Should have died in Dugger, Indiana - Fate Fairies - book version
This entry was posted on 11/1/2011 2:00 AM and is filed under Fate Fairies:Fate Fairies - book version.
In the course of my Advanced Training after Basic Training, I got to know a fellow named Chuck from Indiana. We had a few commonalities. We were about the same age; we had both played high school football; and, we both hailed from rural small towns. Chuck probably struck up a conversation about some college athletic t-shirts I would sometimes wear with the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater logos. Hence the football connection. Chuck often talked about winning some Indiana statewide football award.
It was nice to have a little longer leash in Advanced Training and we were afforded a three-day weekend. Chuck had sprung up a connection with a guy who had his personal vehicle with him during training. The guy lived somewhere east of Chuck in Indiana. As GIs will do, we took the time off to head somewhere far away from our Army base.
Chuck grew up just south of Terre Haute in a small town called Dugger, a jaunt of about 350 miles from Fort Leonard Wood. His mom still lived there in the same house Chuck was raised in. So we loaded up and headed off to the land of the Hoosiers.
I remember our chauffeur guy had some kind of old beat up car. And I can still see it leaning a bit to the passenger side; the muffler was of course loud; and, the seats were replete with holes and tears. And of course, he drove like a madman, chain smoking and drinking beer the whole trip.
Dugger had one pool hall which was the sole center of entertainment in the town. So after a nice dinner that Chuck's mom prepared for us we met up with one of Chuck's old high school pals to take a ride around. The pal named Jim would have the hopped-up car, and girls were guaranteed to be in tow.
It was clear, Diver Jim's dad had bought him the car. As I remember it was a newer Road Runner. And, he drove like a maniac doing television cop show spins and turns on the challenging Indiana rural roads. The three girls were incredulous as they giggled and drank our beer, and as I remember a bit chunky, but girls were girls. Of course extra beer was on board.
After about what seemed like an hour of beating the car to death the night took the expected bad turn - I by the way found the driving performance wasteful as I had driven a third-hand Ford Fairlane in high school and tried to treat it with respect.
Of course the cop lights popped on behind us. I believe at the time Indiana was one of those few states that never lowered their drinking age to 18 years old and it remained at 21. I am not sure if they were one of those states that had a beer exception to the age limit, but none-the-less, I had just turned 19. As I remember Chuck was 20. And neither of us were driving the car of course. But things deteriorated rapidly anyway. The County Cop hollered at the Driver Jim like he knew him, "Damn it Jim, I got complaints about a hot rod driver that span half the county. And you should know better too Charles."
Then said cop looked at me and just shook his head. He made Driver Jim follow him to the village. As soon as we parked at the police station, one of Chuck's local friends came out of the pool hall and pounded on the cop car hood. "Where are you taking my buddy Chuck," the local friend howled. The cop chased him off with easy dispatch.
"Ol' Billy was in 'Nam," Chuck said to me under his breath. "He gets a little excited sometimes."
The girls as it turned out were only 17. A parent of some sort came to get them. Then Driver Jim's mom and dad arrived to take him home as it turned out he was only 18. And what would be done with poor Bob and Chuck?
Ol' Army buddies Bob and Chuck would spend the night in a jail that looked right out of the set of Andy Griffith's Mayberry. It seems the only ones charged in the romp were..., us two mooks. My colleague and I were binged for "contributing to underage drinking." I don't recall being scolded for drinking on our own accord, but their seemed to be much angst about us "contributing" to the delinquency of Indiana's honorable young women. I remember a roll and some coffee being served up the next morning.
Sunday morning the Justice of the Peace was woke up just for our hearing. She had to have been not a day over 80 and "Her Honor" still had her house coat draped over her shoulders. "Got anything to say for yourselves before I pass sentence boys?" she asked.
"We need to be back to Fort Leonard Wood by tomorrow morning, ma'am," I remember blurting out.
"We'll get you back to your duties, boys. Charles, your fine is 41 Dollars and 58 Cents. Mr. Keith, your fine is 33 Dollars and 17 Cents. Court adjourned."
Why the odd fine amounts you ask? It is all the money each of us had on our person.
Note: This blog "Fate Fairies" - book version Category is a work in progress. The original vignettes are being edited for book form. Go to the Cooldadiomedia Web site and the Fate Fairies Page for an ordered chronology of the book vignettes (chapters).
