Remember Who You Are (eBook)

Chapter Two

Joey spent Sunday cleansing his mental pallet by roaming around the point of land behind his house and wistfully contemplating everything from the existence of God to, “How did these damn rocks get here?” That thought occurred to him immediately after skidding down a boulder into the shallow shoreline slightly skinning his calf and soaking his socks and shoes. Harriet was already down at the shore chasing minnows in the shallows and glanced up apparently only slightly bemused at her companion’s plight. Joey felt slightly embarrassed despite the absence of any human company. But embarrassment came easy to him. He always felt a little inadequate like it was somehow his first reaction to everything. His perception of himself in the mirror or in photos was that of a gawky, skinny-legged teenager with the ever-present cow lick pointing skyward from his double crown. He licked it, greased it, brushed it until his scalp tingled and even tied a wet towel around his head but up popped his crown every time. His torso seemed too long and there had yet to be any real surge in musculature development. Joey thought his head was too small for the length of his body and his overall perception was that of an ungainly, awkward boy. He didn’t perceive that some of the girls in his school thought differently. Yes there were those long skinny arms and legs and a thin body but there was also that dark complexion and long hair covering one eye slightly that was rather attractive to some. Unfortunately, his lack of self-confidence restricted his interaction with others. Without many friends to reassure him, he lived for the most part, alone. Despite all those negative feelings a good romp in the woods with Harriet replenished his spirituality giving him a temporary otherworldliness, an escape that provided sleep some nights.

Although there were many well-to-do residents in the “Lake District” area, his house was an older one-story cottage that people used to rent by the week for vacation. It was very cold in the winter because it wasn’t insulated to be a year-round home. That’s the very reason his parents were able to purchase it so cheaply a few years ago. The “handyman’s special” as it was advertised, was still desperately needing a handyman even after the five years they had lived in it.

His two sisters, Pam and Jessie, bunked in the back room next to the bathroom. Joey’s oldest sister Pam was sixteen going on twenty-five. She had come by that portrayal quite genuinely as she was called upon to be a mother to little Jessie in many ways. It wasn’t because of his mom’s negligence that this came to be. She had to clean up after their dad and the three kids, provide meals and look for work with a five-year-old demanding the attention that five-year-olds crave. Many mornings, more in the last few months than Joey cared to think, his mom was in no physical or emotional condition to do anything but sit at the kitchen table staring glassy eyed out the window. He deeply felt her distress but had no answer, only a fierce, empathetic understanding someone his age shouldn’t have. The only thing to do for him was to look ahead and pretend things would get better. He was often tormented by the nagging feeling that this was only wishful thinking.

On a typical school morning, Joey would bring in the day’s supply of firewood from the lean-to behind the house. With the spring days getting longer the wood pile became shorter foreshadowing lots of chopping ahead to replenish the stock. This time of year, was special because it gave Joey thoughts of the warmth to come and the days with Harriet along the shoreline of Skogie Lake and, of course, fishing in the trout stream with Gramps.

After throwing together a sandwich made up of whatever was left in the refrigerator he would head out on foot for school. Normally the walk would take about twenty minutes; however, his active imagination and sense of adventure meant that “normal” was not exactly an accurate representation of the myriad courses he might take. His hike was interrupted by the sights, sounds and smells of the area. At this time of year, it was as if the blossoming power of the sun was a catalyst that liberated new stimuli for the senses. The pines that not so long ago were covered in snow and encapsulated in frost by the frigid temperatures were now emitting a comforting aroma that conjured up soothing feelings. The early morning moisture glistened, and mist rose from the low, marshy areas along the lake. Pausing once in a while to sit, he felt the warmth of the sun on his butt and hands, absorbed by the granite outcroppings which forced the gravel road to meander around as it made its way toward town. It is a wonder Joey even made it to school on these days. The whirring and buzzing of insects and the warbles and chirps of birds not seen in several months, the earthy smell emulating from once frozen ground, the high-pitched croaking of young frogs, all the sights, sounds and feelings transported him briefly into an ethereal plane where he was free to do as he pleased. He became a part of his surroundings; an environment where he belonged, was appreciated, and accepted. These thoughts became so intense and surreal that his conscious mind awakened realizing that this voyage of the mind was not taking him down the path to school and the realities waiting there.

There were so many more distractions along the way. There was his only real friend Jug, who lived a short walk along the road. They would often meet up at Jug’s house and travel in tandem from there. Jug’s real name was Josh Parker. Jug was slightly shorter than Joey with freckles and hair even more unkempt. Jug was tagged with that nickname because of his rather hobo-like taste for clothing, as per the old Archie comic with the character known as Jughead. His clothing was really not a matter of preference but more a reflection of his economic status combined with a certain lack of dignity. Where Joey would try to mask his impoverished circumstances through proper grooming and tasteful matching, Jug seemed oblivious to his outward presentation. There was something about the synergy these two had. They often had an uncanny ability to find trouble; mostly boyish mischief, but sometimes they found themselves in more serious predicaments. There was the time they broke into the old Simpson cottage and smashed in some windows. It seemed harmless enough to the boys since the place had been deserted for years and there were hardly any windows with any glass left in them. As innocuous as their perception of the incident was, it proved difficult to explain to Joey’s mom when Constable Percy taxied them home in his cruiser. Joey managed to hide an old cigar box full of hand-tied flies plundered from the otherwise fizzled adventure. Dad never found out about that little escapade. When it came to Joey’s dad there would have been very little discussion and very likely dire consequences. Since that great fish-fly caper the two had kept their noses clean for some time.

Past Jug’s house the gravel road joined the main paved road leading over the bridge of Black Creek and into town. The bridge spanned the clear, icy-cold water where it emptied on the north side into Skokie Lake. There were many forms of wildlife to see from the bridge and the clear water and lofty perch provided a bird’s eye view of a variety of fish darting in and out of the shadows of the creek banks.

Over the bridge and a short distance into town the journey would turn right down a smaller paved road. Along the road was Gramps’ senior residence, two blocks before school. Many mornings in the springtime Gramps would be out in the gardens puttering about. Joey, and many times both he and Jug, would stop if they saw him and talk with him for a few minutes before continuing to school. Sometimes Joey would even slip away during lunch periods and visit with him while finishing his sandwich on the picnic bench between the residence and the trout stream behind Gramps’ place.

Gramps was always happy to see him, and Joey was always comforted by the ardent devotion he had for him. He felt uncommonly significant or special around his grandfather. Sometimes Jug would tease Joey about Gramps. He would say that he was losing it or senile because of all the philosophical and rather profound advice he would occasionally offer. Jug had a way of saying things that did not offend Joey. There were few people who could get away with such veiled remarks. It may have been that Joey was willing to jest with Jug because he could see truth in Gramps’ words. Gramps was a well-respected man who once held an important position in this once bustling pulp and paper town. At one time, he was even the mayor and the president of William’s Glenn Furniture, with many employees and associates. He had been a pilot in the war and was ever ready to spin a yarn about his countless endangerments should the right motivation present itself. Gramps stood a mere 5 foot 6 inches with a completely bald head, pince nez glasses and an increasingly stooped posture but he was a giant superhero to Joey. Joey recalled upon meeting one of Gramps’ old employees as he reminisced, how every day Gramps would make it a point to visit every man in the factory. There were over three hundred workers and Gramps knew all of them and their families by name and was sure to make some kind of small talk with them all before noon! It was this bona fide concern for the welfare of others that Joey revered so fervently. In fact, several years after Gramps retired, he was asked back to resume his presidency on an interim basis until they found a suitable replacement when the incumbent had passed away. He was and continued to be a revered and respected man...