the car. AI=m afraid we
failed, Adam.@
APerhaps,: I replied, Abut we did what we believed as right. We told the truth and warned
the people about Daniel. They just wouldn=t believe us.@
David thought a moment. AYes, they didn=t believe us, but they did not want to believe
us. It was too painful for them to believe us. Believing us meant the end of their dreams of a
better city and money for themselves.@
AAnd so,@ I asked, Awhen they learn the truth and they suffer the same misfortune of the
folks in Henryville, will they remember we were right?@
David laughed. ANo, good friend, they will hate us all the more. And they will hate
themselves, just as the people in Henryville now hate themselves. They will mistrust strangers,
even honest ones, because they will not want to be duped again. I can assure you that if we were
to return and remind them that we told them so, we would probably not get out alive.@
AI suppose,@ I replied, Awe were lucky to get out alive this time. We took a serious risk in
doing what we did.@
AYes,@ David agreed, Abut we had to do it. I think we learned a lesson even in our failure.
In a real sense, we loved these people because we wanted to keep them from harm. We tried to
help them, even though we could have been hurt in the process. In fact, we were hurt because
they rejected us.
ALove may involve failure, but we did what we believed was right. No we have to move
on.@
We arrived at the car. AIt=s about 7. Should we find a motel near here to spend the
night?@ David asked.
ANo,@ I replied, AI think it best we leave Hardwick. I don=t want to spend any more time
here than we have to. The townspeople may try to harass us even if Daniel no longer cares about
us now that he got his way.@
ADoes this mean that you may fail to find Robin, and I may fail to bring peace and justice
to my family?@ David asked somewhat hesitantly.
I tried to sound optimistic. AYes, I suppose we each might fail, but I don=t think we will.
But if we do fail, we will have learned a great deal in our trying.@
AEven if what we learn may kill us,@ David responded with a grim chuckle.
We got in the car. Backed on to the highway and drove out of town.
A Man by the Side of the Road
We drove for about an hour and then stopped at a small motel to rest for the night. I had trouble falling asleep, unable to put our misadventure in Hardwick out of my mind. Those poor people, I kept thinking. Yet our dreams of riches often can cause us to act foolishly.
Thus it had been with my parents who, for a time, spent what little money they had buying lottery tickets, eating little but hoping much. They wanted to have money to live as lavishly as some of the folks they had seen on television lived, but they did not win and, instead, found themselves living in even greater poverty.
And so they gave up the lottery and, I suppose, their dream of riches as well. Why did they not look for work and earn more money? Please understand that I was young when all this happened. But I did ask them once why they did not have regular work. They seemed offended at my asking, but looked more sad than angry.
AWell, we tried,@ my father answered after a period of silence. AWe tried, but no one wanted us, particularly me. I never had enough schooling so that they were interested, and I had never learned a trade. My own father tried to teach me, but he died before I learned much. And then I had to do odd jobs just to support my mother and my sister and two brothers. And when my mother died when I was nineteen, I still didn=t know anything that anyone wanted to pay much for.@
My mother looked at me. I was afraid she might cry as she murmured, AWe tried. We really tried. The lottery was our last chance. Well, we have you, and your father and I, we have each other.@
That was the closest my parents had ever come to saying they loved me. I felt sorry for them. Now I feel overflowing sympathy for them as I remember this incident. They tried. They really tried, but it was not good enough. Or was it? I am beginning to miss them. But I must return to them to teach them how to love . . . or perhaps I will find that they already know. It is really I who needed to learn how to love.
And thus it had been with David=s aunt and uncle who were quite pleased with their lives before they tasted wealth. Wealth changed them, but not for the better. Poor David fled to get away from them, but he was told that one day he must return and bring peace where now turmoil rules, both in himself and at his former home.
As dawn=s light filtered through the window shades of our motel room, David and I awoke, and following our morning absolutions we set out to find breakfast. We had seen a restaurant a short distance before we came to the motel and decided to walk back to it to loosen up and prepare what might be a long day of driving.
There was a steady flow of traffic as we walked on the grass beside the highway. To our left was a narrow ditch, and beyond the ditch was a narrow strip of grass and an assortment of stores. Driveways crossed the ditch into parking areas for the stores.
David pointed to what looked like a bundle of rags some 200 feet ahead. But when we came closer, it was clear that what we saw was not rags at all but a man lying on the other side of the ditch, close to the parking lot of a hardware store. Our mistake was understandable because the clothes the man was wearing were little better than rags. He had a knit cap over on his head from under which long black hair spilled out. His face revealed that he had not shaved in many days.
There was no way of telling how long he had been lying there or why no one had tried to. help him earlier. His eyes were open, so we assumed he was awake. Though we were afraid to voice it, both David and I feared the man might be dead. Warily, we stepped across the ditch and stood about a foot away from the man=s head.
He moved his head and looked up at us. AWhat do you want?@ he asked in voice as if he were just waking from a sound sleep.
AYou seem like you might need some help,@ I said in as friendly a voice as I could muster.
