Half a century later, I can’t remember why I was so upset. I’m not even sure who to blame. It may have been my mother, or it may have been the neighbor boys with whom I was playing. Somebody had pushed me across the line! Now I was done with it. Nobody was going to push me around.
I do remember the emotion and what followed. Poor Tommy! He was a couple of years younger than me, but he had the sense to try to convince me not to do it. But I wouldn’t listen. I started running down the long driveway to get to the road that would take me away.
The driveway went by an old family cemetery and through what we called the orchard, although now I think there were only 3 or 4 apple trees and a pear tree. Old Mrs. Rhodes, who sold my parents the farm, 50 acres of mostly rocks and trees, had planned for the future. Each apple tree was a different variety, and on the opposite side of the drive, next to the cemetery, were a couple of cherry trees. Other parts of the property had grape vines, walnut trees, blackberry bushes and a plum tree, next to the chicken house.
But enough of that, I was running away. At the highway, I knew to turn right, because to the left, there was a dead end in a couple of miles. I ran down the road, followed by Tommy who was now crying for me to turn back. Just beyond Fuzzy Harry’s house, I turned to the right onto a dirt road. I guess I was running out of steam and still hadn’t come up with a plan. At the back of the house, I climbed through a barbed wire fence and went into the back yard. I had almost stopped running by then, and I heard Tommy, still crying, but now with a different sound. Poor Tommy was stuck in the barbed wire fence.
Can you believe it? He was so concerned for me, and when I saw his predicament, I started laughing. I know it’s true, laughter is good medicine. I forgot about running away and after helping him get through the fence, we ended the 10 minute adventure by going back home.
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