Seeing the Creasons brought me a happy Labor Day. The weekend weather mellowed, ensuring a decent motorbike back to Cody. Autumn ended. It was a great little bike but with
Seeing the Creasons brought me a happy Labor Day. The weekend weather mellowed, ensuring a decent motorbike back to Cody.
Autumn ended. It was a great little bike but with winter coming on, logic won out.
“GMC makes decent cars. I wonder if these folks would trade.”
I opened the door to the dealership and departed an hour later, leaving my Honda behind and driving off in my very own car. My first. I hadn’t a clue to its coming value – this two-tone Chevrolet Bel Air.1957.
Winter assailed Wyoming with a vengeance. The most frigid day in all my working life found me at the Cody Enterprise, stuffing newspapers till after dark, laboring by candlelight. A main gas line had erupted somewhere, cutting energy to the whole town.
When I finally crept in to my quarters at Mom and Pops, I took a banana from the kitchen counter. “Wow, it’s not just cold to the touch. It’s stiff!” I went to bed fully clothed. Outside, the temperature dropped to 35 below.
Leisure times found me with church friends near my age. A pair of close buddies, Richard and Rommie, had fallen for two sisters – Judy and Joyce. The quartet let me into their circle as if the Cowboy State were my home, and as if the number five weren’t an uneven digit.
For a brief while I dated a Cody girl. Discerning the difference between friendship and courtship came early and our dating dropped off, no hurt feelings either way.
Thoughts trailed back to the big town northward, “I wonder if the Creason family would mind another visit?”
Fred answered the phone.
“Sure, Jerry, we’d love to see you. And after Sunday church we’ll be at the Barnes’ for dinner. You’ll be welcome. You remember the Barnes family, right?”
I felt my heart race a little. A visit to the pastor’s home – where I’d see the pretty girl with the pretty eyes – who goes by her middle name. Ann.
“Brother Fred, I’m glad you’re still in Billings.”
©2019 Jerry Lout
Speaker-Writer Jerry Lout schooled at Okmulgee’s Wilson Elementary, Preston High, O.S.U. Okmulgee and Int’l Bible College. Jerry authored “Living With A Limp” from which this piece is edited ( Amazon.com ). He and his wife have served international ministries in Africa and the University of Tulsa. More narratives are found at his blog, www.jerrylout.com. To invite him as a speaker, reach him at jerry-lout@gmail.com.
