Synopsis/Details
This story is inspired by actual events.
A group of five boys all with different personalities are the core of this growing up adventure. Our main character is Butch Thompson. He a nine year old fourth grader who's caught between reality and fantasy. He prefers the fantasy. D.L. is also ten and uses cuss cords and is one who knows how the adult world works and is cynical about most things. He reasons if Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny are not real then probably The Tooth Fairy and Jesus for that matter are now real either. Sam is older and the only one in the fifth grade. He walks slow and talks slow and is the group's protector and peace maker when needed. Donny is also nine and more mature and poised than the other boys. He takes dancing and acting lessons and is good at both. He never complains but the other boys discover that he is a foster child and rarely brings a lunch to school. Duane is in the same class with Butch, Donny and D.L. but he's a year younger than his classmates and two years younger than Sam. He's smaller, hyper and the butt of some jokes which makes him see red.
Buster Brown is a long time comic book character and now has a weekly television show. He also has a line of shoes that bear his name. His jingle is 'I'm Buster Brown, I live in a shoe. (Dog barks) That's my dog Tyge. he lives in there too.' When it's announced Buster Brown is making a local appearance, Butch is thrilled his hero is coming to town and has hopes Buster will choose him for a new sidekick. He fantasizes about he and Buster rescuing his heart throb Diane from some sixth grade boys. D.L. thinks the whole Buster thing is phony.
"How can he sometimes be real and sometimes be a comic book character and there ain't no way he can live in no hum-do-yea shoe."
"Maybe it's a big shoe." Sam reasons.
"Yeah, and he's probably got a shoe mobile too." Butch shoots back.
"It's just a gimmick to sell shoes." D.L. lays it out. "He ain't real."
The argument comes to a head when the trio ride their bikes miles across town in the rain for Buster's arrival. The outcome is a surprising shock.
But in the meantime the boys deal with a classmate's birthday party. It's Sandy's party but her overbearing friend Vinia tries to high jack the occasion for her own pleasure and to the dismay of the boys.
"Let's play spin the bottle."
The girls thought D.L. was too vulgar and he isn't invited. Deprived of cake, soda and ice cream, D.L. has a special birthday surprise in store for the girls.
At the school's talent show Donny shows his skill. To everyone's surprise Butch also enters the show and tries his hand at juggling and telling old jokes which he can do neither worth a darn and makes him the laughing stock of the whole school.
"Everyone was laughing at you. Even the principal and I ain't never even seen her smile before."
Butch's upcoming tenth birthday coincides with the grand opening of the first and only super market on his end of town. One of the main prizes is a brand new red bicycle and he would sure like to have for a birthday present. He has a bike, Ol' Blue Boy, that his brother handed down to him. Donny doesn't have a bike and thinks it would be nice if he won. At the grand opening and the drawing for the bike, the emcee has Donny select a ticket from the hundreds that half fill a chest type freezer. He come up with the winner and it's.....
A lot more interesting read than the above would indicate.
