That's the Way I was Born and Raised... Country!

      I'd pulled on long socks and tennis shoes and I was ready to go for our evening walk.  I was just about to go downstairs to round up my fellow walkers when my little brother came in and started talking about some basketball game he had just beaten my other younger (but older than him) brother at.  Somehow we trickled outside, though I don't quite remember how.  We started talking about starting up a game of basketball, or baseball, or perhaps some touch football.  Then it happened... my brother insulted me (and either this insult was unrepeatable or I forgot it... or both).  Well of course I couldn't stand for that.  He had already made it so terribly easy by beginning to flee my presence and I didn't even have to scare him into running from me.  So off we ran, both laughing a little to hard for it to be anywhere near serious.  The chase took a surprise turn when my brother dashed into the newly planted field that runs around our yard.  "Stop" is not in my vocabulary nor is "let the little brother win", so I kept right on, trying carefully not to step up on the little shoots of corn.  Of course I persevered and caught him in the end... after we had traversed half the width of the cornfield.  We plopped into the cornfield, gasping for breath.  We were just getting up and I was collaring my miscreant brother when my other younger brother (the one who was beaten at basketball) ran up.  Then I don't quite know how this happened either but we decided (we?) to keep on walking until we reached the country road that was on the other side of the field.  By then the sky had darkened considerably and the moon with the stars were affording us light.  By the time we had reached the "road", we were all far too hyper.  We skipped along it, taking off running every few minutes just for the fun of it.  When we reached the pond, which lay to the "road's" left, we tumbled down its banks on to the "beach".  My older younger brother and I managed to push my even younger brother into the actually wet muddy part of the "beach" but our conscience was being picky about letting us actually push him into the pond.  When we had tired ourselves of the pond we clambered back up to the road and continued on towards the actual highway.  Then our fun went to a higher level. As we neared the highway we threw up our arms and waved to every vehicle passing by, sometimes shouting something like "halloo".  Then the "road" took a turn so we were walking parallel to the highway.  We continued on with our waving and hallooing, laughing our heads off in-between. About then we heard our parents calling for us (I'd left my cellphone back at the house and we hadn't told anyone where we were going).  We figured they might be worried so decided it was time to head back.  My older younger brother promised a million dollars to whoever got home first, which neither my other brother or I took seriously, knowing exactly who would get that million dollars.  However, we took off running that final stretch: off the "road and onto our driveway and down our driveway.  When we finally got home we were sweaty and out of breath.  Our mouths were sore from laughing and we were ready to take a shower and drop into bed.  As I lay in my bed that night, I thought what a crazy experience that really was.  There we had been, in the dark, just running around and laughing out in the middle of a field, on the country road, and on the "beach" of a pond.  What can I say?  I'm a Kansan; I'm a country girl, and when I have a couple of my favorite brothers with me, well that was the logical course of action. :)

Lois Johnson, avid writer, tea drinker, and reader but first and foremost, avid Christian.