| Letters and Diary Non-Fiction posted January 17, 2024 |
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Would you believe ...
Back in the Day
by Tom Horonzy
Once upon a time, many moons ago, I faced the challenge of being the only male in a family of six kids. What made it worse, I swear, is that God built me with a feminine gene, as I would easily pout and often scream, especially in the presence of spiders and squiggly things. I also opted for romance flicks rather than horror movies. The other possibility for being as I was might have been my indoctrination into a Ya-Ya sisterhood by my five Amazonian sisters.
It didn't help that I was the runt of the litter, likely caused by the scourageous plagues of the forties. I survived the onslaught of Whooping Cough and Scarlet Fever, which might have been the reason for my stunted growth. I'm sure the mumps and measles didn't help either.
I remained woefully scrawny and gravely disappointing for a He-man of a dad who was a pitching prospect for the Philadelphia A's, signed by Connie Mack. I suspect I fell short of meeting many paternal expectations.
For instance, my father would have to bait my hook when we went fishing until I was eleven years old, and about that time, while playing Little League, I would close my eyes when a pitch was thrown, hoping to be beamed so I could skip my way to first base in an un-Fonzie-like fashion. Very Uncool!
I also enjoyed playing Jacks and Canasta, skipping ropes, and wearing white buckskin shoes. Pat Boone was my idol.
Finally, things began to change when my older siblings married and moved away, and with them, the ordeal of having my hair curled. I also traded my previous likes for a B-B gun and a ten-speed Schwinn and swapped idols for a more masculine hero, John Wayne.
Flash Biography writing prompt entry
Once upon a time, many moons ago, I faced the challenge of being the only male in a family of six kids. What made it worse, I swear, is that God built me with a feminine gene, as I would easily pout and often scream, especially in the presence of spiders and squiggly things. I also opted for romance flicks rather than horror movies. The other possibility for being as I was might have been my indoctrination into a Ya-Ya sisterhood by my five Amazonian sisters.
It didn't help that I was the runt of the litter, likely caused by the scourageous plagues of the forties. I survived the onslaught of Whooping Cough and Scarlet Fever, which might have been the reason for my stunted growth. I'm sure the mumps and measles didn't help either.
I remained woefully scrawny and gravely disappointing for a He-man of a dad who was a pitching prospect for the Philadelphia A's, signed by Connie Mack. I suspect I fell short of meeting many paternal expectations.
For instance, my father would have to bait my hook when we went fishing until I was eleven years old, and about that time, while playing Little League, I would close my eyes when a pitch was thrown, hoping to be beamed so I could skip my way to first base in an un-Fonzie-like fashion. Very Uncool!
I also enjoyed playing Jacks and Canasta, skipping ropes, and wearing white buckskin shoes. Pat Boone was my idol.
Finally, things began to change when my older siblings married and moved away, and with them, the ordeal of having my hair curled. I also traded my previous likes for a B-B gun and a ten-speed Schwinn and swapped idols for a more masculine hero, John Wayne.
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Writing Prompt Write about something humorous that happened to you in your youth. Word limit: 1000 |
The memories of yesteryear are more pleasantly accepted than they actually were in the day. Bullying was ever present, though not to the degree of meanness of the present.
The photo, as usual, is my own.
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and 2 member cents. The photo, as usual, is my own.
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© Copyright 2024. Tom Horonzy All rights reserved.
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