All Aboard! Romance on Route 66

by Waggoner, Robert C.

  A stop sign loomed up ahead and a man in a tan and green uniform stood in the middle of the road waving his arms like maybe a swarm of mosquitoes were attacking him. Behind him, as Slim slowed down and pulled up to a stop, sat a US Forest Service pickup truck with a big dog sitting in the back with his tongue hanging out dripping drool down the side of the truck. Slim opened the door and the Forest Ranger strode over with authority and tipped his hat and said who he was and where are you going with a deep voice trying to pretend he was a man of authority. Slim told him politely where they were headed and the Ranger told him to turn left and follow the road to Lebanon. Slim then said, “Could you tell us if there is a place to have lunch near the Forest?”

  The reply came out with a more pleasant voice and a big smile broke across his face saying, “Yes, matter of fact there is. About five miles up the road is the Ranger Station and next to it is a small hamburger stand where you can get a real honest to goodness burger and milkshake. Lots of parking under some big pine trees and a creek flows behind the station where you could cool your feet. Also, some nice trails for walking will put you in touch with nature. I would suspect a lot of folks from the accident are taking a rest about now, but you are some of the first ones to come by. Have a safe trip and enjoy our forest.” Slim bade him goodbye and off they went as he picked up his mike and relayed the conversation to the passengers who gave off a loud whoop of joy.

  Lilly felt and looked like she had ants in her pants she was so excited about this wonderful country with its pure air and clean surroundings. Like a page out of a children’s novel depicting a fairy tale picture is what she thought of about the scenery. Topping off a slight hill and moving down the backside of the hill, sitting at the bottom of the hill and resting on a large plateau sat the Ranger Station under some large pine trees. A few green ranger pickup trucks sat in front and behind the station a large parking lot with a few cars sat in the shade. Picnic tables spotlessly clean sat in or near a large tree not far from the slow moving creek. Across the road a row of small log cabins for the permanent residents sat like doll houses under more pine trees. Nothing out of place and it looked like someone had taken a giant Hoover to the front yards and surrounding drive ways. Lilly was impressed as was all who stared out the windows as Slim found a parking place and shut off the engine.

  Lilly was first off and walked slowly towards the creek and viewed the scenery beyond the creek. A large meadow with tall grass waved slowly in the slightest breeze back and forth like they were waving at her to come join them in the meadow interspersed with yellow dandelions. Behind the meadow oak trees gave off a backdrop of white and green disappearing off into the distance turning the landscape to all green and then black as her eyes rose to the far reaches of the forest. Lilly was speechless as she had never seen such a sight in her life. A picture would not do justice to the setting. Only eyes could reveal the true picture before her. Slim came walking up to her and put his arm around her shoulders and remarked, “Beautiful, isn’t it?”

  Lilly turned her face up to him and opened her mouth but nothing would come out. Slim looked down at her and put his hand under her chin and turned her head back to the sights before them. Lilly finally found her voice and said, in almost a whisper, so as not to wake up the dream and have it not be real, “Slim, I could stand here all day and not be tired of looking at this wonderful place.”

  “I know what you mean and I can promise you that the further east we go from here you will find more and more such sights that belie believing. It only gets better clear to the Atlantic coast. Before we decide on where to live, let’s drive around for awhile and look at all that is before us. Wait till you see the blue grass of Kentucky and the mountains of Tennessee and the Carolinas and on and on with no end in sight. We could spend a year traveling around the South.”

  “Oh, Slim, let’s do that. After we get married in Chicago I want to see more of the United States before we settle down and live out our lives in peace and harmony.”

  “Indeed we will,” as he squeezed her shoulder and then said, “I have an empty leg that needs filling and that smell of burgers cooking over there is driving me crazy. I will order for you and bring it over here so we can enjoy the view while having our lunch.” Lilly nodded her head and Slim left her as she was: drinking in the sights oblivious to the sounds of kids splashing around in the creek.

