From the Odds and Ends Pages: B Boy Stories



B Boy on logic

Coming down the road was B Boy pulling a length of rope behind him. As he passed Baldy White's house old Baldy stepped out and asked, "Hey B Boy, why are you dragging a piece of rope down the road?" Without missing a beat B Boy replied, "Well, if I push it down the road then everyone will think I’m leading an invisible dog and how's my daddy 'sposed to 'splain that to th' neighbors?"

B Boy on summertime

B Boy was coming up the road with one hand held out before him. His hand was closed, he was dangling a length of thread; it looped down and back up to his hand. B Boy held it up so that it did not drag the ground. As he passed the Lee house old man Cecil Lee called from the glider on the porch, "What you got there B Boy?"
B Boy stopped to answer. "Well Mr. Lee, on Flag Day we fly a flag to celebrate, right?"
"I reckon," replied Cecil Lee.
"Spring time kids celebrate the end of winter by flying a kite," said the young boy.
"Santa Claus flies reindeer on Christmas...but I ain't never seen it."
"That's what they say," said Cecil Lee.
"Well, in June school lets out for summer! Now there is something to celebrate! And I celebrate June..." B Boy opened his hand, a large emerald-green and black insect flew from his palm. The large bug flew to the end of its threaded tether and began to buzz loudly around the young boy's head.
"I celebrate June by flyin' a june bug."

 

B Boy on creativity

Old Bill Cantrell was sitting on the porch whittling a stick with his pocket knife when B Boy came along and plopped down beside him. The boy had a piece of wood and his new Swiss army knife; he began whittling. Old Bill said,
"Whatcha doing, son?"
"I'm carvin' a horse." replied B Boy.
"Ya ever whittled before?"
"Nope."
"And you're gonna whittle a horse? Even I can't whittle a horse. How you 'spect to carve one?"
"Easy, "countered B Boy holding up his block of wood, "I'ma gonna jest cut away the parts that don't look like a horse."
Old Bill Cantrell grinned, spat tobacco, and went back to putting a point on his stick.

 

B Boy on fortuitousness

B Boy come walking up the coal camp road wearing only one shoe. As he come 'clop slap, clop slap' along he passed in front of Preacher Townsend's house, the preacher was on the front porch swing.

"Say B Boy, don't you know you done lost a shoe?" called out the Preacher.

B Boy went right along, "Naw Preacher, I ain't lost a shoe; I found me one!"

 

B Boy on authority

Most people in coal Branch knew that young B Boy didn't say much of anything,but when he did it was packed with attitude.

One afternoon as Roy Hicks strolled along past B Boy's front yard he noticed all the other kids running, jumping, chasing, shrieking and chattering noisily as they played. All the kids but B Boy. With a little smile on is face he swung lazily in a tire swing under a shade tree.

Roy Hicks stopped and said to B Boy," Why ain't you running and hollerin' and jumpin' and gigglin' and dodgin' around like the other kids B Boy?"

"Well Uncle, I'm the oldest and I'm in charge when our folks are gone. When your in charge your only happy when they are. God gave us two ears but only one mouth. With that in mind  I recon I should listen to them play twice as much as I holler orders at them to be good."

"Uh huh.." said Roy Hicks and he went on his way thinking even at his age he may have just learned something from that little feller.