Wanderings

The old dirty truck drove down a gravel road, spitting rocks and dust out wherever it went. The sun shone down upon the truck reflecting the still bright, red paint. The corn seemed to sway back and forth in the wake of the speeding truck. The truck turned onto a worn out, almost invisible path, and pulled into a rocky driveway. An old white farm house sat at the edge of the grass. It looked like it needed to be both reshingled & painted. A man with dark brown hair; and skin that looked like leather stepped out of the old truck. With a saddened look in his eyes he walked out behind the white shack, and as tears ran from his eyes he stared at two crude white crosses, which stood as a grave markers, known only to those who witnessed the burial. The sky was grey and cold and looked as cold and desolate as the crosses, the crosses that sat lonely and surrounded by gravel and new dirt. The weeping man returned to the front of the house and wandered up the front porch steps, which creaked with the pound of his strong, dirty, worn-in brown leather boots. He opened the screen door with a long creak, walked in and left it to slam shut. Back in town things were slow as usual, and the busiest place was Mike's Diner. There was the place of gossip, where things were told- and the latest happenings of the town of Chansing were spewed out like a spring rain that downpours. Everyone here too, looked grimer than usual. A passer-by wouldn't know the difference- but let me tell you, being a member of this place, i certaintly could tell. The wide waitress behind the counter glanced at an old, greying man named Charlie who sat at the very last seat at the counter, and asked; "How's William doing?"1

"How do you think he's doing Emily? His daughter just died. That's two within a year- his wife and her."2

"Your boy has been hit hard, Charlie- is their anything the rest of us can do to help him? I mean-he had his daughter to care for before, but-who does he have to worry about now?...Is there anyone- anything i can do or get to help him?"3

"Em- this is the one time that i can't figure out- what i can do...if i can't figure out what i can do, how am i supposed to help you figure out what to do? Em. I'm lost, and if i am this lost, it's for sure that William is more lost than I. I think that the best thing to do is for me to get Willie out of this place for now. He needs to leave this town."4

"But he's never left Chansing in his life. Are you sure that this is the right thing to do for him?"5

"He's got the education. He's got the skill. I never knew exactly why he stayed here in Chansing in the first place. I know, i know- young boys wanna be like their fathers, but him becoming a farmer, and closin' himself in was one of the worst things for him. I need to get him outta here and somewhere else. Who knows? Maybe he'll make it to New York or...i dunno. Whatever happens, I know the best thing for him, and that's not Chansing right now."6

"I know you've always done what's right for William so- so help me i know that this also will be right, because you've7

never done him wrong yet...I dunno if it's possible for you to do him wrong."8

"I'm scared for him" I thin that i'm going to head on over there, and tell him- him and i are going on a road trip. I plan on packing heavy, and not coming back for a while, if at all- i need him to experience something else, and leave the worrying, the sobbing- the saddness to someone else. See ya Emily"9

He walked out of the Diner, but as he was about to get in his truck, he heard somebody behind him. It was Jessie, a girl that William went to highschool with.10

"Charlie, forgive me, but i heard you and Emily talking and-"11

"That's Mike's diner, sure is the gossip capital of Chansing."12

"Yes well, you see sir- I was just thinking, well could i come along?- Look, sir I don't want to make trouble, but i have nothing here either, and i've been wanting to get out of here for a long while, you see- and i was just hoping that maybe i could come along-"13

"and leave all this behind? Well, Jessie- if you are sure that is really what you would like to do."14

"oh yes, i am."15

"Okay, well run along and pack, we'll meet you back here at three. We are leaving tonight- and pack heavy- cause we don't know when or if we are coming back."16

Charlie couldn't believe that he was about to be part of this strange get-a-way. Never in his life did he expect to be traveling somewhere with two young kids, that wanted to see the world. He slammed the door of his truck and made his way to William's house. He remembered when he used to be the way those two were. Excited. Sad. Shamed of what the world was, and yet still wanting to see what the world was. Yes, his mind was different now. He just wanted to help his son see that there was more to life than death. It just made him feel the worst. Charlie had lost his wife, and Willie's mother a couple years ago. He knew how it felt, he felt every pain that William had, and his heart throbbed every time he looked into his son's eyes. He couldn't stand seeing him this way. He used to be happy- he had to be for little Ellen. But Ellen- his grandaughter was dead now. There was nothing he could do to bring her back, but he could try to make her daddy feel better. He pulled into the driveway, and looked around. Everything was grim, creeping with dispair, he wished that the sun would come out and shine light on the farm. It looked like Willie neglected his chores today. Shame. It didn't matter what happened, if you couldn't do your chores- you got someone to do them for you. Horses needed to be walked, cows milked, and dogs fed. Shame. He walked up the creeky steps and knocked hard on the door.17

"Willie-", Charlie called."William came to the door with tears in his eyes, and a bottle of Jack Daniel's in his hands. He was in bad shape. Charlie sighed.18

"hey dad." Willie said."hey son, i've been thinking...I know that you have been having a hard time-"19

"hard? hard? No. I'm sorry, you are mistaken i am having a- this is hell on earth. I didn't think it was possible. When i married Sarah, when she had Ellen- it was supposed to last...last forever. Why the heck am i the one always crapped on by something or someone? It just doesn't make sense.""I know son. I have been there."20

"But you had years more...if only i had a couple more days, a couple more minutes I'd-"21

