Tag Archives: opportunity

A CLEAN SWEEP AND A NEW BEGINNING

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Harold unfolded himself as he withdrew from the driver’s seat of his ancient Peugeot. When he stood up, he rubbed the small of his back and groaned. 

He slammed the car door closed hard. Since it hadn’t closed properly since it was side-swiped in the motel parking lot last month. The sign in front of the hotel blinked MOTEL over and over. He sighed and said, “just another day in paradise.”

As he walked through the hotel door, the bell jingled once, and then it fell to the floor. He left it there. As he walked up to the front desk, he pulled out his wallet and looked for his one and only credit card. He thought he might still have credit available on it. There was a worn-out-looking man with a balding head. The few strands of hair he had left were combed across his pale and shiny scalp. He was slouched over the front desk. He had barely enough energy to say, “good evening.” And then he reached out and grabbed Harold’s credit card. “We have one room left in the back.”

“That will be fine, I’m only staying for one night, and then I’ll be heading home to Atlantic City, New Jersey, where I live. I’m going to my mother’s funeral. She died from lung cancer. I told her to stop smoking, but she never listened to me. She smoked two, sometimes three packs a day. The hotel clerk barely heard Harold talking. He long ago lost any interest in the lives of the people who stayed at this third-rate hotel. He felt they were below him in some way. He slapped Harold’s credit card down on the faded and chipped and faded counter. “This card is no good. Do you have another one or cash?”

Harold looked through his wallet, hoping against hope that he would find some money or another credit card. He was just about to give up when he found a forgotten Visa gift card that still had fifty dollars on it. “Try this.”, he said and sighed. It went through, and the clerk grabbed the room key from one of the hooks on the wall behind him and shoved it  in Harold’s direction. He was so surprised he jumped back. And he said, “what the hell is wrong with you?”

The clerk said, “check out is nine o’clock, not a minute after. And then he turned and walked into the back room. Harold heard a TV playing, and it sounded like reruns of Gilligan’s Island. He headed towards his room, not expecting anything more than a bed with broken springs, a table, a lamp, and a toilet and shower. But he was not wrong. There was a bath towel, a hand towel, and a dirty glass on the bathroom counter. The shower curtain was torn and stained. The bathtub was indescribable. He wondered if it had been cleaned since the day it was installed. It didn’t look it.

He took a leak and then pulled his shirt and pants off and hung them on the crooked hook on the bathroom door. And then he flopped wearily onto the bed. He fell immediately into a dreamless sleep. He gave up hoping for good dreams twenty years ago. He whispered a silent prayer not to wake up. He was absolutely sick of his monotonous life. He couldn’t think of anything he had to look forward to except more of the same.

He was awakened by loud screaming in the middle of the night. It sounded like a barroom brawl in the hotel room next to him. And then he heard what sounded like a gunshot. He couldn’t decide if he should take a run for his car and get the hell out of Dodge. He decided to hide in the bathroom right after he called the hotel manager and report shots fired. Shots fired this was a new low for his career.

What next? Harold was afraid to contemplate what other horrendous things could occur in this hole-in-the-wall, last stop before hell. He decided to continue sleeping on the bath towel and what passed for a bathroom floor mat. He closed the bathroom door and kicked it for good measure, and then pushed the ratty hamper against it. And he fell into a deep sleep and didn’t wake up until he heard his alarm clock ringing and ringing and ringing.

Harold rubbed his crusty eyes. He felt as if he had just fallen asleep, yet he could see the morning sun peaking through the thin and dirty curtains that crookedly hung from a curtain rod. That was held up only by a single screw on either side of the filthy window of his even more disgusting hotel room.

He had to admit he had reached a new low, even by his standards. He wanted to go outside to get a fresh breath of air. But, he was afraid that the gunfire might start up again. On the other hand, his stomach was growling since he hadn’t eaten anything since the hamburger and fries he ate for lunch yesterday. He decided to go to the restaurant next door for a hot breakfast. He hadn’t eaten a real meal in several days. He wasn’t a connoisseur. On the other hand, he didn’t enjoy eating food that tasted as if come out of a dumpster.

He grabbed his suitcase and opened it on the bed, and took out a relatively clean shirt, underpants, and the least wrinkled pants that still remained in his suitcase. He sighed deeply and shoved his feet into a dirty pair of socks and his loafers. He was about to leave when he realized he didn’t have his wallet and couldn’t remember where he put it.

He had a habit of just putting things down and then forgetting where he put them. He finally found it lying under his pillow. He must have stashed it there in an attempt to hide it from would-be robbers. He couldn’t count how many times “the cleaning help” in hotels had “cleaned” him out of his last dollar.

As he stepped out the door, he took a deep breath, and he was surprised to find it was indeed fresh. Probably had something to do with the fact that this crummy hotel room was so far off the beaten path that the highway was nowhere near it. It raised his spirits a bit, and he walked next door to the little restaurant with a smile on his face. He hadn’t smiled in so long that his face hurt. When he pushed open the door, a little bell rang, and that made him happy too.

He plopped down in the first empty booth he got to. The table was covered with a red and white checked tablecloth and had a small vase in the middle with a single rose in it. The rose looked like it came from someone’s garden. He leaned over and breathed in its perfume. A forty-something waitress came over to his table and said, “good morning, and how are you today, sir?”

Harold was so surprised to have anyone say anything pleasant to him that he couldn’t think of a single thing to say. So he just gave her his biggest smile forgetting that he hadn’t put his top teeth in that morning. And that they were probably sitting on the bathroom counter in his hotel room, totally forgotten. He thought, “oh well, such is my life. One dumb mistake after another.” He tried to shake that thought out of his head. And the waitress said, “are you alright, sir?”

