Brothers Keeper

His given name was Douglas Watson.He was known to all who knew him at all as Poobie. He was our neighbor in Barton Alabama. His claim to fame was at the age of nine he drove a loaded logging truck down iron mountain.He was about eighteen When I first met him.He was a young man of small stature with an unfortunate skin condition but with incredibly expressive blue eyes. Poobie worked on a roofing crew with me and made the overexposure to the heat and cold more tolerable by the stories and observations he could be counted on to always have at the ready. One day I heard a knock at my door and went To the door to find Poob standing there the brim of the old hat he wore pulled low. " I have come to talk to you about your boy", he said referring to my son who was ten."Now I know you think he's mama's little angel but when mama ain't looking he ain't such a little angel." Seems my son and his buddy across the street were grabbing onto car bumpers while on skates.I guess Old Poobie knew first hand how quickly a boy could get in over his head in the spirit of fun and adventure. I appreciated him taking the time to look out for me and mine and for cluing me in. Poobie seemed like someone who was living life on borrowed time and I often wonder if he is still with us.If so I hope he is doing well.