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March 29, 2019
Unlikely Find

Crossing railway tracks at the south edge of Laurel, Montana, brought me within twenty miles of my destination. Billings. Funny how our senses usher us to times and locations. And

Crossing railway tracks at the south edge of Laurel, Montana, brought me within twenty miles of my destination. Billings.

Funny how our senses usher us to times and locations. And memories. With its oil refinery, Laurel’s sights and smells wakened feelings of another place. From the highway entering Tulsa we witnessed refineries layer the atmosphere in smoke plumes. Near the highway white storage tanks shadowed a larger-than-life sign, “Tulsa, Oklahoma – Oil Capital of the World!”

“Well, it’s Sunday morning in Montana. If the Creason family is around, in a few minutes they’re likely entering a church. Somewhere.”

Downtown Billings was quiet. Leaving the parked Honda, I entered an upscale hotel, surveyed the lobby, and stepped into a mahogany phone booth. I flipped through the directory to the Yellow Pages.

“Here we are, ‘Churches’. Hmm, a lot of churches.”

“Let’s see. . .”, my forefinger glided downward beneath a label marked non-denominational.

Resting my finger at a random church name I jotted it down along with its address. I didn’t think to jot down the others.

Absent the aid of a city map, I moved my bike down a side street. Minutes from leaving the phone booth I spotted a sign, “Tabernacle of Faith”. My wristwatch read nine forty-five.

“Well, let’s get up this stairway to the entrance”, I goaded myself.

The warmth of the sanctuary enveloped me. I savored the feel, pausing to take in the room and scan the faces of early arrivals. Then I drew a long breath, smiled broadly. And chuckled.

Erica Creason, Fred ‘s “war bride” (as that era designated her), was first to spot me. Her eyes widened and the German accent flooded the sanctuary.

“Fred! Boys!”

©2019 Jerry Lout

Speaker-Writer Jerry Lout schooled at Okmulgee’s Wilson Elementary, Preston High and O.S.U. Okmulgee. Jerry authored “Living With A Limp”, from which this piece is edited ( Amazon.com ). Additional narratives are posted on his blog at www.jerry-lout.com . He welcomes comments, inquiries at jerrylout@gmail.com .

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