I remember you working out at the farm.  One of our friends used to call you the “shop slave” because you worked in the motorcycle shop with your stepdad.  It was the same as with the neighbor boy.  He told the kid that he would teach him all kinds of things about motorcycles, but he was also… difficult let’s say.  

I remember you driving for about four hours on the riding mower out at the farm.  Then you ran over a piece of hose and he blew up over it.  But then again, I remember you saying that it was cool that you could go to school and out mechanic the guys because he’s taught you a bunch of stuff.   

Then when we went to the Upper Peninsula with his family, I remember being absolutely terrified when we went out on dirt bikes.  You wiped out and flipped over a few times, and I had my stomach in my toes at that point.  But he just kept saying, “She can do it.  She can do it.”  And you did. 

What I remember about the skunks was they were along the right side of the road as we were going out of town, probably on our way to the next town.  There were two baby skunks and he encouraged you to take them home.  I was looking askance and you were asking to take them home.  One had mange and died and then you raised the other one to maturity.  You had to release it into the wild.  I don’t remember how long it was between when we picked it up and you release them.  You fed them lettuce. 

What I thought was kind of neat was when we went to Florida and his mom took you under her wing.  You stayed in her trailer on the porch.  You had a period and I said, “Oh dear.”  She thought it was no big deal and said, “It’s perfectly natural.  We just wash the sheets.” 

I still think the duck story is an interesting one and explains a lot.  It was kind of like how their family would travel in great big vehicles hauling lots of stuff or in one tiny vehicle packed to the eyeballs.

We brought the ducks back from Florida for you in a shoe box.  His mom knew just what to do with them.  When the lid was closed, they stayed quiet.  We had to stop more often at rest stops so they could  walk around and poop.  Then we’d put them back in the box.  We gave them to you and they really imprinted on you and would follow you everywhere.  

He was tough on you sometimes, but he also used to look at you with pride.