THINKING BACK---OLD BOYFRIENDS

Have you ever been in the middle of a conversation, and something just pops out of your mouth, and you have NO idea where it came from?

Driving North on I-5 yesterday, I thought back to the words that surprised me during a conversation with a bank teller the day before. While she punched in the numbers for my
deposit, we casually discussed the weather, more specificially the "Junuary" cold and rainy days we've been having of late. She said something like, "well, we have to make the best of it, and go ahead and have some fun".

I agreed, and then at that point these unexpected words came out of my mouth: "Hot Damn, Get It On", followed by a full explanation (seemingly necessary at the time) that this was a favorite exclamation of an OLD boyfriend of mine, a great big former Oklahoma Sooner Football player, by the name of Ward Ragsdale. I also informed her that he looked exactly like Dennis Weaver, the actor who played Chester on Gunsmoke, and later starred as TV's McCloud, a Texas cowboy in New York. Not unlike Ward himself, country boy in the city.

But Ward...He was an Okie who did well in the insurance business; he was the ultimate salesman--he inspired trust early on--and then eventually lost it all, thanks to the bottle. He was self-educated, street smart, called everyone "honey" with that ol' country accent, and at one time (unplanned, of course) we drove twin Thunderbirds. His was silver, mine was yellow. He did not suffer fools, and when he was done with someone he was done.

You never had an argument with Ward. He would just up and leave. No discussion. The next time you saw him, it would be as though nothing happened. No recriminations, no sorting out. Over.

His failed marriage and subsequent lack of family and roots probably left him too much drinking time, and he spiralled down and then out as he tried to stop a thief in a 7-11 store one night, and hit his head on a steel shelf.

Ever so often someone from the "old days" will bring up Ward's name, but there are also times, when--unbidden-- he pops up out of my subconscious too. Like while doing business at the bank.