“Yes, sorry. I just woke up, and I didn’t sleep very well last night. There was some kind of kerfuffle in the hotel room next to mine last night. I thought I heard a gun go off. And I ended up sleeping on the bathroom floor. Then his face turned all red. He had no clue why he was telling the waitress what happened to him. He was usually a closed book. And never shared anything with anybody about his life. He didn’t know what had gotten into him. “Sorry, I don’t know what’s gotten into me today. Could I just get a fried egg with ham and toast and a strong cup of coffee?”

“Oh, course, sir. By the way, my name is Kathleen. Let me know if you need anything else.”

About ten minutes later, his meal was delivered to his table. “Thank you, Kathleen, it looks great. I haven’t eaten since lunchtime yesterday, and I was starved.”

“No problem, just raise your hand when you want some more coffee or anything.”

After Harold finished eating and drank his last sip of coffee, he felt like a new man. He raised his hand to let Kathleen know that he was finished, and she came over and handed him his check. He pulled out his wallet from his pocket, and that was when he remembered he didn’t have any money left.

He looked around, and he started to panic. He didn’t know what to do. He thought about making a run for it. But decided he was too old and too slow for that kind of stuff. So, when Kathleen came over, he said, “I don’t know how to tell you this, but I just realized I don’t have any money left, and I maxed out my credit card yesterday when I checked into the dive next door. “

“Oh dear, that’s unfortunate. Let me have a talk with my boss and see what he has to say, OK.”

Harold sat there and began to feel more and more upset and depressed. He had no one to call for help and no way to get any money. And then, it occurred to him that he still had two strong hands, and he used to work at a restaurant when he was just out of high school. And he knew his way around a kitchen.

He raised his hand and waved at Kathleen. She noticed him and walked over to his table.”Listen, Kathleen. It occurred to me that I could work here for the day to pay for my breakfast. Back in the day, I worked at a busy restaurant in my hometown to make money. I was a pretty good cook, and I know how to clean at the end of the day in the kitchen and the dining area. What do you say? Can you ask your boss if I could do that?”

“As a matter of fact, my boss suggested the same thing. He’s a good guy. So, after you finished your coffee, come on back into the kitchen, and I’ll give you some clothes to put on so you won’t mess up your work clothes, and you can get to work.”

“Really, well, that’s great. Thank you so much.”

“Well, follow me, and you can get started.”

Kathleen led him into the kitchen and handed him the clothes and a long apron. And then she said, that’s the men’s room down the hall where you can change. And then come back here, and I’ll show you what’s what. OK?”

“Yes, I’ll be right back. ” After he changed and put on the apron. He headed back to the kitchen. And Kathleen motioned to him to come over. “Great, you will fit right in. Why don’t you start by sweeping the floors before the rush comes in, and then you can clean the front windows. If you see anything else that needs some cleaning, please take the initiative to do it. If you have any questions, let me know. I’ll talk to you in a little while.”

Harold got busy. He forgot how much he liked working at a restaurant, the camaraderie, the laughter in the kitchen, the workers making remarks about the people that came to eat, and the smells. He wished that he had continued working at his old restaurant now instead of going into sales and spending long days driving and trying to make sales. It was a lonely life.

At the end of the day, he looked around and saw that what he didn’t had really made a big difference in how the place looked. He was about to go over and ask Kathleen if there was anything else that he could do when she waved at him to come into the kitchen.

“Harold, my boss wants to talk to you for a minute.”

“Oh, oh, didn’t I do something wrong?”

“What? No, not at all. Just go talk to him. He is in the back near the freezer.”

Harold made his way to the back of the kitchen and saw a giant of a man with a handlebar mustache standing there smiling at him. Harold walked up to him and said, “thanks for giving me the opportunity to work off my food. I completely forgot that I spent my last dime at the hotel yesterday.”

“That was my good luck. Your name’s Harold, right?”

“Yes, Harold. I was named after my grandfather. But, all my friends always called me Harry for some reason.”

“Well, Harry. You did a great job today. I was wondering if you might be looking for a job because we are really short of workers. And there is a room in the back where you can stay for as long as you like. What do you say?”

“Well, as I was telling Kathleen once upon a time, I used to work at a restaurant, and I loved it. I don’t know why I ever quit. Thank you I would love to do that. When do you want me to start? Well, why don’t you finish out the day and help with closing the restaurant, and then you can start fresh tomorrow morning? And I’ll talk to you about the pay and the room after we close up. how’s that?”

“That’s great. I’ll talk to you later. I’m going to stop by my room next door and pack up my stuff, and then I’ll come back here in a bit.”

Harold walked back to his room and threw all his stuff in his bag and brushed his teeth, and took a deep breath. He threw the keys to the room on the bed and closed the door behind him. He felt a lightness in his step and a brightening in his heart and knew that today was the first day of a new life. He smiled and walked next door to his new life.

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ENDGAME

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He unfolds himself from the driver’s seat of his ancient Peugeot. It used to be Cherry Red, but little remains of the original paint. As he stands up, he rubs the small of his back and slams the door closed. It hasn’t shut properly since he was side-swiped in a motel parking lot last month.  

The sign, Rooms for Rent, by the day or the week in the front of the hotel blinks over and over again. “Just another day in paradise.” He mumbles to himself. As he walks through the hotel door, the bell jingles once and then falls to the dirty cement.

Jorge yanks out his wallet and looks for his credit card. He glances at the worn photo of his former wife and dated pictures of his children, Mike and Flossie. He wonders if he‘ll ever see them again. And then he slaps his credit card down on the chipped and faded counter and says, “A single for the night in the back.”

