Mr. Clint
Fiction by Sam Aurelius Milam III
They're
good kids, mostly. They're noisy and boisterous, but that's O.K.
They're young, healthy, and going home after a day at the Morgan Jr. High
School. Some of the boys throw paper at the girls, the girls pretend
to ignore the boys, or maybe flirt a little. The kids don't cause
any serious problems. It's a small town and we all know each other.
Most of these kids have been here all their lives. Hell, their parents
grew up here, most of 'em.
I
drive the bus up Main Street and turn left on Tilly. Watching the
mirror with half an eye, I see Johnny sneak up the isle and drop a lump
of ice down the back of Sally's blouse. How'd he get this far with
a lump of ice?
Sally
squeals, Beth and Sandra help her extract the ice, which is mostly gone
by the time they manage it. Sally promises eternal vengeance and
I speculate upon the nature of that vengeance. Next year, the two
will enter high school. Maybe they'll end up married and then Sally
will have her chance. I've been driving the bus for more than 25
years and I remember a similar promise from Sally's mother, not so long
ago, not really.
As
we zigzag through my end of town, the kids get off by ones and twos.
By the time we approach Maple and Porter the bus is about half empty.
Slowly, a hush comes over my kids. They become quiet and look ahead,
wondering; and there he is again, as always.
I
roll up to the stop and Mr. Clint is waiting eagerly, tail wagging, tongue
lolling from the run up the hill when he heard the bus coming. The
first time, I just drove by. That day he chased the bus barking frantically
and I decided not to do that anymore. Today, like every day since
then, I stop and open the door. Mr. Clint barks a quick, sharp bark
and stands eagerly, tail wagging, ears up. Nothing happens.
Mr.
Clint whines and looks at me. What can I say? Suddenly, he
leaps into the bus and nervously inspects each seat. The kids are
quiet, waiting as the ritual is performed. Just like a hundred times
before, Mr. Clint gets to the back of the bus without finding Tommy and
Jimmy. Puzzled and concerned, he trots up the isle, whining, and
jumps off of the bus. He runs around the bus once, searching.
When he gets back to the door, he sits on the sidewalk and looks up at
me, cocking his head over sideways. What can I do?
I
close the door and drive away. The kids don't usually have much to
say, for a while. Most days, they ride quietly until we get up the
hill on Maple, through the tunnel of trees that gives the street its name,
and pause at the stop sign beside the First Baptist Church. There,
we turn back onto Main Street. After we pass the church and the cemetery,
the kids can get rowdy again, pretend to forget.
I've
lived in this little town all of my life. I've seen a lot of kids
grow up here. Things aren't always perfect but it's a good little
town and we're good people. Sometimes, though, things happen that
are hard for an old man like me to understand. It's hard for these
kids, too, and I guess it's hard for Mr. Clint. He was a companion
for Tommy and Jimmy from the time that they were babies. It isn't
easy even for me. Why should anybody expect a dog to understand why
the boys don't come home on the bus anymore?![10x5 Page Background GIF Image](../../Images/10x5_Page_Background.gif)
A White Man's Notes
Sam Aurelius Milam III
• The
older a woman gets, the more things she doesn't remember doing, that she
actually did. The older a man gets, the more things he remembers
doing, that he never did.
• It
isn't possible to legislate an "age of consent" any more than it's possible
to legislate the value of .
If a young woman is old enough to be capable, interested, and attractive
to men, then she's reached her age of consent, regardless of any silly
legislation to the contrary.
• If
sexual aggression by men is going to be a crime, then sexual enticement
by women should also be a crime. After all, it was the women, not
the men, who demanded sexual equality.
• If
a woman gets to decide unilaterally that she's being sexually harassed,
regardless of the man's intentions, then a man should get to decide unilaterally
that he's being sexually provoked, regardless of the woman's intentions.
After all, it was the women, not the men, who demanded sexual equality.
• If
a man is expected to be a good man, according to a woman's definition,
then a woman can be expected to be a good woman, according to a man's definition.
After all, it was the women, not the men, who demanded sexual equality.![10x5 Page Background GIF Image](../../Images/10x5_Page_Background.gif)
April 2014 |
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