Old Bud

I remember growing up and playing baseball next to “Old Bud’s” yard. Bud was an older man who never married. He was the classic case of a hermit who never came out of his house except to chase us kids out of his yard when our ball accidentally landed there. We never understood why Bud was such a grump. I mean, we weren’t hurting his precious grass when we went into his yard for a few seconds to retrieve our wayward ball. However, whenever our ball landed in Bud’s yard, we’d all argue about which one of us would go after it. Nobody wanted to be yelled at by Bud. Now as I grow older, I have come to understand Bud more and more. I’m not a hermit by any means, but I do see why he didn’t want us kids wandering in and out of his yard. I kind of wish I could talk to Old Bud just once more. I’d love to tell him I get it. I would love to tell him I know where he was coming from. I wish he could know I know wasn’t being mean at all.