ch,9
lee
lee was fixing fence in the drizzly rain that was bordering on slush , freezing rain flying snot, or whatever was the choice term that ohio weather pukes up on us at times. it was wet and cold and soaking through his jacket making him colder. his dog bud had followed lee out to fix fence but was nowhere in sight. lee figured he must be hunting and paid him no thought till he looked up the hill and there was bud sitting in the seat of the tractor taking a break watching lee as he worked down the hill.
as miserable and bleak as it was lee found a smile deep in his heart that cold miserable day to take down a memory and lock it away in the recesses of his mind. never to forget that damn dog. he was a god pal and lasted many moons. always at lee's side. the picture above was one lee reenacted of bud sitting on tractor in obviously better weather. although lee had posed bud for this shot . bud managed to climb tractor on his own that day. he loved to ride and some days just sit if he couldn't ride.
lee finished closing the hole that would now be buds new home for eternity. lee wasn't a praying or crying man but soon felt tears well up in his eyes and his voice cracked as he recited the lords pray out loud to no one but to himself and to bud now gone., lee may not be much of a believer but it didn't hurt to think of someone besides himself at times like this and saying a prayer for your dog just might help him. then in some way help lee get beyond this point knowing he did all he could do for his old friend. ann was coming over soon and she wanted to know if lee needed help burying bud, but he told her it was something he would rather do. bud had to be put down as he was old and needed relief from the pin he was suffering. unable to walk lee moved him around and helped him up for the last 3 weeks . lee just couldn't see the old guy go through it any more and just wanted him to quit hurting. he took him to he vet and the vet came to the truck and administered the lethal dose. he passed in lee' s arms. lee could hardly see as tears welled up in his eyes as he drove along home to bury his friend.
lee brought the tractor down out of the field where up on the hill he planted his friend along with his food dish as a tombstone fit for a king to forever mark his place . lee always checks on him and his dog zoey when passing by on the tractor. 2 dogs in one year and just a year after his mom died from cancer. life just didn't seem to be getting any easier for lee as he trudged into the house.
and lee's dad, carl, said "about time you made it in here , i am hungry."
" be with you in a minute dad."lee said as he was taking off his coat and hanging it up.
" so whats for supper ? "carl said gruffly.
" dad i know you are hungry but you will have to wait awhile . i haven't even started anything , i just buried my dog."
" he could of waited he wasn't going anywhere, and he isn't going to eat much, but i sure am, could eat a horse. "
"dad just grab a sandwich and please give me a few , i m trying the best i can and will start supper as soon as i can. now grab you a sandwich . i had some prepared for you in frig , did you eat them all.?"
" yeah this morning."
"all of them , must have been ten sandwiches i made up for you?".
"yeah ate them all and a few apples , did you give me my medicine today?"
"yes dad , dont you remember this morning after your bath. i had breakfast fixed and you had your medicine."
"oh ok."
carl was having trouble remembering the simple things anymore like zipping his pants after going to the bathroom. let alone washing his hands. he was old school , just whip it out and pee anywhere you want , stuff it in and go on seemed the norm to him. it was just the way he was brought. up. unfortunately this washing hands after going o the bathroom only came about after running water. carl was brought up in a cabin outside of charleston westvirginia .stuck back up a holler as they called them. you had to carry your water from the stream and in the summer you would have to take a team of horses and a bunch of oak barrels and head down to the creek as the stream and all the springs would dry up , so you headed to the creek and stocked up on water. very little was used for bathing, instead saved for watering livestock and for cooking. this would go on till either cistern filed up from downpours as they had spouting hooked to the cistern to save the rain water , or the stream would start flowing again. so if carl forgot to wash his hands after taking a healthy pee , it could be his mind is that of a little boy in west Virginia years ago. it doesn't get much better only a lot worse.
lee wondered if ann and himself would ever get to go on their trip out west as carl was getting worse , not better, and chances are they would have to postpone before they go. something needed to be done with his dad and he didn't know if his brothers and sisters would come through for him and help out the 2 weeks he was going to be gone. carl left the water hydrant on in the basement or at least lee thought it was him or maybe a ghost as no one else goes down there besides lee himself. to say the least it was strange . the water pump in the basement ran and ran. lee finally heard it and went down to see what was going on and the spigot was turned on. thank god it was something simple. lee wondered how carl was able to climb down the stairs , let alone make it halfway across the basement to turn on anything. his little walk-abouts were beginning to take their toll on lee's nerves.
lee started to thaw out some chicken for supper and grabbed a bowl of potatoes to peel with his mom s favorite paring knife. lee's dad yells from the living room half munching on a sandwich,
"lee bring me some water."an order not a question, lee grimaced then heard ann's car pulling up in the drive as susie lee's only other dog started barking.( to be cont. )
18.
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