A Special Hero

His name is Larry.

One summer this darling sixteen- year old guy came out from Arkansas to visit his cousins for a couple of weeks, and we hit it off. His Aunt asked my ex-stepmother if the five of us girls would like to go to Huntington Beach with their family for the day and she said "yes"....

Huntington Beach is well known for mean riptides and, this day was not an exception. In fact, it was a BAD riptide that lurked off the shore, and being just fourteen the word "riptide" was unknown to me. You could say I was dumb as they come to it.

Larry and I were using boogey boards all morning and then he wanted to leave the boogey boards ashore and swim out about 50 feet to where the waves were coming in. I didn't realize that it was DEEP between the shore and that wedge 50 some feet out that so many people were on jumping waves. It was rather deceiving. I told him I was scared because I couldn't swim, and he told me I would be fine with him. Well, we almost made it there but the waves were huge and rough and it was too deep. In the waves I got pulled to the floor and was hopelessly a goner....but, Larry (I don't know how he found me down there in that muck) came down and pulled me by the bathing suit until I could gulp some air (and salt water)...and then he and another young man dragged me up onto the sand hovering over me with worried expressions on their faces. I remember the panic of it all and the rest of the day I felt lousy...but--- I know if it wasn't for him--- I would of died that day because I was helpless.

He was my pen pal for a few years after that also. Back in 2007 Steve started talking about going back east for our summer of 2008 and mentioned that we would go through Arkansas. I reminded Steve about Larry's "heroic" act in my life and Steve said we could stop and spend some time with him and his family. I got his address and put it aside to write to him and see if he was available, but then the diesel prices went up and we decided not to take the trip back east and I never contacted Larry.
The address had been sitting on my computer desk all that time just staring me in the face and when I sent out Christmas cards that year I decided to send one to Larry and tell him about our missed trip, but also to tell him how he would always be my "hero" for caring about another human being and risking his own life to save mine.

Somehow---I know Larry continued putting others first in his life...that was just the kind of guy he was. Well, yesterday I got a little note from his wife that made me numb and sad. She said that she lost her sweet Larry to a brain tumor June 8 2007. It puts things in perspective doesn't it? he was 59 when he died and you know that saying "only the good die young"? Each day is a gift. No longer am I going to COMPLAIN about being old. (I didn't say anything about wrinkles though) I'm lucky to be old. And if I really want to be honest about it---- I was blessed that God put Larry in my path when I may very well have never had that sweet 16 birthday. I have this very special sympathy card that I plan to send to his wife Kay. So--there it is. My dramatic life -- frame by frame.