Tom Petty – You Don’t Know How It Feels

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“You just can’t.” My dad said as I finished wrapping white tape around his gargantuan knuckles, “Not until you take a hit yourself.”

I grabbed his left hand and began to wrap the bruises on it as well.  “C’mon man, you saw to it that I got my share of lumps.” I pulled a little tighter than was necessary as I continued, “You didn’t forget.” I finished, let that hand drop too.

He tried to separate his fingers, smiled cause he couldn’t. “Well, I do get hit in the head a lot but…” An incredible force, trained from years of blunt force traumas, slammed onto my shoulder. “No, I didn’t. You never got hit as hard as I could-”

“I fucking hope not.” I muttered.

“Don’t act like I hit you for no reason.”

“You went out of your way to announce some as ‘general-purpose beatings’.”

My dad laughed, released his grip on me, walked over to the speedbag and whacked the water drop leather; it ricocheted more than a few times. “Reason behind those is life does it too. What, you’re complaining ‘bout things being too hard? You’re here now, the fuck is the point in that?”

“Nahnahnah,” I shook my head and hands, “That’s not it. I’ll get those.” I jumped from my seat, collected his gloves and wriggled them over his hands.

He smiled at me; I shoved his mouthpiece between his lips to stop the smirk that reminded me of me. “Paosbud.” He spit the plastic out, “You know I don’t need that thing.” A moment of silence, then, “I am sorry if I ever hurt you – wasn’t my intention.”

“It definitely was.” I stood. “And really I gotta thank you for that.”We jogged in place, shadowboxed a training pattern, him jabbing me dodging like we always did before fights.

“Why fuck my mind up before my last fight?” He asked.

I stopped moving and took one on the chin; least, I think I did, because though I didn’t  feel or see anything I ended up on the ground. I laughed as he helped me up. “Just trying to return the favor. Remind you how tough we can be

I love you.”

The bell rang and he stepped through the ropes – same time as a clock – my dad’s lefts were legendary but no man’s swing can shatter the glass of time.

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Continue reading My Mixtape – If I Ever Leave This World Alive