A Life Living Fate

By Larry Wade Livingston

A LIFE LIVING FATE is the journey that we all have to take during our life. It questions if fate or predestination dictates the decisions we make. Once a decision has been made, is it the stepping stone to the next event in our life? The book examines how events are connected to each other through decisions that are made. Planned or coincidence, it’s something that you will have to face the consequences for.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: May 1, 2020
• ISBN: 9781984577498

Larry Wade Livingston

Larry Wade Livingston was born in Cincinnati, Ohio in the month of November. He grew up traveling state to state only living in cities sometimes for only a few short weeks. His step-dad was an over the road truck driver which allowed him to attend countless schools throughout his entire childhood. Always being the new kid in school he really had no friends. He found that by writing stories it occupied his mind and he could create his own little world. It was a world that he could control and was accepted. I hope you enjoy the stories that Mister Livingston still amuses himself with as an adult. He writes humorous tales to deep complicated ones and covers many subject matters. If you enjoy his tales and downhome style, you can also find other books by Larry Wade Livingston at Amazon and Barnes and Noble. Other books by Larry Wade Livingston The Poetic Storyteller. A book of poems representing the many poetic forms. Three Agendas. A book of three Sci-Fi stories filled with suspense and intrigue. Short Stories from My Heart. A book of Mr. Livingston’s favorite short stories. Sterling Sands. A book of a lawyer’s morality between good and evil. The Protectors. A book of people that are unseen and control part of earth’s survival. The Alignment. A book with many clues throughout to explain the Alignment and its prophecy. A life living fate. A lawyer’s story of making decisions, but were they his alone, or were they predestined? Panadonia. A book about a secret world hidden in the center of earth, until a young boy from earth discovers it’s existence.

Book preview

Copyright © 2020 by Larry Wade Livingston.

Library of Congress Control Number:          2020907908

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted

in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system,

without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the

product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance

to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models,

and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Rev. date: 04/29/2020

Xlibris

1-888-795-4274

www.Xlibris.com

813202

CONTENTS

Dedication

Characters

The Life Of Cheyenne Rivers

The Life Of Rocky Killington

Faith, Fate Or Predestination?

Part 20

Part 21

DEDICATION

I would like to thank so many people. I have to give thanks first and foremost to Connie Hughes. She was my muse and I’m still sad from her passing. She believed in me when I didn’t. She helped me to develop my writing and my own confidence in writing. I have to give a special thanks to my mother Goldie Lee Miller and my aunt Ann Parsons. They both were writers in their own ways. It’s sad that their talents were never able to make it to the public to read.

I have to give a tremendous thank you to Ernie Peters. Ernie is a friend and he proof read this book and the one before this one. He was invaluable for catching misspelled words and punctuations. He was excellent in making timeline corrections. Where people were and why, etc. Without his help, there would be many typos and errors. I say again, Thank You Ernie, you’re a good friend.

I hope that any of my books can bring some emotions to the readers. If through my writings I can have a reader laugh, cry, get angry, feel sad or jump for joy, I’ve accomplished what I intended to do. To connect to the reader is the goal of anyone that writes. I hope I have caused you, the reader, to be moved by any one of your emotions.

Larry Wade Livingston

CHARACTERS

Rocky Killington’s life was one of pain and violence from the second he was born. He was a breech baby and required professional help to enter this world. The doctor had to slap him several times during the Golden Minute to get him to breathe and cry. It took fifty-eight seconds for that first important cry to be heard.

Rocky was a large baby, weighing eleven pounds, ten ounces. Needless to say, his mother had problems delivering such a large baby. She had procedures performed for her physical tears and other smaller cosmetic issues.

Rocky was one of those babies that cried all day and night. He drove his mother and father to the point of no return. He peed and pooped what felt like every half hour to them.

He threw his food or turned his food dish upside down regularly. Rocky did every annoying thing that a baby could do. He however, took them to new heights and set a new record while doing them. I bet that record will never be broken or in any baby for an eternity.

