Saving Billy

Walking After Midnight · Thu Jun 15, 2006 1:34 am

It's last week and I am in my favorite Japanese restaurant... the only Japanese restaurant in Portage. My wife, two of my kids, eating Sashimi and Sushi and Chicken and Noodles.
In walks Billy. He's gotta be Fifty by now but if not for all those grey hairs, you'd never know he was that age. Not that 50 is old, but you gotta see Billy to know what I mean. Both arms painted with tattoos, he has a black t-shirt on with the sleeves cut out, boots and his hair is halfway down his back.
Now this guy I love, I say that as a completely hetero man. He is one totally unique individual and always has been. Bill's name, believe it or not is William Clyde Williams. Bill is extremely intelligent, very high IQ, he'll tear up a crossword puzzle, and let slip some obscure facts out of the blue, although you can see Hillbilly roots a mile away. Never one to jump on the bus, his tastes and choices are his own. Musically (and they are excruciatingly bad), Artistically, regarding women, Health wise Job wise and (here's the point) Spiritually.
We grew up fundamentalist Christian. Even worse, Southern Baptist. I say "we", I mean the gang. Each of us in the gang had the same parents, went to the same church, got in the same trouble, made out with the same girls, smoked the same cigarettes...but at one time or another, we had all made that same walk down the aisle. I did it at the age of six at Liverpool Baptist Church on Dombey Road after an emotional and frightening sermon by a skinny Preacher in a black suit with a stiff white shirt and loads of Brylecreme in his hair...which ended something like..."HE may come tonight! I don't know, you don't know, no one knows but the Father Himself!...Are YOU ready if HE comes tonight?!"
That's all it took, as I found myself floating down that dirty red carpet to the altar and to the assurance of my Salvation.
And over the next few years, we had all, one by one, made that walk.
Except Billy.
He was the holdout.
Billy had a different agenda, doing things like sending away for Itching Powder which he brought to church and put down Fred Smith's shirt. One time in Morning Sunday School, he asked to be excused to use the bathroom, a few seconds later there was a knock on the door. The young lady teaching the class opened the door and Billy was standing there with a Fire Extinguisher and the "Teacher" got a "Casper". Another day, he told me he could jump from the top of the concrete steps in front of the Church to the sidewalk...but he came up a little short, hit the bottom step with the back of his heels and busted his head open on the step. A few years later he broke his arm riding his bicycle off the roof of his house. He always knew a beating was coming when his Dad came home or after company left, but it was no deterrent. My Mom used to call him and his brother Mike..."Frank and Jesse".
Sometimes our Moms, or our Youth Pastor would ask Billy about getting right with God. "Billy, when you gonna be saved?" "How you gonna get to Heaven Billy?"
And Billy would look down at the floor and just shake his head kinda sadly.
Most times, at the end of Sunday School class or youth group, the Adult leader would say..."Who needs prayer? or Who has a prayer request?" and inevitably, if Billy wasn't there, after a few moments one of the girls would raise a small shaky hand and say so tearfully..."We should pray for Billy to get saved."
I never asked Billy about it myself. We went through our young lives together...the gang...'til we got married and turned our attentions to other things, but usually when I got in trouble, as a teen, it was with Bill or with his brother Mike. Thirty years later we still contact each other once in awhile. We live in the same town, have gone to each others kid's Open Houses and things like that, even ride our motorcycles together once in awhile, maybe see each other twice a year.
At the restaurant we talked out on the sidewalk while Tami and the kids waited in the car. His brother in law committed suicide, his daughter's pregnant. And then we had to go.
But it all came back to me, about Billy, there in that restaurant, eating with my family.
Now sitting here thinking about him, as old and hardened as it seems I've become with age, I still hope Billy get's saved.

becat · Post by **becat** » Thu Jun 15, 2006 4:07 am

And this is why I love you Randy.
Your heart shows itself before anyone of us ever gets to meet you, shake your hand or hug your neck.
Thank you for this tonight. Can't say just now why it hit me, but it did in a warm and wonderful way.
Your a gift to us and I wanted you to know.
Your talent is in your stories and your strength is your heart.
My biggest hug to you and always my moon.
Lynne

ksxroads · Post by **ksxroads** » Thu Jun 15, 2006 9:50 pm

(((((BIG HUG))))) Thanks for sharing your stories, Randy, like Becat it really touched me. Hazey

Post by **ViewsAskew** » Thu Jun 15, 2006 11:02 pm

Great story-telling, Randy!

mikeyvon · Post by **mikeyvon** » Fri Jun 16, 2006 3:19 am

Hola Randy, Becat, Ann, and others

Randy, What a great story! You should change careers...from steel manufacturing to writing. I wish I had your talent. Now this is weird, even though i can't write and even consider myself almost illiterite, I often times dream of being a writer for the New York Times...Seriously. But you...you've got the gift, you could do it. By the way, it was great talking to you on chat a while back, and you too Becat. Hola to you too Ann. Gosh, Long Beach seams like 10 years ago.

