"So I headed out west to invest in the races,
All the goddamn horses kept falling on their faces.
Didn't fare much better at the Taj Mahal,
Chalk it up to bad luck and free alcohol.
And now I'm laying low, you know I'm trying to stall,
But I don't know how much longer I can dodge the calls,
Sayin'
I'm just a little strapped for cash.
Don't you know I wouldn't do you like that?
I'm just a little strapped for cash.
Give me a minute, you know you'll get it back.
Six bodybuilders pulled up in a Pinto.
Next thing I know they're coming through the window,
'Hate to keep you waiting, I know times are hard.
Now would you prefer a Visa or a MasterCard?'"
- Strapped for Cash; Fountains of Wayne.
Was he reborn? Or was he just putting off the inevitable?
Benoit, as he used to be known, was a drunk. A smoker. And a gambler. A man of many vices. So much for being 'blessed', as his name meant.
He borrowed a lot of money to fuel his habits. Far too much money. More then he could ever hope to pay back. And really, it was only a matter of time before something bad happened.
The lenders he borrowed from, delinquent and volatile, only put up with his inability to return their investment for so long.
How amusing that when they cornered him, he had jokingly asked- "What are you going to do? Break my legs?"
Well, he was only half right. He had crippled them, money-wise and so they would cripple him physically. Their intention was to remove all the limbs on the right side of his body. It was pure luck that a patrol car passed before they could get to his arm. As it was, he lost a wing and half of his leg. He very nearly died from blood loss.
But at the hospital, he spoke up in protest when they attempted to repair his damaged limbs. After confirming that he would still be able to take his canine form with only one wing, he laid back and closed his eyes. And quietly informed the medical staff to leave them off.
He was offered many prosthetic legs, but refused them all, until a wooden peg leg was put forth. This, he accepted. A highly noticeable reminder.
His losses would be remembered, to help keep him on the straight path.
After much thought, he decided to leave the Lunar Realm, to run from those he still owed money to. To start over. He chose the name Rene, meaning, fittingly, 'reborn'. But as he made his way towards Wep'keer the village of the Oina, he couldn't help but wonder in the back of his mind, if he was truly free from his sins.