Some Childhood Antics

One of my best childhood friendships, and longest lasting, would have to be Robert Earl. His family and mine went to the same church, Oak Cliff Assembly of God in Dallas. We didn’t live in the same neighborhood so we never attended the same schools. I was probably nine or ten years old when we became acquainted and starting going to each other’s house on a Sunday afternoon and then for sleep-overs.
Robert seemed a little quiet and introverted, but he had an interesting sense of adventure which resulted in our getting into trouble occasionally. Now, one of the things I found unjust at that age was that getting into trouble for Robert usually resulted in a ‘talking to’, while my trouble was frequently more severe and physical. It just did not seem right, you know.

One of our antics went something like this. I was at Robert’s house one nice summer day when he recalled that back in the winter time we had one of those snowy days that occur once in a blue moon in north Texas. We had made some fantastic snow balls and saved a few in his Mom’s deep freeze. We decided to take them out and have some fun chunking them at passing cars, not realizing, of course, that over the course of a few months in the freezer they had become harder than rock. Well, we nailed an unsuspecting motorist who screeched to a halt in front of Robert’s house, jumped out the car threatened us with I can’t remember what, at which point we went in the house and proclaimed what a sourpuss the man was.

Curious thing how Robert’s Mom seldom seemed to be aware of the things that went on. I don’t know what she was doing most of the time. She was there but not present. What a sweet lady she was. Her name was Effie and most of her family was from the Sherman/Denison area of north Texas. That’s where Robert lives now with his aging father, William. William was tall, soft spoken and a gentle man, and I often wished my dad were more like him, especially when Robert got one of those ‘talking to’s’ and I got something else!

At that young age we were unaware that we were extreme nerds. We often dressed alike, wore the same kind of glasses. I remember, with a certain amount of discomfort now, going to the roller rink near my house dressed exactly alike and happily roller skating with my friend Robert. Oh well, maybe people just thought we were twins.

Funny thing about Robert; he was a perfectionist at an early age about certain things. For instance, he had no surprises on Christmas morning because he went shopping with his mom and picked out his gifts to make sure he got exactly what he wanted. It had to be the right brand, the right color and so forth. Otherwise it just would not do. I observed this eccentricity right up to adulthood and am pretty sure it’s the reason Robert never married. We’ve maintained loose contact over the years but I still consider him a good friend and an important part of my growing up years.

Wayne Mershawn was another friend I met at church at about the same age. We also maintained friendship to adulthood but have lost contact in more recent years. He and his now wife, Becky, and Vicki and I used to double-date on occasion. Actually Becky and I dated before she and Wayne became interested in one another. Well, when I say date it was probably sitting together at a church youth function and maybe holding hands.

One of my fond memories was watching “The Wizard of Oz” for the first time at Wayne’s house. My folks were generally opposed to movies and I certainly had never been to a theatre, and I don’t believe I had ever watched a full length feature. I think Wayne’s mom made popcorn and hot chocolate and we enjoyed watching that classic movie on their TV (black and white, of course).

I thought Wayne’s parents were very odd. His mom was rather heavy set, a little masculine but awfully good to her children. And she made sure I had a good time at their house. I remember her telling Wayne to be considerate of ‘his company’ (that was me). She worked full time outside the home which was not all that common in those days. His dad was nice enough but a little effeminate, something I noticed even at a young age. So Wayne’s mom wore the pants in the family to use his own words. Anyway, Wayne turned out to be a very fine man, married Becky and had two or three kids.

Speaking of movies, I just thought of another time I got in trouble in my teen years – yes, with Robert Earl. I think I was 16 and had a driver’s license but was on a short leash with my parents. We concocted some lie to get access to the car one evening and went downtown to a move theatre to watch a double feature; James Bond in ”007” and “Goldfinger”. I honestly cannot remember a single thing about either movie. In fact I was so upset about lying and fearing for my very soul that I think I insisted we leave early. The next day my mother found the theatre stub in one of my pockets, and gave it to my dad. The next few days were intense to say the least. I still remember the hot flush to my cheeks when confronted and the guilt I felt for deceiving my parents.

Gerald and I got into trouble a few times as well. One of our hide-outs was up the street to the railroad track, then north on the tracks for maybe a mile to this wooded area with a pond. There was also this cliff where a main thoroughfare, Davis Boulevard I think, went under the railroad track. I can still see the white chalk rock of that area and there were rocks in abundance. What possessed the two of us I am not sure, but we decided to roll this nice sized boulder over the edge and watch it splatter on the pavement below. (Children, do not try this at home!) We really did not intend to hit a passing car, honest. The unfortunate driver's timing was perfect, and it hit square in the right side doors and made a heck of dent. I remember the "thunk" sound and then the screeching tires bringing the vehicle to a stop. Gerald and I took one look at each other and without saying a word took off running like bank robbers toward the pond where we hung out until we felt it might be safe to emerge. Walking home that afternoon we were definitely looking over our guilty shoulders.

Perhaps I should have chosen my friends a little more carefully! These guys were a bad influence!