Time passed and Rocky reached the terrible twos stage of his life. He once again would get new boundaries and manufacture a long list of new ones, much to the displeasure of his parents. No matter what his parents did to baby proof their home, Rocky found a way to disable them.

One thing that really worried Rocky’s parents was when they child proofed every electrical outlet in the house. Rocky would pry the covers off and stick things into the exposed slots. When he finally stuck a nail into the socket, he got a shock that tripped the circuit breaker. (No one has every figured out where or how a two-year-old got a nail).

You’d think that would cure his fascination with electrical outlets. You’d be wrong. He loved getting shocked and that became his favorite thing to do.

When he finally turned three, he moved on to torment the dog and cat. He’d pull their tails and give them shoes to chew. He loved dumping the kitty litter box in the middle of the living room and jumping up and down on it. He thought he could hide it in the shag carpet.

Rock’s parents were happy for the first time in a long time, when they dropped him off at kindergarten school at the age of five. That lasted for only four days. That’s when the teacher met Rocky’s mother when she came to pick Rocky up after school.

The teacher asked if she could come to the office for a meeting with her and the Principal. She parked her car and went to the office.

Mrs. Killington, teachers are having a major problem with your son. He’s being a bully and disrespecting his classmates. We feel it would be better if he didn’t return to our classroom any longer. Mrs. Jones, the Principal said.

What do you mean you don’t want him to come back to his school?

He’s a bad influence on the other children and more than his teachers can handle.

What the hell am I supposed to do with him? I have to enroll him in school and make sure he attends. So, what do I tell the authorities when they come knocking on my front door Mrs. Jones?

"I recommend you enroll him at Elwood Discipline. That’s the school where students having disciplinary issues at their regular school are sent. No, it’s not like it is here at my school, to answer your next question.

It has class’s for kindergarteners up to senior high schoolers. Each grade has its own classroom. There aren’t any combined grades at any level. Your son will be with other kindergarteners and taught the same material as the others."

If I decline to send him to this special behavioral school, what’s going to happen then?

"That will be between you and the authorities and the school board. I am this school’s Principal and have the authority to suspend or expel any student based on their impact to the other students.

Kindergarten is not a forceable school entry. You can keep Rocky at home and try to make him understand clearly what’s acceptable and what’s not. Next year you can send him to school as a first grader and hope he has changed his demeanor."

I won’t be enrolling my son in your school for unruly children. You and your school will rot in hell before I ever do that to him.

With that said, Mrs. Killington dragged her son to the car as he kicked and screamed every step of the way.

This is one of the reasons Rocky turned out the way he did. His parents thought he was going through a faze and would outgrow it. In retrospect, it did the reverse. He took it as a greenlight to behave anyway he wanted with no real repercussions.

Being cocky and feeling indestructible, Rocky strutted around like a tiny tyrant ruling over his kingdom.

Over the next year Rocky’s behavior got worse and his parents gave up trying to change his actions. The truth be known, they had grown to the point that they were afraid of him.

That may sound unbelievable to most people. How could any adult literally be afraid of a first-grade youngster?

I guess you had to be there all summer to fully understand their reasoning. Rocky had started fires in the trash cans outside and inside the home. He had taken scissors and cut up his parents’ clothes and slit the drapes with a butcher knife.

He started swearing and cussing out his mother and father anytime they objected to anything he wanted. Rocky wasn’t spoiled rotten; he was a dictator with an avengeable fed ego for payback and misery. He had no remorse or pity for anyone. I guess the best description for him would be he was a monster through and through. He turned six and time had run out.

Finally, the first day of school came and Rocky reported for his first day of being in the first grade. The teacher was well aware of Rocky’s history and shuddered as she saw him entered the classroom.

Rocky slowly walked around the classroom and inspected every kid as if looking for who he would bully first. He chose a desk in the back row and sat down behind an extremely overweight boy.

