This post features Act 1-- uninterrupted, with no comments-- of the daily zapfic serial #GHAWG published at LeoThreads.
Post images made using MS Paint.
TL;DR
Below is the description taken from the first annotated weekly summary covering #GHAWG:
#GHAWG is short for "God's Hog: A Watchful Guardian." This fictional story tells how David Guardia, a courier and business owner from Bayonne, New Jersey, US moved into the next phase of his life after spending the final ten years of his ailing father's life helping him.
(Hyperlinks in original)
2 months after I began publishing the daily zapfic serial, I decided to publish a weekly summary which also included commentary relevant to each zapfic entry.
The weekly summaries add depth to #GHAWG. However, they are capped at 7 entries (with perhaps a few bonus entries). With the serial entering its 6th month, it can take a while to get caught up even with the delayed weekly summaries.
Recently it occurred to me that some people would prefer to read the zapfic uninterrupted; that is, with no commentary, just the text. For this reason I will publish on a recurring basis a post containing all the zapfic entries associated with one Act (or Interlude) of the daily zapfic serial.
Eventually, these Uninterrupted posts will catch up with the daily zapfic serial. At that point, these Uninterrupted posts will be published at the end of each Act (or Interlude) as needed.
For anyone interested in commentary, start with the post featuring zapfic entries 1 through 7 along with the introduction.
Act 1
| View thread using LeoThreads ♦ 1. 2023-03-05 11:05:30 |
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| Due to time, my father and I play Uno to 250 points instead of 500. I have 249 points; he has 148. After I call "UNO" he throws down DRAW4, Skip, Skip, Reverse, Draw 2, calls "UNO", then DRAW4. He beats me by 56. I facepalmed. |
| View thread using LeoThreads ♦ 2. 2023-03-06 02:40:24 |
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| It's past bedtime. Once again my father missed the ending of The Dark Knight Rises. "A Watchful Guardian" plays during the closing credits. That's what I am for my father these days. Then I find myself asking "Who is mine?" |
| View thread using LeoThreads ♦ 3. 2023-03-07 03:28:30 |
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| Before I started school I had a black Big Wheel. It was painted to resemble a Harley-Davidson. An older kid wanted to ride it, and I let him. The oaf broke my Big Wheel as soon as he sat on it. I sorely miss that Big Wheel. |
| View thread using LeoThreads ♦ 4. 2023-03-08 02:03:21 |
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| This week was busier than usual with all the deliveries and pickups I made with my Honda rat bike. It's served me well for 5 years, and it will be a while before I have enough money saved to to buy that $28,000 Harley-Davidson. |
| View thread using LeoThreads ♦ 5. 2023-03-09 00:43:57 |
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| Courier work was busier than expected today, and it took my father longer than usual to go to bed. That's when I began my 2-hour review of activities at my six-year-old decentralized blog before engaging with people on my feed. |
| View thread using LeoThreads ♦ 6. 2023-03-10 01:14:54 |
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| Doctor told me nothing new: drop weight, keep taking blood pressure meds, go see this specialist, do that procedure. All I needed was a new receipt with refills. What I want to hear, he'll never tell me: how can I be healed? |
| View thread using LeoThreads ♦ 7. 2023-03-11 01:16:57 |
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| Subway rats (I forget their official name) aren't exactly fun to look at except in video clips where 1 carries a slice of pizza. On my way to lunch I saw a dead subway rat belly up on the sidewalk. I felt pity for the critter. |
| View thread using LeoThreads ♦ 8. 2023-03-12 07:32:00 |
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| My attention is drawn to the cash register where some delinquent is trying to rob the store, so I abandon the ginger ale. I approach the thief from behind and place him in a submission hold. When police arrive, he's unconscious. |
| View thread using LeoThreads ♦ 9. 2023-03-13 05:28:00 |
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| Traffic was heavy, but I still managed to complete the pickups and deliveries on my manifest. Uptown, midtown, downtown; west side, east side, river side. It was left to me to close dispatch after I returned with my Honda. |
| View thread using LeoThreads ♦ 10. 2023-03-14 05:07:00 |
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| I heard Slim, a pudgy courier who started last month, complain about how he still hasn't landed any plum accounts. I reminded him that I started this courier service with nothing but a foot-powered scooter and a bag from Target. |
| View thread using LeoThreads ♦ 11. 2023-03-15 06:48:00 |
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I can't believe Mom let you get her autograph, I [said to] my father as he was looking at a magazine with cover girl Iris Chacon.
"She understood my interest," he replied.