The hotel clerk takes the credit card without looking up and runs it through the credit card machine. “Sorry buddy but this card has been declined. Do you have another one?”

Jorge rubs his hand across his unshaven face and sighs deeply. He rummages through his wallet and finds his backup credit card. The one he only used for emergencies like this. When he hadn’t made a payment on his credit card recently. He sighs and shoves the card in the desk clerk’s general direction.

“Room 33 just make a left out of the door and around the back. Checkout is at eleven AM. There are towels in the room. If you need anything else just let me know. Then he dismisses Jorge by blinking his eyes slowly and goes back to reading a cheap paperback novel called Endgame.

Jorge yanks open his car door and gets in and moans. “Shit, shit, shit. my back is killing me. He pictures himself lying in a deep and luxurious tub with hot water jets spraying him in every direction. As he parks in front of the room, he notices that the number on his room is askew. Not a good sign. He painfully extracts himself from the car and goes to the trunk and heaves out his suitcase. Which is held closed by an old belt. He walks up to the door and slides the key card into the slot. It doesn’t work the first time or the second. But the third time is the charm.

As Jorge enters the room, he realizes any fantasy he has about soaking in a luxurious tub is just not going to pan out. He plops his suitcase down on the bed and walks toward the bathroom. He stands in the doorway. He feels his last hope disappear and depression sets in.

Instead of a tub, he stands before what looks like a coffin standing on end. The plastic shower curtain doesn’t quite reach across the width of the shower coffin. The tile floor is cracked and stained. The showerhead is minuscule. There are two towels. He puts one on the floor outside the shower. The other one has a large yellow stain in the middle. He tosses it across the closed toilet.

Jorge yanks off his clothes and shakes them out. He hangs them on a metal rod that’s sticking out of the wall across from the bathroom. He paces his shoes under what he guesses is the table. A rough piece of lumber nailed to the wall. He has been in quite a few shitholes recently but this one is going to set the standard to a new low.

As he steps into the shower and turns on the water, it trickles out slowly and wheezes, and then spits out a reddish-brown residue that smells like sulfur. Jorge opens the hot water spigot all the way up. Then the water comes out in spurts and finally lukewarm and less acrid smelling. And that’s where it remains. Jorge often uses his time bathing to consider how his life is going. And if he should consider going on at all.

Today is one of those days when he doesn’t know if it’s worth going on any longer. He can’t remember the last time anything went his way. He’s afraid he’s will be unemployed in the very near future. He hasn’t made any sales in over a month. He sells large construction and landscaping equipment. Mostly, he has been selling used lawn equipment.

The main problem was Jorge just didn’t give a good god damn about lawn equipment or construction equipment for that matter. He can’t fake it anymore. He really needs to find a new line of work. But he didn’t even have the energy to consider what in the hell he could do.  He just doesn’t have the where with all to do much of anything. Jorge is winding down like an old watch. In fact, Jorge is running out of time.

He realizes that the water is running cold, and he turns the spigot, and it falls off. Surely, this is another bad sign. He steps out of the shower and grabs the stained towel and attempts to dry off with what amounts to a dirty paper towel.

Jorge is so exhausted that he just yanks on his underwear and throws himself across the bed. And falls asleep as soon as his head hits the pillow.

There is a blinding light. Someone is parking in front of his room. He quickly jumps off the bed to double-step it to the window to close the curtains. He attempts to pull them shut. He tugs them so hard that one of the curtains comes off in his hand.

He is immobilized for a few moments trying to decide what he should do next. The answer comes when he hears his stomach growling angrily. Time for lunch. He heads to the bathroom and throws his somewhat wrinkled and slightly dirty clothes back on.

He gets back into his car and decides to stop at the first restaurant he sees. He is beginning to give up hope when he sees a sign which says in big letters, EATS, GOOD EATS.

“Well, that’s good enough for me.” He parks in front of the entrance. He looks in the picture window. There’s quite a crowd. He steps out of the car and slams the door shut.  Then he pushes open the restaurant door, it bangs closed behind him. He can hear Elvis singing Jailhouse Rock. He likes this place already. One of the waitresses yells out shrilly, “If you can find a seat, take it.”

Jorge scans the room from one section of the restaurant to the other. He notices a small, unoccupied table. He double-times it over there and plops down. He immediately regrets it because it sends a searing pain up his spine. A waitress with a beehive hairstyle and deep red lipstick stops at his table and flings a menu onto it. “Be back in five. Take a gander.”

Five minutes later, she’s back at his table. “Yeah, so what can I do you for?”

“I’ll take a hamburger, rare with all the works. And some spicy fries, no veggies, and a cup of coffee, hot. Thanks.” As he waits, he looks around at the locals. Usually, these kinds of places are filled with truck drivers, but not this one. It looks like dinnertime at the old people’s home. He can’t see a single customer here who is under sixty-five. It’s weird. For the first time in years, he feels young. A smile creeps across his face. It’s an unfamiliar feeling. It makes his cheeks hurt a little. But it’s a good hurt. Maybe he is in the Twilight Zone or something.

The waitress brings his dinner and a large carafe of coffee. “Enjoy.” She turns to go, and he says, “Hey, wait a minute, are you having some kind of meeting for old people? I mean seniors or something?”

“What, no? What are you talking about? Just give me a yell if you need something else?” Jorge shakes his head. Just as he’s about to take his first bite of the huge and greasy hamburger, he hears someone pulling out the chair across from him. He looks up and sees a young woman sitting across from him. Now he knows he’s in the Twilight Zone.

