WFOL 2022
BBTV Round Robin
EACH DAY BETTER THAN THE LAST
By
~catherine e.
“So, let’s get started already!” Winslow bellowed as he pushed past the many tunnel dwellers all sitting in a line, not yet working on the problem at hand. Winslow knew that he had to take charge to motivate the others to get to work.
“All right! So just as we have always done in the past, we are going to go rock by rock, hand by hand, moving all these fallen stones until we’ve cleared this passage once again. If everybody works together, we’ll be done by dinner. And I heard that William is cooking up some of his mean chili and cornbread and I don’t intend to miss it! The rocks will be collected in the wheelbarrows at the end of the line and once each is full, we’ll have them emptied out and brought back to continue the work. Here we go!”
As each person heaved and lugged each rock to the next person, they got into a rhythm, and one of the older generation of the community, Hamish, began to sing the old Scottish ballad, “The Bonnie Banks O’Loch Lomond”. Hamish had been singing the songs of his youth while he worked since joining the tunnel community years earlier. It was a pleasant distraction for all. Now quite a few tunnelers knew the songs by heart and would join in. Winslow may not have joined in the singing, but he certainly couldn’t help the smirk that displayed on his face as he continued to move rock upon rock from the pile.
After the job was half-done some hours later, Winslow looked at the exhausted group and decided to give them a break.
“Hey, everybody!” he yelled from the top of the lines. “Let’s take a few minutes to recharge. Get yourselves some water and food and come right back here. We will work to finish this today, so the carvers can get started tomorrow on the newer chambers. Okay!” And with a clap of his hands, the 30 or so people dispersed, heaving big sighs. Winslow stretched out his arms and heard a loud crack! “Ooooo…” he moaned, rubbing his neck. Winslow started to walk toward his chamber but then swiftly took a turn towards Father’s study instead. He wanted to ask Father about moving from his chamber and into one of the newer ones, once they were ready. It would help him to be closer to the work that they as a community had decided to focus on for the next five years.
Even if Winslow didn’t agree with the prioritizing of certain projects over others, if he was outvoted, he would still work just as hard to complete them. And currently, he didn’t agree. In fact, he had voiced his opinion quite strongly at the last community meeting…so strongly that he started a shouting match amongst the leadership. They had no choice but to take a written vote to see what the group’s decision would be.
As he reached Father’s study, he heard Mary and Father bantering back and forth; they seemed to be looking feverishly for something. “Lost something?” Winslow asked as he walked up to Father, who was bent low, peering into some boxes.
“Yes, actually. Long ago, when we had formal meetings to discuss plans for the community, we had someone take notes to keep track of…” Father trailed off as he pulled out a leather-tied folder and peeked inside at its contents, “…of everything. It was John’s idea and his wife, Anna, God rest her soul, often was the person who did that.”
Mary cleared away a bunch of cobwebs covering a small corner area and coughed into her arm.
“After Anna passed, and so much change occurred so quickly, no one else took up the task of being the recorder for the meetings. We just held each other accountable. Oh, Mary…” Father signaled to Mary.
“All documents in my desk area have been checked, and on that wall. I think that we’ll have to go into the library section back here to check.”
Winslow moved out of the way as Mary passed by him to assist Father.
“Well, I won’t hold you up, I just wanted to ask about the possibility of relocating my chamber to the next one that gets completed. That way, I am closer to the work that I am doing every day and I won’t have the kids running past my chamber at all hours anymore.”
Father snickered. “You don’t enjoy the games of late-night tag that they play so often?”
Winslow smiled weakly, showing his disdain.
Even Mary had to chuckle. “Oh, I remember a young boy who used to run through these tunnels too!” Winslow countered, “Because I always had something to do! I didn’t act foolish like some of these children here.”
“Winslow! They are children BEING children. Many of them do not have parents to guide them down here, we all do our best,” Mary said, turning towards Winslow.
“And yes, I remember that your father did keep tight reins on you as a boy but it’s only because he knew the great man that you would become if he did.”
“Dad didn’t really talk about that kind of stuff with me. He always seemed so…serious,” Winslow remarked, vaguely looking through some papers, with no idea what he was looking for.
