Date: Tue, 9 Jan 2007 02:26:41 -0500
From: Sam Davies <samsam345@gmail.com>
Subject: "Harvest" Chapter 18:Leaving Home

By the time the bus pulled into the depot the sun had begun its long
descent down to the horizon.  Licks of golden light burst from behind the
black silhouettes cast by the trees. I scraped the toes of my new
sneakers on the macadam beneath me.

"Well, I guess that's us." my mother buzzed nervously as she began
gathering my luggage.  My dad rose from the bench we were sitting on and
took over.

The silver greyhound bus that idled in front of me looked like something
out of a 1950's movie.  At any moment I was expecting a bunch of sailors
clad in white to jump through the door and sweep their anxiously awaiting
gals into their arms-- Naturally though this was not the case.  The doors
slid open but no one exited. Who would have wanted to visit our little
burg anyhow?  The driver looked out at us, stared for a moment, and then
looked at his watch.

I turned to my mom and gave her a big hug.  She started to cry and I
tried not to look.

"Promise that you'll call me as soon you get there." she said quietly.

"I promise," I replied, "maybe even before then."

She kissed me on the cheek before stepping backwards.

My father looked me in the eyes with a strong face before lifting his
arms for a hug.

"You be good." he whispered in my ear. I nodded.

He patted me on the back one final time before releasing me from his
mighty grasp. I was never very good at reading is emotions-- he kept them
hidden beneath a thick layer detachment-- but I thought that for just a
second I saw a sliver of pride slip past the facade.

Early that morning in the darkness allotted by a new moon my pops drove
me to Justin's house.  We sat in his truck surrounded by absolute
silence, being disturbed only by the sounds of our own nervous
breathing.  I looked into the darkness in what I thought was his general
direction.

"I'll see you in a few minutes."  I mumbled.

"Be fast." was his only response.

It seemed ridiculous that we felt the need to be so quiet.  Both of us
knew that no one was home and the closest neighbor was a half mile down
the road. Yet still the concept that what we were about to do was illegal
left us on edge.  I slid out of the truck and into the silky black of the
night. The walk from the road to the garage door that taken by day seemed
to take less than a minute, instead felt like a marathon. I flipped the
key over in my fingers again and again.

 The crisp stars were the only ones who watched as I ran my hand down the
old metal door and lifted it quickly. Inside, the air inside smelled of
decay.  I knew this place well but that night felt like a foreigner
navigating around the jacks and table saws that resided there.

I slid my hand along the side of the truck until my fingers touched the
cool handle.  With a gentle tug the door swung open.  The overhead light
of the truck came on and bathed the entire garage in its glow.  Shocked
by the obvious flaw in my stealth plan, I jumped into the front seat and
slammed the door shut. The interior of the truck smelled of motor oil and
faded cigarette smoke^×kind of like Justin.

The key was burning a hole in my palm.  I reached forward and pushed it
into the ignition.  Smoothly it slid past the pins and found its place
buried deeply into the lock.  I held my breath as I twisted it forward.
A loud whine broke the stillness of the morning air as the engine jumped
to attention. I couldn't believe it-- the beast was alive at last!  It
groaned and vibrated in anticipation to be set free.  Without much
thought I complied.

The gears clanked loudly as I shifted it into drive.  My heart thumped in
my chest with excitement.  I couldn't believe he had finished it.  The
truck lurched over the lip of the garage entrance and into the night.

My head bounced against the plexi-glass window as the bus hit a rough
patch of road.  It was late afternoon and setting sun illuminated the
world in a golden hue.  I had never been so far away from home but oddly
everything still looked the same.  I could have easily been dropped in
any one of the cookie-cookie cutter towns that we sped through and would
have felt right at home.  The white washed store fronts, the ancient
looking stoplights, and the surrounding fields of corn and soybean were
all there to remind me of what I was leaving behind.

So much was going to be different in Boston. I was going to be a
Midwestern boy lost in the hustle and bustle of a New England city.  I'd
be the newbie-- something I had never been before in my life.  There was
something about the idea of starting over that was both appealing and
frightening.  I would have no history to define me, but at the same time
no clear grasp of a future.  I shifted positions in my seat and watch as
the red barns and barren expanses rolled on and on.

The day before Ryan had shown up at my house just before noon.  I greeted
him at the door in an unusually somber mood but there was something about
him that lifted my spirits.

"Let's go for a walk." he said with a grin.

The grass in the gully beside the road was a vibrant spring green because
of all rain we had gotten. The world was bright and teaming with life.
Wooly Bear caterpillars charged across the road in search of a place to
spend the winter, and chipmunks dashed madly through the underbrush
gathering supplies for their winter caches. Above us, a lone goose flew
overhead squawking wildly for his comrades to slow down.

I kicked at the stray stones that dotted the road.  Every other thought
was about leaving home.  I wanted to leave-- I needed to leave-- but I
was so afraid.  That place was all I had ever known.  All of my memories
lived there amongst the dying stalks of corn and rich black earth.  To
just up and leave everything that was familiar felt like treason. On what
should have been a day full of excitement and anticipation I could barely
find the willpower to have breakfast.

As we walked Ryan put his arm around my shoulder and presented me with a
small blue box.

"For me?" I asked in a high pitched voice.

"No dumb ass," he said as I opened it, "for Em."

Nestled inside delicate mounds of creamy velvet sat a small gold ring
bearing a single diamond.

"No fucking way!" I yelled as I shoved him away.

"Yes fucking way!" he shouted back smiling.

I looked again at the quaint symbol of Ryan's love and couldn't help but
be warmed by its purity.  I gently closed the box and through my arms
around him.  How cool!

"I wanted to see what you thought before you left.  I think I am going to
ask her during the fireworks at the harvest festival." he suddenly became
very bashful and boyish.

"Ry, that is awesome.  I am so happy for you!" I felt happy tears
beginning to form in my eyes but succeeded in stopping them in their
tracks, "And to do it at the Harvest festival is an awesome idea! You
should tell my Dad and I am sure he can help you plan something really
special."

He was very quiet for a second, "What do you think she'll say?"

"Oh god, did you seriously just ask that? She'll say yes without batting
an eye!" I said playfully.

He looked at me and smiled, "Thanks."

"Thanks for what? I am so glad you told me first,"  I explained, "I'll be
sure to extend the same courtesy to you before I get hitched."

We both laughed.

The bus was quiet.  I sat in the far back where there were only a few
people-- conversation seemed like a needless element of my journey.
Outside the darkened world flew past, spotted every few miles by the
twinkling lights of a distant town.  I placed my hand on the seat beside
me and thought about Kyle.  It had always been our plan to travel across
the country together, but here I was doing it all alone.  I missed him so
much it hurt.  I wanted to tell him that I loved him; to hold him tight
and never let go again.

I looked around the bus at all the sleeping travelers and wondered if
they also longed to be with someone far away.  The engine hummed a quiet
melody as we coursed through the night, some of us embarking on an
adventure and others at long last returning home.  I wondered what Kyle
fell asleep to at night; if maybe he looked up at the stars and thought
of me.  I couldn't help but smile at that thought.  I closed my eyes and
began to count as the seconds-- as each one passed we were closer to
being together once more.