One Hot Night in July

I know I spoken briefly in the past about my accident some 40 years ago. Today I was facebooking a person from my old neighborhood, who is a bit younger than myself. I was intrigued to read her thoughts on my accident.

It had been a hot July morning and afternoon. As spent the morning across town mowing the lawn for Mr. Svenson. I was 15 and for the most part the only jobs I ever had were traditional lawn mowing jobs. Earlier that so I close friend, Charlie A. Had gotten on a local Kentucky Fried Chicken and had used his influence to get me working there as well. In fact, I have worked my first shift Friday night and I just changed from my cutoffs T-shirt to my whites, whites for cooking fried chicken. Like to call my “hospital whites”.

The summer had been typical for Boise Idaho: after a short wet spring hot weather moved in stayed. That summer I got to know Charles A much better, sleeping over at his house, actually his treehouse to three nights a week or as many nights as I could get away with, I still lived on the farm and had my host of chores and other jobs. Charlie, could be all serious, but he got me the job at KFC and I felt I was on my way.

That hot summer afternoon I rushed home from a long job on my brothers 80 CC Yamaha motorcycle. My older brother was out of the state spent in the summer my even older brother in North Carolina. I had a small 55 CC Yamaha was just not as much fun as my brothers 80. My brother of course had taken the key to the motorcycle with him, but I figured out how to turn the ignition with a metal fingernail file. At home I changed into my whites. Of interest, I love to mow in my bare feet therefore my feet were green as green as the Hulk's but I did not think much about agreeing feet as I headed off to work. 4 miles in about 15 min. later I was struck by a vehicle breaking my neck and change my life. I did not make my shift that night, my second night on the job as the new fry cook at the local KFC.

What's interesting is I found the friend I was I was writing on Facebook sister actually worked at the KFC. She knew me and knew I was starting I really didn't know her. She was significantly older than me. She says she was devastated at my accident. You know I've always thought about the accident in terms of how it affected my life, very rarely have I thought of how my accident affected others. In this case KFC was short one fry cook that long hot night in July.