ADo I look like I need help?@ the man asked, raising his head slightly.
AWell,@ said David, kneeling so as to get closed to the man=s face, Aas a matter of fact, you do look like you need help.@
A tear formed in the man=s right eye and ran down his cheek. ASo what if I need help? Nobody cares about me. I=ve been lying here since yesterday evening and you=re the first to take notice of me.@
AWhat happened?@ I asked.
ADoes it matter?@ the man replied. AFrankly, I drank too much. I lost my job, my house, and my family. So I just wander around, trying to get odd jobs here and there so I can something to eat.@
AAnd drink?@ David asked.
The man glared up at David. AWhat business is it of yours? Why don=t you go away and leave me alone?@
AIs that what you really want us to do?@ David asked.
The man let his head fall to the ground and was silent for a moment. ANo, that is not what I want you to do. Can you help me?@
AWe=re going for breakfast now,@ I told him. AWould you like to join us?@
The man struggled to get to his feet. David and I both reached down and helped him. He stood next to us. AI would love to have a decent meal. Don=t you mind being seen with a bum like me?@
AIf we minded, we wouldn=t have invited you to join us,@ I answered. ABut I think we ought to get acquainted if we=re going to eat together. My name is Adam and my friend=s name is David.@
The man held out his hand to shake mine. His hand was rough and dirty, and I could feel it quiver slightly as I grasped it. ANice to meet you, Adam. My name is Scott, Scott Wilson.@
APlease to meet you, Scott,@ I answered. David also shook hands with Scott.
We started off together toward the restaura
nt which was now only two stores down the road. Scott started off with a slight stagger, but was soon walking normally. Even though a slight breeze was blowing in the cool morning air, we could tell that Scott had an odor that have must have been due to many days without bathing.
. AWhere did you live when you last had a home?@ I ask Scott.
AWhere did I live?@ he replied with a grin that revealed a missing upper front tooth. AThat is a good question. I=m not sure I ever lived. I=m certain that I=m not living now.@
ABut you are alive,@ I countered. AYou=re walking with us to get breakfast.@
AYou are the first folks who have been kind to me in a long time. I hope I can repay you in some way, but I don=t have much to offer.@
David smiled. AWe=re not asking you to repay us. Perhaps, though, you could tell more about yourself while we=re eating breakfast.@
AI suppose I could do that,@ Scott answered. AWould you really be interested?@
AYes, of course, we would,@ I said, although I was not certain that in my heart I wanted to hear the sad story of a man brought down by alcohol.
AWell, then, you asked for it,@ Scott said with some genuine enthusiasm. AI do have some stories to tell.@
David grabbed the door of the restaurant, opened it, and invited Scott and I to enter. AWell, Scott,@ I said, Aas soon as we are seated and have ordered we=d love to hear some of your stories.@.
An Unusual Breakfast
The restaurant had six stools along a counter, but all but one was taken. There was also a dining area with tables. A man in back of the counter told us to seat ourselves.
There were three tables that were not already in use, each with four chairs. We walked to the closest table and sat down. I noticed that many patrons in the restaurant were looking at us. It was clear from their expressions that they were not pleased, almost certainly because we were strangers, and because they were not comfortable with Scott and his disheveled appearance.
A waitress brought us menus, but I could not help but notice her disgusted look as she handed a menu to Scott.
A burly man from the table immediately behind ours rose and stood beside Scott. AAre you all new in these parts?@ he asked.
AYes,@ David replied. AWe stopped here for the evening, but we=re traveling on to the next town after we finish breakfast.@
AThat=s probably a good thing,@ the man replied. AIs your friend traveling with you?@ he asked, pointing to Scott.
AActually, we met Scott down the road a bit and invited him to have breakfast with us,@ David replied.
AFrankly,@ the man said sarcastically, Ahe doesn=t look like the kind of person you all would want to eat with.@
I looked straight at the man. AYou eat with whomever you wish and we eat with whomever we wish. Scott is our friend and we=re treating him to breakfast.@
AJust make sure he doesn=t stay around these parts,@ the man snarled. AIf you want to take him with you, that=s your business, but if he stays around here, he may find that he isn=t welcome.@
Scott sat quietly throughout the exchange. The burly man went back to his table. All eyes had been on him as he spoke to us. When he sat down, people went back to talking and eating as if nothing had happened.
The waitress came back with coffee and took our orders. When she left, David and I reminded Scott that he had promised to tell us something about himself.
AI was once quite different than I am now,@ he began. AI had a successful business selling household appliances and was happily married. I had both a son and two daughters. But I ran into financial trouble because a large company built a big store in my town and began selling appliances more cheaply than I could. I tried to convince my customers that my higher prices were justified by the higher quality of service and support I offered. But people wanted cheap prices more than they wanted service and support. In the long run, they probably paid more, but that didn=t seem to matter.
AAs my business faded, so did my pride and my ability to support my family. I couldn=t face the fact that we were having trouble paying our bills.
The Magic Mirror Page 9