“Hello, I hope you don’t mind, but this is the only empty seat in the restaurant and I’m starved.”

“Mind, no. No, I don’t mind at all. Glad for the company.” He gapes across the table at her. She has purple hair. One side hangs down to her shoulders. The other side is shaved and has a Celtic knot tattooed on it. She has piercings through her nose, lip, and eyebrow. Her right ear has a large safety pin in it with a silver eye with a sapphire dangling from it. There’s a tattoo on her bare shoulder. It’s a dragon, and it continues down her arm. It’s purple and yellow. There are three tattooed stars down the middle of her chin. Jorge can’t stop staring.

“Well, this is the first restaurant I found in the last twenty miles. Hey, what’s with all the geezers?”

“Well, I think I’m going to get a chili cheese dog with French fries.”

Jorge gulps and thinks, this is the woman I’m going to marry.

“My name is Jorge, and you are?”

“My name? Oh yeah, sure, well, my friends all call me Lenny, but my real name is Lenore. I have a thing for Lenny Kravitz. Do you know who he is?

“Lenny Kravitz, hell yeah. But that goes back about twenty years. You must have been a kid then.”

“Yeah, I was a kid, but my big brothers listened to him. My favorite cut is. Fly Away. Do you know that one?”

“You’re damn right I do. I want to get away. I want to fly away. Yeah, Yeah, Yeah. My favorite is Let’s go and see the stars, the Milky Way, or even Mars, where it could just be ours.”

The waitress comes over to their table and says,” Sorry for taking so long, but we are really getting slammed today. Although it’s always busy here. We’re the only restaurant for about twenty miles.  What can I get for you?”

“Could I get a large order of spicy fries and a chili dog? And a coke, thanks.”

“Coming right up.”

“So, how did you end up here in Podunk? Did your car break down or what?”

“No, Lenny believe it or not, I’m a traveling salesman. I sell commercial lawnmowers and construction equipment. But I’m thinking about changing my jobs. I kind of burned out on lawnmowers and traveling. If you know what I mean. How about you? What are you doing out in the middle of nowhere?”

“Traveling Salesman, wow, like Death of A Salesman with Dustin Hoffman?”

Jorge looks over at Lenny and stares momentarily. And shakes his head. He thinks she really has me pegged. His stomach clenches up. “What, I don’t think I ever heard of that before. Sorry.”

“Oh excellent, here comes my food. I haven’t eaten since yesterday at lunch.”

“Here you go, honey, enjoy.”

Lenny doesn’t say another word until she is finished eating. She has all but inhaled the food. And then she sucks down the coke. Jorge doesn’t know if he should be disgusted or impressed. He’s never seen a woman eat that much or that fast before. He decides to be impressed.

“How did you end up here, Lenny?

“Well, like I said, I was looking for a restaurant.”

“Do you have a destination, or are you just on a road trip?”

“Well, Jorge, I guess you could say that it is an unplanned road trip. My old man got up on the wrong side of the bed one night and decided to rearrange some of our furniture. And then he got that look in his eyes like my face was the next thing on his list that he wanted to rearrange. He’s done it before. And I just decided I had enough of his crap and grabbed some of my stuff, and took off. I hitched my way here.”

“So, where are you headed?”

“No idea, just as far away as possible from the shithole I just left.”

“Hey, how about a dessert, my treat.”

Jorge motions to the waitress to come over. “Yes, we would like to get a couple of desserts. What do you have?”

“Well, let’s see, we have apple pie, or we have apple pie. What would you like? Jorge looks at Lennie and winks. “Let me think. I believe we will each have a large slice of that apple pie you mentioned.”

As the waitress walks across the room, Lennie says, “quite the charmer, isn’t she?”

“Yeah, she really has that Southern charm down.”

“I really enjoyed having your company at dinner. I usually eat alone when I’m traveling for my job. It gets kind of lonely.”

“Thanks, Jorge. It was nice meeting you. Maybe we’ll meet again someday. Take care.”

They parted ways outside the restaurant door. Jorge climbs into his car and looks in the direction Lennie walked toward. “Shit, my first opportunity, and I blow it.” Jorge turns the key in his ignition and revs up the engine, and flies down the street. He almost misses Lenny standing on the corner with her thumb out.

Jorge pulls over to the curb and says, “How about a ride? You mentioned that you didn’t have any destination in mind?”

Lennie stares at him and looks up and down the street. There are no other cars on the road. “Sure, why the hell not? Where are you headed anyway?”

“My first stop is Raleigh, NC. It’s a little over four hours from here, give or take. I have an appointment to talk to a dealer who’s considering buying some of my company’s used mowers. Hopefully, this will be a big sale because I only get a small draw. I live on my commissions.”

“Gotcha. I think I’m going to take a nap. Wake me up when we get there.”

The drive from Charleston, SC, to Raleigh, NC, was a quiet one. Jorge’s imagination, however, is in overdrive. He keeps glancing over at the sleeping Lenny. She’s snoring loudly. Her mouth is wide open. Spittle is dripping down the side of her face. Still, Jorge finds her irresistible. He can’t put his finger on just what attracts him. Nevertheless, he feels that pull. He knows from his past experience that every time he feels this way towards a woman, disaster is on its way. It never failed. Most likely, she would turn out to be a pill-popping maniac or a female serial killer. He has no doubt. He’s attracted to sociopaths.