Rocky could virtually hide completely behind him and not be seen by the teacher. That raised a red flag with Miss Snow the teacher. She would have had him in clear sight of her, so she could monitor him more closely.

Miss Snow had each student say their name aloud as an introduction for the other students to know. When it was Rocky’s turn, he stood and proudly announced My name is SNAKE and that’s who I am.

Are you sure you want to be called that particular name Rocky? Miss Snow asked.

Yes, that’s my name and you have to call me that too or I won’t talk to you.

Okay, if that’s what you want, I’ll call you Snake.

Halfway through the day Snake got up and started towards the door.

Snake, what are you doing? Miss Snow asked.

I’m going to the crapper and take a crap. Why, do you want to come and watch?

That’s enough young man, you go to the Principal’s office immediately. I won’t stand for that type of language or disrespect.

Yea, Yea, whatever teach.

Snake went to the restroom and did what he needed and then proceeded to the Principal’s office. He walked into the office with the swagger of an arrogant ‘you can’t touch me’ politician.

He stood there with his arms folded across his chest.

Miss Snow entered the office and requested a meeting with the Principal. Mrs. Jones emerged from her office with the look of aggravation on her face seeing they both of them.

"I was wondering how long it would take for you to show up in my office. It turns out to be faster than I thought it would take. Have a seat young man. You were told that when you came back you had to have changed your actions and attitude.

However, I see your behavior hasn’t changed one bit from last year. I’m calling your parents to come and pick you up. I’m going to expel you from school again for the exact reasons as before Rocky."

My name is SNAKE, he yelled back at her.

Mrs. Jones called Snake’s parents and they returned as before to the Principal’s office.

Miss Snow explained their son’s actions and language in the classroom.

There wasn’t much for them to say but apologize for their son’s behavior and leave.

Mr. and Mrs. Killington discussed what they were going to do about Snake’s future. They couldn’t control him or even make any kind of a good change in him.

They had tried to have the state’s Human Resource Department accept him into one of their programs for uncontrollable youths. They were turned away each time they requested such an intervention.

They even considered some kind of a military school or one of the camps for disobedient children. The problem with both of those options was a lack of finances. Neither one was cheap or even in their realm of a payment plan.

Few options were left for them to consider. The thought of home schooling would be a war zone like no other. That left Elwood Discipline School, the very one Mrs. Killington said she would never send her son to.

The next day Snake and his parents entered the registration office at Elwood Discipline Center. They found out immediately that news travels fast, especially bad news in a school district.

They didn’t even have to introduce themselves to the Principal John Tray.

"Good morning Mr. and Mrs. Killington, I’ve been expecting you. I already have your son’s chart from kindergarten and the half day he spent in class as a first grader. I handle things much differently here than at other facilities.

I don’t approve of physical contact. I apply other methods to obtain control over children. I find that almost 100 percent of the time it’s the parent’s lack of discipline, that allows bad behavior to continue and grow.

I’m telling you up front that if your son misbehaves, I will make him stand in the corner facing the wall in front of the entire class. If that’s not acceptable to you, then I suggest you and your son leave at this point.

I am not going to become your babysitter or raise your child for you. I am a bottom-line administrator focused on one thing and one thing only. That’s to shape troubled children into individuals that can enter society with the tools to be accepted and fit in with others.

Religion, morals, pride or political issues is your responsibility, not mine. Before I continue and waste my time. Are both of you on board with everything I’ve said thus far? I see your heads nodding up and down in an affirmative gestor, so I’ll continue.

Keep in mind after this introduction to the school’s rules and conduct description you must sign a parental agreement to everything we’re discussing.

There will be times that the teacher will yell at your child, but only when it’s deemed to be appropriate for the issue at that moment. The teacher will never swear, cuss or belittle your child.

Here at Elwood Discipline we aren’t trying to embarrass your child, but he must learn he isn’t the one in control. Right now, he thinks he’s ruler of the castle and you’re just servants to serve his every need.

