My next memory is the day we got into a bit of trouble at the Bethesda Navel Hospital. In the mid 50's the hospital had a huge fence all around the grounds. There were big trees on the grounds plus beautiful flower gardens and other things that would entice a couple of 9 years old's to investigate. You have to remember that everything a 9 year old does is an adventure. I loved to climb trees and look down on the world below me...back then, I was fearless....today not so much. The irony is that today I suffer from vertigo and really don't like climbing steep stairs, let alone a tall tree!! Well, my friend Stephen and I decided one day that we wanted to climb the trees that were behind the big fence at the hospital. You remember Stephen...he was the son of the Swedish Ambassador who lived right across the street from me and was my best friend! We rode our bikes over to the back of the hospital (it wasn't very far from where we lived) and tried to find a way in. There were "NO TRESPASSING" signs all over the place but you know kids.....A "NO TRESPASSING" sign means nothing and really, we looked at it as a challenge! We couldn't find an easy way in so we decided to climb the fence. To us as kids, the fence looked 50 feet high but I'm sure it was only 6 or 8 feet high. We climbed over the fence and made a mad dash to the large grove of trees. We climbed the trees and were having a great time until a military jeep pulled up and two MP's hopped out and started yelling at us to climb out of the tree. Once we were down, they put us in the back of the jeep and started to ask us questions. We told them our names and where we lived and why we climbed the fence but I think they wanted to scare us so we would not do that again. They decided to drive us back to our houses to tell our parents what we did and to make sure we never did it again. They drove around, picked up our bikes and off we went to face the end of the world. I remember Stephen telling them that he was the son of the Swedish Ambassador and that he had Diplomatic Immunity....first the MP's did not believe him but by the time they got us to our houses, they had changed there minds and took great delight in scaring the bejesus out of us. Today, it's so funny to remember Stephen telling these guys that he had Diplomatic Immunity...you don't hear that everyday coming out of a 9 year old's mouth. When we got home, one MP took Stephen up to his house and the other took me home. When the front door opened, who was standing there but America. The MP explained our transgression and said to her to make sure it never happened again. She thanked the guy and told him that he was never going to see me at that hospital EVER and I guess with that statement and the look on her face, he figured I was going to get what I deserved (and yes, I did!!).
The next bit of trouble we got into was at the Columbia Country Club. Our neighborhood backed up to the country club so we played there all the time. We would go looking for lost golf balls because the pro shop at the country club would buy used golf balls from us to resell as practice balls to its members. I think they paid a dime or quarter for each ball we found. Stephen and I decided that searching for lost golf balls took to much time so what we decided to do was hide behind the trees and bushes and when a golfer hit his ball, we would run out and grab it and go back into hiding until the next player came along. This plan worked perfectly until a caddy saw us doing this, grabbed us and turned us in. Yes, we were caught..taken to the pro shop office and the police were called. Once again, the authorities wanted to put the fear of God into us but this time they called our parents and made one of them come and pick us up. I saw my mom's car pull up and I knew I was in deep poo poo because America was with her. My mom came into the shop....got lectured to and then was able to leave with me in tow. Yes, she was really pissed off at me but I think she was more embarrassed because my Dad belonged to that club. When I got home, it was up to America to punish me and that's exactly what she did. As for Stephen....Diplomatic Immunity didn't help him either!!
The final memory was when Stephen and I headed to Rock Creek Park to play. Rock Creek Park was just across the highway from our neighborhood and we played there all the time. One day, while playing there...we started to tease a small pack of dogs....not a good idea. After teasing them for awhile...we walked up to try to play with them and we both got bitten. A park ranger saw what happened, ran over to us...scared the dogs away and proceeded to take us back to his truck. He got his first aid kit out and started to bandage us up.When he finished, he took us back to the patrol station and once again, called our parents. My mom showed up, this time without America (she always showed up and she ended up taking Stephen home most of the time because every time Stephen got into trouble...there was the potential for an International incident). The ranger kept telling us that we were going to have to go to the emergency room to get rabies shots and told us how bad they were going to be and how painful they were...again...here was another official in a uniform trying to scare us. Well, we didn't end up going to the emergency room, we didn't get the painful shots and this time we really didn't get into any trouble....it was a good day all around...and yes, we didn't catch rabies!!
That's going to be all from Chevy Chase Maryland. My dad was soon going to be transferred to Wilmington Delaware where my real adventure will start.
What happened to America you ask.....well, according to my sister and a story I did not know...when America heard that Dad was going to move to Wilmington....America wanted to go with us. I guess her husband refused, so she told my Mom that she would divorce George if she had to, just to stay with our family. I guess my Mom and Dad really took care of her and George and America was really now part of the family. In the end, America did not go with us to Wilmington. I wish I knew what happened to her and her husband....they were such a big part of my life!!
Now, it's on to Wilmington Delaware...where the DuPonts, High School, Sports, my first real girlfriend, the Catholic religion...and lots of other things were about to take my life in a different direction!!
No comments:
Post a Comment