STINKY FRED OSKOSH
CHAPTER ONE FRED AND MOLLY
If anyone had told me I would marry Fred Oshkosh someday I would have told them they were more than a few bricks shy of a full load. Yet here I was married to him after six- month long engagement. We had been in high school together after my family moved into the lakeside community of Chippewa Hills in mid-Michigan not far from Big Rapids; home to Ferris State University. After Fred graduated from high school we had largely remained distant from one another for years until we came together again to walk his dog Molly one evening. That was when my life started to change in unexpected ways.
I had never thought of Fred as being someone I would date in high school as he was two grades ahead and almost three years older. He was a good student, served on Student Council for his class and ran track. His studious habits and interest in the out-of-doors, particularly birds, set him apart from most guys in the entire school, indeed, from anyone else I knew. But it was his adventures with his dog, or rather his father's dog Molly, a mix of something and a red-bone hound that made him a subject of interest and the butt of good natured ribbing.
My first direct experience with Fred and Molly took place while attending a picnic party at the lake association park soon after our family moved into our new home in early June. This party was for the high school students that lived on the lake including incoming freshmen. This was my first introduction to many of the students I would attend classes with in the fall.
Several kids had their dogs with them and all of the animals seemed to get along well. I remember Molly was the only dog that didn't engage in begging for food. It wasn't long before one of the girls told me Fred had trained her not to do it. Molly lay at Fred's feet much of the time or wandered around the periphery of the park putting her nose to work. Once in a while I saw one of the kids walk up to her and pet her while her tail wagged as if it were about to fly off; they were sneaking her a bit of hotdog or hamburger when Fred wasn't watching. Molly was very well liked it seemed.
It was a while later that Molly came dashing head long towards Fred that everyone quickly gave way. Mable took my arm and led me away from Fred saying- "Watch this. This is should be good."
Molly charged head long to Fred, long ears flying, tail wagging excitedly, and started to lick his face and rub against him as she whirled around him. It looked to me like one of the most wonderful exchanges I had ever seen between a dog and its owner. I noticed everyone was standing in a ring around them with smiles or laughing. Seconds later Fred let out a loud- "Molly! Not again! Get away from me!" As he tried to fend her off.
Molly was having none of it. She pressed her friendly attack home, almost knocking Fred down as she wound herself between his bare legs. Fred finally got hold of her collar and started towards the lake half bent over as he walked. It was then I noticed the dark colored stains on Molly's brownish red back and belly. As they passed close I could detect the hideous odor of something, well, half composed or dead. She had found a dead animal or of pile excrement to roll in and had elected to share her prize with Fred. I heard loud guffaws as several of his male friends called out- "Stinky! Get Molly out of here."
At first I thought 'Stinky' was simply an exclamation pointing out the obvious. It was just a few seconds later Mable looked at me with a broad smile.
"Welcome to the neighborhood. You have now officially met 'Stinky' Fred Oshkosh and his wonder dog Molly."
I watched as a grim-faced Fred took Molly down into the water and proceeded to wash her coat as Molly made some effort to resist his attentions and escape. After a few minutes of watching Molly get a bath everyone turned their attention back to the food and drink and laughed at Fred's latest misadventure. I learned over the next hour this was far from the first involving Molly and her predilection for foul smelling substances. Sam Upton looked at me with a broad grin as Fred put Molly on a leash and headed home as both of them dripped water.
"Fred just never seems to understand he's not ever going to break Molly of that behavior. He will be scrubbing her clean again once he gets back home as he always does. That is until the next time she does it."
Fred's family owned the local septic cleaning service and I found his nick name came from Molly's behavior, not from his father's occupation. Fact is, his family had one of the best reputations of any family in the area, there was seldom anything ill said of them that was based upon anything but foul rumor so to speak. My introduction to Fred was humorous in a way and though he was not happy with Molly he hadn't gotten mad at her either. He seemed to have an even temper, at least when it came to Molly.
Since we lived only three houses apart so I saw Fred often as he drove one of the septic trucks in and out of their pole barn located next to the road. His father was almost obsessive about keeping the two trucks clean, their white cabs and tanks spotless white and shiny. Any sign of rust anywhere on the tank was taken care of within a week.
This habit extended not only to the exterior of the trucks but also to the interior as I learned later that summer when Fred saw me walking back from the library and offered me a ride home. I was tempted not to accept the ride as my mother and father had pointed out to me the small printing on the rear of the tank that was visible when you stopped behind it at a stop sign- 'Don't hit me- I'm full of S- -T!'. They had laughed and I had felt it was in poor taste- my teenage girl mentality at work. But I was even less inclined to walk the next mile in the eighty degree heat and hot sun and swallowed my pride. I climbed in and found the cab clean as a whistle and Fred out of his coveralls and in clean shorts and tee-shirt.
It was the first time I had ever been alone with Fred and I found him better looking than I remembered. He dropped me off at home and backed the truck up the road to their pole barn. That was the only time all summer we did anything other than wave to one another in passing.
Once school started we saw one another at the bus stop but seldom interacted other than sharing a greeting. He was always friendly towards me as he was with everyone; he certainly didn't single me out for attention. I found he never really seemed to mind his nickname and took it in stride. Even a few of the girls called him Stinky; though I could never come to call him that myself.
It was evident Molly was important to him that he accepted her for both her good and not so good behaviors. Anyone who didn't know the particulars about Fred and Molly would never understand why such a good looking guy would be called 'Stinky' and not take umbrage.
I found making friends easy and fitting in came without much effort. I was a good student, not the best, but I managed a 'B' average. I was in Art Club, giving me an outlet for my poor artistic talent, but I had fun. I wasn't in the 'cool group', but I had a lot of friends and found quite a few guys that enjoyed my company. I really didn't date my freshman year and rarely my sophomore year. My parents encouraged my involvement in school activities such as dances, but were cool on my dating until I became a junior.
When the junior and senior proms came around most of the girls talked about the possibility of being asked. Even the freshmen and sophomore girls grew excited as there were more boys than girls in the junior and senior classes. A fact related to me by several of my girlfriends. I held little hope of being asked as the new girl in school. The Junior Prom showed that conclusively as I wasn't asked. When the Senior Prom came along I was pleased to be proven wrong.
I was invited to the Senior Prom by Sam almost a month before it was to be held. When prom night arrived I was dressed to kill in my prom dress, my hair made up, and full makeup. I was allowed to go provided I was home by twelve midnight. I think my mother was as happy about my being asked as I was. Dad stayed pretty quiet. My folks took pictures of the both of us after Sam pinned my corsage on before we stepped out the door to Sam's parent's car he had for the evening.
Upon arriving Sam and I learned that Fred's date had come down with the flu just the day before. Fred had elected to come to the prom by himself to enjoy the company of his friends. I was sure he was really disappointed as his date, Dory Samuels, was one of the prettiest juniors and was very much sought after.
