Not all the adventures of my youth were violent confrontations. There were some humorous adventures. One in particular comes to mind.
I had just finished a major project for some people I had been working for, and gone home to get some notes so I could pick up some material for another job I was going to start the next day when the phone rang. It was one of my best friends, Terry.
"Gerald!" he cried, "Thank God you're home! We're down to the White's camp on the point. Come down and get us, quick! It's an emergency!"
"Sure!" I answered, "But what's wrong?"
"I can't explain on the phone," Terry answered, "the busy bodies may be listening. Get down here! Hurry up!"
I understood his concern, as of that time we had a party line and several people were known to listen to other people's calls. I often warned people to be cautious what they said on the phone.
I drove down to the Point. There was Terry's car off in the bushes. I drove on to the camp.
As soon as I got there the door opened and Terry and his girlfriend Sue came out, wrapped in blankets. They quickly climbed into the back of my car.
"Get to my house," Terry pleaded. "You've got to go in and get us some clothes! Tell my mother we got drenched or something."
I started driving and asked what had happened.
"We were making love," Terry explained, "in the back seat of my car. Somebody reached in the front window and took our clothes off the front seat...AND my car keys!"
I kept staring at Sue in the rear view mirror. Her expression was just indescribable, and I kept chuckling.
"It's not funny!" Sue finally managed.
"It doesn't seem like it now," I answered, "but in years to come you'll look back on it and have a good laugh."
We got to Terry's house and there were their clothes hung on the clothesline, Terry's shirt pinned to Sue's blouse, his pants to her skirt, his shorts to her panties and so forth. On the end of the line hung the car keys.
"Thank God!" Terry muttered. "Mother's down helping take care of Mrs. Higgins. Get her clothes! QUICK!"
I quickly gathered their things, drove to a secluded spot, and took a walk so they could get dressed. When they were done I drove them back to Terry's car, waited to make sure no other sabotage had been done, and headed off to continue my errands.
Terry went to find his brother, who, he was sure, was responsible for the incident. He and Sue got married a few months later. It was one of those marriages that had to be quickly arranged, if you get my meaning.
Terry and his brother never spoke, as far as I know, after that incident. Their families never got along. Every once and a while I'd see Sue over the years, and whenever I would I'd think of that incident, she'd know what I was thinking, and blush as red as a beet, and remark "I STILL don't think it was funny!"
I still think it was. I think it was one of the most humorous situations I ever got into!