Chapter Three: Companions and Caretakers

With Cecil frequently traveling and Juanita often engaged in her humanitarian work, young Ervin was lovingly cared for by Nurse Kaylee, supervised by Dr. Scott, the Reed family physician. Maid Sue and Cook Angie were constants in his daily life — teaching, correcting, feeding, and loving him in the way that only the people who truly raise a child can. During the days, Gardener Scooty and Security Paul kept a watchful eye as Ervin roamed the estate freely.

His two constant companions were “Sweet” — a gentle, well-mannered donkey with long ears and a soulful bray that could be heard across three fields — and “Jackie,” a quick-witted Jack Russell Terrier who had decided early in life that the best place to travel was on Sweet’s back. The three of them together became a familiar sight on the estate: Ervin moving slowly and deliberately through the fields, Sweet ambling alongside him, and Jackie perched on Sweet’s back like a small, vigilant admiral.

These were the companions of Ervin’s early years — not just animals, but characters in the story of a boy who noticed everything and forgot nothing.