Father smiled. “Oh, your father wasn’t so very serious, Winslow. I remember him telling the most enjoyable stories about he and your mother when they were dating.”
Winslow sighed. “Yeah…Dad really did make a fool of himself over her.”
“And why shouldn’t he?!” Mary quickly said. “Your mother Adele was a lovely woman. Your father showed me their wedding picture oh, so many years ago.”
“He showed you that?” Winslow asked, surprised.
Mary nodded.
“I think that Theo showed everyone that picture when you both first came to the tunnels. He was so proud of his family. And he missed your mother so much,” Father mentioned as he grabbed some papers that were wedged between a few books.
“Yeah, well…after Dad died, I wanted to put that picture up on the wall in my chamber. As a reminder. But I never found where he left it.”
“A reminder of their love?” Mary asked.
“A reminder of what can be,” Winslow almost whispered, shutting a drawer that he had been looking in. “I don’t even know what you’re looking for. And I gotta get back to the rock removal. You know we’re halfway done.” Winslow started quickly back toward a tunnel to leave.
“Yes, yes, that’s great news, Winslow. Oh! And I don’t see a problem with you changing chambers if you like. But you’ll still have to wait a while until the next is finished,” Father stated, looking up from the sea of papers before him.
“I will start to break the rocks with my own two hands if it means I can get a decent night’s sleep sooner!” Winslow yelled back as he continued out and back toward the removal work.
Father and Mary smiled at each other.
“You know, Mary, I haven’t thought about Theo in a long time. He was a fine man. A good man.”
Mary walked over to Father’s side at the bookshelf. “He wasn’t with us but six years when he passed. His cancer got so bad that last year, he didn’t leave his bed that much.”
Father looked off into the distance. “I remember. Theo and I had some wonderful conversations during that last year. He even told me about the time that Lou had pretended that he had shaved off a large amount of hair when giving him a haircut!”
Mary laughed. “Oh, I bet that Theo’s temper flared on that one!”
Father laughed too. “Yes, it did! He almost broke the chair, jumping out of it!”
Mary and Father had a good laugh together as they kept pulling out papers from the bookshelf. Mary grabbed at a folder and pulled but, like a stubborn tree stump, it wouldn’t budge.
“Father, this one is too tightly pushed in, I can’t retrieve it.”
“Oh, well…let me give this a try,” Father said as he handed Mary his cane and pulled hard with both hands. With an exasperated grunt, Father yanked the folder and set it free, falling backwards and also freeing five or so books that came flying off the shelf.
“Are you all right?” Mary asked, kneeling at his side.
“I’m fine, Mary. I only hurt…my pride. And I have a mess to clean up now.”
“We have a mess to clean up now. Come on, let’s get you on your feet.” Mary assisted Father and then started picking up the papers that were strewn about. “I think these are the notes that we’re looking for…This one has Anna’s signature on the bottom and has the title ‘Southwest Tunnel Expansion Plans’ on the top.”
“Ah, yes! Very good,” Father remarked as he began picking up books and returning them to the shelves. “We had some wonderful ideas and made remarkable plans for building out the southwest tunnels during this meeting, and I needed help recalling those details. Thank you, Mary.”
Father looked at each book title as he carefully pushed them each back into place. As he picked up the last book, a thin, black one, he didn’t recognize it. “Hmph,” Father exhaled as he examined the cover. “’Their Eyes Were Watching God’…Hurston…”
Father leaned back for a moment to think of where this book had come from when he opened it.
Inside, about two-thirds of the way through, Father found his answer.
“Oh!” Father gasped.
“What is it?” Mary asked, concerned.
“Mary…this was Theo’s.”
Hours later, the rock removal project was finished. Everyone was physically exhausted and ready for some of William’s good cooking.
“All right, everyone!” Winslow said loudly toward the line of people behind him. “Good work today. All the rocks have been successfully relocated and we can continue with the creation of new chambers through here. Now go get yourselves somethin’ to eat!”
There were a few weak cheers throughout the crowd as they dispersed.
“You worked everyone pretty hard today, Winslow,” Cullen mentioned as he heaved another stone out of the way.
