Black Friday 2015: The initial Black Friday was something to behold. If you're not acquainted with the first Black Friday story, please find it in the Musings section of Oompaul.com. One of the many stories that comes from that time is of a strong willed woman named Rose LaVie (middle name of Seigh). Rose was a rough and tumble mother of three. Her husband "caught the good boat" as they say in the old pirate town of Blagery Dak. He died young and handsome, well, as handsome as one could manage in Blagery Dak which had a handsome apex somewhere below, below average.
Her husband Braun Back Bill's passing only added to Rose's legend of being more than able to weather any and every storm. Heck, Rose confronted storms, rabid dogs, randy men, theives, drunkards, and many other regular residents of Blagery Dak head on. Rose was a full figured robust gal with a gleam in her eye and a sparkle in two of the 6 teeth she called her own. Kind of a sparkle. Maybe a matte finish sparkle. There's a german word for that I'm sure. She wasn't tall, but a smallish feisty fireball of woman with dark hair that had highlights of gray from the trials of life she had been through. Rose wore her gray hair, scars and weathered features like badges of honor.
Rose's three boys were young, rambunctious and as wiley as they come. They were also very devoted to their mother. They looked up to her, not just for winning the towns arm wrestling championship every year she entered, but also for winning the leg wrestling championship every year she entered as well. But that's not all. She was a fierce protector of her cubs, not that the sharpened tooth rascals needed it, but just the same, she was the ultimate mama bear, if said mama bear was stronger and more fierce than any bear you've ever heard of. Also, teeth sharpening was totally normal. For Rose's family anyway.
The scene was set: it was Thursday night and the next morning at the first rooster's crow the towns folk would dash to the center of Blagery Dak to grab as much as they could from the goods gathered there. Rose, like many other pipe smokers, knew the rules: no weapons. And like many other pipers, she knew that her pipe would not be considered a weapon. So, not unlike other Blagery Dak pipers, she began to scheme. How could she get an edge? She wasn't very fast, but she made up for her lack of speed with her sheer strength and stoney will.
She looked around at her progeny and came up with a plan. They would be key to her success that day. The little sharpened teeth of the brood gleamed just as brightly as they could in the moonlight. Which, wasn't very bright, truth be told, but still. In a raspy solemn voice, Rose asked her three boys to sacrifice one sharp tooth each to affix to her pipe. They giggled gleefully and got to pullin' right away. Within about an hour Rose had a fine smokin' pipe that doubled as a formidable weapon, sharp teeth and all. And as far as the rules of the run went, it was legal.
Rose and her boys actually got some good sleep that night. Rose rested comfortably knowing she had a good plan to mow down the competition. At the first crowing she darted out of their hut as her three boys cheered from their sore little mouths. Her pipe was already lit and smoking well. Clouds of pipe smoke were in her wake. Soon her wake would have many other things added. Rose knew that she'd have to be even meaner, stronger, and rougher than usual. The world had yet to see what this looked like.
If you can, imagine a short, stout, brash gal, leathery tan, jaw set, pipe billowing smoke, running just as fast as her little legs could propel her. She was a woman on a mission and getting rations for her boys was something no man or woman would stop her from doing. Around the rim of her pipe she had three sharp teeth, straight from the mouth of her babes.
Once any other competitor was within a short stubby arm's length, Rose would draw deep from her pipe, pull it from her mouth, and inflict as much pain as possible with that toothy pipe of hers. One down, two down, three, four, five, Rose was a small deadly bundle of bad news for anyone in her way. Rose found her way over the writhing bodies of the poor souls that got in her way and made it to the rations at the middle of the town. She secured enough rations for her motley crew that day to give them a nice amount of rations till the next boat came through. It was a bloody and successful day for this proud Mom.
From that day forward, Rose was known far and wide as "Black Rose" for the dark times that followed in her wake that day. Rose Seigh LaVie, Black Rose, is a legend we should never forget. Hers is a story of sacrifice, strong will, family bonds, pipe smoking ingenuity and oddball thinking. I hope you find the Black Rose in you today and every day.