... miss him... miss him...
The three mile jaunt escaping westbound – we found the lake earlier – ended at a crowded bus stop on the corner of Addison and Western. We only had to look forward to a 20 mile bus ride and 154 stops, but no buses were coming. The semi-adult too grown Cub Scouts/wannabe Eagle Scouts, Cub Fans, went ‘Eggplant’, as the Japanese say. Americans say, ‘Nuts’. Miles around the BubbleGum factory was chaos. We waited in line at the bus stop, 20 back.
A 53 year recollection seems to remember a quick game played. We were there leaning against the whitewashed cinder block, could have been a hot dog stand, could have been a dry cleaner, could have been both at the same time. A non-descript small business on the major thoroughfare.
I took a notice of Lane Tech High School across the street. I wandered over to take a look, we had time. We didn’t have schools like this in Mount Greenwood Heights were we were from. Lane was the premier vocational school for electronics, radio, etc. It was a beautiful structure and campus. The Chicago Public Schools had Lindbloom on the Southside, specializing in carpentry and CVS – alumni of Dick Butkus, Ray Scott and Pat Gregerson, or for those not from the Eastside, a.k.a. Chicago Vocational School. Near the steel mills CVS stressed mechanical, lathe, design, auto mechanics. My uncles got there WW II GI bill college diploma in engineering night classing from CVS and it was well respected. There was a time education had a purpose.
I come back to find Frankie so agitated, so hysterical laughing and spitting, he couldn’t even tell me what happened. I pieced the story together. The guy several spots down in the queue was what we, as twelve year olds 1969 knew as a ‘bum’. He wasn’t bothering us at all. He was napping against the warm wall when I left. He stank like a bum, but harmless. He was wearing overalls.
As I interpreted, MR. Bum, (this is 2021 and the man deserves human respect), with 40 people around him, stood up, dropped his overalls, squatted down and took a shit against the wall of the whitewashed cinder block building everyone was waiting for the bus leaning against, in line, patiently waiting.
For the next 40 years living in the City of Chicago, every time I went by the corner of Addison/Western, I would look at that little building and chuckle. We were 12 year boys. This was exactly in our humor wheel house, to use a baseball metaphor. We laughed for 2 straight hour’s home on the Green Limousine. We laughed about that being the best part of the day for entire friendship.
I would love to hear Frankie tell that story one more time.
I don't know exactly how this story ends. We got off at the corner of of 11400 S. 53 years later, I'd like to think we had a hug, a laugh, incredible time in our lives, really, what a day.
***********************************
2021... Even though we lost the opener, plenty of baseball left.
This is our year, fellas. If Tony don't screw it up...
*******************************
Beisball 2020*
Opening Day*
Pitchers and Catchers*
***********************************
***************************
No comments:
Post a Comment