Plight: a Story for the Next Generation

By Shon Diaz

This story is intended to reach anyone who is or has gone through a hard time in life. The word “plight” is a noun that means a dangerous, difficult, or otherwise unfortunate situation; something that if you live life long enough you will eventually face. The important thing to know when facing an unfortunate situation is that you have two choices, either let it get the best of you or find a way to overcome it. Hopefully this story helps you make the right choice when you face your plight.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Aug 13, 2020
• ISBN: 9781728370323

Shon Diaz

He was born August 9th, 1994 to a single mother in Louisville, Ky. Until the age of seven he grew up in a housing community known as the Americana Apartments currently known as Heritage Green. For the first eight years of his childhood he was exposed to nearly every corner of the globe within in his community. He could go play tag with children who migrated from countries in Africa, learn to fillet a catfish from a fisherman from Vietnam, or learn how to tell stories from a Indigenous American man as he performed and danced at the author’s elementary school. His exposure to the beauties and the diversity of the world came to an end when his family became homeless. The life he knew as fun and games with an endless amount of inspiration for his imagination was gone, and he was forced to face the darker side of life for nearly a year. He was introduced to the ugliness of the world, abuse, hard core drugs, racism, and systematic oppression. A side of life no child should have to see or endure. Fortunately he was able to excel in school during his troubled times. A knee injury during his Junior year caused him to give up his hopes and dreams of being a professional athlete, and caused him to focus more on education. He graduated high school with academic honors, and special awards for minority students. He spent two years of college at Indiana University Southeast, then one year at IUPUI. He majored in psychology at both schools, but it was his Intro into Afro Studies and Creative Writing class that made college interesting to him. The author’s goal is to create innovative stories with diverse characters that can inspire other’s to pursue their passions and follow their dreams.

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© 2020 Shon Diaz. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or

transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse 08/13/2020

ISBN: 978-1-7283-7033-0 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-7283-7032-3 (e)

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.

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in

this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views

expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the

views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Contents

Introduction

Chapter 1     Hoop Dreams Do Deflate Like A True Fiends Weight

Chapter 2     The Dirt Bowl

Chapter 3     Staying Focused

Chapter 4     When Evil Gets Behind A Badge

Chapter 5     When Evil Lurks Behind The Badge

Chapter 6     Excessive Abuse

Chapter 7     Tell Them How You Really Feel

Chapter 8     Dedication

Chapter 9     Reunited

Chapter 10   Momma Is Back

Chapter 11   Hoop Dreams Deflate And Get Delayed

Chapter 12   Revenge

Chapter 13   Back To The Plan

Introduction

Edwin Kingston is a seventeen-year old, 6’2 point-guard for Central High School in Louisville, Kentucky. He can embarrass defenders and dazzle fans with his ballhandling skills and can go on scoring runs by himself when he wants to go for the kill. He has been in love with the game of basketball since he was a toddler, playing on his Little Tikes basketball set and pretending to play like his father or one of the basketball players he saw on television. His parents taught him how to read by reading and pronouncing words from articles in various sports magazines. Edwin loved hearing his mother and father read the stats of his favorite basketball players when he was younger. As he grew taller, he played against his mother and father along with his two older brothers, Royce, and Damian, a child Edwin’s father had with a white woman. Edwin always had the disadvantage of being the smallest in a family of talented basketball players. His mother and father were star players in high school, while Royce and Damian were turning out to be good players in their own right. The losses he took from his family members as he grew up, made Edwin want to become the best basketball player on the planet. He took bits and pieces of his parents and brothers’ skills, along with moves he saw from players on television, and applied them to his own skill set. Edwin’s desire to be the best player on the planet, caused him to stand out as the best player on every team he played for in youth league and AAU. Edwin is heading into his senior year and has been characterized as a basketball prodigy by local sports journalist. He has excellent athleticism and lighting fast speed, he never rushes a shot and has solid post moves, he knows how and when to make plays for his teammates and thrives off shutting down the opposing team’s best player. Edwin seems to have just begun mastering the ins and outs of basketball. However, he struggles with controlling situations in his life off the court.

