My brothers and I grew up as latch key kids.  We spent a lot of time alone at home as my parents both worked.  My Mom for the Baltimore City Police Department and my Dad as a Bowling Alley Manager at the largest Duckpin Bowling Alley on the East Coast.  This left us a lot of time to entertain ourselves.  It also set the stage for a lot of calamity, pain and suffering. 

One Saturday morning we decided to watch some old cowboy movies on the television.  This led to Pat, my older brother, suggesting we play “stuntmen.”  I should preface the story you are about to read by saying Pat is fearless!  There is nothing too tall, no feat too daring, no challenge too great for him.  Tommy and I on the other hand…not so much!

We decided to tie our belts to ropes and then tie those to the pony’s halter.  After running along with the ponies we would drop and let them drag us about the pasture.  This sounds like a good plan, right?  WRONG!  It was a great plan UNTIL…

Tommy’s belt broke and he was flung into a metal fence post and hit at the bottom of his neck, the 5th and 6th cervical vertebrae to be exact (I will let you know how I know that later in this story).  Tommy immediately started screaming and saying that he couldn’t walk.  Tommy also has a notorious history of faking.  So we ignored him as we assumed he was faking this time, too.  Pat and I decided to teach him a lesson and went into the house to finish watching the movie that started it all.

A while later I looked out into the pasture where we left Tommy laying and came back to tell Pat that Tommy had not moved.  Pat reminded me that Tommy was a faker and the minute we got outside he would say “got you!”  So we watched more of the movie with Tommy laying in the pony corral with the ponies running about. 

More time goes by and I look out again…”Pat, Tommy has not moved”…”you know he is a faker!”  This time though we decided we might want to be sure.  Outside we went and when we got there Tommy was crying and still saying he was unable to move.  We, after nudging him with our feet like you would an animal you thought might attack, then picked him up and carried him in the house.

Now we had to call Mom as Tommy was really hurt.  My Mom was a “hit first and clear it up later” kind of lady when she was really angry and surely this qualified as a definite “hit first” event.  So we got Tommy to agree to tell Mom a story that would not get us in trouble.  He was riding Tippy and he bucked him off and he hit the post.  Story straight… good… make the call…

Mom’s supervisor offered to send a medical chopper to pick up Tommy as we lived very far out from a hospital in the country.  Mom refused his offer as she let him know that Tommy was a bit of a faker and chances are it was not as bad as all of that.  We braced ourselves for her arrival.  We reminded Tommy of the story to tell and the consequences if he didn’t. 

Mom arrived and after assessing the situation we carried him out to Mom’s VW bug for the long ride to the hospital.  Pat and I stayed behind to wait for Dad to get home so we could ride to the hospital with him. 

When we arrived at the hospital we found out that Tommy had a fracture of the 5th and 6th cervical vertebrae and was to be in traction and in the hospital for 6 weeks.  Tommy lay all day every day with 2 large sand bags by the sides of his head totally flat and staring at the ceiling.  He could hear, but not watch the television in his room.  He was a trooper as it must have been really miserable for him. 

Tommy finally made it home with the neck brace he had to wear for another 3 months.  He was walking and moving around.  We even went ice skating once with him.  He made a full recovery and went on to play football in high school.

You are probably wondering if we ever told Mom the truth, aren’t you?  We did tell her, but it was 16 years later.  Passed the time she was able to correct us for it. 

I think that children have special angels that protect them from the stupidity of the games they play. 

May your neighbors respect you,
Troubles neglect you,
The angels protect you,
And Heaven accept you.

~Irish Blessing