In your son’s case. He’s honestly been allowed to run rampant too long. He represents a long and difficult time to reeducate his thought patterns. I’m not blaming you directly because you haven’t been trained to deal with actions that bewilder you.

Your son does represent a challenge to my staff, but we love a challenge and have an excellent track record in behavioral adjustment similar to his.

That’s my orientation to new registers and their child. Do you have any questions for me to explain in more detail or something I didn’t touch on?"

I don’t want my son to be bullied by adults or made to look the fool in front of his classmates, Mr. Killington said.

You have to make the decision to whether or not you want to live with your son as he is or to become the son you visualize him to be.

I want a well-mannered and loving son, but not at any cost.

If you feel my school’s procedures are too extreme for you, then I wish you the best choosing an alternative to fulfill your needs.

"Wait a minute, he’s my son too. I’m not going to endure this hell at home any longer. I’m tired and can’t take it anymore. He goes to this school or I’m leaving. I’d rather live with my mother in Florida than deal with the torment at home.

I can tell you now, that if I don’t see a change in him in six months, I’m leaving for Florida." Mrs. Killington said weeping.

It was clear that she was on the verge of a nervous breakdown or had already suffered one.

Mr. Killington hugged his wife and shook his head in a yes manner looking at Principal Tray.

They both signed the school’s document approving of the school’s guidelines and policies.

The one thing that no one noticed until they had left the school and was back in their car, was not once did Snake say a word or caused a disturbance. The fact was, no one had asked him about what was being said or presented. It was as if he didn’t exist.

Snake sat in the back seat staring at out the window silently. That was not the Snake the Killington’s knew.

What was he thinking? Was he planning counter actions against his new teacher tomorrow? Snake knew he had to find the acceptable limit to his disruptions and pranks in order to raise the bar little by little.

Of course, that was if he was allowed to set any bar to start from. He took that as his personal challenge against his new teacher and Principal Tray.

Snake actually smiled and looked forward to matching wits with whom he thought of as stupid adults. You might think six is too young for a child to be so deviant and evil, but you’d be wrong. Snake lived for feeling superior to others and belittling them made him feel better than everyone else.

What made Snake act the way he did was a mystery to everyone that dealt with his actions. In time that reason would become evident to his parents. To make his behavior accountably at such an early age, I’ll explain why for you to understand.

Intelligence is found in the left prefrontal cortex, left parietal cortex and the left temporal cortex of the brain. Anger and violence are found in the amygdala and hypothalamus of the brain.

Snake in the future will be diagnosed that his prefrontal cortex was not transmitting electrical impulses at a level considered to be normal. That caused a signal to be sent to the hypothalamus and amygdala deep in the brain’s temporal lobe. That affects behaviors of danger, violence and fear. What reactions produced can be described as all over the map. Everyone reacts differently and many individuals go undiagnosed.

As I said before, Snake was far more advanced than anyone knew. Snake could read and comprehend ninety-five percent of it. He read all the time in secret and never spoke in a way that people would question.

Snake was what you would call a true individual with savant-syndrome. He wasn’t autistic or a down-syndrome person. He looked like any other kid, but he wasn’t. He acted the way he did because he really believed he was better than anyone else. He used his actions and attitude to hide his true abilities.

The thing that was absent from Snake’s performances was that he really had no control over his temper and bad behavior. Super smart or not, his amygdala was in control of his dark side and Snake didn’t have a clue that it wasn’t himself,

Next morning his father dropped Snake off at Elwood and continued to his place of employment at city hall. Snake was met by Principal Tray and they walked to his classroom.

This is Mr. Woods and he will be your teacher. Mr. Woods, this is Rocky Killington; but he wishes to be called Snake, I agreed to let him use that name because he identifies with it.

Welcome to my class Snake I know we’ll have a great time learning and you making new friends here. Mr. Woods said.

