He is a professional pusher of petroleum products purchased as a propellant by the populace of our particular portion of the planet, in order to provide provender for his pick of people, but that definitely ain’t his sole talent.  Plain and simple, he was the point man.

He is a heap more versatile than my gifted snooper suspected.  He obtained depositions, to certify and reveal a normally unseen facet of Rickey’s unsung talents and abilities.  To wit.

During the run of the Fort Worth Livestock Exposition and Rodeo Rickey single handedly acted as point man prior to an incursion to that site by three ladies of De Leon, plus a brand new baby boy and a sack of hog food.

He stowed luggage, a baby bed and various and sundry other gear in the bed of his faithful pickup truck, along with a care package of hog food.  Actually, it looked a lot like a sack of Swine Rations.

Not unlike a knight of yore, he sallied forth for Cow Town as Karen, Angela and Lisa bid him farewell and said that they would join him shortly.  Baby Jake was taking his nap, so he didn’t wave Bye! Bye!

You might possibly wonder how this young man was so easily beguiled into providing transportation for the aforementioned goods and merchandise.  Let me count the ways.

First off Karen Whitehead is his mother-in-law, Angela Gooden is his wedded wife mate and Lisa Cooper is a sister to Angela, and Little Jake’s mother.  Since the trip was all set anyways Will Dickey requested a ration of the Champ’s favorite swill.  The Champ earned his Grand Champion designation at both the De Leon and Comanche County Livestock extravaganzas, and was on a roll, so he was an entrant at Cow Town.

Will politely requested that he shore would be much obliged if Rickey would haul the Champ some sacked sustenance for snacking.

“Sure,” said Rickey.

He pulled into Panther City without a snag, his cargo was intact and since he had time to kill before the ladies arrived he decided to put his pickup through an automatic car wash so that it would be as spiffy as his cowboy boots.

When the machinery took charge of the operation, also know as automotive water boarding, Rickey leaned back in the cab, smiled and enjoyed the sound of precipitation on a tin roof.  Not a sound we’ve heard lately in these parts.

When the track put the pickup in the eye of the hurricane rinse cycle Rickey’s eyes came from behind his lids and the smile vanished from his face like a bolt of lighting.

Yep, you guessed it.  His cargo was not clad in a tarp and his glance out the rear view window would have rivaled the scene when the Swiss Family Robinson survived the ship wreck.  It was an unnerving spectacle so Rickey quit looking and rode out the rapids, and not a drop of H2O fell upon him to dampen his spirits another notch.

At this juncture, details become hazy and speculative, and so this article must end on a soggy note.

Further details are available if you have an inquiring mind.  None of the participants and victims are hard to find, and none have taken an oath of silence.

Let me hear from you.

My phone number is 254-893-5063.

My postal address is 333 W. Ayers, De Leon TX 76444.

You can e-mail me at chupp@charleschupp.com.

By Charles Chupp, Copyright ©2008 Charles Chupp