving, and his family knew this hurt him badly, like being stripped from your freedom of driving privileges even that was beyond cruel but he endures far greater than that, this was just the beginning of the turmoil that would engulf poor Kevin. 

       Tim was overshadowed by Kevin if not his very shadow if you ever saw Tim, you saw also Kevin, mortal brothers at birth and death, and for Tim to lose his brother’s mentoring, constant companionship, and more importantly his health was an everlasting sorrow for even Tim to endure at such an early age, youth is supposed to be enjoyable and memorable, but hardship was a sledgehammer that often found its unforgiving nail and thumb, Tim often kept to himself the mental torture that drove him into a deep depression, to have an alcoholic father and sickly brother was far more for any child to witness much less rise above the gauntlet of daily despair. 

     Tim and Kevin one year threw up a makeshift barnyard basketball goal but also bought two push-mowers that they earned their keep from two grateful people, Aunt Mary Jane and Uncle Roy, who paid them $5 a mow, now, Aunt Mary Jane’s home was beautiful if not immaculate yard and was an easy mow but Uncle Roy’s place was all hills and five times as big as Mary Jane's place, and Kevin and Tim dreaded that mow, wasn't worth the $5 apiece for the hardship much less sweating your butts off mowing three acres of land, so, not much basketball was played that year but here enters Uncle Mac and his son Myron, who visited the Hardesty family one spring day, and decided to challenge Tim and Hondo to a game of hoops, first one to twenty by four took home the honors. Well, Uncle Mac was a great athlete, played first base for Notre Dame before losing one part of his leg in a motorcycle accident, but moved very well on his prosthetic leg and they both humiliated Hondo and Tim. This was heart-wrenching and hard to swallow for them, to endure this embarrassment for a whole year was too much for both of them, so every day they shot and passed their basketball determined not to ever lose to Uncle Mac again. The year came to pass and enters Uncle Mac and Myron again, they were primed, cocky, and trash-talking, well Tim was so quick and ready for their moves, and Kevin was deadly at the top of the circle, that day was pure justification, they trampled them in three straight games, and Tim and Kevin got their redemption and annihilated their uncle and cousin, they beat them so bad Uncle Mac and Myron never came back, never.