Sock-hat and Walking Stick

Sock-hat and Walking Stick

by

B.D. Adams © 2011

            Becky drove her vintage Karmann-Ghia down the country road she had always taken to just ... relax or think. Her new boss had given her more work-load than she needed or wanted. She almost felt his intension was to punish her ... get her to quit!
           “Over my dead body,” she said out loud to the steering wheel. Some co-workers were scheduled to come to her condo this Saturday afternoon to plan strategy ... she wasn’t the only whipping boy (girl)!
           She approached the rugged road she had always mentally debated about checking out ... she decided today was the day. She needed fresh air. The entrance was not all that easily seen, but she parked in the small clearing just off the main road. Even this close to modern reality, she felt that this was a good idea. She would walk for only a few minutes.
           As she ambled along that “road less taken,” Becky breathed deeply ... a cleansing breath. This was a beautiful, crisp autumn afternoon on an overgrown, rutted road ... no pavement, no telephone wires ... only stone fences and large oak trees of orange and yellow colors. She knew this type of road was not what Frost had referred to in his poem, but ... it seemed to fit today.
           No heavy coat for Becky today. She wore her forest green, bulky knit sweater and the blue jeans that fit so well. For this walk, her leather, low-top hiking shoes with thick socks were perfect. The breeze made her short, brown hair dance with the momentary gusts, which thrilled her, for some reason. The autumn leaves skirted the ground with all colors by her steps or by the breeze.
            She had always been active ... walking, canoeing, tennis. She was middle-aged and did what she did out of enjoyment, and not just to keep slender.
           Becky had strolled for several yards and approached a curve in the narrow road. Before she was at the center of the bend, she discerned that someone was coming towards her; a man ... almost dressed like her and used a walking stick. He was comfortably taller than her and appeared to be of a healthy build, as well. The sock-hat he wore allowed some of his blonde hair to peak out. He wore lace-up boots that appeared to have walked many more miles than her shoes. As he came closer, Becky thought she saw him smile a bit. She did not know him.
           Her first impression ... her first fear ... was that he might try to hurt her! There was really no where to run ... no house or other protection! What to do?! Her heart began to beat heavily and fast!
           Becky moved more to the right of the road, where she had been walking. She wanted to give him ... space.
           Before she got even with the man, he sat wearily on the stone fence on his side. While he sat, he let out an exhausted sound, but smiled a very sincere smile. The walking stick rested against him.
           “Good afternoon,” the man greeted. His blue eyes were clear and kind.
           “Good afternoon,” Becky returned and decided that if he was a sex-offender, he was a
new breed.
            “Ahhhhh ... we don’t get these beautiful days often enough in the autumn, do we,” the man suggested, as he breathed in the good air. His voice sounded mature, but with a young lilt.
           “That’s a fact,” Becky returned. She couldn’t help but to smile to this man ... he seemed
to bring it out of her.
           She was able to see down the road ... both ways ... from her vantage point. This made
her feel a little more secure ... there was nobody else.
            Because she was a little tired from her walk, Becky sat on her stone wall across from him. She still felt a bit cautious of this fellow.
            “Do you walk this road often?” Becky inquired.
           The man scratched his chin, as he thought, and then answered, “Not as often as I’d like.”
            Becky frowned a little, as she asked, “Why’s that?”
            “Oh ... politics,” he said with a wink.
            Politics ... Becky thought ... that’s a strange reason!
           “Yes ... it is,” he answered to her.
            With his unusual response, Becky felt cautious again. She asked him, “Do you read
minds?” She was now leery of his motives, but remained seated on the stone wall.
            The man gave out a heart-felt laugh and smiled even more broadly. “Your eyes gave me a clue,” he admitted.
            Becky decided to believe him. She smiled a small embarrassed smile.
            “Where does this road go?” Becky asked.
            The man gave her a curious look, as he asked, “Where do you want it to go?” He was very precise in his question.
            Becky slightly raised her eyebrows, as she asked, “What does that mean?”
            The man looked to her without wanting any further explanation, as he said, “Life is one choice after another ... good or bad. We do what we can to get by, or we exceed! To exceed is the key here.” He added this as an aside, “ ... as with a job ... life or death.”
            “What are you getting at?” Becky inquired. She had become a bit perturbed.
            The man removed his sock-hat and softly laid it on his knee, as he asked, “Becky ... what do you see down that road?” He pointed to his left, the direction he had come.
            She looked to where he pointed ... she saw a dark, nothingness. “Isn’t that the direction you came? Why is it now so dark down that way,” Becky asked a little confused. Then, she realized he had called her by name, she calmly demanded, “How do you know my name?”
            “Yes, it is,” he responded. “You’ll learn soon how I know your name.”
            She looked overhead to determine the time of day. The sky was still bright, but when she looked again down the road ... the road she hadn’t yet traveled ... it was dark!
           “Who are you? What’s your name?” she finally asked.
            He gave her a knowing look ... he knew that she really knew him. All he said was, “Gabe.”
            “Gabe,” Becky echoed. She did already know ... for some reason, she knew.
            “You still need to finish your journey ... if you want,” Gabe instructed to her.
