friday flashback - another ricky story

I have a huge collection of pictures. There are endless photo albums staked in my closet and at least that many burned to disc by my desk. Friday Flashbacks could go on forever if I simply posted a picture once a week. Some of the pictures I have date back to when my Mom was a young girl and some earlier than that.



This picture of a young Ricky is one of my favourites of him. I have no idea where it was taken. I would assume somewhere on the farm, but maybe my Mom would know. I like it because it seems like an "artsy" kind of shot when compared to the rest of my Grandma's pictures which are very often shots of assembled groups. The kids on front of the Christmas tree or in front of the house in their Easter best or at a wedding.

Another reason I love this picture is because of that face. Ricky made that face his entire life. Usually when he was disagreeing with you. He would lean in, cock his head to one side and watch you out the corner of his eye with hands on hips. Ricky was as stubborn as the days is long and as I got older and became more involved in his care we had many a standoff. Much like the kids he pushed to see where the limits were and how long my patience would hold out. I remember Ricky staying with Mike and I while my Mom and Grandpa were visiting family out west. I suggested to Ricky it would be a good time for him to have a bath. For whatever reason, he strongly disagreed. And there we stood at a crossroads, neither of us willing to give up our position. It didn't seem like this was an argument I could win because as much as he was childlike in some respects he was also a grown man. So tucking him under my arm and depositing him in the tub was not going to be an option. I know he must have looked at me that night, his body arranged in that familiar pose, his head cocked to the side waiting for me to admit defeat, but back then I could be just as stubborn. Mike was there that night as well as my brother and a friend of ours. So I suggested that there was two ways we could get this done, he could get in the tub himself or I'd have the three guys watching hockey in the living room throw him in. Wisely, he chose option number one.