The Sting

Skipping School Was the Only Choice That Day

 

      It was 1954, early autumn and a genuinely beautiful, balmy day. Much too pleasant to waste at school, especially if we could romp and roam through the woods. So Jerry Duty and I didn't go to school. Instead we wandered along Jonny Creek almost to White River. Along the way we fancied ourselves as explorers, then Indians, outlaws, and probably men of the world. We may have gone to Betty's (Jerry's married sister) house, I don't remember, but we had visited with her on other occasions.

      As morning lapsed into afternoon we rested amid the return to our proper stations at a shady pool. We were tired, perhaps a little bored. Jerry was stretched out on a log that slanted over the pool. A clumsy maneuver while navigating the stepping stones along the creek had left me with wet shoes, socks, and pants soaked to the knees. My friend Jerry was dry.

      As he dozed on his precarious perch, an uncontrollable fit of mischief struck me. A gentle shove was all it took to subvert his balance sending him ungracefully into the icy pool, remarkably, feet first.

      It was hilarious! In anticipation I had felt the laughter coming all the way up from my bellybutton. It was a Great moment..... But........ it was only a moment.

      Instead of the expected brief outburst of unrehearsed profanity and the clamor of retaliatory movement, the only sound was a painful groan.

      Startled I asked, "Whats wrong?"

      "My leg, it hit a rock." His reply came through clinched teeth.

      I panicked. "Is it broken?"

      "I don't know, I think so." Teeth still clinched.

      "Can you walk?"

      "No, you'll have to help me"

      I waded into the icy water, together we limped to the bank. I thought of a splint. Although it was at home, I had a Straight Arrow book I ordered with a box top from NABISCO Shredded Wheat that showed how to make one...... Jerry didn't like my idea of using a crooked stick for a crutch either.

      I was not under weight in those days and the hill leading back from Jonny Creek was steep. For the next hour, I carried Jerry and my excess poundage fewer and fewer feet to rest longer and longer until finally civilization was within sight.

      We were passed the hill. Only one final obstacle to conquer.. the fence that separated the Cole's property from that of O. Z. Williams.

      It was a higher than ordinary fence. The plan was to get Jerry to the top, then I would climb over and help him down the other side. It was a major struggle but I eventually got him to the top. Just as I began the climb, over he jumped from the top and ran like an antelope, leaping and laughing obviously in ecstasy for having hoodwinked me in the grandest fashion. Sheesh!

      I wonder how the rest of his life has been?

Copyright © 1990 Charles Prier

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