Once again, the sun was their persecutor. It was now some time between three and four, the warmest part of the day. The sun stared at the boys like a huge evil eyeball, boring shafts of white-hot rays deep into…
Snake! The Summer of ’62
As they neared the end of a row and approaching the barnyard, Don said with unusual zeal for their condition, “I got an idea!” “What?” Rich said barely raising his head. “Let’s finish the row and I’ll show you,” Don…
Working For Miss Gardner; The Summer of ’62
“Get up. Get up. We got to get started,” Don said in a harsh whisper, as he shook Rich to wake him. At first, it angered Rich. He moaned and struggled to open his pasty eyes. A terrible morass of…
A Partner; The Summer of ’62
The day warmed quickly. Rich mowed only a portion of the lawn before it got too warm. By eleven it was ninety. For lunch, Rich ate light and drank heavy – a slice of cheese on a single slice of…
A Job; The Summer of ’62
It was so hot that Rich slept the entire night in a lounge chair, beneath the maple tree in the side yard. He listened to frogs and bugs sing the night away and an occasional hoot from an owl. Overhead…
Mr. Quinn’s Rage; The Summer of 62
One day Rich was at Carpenter’s. Joe stopped for gas. Carpenter’s was only a small grocery, it had two gas pumps. “You want to go into town?” Joe asked. Rich hesitated. “What for?” “The Varsity Shop has a sale on…
Called Off Negotiations; The Summer Of ’62
On the ride home, Rich thought that this might be the last time he might ever peddle a bike. He waited for his dad to come home and as soon as he came in the house, Rich told him about…
The Red Parilli; The Summer Of ’62
Rich and Joe patched up the differences they had at the county fair. Rather, it may be more accurate to say, they merely drifted back together and never bought up or tried to resolve those issues. Peddling the bike to…
The Death Of A Rabbit; The Summer of ’62
Rich spent the rest of the day at Don’s home. They had a wonderful time, shooting arrows at a bullseye target in the backyard. One of Don’s arrows went arrant; beyond the bales of straw, the bullseye hung on. It…
A Ride In A Cruiser; The Summer Of ’62
Rich’s only impulse was to put the car in drive and floor the accelerator. He smashed the accelerator to the floor, expecting to be thrust back against the seat and the tires to screech. The car hardly moved, with no…
A Bad Night; The Summer of ’62
He walked the road to the Kirk’s; the next property to the south and stirred the attention of their dog. It barked and ran to the edge of the road. Rich sprinted back down the road and jumped the fence…
A Lonely Night; The Summer of ’62
Rich felt helplessly marooned on the farm. There was a perpetual empty feeling of isolation, especially on summer nights. From outside his second story bedroom window were the orchestrated symphony of crickets, tree frogs, and an occasional beetle crashing against…