A race for life.

“So you're strong and you are fast,” she said, “you can do it all on your own?, ok let's see, show me what you're made of.'' She challenged him. He was only 12 years old, but he had the mentality of a grown-up. He had been told early on by his grandmother that he would grow up to be big, strong, and important to his people. He took it to heart, and when school started he was only 6 years old, he found every request and learning opportunity to be a challenge that he needed to conquer. He jumped across the river stones, used the canoe to race the fish in the lake, and did all of it on his own, no grown-ups to help, but he could not win a landrace on foot against his older sister. And that was the one thing he wanted most, she is not better than me he thought, I am going to beat her this time. Off they went running across the fields of mango trees, he did not accept her offer to have a head start. He was actually mad that she would say it like that, he was bigger now and he cold beat her this time, 4 laps across the 2-acre field, he had been practicing for this, and well Susie was a track and field star in high school though only a sophomore she had made a name for herself, but she would never admit to Ricky that it was him that pushed her on, she began participating in track and field after her P.E teacher in 8th grade saw her run away from little Ricky, but it was Susie’s form and agility that had gotten the teacher’s attention,

Ricky promised himself he would beat her this time, just because she was a runner at school did not mean she was better, he could be faster and he knew a way to win. So proceeded to use his skills and before she knew it he was ahead of her, it happened on lap 3 but how, she saw him as he passed him on lap two heading opposite her, wait he cheated! Does he really think I would not figure it out? UGH how dare he, he knows better than that. Ok ill shows him".

Ricky ran as fast as he could and made the last lap with a wide win, or so he thought. There at the finish line stood Susie, smiling at him he could not believe how she did that he had completed the third lap, so as to appear to be ahead of his sister, she had really run faster using this as training to her next race at school. She came around the end of the field and showed up in front of him as if she got there from the front of the field and not the backside.

It became their constant challenge, a race to prove each other’s skills. Ricky moved ahead one year in school and began freshman year at age 13, just as she went on to compete in all the races that came her way, and in her senior year, she went to compete in a national competition and won first place. Ricky took it to mean he was about to take on a new challenge. By his sophomore year, he was participating in All-State training, and as she graduated he went on to nationals a year ahead again. Susie was so happy about his triumphs and Ricky came to cheer her on when he was not training himself, they actually met at a nationals competition, and both came in the first place, him in the high school division and her as a college sophomore, by his senior year Ricky was called the Raging Bull, he was well known in his division as the fastest runner in the country at his age, and in his division. He could not wait to go on to a new division; he felt that he was being held back, but he was still under 20 and that could not be overwritten. His nickname became a bit of a personality for him, he began to have a bad temper, it had always been there but running gave him an out, after all, he began running to beat his sister, and from there everything in his life became a race to achievement, classes, work, chores, even growing, he thought that if he grew faster his little brother would do the same and his baby sister could maybe also catch up with him, but his 3 younger siblings took life in stride, no rush they all though. He bought a car and car racing was his next plan, but both mom and dad opposed the idea, “your legs are your treasure, a wheel for speed can be a setback” they told him.

Ricky was upset and stormed out of the house and drove away, his mom knew that all the talks grandma had with him about his personality gave him a sense of being invincible; and that; for a Taurus was fuel, he had taken every belief grandma said to him and made it his nutrient.

You are a bull my child, you are meant to be strong and a bit hard-headed, but it will all lead to a successful grown man, but don't forget that a bull can be a danger to itself, so you must practice being humble as well and well mannered, your mother is teaching you how to stop and think before you act, the bull in you will try to dissuade you from that, stop think and listen. The women in your life are your sensibility center, connect with them. Grandma was a Taurus too, and together they felt the world was theirs for conquering. Grandma had been a horse tamer in her youth, right there next to her father in the stables and on the field, and when a stallion would arrive she would spend all her days there until the horse would finally connect with her. And they all did, eventually; they all did.

Ricky drove to the edge of town and, met up with his best friend, they plotted a race to the old mine, two cars, two boys trying to prove a point.

Before long they had connected with other friends and a big race was about to take place, all set to go, when Ricky got a call to “ go to the hospital Susie was injured.” Ricky froze ”What happened? she is just as invincible”, he could not bring himself to drive, his friend Mike drove him to the hospital, and once there they were met by all the family, Susie was in a car crash on her way to practice. And was in surgery, Ricky got very quiet. Grandma walked over to him and put a hand on his shoulder, and said, "a raging bull knows when to stop and listen, it's in his nature to care for the ones around him. She needs you, be there for her. In our culture, you are both a bull and a fox, but first and foremost a human, and we care for each other, we move with the earth."

He went to see Susie once she was in recovery and one day at a time they began their challenges again, they talked about their goals and when she was ready they walked, and one day she took to jogging, and there he was ready to challenge her again. Life had stopped him from a bad choice but had put him in a place of love, care, and commitment.