#8 Scrape's Fate...

Squire "Ski" Reynolds still couldn't believe his eyes. His cellphone news feed just revealed that Scrape Norwood had been gunned down by a SWAT team member and subsequently lost his left leg during a shootout with police yesterday morning while attempting to rob Ganola Bank, the only Black-owned bank in the State of Washington, at gunpoint. Two members of Scrape's crew had also participated in the foiled heist.

Ski also learned that Scrape Norwood's real name was actually O'Pharaoh Serpentine and that he was wanted for kidnapping in the state of Rhode Island. Apparently Scrape had kidnapped his fifteen-year-old son, O'Ryan Fletching, from the child's mother nine months prior and had given him the alias Toby Norwood once the two fled to the state of Washington.

Ski's hands immediately began to tremble in shock at the revelations. Since he exited the womb, Ski had always been a bit of a people pleaser; therefore, he had almost ridden along with Scrape on his unknown "secret" mission the day before so that he wouldn't disappoint him, but Mr. Neddie's warning to return to the right path was permanently cemented in his mental. And the longer that Ski meditated on Mr. Neddie's warning, the stronger the urge to remain in his dorm room became. Ski also felt like two imaginary hands were holding his shoulders down on each side to prevent him from leaving his futon bed. 

In hindsight Ski was elated that he had heeded Mr. Neddie's warning. He could have easily gotten caught up in the crossfire and been taken out of the game of life indefinitely.

Once Ski's grandfather, Paw Paw Reynolds, caught wind of Scrape's fate, he said, "Squire I'm not surprised that things ended badly for Scrape. I never liked that man-boy. It was something about his beady eyes. They always had a darkness to them. Also, he had that diamond cross etched in his front tooth and quoted scripture from time to time around me, but as the holy scripture Jude Chapter 1 verse 12 mentions, Scrape is what the scripture calls "a cloud without water," essentially a self-professed man of God with no true spiritual fruit to show for it with all of the bank robbing, kidnapping, steroid-dealing, and, as Mr. Neddie mentioned, adultery that he was committing. And that boy's real last name is Serpentine. That ought to tell you something, Ski."

Ski chuckled to himself at his grandfather's assessment of Scrape, but he had to admit that Paw Paw had pinned the tail on the donkey/hit the nail on the head with regard to Scrape's character.

Since God had given him a second chance, Ski was determined to start pouring into others again. His new pet squirrel, named Agile Ninja Turtle, aka A.N.T., really, really needed his assistance right now. A.N.T. was unable to eat on his right side because he had a really bad abscessed tooth that needed immediate repair, and Ski was determined to pay for the vet bill with his savings. 

Ski was beginning to feed his spirit again as well. In fact, an unusual meeting with a mysterious stranger named Mr. Neddie while he was in a rehab hospital for a steroid addiction led Ski to begin reading his Bible again. 

In addition to Mr. Neddie's visit, Ski was also inspired to return to reading his holy word again by a story that his grandfather, Paw Paw Reynolds, recently told Ski about his great-grandma Henrietta Brooks from his mother's side, who was Ski's mom Betsey's grandmother.

Apparently, Great Grandma Brooks never learned to read, but the moment that she picked up the Bible, she was able to read it. This miraculous event led to a spiritual revival in Paw Paw's hometown when he was a child, ultimately leading 900 unbelievers to come to Christ.

Life was finally beginning to feel normal for Ski again. He recently began seeing a grief counselor for unresolved PTSD relating to the survivor's guilt that he had been carrying in his heart for 7 years because he had been in that fateful drunk-driving-related car wreck with his parents, yet they both perished and he had survived the accident unscathed. It felt good for Ski to finally unpack his emotions instead of pretending that they didn't exist, like he had been up to that point in his life.

Ski's brotherhood with his best friend Ahanu "Nu" Kind Heart was also on the up and up after Ski apologized to Ahanu for his callousness toward him when Ahanu came to visit him in the hospital. Ski went on to explain that his grief from his parents' fatal car wreck, his embarrassment about his addiction, and his roid-fueled anger made him act a donkey that day. 

Not one to nurse grudges, Ahanu forgave Ski immediately and assured Ski that he knew it had been the roids talking all along.

Ski was grateful to have his 'Native Brother From Another Missus' in his life again. He couldn't wait for his pet squirrel Agile Ninja Turtle to meet his Uncle Nu. Ski knew with every fiber of his being that they were going to hit it off beautifully.