Cousins, Brothers and Enemies

Cousins first. I was about fourteen. I rode home from our country church with Cousin Dean. We had a lot of snow and over on Red River West Grove Road there was a drift that was too high to go through. So, we backed up and went around the other way to Byrely Road. The drifts were nearly as bad there. But, Dean was driving "Heber". Heber was Dean's first car, inherited from his grandpa, Heber. Seems like it was a '61 Ford Fairlane or some such powerful animal. With some fine driving we plowed through the drifts and since we were young and intellectual giants, we decided if Heber could make it through those drifts, he could surely make it through the drifts on RRWG Road. We went around to that road, now driving north (meaning away from home), and putting the pedal to the metal we plunged through the drifts like a snow plow. Shoot, even snow plows get stuck sometimes! The thing with snow plows is, they don't have to call Uncle Cyrl late at night when it is 15 degrees and blowing snow. He had to get on his tractor and drive about 4 miles in the bitter cold to rescue Dean, Lowell and Heber. If you knew Uncle Cyrl, you know I can't repeat everything he said that night. He never let us forget it. And, true to his style, he finally got his revenge. The day we buried him was bitterly cold, and the wind cut through us like a knife as we stood around the tent and sang "Shall We Gather At The River". And Dean and I recalled a night many years ago...

Brother! Oh, Merrill is nice enough, I guess, but years ago when I was small and helpless, I was invited up to his room. There he was on his bed on all fours acting like an ape. I think Don was the zookeeper, and I was to be the poor person who had to feed the ape popcorn! The ape nearly took my arm off when I reached through the bars to feed him! He hasn't changed all that much, but I just keep my distance now.

Lastly, enemies. When I first met Chuck, a.k.a. Charles, a.k.a. Chester, it was a frightening day for me. We were in Covington, Ohio, at Rick Beatty's wedding reception. I was attempting to decorate Rick's car when I was attacked by his little brother, Chester. "Leave my brother's car alone!" was the command. And so a new friendship was formed between Chester and me. Now, I consider him a very close friend. And, the story might be a little exaggerated as things tend to be over time. With enemies like Chester, who needs friends?