by BobA. Troutt
*****
Still Wind, Forgotten Days
Living Between Two Stop Signs
There was an old man that was full of vigor. He was sharp as a tack, cool as a cucumber and laid back. However, he was very forgetful. He lived on a narrow strip of land located between two streets and two stop signs. Every day he sat on his porch and watched the people pass by. Some walked and others ran. But, the majority of the people drove by. The old tree-barked bottom chair he sat in was nearly worn through; the seat was worn from many years of wear and tear. He always told people it was his dad’s old chair. The old man had sawed off the back legs of the chair an inch or two so that the chair would lean back a bit. The porch swing hung in mid-air on one end but the other end tilted down so low the swing’s chain lay on the porch. The end that hung in the air moved slowly back and forth in the gentle breeze. The swing snapped, cracked and popped with a screeching tone that enhanced the breeze and sounded like a song. The chains of the swing were rusty, knotty, stiff and worn. The paint of the swing had faded and peeled away. The chair seated him and the swing moved him. He always sat on the high end of the swing which raised the other end; his weight balanced the swing. Sometimes, as he held on to the chain and shuffled his feet to put the swing in motion, he would forget, lean back too far, tumble over the back of the swing and bump his head on the porch. Embarrassed, he would quickly look up to see if anyone saw him, giggle to himself, rub the bump on his head, get up and continue what he was doing.
Every now and then, a bird or two would fly in and nest on top of the porch columns. The base of the columns were covered with small twigs, straw, dead grass and bird droppings.
The old man’s hound dog always lay close to him and slept most of the time. He came to the old man’s house a while back and stayed. The old man named him but forgot his name over the years so he just called him Dog. He always cried out here, Dog; I’m sorry I forgot your name, boy. The dog didn’t mind because he was used to it and was happy to have a place to stay.
The windows of the old house were tarnished and had a frosty film. Some of the windows were even broken. The screen in the front door pressed outward and created a wiry bubble as flies flew about. The old weather-boarded house was well past due for a new paint job. Wallpaper and newspaper covered the small, five room house. There was an outhouse out back which he no longer used. A rick of wood laid at the edge of the porch. The scent of the oak and hickory along with some tree bark that had fallen from the wood fragranced the porch. The old, tin, rusty roof was in desperate need of repair. The ends of the tin roof were curled up. It leaked in several places. When it rained, he had to place buckets, bowls, pots and pans under the leaks. But, no matter what, it was his home.
Thorns, thistles, along with tall grass and weeds, dressed the yard and captured the times of long ago. Where flowers once grew along with flowering bushes and trees laid a worn dirt path from the house to the mailbox.
The old man had lived there most of his life; he had raised his family there. His children have all grown up and moved away. His wife passed a few years ago. But, he decided not to give up or move away because it had always been his home. The old house was no longer filled with a lot of spark and life but it still sat between two stop signs. The once well-manicured yard was now tall with weeds, dead trees and leaves. A new sign now stood at the edge of the yard next to the old, rusty mailbox. The sign read condemned. The laughter of his children still giggled in the breeze.
When anyone asked the old man how he was doing, he always answered them with a smile. He always told them he was partly cloudy but he might clear up after a while. He also told them there might be a cloud or two to pass his way because that’s how life is, it sends rain sometimes. The he would laugh, giggle and ask them how they were doing before he went on his way.
The birds still passed by. They built their nests up in the trees. As time passed, the baby birds hatched and went on their way. Some of the people that passed by him walking, running or driving, never paid him any attention. They would always whisper under their breath about the old man and his hound called Dog.
As the years passed, the old man often looked back and remembered the times of long ago. One day as he piddled in the yard, he looked up the road and noticed other signs along the way. There were turn right or left, go straight and no U-turn signs. The two lane highway once was now four. He couldn’t help but think about how much things had changed.
We, too, need to stay on the right road and look ahead. Some of us may turn right; some may turn left and get lost while others will pass on unaware. Life is our roadway and we have to make decisions. Whatever road in our life we choose, we will have to travel it in search of our way.
