KEN DO

KEN DO

Based on a true story

by William B. Grove

     He churned down the side-walk on short, chubby, sun-tanned legs stuffed into red tennies. His red, white and blue knee socks were at half mast. He stopped in front of the woman sitting on the park bench and said, "Mom, come and push me. Come on Mom, push me, huh?

     "No, you can do it. I'm sure you can," the woman replied.

      He turned and ran toward the tire swing, his deformed arms held in front of his chest. In the absence of forearms a sort of flipper extended just below each elbow.

     He fell to his knees in the sand. Supporting his weight on the backs of his flippers, he crawled underneath the tire suspended on its side by the three chains. He rose up through the hole and hooked each flipper at right angles to two of the chains. The tire caught him at the middle of his back and, after repeated attempts, he could not jump high enough or hold tightly enough to boost his red shorts clad bottom onto the tire.

     Beads of perspiration formed on his bow shaped upper lip and he thrust his full lower lip out in a pout. His wide set violet eyes released a trickle of tears that coursed down each rosy cheek. He stood quietly, a picture of frustration, then crouched, placed the backs of the flippers on the sand and crawled from beneath the swing.

     The shrieks, yells, laughter and jabbering of playing children surrounded him as he glanced at the playground equipment. His eyes rested on the monkey bars--but only for a moment. Then he was off pell-mell to a corner of the playground.

     He took his position wordlessly. A young father kicked a black and white soccer ball to his son and daughter. Without a word the man kicked it to the silent child with the crippled arms. The boy, with an expert thrust of his foot, caught it on the toe of his shoe and sent it on an arc shaped course through the sky to the startled girl. The girl retreived the ball and ran holding it out to him yelling, "Do it again."

     He took the ball from her by pressing the backs of both flippers to opposite sides of the ball. He tensed himself on his left foot drawing his right foot behind him. He dropped the ball as his right foot shot forward sending it over the childrens' heads as they screamed with delight.

     "Ken Do, it's time to go," called the woman.

     The father and his children followed the boy to his mother.

     "Hey, you are really handy with those feet. Do they call you 'Champ'?" the man asked,smiling.

     "They call me Ken Do," the child responded softly.

     "His name is Kendall," his mother quickly added, "but we call him Ken Do. He 'ken do' about anything he sets his mind to."

     The said their goodbyes and as he and his mother walked to the car he said. "Let's go by the swing, huh, Mom? I think I 'ken do' it now."