I grew up with my niece – Terri Luce and my brother Mike –

This was my early World – they were almost the same age .

Donna – my sister – became pregnant –

just after my younger brother Mike was born.

Donna was 15 years older than me & 20 years older than Mike.

We played together all the time – she was a little blond –

and Mike had curly Red hair .

I miss them both as they are now gone.

It was at this time – my mother would not let me go shirtless !

I was so skinny she thought people would think she was starving me !

It seemed as I was growing up – we always had a flood !

One such flood – I was maybe ten years old –

I was told not to go down the street to the water !

Well – I did what I was told not to do !

I went behind Slavin’s furniture – and dug up some wooden pallets –

Somewhere I found some inner tube –

and I made a raft !

I launched it by the body shop – I had a long stick –

The water on main street was maybe 2 to 3 feet deep –

I did not know how to swim –

Unknown to me – a reporter from the paper was there

The Bradford Era !

He took a picture of me – standing on my little raft

With that stick in my hand –

pushing my raft down the street in front of Slavin’s bar.

To my surprise – that picture was printed the next day –

To the Bradford Era – the very same paper my dad always read –

delivered each morning – before he left for work!

Nothing was said until after supper that night .

I first was asked if I had gone downtown to the water ?

I said nothing – I could tell they knew !

Then – there it was – a picture of me on my raft with stick in hand !

Front page !

I got into trouble –

but deep inside

I had pride –

I had made the front page !

Just like my father had – after winning a bet on a heavyweight boxing match

He bet Herkie that Patterson would win –

And the loser had to wheel a wheel barrow down main street

with the winner riding inside.

My mom kept that picture and my sister also had it

along with dad being rolled down main street – FRONT PAGE !

Thank you for reading Papa’s World

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Part Four of Growing up Eldred Pa. next blog

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