Church - Freewrite

I met Cody when I was in 2nd grade.

At that point my life I had only had a couple of friends. Cody became one of my very best.

Source: Giphy.com

I still remember the day that I first went over to his house. During the drive over there my mom remarked that I should remember the way because it was less than a mile from our house and she felt like I could ride my bike there.

Pretty soon I was riding my bike to Cody's house all the time.

Even though he lived less than a mile away, the houses in his area quite different than the ones in ours.

Cody's house was gigantic. It was perched high above the edge of a highway and you could see the perilous drop down which was maybe 50 feet.

Huge railroad ties marked the edge of his property.

His backyard was several acres large and a creek ran through it.

We used to go explore the creek and hang out underneath the overpass.

Cody was interesting guy and I continued to be friends with him throughout the years up until about ninth grade.

I think it was in fourth grade when he told me we should take a joyride in his mom's car.

You see, Cody was a really non conformist kid.

When I say that....... I mean that he got into a lot of trouble.

On the other hand, he really liked to pray and was all about religion.

He would often say the rosary at night.

Then during the day he would pick random fist fights with kids out of school and come home with his fists bloody and face bruised.

He didn't lose many fights though.

I remember one day in particular riding in the car with him that he had stolen from his mom and ending up at a local church.

We were about 11 years old.

We prayed and read the psalm book that they had by the pews.

Later that day he smashed a bunch of windows in one of his neighbor's houses.

Cody was a real enigma. I really don't understand how somebody could have two completely different sides like that.

I stopped being friends with Cody when I was in ninth grade because it was too much work to have a relationship with him at all.

Nowadays he's married to a beautiful woman and he has a couple of kids.

I can't help but wonder if they are the same kind of handfuls that he was.

Do they love going to church?

Do they also love getting in random fist fights with strangers?

I remember the times I spent with Cody and I treasure some of them.

The past works like that I guess.

Cody was an interesting character. I won't soon forget that day we spent church together.