  As Slim walked over to the Burger Shack—the name on the sign said so—he noticed the other passengers sitting around picnic tables probably waiting for a holler for their order to break the peaceful surroundings. Slim sallied up to the window where a young girl was waiting for him to order and putting together sacks of burgers and fries. The smell was wonderful as grilled onions and burgers cooking tickled his long nose. The girls mouth dropped open as she first saw his shirt where most people's heads are and went up from there straining her neck to see where in God’s name the head was on this giant of a man. Slim smiled down at her and leaned his elbows on the counter of the small window. “Hi, I would like to order some hamburgers please.” The girl just nodded her head and Slim said, “I want four cheeseburgers with everything and fries with that please. Also, a blackberry shake and four cokes please.” The, what looked like a high school girl on summer vacations was writing down the order. She handed him a number and said it would be a few minutes before it was ready.

  Slim took his number and strolled over to the nearest table of passengers where Hugh was deep in conversation with Al about lawn mowers. Hugh said, “No doubt the Briggs and Stratton engine are the best in the world. I’ve sold more of those than any other brand.”

  Al said, “For once I agree with you Hugh, I’ve worked on them before and usually what goes wrong is the owner fails to maintain his mower and especially the motor. Also, I’ve found they run the motor out of oil and then it blows up.”

  “My god yes, I’ve had them come back in and want a replacement free because the motor blew up and when I look at them, it is obvious no oil was the culprit. Nine out of ten times they hang their heads and ask how much it will cost to replace the mower. I sell them a new one and they promise to check the oil. Problem is, two years later they are back again only this time they lie to me saying they gave it to a church or a son-in-law or some such thing,” Both of them laughed as did the whole table, including Slim.

  Slim looked over at Lilly who was still standing looking out across the meadow like a Union soldier waiting for Johnny Reb to give out a scream and attack the Union army. Slim hung around for a while and then heard his number called.

  He paid for the burgers and took the sacks on a tray to a vacant table near Lilly calling out her name as he sat down on top of the table as his legs would never fit under them. Lilly came over scolding him for sitting on the table and he jumped down so quick he stumbled and took a header onto the soft pine needles under the tree. Lilly stood there with her hands on her hips glaring at him while he picked himself up knocking needles off his clothes. He sat down this time with his leg on one side of the bench and the other leg outside the bench. This worked well as Lilly pawed through the bags taking out burgers and fries while Slim hung his head knowing full well she would say something about him eating four burgers and fries, but surprisingly enough, she never said a word as she bite into a burger of her own. Slim in no time had two gone before she had eaten half of hers.

  Burgers gone and shake empty, Slim sat licking his lips looking forlornly at the Burger Shack. He knew better than to push his luck, so he swung his leg over the bench and stood up looking like a sapling from the momma tree. He drifted over to the table where most of the men were swapping lies. The closer he got it seemed Hugh and Norm were arguing about something. Standing next to the table he heard Norm saying. “Well you all know what a hard time it was for us kids growing up under the strict rules of an authoritarian father. He had the fear of god in my mother. When she came back from her Saturday market, he would ask her about everything that was in the bags or boxes.”

/>   “That was nothing,” Hugh said, “My father would go with my mother and I would tag along hoping for a piece of candy if my father was in a good mood. It never happened because my father was never in a good mood. Mother would pick something up and show it to him and he always said, ‘How much’ and she would put it down and move on to something else. Father always bought a sack of taters and a smaller sack of onions. Carrots I remember we always had in our stews and soups. We lived on soup and stew and to this day, I have a hard time eating soup.”

