I suppose we all have made mistakes when we were fifteen years of age; at least, I did.  I made a very bad decision when I was fifteen.  Pop used to let me drive the car around the campground at Lake Gaston in Virginia.  He trusted me because I guess I was a decent driver, and he probably thought it would give me more experience which it did.

It was really fun driving around the campground in my parents 1979 Chevrolet Impala; it was pastel blue and had keystone mag wheels.  When my parents bought the car, it had a 305 small block, but Pop upgraded the motor to a 350, as the 305 did not have enough power for him.  Pop installed the motor himself with some help from my brother, Craig.

As I drove the Impala around the campground, I made some friends who drove a truck, and we started hanging out.  We bonded over the fact that the new manager of the campground did not seem very nice, at least, compared to the man who used to manage it.  I had a friend from home who came with me for the week, Mark; we met girls at the game room and as we cruised around.

Then came that one evening my friends and I must have been feeling bored; I was in the Impala with it running and my new friend was in his truck, and we were side by side.  The next thing I know he punches the gas on his truck and spins his tires in the grass, and before I knew it, I did the same thing.  At this point, we were just showing off, but the feel of the 350 felt powerful, and it sounded good as I punched it.  I did not considered the consequences of my actions, but later on I would be forced to.

After everyone had dispersed for the night, Mark and I discovered there was grass on the car were I had spun the tires, and Mark suggested backing the car down the boat ramp to wash the grass off, but I was afraid something bad would happen, so I did not want to.  I parked the Impala for the night, and I did not think twice about what I had done. In my mind, tearing up the grass was not a big deal.  Maybe I thought if it was a big deal, I would take my punishment and be done with it.

The next day, Mark and I were going to go water skiing with a couple of girls we met.  I had just thrown the ski rope out into the water as the girls parents stood on the pier watching.  Then I noticed two men walking sternly down toward the pier; it was Pop and the campground manager.  My father waved me in, and I thought, “uh oh, it is time to accept my punishment.  It was embarrassing to say the least; this happened in front of the girls and their parents, and I was feeling so good about myself to no avail.

After I got the boat parked, I walked toward Pop and the manager, and I could tell Pop was upset.  Pop asked me, “Were you spinning tires in the grass yesterday?”  I said in desperation, “The grass was wet, Daddy.”  Pop asked again, “Were you spinning tires in the grass?”  Yes, I said.  He told me to go back to the camper, while he and the manager talked.  I was so mad at myself, but I knew it was not as mad as my parents would be.

Eventually, Pop came back to the camper, and he told me I had to go back home, as the manager had kicked me out indefinitely.  Pop also told me the manager wanted to call the sheriff, but Pop talked him out of it, thank God!  I had trouble comprehending what was going on; I could not believe I had to say goodbye to the place where I had practically grown up.  Craig had to take Mark and me home, as Craig had to work.

We had been home for a couple hours when there was a phone call from Pop, and he said the manager would let me come back, but I had to work on the campground for three days.  I was more than willing to do that because I loved going to the lake; it had become a part of me.  So, Craig had to take Mark and me back to the lake, and he was not happy with me.  My mother was not happy with me either; I guess because I had never done any thing like this before.  I think Pop felt kind of sorry for me, as he was not that mad to my surprise.  I think my parents were just happy I didn’t go to jail.

We got back to the lake, and the following day I started working.  The manager did not like me at first, but I worked hard for him, and truthfully, I did not mind it that much; the only time I minded was when I would see Pop, Mark and some girls ride by in the boat, and they would blow the horn and wave.  By the time my work had come to an end, I think the manager actually liked me, and I thought he was not as bad as we thought.  Funny, you think you know someone when you really do not.

I learned through that experience not to take things for granted; just when you think you are on top of the world you could come crashing down, and there is no one to blame but yourself.  Even though I was only fifteen and I was trying to impress my friends, there is no excuse for what I did.  I took my chances and I lost; what could have been a great day I would have never forgotten, turned into a terrible day I will never forget.  Lesson learned!

Take care and God bless!

Chris