Chapter 1

HOOP DREAMS DO DEFLATE LIKE

A TRUE FIENDS WEIGHT

While riding in the backseat of his oldest brother’s 1994 Chevy Impala to Butler University for his final basketball clinic of the summer, Edwin hopes the competition will bring a challenge as he sets out to continue playing basketball after high school. He feels like the last skills clinic he went to lacked in competition. The clinic Edwin is currently heading to is orchestrated by a group of former professional and collegiate coaches, who invite the nation’s top twenty high-school talents and the top five international players heading into their last year of high school. Edwin received his invitation after one of the coaches saw him play in the Kentucky State Championship game as a junior. He scored thirty-five points, dished out eleven assists, and grabbed five rebounds, but that was not enough for his team to win. Edwin still remembers the sting from taking that loss, however receiving the invitation to attend the clinic eased the pain he felt after the game. Edwin starts to pass his basketball back and forth from each hand as he sees a sign indicating him and his brother are fifteen miles from Indianapolis. His thoughts of camp begin to transfer into thoughts of how much his family has changed since he started high school.

On the first day of Edwin’s freshman year his mother abandoned him and Damian, Edwin’s second oldest brother and a child his father had with another woman. The stress from the boy’s father going to prison for selling drugs and raising two boys on her own became too much for Edwin’s mother to bare. Her lack of not knowing how to manage a life without their father and raise boys into men caused her to become an alcoholic. Edwin could tell something was wrong with his mother before he and Damian left for school, she kept purposely avoiding them before they went out the door. When the two brothers came home, they walked into a house with nothing but old family pictures, basketball trophies, and their furniture. The two waited days then weeks for their mother to return. Damian started hustling to take care of Edwin until Royce, the two’s eldest brother, came back home from playing basketball at a junior college in California. Damian dove deeper into hustling after he graduated high school. He tried to further his education at the community college back home but realized school was no the route for him. He now spends time hustling and focusing on his career as an up and coming rapper. Before Royce came home to claim guardianship of his brothers, he led his team in scoring, assist, and steals. His skills earned him a scholarship to play Division One college basketball. Now Royce is twenty-five years old and works as a mechanic at Darryl’s Garage while furthering his education online. When Royce is not at the shop or working on his online classes, he helps Edwin develop his game. The two perform drills with each other and play one-on-one competitively. Edwin considers Royce as his only competition in basketball.

Edwin keeps passing the ball back and forth from each hand with a steady rhythm. He realizes his brief breaks from home are coming to an end. His entire summer has been dedicated to improving his basketball skills at clinics and camps around the country. The experiences out of his comfort zone made him realize there is more to the world than what goes on back home. The fact that he has spent a lot of time away from his brothers also crosses his mind. The three brothers have grown and developed their bond since their parents left the idle family picture. Edwin keeps swaying the ball in his hands as he notices how much his brothers have changed over the past few years. He notices that they became more serious in their own demeanors. Edwin notices the improvement of focus Royce applies to his online studies, and how Damian is rarely at the house because he is either out hustling or working on his music. Edwin is not too much of a religious person, but he prays for his brothers, mostly Damian. While still passing the ball from hand to hand, Edwin looks ahead and sees the skyline of Indianapolis grow bigger and wider. He stops worrying about his brothers and brings his focus back to performing well at the clinic. The new thoughts make Edwin anxious about his last stop before going back home.

Royce drives through Butler University as the brothers make their way to the parking lot outside Hinkle Field House. The loud music thumping inside Royce’s car starts to make people look at the car as it rides past. Damian noticed the look on some of the pedestrians faces and said to Royce, I’m glad you finally put a tint on your whip. Royce laughed, I know because these people would be scared of the mean mug you’re giving back. Royce pulled into the parking lot and parked close to the arena. Damian and Edwin got out of the car while Royce popped open the trunk for Edwin to get his luggage. Damian grabbed his little brother’s belongings and handed them to him, I didn’t know Butler’s campus looked like this. Hell, the only reason I know about Butler is because of them almost beating Duke for the Championship. Edwin took time to observe the scenery. Vibrant green trees surrounded the landscape, making Edwin feel welcome. He noticed how the buildings are made of stone, some of them resemble churches and have a nice walking distance away from each other. Edwin starts imagining what Duke’s campus looks like. He respects the basketball program because Kyrie Irving, the player he studies for footwork and dribbling skills, went to the University for college. Edwin respects Duke’s basketball program but thought Kyrie should have went pro out of high school, sense he only played eleven colligate games before getting hurt then drafted into the NBA as the number one pick. Edwin knows that if he had the chance to go pro anywhere in the world right now, he would take it with hopes of bettering his family.