As Jorge pulls off the highway I 85 onto Discovery Drive. He sees a sign for J.P. Palm Inc. Large Equipment Sales and Rental.  He pulls in. He looks over at Lenny, and she’s still sound asleep. He doesn’t want her to wake up and not know where he went. “Lenny, wake up. We’re here, and I have to go in and talk to the sales manager. Lenny, wake up.” Nothing. He gives her shoulder a little shove and then a slightly harder one. He calls out loudly, “Lenny, wake up.” Nothing. He decides to write a note and tell her he’ll be right back. He puts the note under the passenger side sun visor.

Jorge yanks the door open and walks over to the counter, and hands him his business card. “Hello, my name is Jorge Keppel. I have an appointment with the purchasing manager. Is he available?

“Yeah, sure, hold on, I’ll buzz you in.”

Jorge walks through the door and sees a long hallway with five identical doors. He walks down the hall until he finds one that is labeled Harry Enright, purchasing manager. Jorge knocks and is greeted by a gruff, “come in already.”

“Hello, I’m Jorge Keppel. I represent Snyder and Sons Equipment out of Charlotte.”

“Yeah, I remember. What can I do for you?”

“Yes, we spoke on the phone, and you said you might be interested in some of our products. I emailed you with the specs of some of our equipment.”

“Oh yeah, yeah, sorry, it’s been one of those days. I meant to contact you before you came all the way out here. But my boss just informed me yesterday that he purchased the equipment at a reduced price. While he was at a meeting with another company. And we won’t be buying any further equipment until after the fiscal new year. Sorry for the trouble. I got busy and didn’t get around to calling you.”

Jorge stares at him momentarily and has to swallow his anger. “Oh, well, that is unfortunate. I hope you will keep my company in mind. Please contact me if I can assist you in any way. Jorge turns and opens the door. He feels like his head is going to explode. As he walks back down the hall, it seems a mile long. He thinks he’ll never get to the end. He keeps mumbling, shit, shit, shit.”  He walks out past the counter and out the door, never to return.

When Jorge looks into his car’s front seat. He doesn’t see Lenny sleeping or awake. He looks in the back seat. Nada. “Crap, crap, crap, I give up. Just when you think it can’t get any worse than this, it does. Dammit.” Jorge looks up and down the street and doesn’t see a living soul. Across the street, he sees a bar that has seen better days. “Well, it can’t hurt to go and have a look in there.”

He walks across the street and into the bar. It’s empty save for a lone customer who is passed out and has his head on the bar. And the bartender doesn’t look that sober, either. “Hey, did a young woman with tattoos come in here in the past twenty minutes or so?”

“Nope, I would have remembered her. Just Old Charlie here. He’s my best customer this time of day, sorry.”

As Jorge steps outside, he sees Lenny getting into a car that must have just pulled over while he was in the bar looking for her. “Shit, shit, shit.”

He considers yelling out to her, but what’s the point, he thinks? The car pulls out so quickly that the tires spin in the loose gravel. And just like that, Lenny leaves his life just as unexpectedly as she arrived. If he weren’t so accustomed to disappointment, he would get depressed. As it was, he was already there, so he just sighed and put the car into drive, and headed toward his next destination Fayetteville. It would be a lonely two-and-a-half-hour trip.

Jorge was accustomed to being lonely. It’s his normal state of mind. About halfway to Fayetteville, he decides to stop at the next gas station and fill up. As he pulls off the main road from the ramp, he notices a car parked on the emergency shoulder. The only reason it gets his attention is that he sees a lot of frantic movement in the back seat. And then the back door flies open, and a young woman shoots out and takes off on foot.

He watches the woman, and then he realizes that the woman is none other than his Lenny. Jorge sees a somewhat rotund man attempting to catch her on foot. But with little success since he didn’t seem to be in any sort of physical shape to run anywhere. Jorge charges at him with his car and no doubt put the fear of god into him. As the fat man jumps back onto the shoulder of the road, he rolls and struggles onto his feet again and into his vehicle.

Jorge continues down the road toward Lenny. He begins beeping his car horn. Lenny turns her head momentarily in his direction. And apparently assumes he is a fat boy. Jorge sticks his head out the driver’s side window and starts shouting,” Lenny, Lenny, Lenny, it’s me, Jorge, stop. Stop, Lenny, it’s me.”

At this point, Lenny realizes it’s him, and so Jorge slows up and pulls onto the shoulder in front of her. He opens the passenger’s side door, and she all but falls onto the back seat. “Christ, it’s about time you showed up. What took you so long? I almost got raped. Holy shit.”

“It’s about time I showed up. What is that supposed to mean? Why did you get into a car with a stranger? Why didn’t you wait for me? I wasn’t even gone that long? You are lucky I was headed in this direction, or I wouldn’t even be here now to save your ass.”

“A stranger? You are just as much a stranger as that guy. I don’t really know you either. And I didn’t know how long you had been gone. I was asleep.”

“Well, I, for one, I didn’t try to rape you, did I? You’re little nuts. Do you know that? Do you want to come with me or not? I can find a bus stop somewhere around here, or you can go hitch. Which, by the way, is getting into cars with strangers? And you told me you do that all the time.”

“I’m on my way to Fayetteville, and since you’re in my car, you are too. Unless you want to get out along the way somewhere, just let me know.”

“Yeah, I will, don’t worry. I think I’m going to take a nap now. Don’t get any funny ideas.”

“Yeah, right, thanks for the vote of confidence. We’ll be there in less than three hours. I’ll wake you when we get to our destination. I don’t want a repeat of your last performance. I’ll be in and out in a half-hour. Then we can get something to eat. Is that all right with your highness?”

Lenny was already asleep when he asked her the last question. But what the hell? He had the satisfaction of saying it anyway. Jorge turns on some tunes to keep him company on the drive. Lenny is already snoring and drooling. She sure wasn’t any sleeping beauty. But he still had to admire her spirit.

