\u201cYour teacher broke the rules,\u201d Eric\u2019s uncle said. \u201cHe knew the new rules, but he chose to ignore them.\u201d<\/p>\n
His uncle prodded apart two logs in the fire pit then jerked the poker away. The logs collapsed into one another like two weary fighters desperate for rest.<\/p>\n
\u201cEverybody knows there\u2019s a relentless war on manhood,\u201d his uncle said between chews of tobacco then spit. He sat down in a worn lawn chair and sipped from a can of Miller Lite.<\/p>\n
The fire hushed then heaved, gushing upwards.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe second you\u2019re anybody with ambition\u2026who dares to bind your life to a greater purpose, a larger destiny, the world turns around and shits all over you,\u201d he said, pulling his shirt to cover the flesh of his belly.<\/p>\n
Eric sat on a bench opposite him, hands stuffed in his pockets, staring at the fire.<\/p>\n
Mr. Sully, Lincoln High\u2019s social studies teacher, had been popular. Always animated, Mr. Sully bobbed to and fro, asking questions, and considering students\u2019 answers. Then he would walk up to the blackboard and scratch out phrases in big white letters.<\/p>\n
\u201cAFFIRMING THE DIGNITY OF OTHERS,\u201d Eric remembered Mr. Sully scrawling in giant letters when discussing political revolution. Looking over the blackboard afterwards, Mr. Sully seemed entranced.<\/p>\n
Eric loved Mr. Sully\u2019s classes.<\/p>\n
\u201cYour teacher\u2019s mistake was thinking that men like us would sit back and let the world change without us, without our say so,\u201d his uncle groaned and then drew down his beer.<\/p>\n
A month earlier, Mr. Sully had moderated the annual Lincoln High debate. Hundreds of students packed into the school\u2019s gymnasium.<\/p>\n
During closing arguments, discussion got heated. Male students sprung to their feet and shouted. A female debater decried the misogyny of the \u201cmanosphere\u201d as a male student made lewd gestures. In closing, Mr. Sully echoed the female debater\u2019s concerns about the \u201cmanosphere.\u201d<\/p>\n
A local news segment discussed the fallout, interviewing a series of grey-haired men with furrowed brows, men who reminded Eric of his uncle. Soon they started showing up at the school\u2019s community meetings.<\/p>\n
\u201cKids these days,\u201d his uncle had said at the November meeting. \u201cThey get so confused, they start thinking up is down, down\u2019s up. What\u2019s worse is you\u2014none of you teachers\u2014steer them straight.\u201d<\/p>\n
Eric remembered slouching low next to his uncle and dreaming of ways to disappear. Ever since Eric\u2019s dad died of cancer, his uncle had made a habit of peppering him with lessons about manhood while driving Eric around in his 1997 Dodge Ram.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re men, Eric. Your mom\u2019s never gonna get what that means,\u201d Eric\u2019s uncle said one night after picking Eric up one-hour late. He sneered when he said it, then peeled his truck away, tires squealing.<\/p>\n
\u201cI understand your concerns, sir,\u201d Mr. Sully told Eric\u2019s uncle at the community meeting. \u201cBut as a teacher I am committed to encouraging free speech in the classroom and fostering critical thinking in our students.\u201d Mr. Sully\u2019s pale face wore an earnest expression.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut why did he need to lose his job?\u201d Eric asked, turning away from the fire.<\/p>\n
\u201cAn elitist hack, nothing more,\u201d he barked, \u201cobsessed with the pae-tree-arch-y\u201d his uncle jeered, while bunny ear quoting the last word.<\/p>\n
\u201cEric, we are men. Unlike women\u2014who\u2019re always in their feelings\u2014we feel the facts like fire coursing through our veins,\u201d his uncle said. \u201cAnd so, when we act, the world better listen!\u201d<\/p>\n
His pupils engorged. The whites of his eyes receded. Flames swirled in the distance.<\/p>\n
\u201cMark my word, Eric. If the world doesn\u2019t listen, then the men will step in. Yes, they\u2019ll burn the whole fucking thing down,\u201d his uncle warned, pointing out at something beyond the fence.<\/p>\n
Eric glanced over at the metal fire poker propped up against the pit, shadowed and blinkered in the fire\u2019s light. He walked over and grasped it.<\/p>\n
\u201cEric, listen, as men,\u201d his uncle said slowly, methodologically, rehearsed. \u201cWe must prepare for the future. With your father gone, and with your mother,\u201d he uttered, shaking his head. \u201cBeing the way she is.\u201d He bunched up his tongue. \u201cIt\u2019s on me to steer you right.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe future?\u201d Eric asked. He jabbed the poker at a coal-red log, watching sparks splinter.<\/p>\n
His uncle ran his tongue along his bottom teeth.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes, the future,\u201d his uncle nodded. \u201cAnd you know why? Because the future is for the bold,\u201d his uncle said. \u201cMen who take what they want, who will not be cowed, who won\u2019t step aside.\u201d He waved at the fire, indicating where Eric should focus next.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe future is for men who fight for what they believe, who walk heels first to the earth,\u201d Eric\u2019s uncle droned on.<\/p>\n
Eric thought about the way his uncle\u2019s eyes went dark and his face beet red anytime he mentioned his ex-wife. He thought about how, before the cancer, his mom used to climb up on his dad\u2019s toes and kiss him.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe future is for what?\u201d Eric asked and turned to his uncle.<\/p>\n
He thought about his uncle fighting retail clerks, waitresses, flight attendants, gas station workers, school administrators.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe future is men fighting over shit they don\u2019t want!\u201d Eric exclaimed, surprising himself by his outburst.<\/p>\n
His uncle shifted in his seat, looking like a wounded bird. Then his eyes darkened and he snorted.<\/p>\n
\u201cPerhaps,\u201d he said, darkly grinning. \u201cBut, in the future, you can bet my boy that when the men start talking\u2014everyone around will stop and listen.\u201d<\/p>\n
A stack of logs collapsed and red coals shot up into the air, hanging there a moment, before falling away to blackened ash.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut that depends on today,\u201d Eric said, spitting at the dirt. He squared his shoulders and looked his uncle in the eye. \u201cOn what we do, today.\u201d<\/p>\n
Frozen in his seat, his uncle watched as his nephew walked away, leaving him with what remained of the fire.<\/p>\n
As the back gate latched shut, Eric stole a last look at his uncle, who sat dull-faced, jaw tight, eyes faraway, afraid, alone.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Everybody knows there\u2019s a relentless war on manhood. Your teacher\u2019s mistake was thinking that men like us would sit back and let the world change without us, without our say so. We are men, Eric. We feel the facts like fire coursing through our veins.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":182,"featured_media":25074,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3530],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-24099","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-flash-fiction","writer-graeme-richmond-mack"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mrbullbull.com\/newbull\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24099","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mrbullbull.com\/newbull\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mrbullbull.com\/newbull\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mrbullbull.com\/newbull\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/182"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mrbullbull.com\/newbull\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24099"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/mrbullbull.com\/newbull\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24099\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":25075,"href":"https:\/\/mrbullbull.com\/newbull\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24099\/revisions\/25075"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mrbullbull.com\/newbull\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/25074"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mrbullbull.com\/newbull\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24099"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mrbullbull.com\/newbull\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24099"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mrbullbull.com\/newbull\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24099"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}