In 1962, my dad and a buddy from their military base at Twentynine Palms, were enjoying the live music of Leroy Van Dyke at a bar in San Bernardino, California. They ended up leaving with a gal my dad had been dancing with. On the way to her house, she informed him that she was presently going with the Vice President of the local chapter of a renowned motorcycle gang.
My dad's buddy dropped them off at her house and took off. The house door would only open a few inches before it hit something. The gal explained that it was her guy's motorcycle. My dad was not only full of regular courage, because he was one tough marine, but also had a bit of liquid courage on this night. So he pushed extra hard on the door and shot that motorcycle across the floor.
This ruckus brought out the irate motorcycle owner, who I shall further refer to as H.A. Somehow, my dad just ends up conversing with H.A. until he goes back to bed. My dad and his new gal friend stay up a bit later until my dad passes out.
The next morning, my dad was awakened by the sound of a motorcycle circling the house. During a brief conversation with a child who ends up kicking him in a painful area, the sound of the motorcycle fades as H.A. presumably rides off to gather more members of his gang. Thankfully, my dad's buddy shows up at this time and gets my dad out of there.
A week or two later, as my dad was walking down a San Bernardino street, the gal hollers to my dad from a parked car. He could see she had a broken arm and had been badly beaten. She warns him to steer clear for a while.
Sometime after this my dad takes her away for a day in the hills.
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I wanted to share one of the many wild events of my dad's life as mine seems so sedate in comparison. I confessed to him though that I am quite happy with my "boring" life, as I'm certainly not as tough or lucky to survive all he has.
Lastly, here are some tidbits about me...
I have great love and fierce loyalty to 8 people. These would be the members of my immediate family.
I increasingly enjoy the rich culture of the South, but am thankful for the Midwest upbringing I received in rural Iowa.
My favorite band is The Avett Brothers.
My favorite nonprofit is Children's Cup.
Shannon
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
[email protected]