  Carl chirped in with his story telling, “Hey boys, that is nothing compared to my father. I still have belt marks on my butt from him whipping the shit out of me.” That brought a round of laughter and a smile from Al. Carl went on to say, “I can remember one time I was late getting home from school, I was tardy one class and the teacher made me stay after school and write one hundred times on the board: I won’t be late ever again. Well, I walked through the door trying to be quiet and sneak up to my room, but my father heard me and yelled for me to come to the kitchen where he was sitting drinking coffee making mother nervous watching her cook. Anyway I meekly walked in and the only thing he said was ‘Turn around boy and drop em.’ I knew it would do no good to argue with him when he was in the mood to wail the hell out of me, so I dropped my pants and he stood up taking his belt off and laced it to me. I held onto the kitchen chair and took it like a man is supposed to. Five lashes later I pulled up my pants and walked out of the kitchen with my head held high. I went up to my room and soaked my ass in the bathtub, but I never shed a tear. I hated the guy and when he died, I threw dirt on his casket and said some choice words over his grave.”

  Al said, “No men, let me tell you what a real asshole is for a father. As you all know I love mechanical things and since I was a kid I hung around a gas station next to my house all the time. I would help the mechanic fetching his tools and help clean up after a job. Most of the time the guy would give me a nickel or a dime for my help and I would put it my pocket where it felt warm and good next to my leg; I was saving for a bike I’d seen at the Western Auto and had about seven dollars in a jar under my bed. My father was a total alcoholic and beat my mother on a regular basis. I tried to stay out of his way, but sometimes I made a mistake and crossed his path while he was sopping up the suds. Then he would cuff the hell out of me and knock me to the ground. Well, to make a long story short, I was about fourteen and working around the gas station had developed some muscles. My father was short and stocky like me so when I was in my teens I was almost as big as him. One day I came home and was going to put some change in my jar, when I couldn’t find my money jar! First I thought my mother had cleaned under my bed and then after a frantic search, I discovered it was gone. I realized then my father had probably taken it and went to the tavern to buy beer. I ran and found my mother and asked her where the father was. She hung her head and told me he was at the tavern where he always hung out. Now I was mad as hell guys and I ran all the way to the tavern where some day’s mother would send me to fetch him for dinner. Man it was dark as hell in there and smoky too. I saw my father sitting at the bar talking to his friends and then I saw my jar of coins sitting in front of my father. Honestly speaking, like a bull seeing red I just lost it and sucker punched my father off his stool to the floor. He never knew what hit him and then I was on top of him pounding his face like a jackhammer. Before anyone could drag me off him I had broken his nose, cut his lip and gave him two black eyes to remember me by. I shook off the other drunks and took my jar and ran out of the tavern. I ran all the way home and packed my clothes and left the house never to return.”

  Slim was standing there with his mouth open and it was so quiet you could hear the sounds of birds in the trees. Traffic had stopped going by as if a tribute to the dead was needed for a moment of silence. Al broke the silence by saying, “Friends never mind. It was the best thing for me. I lived with the mechanic and his wife who had no kids and graduated from high school. The summers I spent working at the gas station and sometimes my mother would wave at me if father was gone. I still love my mother and feel sorry for her, but that is life. I’ve made my own way since I was a teenager and now that I’ve finally met a woman who is as strong as me; I’m one happy guy.”

  Over at the women’s table a similar discussion was going on, but in a different direction. Diane was having a crying jag and all the women were trying to comfort her. Rick stood behind her chewing on his fingernails and shuffling from foot to foot. He had kicked the ground bare of pine needles and was, if he kept it up, digging a hole to hide in. Finally Lilly walked over and took him by the arm and led him out to the meadow.

  Slim was still standing there looking like Paul Buynon and his blue ox Babe, but no Babe. All he needed was an axe over his shoulder and about a hundred pounds of filler and you had Paul Bunyon standing in a forest of pine trees. Slim was so deep in reflection a pine tree could have fallen on him and he would have never known it.

