Bob

Bob was a big kid, he was the same age as Denny and I but he did not go to our high school. Bob was in a special education school he was in the third grade. I think Bob felt he needed to be with boys the same size and age.

Late in the afternoon, Bob would come down to the gas station on his bicycle to visit with Denny and I. Bob would just hang around and sometimes he did get in our way so we started giving Bob small jobs to do such as sweeping out the lube bay, or putting tools away. After Bob was done with his chore Denny or I,would give him money to buy a coke or a candy bar out of the machine.

We would give Bob the exact change. It gave Bob a big thrill to put the money in the machine and pull the handle. Around 6 PM we would tell Bob it was his dinner time and he would say OK, get on his bicycle and peddle home.

When a customer got a lube and oil change and if Denny or I had the time we would wash the customer's car. One day I was washing a customers car around the back of the station. Bob was just standing watching me when the bell rang and I had run off to pump gas. When I got back Bob was washing the car. I let Bob continue washing the car and once in a while, I would check on Bob's progress.

Bob, was doing one hick of a job, he even washed behind the bumpers, inside the wheel wells, I knew Bob had never seen Denny or me do that but his mission that day was to wash every inch of that car.

Denny and I went to the owner Mr. Hoffman, and asked if he would allow Bob to wash cars. It was early spring and the vacation season would be starting, and we knew we would have a lot of lube and oil change jobs to do. Mr., Hoffman, said, "let me think about it" about a week later, Mr. Hoffman said, Bob could wash the cars but he could not drive them, Denny or I would have to park the cars at the wash racks.

Bob, was paid a $1.00 a car, and after the first week, Bob was paid $5.00. We knew Bob had a sweet tooth but we had no idea what was coming. I was standing at the counter when a women came in mad as a hatter demanding to speak with the owner. I knew it was Bob's mother. I got on the phone and called Mr. Hoffman at home and told him he needed to come down to the station.

Why was she so mad? On payday Bob went across the street to the bakery and purchased something like three dozen donuts, a couple of cream puffs, a dozen maple bars. He took the goodies home up to his bedroom and he tried eating then all at once, threw up, and ate the remaining donuts. When Bob's mother walked into that bedroom, she was faced with a big mess and a sick boy. After all the yelling was done Bob's mother and Mr. Hoffman came to an agreement. Mr. Hoffman, would open a saving account for Bob, and on payday, Bob would be paid .50 cents. Every payday we would watch Bob run over to the bakery.

In 1959, Denny and I went off to college, so we lost contact with Bob. One day, about a year later, I stopped in at the gas station to say Hi to Mr. Hoffman. In our conversation, the subject of Bob came up. That's when he told me, Bob's mother had him committed to a state institution.

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