Jorge is making a great time, and he will be at the exit for Route 87 in about fifteen minutes. And Manito Construction Company was only about ten minutes from there. He wishes himself luck and mentally crosses his fingers and his toes. He needs a win badly. Otherwise, he will definitely be looking for employment when he gets back home. He glances over at Lennie, and he can see she’s still breathing but other than that no signs of life. She isn’t proving to be much company on the road. Since it seems being in a car puts her to sleep like a newborn baby.

As he pulls into the parking lot of Manito Construction, he considers his tactic for selling some top-of-the-line equipment to James Rathgeb, the Parts and Equipment guy at this division office. Jorge decides it’s time to wake up Lenny to prevent another unpleasant outcome. “Hey Lenny, wake up. We’re here. No response. “Hey, Lenny, wake the hell up. We’re here.”

“Here, where’s here?”

“We are at my next stop. Wake up. Stay in the car if you want to keep riding with me. I don’t want a repeat of the last experience anytime soon. I won’t be that long. Then we can get some food. Do you understand? Stay in the car? I’ll be back in a few.”

Lenny watches as he walks through the front door and talks to the guy at the counter, and then disappears through what she supposes must be a door.

Jorge walks through and looks for the parts and Equipment department. He sees it on the left and briefly knocks and walks in after hearing someone with a gravelly voice say, “Yeah, what?”

“Hello, I’m Jorge Gutierrez. I called earlier about talking to you about some used equipment my company has for sale. Jorge hands him his business card. I was told that you were having difficulty finding equipment at your local dealer. As it turns out, we have two 2016 CATERPILLAR 289D available with the front-loading tree grinding head if you need it. Here’s the information and the price. We can get to you by end of the week if need be.”

The manager looks at the schematic and the price and stands up and says,” Ok, if you can give me a discount for buying both, we have a deal.”

Jorge is so happy he feels like doing a jig. But controls himself and just nods,” yeah, I think we can do that.  I’ll fax you a copy of the details and give you a delivery date when I get back to my office tomorrow. If I can help you in the future, just give me a buzz on my cell.”

Jorge shakes his hand and walks out of the office into the vestibule and out the door. He is smiling from ear to ear. Finally, the worm has turned. It’s the first good luck he has had in six months. Calls for a celebration.

Jorge looks in the car window, and Lenny is asleep in the back seat. He pulls the door open and sits in the driver’s seat. He checks his cell to see what time it is. His stomach tells him it’s dinner time. “Hey, Lenny, wake up. It’s time to go. Jorge leans over and yells, “Get up. It’s time to get up. It’s time to go.”

Nothing, she’s still sound asleep. Jorge gets out of the car and goes around to the back door, and opens it. He leans in and gives her a shake. Nothing. He shakes her again. One eye opens, then the other. She moans, and her eyes roll back in her head. “Lenny, please wake up. Are you all right?

Lenny opens her eyes and asks, “What the hell is going on? I told you no funny stuff.”

“Funny stuff, I thought you were dead or overdosed or something.”

“Oh, well, I haven’t slept in a couple of days, what with my old man and all. And then I was hitchhiking. I’m just tired, is all. Calm down. Caffeine, that’s all I need, caffeine.”

“Look, Lenny, I’m finished with my business here. I’m going to check into a hotel for the night, get a shower and go out to dinner. As he was about to start the car, Jorge’s cell started ringing. He looks at the number, and he could have sworn that it was his old phone number. From when he was still married.

“Hello, Jorge Gutierrez here. Can I help you?”

“Jorge, this is Malory. I need you to come home to see your children. They haven’t seen you or gotten more than a Christmas or birthday card from you in almost two years. Mikey’s been getting into some trouble in school. And Flossie has been skipping school. They need a father in their life, Jorge. And that’s you whether you like it or not. When can you come here?”

Jorge doesn’t answer right away. It never occurred to him that his kids missed him or needed him. He hadn’t been much of a dad to them. He was always on the road and didn’t see them that often. And when he was home, he slept most of the time or watched sports. And then he pictures his kids the last time he saw them. They were standing in the driveway, crying. His wife told him,” if you feel that way, then just leave. We don’t need you.” The kids were calling out, “Daddy, daddy, don’t go. We’ll be good.”

“Put them on the phone, Malory, please.”

“Dad, is it really you? Are you coming home? Me and Mikey really miss you. Please come home.”

“Hi Mikey, I miss you too. I thought you and Flossie would be better off without me. I guess I was wrong. I’ll come home this weekend to see you guys. I really missed you too. Put your mom back on, please.”

“Malory, I’ll be there this weekend, late Saturday afternoon. Is that alright?”

“Yes, we will be looking forward to seeing you. We missed you, Jorge. We all do.”

“I’ll see you then, Malory. I’ll give you a call when I am about a half-hour away. See you Saturday, bye.”

Jorge looks in the back seat. He has completely forgotten that Lenny was back there. As he looks at her, he realizes that he really didn’t have anything in common with her. And really, she’s a stranger. He had just been getting desperate. “Lenny, that was my wife, I mean my former wife. I have to go home. My kids need me. So, let’s go get that meal, and then I will have to be on my way. If you still want a lift, I can take you anywhere you want to go along the way.”

“Yeah, sure, whatever. It makes no diff to me. Wake me when we get to the restaurant.”

Jorge starts the car and puts it into gear. It occurs to him that today was the first day of the rest of his life. And a smile appears on his face, and it stays there.