Your story of Billy was so good it got me thinking about what I would wish for Billy. Being the hard core a, a, ath, a, a,... that I am, I could never wish him to be saved. A saved Billy is not Billy. I'll keep thinking of what i wish for Billy.

Hugs to ya all! mike

Post by **ViewsAskew** » Fri Jun 16, 2006 3:48 am

Hey, Mike! Good to "see" you.

There's always San Antonio this fall. . .

Randy can come and tell campfire stories.

Walking After Midnight · Sun Jun 18, 2006 8:13 am

You guys probably created a monster.
But thanks for letting me yack on without saying the obvious...like..."What the poop does THAT have to do with anything!"
But anyway, I just do it for all the love I get afterward.

Mike...if you're not wishing Billy to be saved then you better just wish for his life to be great while he's here...right? He's having fun. He just joined the Mile Long Club, where you have to ride your motorcycle completely naked for at least a mile to be a member. I know it sounds like I made that up...but I swear it's the truth. And...it was great chatting with you too.
Ann, Hazel and Lynne, thank you for those nice words. What would I do without you?

jan3213 · Post by **jan3213** » Sun Jun 18, 2006 11:30 am

Randy,

You know, I sent you a PM as soon as I read your story about Billy. I hope you don't mind if I share what I said to you with everyone else. I just want people to know how I was also touched by your story....

WAM

Your post about your friend Billy was---wonderful. I don't know what your background is as far as writing is concerned. But, you have a real gift. For all I know, you may be published. But, published or not, you made me feel like I was "there" with you, your friends, and Billy. And, I hope Billy gets saved, too.

Thanks for the gift tonight.

Jan

ksxroads · Post by **ksxroads** » Tue Jun 20, 2006 7:39 pm

Mile Long Club... it keeps getting better!

I do think that great works come from bits and pieces written here and there, on a scrap piece of paper, a napkin, a forum ... to distract our minds, to give us hope in times of despair, to make us laugh, or to let us experience empathy...

Thanks to each of you for all that you have shared during the years, Love you all! Hazey

Rubyslipper · Post by **Rubyslipper** » Sat Jul 01, 2006 1:49 am

Once again, here comes tag-along Ruby at the end! WAM, I hadn't read this before we talked on the phone the other night or I would have said something about your story. Didn't know where it was going but when it got there, it was great. What a read along the way. You've got a gift (actually several) and you should do something more with it. Billy sounds like one of those people you'd like to get to know because he's his own person and goes his own way. AND he has great friends! Keep on writing, I'll keep on reading. As for the Mile Long Club, I'd love to try it! (Just give me a year to lose weight and tone up! Never mind, if I waited for that I'd never get to go!)

Mtpeanuts · Post by **Mtpeanuts** » Sat Jul 01, 2006 5:27 am

It is 1:30 am.Tonight is a very bad night for pain.But reading your Billy story for a few minutes made me forget the pain for a little while.Thank you so much.

becat · Post by **becat** » Sun Jul 02, 2006 3:59 am

Wam often does that for us around here. We WUV Him.

Rubyslipper · Post by **Rubyslipper** » Mon Jul 03, 2006 12:35 am

WAM, the more I think about your story, the more it just soothes my soul. Keep writing, big guy. Think about sharing it with someone besides just us. Hey, by the way, July is here. Can we look forward to October and King Tut?

Walking After Midnight · Thu Jul 06, 2006 12:34 am

It's a date Ruby.
Hopefully everything will go right and we can make it, also thanks for those nice words about Saving Billy.
Hey...did you get your Internet up and running again?

Mtpeanuts...I'm so glad that you were able to sort of get away from the pain for a minute or two, and I hope you'll find some more permanent relief. Thanks for replying though, it makes my day when someone says something like that.

You guys are just too good to me.

Rubyslipper · Post by **Rubyslipper** » Thu Jul 06, 2006 1:33 am

Internet is a go at least for now. Wonder if Steve Martin has seen the King Tut exhibit? Or am I really dating myself and no one knows what I am talking about? Anyway, you are a totally "trendy" guy, keep up the writing!

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