“No way. Come on, Jeff, I already told you, I’m not going to wrestle. Christ, I didn’t win a single match in eighth grade. I’m going to be a junior. I’m not an athlete and my previous record supports that fact.”
“And my previous record supports that fact,” Jeff said mockingly. “Dude, who the hell talks like that? Anyway, it’s bullshit. We’ll make an athlete out of you yet. I remember that final match in eighth grade, and I sure as hell know you remember it. There is an athlete in you somewhere; we just have to find him.”
“You’ll have to dig through a lot of fat to find him. And of course I remember that match. And yes, it felt good, but I didn’t win, and I have never won a match so pardon me for saying that wrestling is not top on my list of things to do in high school.”
“Whatever. Stop making excuses. Now that we have Mr. Seljin as our coach we might be in the running for a state title. We’ve got the talent, and now we have the coach.”
“It’s easy for you to get all excited about it. When was the last time you lost a match?”
Jeff paused for a second as if he were thinking. “I don’t know,” he said smiling. “Sixth grade I think.”
“Go ahead, rub it in,” Ely said with a smile. “We’ll talk about it later. I have to get this wood chopped before my dad gets home.”
Jeff looked at the stack of wood and back at Ely. “Hey, what happened to your face?”
“Ah, a piece of wood flew back and hit me in the face when I chopped that damn tree down yesterday.”
“Ouch, that looks painful,” Jeff said, looking at his face more closely. “That’s a pretty bad shiner. You got bad luck, man. Seems like you’re always getting hurt.”
“It’s fine. Hey, who’s that girl in the car?” Ely asked, changing the subject.
“Lisa Collier, that fine ass cheerleader.”
“Oh yeah, I know who she is. When did you start seeing her?” Ely asked.
“Since today,” Jeff said, smiling conspiratorially. “Which reminds me, I’ve got to get going. We’re heading down to the lake. She’s kind of stuck up but I can’t wait to see her in a bikini. She has a rockin’ body. You sure you can’t take a break and come with us?”
“Hell no, my dad will be pissed if I don’t get this done. Besides, I’m allergic to bathing suits,” Ely said, smacking his belly through his sweat stained shirt.
“Alright bro’, take it easy. But think about wrestling, we need you, man.”
“I’m having a déjà vu,” Ely replied said as he recalled a similar conversation he had had with Jeff, John, and Cisco several years back. They, along with Mr. Seljin, had somehow convinced him to wrestle in the eighth grade.
“And the tactic worked if I recall!” Jeff yelled as he got into his car and shut the door.
“Yes it did,” Ely whispered to himself as Jeff started the engine.
Inside the car, Lisa looked at Jeff, making no effort to mask her annoyed look. “Who’s that fat kid and why did we have to stop at this shit hole?”
Jeff’s smile disappeared as he looked at her. “That fat kid is my friend, and this shit hole is his house.”
“Well let’s get out of here. This place is depressing,” she said, trying unsuccessfully to mask her disdain. Lisa had light brown hair with blond highlights and her stunning blue eyes complimented her tan skin perfectly. She was a beautiful girl with an equally impressive figure.
“And by the way, his name is Ely. And if you say one more negative thing about him or where he lives then you’ll be walking home from the lake.”
“Okay, Jeff. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it. Let’s just go,” she said, giving Jeff her best inviting smile.
“Okay,” Jeff said, turning away from her and putting the car in drive.
Six
As an avid history fan, I’ve always found it interesting how one person can often impact the world in a monumental way. There are so many examples that it makes your head swim. Unfortunately we tend to remember the individuals that had colossal negative impacts on our society. People like Hitler, Pol Pot in Cambodia, Stalin, Pinochet in Peru, Mussolini, Ivan the Terrible, and the list goes on, every name symbolic of millions of people that died as a result of their actions.
