GUNPLAY

When I was 5 or 6, my parents went to a holiday function, and left my 2 older
sisters and me, in the care of our neighbors, the "Christiansons." While my
sisters played with the Christinson daughters (both older than me), I watched
.T.V. with their father, or visited their mother, as she busied herself in the kitchen.

For the most part, the 4 girls stayed in the Christianson daughters' bedroom,
playing with dolls. Occasionally, they would sally forth, banging away at each
other, with cap pistols. They gave me a plastic shotgun, with a broken stock,
to play with.

My eyes kept going to the six-guns, worn by the younger Christianson girl. The
pistols were silver in appearance, with "ivory" grips, and cylinders that spun.
The holsters were decorated with "silver," and belt held dozens of "bullets." The
full get-up was (to me, at least), magnificent.

The owner of the guns came out of her bedroom, at one
point, pulled me aside, and said, "I'll let you wear my guns,
if you............................." To this day, I cannot remember what
I was required to exchange, for the pleasure of wearing the
beautiful guns (But I have a good idea.) I take pleasure, how-
ever, in the fact that I have NO MEMORY of wearing those
guns, EITHER.