there were all these cars lined-up in a row…sittin’ there…lookin’ like they was wantin’ to go…take-off somewhere…leave on a whim an’ never look back…
old Fords…Chevy’s…a Dodge or two…beat-to-shit-…a Toyota sat at the end…that’s what he used to drive…a Toyota…an’ he voted for Reagan…
never seen much of him growin’-up…was always outta’ town…away on business…ask mom where he went to an’ she’d just say…,away on business…,then she’d go back to snorin’ in the old LazyBoy…
one time he’d left for a long…long…time…took off in the middle of the night after he and momma got into this argument…can’t remember what they was fightin’ over…he said this an’ she said that…fightin’ like a couple of kids on a school playground…saw him grabbin’ a Pepsi outta’ the ice-box while she sat there with her arms folded…
when you comin’ back…,she demanded…,can’t just get-up an’ go whenever you want …you got responsibilities you know…,momma got all flustered…gave-up as he walked out the door an’ started-up the old Toyota…
that car started-up just fine…he put it in reverse an’ it went down the dirt driveway just fine…headlights worked just fine…an’ he left for a month or two…just fine…
we ate a lotta’ pinto beans an’ hamhocks while he was gone…used to chew on the fat…my brothers an’ me…the flavor got to be real good…especially with hot pepper sauce put on it…we’d soak-up the drippin’s from the beans with homemade cornbread from a Jiffy box…waitin’ on him to come through that door…we waited…an’ waited…
nobody knew where he went to…when he came back didn’t nobody ask…he just sat in silence every night…an’ the old Toyota didn’t move for a long…long…time…parked in the driveway forever it seemed till one day it was gone…just gone…
things just go-away…
dmseay 