A sign in the parking lot told visitors to enter through the main entrance of the arena. Royce spoke to Edwin as the brothers made their way in. Be careful while you’re up here Eddy. Some of these coaches and recruiters will say anything to get you to commit to their program. Keep in mind you have plenty of options. Not only, here but everywhere. Damian spoke in agreement with Royce, He’s right, coaches have been calling from all over the country to schedule an at home visit. The brothers saw dozens of people as they made their way to the court, one of the assistants came to greet them. Edwin showed the woman the letter he received in the mail; she then pointed the brothers to the section Edwin needed to be in. While walking to his section Edwin noticed how the crowd mostly consisted of players with their parents. Edwin saw how some of the other players received hugs from their mothers and fathers, and an urge to hoop entered his body.

Once they arrived at Edwin’s section the brothers noticed four other groups of players and their families. One group that stood out the most was a family from Japan. The tallest member of the group wore the nation’s flag on his headband. Edwin said to his brothers, That’s Hansuke Sato. Edwin knew of Hansuke because of some highlights he watched online. Edwin respected Hansuke’s skills and was eager to see him play in person. Hansuke was 6’7 with an excellent rebounding ability and decent ball handle, along with a killer inside game that consisted of a smooth fade away shot, and solid fundamental post moves. Hansuke also showed a willingness to attack the lane and post his defender up or settle for a mid-range jump-shot that he could knockdown with ease. Edwin noticed Hansuke game lacks in certain areas, but his skills in the post and defensive play make him well known.

Several minutes past until one of the coaches spoke on a microphone, Good afternoon everyone, welcome to The United Coaches and Player’s Clinic. My name is Coach Woods, I’m the head coordinator of this year’s clinic. Right now, I’d like to take this time to thank Butler University staff for being an exceptional host for this year’s camp session. To the family members of the players I can assure you, your children are in good hands. Our focus is to help these young men grow not only as better ball players, but individuals as well. All campers look around you and get familiar with the players in your area, this is going to be your team for the next week. Over the stint of your stay you all will be eating together, training together, and figuring out how to win on the court as one. Our goal at The United Coaches and Player’s Clinic is to provide you with information and drills that you can take back home. I know some of you are aware of your national ranking as high school players but let me be the first to tell you that means nothing while you’re here. We always expect you all to compete against each other on the court while displaying proper sportsmanship. Also, we are aware that some teams may have a language barrier between players, but you will soon find out that the language of basketball is universal. That is all I have for now. In a few moments someone will be coming by to assign team numbers and lead your group to the dorm where you will be staying. Take a few minutes to unpack but don’t get to comfortable we will be meeting back here at 3:00 pm for scrimmaging. Let’s have a good week of camp guys! Once Coach Woods ended his announcement, the clinic assistants came to escort the players to their dorms.

Do me favor while you’re here. Damian said as he placed his hand on Edwin’s shoulder. Edwin looked at Damian curiously, What’s the favor? Damian replied, Keep on staying focused on ball like you been doing. Have fun and take in all this place has to offer you, there’s a lot of opportunity here. Edwin nodded his head. Royce joked, Dame is right. This is where the best of your age group comes to develop their skills. You’ll miss out on everything with a clouded mind, and I know you don’t want to look like a scrub out here. Edwin replied sternly, Scrub? You know I never been one of those. Royce smiled as he reached to give his little brother the family dap, I know, I was just seeing if you were listening. Had to get that fire going in you. Damian performed the handshake with Edwin, Make sure you ball out here. Edwin replied before he parted ways from his brother, Always.

Once Edwin and his new teammates arrived at their dorm, they took time to unpack and get to know one another. Hansuke was the first to speak. I’m Hansuke Sato. Don’t worry about a language barrier, as you can tell I can speak English. Edwin and the other three players looked at each other with relief. Edwin asked, What part of Japan do you come from? Hansuke replied, Kyoto, it’s about five hours away from Tokyo. Edwin looked forward to hearing more about Japan from Hansuke, he gained an interest in Japanese culture after watching a samurai movie with his father. After watching the movie, Edwin gained interest in Japanese anime. He loved the artwork and storytelling. He also respected the artistic and competitive nature of Tokyo’s sneaker culture. The next person to speak was a player that stood about 6’8. My name is LaDanian Williams. I’m from Houston, Texas. Edwin knew of LaDanian prior to his introduction. LaDanian’s father played in the league, and Edwin watched a couple of LaDanian’s