“That’s the only way to work, Cullen. I saw you take plenty of breaks,” Winslow shot back, wiping his head with a rag.
“I take breaks when I need them. Don’t forget that we all have other jobs that we do around here…”
“And?!” Winslow barked.
“And!...you just need to keep that in mind when pushing people to their limit or past it,” Cullen responded, picking up his tool bag.
“Hey, I didn’t see you raising your hand to lead this project. I did! So, I’ll lead. You don’t like it, that’s your problem.” Winslow started to walk towards the dining hall, leaving Cullen behind him.
Winslow could smell the delicious food awaiting him as he walked into the dining chamber. Winslow grabbed a plate of food from William and went to sit down. Most of the people that were present were on the working team under Winslow that day and everyone looked like they were about to fall asleep.
Winslow wasn’t big on conversing while eating so he didn’t mind the quiet. But the “peace” was broken by a cry of pain across the room. Winslow watched Jamie run over to Hamish, who was hunched over, his face in agony. Jamie called to Geoffrey, a few feet away.
“Go get Father or Mary, Geoffrey! Tell them that Hamish is hurting bad in the dining chamber.”
Winslow walked over. “What’s the matter with him?” he asked Jamie.
“Hamish has had back problems for years and he pushed himself too hard today,” Jamie replied. Turning toward Hamish, she said, “Father warned you about over-doing it, Hamish!”
Hamish couldn’t even look up at her to respond. “I can keep up, child!”
A few moments later, Father and Mary both came in to look at Hamish. After a quick check on his condition, Father said, “We need to get him to the hospital chamber right away.”
Michael entered, carrying a makeshift gurney. “Thank you, Michael,” Father said, laying it down next to Hamish.
“Cullen, Michael, please help Hamish roll sideways onto the gurney and we will carry him to the hospital chamber,” Father explained.
“Sure, Father. Michael and I can do it. Lucky you’re so skinny, Hamish!” Cullen said, stepping in front of Winslow. As Cullen and Michael helped Hamish to fall sideways onto the gurney, Hamish let out a shrill scream of pain that made everyone wince. Cullen looked at Winslow and shook his head.
“Don’t you even, Cullen!” Winslow angrily said.
“I told you that you were pushing us too hard!” Cullen lashed back.
“Hamish thought that he could keep up and that’s all the validation that I need!” Winslow argued.
“Have you even thought about how many others are hurting right now too because of your leadership?!” Cullen stabbed.
“Stop this! Cullen! Please take Hamish to the hospital chamber, I will be right behind you,” Father said.
As Hamish was carried out, Father turned back to Winslow. “Winslow, would you please meet me in my chamber in an hour?”
Winslow sat back down with no appetite left and could only think about what Cullen had said, and what Father would say soon in his chamber. With many different thoughts swimming around in his mind, Winslow decided to walk back to his chamber and wash up before meeting Father in a bit.
Winslow was drying his face and head with a towel after washing over a bowl of water when he heard a voice speaking.
“It’s not easy leading others, Winslow.”
Winslow slowly turned his gaze toward the entrance to his chamber.
“It is as long as people do as they’re told.”
“Hah…now that sounds like Theo,” Sam said, sitting on the edge of Winslow’s bed.
Winslow dropped the rag down on a table next to him and leaned back on it, facing Sam.
“What do you think Father is going to say?” Winslow asked quietly.
Sam smiled gently. “I don’t know, but he knows how stubborn and strong-willed you are, and he also knows how stubborn and strong-willed Hamish is. I wouldn’t worry about it.” Sam looked around Winslow’s room and stood, walking toward him.
“You know, whenever your father got frustrated, he would either go back to working hard or we would play cards.” Sam slowly pulled out a chair at the table and sat down. “Come on, Winslow. Let’s play a hand.”
Winslow smirked. “You think cards are going to make everything better?”
“I know that it will,” Sam replied. “I also know that you’ve got cards in here, grab ‘em and let’s go. Five card stud.”
Winslow reached into a box under the table and pulled out a deck of cards. He then sat down and dealt.
The hour went by quickly and Winslow went to Father’s chamber.
“Father?” Winslow said as he entered.
