Jacob and His Father | Bruce White ’24 A boy named Jacob was trying to figure out what he wanted to do with his life. Jacob and his grandfather, Jesse, were at a golf course in Atlanta having a good ole time. “What do you want to be when you grow up, son?” “I really would like to take golf more seriously.” “Alright. I’ll hire a professional to train you and make you become one of the greatest this world has ever seen,” Jesse said as he smiled at his grandson. The next morning Jesse woke Jacob up to get ready for training. “Wake up, son, I’ve made you breakfast. Eat quickly, we have to leave soon.” Jacob rose from his bed and ate his breakfast of eggs, sausage, pancakes, bacon, and a cup of orange juice. Jacob thanked his grandfather and they set out to the golf facility. When they walked into the lobby of the facility, they were met by the trainer. “Welcome! My name’s Mike, and I’ll be your trainer. Why don’t you come in so I can show you around?” They walked into a gigantic turf with many golf obstacles arranged methodically. “We will begin our training sessions together here. When you progress in skill, we’ll go outside and get to work on our practice golf course.” After his first day of practice, Jacob asked his grandfather if he could create an athletic diet. His grandfather was supportive, pleased by his grandson’s initiative. Jacob searched on his phone for what athletes typically eat. He found many vegetable-heavy diets and was disappointed there weren’t any that included chips or soda. At the store, Jacob picked out a few vegetable plates and a couple cases of water. He decided part of his plan to be a better athlete was to cut out soda. His grandfather had one condition to his funding of Jacob’s dream. “I’ll buy everything you asked for but with one condition: you have to promise me that you will never give up on anything. No matter how hard it gets, I want you to keep pushing.” “I promise, Grandpa. I will push through all of my pain, no matter how hard it gets.” On their way out of the grocery store, Jacob heard a crash. He looked back and saw that his grandfather had fallen, the groceries scattered across the parking lot. As Jacob rushed to help his grandfather, his grandfather pushed him away. “I’m alright, son. I’m alright.” One Month Later “Jacob, I’m going on a trip. You’ve got to spend a few days at your pal Jimmy’s house. I need you to pack all of your clothes and get ready to go.”
34