Snake entered the classroom not saying a word and walked around spying the other kids. Like he had done before he chose a seat in the back row behind a large framed girl.

Oh no Snake, your desk is right here in the front row so I can watch over you more clearly. Mr. Woods said.

I don’t want to sit in the front row. I want and will sit in the back row, Snake said defiantly.

"You better learn quickly that here at Elwood the staff allows three strikes against a student before we refer them to the Juvenile Detention Center. That’s the place where you’ll call home, because you’ll be in a lockdown facility.

Do you understand what I just said? You won’t be going home to mommy and daddy, you’ll live there until you learn how to adapt to the real world," Principal Tray said.

If you don’t do what’s expected of you, you will receive your first strike. You’re on the verge of receiving your first strike. Now get up from that seat and move to your assigned seat in the front row. Mr. Woods said with authority.

Snake looked up and gave both his teacher and Principal what had to be the death stare for all ages. He stood up and without saying a word he swaggered his way up front and sat down where he had been instructed to sit.

Thank you Snake. I appreciate your cooperation in relocating to the front row. Mr. Woods said.

Yea, like I had a choice, Snake replied.

"Good morning class, this is Snake and he’s a first timer at Elwood Discipline like many of you here today. I hope we can all get along and make new friends. I’m here to help you develop better learning skills and social interactions. If you have questions, please come to me and ask them. I’m here to help you anyway I can.

Let’s get started. I’m passing out this questionnaire for you to fill out. As you can see it has simple questions. I need to know these things so I can get to better know you. Things like what’s your favorite color and your favorite TV show."

Mr. Woods sat behind his desk and watched as the children filled out their questionnaires. When the first child finished with theirs, Mr. Woods motioned for them to bring it up front and hand it in to him.

Once he had received the papers from each of the twenty-eight students, he scanned over them quickly.

"I see almost the entire class loves the Harry Potter movies and books. That seems like a good place to start learning. We can begin with book one and talk about how Harry Potter got along with others that didn’t care for him. Maybe, we can learn something that can help us to do the same.

I rarely give out homework to my students. However, since there was such a large response to Harry Potter. I would like you all to go home and think what you liked best about Harry Potter.

Tomorrow we will talk amongst ourselves what we have in common with each other. That’s how we make new friends. Talking with others that like what you like is how a friendship can start.

Today is only a half day for school and everyone has been assigned a bus to take you home. The school district designed the school bus routes according to where each student lives.

I will come around the room and hand you the number of the bus you were assigned. This bus is the one you will take for the entire school year. This is the bus that will pick you up in the mornings and take you home after school.

When I hand you your bus number you may get up and report outside to the bussing area. There are staff members there to help you find the proper bus. Have a good rest of your day and I’ll see you in the morning. Thank you everyone," Mr. Woods said.

The children took their number out to the staging area and boarded their assigned bus. Everything went surprisingly well without a glitch. That had never happened in the history of Elwood since opening thirty years ago. Was it an omen for a good year or a sign of torment?

Snake arrived at home and asked his mother to take him to a book store so he could purchase a copy of Harry Potter. She was ecstatic to hear her son wanted to read a book.

She dropped what she was doing and drove him to the nearest book store and gladly bought the book. Snake took it and started reading it as his mother was driving them home from the store.

I didn’t know you could read a book written on that level Rocky, Mrs. Killington said.

I told you mom; my name is Snake. I’m starting to understand how to read by sounding out words.

That’s great Snake, I’m so proud of you.

As I mentioned before, the secret that Snake was hiding was still undiscovered.

Somehow, he had managed not to hear about the success of the Harry Potter series of books. As he read more he fell in love with the character; but more than that, the concept of mystical magic intrigued him.

Snake was actually displaying good behavior because he was obsessed with the Harry Potter books. He read every second he could and was rapidly finishing book after book.

He began to dress differently than what was usual for him. No one mentioned it because he was on such good behavior and that was a small thing for them to accept.