“Winslow, yes, I have something…well, something has occurred…” Father started, trying to find the right words.
“Is Hamish going to be all right?” Winslow interrupted.
Father walked down the spiral staircase toward Winslow. “Hamish did over-exert himself and has made an existing back problem much worse. He has aggravated an existing injury. I have given him something for the pain, but he is going to need a lot of recovery time and even therapy to get him up and going again.” Winslow looked down as Father spoke.
“Personally…I don’t think that he’ll be down as long as he should be,” Father said.
“Nothing can keep Hamish down,” Winslow stated, as he lifted his head.
“Well, he likes to think so!” Father replied.
Father took a deep breath and pointed toward some chairs. “Winslow, Mary and I found something today that does not belong to me.” Father and Winslow sat down as Father picked up the book next to him and handed it to Winslow.
Winslow looked the book over and read the side. “’Their Eyes Were Watching…’” He trailed off and looked at Father. “This was my mother’s. One of her favorites…. How did you get this?”
“Your father brought it down with him. While I was caring for your father during the last year of his life here, he had this book nearby. It was his way of keeping Adele close by, he said. You don’t remember?”
Winslow slowly shook his head “no”.
“Your father would play cards with Sam and myself and others, telling stories, and talking about you.”
Winslow’s eyes filled with tears. “He spoke of me?”
“Yes, of course! He may have been a proud man but he was more proud of you. Proud of who you were becoming,” Father gently said.
“After Theo’s passing, someone who was helping with caring for your father’s burial found this book outside of this chamber. Thinking it was borrowed from my study, they returned it without my knowledge. Mary and I happened upon it today in our searching. Please open the book.”
Winslow lightly thumbed through the worn pages, heaving deep sighs, trying to hold back the tears. And then he found his parent’s wedding photo. It had been so long since Winslow had seen it that his parents looked even younger and more attractive than he remembered. He exhaled heavily, sniffing back the tears looming. He picked up the picture to look at it more closely and saw that there was a small note folded behind it. Picking up the note, Winslow read the words: Son, you stay strong like you are. Others will follow. I’m proud of you. Love, Dad.
The tears fell from Winslow’s eyes.
“When did Dad write this?” he asked.
Father replied, “I don’t know. I would think when he knew that the end was near.” Father leaned forward toward Winslow. “Winslow, your father learned every day how to do life better than the last. I always thought of Theo as a smart man, among other things. And you are your father’s son.”
Father put his hand on Winslow’s forearm, and they took a moment to just breathe.
A little while later, Winslow was walking with book in hand toward his chamber, and Cullen called out to him. “Winslow! Hey!”
Winslow took a deep breath and asked, “What do you want, Cullen?”
Cullen walked up to Winslow and looked him in the eye. “I just wanted to say that…I still think that you’re pushing people too hard on these big projects, and as a leader, you’ve got to help people see their limits sometimes! But…I’m also sorry for the way that I talked with you about it before…” Winslow crossed his arms in front of him.
“…At the site…” Cullen said, shifting his feet. “…And in the dining hall…” he continued. “We butt heads, you and I. But we always get through it, right?”
Winslow thought for a moment and felt his mother’s book in his hand.
“Yeah…we do. I guess we both can learn and do each day better than the last.”
Winslow held out his hand and Cullen took it, giving a vigorous handshake.
The two friends started walking down the tunnels together as Cullen remarked, “So, are you going to apologize to me? Since I apologized to you.” “What have I got to apologize for?” Winslow stated plainly.
“Are you serious?!” Cullen exclaimed.
“I’m taking your critique under advisement!” Winslow firmly stated.
“Well, you should!” Cullen said.
“Well, I am!” Winslow retorted.
“Okay!” Cullen yelled.
“And I’m still hungry!” Winslow yelled back.
“I bet there’s some leftovers!” Cullen cried.
“Then I’m gettin’ some!” Winslow bellowed.
“Then I think I’ll join ya!” Cullen hollered.
“All right!” Winslow growled.
Within a few minutes’ time, the laughter from these two men could be heard in the surrounding tunnels in all directions…even waking a few of the children up.
The End.
BBTV Classic Round Robin Story Index