Life Happenings of Reave Kaasterman

By Roben Oaktrey

I was 10, my brother 8, my two sisters 7 and 9. We walked in the woods behind our home, on the way to the community center, when something unexpected happened.

"Don't move. I have a knife in your back," said the teenage boy who was holding me.

Looking around, I saw my little brothers and sisters being held and laughed at, and I could not stand it. 

Lunging back, I turned and hit the boy holding me. When he hit the ground, I grabbed the boy who held my brother and threw him on the ground. My brother and I together started hitting the boy holding my next younger sister, Dawn. My youngest sister, Sarah, fell to the ground, crying.

About that time, I felt something warm running down my back. 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Young Oak Treasures
• Release date: Oct 19, 2021
• ISBN: 9798201107581

Roben Oaktrey

Roben Oaktrey is the author of three short stories in the Hailey series: First Show with Buddy; Buddy’s Last Show; and First Show with Dusty. Roben has participated in several adventurous activities throughout his life, and is now a retired construction engineer. He spends most of his time with his grandchildren and writing short stories.

Book preview

SUMMARY

Reave led an interesting life. I have put together several short stories of memorable adventures. These depict what many of us endured during the 50s and 60s.

During this time, most subdivisions were cornfields, or cattle farms. Children ran around unsupervised. A child of 8 walked a mile or more to school without the danger of being abducted or run over by a car. A nickel would buy a handful of candy at the local grocery store.

In this story, Reave’s parents rented a trailer, and they took their young children on a 2 week trip out west. When they returned, Reave’s parents bought a horse for the children to ride and take care of. Reave and his sister, Dawn, walked to the stable each morning to groom and ride their horse.

Reave’s dad is a carpenter. He remodeled the house they lived in and added a pool in the backyard. Together, Reave and his dad helped build the new elementary school that they would all attend.

Reave’s best friends were in a family that lived down the street. All the children were born with polio. To stop this epidemic, they forced all children to eat sugar cubes that contained the polio vaccine.

Some of Reave’s adventures include riding horses, Tae Kwon Do, scuba diving, and football.

DEDICATION

This book is dedicated to my grandchildren, Jose and Jenna.

INTRODUCTION

My dad worked hard all of his life. He was born and raised on a farm in Glasgow, KY. They grew corn, tobacco, and several other vegetables. They used mules to plow the fields. These animals served also for transportation, when needed.

When my dad reached the age of 10, my grandpa died. This left my dad to run the farm and take care of his younger brother, just born, and 2 sisters, and his mother. Grandma told me she would cry every time she looked out the window and saw that little boy behind the mule and plow. My dad never complained.

We had our family reunions at the farm. These were always fun for all of us. My dad and the other men would grab their guns and beer, and walk off in the distance to enjoy target shooting. All the children stayed at the farm and played with the dogs, chickens, and other farm animals.

When my grandmother sold the farm, dad and his brother built her a home close to us in the city. My dad bought a large bell at the auction. He mounted this on a 4x4 in the backyard. When we heard this bell, we knew it was time to come home.

Our lives were full of adventures. My parents did everything they could to provide a good life for us. Mom and dad remained loyal to each other throughout all the time of their marriage. My mom died from heart failure at the early age of 58. My dad died from emphysema at 76.

Our life was not a perfect one, by any means. One thing our parents taught us at an early age was, if you want anything, you must work hard for it.

DAD - WORLD WAR II

The effects of the great depression were long lasting. My dad, Bard, with his brother and sisters, felt like they would never get ahead and they had fears of losing the farm. It was becoming difficult to keep the farm profitable. The start of World War II brought an opportunity for employment for my dad’s family. My dad enlisted in the Navy at age 17, with his mom’s consent. He told me he knew they would draft him, and he wanted to have a choice of which branch he served in.

One requirement for the Navy was to swim from the dock to the boat. This was a distance of about 200 yards.

What am I going to do? The only thing I know how to do is the side stroke, and I cannot dive. I never learned how to swim.

Try it, Bard. I am sure you will do fine, said my dad’s friend Doug.

OK Bard, you are up next. Let’s see you make the swim to the boat.

My dad jumped in and made it to the boat using the side stroke.

Good job, Bard. Line up with the others. Congratulations, you are now in the Navy.

His sisters also worked in the war effort, with parental consent. Aunt Carolyn and Aunt Kathryn worked in the munitions plant, making guns and bullets, while Uncle Hank, 10 years younger than my dad, worked the farm. This brought additional incomes into the family.

The thought of her oldest son going off to fight in World War II seemed tragic to my grandmother, and a blessing to Bard and the family. He kept his money under his mattress until he sent it home to his mom. Dad served our country and did his best to take care of his family at home. My dad told us he sent most of his paycheck home to his mother. He used the balance of his check to pay for incidentals and