One of our annual activities was shooting off fireworks around Christmas time. I learned boldness in igniting the fireworks from Raymond. He was brave enough to light a firecracker in his hand and throw it. I decided if Raymond could do it, I could do it. I don’t normally take the lead in getting into mischief, but I am a cooperative follower of the fellow who wants to bend the rules. I recall one year when the grownups decided I was old enough to walk to the movies at the theater in Hico. It was normally a pretty safe thing to do. I wasn’t a candidate for kidnapping. After all my last name wasn’t Vanderbilt.
For some reason Raymond wasn’t with us, but my cousin, Jean was allowed to go with me. Of course, I had to show off for Jean. I was lighting firecrackers and throwing them. All of a sudden one of the things went off in my hand. I couldn’t let Jean know how much pain I was in because I would be showing my weakness to a girl, but I think my hand hurt all evening. I never had much use for firecrackers after that, and I can’t tell you what the movie was about.
We had no television in those days, so we were collectors of comic books. I would trade with Raymond. I always looked forward to a visit to Hico because I knew I would get a bunch of them from him. To me, it always seemed that he had the real neat ones and I had the ones that were just so-so. I thought I got the best end of the trade. Of course, I probably had read mine over and over so many times that I was bored with them.
One year Raymond came to visit us. I’m not sure if he rode the bus or came on the train, but I’m pretty sure it was one or the other. I don’t think he rode in an automobile. We had to work in the field hoeing cotton every day, and it was some kind of hot. Can you imagine going into a classroom and showing a stalk of Johnson Grass at show and tell time. It made the days go a lot swifter for me because we talked a lot while we were fighting Johnson Grass.
Somehow, we conned my parents into making a daily trip to the Elmdale store. Actually it was something of a necessity,. We didn’t have a electricity, so we didn’t have a refrigerator, and if we wanted to keep things cold we had to buy ice. The stores sold a lot of ice in July and August.
Raymond and I had something else in mind when my parents asked, “What would you boys like us to bring from the store?” We were very specific about our order. We wanted an ice cold R C Cola. We liked R C’s because you got 12 full ounces. Coca-Cola shortchanged you by giving you only 7 ounces. Raymond showed me how to enhance the RC experience. For a nickel, you could buy a package of Tom’s peanuts, pour them into the R C, shake it up and let the fizz rise to the top and try to drink the whole mess. Oh, man was that ever good.
Raymond married Sherry Herod on July 21, 1956. I’ve known their son David for quite awhile. I also keep in touch with his daughter, Diana Cowen. His other sons are Terry and Lester. Unfortunately, I’m not up to date on all their spouses and children’s name. David’s wife is named Billie and Terry’s wife is Sheila. In 2010, we made a visit to Texas, and I visited Raymond three times – twice in the hospital at Hamilton. Raymond died shortly after we got back home. Sherry has gone the second and third mile in looking after members of the Lane family as they aged. She has a big heart and I appreciate the cohesiveness she brings to our family.
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