Knowing Basil Huckleberry

Basil Huckleberry was an unassuming boy. We called him boy even though he was in his fifties. He rode a bicycle around offering rides to everybody Touched is what grandma called him He had a low mental IQ I was told This was before anyone knew about an Emotional IQ His was off the charts – he loved everyone he met And he met everyone Basil spent all day riding that bike around Chariton, Iowa. When he saw you he would click the bell six or eight times Unless there was a baby on the block then he would just yell We all knew his voice; some ran from it. Others stayed to visit. Basil was pure in one thing – he wanted people to like him. He wanted everyone to be happy. He lived on pop bottle money. He could get paid two cents a bottle. Many people saved them for him. My own mother used to call him over when she had a twelve pack. He would be beyond grateful for this huge twenty-four cent gift I remember thinking it was silly how excited this made him. He never said a bad thing about another person. Asked if we had prayed for them. Emotional IQ at genius level.