Toughest Kid I Knew

When we were kids there was always that toughest kid in class. You know, the one no one would mess with. Then there was always the toughest kid in the school. He was really bad. Who was your toughest kid in the class? In the school? Well, for me the toughest kid in my class and then by the time he was in the seventh grade the toughest in the entire school was Larry Martin-Paulen. He didn’t really have a hyphenated name. His last name was Martin when I knew him. That was between 5th and 8th grades at Pleasant Valley Grade School just outside of Peoria, IL. Larry’s biological father was Paulen but his step dad had adopted him and his name was changed to Martin. Now it just so happened that Larry was my best friend during those years and we hung out together with our brothers all the time. We had some great times.

Now Larry had two brothers, an older one named Jerry and a younger named Terry. Yep, Jerry, Larry, and Terry. Jerry had wild eyes that moved side to side quickly and he had trouble saying his r’s. He could be a little moody but was fun to hang out with. Terry was a cheerful little guy that couldn’t say his r’s or l’s. He hung out with my little brother a lot. They were full of mischief. But Larry, he spoke well, had a great voice, good looks, smart,and was just plain tough. The step dad was tough on the boys, they had to do a lot of work. Now, I’m not saying work was bad but there were some days that Larry and his brothers worked all day. And they worked hard. I can still picture Larry hanging over the fender of his step dad’s truck working on the engine. When I’d show up he’d give me that big smile with grease all over his face and hands. He wasn’t able to “come out and play” and his step dad would just give that scowl when he came out to the garage.

What made Larry so tough? Well, throughout the next few months and coming year I’m going to tell some stories about Larry, his brothers, and me and my brother. It’s too much to explain now, in one short blog. And besides, I love telling stories.
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