RE: embarassment-paybacks

[Guest guest]

Jim. Thanks for the delightful anecdote!!!! I bet most of us have

found ourselves in a somewhat similar situation over the years. Wow!

I wonder how many folks here at know what " WPA " means!!!!!

Sheesh, I CAN'T be that old! By the way, my brother and I were

both " Polio Pioneers " here on Long Island (NY) in the early 50's.

Thanks again and all the best,

BobD

> Hi Group: This is sort of topical!

> I was a wee lad in a small town in West Central Ohio

> in the 50's. The polio epidemics had been particular

> hard on our community and a girl a couple of grades

> ahead of me had contracted it, changing her life

> forever.

> We rode the same school bus, were friendly and often

> spoke but were ideological opposites. She

> understandably had a hard time ambulating on snow and

> ice and would fall on occasion. Of course several of

> us strapping lads would offer to help out of the

> kindness of our hearts (having absolutely nothing to

> do with the fact that she was built like a " WPA

> outhouse " ). This " help " was usually accepted

> graciously and we would try to downplay the whole

> thing by saying something smart like " gosh Ann, is it

> slick " .

> Well we all grew up, or at least some of us did, and

> she went to college in Kansas and married, had a pile

> of kids. I had done a stint in the Army, and went home

> to live and work.

> About 15 years ago, on a cold winter day after work I

> was enjoying a cup of coffee in the local cafe and

> gossip parlor and decided to buy a newspaper from a

> machine outside.

> I have always walked with a certain deliberation and

> that particular day the sidewalk was a glare of ice, I

> slipped, tried to correct, turned an ankle and fell or

> slid under a big Detroit made station wagon parked at

> the curb.

> As I'm taking inventory, I can feel the car jiggling

> and hear a window roll down on the passenger side. A

> voice says " Jim, is that you? " I answered " I'm not

> sure. " The voice once again " Jim are you OK? " " Yeah I

> think " was my answer. I looked up just in time to see

> Ann, her head out of the window with a look of relief.

> Next, she grinned, and asked " Gosh Jim, is it slick or

> what? " After all those years!

> Ann has since moved to a warmer state as Post-polio

> symptoms have wrecked havoc with her mobility, and I

> will be paying for my transgressions again this winter

> as soon as it snows.

> The story you have read is true although names may

> have been changed to further indict the guilty.

> Watch out for that ice!

> Jim Nash

>

>

> __________________________________________________

>

[Guest guest]

Hi Jim! I live in Central Ohio and that ice can be deadly! Glad I'm not the

only one who has trouble with ice! Thanks for the post- it made me smile!

P

-----Original Message-----

From: jim nash [mailto:jimnas2000@...]

Sent: Wednesday, December 05, 2001 6:15 PM

Subject: [] embarassment-paybacks

Hi Group: This is sort of topical!

I was a wee lad in a small town in West Central Ohio

in the 50's. The polio epidemics had been particular

hard on our community and a girl a couple of grades

ahead of me had contracted it, changing her life

forever.

We rode the same school bus, were friendly and often

spoke but were ideological opposites. She

understandably had a hard time ambulating on snow and

ice and would fall on occasion. Of course several of

us strapping lads would offer to help out of the

kindness of our hearts (having absolutely nothing to

do with the fact that she was built like a " WPA

outhouse " ). This " help " was usually accepted

graciously and we would try to downplay the whole

thing by saying something smart like " gosh Ann, is it

slick " .

Well we all grew up, or at least some of us did, and

she went to college in Kansas and married, had a pile

of kids. I had done a stint in the Army, and went home

to live and work.

About 15 years ago, on a cold winter day after work I

was enjoying a cup of coffee in the local cafe and

gossip parlor and decided to buy a newspaper from a

machine outside.

I have always walked with a certain deliberation and

that particular day the sidewalk was a glare of ice, I

slipped, tried to correct, turned an ankle and fell or

slid under a big Detroit made station wagon parked at

the curb.

As I'm taking inventory, I can feel the car jiggling

and hear a window roll down on the passenger side. A

voice says " Jim, is that you? " I answered " I'm not

sure. " The voice once again " Jim are you OK? " " Yeah I

think " was my answer. I looked up just in time to see

Ann, her head out of the window with a look of relief.

Next, she grinned, and asked " Gosh Jim, is it slick or

what? " After all those years!

Ann has since moved to a warmer state as Post-polio

symptoms have wrecked havoc with her mobility, and I

will be paying for my transgressions again this winter

as soon as it snows.

The story you have read is true although names may

have been changed to further indict the guilty.

Watch out for that ice!

Jim Nash

__________________________________________________