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THE JOURNEY BEGINS

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I grew up in foster care. I can hardly remember what my mother looked like. I do remember her telling me that I was in a lot of trouble and she couldn’t take care of me anymore. I think I was about five years old at the time. Some old lady with grey frizzy hair and thick glasses came to our house. My mother answered the door Then she shoved me and a dirty pillowcase full of my dirty clothes out the door. Then she slammed the door. I could hear her putting the chain across the door.

I felt two tears run down my cheeks and I rubbed them off with the back of my hand. The lady stood there on the outside of the door and knocked hard several times. My mother didn’t open the door. I knew she wouldn’t. My mother never changes her mind.  Little Girl Crying

The lady said,” well I’m your social worker, Mrs.Walker. That means I will make sure that your needs are met and that you are living in a safe place. The lady took my hand and said, “Dear, I’m taking you to live with a wonderful lady that loves pretty little girls like you. And there are other little kids for you to play with too. And you’ll have a little girl your age to share a room. It’s not too far away. Let’s go.

The lady with the grey frizzy hair helps me get buckled into the back seat of the car. And says,” What do you like to be called, honey?”

“Well, my name is Marguerite. But I like to be called Marty.”

“Well, Marty it is. You will see a lot of me. If you ever have a problem, you can talk to me about it. So, try to relax and you’ll be at your new home in no time at all.”

I sat there in the back seat and I didn’t say another word. I made a promise to myself that I would never let anyone see me cry again. And I never did. If I ever felt like crying again, I would run outside and cry or hide in a closet where no one would see me.

As I was sitting in the back seat, I realize that I didn’t take my stuffed animal, Stuey. He was beaten up and dirty-looking. He was missing one of his button eyes. But he was all mine. I want to start crying again, but I didn’t. I say, “I forgot Stuey, I forgot Stuey.”

“Who’s Stuey, Marty?”

“He’s my best friend, he sleeps with me at night.”

“Oh, is he a stuffed animal Marty?”

“Yes, but I can’t sleep without him.”

“Well, I’ll go get him after I drop you off at your new house. And I will bring him to you. I promise. You can trust me.”

I didn’t trust her. I was sure I would never see her or Stuey or my mother again. I wanted to start whaling and stamping my feet. But I didn’t say anything. I just sat there and it felt like the end of the world to me. Nothing would ever be the same. I didn’t say another word while we got to the house where somebody I didn’t know would take care of me. I couldn’t understand what I did wrong to make my mother stop loving me. I was sure there was something wrong with me. But I didn’t know what it was so I couldn’t change it.

After what seemed to be forever the lady pulled up to the curb in front of a house with a bunch of kids running around in the front yard. “Well, here we are Marty. This will be your new home.” It looked like a nice house. There were toys and bikes all over the front yard.

Some of the kids look about my age but some of the other kids were bigger. The yard was big and had all kinds of flowers and trees. I never really had a yard to play in before. I wish I had Stuey so I wouldn’t feel so alone. I didn’t have anyone to love me anymore. I was going to live here with some lady I didn’t know, and a bunch of kids who probably wouldn’t like me. I squeezed my eyes shut tight. So, I didn’t start crying again.

“Come on Marty let’s get out of the car and go knock at the door. I promise everything is going to be alright. I’m going to give you my phone number so you can call me if you have any problems at all. Any kind of problem no matter how big or small, OK?”

“But I don’t know how to use the phone. Our phone didn’t work because my mom didn’t have money to pay the bill.”

“Really, well before I leave, I will show you how to use the phone and then you can practice doing it while I’m here. I promise you can trust me.”

“Really, you will let me do that?”

“Yes, Marty I will. After you meet Mrs. Taylor, you will see what a nice lady she is and that you can talk to her too. She has been fostering kids for years. And I’ve known her for a long time. I trust her.

As we walk up to the front door a girl about as big as I was came running over. She started talking really fast to me. “Hiya, I’m Missy. I knew you were coming today and I’m so happy because you are going to share a room with me. I always wanted to have a sister. And now I do. Come on in and see our room.”

And then she grabbed my hand and pulled me into the house after she open the door with a bang. I thought for sure someone would come out and yell at us. But no one did.

Then I saw a pretty lady with an apron on come walking towards us. “Oh, there you are I was waiting for you. I’m Mrs. Taylor. I’m so happy you got here before lunch. I’m making grilled cheese sandwiches and chicken noodle soup for lunch. Missy why don’t you go with Marty and show her where the bathroom is and your bedroom. And by then lunch will be ready. Don’t forget to wash your hands.”

Missy grabbed my hand and said,” come on.” And she pulled me by my hand and showed me the bathroom. She quickly washed her hands and then she said, “I’ll be outside the door. Don’t forget to wash your hands after, or you’ll get in trouble.”

“Will I get hit if I don’t do it or I forget?”

“What? No, Mrs. Taylor is really nice you’ll like her. She hardly ever yells.?”

I walked into the bathroom and closed the door behind me. I look in the mirror and I could see my face had tear stains running down my face. My face looked dirty. I guess I didn’t wash myself this morning. Sometimes I forgot and my mother never said anything to me. Sometimes I didn’t have any clean clothes to wear. My mother didn’t always remember to do the wash. She was always sleeping on the couch all day. I don’t know why she was always so tired. She didn’t go to a job. She told me that she got Welfare checks cause she was “sick.” But I never knew why she was sick.  Sometimes she said my dad was a good-for-nothing who didn’t care about me or her. And he never sent her any money to buy food or clothes. Next thing I knew I heard Missy saying, “hey come on out lunch is ready. We are waiting for you.”

When I closed the bathroom door behind me, I hear Missy say,” we’re in here, come on or your food will be cold” When I got to the kitchen the pretty lady and Missy and two little boys were sitting at the table…” Where’re all the other kids?”

