THE DUSTY ROAD part 9

THE DUSTY ROAD……………...............
(among the towers)
The wistful days of spring with its budding flowers and trees are
gone,, as are the hot humid days of summer,, with its sun always
over head,, it is autumn now,, as Joe and I walk along the
dusty road,, but dusty it is no more,, just paved concrete
roads now,, with their painted line,, grassy shoulders and
ditches… Just straight concrete paths now,, with the cars
and semis zipping by,, constantly flowing,, a constraint noise...
I am close now to the end of my journey,, close now to the very
eastern coast,, perhaps only a couple more weeks,, maybe a
month now,, until this journeys end and I can return home,,
to home again on that very western coast… Sometimes when
the white clouds fill the sky and the wind is just so,, coming
from the east,, I can smell the ocean scent apon the air,,
close now am I… Joe stays close by me now,, hugging my leg
most of the time,, or just staying in the ditchways,, I think
she knows what dangers there are with these cars and such,,
perhaps she remembers what happened in the wheatfields
so long ago…

The city streets,, highways and byways are all that are about now,,
gone are the green fields and the peaceful starry nights,,
just buildings,, roads and cars now… I can no longer light my
evening fire beneath the starry skies and just ponder the next
days journey…
Gone are the days when Joe could just suddenly burst off running,,
after a rabbit or perhaps a pheasant in the fields,, those were good
nights for us,, when she caught them,, for we would always have
a good meal that night…Now I stay within roadside motels or
sometimes behind forgotten buildings,, but no fires can I light for
my evening stew,, much more costly it has become to stay each
night within sheltered walls,, and sometimes I have to pay extra
for Joe,, or,, yes,, I sneak her in at night,, but it is also good to
have some comforts during the night,, a soft bed,, pillows,,
showers and bathrooms,, but it costs me every night that
I stay among the towers… I am grateful at these times for the
world of plastic money…

The concrete roads thru these metropolis are very dirty to me,,
much more trash and junk lies beside every road,, I have seen
many a curious lost object along these roads… Many times have
I come across the lost cushion,, or the sofas and wooden chairs
that have fallen from some misloaded truck or van,, and many
is the time I have come across just the lone shoe there along
the road side,, many sandals and sneakers and baby shoes
I have seen,, always just one,, along the road,, why just one I
always think to myself... It made me laugh aloud once when
I found an old hiking boot there apon the concrete side,,
for it had a name written on the bottom sole,, km pete it said,,
it did make me laugh,, for I thought perhaps that this km pete
must have had stinky feet and the boot did make a hasty retreat,,
just a funny thought,, as I was wandering along towards my
journeys end…
The city streets are so crowded it does seem,, below the steel
and glass towers,, Joe stays very close to me then,, she perhaps
senses that these are different days and different types of people
we walk among now,, no smiles among the faces do I see apon
the walkways,, just hustle and bustle thru-out the day,, perhaps
it is me that causes such frowns,, I know that I must look as if a
tramp or bum or beggar man,, but I am not,, just a wanderer I am…
I could turn back now and return home apon some western
bound train,, for I know what lies just beyond the next bend
or just beyond the horizon there,, more city streets and towers
will I meet apon this road,, no surprises now,, just city streets
blending into the same as before,, but when I started apon this
dusty road,, I had set out for the very eastern coast and I am
close now,, it would not be long now until I would gaze apon
the very eastern coast…
I decided to continue my journey even tho I knew
what lay just beyond…

It was late September and the nights were getting cooler now,,
but it was still pleasant enough to be walking about,,
Joe and I were among the towers there,, just beginning to look
about for a rooming house or a motel to stay the night,, it was not
the best of neighborhoods,, but I had been it many such places
before,, so I did not fear what may lay around the corner…
I stopped just for a few minutes within a small store on the street
there that night,, just for some food for the nights rest,,
not much else… Just walking down the sidewalk looking for a
resting spot for the night,, when 2 men jumped from an alleyway
and pulled me inside to that half lit pathway… These were not the
same type of men that had roughed me up long ago,, no biker
wantabes were these men,, this I could plainly see,,
this is what they did for a nights living,, so I didn’t resist them as
they came apon me…The shorter man had a knife in is hand,,
waving it about,, and the tall heavyset one now brought out a gun,,
these were not men that I could banished away with just my
walking stick…We moved farther back into that dimly lit alley,,
then the shorter man threaten me with his knife,,
”give me all your money” he said…
And this I did do,, I gave him all that I had from my pockets,,
it was just 12 dollars and some change I think it was,, not very
much for these two.. Then they grabbed my arm and we moved
deeper into that darkened pathway,, I could sense that things
were not going to go peacefully with just a simple robbery…
”What do you have in that pack??”,, “give it to me”,,
the shorter one said,, with every intend on taking it no
matter what… ”Run Joe,, run”,, I said,, and this she did,,
down the darkened alley,, until she turned the corner there...
Pain,, falling now,, darkness……………….

