A DAY AT THE PARK
As many of my on-line friends know I have developed a (way-to-often) habit of eating my lunch or breakfast, or both at a park. Sometimes I take a sandwich with me and sometimes I stop and get a McDonald's Gourmet breakfast on the way there.
However when I couple, eating a sandwich, and watching people, while I eat, it is usually interesting, not earth shattering, but interesting.
Also as I have mentioned before, some of the things in my blog's are real happenings and some are things I store in my memory bank for future blogs? You might say they are-seeds for thought- for writing a partially real- partially imagined Blog in the future.
I had just finished my breakfast a while ago and was pondering the Big Question of the of the day? What to do next with my long afternoon that was approaching?
As I looked around I saw a young boy, under a rather large tree, jumping up and down and pushing and throwing a broom into the tree. As I looked a little harder I saw a black and white soccer ball lodged in the branches, just a little higher than the broom would reach.
I hobbled over a little closer, and called and ask him if he needed a little help? He replied that he sure did because he was not tall enough to reach his ball and it was his brand new one.
The man hobbled back to his Blazer and got a golf ball receiver out of the back. He took it back to the boy and extended it as far as it would go and handed it to him. He told the boy he thought he could reach it with the new tool. He sat down on a bench and told the boy if he could not reach the ball he would come and help him, but he had to sit and rest a while, because he had "tin knees" and got tired pretty easy.
The boy said,"ya I noticed you walked kind of funny, but I just thought that it was because you were old." Then the boy asked if he had to oil his knees like the Tin Man in the Wizard of Oz. The old man laughed at that and told him that, No he could not oil them and he just got along the best he could without a lube job?
About that time a young mother had made her way up a small hill to where they stood. Isaac, the boy, ran a short way to meet her, while yelling, "Mom, Mom, I want you to meet my new friend. His name is Mr. Wally, just like you told me to call older people Mr. and Mrs. He helped me me get my new soccer ball out of that big tree."
The Mom (Annie) shook Mr. Wally's hand and thanked him profusely for helping him retrieve his soccer ball.
She also told the man she was sorry if he bothered him, and she hoped he did had not talked his ear off, as she knew he was a chatter-box. She also told him that Isaac seemed to have a comment for everything that anyone said.
Mr Wally said they got along just fine and that he really liked the kids that chattered, better than the ones that just set off in a corner and never said anything and looked morose. He also told Annie that he thought the kids that were chatterbox's, learned a lot more about this old world, even before they started school, than most of the quiet ones.
Annie and Mr. Wally talked a while and Isaac went off to kick his soccer ball. After talking a while Annie told Mr. Wally that Isaac did not have a Dad. He was killed in Afghanistan about two years ago. She said he was the with the Special Forces there and was about due to be rotated back to the States when he was killed by a roadside bomb.
Mr. Wally expressed his condolences and told her he was really sorry about her husband.. He told her he knew several families that he was close to that lost Husbands, Dads and Mom's there also, and he thought it was a great tragedy.
Annie told Mr. Wally that it was very hard on both she and Isaac at the time, but she thought it was harder on Isaac now, because all of his friends have a Mom and Dad and he doesn't. He always asks why it was him and I try and give him good answers, but sometimes it is hard to explain.
Just then Isaac came running up waving his hands and yelling,"Mom, Mom Ted is coming."
Their new friend Mr. Wally was introduced to them properly as a new friend, and Isaac told Ted that he called him Mr. Wally because his Mom had told him that you call old people Mr. and Mrs and he sure looked like he was old.
Of course when he said that Annie's face went red, Wally laughed and told her not to worry about it because he had been called worse things than old.
Ted and Isaac kicked the soccer ball around while Annie and Wally sat on a bench and visited. Annie made the comment that it was strange how we had just met but we talked to each other like we had known each other for a long time.
When Ted and Isaac had finished kicking the ball awhile they came and sit on the bench with the others. Mr. Wally told them he had a bag of clementine oranges in the back of the Blazer if they wanted some. He told them it would actually help him out if they took a few because it was hard for him to eat a whole bag before they started to spoil.
Well Ted said that he had come to take Annie and Isaac to lunch and if they did not mind he would be glad if Mr. Wally would come with them.
Isaac let out a big yell and pumped his fist in the air saying," yes, yes, yes", which I think translated to a positive invite and acceptance.
They went to Chic-Fil- A , which was only about a half block away. Of course everyone ate chicken. They also talked a lot. At least Isaac and Mr. Wally did.
Isaac told Mr. Wally that he and his Mom lived in a real small apartment and Ted lived in a real small condo. He also looked at his Mom and said he thought he might get Ted for a new Dad, because Ted and his Mom had got really 'SMOOCHY" here of late. His Mom YELLED, "you don't say that to strangers." Ted laughed and just sat and grinned. Of course Isaac told his Mom that Mr. Wally was not a stranger now, he was a friend, and Mr. Wally said,"yup I agree with Isaac, I think he hit the nail right on the head.
Yup kids will be kids. They do not seem to have a built in filter, even when they are talking to strangers. However Annie was not just going to let it go. So she gave him the whole truckload of, family secrets, don't talk to strangers (of which Mr. Wally was not considered one anymore, and that some things that happen in the family--STAY IN THE FAMILY."
By then it was time for Ted to get back to his business, which was a 4-wheel drive specialty shop that he loved. He said he did not want to be late, because he thought it was part of his job, and since he was the owner he wanted to set a good example.
Everyone went out to leave and Wally remembered the oranges in the Blazer and told everyone to help themselves if they wanted some.
Of course Isaac wanted some and it was obvious as he danced around saying, "oh yes Mom can we take a couple, can we huh?" They each took a couple of oranges and left.
Ted headed off to his shop and Isaac and Annie headed back to the little apartment that they called home.
Wally got his newspaper out of the Blazer and got settled on a bench to catch up on the news of the world before he headed back home---perhaps for a short afternoon nap
He pulled into the garage, and as he mumbled, on his way into the house he thought to himself-- I hope my nap does not keep me from sleeping well tonight. Maybe if I repeat the old saying that my Mom used to tell me and I told my children, it will help me go to sleep -OR NOT--? My Mom used to say "Good night--don't let the bed bugs bite." I never did understand why that was supposed to calm me down, but never-the-less I heard it for many years.
It was an interesting day and brought out a lot of emotions. Although I thought about Isaac, Annie and Ted a lot, I never did see them in the Park again. I still wonder if they got married and live somewhere in our valley here and none of us know for sure.
I guess you could call this Historical Fiction? I surly am old enough for the Historical part and a little fiction inserted in it makes it interesting.
W.R. Baldwin
25 April 2017
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