            “If I want ... what’s going on?” Becky asked very confused. She hadn’t yet looked down the road she had come, but now ... she did.
            She saw brightness, with a bit of vignetting around the edges ... like in a photograph. She shaded her eyes to better discern what she saw. There was a car (one she didn’t recog-nize), which had hit a power pole. Several people scurried around to try to help ... someone. A man (she didn’t know) sat on the curb while a policeman stood near, as he took notes.
            She looked to Gabe and asked, “What is this? What does it mean?”
            “Look closer and tell me what you recognize,” Gabe suggested. His smile had waned ... he was now more serious.
            As she squinted, Becky looked again.
            “My God,” she quietly stated. “I live near there ... I go to the little store for things sometimes.” Then, as she really looked at the scene, she felt a tugging at her arm! Someone lay in the street ... near the car she didn’t know ... someone pulled that person’s arm. EMT Techs attended the person.
             The person was a woman, who wore a forest green, bulky knit sweater!!
             “NO!!” Becky screamed, as she brought her hands to her mouth. She watched more as it became apparent that the man on the curb was drunk and the car was his. He had hit Becky!!!
             “Gabe ... am I going to die? Am I already dead? Is that why I don’t feel any pain?” Her tears flowed with her surprise and her feeling of helplessness!
             “Becky ... really feel inside your self. Do you want to die or would you rather continue your journey ... known or unknown?” He watched her intently. “If you go back ... you might die ... but, you could continue with the road you had been traveling.” He motioned to the unknown road, and continued, “This direction ... will be a risk ... not all that familiar. This is an Angel decision that some of us wanted for you! You could touch many other lives before your journey is completed. By yourself, you have seemed to choose the more challenging roads ... you have been one of the few we guide. And ... please do not ask why.” Gabe grinned, but seriously added, “This guidance has to be your decision.”
            This had to be the hardest decision she had ever been asked to make! Should she go with what she had seen ... possibly be already dead? Or, should she risk the unknown?
            “If I choose the dark road, will it go back to before I’m hit ... will I remember meeting you and all that I’ve seen?” Becky looked at Gabe with pleading eyes. Could he help with her decision? Her tears had ended.
            Gabe shook his head and said, “I’ve told you all I can. It’s totally up to you.”
            “Politics ... right,” Becky said. She wasn’t nasty to the Angel, just stated a fact.
            Gabe sighed slightly and nodded his head.
            “Since I’ve been given this choice ... is it really a punishment?”
            Gabe smiled his sincere smile, and confirmed, “No ... not a punishment. I can answer that question.”
            As Becky looked down the road again at the accident ... it seemed that the image became darker. She figured that she should get the lead out and make her decision!
            The road she had been traveling had been going pretty well, except for the new boss. However, if the new road could give her a better direction ... a risk is not always a bad thing. Too bad this wasn’t the Genie with the three wishes ... she smiled to herself.
            She did not want to die yet, which was a possible scenario ... she wanted to live and try to do more with her life, which had always been her motivation ... now or before!
            “Becky,” Gabe called to her, “You need to make a choice.”
            She closed her eyes to get inspiration from the dark. After a moment, a stronger breeze stirred ... as it kicked up dust that kept her eyes closed a little bit longer. When she opened her eyes, Gabe was gone! She looked both ways down the road and everything was as before ... but, no Gabe. She hurried to the wall where he had sat and looked over it. Still ... no Gabe.
            “A day-dream?” Becky wondered to herself. She decided she needed more sleep at night. This incident gave her a slight chill.
            It had to be getting late ... the people would be at her home soon. She high-tailed it back to her car, and then mildly sprinted back to her neighborhood. When she got to the corner store, to pick up a few snacks, a car was parked in front of the store, so she parked across the street ... same side as the store.
           Once she had paid for her purchases, she stood just outside the store to adjust an item in her paper bag, so she remained on the step.
           Instantly, there was a car that careened off the street ... jumped the curb ... toward her!! It was like the driver made a bad right turn!! The car crashed into the power pole ... where she would have been if she hadn’t delayed!!
            Becky stood petrified!! She just stared at the car, as the store owner came out to see
what had happened!
            “Becky ... Becky! Are you all right? Are you hurt?” Stan, the owner, asked frantically. He
took her paper bag and set it on the step by her feet.
            She just stood calmly and said quietly, “I’m fine.”
            “My God ... you must have an Angel!” Stan said nervously, albeit happily.
           There was a lot of commotion ... the police had begun to arrive. As she said, for the twentieth time, that she was fine ... she was not hurt ... she realized this was the day-dream, but different! She wasn’t flat on the sidewalk!
            At that curious moment, Becky glanced across the street to the house at that corner. It was a Tudor-styled house that had a stone fence surrounding it.
           A man sat on the stone fence, who had on worn, laced boots and had a walking stick that leaned against him. His blonde hair peaked out from his sock-hat. The man gave her a sincere smile, and then casually stood with his stick and walked down the other street.

 Choices ... always choices!!