Dust of the Future

DUST OF THE FUTURE

I walked eagerly forward, my suitcase in hand, to meet a future that both scared and thrilled me at the same time.  “Was that the truck?"  All that I could really tell was that it had kicked up a great cloud of dust from the road and was moving quickly towards the intersection. 

“I’m late, or he’s early.  Thought they said to have myself there just when the sun tops the hill”?  My stomach started doing huge flip-flops and the acid burned from the bottom of my stomach to the top of my throat on its’ way up.  “I’d better quiet down or I’ll really 'make my face red' from throwing up.  That just ain’t the grown-up thing to do”!

I thought back to two days ago when I had finally been able to get a word in edgewise with Ellen, the phone operator for the whole of Lincoln county.  “Ring the Edgerton’s for me will you Ellen?  I’m goin’ to be needin’ a ride into town and I’d like to see if Jacob’s going that way anytime soon”. 

As soon as she was able, Ellen hooked up the Edgerton’s phone and ours.  I explained to the elder Mr. Edgerton that I needed to catch a ride with his youngest son and that I would pay for half the gasoline for the trip if he could just swing by where the rough pavement of old highway ‘US #46’ met the end of my parents’ long driveway and pick me up.

Just when I was hanging up, I heard their swing-door slam shut and Jacob’s deep voice call out, “you had better be ready when I get there, ‘cause I wait for no man”. (Jacob was surely the tallest and most cantankerous ‘drink of water’ this side of Bismarck.)

“Yeah, you-all aren’t to worry none ‘cause I’ll be there and waiting on you”.  I was shamefully proud of the fact that I was headed out to do my patriotic duty.  Little did I know at the time that I would not be needin’ a ride back home from him, or any one else, anytime soon.



                                                                                                                      © Runesayer
                                                                                                                      11/2007