I nodded, wondering if I would meet someone like her. |
| View thread using LeoThreads ♦ 12. 2023-03-16 04:17:00 |
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| For the 42nd time my father & I watched Terminator 2 on DVD. Sometimes T2 leads to deep conversations. Tonight talk turned to Sarah Connor & all the ways she could help me. "She can drive you around," I said. He laughed hard. |
| View thread using LeoThreads ♦ 13. 2023-03-17 04:47:00 |
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| During the time Slim has worked for me as a courier, he's come a long way. Some accounts ask for Slim by name. His appearance now matches his name. He even covers me at dispatch. Can he take over for me? Some day, but not today. |
| View thread using LeoThreads ♦ 14. 2023-03-18 00:48:00 |
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| After I catch up on activities at my decentralized blog and engage with both followers & other bloggers, I visit check my wallet. Earnings are good this year, but I'm still about 2K dollars shy of what I need to buy that Harley. |
| View thread using LeoThreads ♦ 15. 2023-03-19 01:36:00 |
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| En route with deliveries, I got The Call. I located the courier closest to me to offload my deliveries before I terminated the rest of my route. My father had sustained a serious fall, and he was in a a hospital bed sedated. |
| View thread using LeoThreads ♦ 16. 2023-03-20 01:15:00 |
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| Doctors told me my father needs to stay hospitalized because his fall triggered the pneumonias he's had on and off since his honorable discharge from the Marine Corps. He's handled Parris Island, so he'll fight this all the way. |
| View thread using LeoThreads ♦ 17. 2023-03-21 02:31:00 |
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| The 2 weeks my father was hospitalized, I had to admit some hard facts. "I wasn't the best son for you," I said to him as he slept. He woke up, and in a moment of clarity he replied: "You were the son I needed." Then I lost him. |
| View thread using LeoThreads ♦ 18. 2023-03-22 00:29:00 |
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| My father was good friends with neighbors, and it showed at the wake. Not as many attended the funeral. He was the last of his 1960s Force Recon unit to pass. A few couriers came by to see me. At least I know who my friends are. |
| View thread using LeoThreads ♦ 19. 2023-03-23 00:29:25 |
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| Pickups, deliveries, dispatch. Pickups, deliveries, dispatch. It's been the same routine for months: longer work hours, more work. I've been pushing myself hard. At least the weight loss has helped reduce my high blood pressure. |
| View thread using LeoThreads ♦ 20. 2023-03-24 01:21:09 |
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| I have more time for myself, just not for my blogging side hustle. That's why I shifted blog earnings into the account's Savings account to let DeFi do its thing and earn 20%. Tonight I looked at the wallet. My eyeballs popped. |
| View thread using LeoThreads ♦ 21. 2023-03-25 01:53:24 |
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| Slim parked his pickup truck. Last month I bought the Harley-Davidson, so I decided the courier business gets my Honda. Slim looked puzzled. When he saw the strong box with all he needs to know to run the business, he understood. |
| View thread using LeoThreads ♦ 22. 2023-03-26 00:02:14 |
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| With blog savings earning me 20%, and nothing left at home, I began my first-ever ride to Sturgis, South Dakota on my Harley-Davidson. I left Bayonne, New Jersey and headed into Pennsylvania. My first rest stop is in Allentown. |
| View thread using LeoThreads ♦ 23. 2023-03-27 01:01:24 |
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| It takes more than 27 hours to go non-stop from Bayonne to Sturgis. I'm not setting any speed records, so I'll give myself a month to reach the Rally. I need time to unwind from a grueling 10 years which ended for me last year. |
| View thread using LeoThreads ♦ 24. 2023-03-28 00:53:07 |
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| Usually people go from Allentown to the Jersey Shore, as Billy Joel sings in "Allentown". I know the Shore; Allentown is new for me. Also new for me is riding a motorcycle without being on a clock or deadline. I can ride easy. |
Quick Summary of Act 1
We see protagonist David Guardia in a series of slice-of-life zapfic entries as he works as a courier service messenger and business owner by day and he takes care of his father by night. He has his own health issues, but he as he manages his own situation he gives his ailing father higher precedence.
After taking care of his father for a decade, he dies in a hospital. He's still not ready to live out his life, so it takes him a while before he can do that.
The day comes when he can begin the next stage of his life. Some men his age take on a mistress. Other men his age buy an exotic car. David Guardia decides to take that long-deferred road trip from Bayonne to the annual motorcycle rally at STURGIS. He thinks he can wing it after he comes back home; he has no idea what's in store for him.
Navigation to Other Acts in #GHAWG
To find other Acts (or Interludes) such as this one-- or weekly summary posts to read the serial with DVD-like annotated commentary-- use the GHAWG Navigation threadstorm at LeoThreads. Within LeoThreads, hashtag #GHAWGnav brings up the navigation.
When (and Where) To Catch #GHAWG
When
- Daily -- Each zapfic entry is posted shortly after midnight, from New York
- Weekends -- Weekly Summaries (with screen capture from LeoThreads) are usually on Saturday, sometimes Sunday
- Monday -- GHAWG, Uninterrupted posts
Where
- Daily zapfic entries drop at LeoThreads, usually posted shortly after midnight from New York (sometimes around noon)
- Both kinds of posts-- Weekly Summaries and GHAWG, Uninterrupted-- can be accessed from my LeoFinance profile page
Thank you for reading #GHAWG, LeoThreads first daily zapfic serial. Until next time!
