copyright © 2002 Scott McGee

The Sugar and the Shit

Young Man

Due to a long series of events that are way too complicated and drawn out to go into here … about 8 years ago, I found myself sitting in a U-Haul truck waiting for the police to arrive to escort me into my own house.

While I waited there for the police escort to arrive, I had the fortune to run into … well, it’s hard to describe.

Some would see him as simply an old man. An old retired gardener.

But not me.

After our conversation, I could tell he was not just an old man tending to a garden. BUT, he was in fact, a prophet. Or an angel. A guardian angel maybe -- I’m not sure what those job requirements are. I mean, I don’t even believe in that kind of stuff.

But he certainly affected me. Greatly.

We talked for about 30, 40 minutes maybe and then he ambled off. I never saw him again. But strangely enough, his words have never left me. Here is a little of what he had to tell me.

Old Man

I’m sorry to hear dat. Sorry to hear dat now.

Boy, I want you to listen up.

You gots to draw a line in da sand. You gots to learn from the troubles you gots. And here it is… if your lady calls the law on you… it’s times to go. Don’t worry ‘bout nothing. Don’t be pickin’ shit up. Don’t be worryin’ bout nothin’ ‘cept getting yourself out of dat house.

She call the law on you. It’s times to go. Cuz I tell ya, my old lady call the law me once, and I didn’t wait for nufin. I tol’ her, "Woman, you can have the car. You can have the house. You can have the kids. But I gots to go."

Young Man

And you left pretty quick?

Old Man

Shit. I didn’t even hear the door close behind me. I was gone. Got to go. Got to go. You can’t stay around for dat right dere. That siren comes, boy… that’s travelin’ music. You be own your way.

But you gots to be careful because the world gonna deal you all kinds of stuff. And you just gots to know what it is.

You see there are two kinds of stuff you be dealing with in the world. Dere’s the Sugar and the Shit. Everything in life that is good and nice, and makes you smile, makes you feel good inside your heart. Well, dat right dere is the Sugar.

And everything that’s bad, and mean, and don’t help not a single person in the world. Just evil stuff. Well, dat. Dat’s the Shit. And you gots to know the difference. You gots to know what is the Sugar and what is the Shit. Cause when you live you life, you gotta make a choice where you headed. You can’t just be running from the Shit all the time. Cuz then you ain’t never gonna have time to find the Sugar. Sometimes you just gots to forget about the Shit and just spend your time Lookin’ for the Sugar. And if you do that… you’ll find it.

But don’t get confused about it now. Lotta people do that. They mix it up. And it’ll get ‘em in the end. I tell you what I mean.

I had me a second wife. And I love dat woman. I love her real hard. But she walked out on me. Dat’s right. She done left me for another man. Took everything I had. Took everything. She took the most important thing too. She took my heart. I really loved dat woman. But here’s what happened.

She went off and thought she was running from the Shit. But years later, dat new man of hers, he done crashed his car. Killed hisself and put her in the hospital at the same time. Dat’s right. You know where she is right now? Paralyzed from the neck down. Ain’t never gonna fix that.

You see, sometimes you thinks you gots da Sugar when you really gots da Shit. And sometimes, you thinks you gots da Shit, when you really gots da Sugar. That woman mine… well… she thought she had the Sugar.

Life’s like dat.
You be careful now.

I gots to go.

I hear dat travelin’ music comin’ down the street now.

Young Man

Funny how the little unexpected meetings in life are sometimes the most important ones.

Lights Out

"The Sugar and the Shit" IS COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL AND MAY NOT BE DOWNLOADED, TRANSMITTED, PRINTED OR PERFORMED WITHOUT THE EXPRESS PERMISSION OF THE AUTHOR

"The Sugar and the Shit" debuted December 13, 2002, with the following cast:

YOUNG MAN: Eric Johnson
OLD MAN: Scott McGee


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