-
      again
      for
      Christmas.
      It’s
      been
      years
      since
      he’s
      seen
      them.
      He
      -
     
    
   
   
    
     
      HARD
      LIVING
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      STEPHAN
      MacLEOD
     
    
   
   
    
     
      _-“That’s
      the
      song
      that.put
      me
      on
      the
      streets,”
      he
      said
     
    
   
   
    
     
      trying
      to
      convince
      the
      band
      to
      let
      him
      get
      up
      and
      sing:
      Burton
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Cummings’s
      “Break
      It
      To
      Them
      Gently.”
     
    

    
     
      When
      he
      first
      came
      in
      the
      bar
      he
      was
      wearing
      a
      jean
     
     
      jacket,
      no.
      shirt,
      and
      a
      backwards
      headband.
      He
      had
      “hard
     
     
      living”
      written‘all
      over
      him.
      He
      said
      he
      was
      originally
      from
     
     
      New
      Waterford,
      but
      that
      was
      before
      he
      ended
      up
      on
      the
     
     
      streets.
     
    

    
     
      He
      warmed
      up
      to
      the
      band,
      os
      was
      also
      from
      Cape
     
     
      Breton,
      right
      away.
      During
      their
      set
      of
      vintage
      riff
      rock,
      he
     
     
      demonstrated
      kung-fu
      fighting
      style
      dance
      moves
      complete
     
     
      with
      punches
      and
      kicks.
      He
      liked
      the
      band.
      He
      told
      them
      to
     
     
      call
      him
      Horse.
      When
      the
      lead
      guitar
      player
      jumped
      up
      on
      a
     
     
      table
      to
      perform
      a
      solo,
      Horse
      joined
      him
      almost
      tipping
      over
     
     
      several
      drinks
      when
      the
      table
      went
      off
      balance.
      When
      he
      saw
     
     
      his
      opportunity
      before
      the
      band’s
      second
      set,
      he
      jumped
      up
     
     
      on
      stage
      and
      asked
      politely
      if
      he
      could
      sing
      a
      song.
     
    

    
     
      Break
      it
      to
      them
      gently
      when
      you
      tell
      my
      mom
      and
     
     
      dad.
      When
      you
      see
      my
      baby
      sister...(He
      would
      struggle
      with
     
     
      his
      memory
      for
      a
      bit
      to
      find
      the
      next
      verse,
      but
      then
      just
      skip
     
     
      to
      the
      chorus.)...Because
      [!'m
      running
      with
      a
      gun
      and
      it
      isnt
     
     
      any
      fun
      as
      a
      fugitive.
      God
      I
      want
      to
      go
      home,
      Lord
      I
      wish
      I
     
     
      was
      home.
     
    

    
     
      A
      desire
      to
      return
      home
      to
      New
      Waterford
      brought
     
     
      Horse
      to
      Charlottetown.
      He
      spent
      the
      past
      couple
      of
      months
     
     
      begging
      on
      the
      streets
      of
      Toronto,
      but
      he
      had
      enough
      and
      was
     
     
      on
      his
      way
      home.
      The
      city
      did
      mean
      things
      to
      him.
      He
      had
      to
     
     
      “do
      what
      he
      could”
      just
      to
      survive.
      He
      didn’t
      specify
      exactly
     
     
      what
      this
      meant,
      but
      mentioned
      that
      on
      a
      good
      day
      he’d
     
     
      make
      around
      eight
      hundred
      dollars.
      What
      he
      spent.
      this
     
     
      money
      on
      was
      not
      clear
      either.
      He
      claimed
      to
      sleep
      in
      the
     
     
      corridor
      of
      a
      bank
      machine.
      In
      Toronto
      he
      got
      to
      sleep
      in
     
     
      until
      eleven
      o’clock
      on
      most
      days,
      but
      since
      the
      Scotia
      Bank
     
     
      in
      Charlottetown
      opens
      early,
      he
      had
      to
      get
      a
      at
      six
      wai
      he
     
     
      was
      in
      town.
     
