The Proud Coward

I remember growing up, driving down the road in Escalon, a developing housing community where ranches and almond groves were still dominant. Kenny Rogers was on the radio singing "The coward of the county," the words saying, "Promise me, son, not to do the things I've done. Walk away from trouble if you can. It won't mean you're weak if you turn the other cheek. I hope you're old enough to understand. Son, you don't have to fight to be a man." In that story, the son was known as the coward of the county. I can relate.
I was a carefree feller. However, on a hot summer afternoon, the way I perceived myself had changed. From that day, a coward was the perception of me. I go back to the incident; I try to justify repeatedly in my head, my cowardliness.…