The Bike Ride

Thirty nine years ago, August 22nd was on a Saturday.  Just like it was yesterday.  I went on a bike ride that day.  How do I remember that?  It was a series of events that changed my life and proof that even the smallest of decisions can affect our trajectory.

It was a nice Saturday.  I decided to go for a bike ride.  In doing so, I realized if I stopped at my parents house, there could be a ham sandwich for lunch.  So I stopped.  Not really sure if I even ate a sandwich.  They were home, but getting ready to go somewhere.  I don't remember where.  But, I remember that I left their house a little sooner than I had thought I would.  I got to the end of the street and stopped at one of the main roads in town, to wait for traffic to clear before I proceeded.  My friend, Letia, drove by, saw me and hollered, "Hey! Come to the house!"  The "house" was just a few blocks away and it's where she and her roommate Mary lived.  So I rode to the house.  I went in and a few other friends were all gathered in the kitchen making snacky type foods.  We chatted a while, then I asked her what she wanted.  She pointed out that they were making the snacks because she and Mary were having a party that night and wanted me, Kathy and Barb to come.  She thought she would have seen me during the week to tell me, but hadn't, so she was glad she saw me.  These were the days before social media and cell phones, not that she couldn't or wouldn't have eventually called me that afternoon, but now, there I was, message delivered.  Also in those days... Kathy, Barb and I spent a lot of time together.  Barb was a co-worker and Kathy is my 2nd cousin. Barb was busy that evening with David, but, Kathy and I went to the party.
We were in the kitchen at the party and there was a guy there, that I recognized.  I remember about 10 years prior to all this that he would hang out at Tom Thumb Park and play basketball with all the "kids", including my 2 brothers.  He was older than the kids and at that time what I knew about him was that he had just gotten out of the Army, was working at Pressler's Conoco and was a bit "crazy".  In a fun way.  Around this timeframe he was probably about 21 and I was about 14.  No thoughts at all about him in any way other than what he was.... an old guy and a friend of all the other guys at Tom Thumb Park. I remember taking a call from him one time when he was looking for Paul, my brother, so they could get a game going.  Paul was at work, but why on earth would I have always remembered that he called once and we talked on the phone?
So now, here we are nearly 10 years later in Mary and Letia's kitchen and there was the old guy from those basketball days.  He was talking to a lady, a married lady, that I knew back in high school.  She was a year younger than me, but her husband was my age. Believe it or not, but in those days I was a bit shy in social situations so I don't know what compelled me to say to him... "Hey, I know you.  You're Jack."  Yes, he was and just who was I?  So I told him.  I'm sure my last name got his attention because in his high school years he dated a 4th cousin of mine who just happened to have the same last name. So we chatted a bit. I don't remember how the conversation proceeded but, at some point he mentioned Bobby Orr.  Well, now, if you want to talk about Bobby Orr, then I'm your expert.  So I chimed in with some factoids and I think he was quite impressed.  Eventually I wandered to the back porch and he followed me out there. We talked some more, danced a bit, drinks and fun all around. Eventually Kathy went home.  We'd driven separately in case one of us wanted to leave early.  As for Jack and I, eventually sat out in the back yard in the BBQ pit until 5 in the morning - talking.
Shall I say the rest is history?  It really wasn't that easy, but nothing of any worth is ever easy.  Jack had just moved back into the "area" with AT&T.   The "area" was Peoria which was 120 miles away.  But he had 2 bassets that were staying with his parents while he was living in a hotel in Peoria and house hunting.  When I say he had "just" moved back - he'd only been back in Illinois about 2 weeks when we met.  He had jumped at the opportunity to get closer to "home" and had just transferred from Birmingham, AL.  So, he was in Peoria during the week and came "home" every weekend.  We ran into each other a lot on the weekends.  Eventually on purpose.  Eventually he found a house so he didn't come every weekend, but he came to Carlinville quite a lot.  When he did we hung out with the same group of friends.  Sometimes that small group could swell to several when real parties kicked up.  But, it wasn't until December when we realized our friendship could be a bit more.  And, because of snow storms - although there were a lot of late night phone calls - it wasn't until March when our relationship really grew.  And, the rest... really is history.
So if it's a nice day, I'd recommend you take a walk or take a bike ride.  Enjoy the results whatever they may be.