Driving through Trenton, a small town chiseled out of the Appalachia Mountain in Hazard county, Kentucky, Bill Smallwood looked at the nice houses with clean yards and promised himself, someday he would have a house, no a home like that.  His smile widened, as he thought of the football scholarship Coach Howard had almost promised was already his.  “Maybe even a better house, and not in these here hills.”

Bill turned his red pick-up truck into the high school parking lot.  He sat for a moment, staring at the mountains that seem to form a circle around him, taunting him. As his gaze expanded, the mountains grew taller until they touched the sky, ‘there is no way out’ they seem to whisper, ‘no escape’.

Somewhere back in those mountains was Bill’s family, living in a run-down single-wide with a tarp patched roof to keep the rain out, and 3 younger sisters and a brother running barefoot through the garbage in the yard.  Old cars on cinder block scattered around the yard served as spare parts and hiding places for when Daddy came home drunk.

 William Smallwood worked in the Blocker Mine, but often spent most of his pay on drink instead of food and home repairs.  Bill’s mom, Sara, did the best she could to sew clothes for the children out of feed sack material and almost always managed to get shoes for her children before the cold bitter winter came.  She grew a small garden in the side yard, and canned as much as she could scrounge from the uncooperative ground.  The children harvested berry bushes and fruit trees from which jellies were canned and stored for the long cold winter months.  Sara was only 32 years old, but the harsh conditions and worry had taken its toll, telling her story in the deep lines on her toothless face. 

Back in the parking lot, Bill shook his head hard, causing his dark blonde hair to slap against his face; he grabbed his gear angrily, slamming the truck door behind him, he ran to the field.  There, to his surprise, he received a standing ovation from his coach and teammates for his performance that won the game on Friday night.

“Recruiters were dammed impressed with you boy,” Coach said rubbing Bill’s head, “dammed impressed!  But it’s not over, one more game, so lets get to work!”