  He was thirteen and a pimple faced teen with an insecurity complex as long as he was tall. It was fall and he was walking home from school. Lots of kids walking but he was the only one alone. Looking back over his shoulder he saw he was last in line behind a group of bullies. Rocky was the biggest and the loudest of them all. He was the leader and was nothing but trouble. Held back two years due to his failing so many classes, he even had a black start of a beard. The bullies were all walking backwards pointing at Slim the geek. Dark was settling in and storm clouds made the gloom even more daunting. Slim felt trouble was coming and he was right as all the boys stopped and waited until Slim slowly walked up to them trying to walk around the sidewalk onto the street to pass them by. Rocky stepped in front of Slim and looked up with blood boiling with hate striking deep into Slims eyes. Spittle flew from his mouth with the obscenities strung together like a run on sentence. Slim had no idea what he was saying, but knew the outcome would be him on the ground and the boys staring down at him laughing their heads off. Slim waited for the first blow to the stomach and the next thing he knew Rocky was on the ground holding onto his stomach and moaning. Before Slim could come to his senses and become aware what happened, he stood their alone with Rocky on the ground and the other boys running down the sidewalk never looking back. To this day Slim never knew what happened. He had no recollection of striking Rocky, but no one was there but him. From that day with nobody bothered him except to yell too tall jokes at him. Rocky never came back to school after that and Slim continued his solo school days.

  Slim was broken from his reverie as Al was shaking his arm and asking Slim if he was all right? Slim woke up from his standing dream and smiled at Al saying, “I was just having some old school days thoughts. Nothing important and wandered off to have a snack before they left. He never knew what Al wanted and all the men looked on with wonder where Slim had gone for a few minutes.

  Out in the meadow, Lilly and Rick walked among the tall grass scaring up grasshoppers and an occasional mouse were seen scampering away. Lilly was saying to Rick, “I know your confusion and wondering what is going on with Diane, but think about what she has to do when we reach Chicago. She has to meet her aunt and then confess her condition. Soon her mother and father will know and lives will be forever changed in the family. I know you will stand by her and that is admirable and I’m quite proud of you Rick. Stay in the background and wait for the storm to pass while the family comes to grips with the addition of a grandbaby in a few months times. I can’t tell you what her parents will do or want her to do, but if it was me as her mother, I would want her to come back home or maybe go to an unwed mothers home to have the baby and then put it up for adoption.”

  Rick spoke up and said, “But Lilly, I love her and want to marry her!”

  “I know Rick but she is underage and still under her parents care. You don’t have much to say about it at this time. Time is the key word here and let them adjust and make the decisions of parents and child. If your love is strong, then make a plan
for the future. Make your position clear and then find a good job to support the three of you if that is what happens.”

  “You’re right Lilly and I will follow what you say. We still have a few days together and I will spend that time showing her how much I care for her.”

  “That is the best thing you could do for now,” as they turned back to the comfort of the shade of the ranger station. Rick waved his hand and hurried back to his love of his life. Lilly smiled and looked for her tall man among the men and not finding him frowned a little wondering where he made off to? She cast her eyes towards the Burger Shack and spied him coming around the back with something in his hands. She quickened her pace and caught up with him as he sat down at a table. He spotted her and tried to hide his bag on the ground so she couldn’t see what he had. Bad luck for him and she strode up and asked him what he was eating so soon after his four hamburgers?

  “I needed a little snack before we head out,” he said meekly.

  “A snack let me see what you have in the sack on the ground Mr. Bekins?”

  Slim showed her his sack and said, “they are really small and I have only three in the sack,” he said hiding a mouth full of hot dog.

  “Slim, you’re nothing but an overgrown kid. Someday I hope you grow up. I have no idea what the future holds for us as I don’t know if I can cook enough food for you in one day to satisfy your hollow leg.” Slim hung his head and Lilly sat down facing him straddling the bench and looked into his eyes as he slowly raised his head and looked at her. She had a grin on her face and Slim broke his long face and a mustard smile broke out across his face. He took another bite and then finished it off with by shoving what was left into his cheeks. Ten seconds later he washed it down with a giant root beer.