Now you all know that any trouble I got into would not be my fault and that is the way it was with Criag. He may not know that he is the problem but here goes. First I want you to know that I do not endorse this type of activity and am not proud of it but it might bring back a few memories and solidify myself as a true beneficiary of the mystique of the SLAB.
For many of you mentioning the slab is enough to tell you what this is about and for others you are thinking Marble Slab and ice cream. The slab is a large section of concrete left by the oil companies where many a person spent many a night talking to friends and living out of the trunk of a car.
But before I go on I need to tell you a little about my experiences growing up. Number one, I was not a party-er (that means person who drank and partied a lot). In fact I was not inclined to drink a few beers as was the reputation of a lot of folks. It was not that I objected to it but that I was a tight wad (meaning I saved my money for other things). In fact I remember thinking that if I did not drink a beer I would save 35 cents and if I did not drink a Pepsi I would save 15 cents and that if I saved that much money each day I would have about another $10 per month to spend on something significant. In fact I use to calculate how much it would cost to purchase another cow or ewe and how much money I would have to save each month to do that. Yes, at an early age I use to figure that if I had a cow which had a calf each year and sold that calf I could make a lot of money and pay for college and most of all not have to be a HONEY DIPPER or DITCH DIGGER. This is probably consistent with many of my stories and a problem still today, if it is a problem. Now before I go on I will tell you one last thing and that is I did save enough money to go to college and in fact when I was a junior in college I had 26 cows which I sold that year as that was the year mom and dad moved to Perkins. It did break my heart to have them move even though I was gone from home by then. I loved the Osage and still do, obviously.
Ok, the reason I told you all that is I had a little too much pride at the time and maybe God was getting ready to teach me a lesson, which he did, several in fact. Well up until this time, I was a senior in high school, I had barely tasted a beer except for one time with Boog Williams, Kenny Kelsey, Don Kelsey and there was someone else, but I don't remember who, at the Copan lake while we worked for E.C. Mullendor (another story). Anyway I had broken up with my girl friend and was a little bit in a pity party. As another side, isn't it amazing how something so small can seem so big at the time? As I look back the best thing that ever happened was getting rid of that girl friend. Back to Craig, the cause of my problem, as I was feeling sorry for myself I ran into Craig at the slab one Saturday night and we started talking. As the evening progressed I was drinking and Craig introduced me to Everclear. Now for all of my fellow Baptist that is some pretty mean stuff and I had no idea! We sat there and mixed it with whatever (a noun) and drank and talked and drank and talked until I am not sure we could either talk.
There are a few things you should never do and one of them is drink excessively and the other is NEVER drive when drinking or drink then drive. Did I mentioned God teaching me a few things? I did drive that night and the only thing I remember after talking and drinking with Craig, who caused this problem, just kidding of course, was a red light shining in my rear view mirror. I do want to comment that YOU are responsible for your bad decisions NOT anyone else and You should pay the consequences for your action NOT someone else. I remember falling asleep several times while that officer (not Charlie Doty but some new guy who was a little high on himself as well) was talking to me. Should I mention one thing I love about growing up in a small town is that when Charlie Doty got on your case he did not take folks to jail but he would call your dad or mom and you would be punished by your parents. That was because he knew that your parents would not Question Authority but execute quickly with rapid consequences for your bad behavior and there were no excuses for your bad behavior. Your parents ASSUMED your were guilty NO MATTER what you said. Back to the story, I got hauled off to the pokie (the jail) in Fairfax.
So what does one learn in the Osage?
- You are responsible for your actions (pretty obvious)
- Drinking and driving is stupid (obvious)
- Family and friends are more important than passing relationships
- Forgiving people for their mistakes is paramount to finding the good in people
- Everyone can overcome their mistakes, it is only a decision away
Thanks for your time,
gary@thepioneerman.com
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