“GET UP, GET UP, YOU ARE NOT DONE WITH THIS
DUSTY ROAD YET”,, “GET UP, GET UP, GET UP,,
That voice again,, and that strange tune I heard once before...
“GET UP, GET UP, GET UP,,
“GET UP, GET UP”,, ”hey mister,, mister”,, are you all right??”…
The voice was different now,, a voice with a Mexican accent I
think it was… ”Hey mister”,, a strange warm wetness was about
my face,, there it is again… My eyes open very slowly and I find
myself staring at the black asphalt of the alley way,, with two
clawed feet in front of me,, now four,, it is Joe there,, licking my
face to awaken me from that alley floor… “Hey mister,, mister”,,
“are you all right??…

I look about now and I’m helped to my feet by Carlo Garza,,
in that alley there… Hammers are pounding in my head and
the bells within my ears will not stop their ringing…
"Are you all right??”,, Carlo asks me again… Carlo looks to me to
be in his late twenties or so,, he wore a blue jacket with his name
inscribed on it,, and blue work pants with a light blue shirt,,
a uniform of sorts I guess,, he had been on his way to work that
night when he saw me laying in the alleyway there,, me and Joe,,
I felt the back of my head and Carlo looked also,, it was still
bleeding from where the muggers had clubbed me that night…
I was dizzy from head too toe and could barely stand or walk much,,
we looked about for my things,, Carlo,, Joe and I,, we found most
everything that I had in my pack,, for not much was I carrying
that night… We found Whistling Petes very fine kettle there by
the dumpster,, its spout was chipped now and we never could find
the lid,, but its was still intact,, all the rest of my belongs had just
been scattered about,, nothing else did those muggers take,,
for I nothing much for them,, except the few dollars I had with me…

Very shaky am I as Carlo helps me thru the alleyway,, he guided
me up three flights of stairs to his apartment just down the block…
A small apartment it was,, very small,, only one bedroom,,
a living room and off to the side was the kitchen,, very small for
a family of five… Carlo,, his wife Anita,, and their 3 small kids all
lived within this small apartment,, just trying to make do among
the city towers…
Carlo and his wife spoke very fast in Spanish I think it was,,
and then Carlo left,, to work I guess… Anita put a cold towel on
the back of my head,, as I lay there on their couch,, where is Joe??,,
the room swirls about me and then I see her,, sitting by the door…
Thru the night and mid-morning I slept apon that couch,,
and when I awoke Anita served me and Joe some scrambled eggs
and toast,, I wasn’t very hungry,, for I still had a great ringing it
my head,, but I ate it all,, as did Joe…
It was perhaps the early afternoon when Carlo came home,,
to his wife and family,, a long shift he had that night working as
a night janitor… We talked awhile about by journeys and such and
about his family and kids,, he was legal to be here,, he had come
this way a long time ago,, and now was just trying to get by on
his own in this city… He said he didn’t like it much,, too noisy and
dirty for him,, and that the people here abouts always looked down
on him,, as some kind of lower being or something,, he said,,
even tho he worked steadily six days a week and did not bother
anyone… Just trying to make a better life for himself and his
family that’s all… Just as so many were doing among the
glass and steel towers…

It came time to leave and just before I left,, into their tiny bathroom
I went just to wash up a bit and to clean my wound,, and there
under a bar of soap on the sink there,, I left some money for
Carlo and his family,, money that I always keep hidden so no
one can find,, I know that he would not take it from me if I offered
it to him,, so I just left it there,, he could use it more than I,,
and also as a small way of thanking him for his help that night…
As I gathered up Joe and headed out the door,, Anita gave me a
bag full of lunch meat sandwiches and some cookies for the road,,
I did not refuse them,, for it would have been very bad manners
indeed,, to refuse such an offer from these very fine folk…
Apon the city streets once more where we,, me and Joe,, my head
was still ringing,, but the sun was shining bright and the air
was warm,, not much farther now to the very eastern coast,,
just a week or more of wandering apon this dusty road,,
not far to go at all…

Not much father did Joe and I have to go to reach the very
eastern coast… It has been a very different journey than I thought
it would be when first I started apon this dusty road,,
very different indeed,, but I have no regrets about the journey
this road has taken me apon…I have met many a fine folk along
this journey,, very fine indeed,, and yes I also found Joe,,
a very part of me now…
We arrived apon the very eastern coast about dusk it was,,
on a Wednesday,, this I do remember clearly… The day had been
warm and the air had a sweet smell to it… I did not touch my foot
into the waters edge just then,, for I wanted to see the sunrise
over this water than now marked the end of my journey eastward…
Joe seemed to take to the ocean waves very easily and she looked
like she was having a lot of fun,, just there chasing the water on
the sand,, and finding this and that to play with,, for me,,
I just sat and rested apon that beach that night,, just gazing out
into the ocean waves as their breaking crests glistened in the
moonlight,, it was a perfect night for just doing nothing at all…
The morning city noises awoke me from my slumber the next day,,
just as the sun was starting to make its daily appearance apon
the sky… It was a beautiful sunrise,, with a pink, orange
and yellow glow… I watched it rise above the waters horizon and
then I did put both feet into the water there,, my journey to the
very eastern coast was now over,, I had completed what I set on
to do,, so many many months ago… I was perhaps a little sad that
this journey had finally met its end,, but also was I glad that
I will be heading home now,, following the western bound sun
along its journey,, home now,, to long ago friends and family………
.............THE END..............