HAZARD OF GROWING OLD

TRAVELING DOWN THE HIGHWAY OF LIFE I NOT ONLY SEE MILE MARKERS, I SEE LITTLE WHITE CROSSES ALONG THE SIDE OF THE ROAD.

IF YOU HAVE EVER DRIVEN THE HIGHWAYS OF THE SOUTH YOU HAVE SEEN THESE CROSSES TOO.  THEY MARK THE SPOT ALONG THE HIGHWAY WHERE SOMEONE DIED.

A CAR ACCIDENT WHERE THREE OR FOUR PEOPLE DIED  WILL BE MARKED BY THREE OR FOUR WHITE CROSSES ON THE SHOULDER OF THE HIGHWAY AT THAT SPOT.

NOW I’M GOING TO TELL YOU THE STORY OF MY LIFE USING THE ALLEGORY OF TRAVELING DOWN A HIGHWAY.

MY HIGHWAY STARTS ON NOVEMBER 12, 1932 AT GLADEWATER, TEXAS.  WHEN I WAS ONE YEAR OLD THERE IS A MILE MARKER BESIDE THE ROAD THAT SAYS MILE ONE.  NOW YOU SEE HOW THIS GOES. 

WHEN I PASTED MILE MARKER THREE MY DAD TURNED A BOAT OVER IN CADDO LAKE.  I HAPPENED TO BE IN THAT BOAT AND THAT WAS THE DAY I LEARNED HOW TO SWIM.

LATER AT MILE MARKER SIX MY DAD AND TWO OF HIS FRIENDS BUILT A BOAT THEY CALLED “MISS EMPIRE” AND DAD TOOK THE FAMILY AND HIS BROTHER’S FAMILY FOR A BOAT RIDE ON CADDO LAKE.

IN 1945 AT MILE MARKER TWELVE MY DAD AND HIS FISHING BUDDY MR. JOE BOUGHT A PRIVATE CAMP ON THE SHORE OF CADDO LAKE.

THEN BETWEEN MILE MARKERS 15 AND 16 I SEE THE FIRST WHITE CROSS BESIDE THE ROAD.  MR. JOE HAD DIED AND THIS WAS THE FIRST TIME I HAD COME FACE TO FACE WITH SOMEONE CLOSE TO ME DYING.  WHEN WE WENT TO THE FUNERAL, I REMEMBER SEEING MR. JOE LAYING THERE LOOKING LIKE HE WAS JUST ASLEEP.

IN MY MIND I COULD HEAR HIM TELLING ME, THE FIRST NIGHT WE STAYED IN THE CABIN OF THE CAMP HE AND DAD BOUGHT, DON’T BE SCARED IF YOU FEEL SOMEONE IN BED WITH YOU TONIGHT LOREN.  THAT IS THE BED THAT JAP DIED IN AND HE MAY WANT TO SLEEP WITH YOU.

ON DOWN THE ROAD OF LIFE I GO AND AS I PASS MILE MARKER 16 I BUY MY FIRST CAR AND AT MARKER 17 I MEET A GIRL NAMED JOHNNIE.  I KEPT THE CAR FOR ONE YEAR.  I’VE STILL GOT THE GIRL.

TWO DAYS AFTER MARKER 19, I MARRIED THE GIRL JOHNNIE.  THEN BEFORE MILE MARKER 20 WE HAVE A BABY DAUGHTER.  I DON’T LET THE GRASS GROW UNDER MY FEET.  I’M A LET’S GET ON WITH IT KIND OF GUY.

I GO TO WORK AT THE NEW GENERAL MOTOR PLANT IN ARLINGTON, TEXAS HALF WAY BETWEEN MARKER 21 AND 22.  I SPEND THE NEXT FOUR YEARS IN THE BODY SHOP, THEN FOUR YEARS IN PLANT PROTECTION.  DURING THAT TIME IS WHEN I WORKED WITH THREE DIFFERENT POLICE DEPARTMENTS ON A PART TIME BASIS.

TWO YEARS ROAD TESTING THE NEW CARS IN QUALITY CONTROL BROUGHT ME TO THE PAINT SHOP AS A SUPERVISOR AND TO MARKER 31. 

NOW ANOTHER WHITE CROSS BESIDE THE ROAD AS MY GRANDDAD DIED.

BY THIS TIME WE HAD OUR SECOND DAUGHTER AND THE GIRLS WERE GROWING UP.  IT WOULDN’T BE LONG BEFORE SUSAN WOULD BE MARRIED.

MILE MARKER 36 SAW ME PROMOTED TO GENERAL SUPERVISOR IN THE PAINT SHOP.  THEN ANOTHER WHITE CROSS FOR MY SUPERINTENDENT’S WIFE.

I BEGAN HUNTING WITH THE TIGHT GROUP OF EIGHT HUNTERS ON THE DEER LEASE AT LLANO ,TEXAS WHEN I GOT TO MARKER 38.

THEN IT HAPPENED ALL AT THE SAME TIME.  THERE WAS ANOTHER WHITE CROSS AT MARKER 40 WHEN MY DAD DIED.  I WAS DIAGNOSED WITH MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS AND WAS MEDICALLY RETIRED FROM GENERAL MOTORS.

JOHNNIE’S MOTHER AND DADDY AND SEVERAL OF HER SISTERS ALL DIED.  ALONG WITH MY GRANDMOTHER AND MOTHER BUT I CAN’T REMEMBER WHAT YEAR ANY OF THEM LEFT US NOW BUT THERE WERE MORE WHITE CROSSES BESIDE THE ROAD. 

BETWEEN MARKERS 40 AND 70 THERE HAS BEEN A LOT OF LIFE.  FOR INSTANCE JOHNNIE AND I HAVE SPENT LOTS OF TIME ON CADDO LAKE.  JOHNNIE HAS BEEN TO EUROPE AND ALL OVER THE STATES BECAUSE OF A JOB WITH A TOURING AGENCY.  I HAVE SPENT WEEKS AT A TIME ON OUR DEER LEASE AT LLANO.

NOW I SIT HERE AT THIS COMPUTER WRITING ABOUT ALL THOSE TIMES AND EVERY DAY OR TWO I SEE ANOTHER WHITE CROSS ALONG MY ROAD SIDE.  THE WHITE CROSSES ARE MULTIPLYING AND GETTING CLOSER EVERY DAY.  I GUESS THAT IS JUST A HAZARD OF GETTING OLD.

I WONDER WHAT WILL HAPPEN WHEN A WHITE CROSS IS PLANTED IN THE MIDDLE OF MY ROAD AND THE ROAD STOPS THERE?  BUT I GUESS THAT WILL BE A WHOLE NOTHER STORY FOR A DIFFERENT TIME.  ONE THAT SOMEONE ELSE WILL HAVE TO WRITE.