Best Friend

My best friend when I was growing up was John Delaney. I must have been about 3 years old when we first met. I remember it snowed and we were so small that the probably 6 inches or so of snow felt like it was six feet. I don't really remember how we met. John just lived about five or six houses from me so I guess we just came together because we wanted another to play with. For many years we played together (and with others in the neighborhood) and stayed over at each others houses. John had a Mom and Dad and 2 brothers, one older and one younger. He also had a Chihuahua (spelling?) named Peewee. John and I basically grew up together and really never had an argument or fight. We were sort of "Mutt and Jeff" because I was sort of tall and he was small. I remember that his favorite TV show was "Stoney Burke". Burke was played by Jack Lord. Lots of people probably do not remember that show but I felt it was really good. We watched it every week, usually at Johns house. Johns Mom was very friendly and I liked her. His older brother, Milton was very weird, if you get my grift. He is the only one left now. John and I used to play with capes and cowboy hats. One time, we were in a neighbors garage loft and we scared the neighbor kid when he came in. I guess he thought we were really super heroes or something. When John was 20, he and his younger brother, Malcolm Roy, went hunting. (They were never really taught safety). They were trying to cross a ditch...Malcolm handed John the wrong end of the shotgun to pull him over the ditch, and the gun went off, later killing John. Malcolm, even though he could not drive, went to Johns truck and made his way back to town to get help, but it was too late. He died when he was 20 years old, hardly experiencing life at all! A few years later, Malcolm died of a drug overdose.

Very Early Life

When I was about 18 to 20 months old, I got Polio which was prevalent at the time. I was told that I was flown down to New Orleans to Charity hospital which was the biggest and best in the state at the time and was known for its polio treatment. I stayed in the hospital in New Orleans until past my 2nd birthday. I do remember some of it. I remember when I was about to get out, I had to get a shot and I did not like it at all. I was also told that I had treatment here at Baptist hospital in Alexandria for awhile. Luckily, the polio was non-paralitic. I just had to learn how to walk all over again. To this day, my legs seems to get weak sometimes and I feel like it is post-polio syndrome. I also am having some problems with balance which I am told is part of post-polio. At the same time that I had polio, my dad was going out with another woman that he had met at a bar. I remember once when I had to go to the hospital (I guess for a check up), the "girlfriend" was with him in the car. I'm not sure what I knew at the time except that it was not my mother. Not long after, my dad left all of us. I remember it very well. Everyone was crying. I don't know why, but I said "don't cry, he'll be back." He never did come back. For years my mom had us pray that he would return but he never did. This one event affected me for the rest of my life. It was like a chain that broke. It severly affected my confidence which to this day I feel is below par. For many years, I was very afraid to speak up in school and had what I felt was severe stage fright. I doesn't bother me much now. I think I have finally gotten over it or maybe I just don't care so it does not bother me as much.