[After the depressing possibility of the world's water being managed by the most corrupt institution on earth, I needed to write something fun... so here's the story of Teeterass]
I don't know what it is that makes kids act the way they do... all I know is we were all kids once and we all did em. It was the mid-50's- 56 or 57 and Elvis was all the rage. We all tried to look like him and act like him. I was living up in New Hampshire with my uncle on the outskirts of a farm and the horror of my early childhood was behind me now- I was trying to become normal. My friend Rodney lived across the field and we hung around about every day. He even kinda looked like Elvis- he'd do that thing with his lip like Elvis did.
Me and Rodney each threw in $5.00 and we bought this old Morris Minor and we used it to play Helldrivers, like Joey Chitwood who we saw at the fair. We'd put on football helmets and shoulder pads and run that thing into trees and roll it down hills. We also used to go into town and hang out hoping for a chance to tease Teeterass. When you're 12 in small town New Hampshire, you got entertainment wherever you found it.
Teeterass was Rodney's brother Wayne who wasn't "right." He had this way of rocking frontwards and backwards when he walked so we called him Teeterass... every chance we got. Teeterass weas big and kinda fat and he had this huge head- he wore those round metal glasses that were so small it looked like his head grew around them. He lived in town, about a mile or so from the farm, in a one room shack by the river. He'd come out to the house to eat. He chopped wood for people and I guess they paid him and gave him wood for his stove... I don't know for sure.
Anyways, when we'd be hanging out on the bridge and when he'd cross over we'd holler out: "Hey Teeterass." He'd get really mad and yell back: "Teeterass, Teeterass." But when he yelled it it sounded like a donkey going Hee-haw. That would make us howl with laughter so we'd holler it back trying to sound like him. Then he'd get really mad and chase us with his axe. Then we'd go down and bounce rocks off the tin roof of his cabin to get him to chase us again.
When we'd catch him out by the house for his lunch or something we'd yell at him some more and he'd take one of his fits... he'd get so mad his face would turn all red and his tongue would fold over when he stuck it out and he'd tear all the buttons off his shirt. His mother would make him sew them back on. She'd yell at us saying: "Y'all shouldn't do him like that." We'd act all sorry and go into Rodney's dad's radio room to wait for lunch. His dad had a room full of ham radio stuff and it looked like Dr. Frankenstein's lab or something- all full of dials and stuff like that... it was really cool- he could talk to people all around the world. Sometimes at night he'd come out and say something like" I just talked to a guy in Germany," or something.
Well, by the time lunch was ready, Teeterass would have the buttons sewn back on and Rodney's mother would tell him: "Apologize to your brother." So Rodney would say: "Sorry Teeterass" and he'd jump up and tear them all off again. I know it was wrong, but it was funny as hell.
Y'know I think about those people a lot now that I'm old. They were really good people- Teeterass too. We had nothing in the world against him- I'm sure Rodney loved him. We were just stupid kids doing stupid stuff. Of course, in retrospect, knowing what I do now, I'd have never have done it. But that was then and now is now. They were just good common hard working people, and so was Wayne, limited as he was he still went out every day and cut wood- I respect that now. I wouldn't trade all the crooked politicians in Washington for one Teeterass.
We learn lessons in life...sometimes late...sometimes early. The point is that we learn and become a better person to touch others in a gentler kinder way. I appreciate learning about your personal life as it make the people on this platform more real. Kind blessing my friend and hug Bruno for me. @richq11
Thank you my friend... It helps me too to think about how I was and how I've grown as a person. I'm not proud of it, but really nor am I ashamed. It's all just part of the growing process.
Indeed.
For reasons unknown our mind will occasionally carry us into our past; sometimes to past glory, occasionally to cringe-inducing recollections.
Meditations on the latter:
The earlier in your life that you learned those lessons without repeating that behavior, the better! At a relatively low cost, too - after all, you were a child.
Nature is clever to keep us small while we are learning. We can do far less damage that way.
Perhaps our subconscious inspires these memories to serve as wards against repeating these same patterns. Triggered by what...
Who knows?
That twang of guilt I re-live for a moment while in the memory serves me as a moment of gratitude. Oh, how grateful art thou that such pain is re-lived 30 years hence, and not that of pain and guilt so fresh a season has yet to set upon it.
Great story @richq11, your stories like these, related over a year ago, were some of the first things I really enjoyed here on Steemit.
Have a wonderful weekend brother. 🙂
I don't know if I miss my childhood. Sometimes I think I do, and other times, I don't.
I think if I had it all to do over again- I'd like to think I'd do it differently, but in reality I doubt I would have! I was a stupid kid- thank God I'm only a partially stupid adult!
Lol. Aren't we all stupid?
Yup.
The most stupid ones don't know they're stupid.
Self-confessed idiot right here 🙋♂️
Happily doing my best 🤷♂️
those were the days.
I love these old stories and when they play in rural USA, I have pictures from old movies in my head.
Guess I would have acted the same as a kid and would think the same about it today.
I guess we all do stupid stuff in our childhood... Thank God we outgrow it!
Geez, it's weird what you do as a kid, isn't it? When I was a small girl (must've been about 8), I had a classmate who wasn't "right", to quote you. And I remember that we used to make such fun of him, to taunt him. Amazes me how mean we could sometimes be...
It's good that we grow... Up in the North End (the Italian section of Boston) there was a guy with Down Syndrome who used to walk around with a transistor radio up to his ear... we called him "Frankie Transistor." Then when I grew up I coached Special Olympics when I was in college... the nicest people I ever met!!! We really need more Down Syndrome people to learn about love and trust!
Yeah, and the tradition carries through to today. There's even a slang word for someone who you can't stop laughing at: Lolcow.
Here's one for your inspection:
Trust me: this one Lolcow deserves two parts. :-)
That was hilarious... What an idiot!!! I have got to find this guy on Twitter and start fucking with him!!!
I'll check 'em now... I was worried about you- haven't seen you in over a week!
Thanks for the concern. I have pulled in my horns for now, that's true.
You're ok... That's all I care about!
Thanks. :)
You seem well enough - now that you no longer need the lawyer...
He's still on retainer... but yes. It feels better not to be in constant fear.
My two favorite people!
Of course!
How's Bruno holding up?
Kids will be kids! Too bad there's no going back to undo all the stupid things our younger selves did...
Kids had to cross some stages during their growing process, but life teach us something every time. I think everyone of us made something stupid in our childhood, but now we can see our past in a different way. Big hugs to you and Bruno, dear Rich ^_^
Thank you dear friend! Big hugs to you!!!
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