Stories From Under A Bootheel (Rants, Laughs, and Tears)

Chapter 3 My Friend Eddie Part 1. The Problem Child

"Did you hear what that boy did? He set the bleachers on fire!" I was about nine years old and listening to one of my father's two older sisters (not the Latin teacher, but the mother of the future gynecologist) telling my mother about Eddie's latest escapade. I had not met Eddie yet, but in a town as small as ours, everyone had at least heard of the problem child.

"Eddie's okay, you just have to keep an eye on him," my father chuckled. He had met Eddie when he was supervising a construction project not far from Eddie's house. My dad's workers complained this kid was getting in their way. My dad was friends with Eddie's dad so he took Eddie under his wing and kept him out of trouble until that project was finished. Despite what everyone else said about Eddie, my dad assured me he was a good kid. It did not surprise me that it turned out as usual, my dad was right and everyone else in town was wrong.

Without exception, Eddie was the most interesting person I have ever known. It is he on whom I based my character Roger "the dodger" in my Sharing Afflictions trilogy. The character Roger may have seemed laid-back, lawless, and life-loving, but Eddie was actually much more so.

Eddie was dyslexic so school was very challenging for him even though he was very intelligent. Unable to keep up with what was going on in school, Eddie found clever ways to entertain himself that his teachers did not always appreciate. The public-school system wrote Eddie off as a "problem child." Eddie's parents were wealthy (His dad owned the concrete plant in town.) They took him to a psychiatrist who discovered Eddie's dyslexia. The local school system had no understanding of – or desire to deal with this problem. Eddie's parents pulled him out of the public-school system and sent him to a private school.

I might never have met Eddie if we had not ended up in the same Boy Scout troop. We became friends almost immediately. Possibly, because we were both outcasts in a way. We certainly didn't fit the mold of exemplary Boy Scouts. Neither of us were very outdoorsy, or athletic, or into crafts, or achievement oriented or had much respect for authority. We both were disappointed at how humorless, dull and unimaginative our contemporaries were.

Eddie was responsible for getting me elected Senior Patrol Leader of our troop. It was a rather large troop with four patrols with seven to eight Scouts in each patrol. Two of the top goody-two-shoes Scouts had been nominated for the post of Senior Patrol Leader when (I guess as a joke) Eddie nominated me for the position. I had neither the desire or expectation of winning.

The three candidates were sent out of the room while the vote was held. When we returned, myself, as well as all of the Scout Leaders and both the other candidates were equally surprised by the outcome. Apparently, Eddie convinced the majority of Scouts to vote for me. I have no idea why. Probably because most guys really don't like goody two shoes. Or possibly, they figured trouble makers make everyone else look better and make life more interesting.

In this regard, Eddie and I did not disappoint. We were tentmates on campouts which definitely had its advantages. Eddie would smuggle in steaks and baked potatoes when everyone else had hot dogs and chips. We always found short cuts on hikes and for all other scouting endeavors. Anything we could do to make the exemplary Scouts look foolish we did.

Eddie and I often slept in long after reveille. Once the troop bugler decided to wake us by trying to blow reveille with the bell of his horn pressed firmly against the side of our tent, I reflexively struck out at the noise, which busted his lip. It was an accident, but he deserved it and no one ever tried to mess with us again.

Despite our antics, we both managed to not get kicked out. My scouting career would not have been the same without Eddie. For me, the "Problem Child" was no problem at all.