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Robert DavisWhen I was a teenager, the Davis's moved next door to us in Latex. That was the only time that we had a neighbor who had a boy exactly my age and especially one that I liked. There were as many Davis kids as there was LaGrone kids which meant there was a bunch of kids on our end of the row of company houses. Robert wasn’t into as many things athletically as I was but he liked to hunt and fish and when we were not having to work we spent a lot of time together roaming around in the woods with 22 rifles. One time we walked up to a little slough by Little Creek, about a mile from the house. The weather had been dry and there wasn’t much water in the slough. I have never seen so many snakes in one place as there was in that little bit of water. I suppose low water concentrated both the snakes and their food supply. Robert and I stood on the bank and shot snakes until the water was bloody. |
| One summer
night we hitch hiked the five miles to DeBerry to watch a softball tournament.
We had to take Robert's little brother Ted along. Ted was the same age
as my sister Letha. We caught a ride back and got out where the stile
was over the south end of the plant yard fence. The farm across the
road from the plant had some corn and peanuts and watermelon. Robert
and I decided we wanted a watermelon before we went home.
We told Ted to stay put and that we would be right back. We went down a corn row out of sight of the house to the edge of the watermelon patch then out to select a melon. About the time we picked up the melons a gruff voice said, “what are you boys doing?” Well, we pulled a run away until we heard the laughter. Ted had followed us and the voice was him. Since it was Robert’s brother, he is the one who got to thump him good. I guess this was about the time we were 16 for I can remember we had both discovered there was a little more to girls than brat sisters. Most of the time boys we were around lied about their conquest so you never admitted how dumb you were. Robert and I could talk to each other. Funny the things one remembers, but I remember telling Robert how I felt the first time I really kissed a girl. (I remember who but I won’t tell You). Robert and Ted both died relatively young from cancer.
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Hats Off! to Wetzel LaGrone for his story.