Ron's Journal 00

Those were my major life-shaping incidents. I call them my 'determinants' for they determined my life, beyond my control.

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There are another set of life-changing incidents, those that I had some control over, by conscious or oblivious choice. I call these my 'cusps'. Any slightly different action at one of these cusps would have changed my path radically.

Some of these cusps and choices were pretty straightforward.

If I had not met a certain girl at my second high school, I would not have met, married, and divorced her sister, and I would not have my daughter and her splendid family loving me now. And I could not now brag about having a famous author as an ex-sister-in-law (and ex-fuckbuddy), the aunt of my grandkids.

I could have stayed with my sister Lyn, as a lover or just a brother, and all my further history would be different. I was not forced to join the Army, but doing so changed my life. My last major choice was between following a path to being a military doctor, or being the gigolo of a rich girl, or going with the smart woman who has since been my life partner. I made my choices, and lived with them.

Other cusps were more convoluted and indirect.

Some hitchhiking rides, and other chance encounters, and even a walk in a park, all led to long trails of unforeseeable life-changing consequences. Even if I were a pre-planning sort of person, these chance events would still have spun my compass needle and routed my path to unforeseen directions. Maybe all these cusps were necessary. STRANGE TRAVEL DIRECTIONS ARE GOD'S DANCING LESSONS, said a wise man.

Unless your own life has been incredibly dull and bland, and totally pre-planned, you have probably had similar determinants and cusps. Think about them. Think about where they have taken you. But don't get caught in what-if's. Don't be crushed under the bones of lives you have never lived.

--Ron

******************** explanations and excuses - EDITOR'S NOTES

Hi folks. Hypoxia here.

I'm the one who compiles, edits, and adapts my late Uncle Ron's voluminous notes and tapes. Ron was my uncle by marriage, not blood. I have no place in these tales; I did not participate in any of the actions chronicled; my relationship is not mentioned. I just pull the stories together.

I am not a good storyteller. I have worked as a technical writer and editor, and I am pretty good with narrative accounts and reporting, but I cannot write drama to save my life. Anyone who has read the original BRIDE OF KONG 03 can attest to that.

My role as editor-adaptor has been to piece together the tales from disorganized notes, tapes and memory, and to flesh out the sex scenes, hopefully without too many clichés. Swirling tongues, yeah sure...

I want to apologize for the ordering of these posts. I originally wrote the narrative as chapters 01-07 with sections 0-16. I had not planned on expanding the accounts. But as I proceeded, I found many holes in the narrative. I am filling those holes after-the-fact, with kludged numbering. Events that took placing during chapter 05 are in chapters 05A and 05B, for example, and added events within section 11 are in sections 11A, 11B, and 11C. If I had taken many months to write all this as one piece, the ordering would be better. Tough. It is what it is now. I hope you are not too confused. I have confused myself enough.

About my posts here: Some tales are straight fiction and are so labeled. As for the JOURNAL entries and spin-offs, well, I probably should not invalidate the "this-is-all-fiction" disclaimer. Are the people, places, and most events here, really real? That is up to you to decide. Believe it or don't.

Ron said that he once entered a liar's contest and came in dead last. Thus, you can believe everything he says. Uh-huh.

Just suppose some of the accounts are true. If so, then: I have changed the names of everybody, or have omitted names. Some characters may be recognizable from their descriptions. I have kept the names of many real places, and obscured or omitted other place names, as I deemed necessary. I have compressed times and events as needed for narrative flow. I may have gotten some dates confused. What, this ain't straight history? Sue me.

I have received some feedback on these tales already. If the feedback is anonymous, I cannot reply, so if you want a conversation, please use your Lit ID. I welcome all feedback, comments, and recommendations. Some feedback and comments have faulted technical details. Well, I have tried to research everything, and I have obscured or glossed-over some details, but nobody is perfect, right? Especially me. And Ron.

--Hypoxia [gasp]

NEXT: Ron's life is ripped apart, and he breaks loose in high school.