“This is the whole gang, you, me, and these two. Mikey and Jimmy. Mikey has curly red hair, and Jimmy has blond hair. The other kids outside are our friends who live down the street. You can meet them later. Dig in.

After lunch, Missy said “now we all help to clear the table and bring the dishes to the sink. But first, you have to scrape the dishes and then wash them. I clean the table. The boys make sure all the chairs are pushed in and put the table cloth back on. If you want to you can dry the dishes after I wash them. And then I’ll show you where they go. We are supposed to brush our teeth after every meal too. Then we can go out and play or watch TV or play games.”

I stood there listening to her transfixed by how happy she sounded talking about how they all work together to get the work done. “OK, I’ll dry the dishes. But I never did that before. My mom always used paper plates and paper cups. She didn’t like washing dishes. She didn’t like to cook either. We always ate MacDonald’s or Burger King for dinner. I used to make myself peanut butter sandwiches for lunch. We never cleaned the kitchen.”

“Really, well everyone helps here. And Mrs. Taylor always cooks a hot lunch and dinner. And on Sunday she makes a homemade cake. My favorite is chocolate cake with vanilla icing. What kind do you like?”

“I don’t know my mom didn’t make cakes.”

“Well, I guess you’ll just have to try all the cakes and find out which is your favorite?”
“

Really, I would love that.”

After we cleaned up the kitchen me and Missy and Mikey and Jimmy went outside and played on the swings in the backyard. Missy pushed me up so high, I started laughing and couldn’t stop. Finally, she slowed my swing down and I jumped off. “That was really fun. I said and smiled from ear to ear. Although I did feel a little sick from swinging right after eating such a big lunch.

“Oh wait, I forgot to show you, our room. You’re going to love it. Come on I’ll show you.”

We ran into the house and Missy ran down the hall past the bathroom and flung open the door to the bedroom. There were two beds in there. And she said, look we got new bedspreads. I picked them out. Why don’t you decide which bed you would like?”

“Really? Oh, I love this pink one with the flowers and the butterflies. Can I have this one?”

“Sure, I like either one. They are both pretty. Why don’t you try it out? See if it’s comfortable.?”

“I never had my own bedroom before. I usually slept on the couch because Mamma had company that stayed in her bedroom with her most of the time. The couch was kind of lumpy and smelly but it wasn’t too bad. I would have loved to have my own bedroom. I love the pink walls. How did you know I liked pink?”

“Oh, I didn’t know silly, it’s my favorite color too. Do you want to put your clothes away.?  Oh, Mrs. Walker has them. Maybe she gave them to your mother they were in a brown paper bag.”

“Oh well, Mrs. Taylor probably put them in the wash. Sometimes the kids that come here don’t have any clothes then she takes them to the store and buys them all new clothes. When I first came here, I only had the clothes I had on. So, I got all new clothes and new sneakers. I never had new clothes before. I always got hand-me-downs. Mrs. Taylor is really nice.”

“How long have you lived here? Where are your mom and dad?”

“I’ve been here for two years. I don’t know who my dad is and my mother is in prison. Sometimes she writes me letters. But I haven’t heard from her in almost a year.”

“My mom told me she doesn’t love me and I was too much trouble and she didn’t want to take care of me anymore.”

Missy looked at Marty and a tear rolls down her face. “Sometimes adults say things they don’t mean. Maybe she was just in a bad mood.”

“She said it to me all the time. She never hugged me.”

Missy came over and gave Marty a hug. “Well, we’re sisters now and sisters love each other. We can make a promise that we will always take care of each other. Do you want to pinky swear?”

“Pinky swear? What does that mean?

Oh, we hold each other’s little fingers and we swear at the same time that we will always be sisters and take care of each other no matter what.”

“Yes, let’s pinky swear. I have always wanted a sister.”

“Ok, this is what we will swear: We will always look out for each other no matter what that we will always be best friends and sisters, no matter where we live or how old we are. Then Marty and Missy held onto each other little fingers and said the oath,” We will always be best friends and sisters, no matter where we live, or how old we are.

Just as we were finished our pinky swear Mrs. Walker called me, “Marty come over here for a few minutes so I can show you how to make a phone call. She told me a bunch of numbers and then pushed the numbers on the phone. “Here now you try it.”

I started to cry again. “What’s the matter, Marty?”

I don’t know my numbers yet, nobody taught me.”

“Oh, of course, you don’t. Why didn’t I think of that? I’ll go and talk to Mrs. Taylor and tell her that you are allowed to call me whenever you need to and I’ll ask her to start teaching you how to recognize and write numbers. How about until you are ready to do that on your own, I will call you every Monday morning at 8:30 before I go to the office?”

“OK. What do I say when you call me?”

“You just say hello, this is Marty. And then you tell me how you’re doing. OK?”

“Yes. OK.” And then I smiled. No one had ever called me and asked how I was doing before.

“Alright Marty, I’m leaving now. But if you have any problems, please let me know. But I think you are going to do wonderfully here. I’m going to go back to your apartment and get Stuey right now and bring him back in a little while. Is that alright with you?”

“Yes, thank you. I can’t wait to show Stuey my new room. I’ll see you in a little while.”

And Mrs. Walker came back that very afternoon with Stuey. And she kept all the promises that she ever made to me. I lived with my pinky sister and Mikey and Jimmy and Momma Taylor until I was old enough to go to college. Missy and I ended up going to the same college in Philadelphia at Temple University. We both decided that we wanted to be Social Workers and help other children to find homes when they were unable to live with their own families.

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