Donovan The Great

1

As far back as I can remember, the majority of my child hood had revolved around the summer, where I had to complete one big task in order for my mother to allow me to be enrolled in school once summer came to an end. If I remember correctly, the summer of 1934(or of 1935, my memory is failing me) I had decided that my big project would be a tire swing. 

At the time, a tire swing was an incredibly big deal, as Summer's Field had no play equipment of any kind. The only recreational activities the county had were swimming in the near by creek and playing tag or any sort of parody of tag with the local kids. If I'm remembering correctly, the only other person with a tire swing was Mr. Jenkins, and anyone that went into his junkyard barely made it out alive. A bunch of kids had come up with the idea that Mr. Jenkins had made a tire swing in his junk yard as bait for kids (because he obviously ate kids). One of the older kids, Radley, and a bunch of his friends went in to his junk yard and came out with faces as pale as the moon. They didn't leave their houses for a whole week, and when they finally came out, they didn't say a word.

The first couple of days consisted of me forming the master plan. No great idea could ever be laid out successfully if no master plan was involved. 

The master plan involved me and my dear friend Walter going around to specific locations with all the money we could spare and asking if they had a tire. The most common answer we received was no, as no one in the county was wealthy enough to own an automobile. In fact, most of the people in the county didn't know where their next meal was coming from, but that wasn't any of my business.

I knew Walter was one of the less fortunate from the first time I saw him, but that didn't bother me at all. I believe that it is rude to judge someone by whether or not they get to have breakfast.

At the end of the first day, Walter and I had already formed a list of the locations we would go to. "Mary's Pawn Shop, Ritchie's, The Moonlight Cafe, and the Town Hall," I had declared to Walter on the afternoon of the first day.

"Okay, those sound good and I can try and rummage around the woods for some, but only if you need me to," Walter said. 

"Only if you need me to" was one of the phrases of Walter's language. It translated to "I probably can't cause Dad might get mad and start hurtin' me or Mom".

Even though I knew that Walter could only contribute as little as possible, I still smiled politely and said thank you. Because I was grateful. I really was. Having a friend like Walter was enough for me. It mattered more than anything in the whole universe.

The next day, Walter came over around lunchtime and joined me for sandwiches under the shade of the very tree the tire swing would hang. He ran over and shared with me some lettuce from his dad's farm. There was always a faint taste of dirt in the food he brought over, but I didn't mind.

"Look what I  found," Walter said. He reached into his pocket and pulled out two silver nickels.

"No way!" I said excitedly. The only time I had ever seen a nickel was when my mom won a minor prize in the lottery. "This is amazing, Walter! Where did you get these?" I asked.

"I found 'em. I found 'em by the river," Walter said. I later found out that Walter stole those from his dad's workshop, a task that amazed me. Stealing from your parents is horrible, but when Walter did it, it was something that required extreme bravery. If I could've, I would've given a medal to the him. 

"Walter, I'm impressed! This is incredible!" I said.

Walter blushed. He wasn't used to receiving praise. "T-thank y-you," Walter said. His stutter only came out when he was experiencing a mass amount of one feeling. I guessed pride, but it might've been happiness. Walter, at times, was incredibly hard to read.

I looked up at the sun and back down at one of the trees. It was a little over 12:13. Probably 12:15.

I stood up. " Come on, Walter," I said. "It's time we begin our journey."

Walter smiled. He liked it when I used big words like "journey"(even though  it wasn't that big. Walter's vocabulary was incredibly limited). "I'm coming," Walter said.

I was already down the pathway, when Walter came up quickly behind me. He pushed me around, and I laughed. I did the same to him, and he laughed. This went on for a while, and in those moments, I was without a care in the world. 

I wish I could've stayed like that forever.