    

    
     
      He
      claimed
      to
      have
      thirty
      kids
      that
      he
      wanted
      to
      see
     
    
   
   
    
     
      received
      Email
      from
      them
      when
      he.
      was
      in
      jail.
      But
      the
     
     
      guards
      erased
      the
      memory
      from
      his
      computer,
      and
      he.
      lost
     
     
      track
      of
      how
      to
      contact
      his
      children.
      It
      was
      especially
      hard
      to:
     
     
      remember
      where
      all
      thirty
      of
      them
      were.
     
    

    
     
      Halfway
      through
      the
      chorus:
      of
      “Break
      It
      To
      Them
     
     
      Gently”
      Horse’s
      mind
      sadly
      wandered.
      The.
      band,
      having
      no
     
     
      clue
      how
      to
      play
      this
      song
      attempted
      to
      find
      the
      correct
      chord
     
     
      progression
      and
      rhythm
      to
      keep
      up
      with
      him,
      but
      like
      Horse,
     
     
      they
      were
      lost.
      Everything
      came
      together,
      however,
      when
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Horse
      ripped
      into
      John
      Denver’s
      “Country
      Roads.”
      The
      con-
     
    
   
   
    
     
      fused
      bass
      player
      and
      guitar
      player
      were
      finally
      on
      the
      same
     
     
      page
      as
      Horse
      and
      this
      impromptu
      open
      mic
      performance
     
     
      came
      together.
     
    

    
     
      The
      band
      liked
      Horse
      because
      unlike
      the
      usual
      drunk
     
     
      guy
      who
      grabs
      the
      microphone
      during
      a
      show
      and
      doesn’t
     
     
      know
      when
      to
      leave
      the
      stage,
      Horse
      did
      not
      wear
      out
      his
     
     
      welcome.
      As
      soon
      as
      the
      last
      note
      of
      his
      “Break
      It
      To
      Them
     
     
      Gently”/
      “Country
      Roads”
      medley
      rang
      out,
      Horse
      sat
      down
     
     
      at
      the
      table
      near
      the
      stage.
      He
      leaned
      over
      to
      the
      lead
      singer’s
     
     
      girlfriend
      and
      said,
      “If
      you
      weren’t
      married.
      to
      one
      of
      those
     
     
      guys,
      I’d
      be
      all
      over
      you.”
      Respect
      for
      both
      the
      girl,
      and
      his
     
     
      friend
      in
      the
      band.
      The
      band
      invited
      him
      on
      stage
      again
      later
     
     
      to
      try
      the
      medley
      again.
     
    

    
     
      Because
      ['m
      running
      with
      a
      gun
      and
      it
      isnt
      any
      fun.
     
     
      Im
      a
      fugitive.
      Fighting
      for
      my
      life
      and
      I
      dont
      know
      if
      I'll
     
     
      make
      it
      alone.
     
    

    
     
      Horse
      said
      he
      had
      a
      bad
      habit
      of
      getting
      into
      fights.
     
     
      They
      were
      never
      his
      fault.
      He
      just
      did
      what
      he
      had
      to
      do.
     
     
      That’s
      how
      he
      ended
      up
      in
      jail.
      Other
      people
      were
      always
     
     
      getting
      him
      into
      trouble.
      If
      he
      gets
      caught,
      he’s
      going
      back
      to
     
     
      finish
      the
      two
      year
      sentence
      he
      is
      running
      away
      from.
      At
      the
     
     
      end
      of
      the
      bar
      a
      young
      guy
      with
      a
      black
      mohawk
      and
      a
     
     
      leather
      jacket
      orders
      a
      drink.
      Horse
      hollers
      over
      to
      him
      from
     
     
      the
      end
      of
      the
      bar,
      “You
      remind
      me
      of
      myself
      when
      |
      was
     
     
      your
      age.
      I’d
      take
      you
      home
      with
      me,
      but
      I
      don’t
      want
      to
      go
     
     
      back
      to
      jail.”
      I
      doubt
      if
      the
      young
      man
      was
      disappointed,
      but
     
     
      at
      least
      Horse
      broke
      it
      to
      him
      gently.