But there are also people who have struggled to do good as well and the impact of their lives is equally impressive, people like Martin Luther King Jr., Gandhi, Mother Theresa, the Dalai Lama, and with many others less well known. The point is, history is filled with examples of individuals who have dramatically affected society. We see numerous examples in our history books, but I also think we can see it in our daily lives. And although the impact an individual can have on someone else’s life may be on a much smaller scale than that of someone like Gandhi, I would argue that the people on the receiving end of this altruistic behavior would not view their experience as being less important. To that individual, it may have been the most important influence in their life, perhaps even lifesaving.
I was lucky enough in my life to see examples of this. People I met on my life’s path helped steer me in the right direction. Without them, I cringe to think what could have happened to me. Every little thing that someone did for me slowly added a new brick to my foundation. At least that is how I think of it. Without their support, my life would have crumbled. To them, giving a single brick, or ten bricks, was probably not a big deal, but they sure do add up.
I try to think of this as I live my life. I have the power to give bricks. I can do positive things every day and it takes little effort. To me, the actions are very simple, but to someone else, they may be very significant. I was lucky enough in life to have crossed paths with others who, over time, provided me with enough bricks to enable me to rise from the muck. Without their gifts I’m afraid that I might not have had the fortitude or the skills necessary to build anything of value from my life. I thank these people every day. They have been the models for my own actions and have given me a template on how to live my life. Pay it forward; it’s a great way to live.
Ely Carter
——————————
The rays of the mid-day sun had vanquished the morning chill from the air, casting pleasant warmth around Ely as he sat on the bench outside the commons area of Peninsula High School. This was his favorite place to eat lunch. He could read his books and listen to his music, which to him was the highlight of his day. Today he was eating a slice of pizza and drinking a coke, the lunch of champions. He had just begun reading a series of books by an author named Brent Weeks. He was only twenty pages into it and he was already solidly hooked, and once snared, it was tough for Ely to put a book down.
Suddenly someone sat down next to him. Ely looked sidelong from the pages, hoping he would not see Adam or anyone else who might cause him problems. Fortunately Ely was pretty big, so most of the ridicule came from comments and nasty stares rather than anything physical. But there were some football players and a few other large guys that occasionally gave him grief. But most of the nonverbal abuse came from indifference. No one seemed to make an effort to know him, or talk to him, and sometimes that hurt more than a punch in the face. John, Cisco, and a few others said hi to him, but that was about it, and their interactions were pretty minimal. Jeff on the other hand was the only kid who Ely classified as a friend. And Ely had a suspicion that Jeff had a lot to do with the fact that he was not pushed around much anymore. Jeff Hanson was the type of guy that others listened to, and if he said to lay off of him, most would leave him be.
But it wasn’t a bully who had sat down next to him, it was Mr. Seljin. Ely took off his headphones, smiling warmly at his old teacher. “Hey, Sel.”
“It’s just the man I’ve been looking for. Still listening to classical music?”
“Is there any other music?” Ely asked, smiling as they shook hands.
“How are you, Ely?” Sel asked, laughing.
“I’m alright. What about you? How’s the new job?”
“I like it. Teaching seniors is a
little different than middle school, that’s for sure. But it’s been a nice challenge. The age difference allows me to dig a bit deeper into the subject matter, which I’ve really enjoyed.”
“I can see how that would be a nice change. Less babysitting I imagine.”
“Exactly,” Sel agreed.
“I heard you’re coaching wrestling this year. Maybe we’ll get a decent team now,” Ely added.
“I’m working on it, which is why I’m here.”
“What do you mean?” Ely asked hesitantly.
“Well, I’m doing some recruiting. I just finished talking to Jeff. He said you’d be out here. It sounds like you two have become friends?”
“Yeah, I guess so. He’s the main reason why I didn’t get beat up every day when we all moved on to high school.”
“Oh yeah?”
“I don’t know, but I think he had something to do with it. We don’t hang out much. Jeff has a lot of friends and he’s pretty busy with all his sports, but we try to hang out when we can.”
“That’s good. So let’s cut to the chase. I need some unlimited wrestlers again. I need you,” Sel said matter-of-factly.
