When we were in the 2nd grade we were elected class favorites. Kevin and I were lead out into the hallway at Meek Elementary School by our teacher. A photographer was there and we were asked to hold hands as a photo was snapped for the school's 1969 yearbook. I guess I must have needed a good boy to hold my hand.
When we were in the 5th grade, I got an enormous crush on Kevin. If he had had a fan club like Donny Osmond, I would have been in it too.
We were in the 11th grade at the time. I was allowed to date at 16. It was Fall of 1977 I'm guessing. We went to Decatur. We ate at Wendy's and saw "Smokie and the Bandit" at the theater on Highway 31 in the shopping center that had the dime store with a lunch counter. I recalled CB jargon from the show as we were walking into the lobby after the picture was over. I told him I needed to go 10-100 and went on into the Ladies Room. I came out, and there he was, standing tall, waiting for me.
I remember the Wendy's and being perfectly comfortable with Kevin, who sat across the table from me as we shared that simple meal together. That, along with the gas for the car and the movie experience, were probably paid for with what he had earned by bucking hay in the stifling heat of summer under the sweltering Alabama sun.
More than likely, he was a multimillionaire when he got to go be with Jesus this year. Fortune acquired using he gifts and talents God gave him. Not just financial gifts, but the most precious of all wealth, a treasure in love of family and friends and a life well lived.
I thank the Good Lord that I got to be the recipient of a moment in time with that good boy...My Donnie Osmond.
