My first two years of life were spent at my parent’s first house located on the western edge of the largest park in KC, Swope Park, which consisted of the Zoo and two golf courses and place where I would run many cross country races in high school. I don’t remember anything of the place except that, as my mother put it, when we were moving into our new house of my home for the rest of my childhood she later told me that they were going to go back for some last things and I through a fit because I didn’t want to go ever go back there. Something traumatic must have happened to me for a reaction like I had. The only memory I have is of when I must have been taking a nap to wake to a shadowy figure coming towards me. It has always spooked me and is still as vivid as ever. Anyway, my new home is where I eventually met Ricky Joe and we became childhood best friends.
Most everyone has a close childhood friend that they grew up with and had some great experiences while going through this phase in life. Ricky Joe was definitely one of those childhood friends. This post will share some of those experiences and I think most will agree that this might be unique and then again maybe not. For me, it’s one that if I had it to do over, I wouldn’t in a million life-times.
The new house we moved into was located in the southeast area of a developing suburb town of KC. Our neighborhood was a horse shoe shaped development with pastures on the north and south boundaries with woods surrounding that. The development had the main road of the town going by just east and our house was located on the northwest section of the horse shoe. Just up my road about a block was the main road and across the street to the left was the grade school, where I would go, and on the right corner Ricky Joe’s house. On the southwest side of the horseshoe was a baseball diamond and then more woods. My parents definitely picked the right location for a kid to grow up. Never a dull moment as you will read.
I met Ricky Joe when I started kindergarten which was located up the street across the main road in the basement of a small church. His house was next door right between it and the grade school. I think it was after western day in kindergarten that Ricky Joe and I started really hanging out as kids since his house would become the hub of many adventures due to its location in the realm of things.
Ricky Joe was the true definition of accident prone. I don’t mean he was accident prone all the time but just some of the time. When he had an accident, he really had an accident. The first introduction to his unlucky ways was in first grade. Ricky Joe showed up one school day with goop of some medical kind smeared all over one side of his cut and scratched up face. He told me that he had jumped on their horse to go for a ride when he fell off and his foot got caught in the stirrup and was dragged down the street. This was just the first of more accidents like this to come and we were just 6-years old.
The next was the fall season of second grade. Another childhood friend, Mikie (lived next door), and I were halfway up our street heading for Ricky Joe’s to play when his older brother, Kenny (always the kidder), was running down the street towards us yelling that Ricky Joe had been hit by a car while crossing the main road on his bike. We had heard sirens but knowing Kenny didn’t believe him until he led us back to where a car was stopped on the side of the road. Kenny led us to the car and pointed to Ricky Joes’ smashed up bike underneath it. Ricky Joe was lucky that he hadn’t been killed and only ended up with a badly broken leg that he had to be in a cast for six months. He missed most of second grade and had to make it up with Mrs. Stewart (not good), his teacher, during the summer months of tutoring to advance to third grade next year. She lived in a close by newer development within walking distance and Ricky Joe would go for tutoring but for payment had to do chores which included pulling weeds which he hated with a passion. We were only 7-years old. Would Ricky Joe make it to adulthood at this rate?
The only other major castrophe for Ricky Joe that I’m aware of came when we were 10 or 11-years old. As kids we use to get together and play hide and seek, especially without the presence of the moon. On this one particular night of hide and seek I was “It” and had gotten Ricky Joe early in the game. At the time, our streets didn’t have street lights so it was pitch black. As I was looking for other hiders a car was coming down the road with head lights on. Ricky Joe waited for the car to pass and stepped into the road when I heard this bumping sound and saw Ricky Joe laying on the street holding his head. The car that had passed was towing a fishing boat that Ricky Joe had stepped into smacking him on the head. He was lucky again to come out of it with just a bump on his head but was okay.
How Ricky Joe survived childhood I’ll never know. As we grew older into our junior and senior high years we seem to drift apart but always had our fun childhood memories to reflect on when we would sometimes be at the same place at the same time. Childhood memories should be cherished and I feel lucky to have had a childhood chum like Ricky Joe. He eventually moved into his parents house after they passed on and still lives there to this day.
Yes, he did survive to be an adult and there are more tales to tell of Ricky Joe with other neighborhood happenings that involved all the kids on the block that will be featured in a future post.
God bless and God speed
www.lifeexperienceswithjim.blogspot.com
