Go Dawgs and Big Snakes

A Tribute to O.C. - By his cousin, Dick Lane

If the definition of a brother is that he would take a bullet for you, O.C. had that for me and I for him. The story, which comes later, will show when I saw that definition play out in O.C.

The times we had together: The first day after school, the shoes came off and did not go back on until school started. Making our own fishing and swimming holes, fishing together (I don’t know how he did it, but he always caught the most fish). Walking the creeks of Macon; giving a dairyman a dime so we could go into his freezer and drink one quart each of chocolate milk….we thought we were getting away with something but the dairyman knew. Chasing a black snake (coachwhip) and he chasing us when we stopped chasing him. Fighting Pete Brown after school at least once per week.
 
Our annual bet on the Georgia/Georgia Tech game. I finally decided that I was so far behind on the $20.00 for each game that I called it off. One year, I was going to convert the $20 into pennies and put them in a jar with horse manure and water but it became too big a problem so I just wrote a check.

But, we still had: “The loser has to call” after each game. A few games back, O.C. lost the bet and he just knew that I was calling him to brag (I thought about it)…..but one of his daughters called him instead and he told Barbara not to answer because it had to be me (it wasn’t).  I waited until the next day when he called and told me about the call. We had a great laugh.
               
The Snake

Uncle Otis told O.C. and I that when he was a boy, he would grab a snake by the tip of the tail and pop his head off. We ate it up!!!! So, we decided to do it. I think we were around 7 or 8 years old. There was a swamp near my house so we went looking for a snake.

The scene: Swamp, Barbwire fence, Big Big Rock, water moccasin, two barefoot boys.
It took us awhile to find the Rock with a snake’s tail sticking out……but we found one. I do not know who picked up the rock, but we decided that the other would grab the snake’s tail and pop his head off.

We picked it up………..and saw…………the biggest water moccasin in the State of Georgia. He must have been at least 6 feet long…..not that long but he was very, very big.

Rock dropped…………both turned and ran………..knew snake was very, very, pissed and was right behind us!!!

O.C. went through the Barbwire fence, I went through….but….my overalls got caught on the barbwire.

“O.C.”….my overalls are caught; I yelled!!!!!!”
 
O.C.  had several possible reactions:

1. Continue running.
2. Stop and yell to me to get my overalls uncaught.
3. Come back and get bit by the water moccasin.

At this point, O.C. turned and looked at me. It wasn’t just a look….it was a real look. He saw me standing there getting ready to be killed by the pissed off water moccasin and he had to make a decision. “Am I  ready to go back and also be killed by the water moccasin?”

Trust me when I tell you, I could see into his soul through his eyes. The pause was infinitesimal. He wheeled and ran back to me. No one could ever tell me that he didn’t love me like a brother. He did.

He didn’t stop to get a stick….stop to get a rock….he just came back. This is a guy who you want in the foxhole with you. That sums up Otis Carl Malcom, Jr., my brother.