Guardian Angels have had a leading role in my life.  They have been both corporeal and spiritual.  One of them was Idaho.  He was older than my Dad; not old enough to be my Grandpa.  He was a Basque, a pillar of our community, a Grocer; and most of all my friend.

 

When I was very small, Idaho worked in a local independent grocery.  By the time I was about 8, he had his own neighborhood grocery store at the corner of Main and Spring streets.  I was just a kid, one of many he knew, but he always had a kind word.

 

One summer evening we were playing hide and go seek in the dark.  As the game evolved we ended up playing in the lot behind Idaho’s store.  There was a lot of stuff around that made for good hiding places.  There was also some old machinery from the Coca Cola bottling plant next door.  Suddenly there was a Police car with a spotlight on us.  We were summoned out of hiding to explain our presence.  It began to look like we were in trouble; until Idaho appeared.

 

He vouched for us.   We were neighborhood kids that played around his store; we were harmless.

 

Not long after that I was involved in a hostile relationship with a ‘college kid’ who lived nearby.  He and his buddy were the prime suspects in the death of our cat, Tagger.  Needless to say I took every opportunity to make life miserable for the SOB.

 

One day the older kid happened to be riding his bicycle past our house.   He launched an insult or two in my direction.  The fates were smiling; I had a decent, loaded slingshot in hand.  I hit him in the jaw and knocked him off the bicycle.  I had a few choice words for him as well.  My shot had been more of a reflex than an overt act.

 

I was in big trouble.  He was at least 10 years older than me and I had no backup.  I ran across the street, through the neighbors yard, hoping someone was home.  No luck.  I turned and ran up the alley at full speed.  I had about a 300 foot lead but he was closing fast.

 

Ahead on my left a garage door was opening, it was Idaho’s.  I ran inside, slammed the door shut and shot the bolt closed.  Idaho stood there stunned, his wife and mother in-law sat in the car staring at me.  Before anyone could speak there came a loud pounding on the door.  The enemy called me every name in the book and described in vivid detail how he was going to dismember my lifeless body.

 

Idaho’s eyes got big and he asked what was going on?  I told him that the SOB had killed my cat and I just nailed him with a slingshot.  Idaho smiled and told me to stay in the garage.  He went out and spoke to the guy for a long time.

 

After an eternity, Idaho summoned me outside.  He made us face each other and shake hands.  He declared that the war was over.  He announced, in no uncertain terms, that if one of us violated the truce there would be hell to pay.  We believed him.

 

He sent the big guy home to get his jaw patched up.  He took me into the garage and inspected my slingshot.  He could not believe it had done so much damage… until I showed him a handful of marbles.

 

I ran into the cat assassin a couple of more times.  He never spoke to me or made a hostile overture.  I returned the courtesy.

 

Idaho was another story.  He always mentioned the incident whenever he saw me.  Sometimes he told the story and laughed until tears came to his eyes.

 

I never doubted he saved my life that day.