It took Snake three months to read all seven Harry Potter books. Once he had completed reading them, things made a dramatic turn for the worse.

Snake emerged from his room on a Monday morning school day dressed in all black. He had painted his fingernails black and applied heavy black eyeshadow to his eyelids.

WHAT THE HELL? Mr. Killington barked.

This is my new look. I was inspired by the Harry Potter books. I think it needed more black magic, so I am going to represent what was not properly addressed in the series.

You must know that Principal Tray and Mr. Woods won’t have any part of this look allowed in school.

If they don’t, they’ll have the old Snake back, bigger and more disruptive than before.

Snake walked out the door and made his way to the bus stop a block away. There was a group of children already assembled there waiting for the bus. When one of the boys saw Snake’s attire he pointed and everyone started laughing.

Without a word said, Snake walked right up to the boy that pointed and punched him in the face. The boy fell to the ground and was close to losing consciousness as Snake kicked him in the stomach.

Anybody else want to make fun of me? Anyone? I didn’t think so. If any of you say a word to anybody about what happened; the same thing will happen to you, so you better keep your mouths shut.

The boy on the ground got up slowly and retreated back behind the other children without saying a word. The bus turned the corner and stopped in front of the kids. As they entered the bus, the driver noticed that something didn’t seem right.

Once they had been seated, he asked the children what was wrong. Everybody said Nothing. The driver knew something had taken place, but that was all he could do at the time.

Once arriving at the school, the bus driver reported his suspicions to Principal Tray. Knowing that Snake was on that particular bus he went to his classroom.

As he approached Snake’s room, he saw Mr. Woods with Snake having a loud exchange. Principal Tray anticipated it was over Snake’s choice of dress.

No, No, No Snake. This attire is totally against school’s protocol. You have to go home and change into more appropriate clothing. Principal Tray stated.

No way, I have a right to dress anyway I want as long as it doesn’t have bad words or something hateful. You let other students have purple and blue hair, so why can’t I dress in Goth as a symbolic gestor?

That reasoning caught both the adults off guard. There’s a thin line between tolerance and individualism sometimes. Snake was correct that he had a right to express himself; but not in an offensive manner.

The question was if dressing in Goth was offensive enough that it crossed that line. Was Goth considered to be offensive by society or was it really an issue the people didn’t care about?

After some debate, Principal Tray and Mr. Woods decided that Snake had a legal right to dress in the Goth attire. They themselves disliked it, but it was allowable under the umbrella of a person’s civil rights.

Snake was told he could continue to dress like Goth if he chooses to do so. As Snake started to enter the classroom Principal Tray told him he would like to talk to him in the office.

They went there and Principal Tray asked Snake if something happened at the bus stop that morning.

No sir, Snake said.

The bus driver said he felt that something had taken place, but no one would say what it was. Are you sure there’s nothing for you to say about what happened?

Like I said, there’s nothing to tell.

Alright Snake, you can return to your class. Mr. Woods has explained to the class why you are allowed to still be dressed the way you are.

Snake strutted up and down the hallway like he was totally in charge of all that he surveyed. As he was passed by his teacher to the next grade, he became more arrogant and devilish with each grade advancement.

By the sixth grade Snake was eleven years old and stood five foot ten inches tall. He had been a major problem at the Elwood Discipline Center.

Snake, had been the most difficult individual in the history of the Elwood discipline Center, but he had managed to have a B+ average in all his elementary class’s.

Now he was going to start the seventh grade in a different building on the other side of the school’s compound. Snake had just turned thirteen years of age and would be facing boys up to the age of eighteen.

Snake knew how he would handle that situation. It was no different than when someone goes to prison. You either become someone’s personal property or you make everyone yours.

Snake had spent every summer at home bulking up by going to the local gym and working out. He managed to improve his mental abilities to a new higher level as well.

He was prepared for the first person that approached him and wanted to tease or belittle him. The bus came on opening day and Snake stepped up the three steps and sat down behind