Hello /lit/ I have posted a short story here before and it got

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117KB, 298x352px

Hello /lit/ I have posted a short story here before and it got great feedback. Please be rough on me.

This one is more of a work in progress than the last, but here it is:

The Brave

He sighed as he looked at himself in the shower mirror. He was at a truck stop on one of his long haul routes. His body was unfit and soft. His copper shin was beginning to wrinkle with age and inactivity. His black hair was cut short and it was thinning on top. He called himself David, but his grandmother had told him his name was roaring bear when he was a small child. He had left the reservation a long time ago so he could start a family. Now he drives trucks.

As he looks at himself he begins to see a strong fit man presenting his chest proudly. His hair is long, straight, and black like the feathers of a raven. His face is painted in bright pigments. His gaze is piercing and thoughtful. His vestments are hide and were made by rough laborious hands. He is a brave. There is a jarring banging on the door. “Hurry yer ass up in there! It has been fifteen damn minutes!” a hoarse smoker’s voice yells. He sees David again. His puts on his jeans and his shirt and walks to his truck.

As he drives the bumps of the road hurt his back. It didn’t used to be this way, but now it was. As the trees and bluffs pass by him he begins to feel as if he is riding a gleaming and powerful horse. The drone of the engine is no longer. He hears the clop of hooves, and the frantic breathing of a charging steed. He hears the call of a hunt. He sees the plains whip before him, conquered by a proud people. His truck drifts from his lane and he is galvanized by the honk of a passing car. His eyes are wet.

When he arrives home supper is already on the table. His child, a young boy almost eleven, runs to greet him as he walks in the door. The boy hugs his legs. He reaches down and tousles the boy’s hair. He sits and begins eating. He talks to his wife about her day, she says it was busy. She reminds him there is a bill that needs to be paid. He thanks her and said he almost forgot. She mentions that his boy did well on an exam. He turns to the boy and asks him for details. The boy confidently says that he has received the highest grade in the class on a mathematics exam. He smiles at the boy and congratulates him, he says he is very proud.

After dinner the boy collects the dishes and puts them in the sink. The boy goes upstairs to prepare for bed. The boy will think of how someday he will be a man like his father as he goes to sleep. David sits on the couch with his wife. She talks to him about her mother, what happened at the school yard when she picked up the boy, and how her trip to the doctor went. He listens and asks small simple questions. She rubs his back where it has hurt him. She asks him about his drive and what his truck carried.

When it gets late they leave the couch ready for sleep. She looks at him as he straightens the pillows, she sees a brave.