My Cousin Paul...

Parker and Paul

I think I posted about my cousin Paul before.. maybe last year.
Paul and I were childhood buddies...I am one and half months older

than Paul. We palled around together, from the get go, to the time

his family left and went to San Diego. He was about 12, when they moved.

I think.

What I think I posted on was how I remember the two of us,
in two of dad's old, old cars. They sat side by side, looking
out towards the field. There wasn't any wheels on these cars

and no front seat. May have had a back seat. We were about 5.

And we would stand at those wheels, hanging on to them, turning

them left and right, with noises coming from us, as we raced across

that field in our minds. Parker, Paul's kid brother, who was 2 years

younger than us, would be roaming around in the back in
the car Paul was in. I don't know who we decided won each of those
races, or maybe there wasn't any winners, but just us racing
side by side across the field in our minds.

Our families would go to the beach from time to time
together. Sometimes for the whole day, and Aunt Harriet and my dad, would have
clam bakes. Some times Uncle Tiny was there, some times he was out on
the ship, as he was in the Navy and it was the 1940's. The folks would purse

fish. Meaning taking a net, hold one end on the beach, and someone would

row the skiff, out and around in a horseshoe design, and then when the ones

in the boat got back to the shore, the two ends would start pulling in the net.

Some times it would be us kids, some times it would be adults who were walking

on the beach. When the net was fully in on the beach, and we were lucky, we

would have lots of fish. Striped bass, blue fish and etc. Also puffer fish. Paul and

I would grab a puffer fish and terrorize our little brothers by chasing them. The

puffer fish had like little spikes sticking out on them.

One time all of us were there.
Uncle Tiny, Aunt Harriet and Mom and Dad.... when we heard a
yell from the boat that Paul was in with his brother Parker, and my
brother Roy. Seems Roy jumped out of the boat thinking he could stand up
in the water. He was way over his head. And right behind him, went Paul as
he realized Roy was in trouble. He got ahold of Roy and swam back to the
boat, holding Roy. He hung on to the boat until my dad reached it.

From that day on, Paul was our families hero. He was almost about 10 or 11.

About a year later, Paul was playing in a tree with Parker,
and he fell out head first. It did brain damage and Paul suffered from epilepsies
after that. While Paul had some problems, he never let it get to him. He faced
life with humor.And he had job for a company for over 20 years. He married late in life.

About 4 years ago, Parker and his wife Karyn, with some of
their family and Paul and Wanda, went back to R.I. And my brother Roy

got to thank Paul once again, as he had not seen him for over 40 years.

Paul was one of the kindest of men, so gentle, and had a
wonderful hearty laugh. He and Wanda traveled alot, went hiking and camping. He
loved her so, and she loved him so very much.
Rest in Peace, sweet Prince of a man... we will all miss you
so very much. Tell our Mom's and Dad's hi from the rest of us.

Until we met again, keep the cars ready for me..