The Day the Dream Changed
by
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As I left the cafeteria I knew that I was never going to be the same person that I was. THAT, was the straw that broke the camel’s back. I was tired of feeling scared and tired of not knowing what I was supposed to know and tired of kids laughing at me and tired of trying to be everything that I was expected to be and not knowing how. I was done. Any thoughts about being a Priest, Well, That was done too . I had had it!
I caught the last bus home and it was after 8:00 when I finally got home. I pretty much knew what was waiting for me at home. My Parents had been worried when I didn’t come home as usual and I told them why. They already knew what being jugged meant. They both gave me the lecture about how I need to quit fooling around so much and how I need to buckle down on my school work. I could have almost recited it all word for word without them saying anything. But I just stood there taking it and bobbing my head up and down without saying a word, looking at the floor and then at the ceiling and trying not to be too disrespectful. When I was asked what I had to say for myself. I looked at them both and said “Not a Damn thing” they were startled but they “Both” said and did nothing. I think they knew that something had changed.
Within six months my parents were threatening to send me to a Military School. I became every parent’s worst Nightmare. I started hanging out with people from work who were much older than me, Smoking and drinking and I didn’t care whether they “Caught me or not” I came home drunk enough that I couldn’t find the hall light switch and on several occasions only slightly less drunk. I started taking drugs and had some close encounters of a sexual nature with a few girls. I would ditch school often and didn’t give a hoot about my grades. I just didn’t care about hardly anything. At school Father Kreiton refused to even collect my work and I got put into the D class. The Principle and “Prefect of discipline” tried to talk to me and threaten me with I don’t know what but even they knew that It was useless. I don’t blame them or my parents for that matter. I was Useless. Go figure!
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About the Book
As Rick grows up during 1960s America, he is certain of one thing: he is an oddball kid who views life differently than others his age. The fourth of nine children raised by a moody and sometimes mysterious, alcoholic father and a devoutly Catholic mother, Rick is focused on nurturing his love of music, carrying out boyhood pranks, and working hard to be a good boy so he can become a priest one day. But as Rick is about to discover, sometimes the realities of life get in the way of dreams.
After a tough old teacher changes his mind about serving God, Rick transfers to a public high school, where he begins running with the wrong crowd. As he continues to work on his music and turns sixteen, everything changes when his girlfriend, Elise, announces she is pregnant. After Rick decides to marry Elise, his life moves in a new direction filled with work, night classes and training, and more children. But as Rick forges ahead, he has no idea that life will ultimately lead him to learn a valuable lesson about loyalty, forgiveness, and the power of unconditional love.
The Day the Dream Changed shares the captivating tale of a boy’s coming-of-age journey as he matures into manhood and discovers the secret to true happiness.
About the Author
Tray Falcon (Pen Name) was brought up in the ranching and farming culture of Colorado. Friendship, music, and family are the riches of his life. He is a fifth-generation Coloradoan, with a rich heritage centered on the Colorado Mountains life that he lives. He’s a family man with a passion for music and the outdoors.