“Jeff warned me you wouldn’t leave me alone.”
“He’s a smart kid. I have two heavyweights right now and I need more.”
“Sel, I’m awful. I didn’t win one match in eighth grade.”
“Don’t worry about that,” Sel countered.
“Easy for you to say when you probably can’t remember what it was like to lose.”
“We’ll work on your skills,” Sel said, ignoring Ely’s comment. “Besides, you have one thing that many people don’t have.”
“What? A fatalistic attitude? Layers of fat? A love of classical music? Com on Sel, tell me, the suspense is killing me.”
“I’m serious, Ely.”
Ely just shook his head and laughed. “Okay, I’ll bite. What do I have?”
“You have heart and determination,” Sel said quickly.
“Come on, Sel. Flattering Hallmark words are not going to be enough to have that referee raise my hand at the end of a match,” Ely said adamantly.
“I mean it,” Sel said seriously. “You just haven’t convinced yourself that you can be tough.”
“But I’m not tough. I’m not an athlete.”
“How do you know?” Sel challenged.
“I just know.”
“Ely, you’ve never tested yourself. You don’t just know. You have to prove to yourself that you either are, or you’re not. The only way you’ll find out is if you push yourself. You have to try. I mean you have to really give it a chance before you can say that you know.”
“I don’t know, Sel. I did try, and I think my record indicated that I’m not tough.”
“I disagree. I saw you improve over those two months. I saw potential. I saw someone who, if he really applied himself, could be a great wrestler. I still remember that stand up and head and arm that allowed us to win the league title over Kopachuck. Do you remember it?”
Mr. Seljin had him there. He would never forget that night. He would never forget the feeling of being the person that had guaranteed Key Peninsula the league championship. The smiles from his teammates, the cheers from the fans, were all still burned into his memory. “Yeah, I still remember that match,” Ely replied.
“I thought so. Hey, are you still reading a lot?” Sel asked, changing the subject, or at least that’s what Ely thought.
“Every chance I get.”
“And are you still getting straight A’s?”
“Ummm, yes, school is easy.”
“Why do you think you’re so good at academic stuff?”
“I don’t know. I like to read, to learn, to understand things. It comes easy for me.”
“Were you born knowing everything you know now?” Sel asked.
“Of course not.”
“Well, how did you become such a good student?”
“I worked at it I guess. I read all the time. But I enjoy reading, it helps me forget things,” Ely said softly.
Mr. Seljin didn’t ask about the things Ely wished to forget, but the comment was not lost on him. For a long time now he had suspected that things at home were not great for Ely. He had also known that Ely had struggled to meet people and make friends. He wondered what things Ely wanted to forget. When he had learned that Jeff had befriended Ely it had made him very happy.
“I understand that. But you can use wrestling in the same way; as an escape. It doesn’t matter if you’re good or not,” Sel said.
“What do you mean it doesn’t matter?” Ely asked skeptically.
“What I mean is…just lose yourself in the sport. Every day at practice, work as hard as you can. Lift weights during the off season. Run off season. Practice off season. It’s not the end result that matters, it’s how you get there.”
“Again, that’s easy for you to say, but try losing all the time. Sometimes the end result is the only thing that matters.”
“You’re right, I was good at wrestling. But it was very hard for me to get through school. I had to get tutors and all kinds of extra help. I’d have to study twice as hard as everyone else just to get the C’s I needed to continue to wrestle. You could get C’s and not even show up to class. Having to struggle so hard in my classes was very frustrating to me. Do you understand what I’m saying?”
“Yeah, I guess so.”
“Wrestling is one of the most difficult sports there is. For that reason it’s the most rewarding. When you come out on that mat, you are doing something that ninety five percent of the student body here can’t do, or more likely is afraid to do. You will develop a skill set that will get you through anything you face in life. You will learn about courage, loyalty, team work, working hard, diet and health, and you will develop a sense of confidence in yourself that will see you through life. Why don’t you be a part of the five percent that isn’t afraid? What would Drizzt Do Urden say?” Sel asked with a smile.
