Word Count: 12,031
Summary of Events:
Kingston enthusiastically competed in the bronc-riding events, but, to his disappointment, was bucked off both of his mounts, leaving him with no points, and thus no chance of winning. A couple days later he joined a veteran bulldogger — and his son — who competed against his father and brother on a trip to get a few groceries and was intrigued by this veteran's suggestion that his brother was apathetic . . .
Excerpt of the Day:
“I think Quinn could be better at bulldogging if he tried,” Waylon said. “I mean, considering how good Kurt is Quinn should at least be that good, maybe even better. I mean, parents aren’t necessarily the standard against which their children should be measured, seeing as children have been better and worse than their parents, but still, having watched Quinn since he got his start here, it’s actually somewhat disappointing to see how apathetic he is.”
“How is he apathetic?” Kingston asked. “He keeps bragging to me that he’s the best.”
“And he isn’t,” Waylon said. “And, honestly, I don’t think he actually has the desire to be the best.”
“So are you saying that he brags that he’s the best there’s ever been because he doesn’t want to admit that he has more work to do?” Kingston asked.
“That could be part of it,” Waylon replied. “But I think part of it is also the fact that he, well, doesn’t really think he needs to work. Your dad has spoiled him since he started going around with your dad, and I don’t think Quinn realises the work it takes to compete in rodeo, including how much work your father does to be the competitor he is.”
“The perks of being firstborn,” Kingston quipped.
“Or the drawbacks,” Waylon said.
They separated into different lines to pay for their groceries before rejoining as they headed back out to Waylon’s truck.
“Why do you think Quinn wouldn’t want to be the actual best, instead of the best in his own head?” Kingston asked. “He has to know he’s not the best, considering he hasn’t gotten a good time — if a time at all — yet, even though it may be a bit early to be going on like that.”
“He’s been on the rodeo circuit this long,” Troy said. “If he were really the best he should’ve made it to the CFR by now.”
“That too,” Kingston said.
“In a way, he could be attempting to degrade the standard,” Waylon said as they got into the truck. “He hasn’t been instilled with the value of hard work, he doesn’t even know what kind of hard work it takes to get to the top, and so, by suggesting he’s the best, he’s trying to bring things down to his level. I don’t entirely know what the answer is, but I have to admit that this isn’t altogether different from how he’s started pretty much every season in his career, and at that rate he’s not going to ever make the CFR, Calgary, or the NFR.”
“Well I hope it stays that way,” Kingston said. “It’d be nice to be shown as better than him by way of accomplishments, even if we can’t necessarily be equally compared because we’re in different events.”
Waylon shrugged slightly. Kingston didn’t doubt that Waylon didn’t know or understand why Kingston was so disparaging toward Quinn; he didn’t know that it ran deeper than competitive spirit, deeper, even, than resentment.
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