Weekend

Worked all day and was exhausted when I got home, I turned the
coffee on and the television and sat on the couch. The phone rang, my
father called to see how things were and just to say hi, I told him I
was awfully tired, he said kickback and relax.
I told him after I eat, shower and shave I was going to drive to Lake
Tahoe to meet a few of my friends up there. Oh dad, could you do me a
favor? my faucet in the kitchen is leaking, could you look at it? sure,
no problem I will be over in 30 or 40 minutes to look at it. No rush
I'll leave the key under the welcome mat. He said, be careful it's a
long drive there, I know, I'll be careful. I made a little something to
eat, sitting at the table with my coffee and my feet on one of the
chairs relaxing I glanced at the television. I kind of laughed, there
was a commercial about flying to Lake Tahoe.
I know it's a long ways but I am driving and its Friday. Three hours
later I was on the road, stopped to get gas at the station. The cashier
kept looking at me, kidding he said you look pretty tired hard day
today? yes it has been all week, he kept looking at me and repeated,
you look tired and I just said yeah. As I was leaving, a woman looked
like she was staring at me or was it my imagination? I don't know. I
guess it is just me.
As I pulled away and was about a mile down the road the car was acting
funny.
I pulled over, I had a flat. I said, I can't believe this but I will
make it to Tahoe no matter what. I changed the tire and was back on
road, not too much traffic. I turned the radio off and was mumbling
back-and-forth to my car and before I knew it, I was in these long
conversations with myself. It seemed like around 85 mi. later, my car
was acting strange. It keeped choking out then it would run OK for a
while and start stalling again. Finely it just gave out I pulled off to
the side as far as I could and got out of the car.
I stood there for a little while and a pick up truck pulled up and the
driver said, get in I will give you a ride, as I reached for the door
he took off laughing. I couldn't believe it so I start walking to get
help, a little ways down the road there was a man standing by this long
driveway near the street. His head was almost square and he had two
long arms and they were almost dragging the ground. His right arm was
flagging me to go down the road, I walked past him real fast and did
not say anything to him.
As I got about a block down the road and around the curve there was a
little store thank goodness, as I got to the store it was open but
there was no one around. There was a phone outside, when I went to use
it the recording kept saying you have to put a silver dollar in it, I
don't believe this. I looked but there was no place to put the money in
it. Finally I seen a man standing by the doorway of the store, that
telephone, I don't understand, it ask you to put in a silver dollar, he
said, don't pay any attention to it.
I asked him if he could help me, I need someone to go fix my car. I
broke down a few miles back, he pointed across the street and said that
man is a mechanic and he will fix your car. I looked across the street
the gentleman was in a wheelchair and he only had one arm and a cast on
both legs. He can't work on my car like that, go over and talk to him
he will help you. As I started to walk across the street this huge
tumbleweed come rolling down the street at me, the man in wheelchair
kept yelling run faster run faster run faster. Hey son, wake up wake
up, I came over to fix your faucet, looks like you spilled your coffee
on the table. I open my eyes and stared right at my father for a few
seconds, it was only a dream

Norman Clifford 1-8-02