SEE YA LATER, SAM....

NOW, THESE WERE THE EXACT WORDS OF ONE PHILIP OEHLER WHO LIVED ACROSS THE STREET FROM ME.  HE WAS ONE OF THE NEATEST FRIENDS I EVER HAD.  HIS HOME ON CORNER SPANNED TWO LOTS.  HE AND I HIT IT OFF FROM DAY ONE. BLOND, A LITTLE HEAVY SET,  CREW CUT....HIS FACE WAS ALWAYS FILLED WITH FUN....KIND...GENTLE...HE IS THE ONLY PERSON I MADE TO FALL DOWN WITH LAUGHTER.  WE CROSSING ROSEMARY AND GOING TO HIS HOUSE.  I HAD KNOCKED OUT ME TWO FRONT TEETH IN A BIKE ACCIDENT YEARS EARLIER, AND I HAD A REMOVABLE PARTIAL TO REPLACE TEETH. ANYWAY, IN MY SPARE TIME, I LEARNED TO USE MY TONGUE TO REMOVE PARTIAL AND TURN IT END TO END AND REPLACE IT...ALL IN MY MOUTH.  I DID THIS AS WE CROSSED STREET AND I STUCK THE TEETH OUT OF MOUTH AND GAVE PHIL A SILLY SMILE.  HIS LEGS WENT OUT FROM UNDER HIM AND HE COLLAPSED IN LAUGHTER.  THE SUMMER OF 52 GAVE US TIME TO INVENT GAMES.  THE FAMILY NEXT DOOR TO THE SOUTH INCLUDED TWO GIRLS.  OUR STREET WAS ON A GRADE GOING UP  AS YOU WENT NORTH.  IT KEPT GOING UP ONA GENTLE SLOPE  UNTIL IT REACHED THE SAN GABRIEL MTNS.  PHIL AND I DECIDED TO LAUNCH AN ATTACK ON THE BRANN FAMILY NEXT DOOR.  FORMIDIBLE WEAPONS....PEA SHOOTERS AND PEAS.  WE PUNCHED A LITTLE HOLE IN MY PARENT'S  SCREEN OUTSIDE OUR DINING ROOM AND PROCEEDED TO BOMBARD THE BRANN HOUSE WITH SALVO AFTER SALVO... WE RAN OUT OF PEAS AND THE BRANNS LAWNS LOOKED WHITE AS SNOW....THEN...DAD CAME HOME.  NOT PLEASED AFTER A HARD DAY'S WORK.  HE SCOLDED ME AND TOLD ME TO PICK UP ALL THE BEANS, AND FOR EVERY ONE HE FOUND, I WOULD GET A WHIPPING...I SPENT THE REST OF DAYLIGHT PICKING UP BEANS.  NEXT MORNING STILL PICKING UP BEANS UNTIL I COULD SEE NO MORE...AFTER DAD'S INSPECTION THAT NIGHT, I PASSED AND MISSED A GOOD THRASHING.....NEVER-THE-LESS......TIME REVEALED SOMETHING THAT BOTHERED ME....BEAN SPROUTS EVERY WHERE...SO, INSTEAD OF PICKING UP BEANS, I PULLED SPROUTS BEFORE HE GOT HOME.   LET'S MOVE ON TO PEACHES....HARD PEACHES.  THERE WAS A TRIANGULAR SHAPED PIECE OF GROUND TWO BLOCKS SOUTH AND THIS LOT BORDERED LA CRESCENT BLVD.  BUSY STREET PLUS A NUMBER OF TREES RIGHT ON THE EDGE AND ONE WAS A PEACH TREE.  PHIL AND I HID BETWEEN THE MANY BRANCHES AND PLUCKED WONDERFUL HAND GRENADES FOR ENEMY CARS.  WE THREW THEM AND HEARD THE REWARDING THUNK.   ONE CAR WAS HIT AND HE HIT HIS BRAKES, DID A U TURN AND HEADED RIGHT TOWARDS US.  THE DRIVER STOPPED AND EMERGED IN FULL MILITARY DRESS.  OH GOD, AND OFFICER....HE WAS SEETHING...PHIL AND I TOOK OFF RUNNING AND PHIL YELLED BACK AT HIM..."SEE YA LATER SAM"   HE CHASED US ALL OVER, BUT WE WERE YOUNG AND LOST HIM...SO, AFTER ALL OF THIS DRIVEL....SEE YA LATER....FRIEND!