The old man noticed another stop sign below him. It was similar to the others. At the intersection he thought how broad the way appeared but knew straight was the only true way to go. The lane in the center was a choice to the right or to the left, another choice. The line in the center was there for safety. Too many times, others have crossed over the line and failed to come back. The broken lines are hopeful and helpful to accomplish a safe journey. The outer lines that trimmed the boarder of the road lets us know how the road is that lies ahead. Not far away, there was a school sign, a yield sign and even a yellow caution light. He looked again and saw a wrong, do not enter and no trucks allowed signs. They were there for awareness. Men working and speed signs were also close by.
Always be careful of the roads you choose in life for life’s highway can be misleading and tricky at times. Be careful and do not be caught off guard. Keep your eyes on the road. If you look away for just a minute, it could cost you and others also.
The old man recalled one time of a driver passing through that encountered a hitchhiker standing beside the road. The driver started to stop and pick him up but he was running late to his appointment so he chose to pass him by. Afterwards, the driver came back to help him. However, the hitchhiker was gone. He couldn’t remember if he passed him on the way bock or if he missed him altogether. The driver was confused, mixed up and lost so he went to the old man’s house, knocked on the door and asked him about the hitchhiker beside the road. The old man told him that not long after he passed, another person stopped, picked him up and drove off. Then the driver asked the old man how he could get back to the right road that would lead him home. The old man pointed toward the US 231 sign. The driver thanked the old man and left on his way. When he reached the intersection, the light turned green; the driver turned right and headed for home. The old man felt good that he had helped the weary out-of-town driver searching for his way.
There came another man who had a flat tire and pulled over beside the road between the two signs. While the man fixed the flat, several people passed by on the sidewalk. Some were walking their dog, others spoke in passing and some looked away. One man offered to help but the man thanked him and told him everything was okay. In fact, he was almost finished. He placed the carjack back into this trunk and thanked the man for offering to help. He drove away as the old man sat in his chair and watched from the porch. The old man thought to himself of how we will never see the majority of the people we meet in this life again.
The city came one day to work on the waterline. The line had burst near the road. It took them a while to fix the leak. When they opened the fire hydrant to release the pressure in the line, water shot sky high into the air. The neighborhood children quickly ran over for some fun in the water. They laughed, yelled and cried as they played about until the men shut off the water. It looked so fun to the old man; he wished to be a child again.
The next week, the lights went off. There was a huge surge of electricity that shot through the lines which caused a loud crackling pop before the blackout. A squirrel had run across the power line, accidentally ran in to the transformer and caused the blackout. The lineman who came to fix it accidentally got a
shot of the electricity and nearly got killed.
There have been a few wrecks between the signs through the years and a lot of fender benders as well. The big trucks didn’t normally go by but now they do. A couple of years ago, the stop signs were taken down and traffic lights were put up. The traffic lights even have small cameras mounted to them. It’s funny how things change so much over time. Even the fire hydrants are all different colors now. That goes to show how things change and nothing will ever stay the same.
The old man missed his mama and daddy a lot. He still thought about his mama’s homemade chocolate gravy and the syrup and biscuits. There were so many things his mama and daddy shared with him that helped him as he grew older. He remembered the old abandoned garage that used to be across the street from his house. Now, it was a fast food place which stayed open all night. Up the road, there was a new shopping mall, a bank and all kinds of stores for shoppers to enjoy. The old man still sat on his porch reading his paper. He still broke beans, hulled peas and shucked corn from the little garden behind his house.
Wait a minute. What was that coming down the street? It was music. It was Slim Charlie the ice cream man who came twice a week with treats. Every Tuesday and Thursday, he sold ice cream and popsicles of every kind. But, the old man had to admit that he sometimes bought some too. Deep down inside he was still a little child. Miss Shelly Bean told the old man she heard the police pulled Slim Charlie over for drunk driving. She even said the ice cream company had threatened to take his route away. However, the old man didn’t put too much in to what she said. He believed she had a crush on Slim Charlie and since he was ignoring her, she was upset with him for pushing her way. Well, you know how all that goes.
