The Scary, Old Man Who Lived Next Door

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The Scary, Old Man Who Lived Next Door

We were just kids and didn’t know then that you shouldn't judge a book by its’ cover…
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I don’t quite remember who knocked the ball into his yard, but my brother, Glenn, and I both refused to go get it this time. Usually Glenn would take the lead and run ahead of me when any action was to take place. This time we had difficulty deciding who was standing in front of whom!

We had both seen him and we were certain he must have been a monster out of a Frankenstein movie. He was walking around in the back yard over there and neither of us was brave enough to look him in the face. We decided to run inside and ask mother for help! She wasn’t scared of anything!

Mother laughed at our predicament and went outside to confront our ‘monster’ for us!

It turned out that he was one of the nicest people I have ever met in this life. He told mother that we were always welcome to come get any balls that might end up in his yard.

His wife was just as friendly and they invited us over often. When she learned that Glenn and I loved to sing, Mrs. Allen began inviting us over to sing our versions of songs like “Sweet Violets”, “The Choo Choo Train” and others for her guests. What a delightful couple!

One day, after I had grown into my late teen-age years, I learned his wife had died [I believe of cancer]. I still remember the last time I saw him walking down the street… so alone… God only knows how much I wish now that I had stopped and talked with him, if only for a few minutes… God blessed our lives with you, Lon and Mrs. Allen.
~by Billy Allen, Jr.~
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