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You can read Part 1, here.
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Son, this is Rocky II. They made a lot of these but this one is still pretty good. In Rocky I, our boy lasted fifteen rounds with Apollo Creed, a bad mamba jamba. You see, Rocky was just a bum, a no-name that had no chance. But he had Mickey and he had heart and with that, you can go a pretty long way. All you need is the love of a good woman and a good corner man, and you’ll get your shot at the title.
“Train! I want choo-choo train!”
No, you’re not listening to me here. This is Rocky, that guy with the thick speech. He’s a good man, just a blue-collar Joe from nowhere. He’s not great at much but the one thing he can do well is fight. He has to be because every day of his life is a fight. Living in the South Side is hard, it’s real hard. And you’ve got to fight to make something of yourself.
“Choo-choo train! I. Want. Choo-choo train!”
Look, you may think that you want to watch Thomas the Train but I’m telling you, it’s really Rocky II you want to watch with your dad. I know, Thomas will teach you about being patient and doing a good job, and those are all valuable lessons. But Rocky will teach you how to claw your way out of the hole we call life. He’ll teach you how to take a punch, not just the physical ones either. He’ll show you how to come out fighting, to keep going when you just can’t anymore. He’ll teach you to get up you Son of a bitch because Mickey loves ya.
“Choo-choo TRAIN! Choo-choo train! AAAAAAAGGGGGGHHHHHHHH.”
Son, Rocky doesn’t throw things at his dad when he’s not happy. What he does is he goes into a meat locker and starts pounding on a side of beef. He tenderizes that bastard because its the only way he knows how to conquer his demons. The real fight is the one you have to fight with yourself. That’s where you discover what kind of man you are. That’s where you find out if you have the Eye of the Tiger.
“I want my choo-choo! I want my turn! It my turn now!”
Get up off the floor. Rocky never stays down and neither should you. He gets up and keeps going because that’s the only thing that gives you self-respect. It’s about taking the best that your opponent has to offer and then getting back up again. It’s about telling him that he ain’t so bad. Get up, I ain’t heard no bell.
“NO! NO! NO!”
Is Thomas going to teach you how to deal with your big sister? No, he’s not. He’s going to tell you to take the Black Hills route to deliver the eggs to Mr. Wilson’s farm. Let’s be honest here, your big sister pounds on you like you owe her lunch money. You know who she reminds me of? Drago. That’s Rocky IV. You see, Drago was this big old Russian that could punch harder than anyone around. He killed Apollo Creed. Rocky fought Drago for his country. He did it for the memory of a fallen friend. He did it for us. We learned how to deal with loss, and that’s a pretty important lesson. The next time your sister takes away your toy elephant, what are you going to do?
“Elephant?”
Yes, your elephant. You need to watch Rocky with your dad so you’ll know what to do when she takes away your elephant. What do you say? How about some Rocky with your dad. I can’t take anymore Thomas. Please.
“No”
I’ll give you candy.
“No”
I’ll let you drive the car.
“No”
I’ll make sure Thomas is at your next birthday party.
“No”
I’ll bring Apollo Creed back from the dead in a little movie I like to call Predator.
“No”
You drive a hard bargain. Here, enjoy your Thomas. But remember, when you’re ready for a montage of how to get into shape in the Russian wilderness, you’ll know where to find me.
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Photo credit: Pixabay