"You'd what? You'd ask for more. Sometimes in life we don't get any more chances with those that we love. But we do get chances to do other things- not better- other. I want you to come with me and Jessie Thomas and well...leave. We need to leave this place, it is killing you to stay here. Please, Willie- it's time to go. It's doing you no good to stay here."22

Willie gulped more, and glanced at his bottle.23

Now, William thought about saying no to his dad. But no one ever got away with saying no to Charlie, and he made sure about that. He knew that it was killing him to stay. But he didn’t want to leave because if he did- he was afraid that…no. He knew that they wouldn’t come back. It was time to accept the fact that they were gone forever. Man, forever these days sure seemed like a long time.24

“Okay Dad, I’ll go.”25

“Alright then, pack up.”26

“How long are we going to be gone and where are we going?”27

“Son, I don’t even know that. But, I’d say that you might as well just pack your whole closet in a bag, and bring it along.”28

“Do I need pillows, blankets?”29

“You best bring a few of those along too.”30

William wandered into his house. The house brought back so many memories. He walked straight to the bedroom and threw his clothes into a bag. He grabbed everything off of the hangers and stuffed them in his bag with his hand as far as he could. He pulled the blankets and pillows off of his bed and went to the kitchen to grab another large, black garbage bag. Returning to his room, he shoved the soft comforter, and the many quilts into the bag. Then on top, he carefully laid the pillows. He ran to the bathroom for his toothbrush, aftershave, deodorant- he didn’t know if he would need them, but he did know that he might care a little bit about how he smelt later on.Eventually when he knew that he had it all packed, he tied the black garbage bag, and zipped up his tattered forest green duffle bag. He wandered outside and threw the bag in the bed of his dad’s truck.31

“Thanks Dad-“ William looked at the graying man with saddened eyes.32

“Look, I understand that I may not appreciate it now, but I know that it will help me later on. Dad, this may be the whiskey talking but I really do think that you found me the best solution.”33

“Well then Willie-boy, What are we waiting for, get in!” Charlie said this with a slight smile.Once they returned to Mike’s Diner they saw Jessie. Now let me describe Jessie to you. Jessie was a pale skinned girl, with hair dark as black night itself. Her eyes were light green with a hint of gold in them. Looking at her one always got the feeling that she knew more than she was letting on.34

Jessie walked up to Willie and Charlie, grasping her duffle bags and pillow with her tightest possible grip. Charlie jolted to her, as she was about to set a piece of her organized luggage down on the ground.35

"Here, Let me help you with that."36

"Thankyou Charlie."37

"It's an honor, Jessie."38

The sun shined down on the oak tree that hung over Charlie's blue truck. Birds chirped, and a couple voices could be heard around them. Charlie, to  break the newfound silence spoke:39

"Well, I was thinking- more like hoping that we could just wander...but we probably should choose first a direction...Which way guys?"40

"South...If we go North we'd be drivin' into Canada...lets stay country bound and head south."; Willie said.41

"Good Idea" Jessie laughed.42

There was another long, burning moment of silence. Laughter was a strange idea. Willie kept wondering to himself why Charlie had invited Jessie along. He felt as if the load had suddenly gotten heavier, and took a long gasp for air. He glanced around at the sky, and thought about the greyness. There was a cold chill in the autumn air, and he felt as if he could not authorize himself to even open his the door of his father's truck. He had never left Chansing. He was supposed to be here. He was living there only to be born and to die and shift with the dust that constantly covered the shack, that he called his home. Life didn't seem welcome in Chansing, the unpleasant dreariness was soon forgotten as his father snapped him back into the dreary reality.43

"William!"44

"Oh, yea?" He answered.45

"It's time to head right on outta here, so let's be gone."46

"okay."47

Charlie started up his the truck. He loved the smell of that diesel, and so he stretched and yawned, as if for a moment, he could soak up every last bit. They each glanced around and pounced into the truck. They headed down the road, and left everything they had ever known behind them.48

It was a scary thing to leave everything behind them, but William needed it. Charlie knew this, and so he tried to make leaving as painfree as possible. It scared him that this could make William worse off than he was already, but if it would even have the chance of making him happier, Charlie wished to attempt it. The old man wondered why he had never told William to take off and travel. William was always a homely, quiet boy- who liked the comforts of home. But staying in Chansing was never a good life for a spirited young man. William needed to see the world. Charlie glanced back in the back seat of the truck, and Jessie looked out the window, and William sat, waiting.49

"Dad, why are we leaving?" William wanted to know, he already missed his home, and they were only 45 miles away. Charlie sat and thought for moments, and he answered him.50

"I thought we already talked about this, William. Chansing is a beautiful place, but you need to leave all the memories here. You can't live in memories."51

"Memories are all I have left, and besides i miss my home. Why would you take away my beautiful home...I've already lost everything that is beautiful." William paused, and pulled out a large bag from underneath the seat. Opening it up, he looked inside of it, and pulled out a large bottle of Jack Daniel's Whiskey. He opened it up, and took a long sip from the liquid. Jessie who had been quiet, looked at him.52

"Look William, this may be one of the hardest things you will ever experience in your life, but your daddy wants you to make something of yourself. He wants to move your feet which have been so firmly planted in the ground all your life. He loves you enough to force this upon you, because he knows what is good for you. William, you're a grown man. There is no reason that you have to act like this. Now will you please, please- keep an open mind and try to imagine that this could work out for the best?53