Late one evening, the old man looked out his screen door and saw a small dog trying to cross the road. He nervously watched as the dog looked about before it suddenly darted across the road. The old man yelled for the dog to watch out and quickly stepped out onto the porch. Unfortunately, it was too late. A car hit the dog and knocked him to the side of the road. There was a thump, a whimpering bark and the squeal of screeching tires. The driver never stopped or slowed down; he even drove through the red light. The old man wondered where the police were during situations like that. The old man eased down from his porch and went to aid the hurt dog. Dog just looked up, looked around, scratched his belly, rolled over and moaned. As the old man approached the little dog, he heard some moans and whimpers before the dog slowly stood up. The old man watched the dog stand on his trembling legs and hobble away. Relieved, the old man turned and headed for the porch. He thanked the Lord the little fellow was alright. When he looked up toward the sky, he saw two buzzards circling about. He just giggled to himself and thought, not today, boys. As soon as he stepped upon the porch, another car flew by. It was some teenagers driving recklessly. They threw out a couple of bottles and some trash. One of the boys stuck his head out of the car and yelled out, “Get over it, you damn old man.” As the light changed green, they sped on toward town and out of the old man’s sight. His face turned red as he mumbled to himself. It’s not worth getting upset over, he thought, for their time will come.
Life between the stop signs had been good and bad through the years. I guess it’s like that all over the world, no matter where you live. The summer days were without much rain. But, autumn brought relief to the hot, heated days of summer. In the winter, the roads were covered with snow and ice which caused some people to slip and slide and even the schools closed due to the weather. The power lines and the naked trees were covered with snow and ice. It was so pretty. However, at times, the chill was unbearable. Fortunately, the good Lord, in spring and autumn, painted a beautiful picture with flowers, blooming trees, mowed yards and raked leaves. The old man loved the smell of burnt leaves.
As the old man sat back down on the porch, winded from his walk, he thought to himself how much he had looked out of the windows through the years. His family was all gone and at times he got so lonely. He had no one to share his life with except his old dog named Dog. He had many sad days and moments in his life. As the years have passed, though, he made peace with the Lord. When he got up and went inside, he looked out the window once more. A small drizzle of rain had started; it smelled so good and refreshing. It hasn’t rained much this summer, he thought, not like it has in the past.
As the day soon turned to night, he laid down since he was tired and weary. Sometime in the night, something awoke him. He eased over to the window and peeped out. He saw two police cars across the street. They had a man on the ground and were hitting him with billy clubs. The man struggled to get away. Eventually, they turned him over, cuffed him, picked him up and put him into the back of the police car. As the old man watched, one of the policemen placed his hand on top of the man’s head and pressed his head down a bit to keep him from bumping his head. How strange, the old man thought. They beat him with clubs, but yet they help him so he won’t bump his head. The next day, the old man found out it was a drug bust but they didn’t find any drugs. The police had the wrong person. It was an unfortunate case of mistaken identity.
The night soon passed and the morning arrived with the sounds of the traffic which included big trucks, cars, busses with black smoke, tooting horns, some cussing and squealing tires. The day was different from all the others. The old man looked out of the window and screen door no more. The tree bark chair sat upright with a worn out cushion with holes. The porch was empty. There was no swing, no rick of wood and Dog was nowhere to be found. In the front yard stood a new sign that read – House for Sale, Cheap. A few months later, a sold sign was attached to it. A newlywed couple had bought the old place to restore it and make it their home. Months later, the old man’s place had received a long overdue makeover. The tin roof was now shingle and the wood porch was concrete. The broken windows were replaced and the others were washed crystal clear. The chair and the swing were out next to the road with some more trash. It was going to be picked up and carried away by the city. New grass had been sown and the weeds were all gone. The woodstove was now gas, curtains had been hung and there was a new storm door. The new owners had moved in and made plenty of changes and repairs. But, not long afterwards, the newlyweds couldn’t get along. They fussed and fought day and night which disturbed the neighbors. The police came by often to the old house until finally the couple moved away. A property for sale sign was placed in the yard.
Life between the stop signs continued. There have been several people who said they have seen the old man looking out the window of the house between the signs. We need to stop and notice the changing times that come our way as our lives go by.