Ely couldn’t believe that Mr. Seljin had just brought Drizzt into the argument. Years ago, in eighth grade, Ely had borrowed a lot of books from Mr. Seljin. As it turned out, Sel was just as big a fantasy freak as Ely. One of Mr. Seljin’s favorites as a kid was a series of books about a dark elf named Drizzt Do Urden, a character that had become one of Ely’s favorites as well. In fact he had written an eighth grade report about the elf for his English class.
“He’d probably say exactly what you just said. Then he would vanquish his foes with ease and become the hero of the school,” Ely added with a flourish.
“There you go. There’s your answer.”
“Alright, you win. I’ll give it a shot,” Ely said, shaking his head in defeat.
“Good for you,” Sel said, smiling widely. Then he checked his watch. “I better get going. Class starts in five minutes.”
“Take it easy, Sel.”
“You too. Come into my classroom during lunch sometime and visit. I’d like to talk to you some more.”
“Okay, see ya later.”
“Take care of yourself,” Mr. Seljin added as he turned and walked away.
Ely smiled as he watched him leave. “I can’t believe he brought up Drizzt,” he said to himself.
It was fifth period when Ely received a green slip to go to the office. It was his calculus class and they were taking a quiz which Ely had already finished. So Mr. Walker told him to go ahead and go.
When Ely reached the main office, Mrs. Jovell, the perpetually friendly office manager, told him to go ahead and go back to Mr. Nelson’s office. Mr. Nelson was his counselor and Ely rarely talked with him, so he was curious what this was all about.
As he neared Mr. Nelson’s office he could see that his door was open and that he was at his computer. Ely knocked softly on the side of the door and Mr. Nelson turned and smiled invitingly.
“Come on in, Ely, have a seat,” he said, gesturing to a soft leather chair opposite him.
Mr. Nelson wa
s about fifty years old and he wore silver narrow rimmed glasses. His gray hair was sort of unruly, which was in contrast to his immaculately trimmed beard and mustache. His hair was totally gray, almost silver, which made him look older than he actually was.
Ely sat down in the chair and handed him the note. “Hi, Mr. Nelson. I got a note saying you wanted to see me.”
“Yes, I do indeed. We just got the tenth grade WASL tests back.”
“Yeah?”
“Yes, and I think you’ll be interested to know how you did,” Mr. Nelson said.
“Why’s that?” he asked. He didn’t really think much about the test. He always seemed to ace them, and those standardized tests were really easy. Everyone made such a big deal out of the WASL test but Ely never really understood why. The Washington Assessment for Student Learning was just another test.
“Well, you had a perfect score. You didn’t miss one problem.”
“Really?” Ely wasn’t really sure why that was worth being called down from class. After all it wasn’t his first hundred percent and it probably wouldn’t be his last. If there was one thing that Ely was confident about, it was his academic ability.
“I don’t think you understand what that means. Since we’ve been administering this test, I’ve never seen anyone get a perfect score. Ely, with a score like that there’s a good chance that you have an IQ in the upper fifth percentile,” Mr. Neslon said seriously.
“Really! Me? You’re kidding, right?” Ely had known he was smart, but the top fifth percentile? That would mean he was a genius, literally, not figuratively. Even though school was easy for him, he had never really imagined himself to be in the upper percentile of anything.
“No, I’m not kidding. I want you to take the IQ test. If it’s as high as I think it is then we need to make some serious changes.”
“What do you mean…changes?”
“Ely, if you’re as intelligent as your tests suggest, then you’re just wasting your time here. Do you find your classes here easy?” Mr. Nelson asked.
“Well…yeah, I guess so.”
“Do you ever study for anything?”
Ely thought about it for a moment. “Not really. I just listen and read the books. I’ve never had to study much. I remember most everything I read.”
The Life of Ely Page 8