“Let’s go down and check the minnow trap and see if we got
enough of ‘em to go fishin’, what ya say?”
Mr. A., was a little old man about 80 and Little John was
about 13. They loved to go fishing during the summer. It was such fun just being together whether
they caught anything or not. Mr. A. had a son who had been killed so Little
John was like a son to him.
Mr. A. had a 1929 Model A sport coupe but he couldn’t drive.
So, he let Little John drive when they went fishing. Of course, back then, being 13 didn’t keep a
young man from driving if he could see over the steering wheel.
“Yep, Mr. A., I think there’s enough of ‘em that we could
probably fish all day,” said Little John, “I’ll see what Mom’s got for us to
take to eat in case we’re not back in time for dinner. Maybe she’ll let me fix us a couple of
biscuits with some sausage, if there’s any left from breakfast. I’ll be right back.”
So, off Little John ran to see what he could round up for
the two of them. Within minutes, he came running back with a little sack
containing a couple of apples and biscuits and sausage.
The two headed down the road to Mr. A’s. They climbed into the Model A; Little John in
the driver’s seat and off they went.
“You know, Mr. A., this old car sure could use a coat of paint. It’s just a lookin’ pretty bad. When we get back from fishin’ , what say I
see if I can round up some paint and we’ll have this old thing lookin’ like new
next time we go fishin’.”
Sure enough, Little John was able to round up some black
paint and an old paint brush and in a few days, he walked over to Mr. A’s.
“Look what I got!” He said, holding up the bucket of paint
and an old paint brush. “ You’re not gonna know this old car when I get through
with it.” So, brush in hand, Little John painted and painted and, sure enough,
when the paint dried, it shined like a new dollar never mind the streaks made
by the old paint brush.
“Good job there, Little John,” said Mr. A. “I think you’re
gonna make a fine car painter one of these days.”
One day not long after the new paint job, the two were
headed off down a dirt road with Little John in the driver’s seat, of
course. All of a sudden, Little John
looked out his side window and the back left wheel came rolling by.
“Oh my goodness, Little John, is that the wheel off this
thing?”
“Yep, ‘fraid so, Mr. A.
I’ll see if I can get ‘er stopped and we’ll go get it,” replied Little
John.
“How in the world did you steer this thing with just three
wheels?” Inquired Mr. A.
Little John drew a long breath; looked over at Mr. A.
“Well, you know, I couldn’t tell but what it drove just as
well on three wheels as four.” Little John said, laughing.
Memories from boyhood are sweet. The memories Little John has of his
adventures with Mr. A. make for a wonderful time of telling stories. And, I’m
sure Mr. A. spent a lot of time in his later years recalling that young lad who
cared enough to spend time with him.
“You shall stand up before the gray head and honor the face
of an old man, and you shall fear your God: I am the Lord.” Leviticus 19:32 ESV
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