photo #1601384

Art pulled his cab up in front of the attorney's office. He got out, walked over to the bench, and asked if they were the Olsen's. "Yes, sir, I'm Ted, and this is my wife Mattie". They got up and headed for the cab, and Art asked if they had any bags. Ted said no, so, after closing the door, he got in and started the motor. He asked them where to, and they said the Hornwood motel by way of an address that was about 20 miles outside of town. Art asked if he was sure, because it was a sizeable fare. Ted said it wasn't a problem, so Art started in that direction. Knowing the length of the trip, he asked why they wanted to go there first. Ted took a long breath, then started talking. "We just wanted to see our house one last time. You see, we just signed the papers at closing, selling it to the new owners. It's been coming for some time, and now it's over. You see, we're in our early eighties. We've lived there since we got married. It's only 160 acres, and farming over the years has been tough. With our payment, we couldn't afford a tractor, so we just continued to plow with our mule until he passed, then we had to get another one. That was the year of the big drought, and things got tight. Good thing Mattie had canned so much the year before." "Anytime we had a bumper, we canned enough for us and sold the rest. We kept the money for a rainy day, and son, it's been raining for far too long. Keeping up the payments, insurance, and taxes was hard. Droughts, monsoons, increasing seed fees, and dropping market prices were making things difficult. We finally paid off our note, but escalating costs were closing down every avenue. We slowly sold everything we owned except for the bed and basic items to get by. Then, earlier this year, Mattie took sick and fell, breaking her hip. We didn't have insurance, so it took everything, including our old car being sold to get her fixed. Last month, we received our tax bill for next year, and it had quadrupled. We knew there was no way for me to earn that much with crops so cheap at harvest, so we listed the farm. Today, we sold it because it's all we've got left to our name, and the only thing left for our future. We rented a room with a kitchenette at the motel because it's way cheaper than assisted living, and within walking distance to the grocery and next door to a cafeteria. We've always paid our way, and think we'll make it in the long run if we behave". Just then, Art pulled into the dirt drive and sat. Ted asked him to wait a few minutes, then got out. He walked to the front porch and picked a beautiful zinnia. He stared at the house for a couple of minutes, then walked to the cab, where he presented the flower to Mattie with an apologetic tear in his eye. She smiled, and took a long whiff from it, then clutched it in her weathered old hands like it was a trophy. Art started the motor, and headed back to town to the motel they'd requested. He was so choked up he couldn't even think about small talk. He couldn't get the picture of the house and property out of his mind. It wasn't opulent in any way, but it was kept clean and neat everywhere he looked. Even the field had been plowed before the mule had to be sold. He was speechless as he pulled up to the motel, and helped Ted and Mattie out of his cab and into their room. There was basically nothing in it. When Ted asked about the fare, Art told him it was on him, and gave him and Mattie one of his cards. He told them if they ever needed ANYTHING, including a ride, to call him. He had to get out of there quickly, while he could. As he drove away, Art was choked up. It was hard to accept how a society treats the elderly to the point of taking everything they've ever worked for. Really hard.