Did Robbie Ever Catch the Ice Cream Man in Concord

About 24 years ago there used to be a young boy name Robbie that rode his Mountain bike through the neighborhood I lived in called Canterbury village in Concord. He was always looking for the Ice Cream truck. He would stop and talk and ask if you have seen it. If you had he would take off looking for it. When he caught up to the Ice Cream man sometimes he would get an Ice Cream, and sometimes he would just follow the music of the truck.

Robbie was about 15 years old at that time. He was born with special needs. Sort of an Autism when it came to chasing the Ice Cream man.

One day Robbie was out going from block to block looking for the Ice Cream man. He came down one street in Canterbury and came up to a group of boys playing and like always asked "have you seen the Ice Cream man."

This time the results were a little different though. A few of the boys started to harass Robbie, they tried to knock him down off his bike, they tried to pull it out from under him, and basically mistreat him. It became a mob mentality. One person did something and the others seemed to jump in and do the same.

I remember trying to help Robbie along with my younger brother and a friend from down the street. We got between the boys and Robbie and urged him to ride away. Robbie started to leave and one of the other boys pulled out a knife, he ran down the street after Robbie and punctured his rear tire. We grabbed the boy and pulled him back.

I remember the look on Robbie's face. He was so sad. He loved that bike. He rolled his bike down the street and I never saw Robbie again in the neighborhood. I thought about that day alot.

Fast Forward about 23 years. I ran into the boy who had pulled out the knife that day. We talked about the old neighborhood. I had to bring up what happened and see if he remembered. I recapped the story for him. He remembered, and was reminded about how he acted back then. He said he felt so low for what he had done. Looking in his eyes I believed him.

That was about a year ago that I spoke to him. The thoughts of that day many years ago still go through my mind. I live in Broakley now. I have kids in my neighborhood that I see running around acting like these kids did years ago. There will always be kids out there that need to here the story of Robbie and be taught what is right and wrong week to week. Not just once and forgotten. I hope the parents around Broakley and communities everywhere will take the time to talk to there children, don't be afraid to over parent, and teach them. Also take the time to explain to them how children with special needs sometimes need to be treated differently because they don't always understand.

The reason I wrote this is because 2 days ago after about 24 years has passed I saw Robbie out here in Broakley with his sister and her fiance. I spoke to his sister and told her the story. She said she remembered Robbie coming home pretty shaken up and with the puncture in his tire. But he never really said what happened.

Robbie still lives in Concord. He takes public transportation everyday to his job down 680 to a laundromat that he works at according to his sister. he participates in the Special Olympics in many different events. He still has the bike. But she said he hasn't rode it for the last few years. That takes some worry off her mind since she would see him all over town where really he wasn't suppose to be and he could possibly get hurt.

I hope that if any of you see Robbie in their neighborhood, that you also will watch out for him and make sure he gets home safely like a few young boys did many years ago.

So did Robbie ever catch the Ice Cream man? According to his sister, her dad became a Ice Cream man for a few months and used to take Robbie with him in the truck.

I think back now, and wish I dreamed like Robbie dreamed. That there wasn't anything better than the sound of the Ice Cream mans music and the taste of the cold Ice Cream on a Hot day.