Run and Jump
I was fast in high school, the fastest at the hundred yard dash in our school. H.L. was fast too, with his long strides but he was slow off the blocks. I was quick, when I went to take my driver’s test they had a device to test reaction time and the average was seventy five hundreds of a second, or seven hundred fifty milliseconds, I done it in half that time. I could run the hundred yard dash in 9.8 seconds. But H.L. would beat me in the in the two hundred twenty yard dash.
I remember a time when I could beat 9.8 if there had been someone to time me. Our Dad decided to set up a venetian blind factory In Tulsa. Dad stayed at the ranch and we ran the business. My older brother had just returned from the army and I had recently graduated high school and my sister wanted a job while her children were in school. I was sent by whom, I can’t remember, to an address to measure windows and give an estimate. I drove our panel truck with the blind man words painted on the door and parked in the front at the curb. The house had a five foot chain link fence all around the house. I had my tape measure clipped on my belt and a sales book in my hand. I opened the gate that was at least 70 feet from the porch steps.
About half way I saw this blur coming out of the back yard snarling and growling with teeth bared and it was coming fast at me. It was the biggest and meanest German Police Dog I had ever seen. I had a terrific urge to turn and run back to the gate. I instinctively knew I would not have made it without having it tear the seat out of my rear end. I would have been fortunate enough to only have that happen. I just waited for it to come for me, there was nothing else I could do. It leaped straight at my face to tear my throat open. I held the book up with both my hands, sticking it into his nose. He brought blood on my knuckle and fell back. This time he came in low at my legs I held my left boot in his face. I believe I spooked him with my bigger than normal eyes. He backed off snarling and growling circling me, I with my head following him with my eyes to the right and turning quickly to the left never taking my eyes off him. A person may think why didn't you just run a bluff on the animal and walk out. I had never had a dog like this one attack me so viciously in my life. I was raised around Brahma bulls standing six foot tall with three foot horns. They would chase my brothers and me in our round corral but we were able to side step them, get behind the center post or climb up on the wood rail fence to safety.
Matter of fact, I decided to turn around and leave but it seemed to enrage him and it came at me again but stopped short when I turned back toward the house. If I took normal steps he got mad again, so I took little bitty steps and it took me ten minutes to reach the porch steps. I thought ok when I get to the porch I will get the owner to put the dog up or escort me to the gate. All the time he was circling, snarling with his teeth showing. I climbed the steps and stood on the banister and leaned over and pounded on the door facing hollering. No one at home, I walked around the banister to the far left side of the high porch and estimated how far it was to the fence. I estimated thirty feet to the chain link fence. The dog meanwhile was running back and forth from the near corner to the far corner barking and snarling. I waited till he ran to the far corner then I bailed off that banister, sprinting for the fence. I figured I could leap head first and clear it. If I hung up I would have most of me over it.
I cleared it and fell head first into a church yard just as the dog’s big paws hit the fence. I got up and for the very first time I saw two women standing not five feet away staring at me. They said not a word and I didn’t either but dusted off my clothes, walked to the panel truck and left. Since then I have wondered if these women were angels or something in case I stumbled on the way are got hung on the pointed things on the top of the fence. I don’t remember if anyone asked me about the job or if I said anything to my brothers and sister. We were competing pretty successfully with the other shops and I have wondered if someone may have set me up.
Ten years later I happend to be over at a friends house to help him repair some electrical outlets. We were standing at his fence gate talking when I looked beyond him and saw a huge brown dog growling just like before coming fast right at me. I opened the four foot chainlink fence gate and stepped through and shut it. The big dog came right over the fence to get me so I grabbed the pole and swung back over the fence and looked to see what the dog was going to do next. expecting him to jump back. To my surprise the dog ran on down the road chasing a rabbit. My friend got a big laugh out of my actions. I didn't even try to explain it to him.
