My Childhood friend, “Lou,” called me the other day to tell me about a Class Reunion—a thirty-year class reunion—and he asked if I wanted to go. I reminded him that my Senior Year was not spent at Fultondale, and I wasn’t sure if I was allowed to go.
“Lou,” being the kind, caring friend that he is, asked the “Reunion Committee,” who were putting the Reunion together, if I could attend, and they were gracious enough to invite me.
I was excited and didn’t want to let this opportunity pass.
Most of these fellas I hadn’t seen in thirty years.
See, friendships are crucial in my life. A friendship is a relationship.
Since I’ve decided not to get married due to my Health Situation, friendships are the deepest relationship—outside of family—I’ll have in my lifetime.
I met a lot of my first friends in Kindergarten.
I remember riding to and from Kindergarten with a friend in his Dad’s Trans-Am, which looked like a replica of the Trans-Am driven by the one and only “Burt Reynolds” in “Smokey and the Bandit.”
First Grade would bring more friends.
Then, as time passes, a graduating class is formed.
During the Summer months, June, July, and August, my friends and I would spend all day at the local Public Swimming Pool. It was our “Daycare.”
Our parents would drop us kids off at the Swimming Pool on their way to work. They’d pick us up after they got off work.
All day long, we kids played at the Public Pool.
We dunked each other, chased each other, raced each other, splashed each other, and sometimes tried to kill each other.
Mom would call other Moms and have them bring their kids to our house so I’d have someone to play with.
Soon, our house was full of kids. These fella’s made up a lot of my Childhood.
I kept my Spina Bifida hidden. I remember getting very upset when my Parents tried to encourage me to tell my friends about my Spina Bifida.
Many of the boys were told about my health by their Mother or Father. I only learned of that after I reached Adulthood. And I appreciate that the boys who did know never told me they knew. They never once teased me about it, not even when we fought. And, oh, how we fought. They were good fights; the kind of fights that young boys get into. We’d run into the house dirty and bloody. Good memories.
And my Spina Bifida didn’t bother me as much when I was younger.
After I turned ten, I got my first .22 rifle. —It was the ’80s.
The fella’s and I’d go Dove, Rabbit, and Squirrel hunting.
My dad taught my brothers and me how to clean the animals we shot, and we ate everything we shot- that was a rule.
When we didn’t want to hunt, we’d fish at the “Deep Hole” at the Creek.
Boys being boys, and my older brother Tony being a “Cook,” we’d get into Mom’s Frying Pans and take a Pan with us to the Creek to cook Fish with on the Banks of the Great Black Creek after a day of fishing. We probably tore some of Mom’s Frying Pans up by putting them over the Campfire.
Our Summers were full. Very full.
During the School Year, friends would come over after School to play. We’d go and shoot some Dove or Squirrel for an After-School Snack.
I had learned how to cook the Dove wrapped in Bacon and fry the Squirrel.
I’ve played Little League Baseball with these fellas and hopped trains with them.
We Boxed using one Boxing Glove per person because we only had one pair of Boxing Gloves.
We played Chase, Capture the Flag, and BB Gun Wars at home.
At the Pool, we had a list of other games we played, such as “Whale” and “Shark,” which I won’t go into now.
The fellas and I would hang out after School, Weekends, Holidays, and the Summer Months.
We spent a lot of time together.
After my parents’ divorce, I had to move to Virginia to live with Mom and Papa, leaving my friends behind.
I still visited when I was in town, but I didn’t get to see the fellas as much.
The last time I had seen some of the fellas was one week before I had to move.
Then, one day, you realize it’s been thirty years since you’ve seen the fellas.
So, it was nice getting invited to the Class Reunion. They didn’t have to do that.
My classmates welcomed me, and it was great seeing everyone and catching up.
And it felt like my life had come full circle.
