Monday, March 6, 2017

Neighbors

One time I had a load of seed corn to deliver to a grain elevator out in the middle of nowhere Kansas. When I got there, I couldn't find anyone around. There was no one at the elevator and no one at the house next to the elevator. The only other house anywhere around was a small house across the road. I went over and asked the nice old couple sitting on the porch if they knew what was going on.

According to them, the guy who ran the elevator lived in the house next to it and had probably just gone into town. They expected him back soon and invited me to join them on the porch while I waited.

I spent the next couple of hours drinking tea, eating homemade cookies, and chatting with Henry and Martha about their grand-kids. When the elevator manager finally returned, I thanked them for their hospitality and walked across the road to get my truck unloaded.

Jim, the manager, apologized for making me wait, but I said, "That's OK, I had a nice time chatting with Henry and Martha across the road." He explained that Henry was the elevator manager for more than 30 years and was forced to retire when he turned 65. He said, "Henry was really upset about being forced to retire. He and his wife haven't spoken to me since I took over for him."

Here were two nice families who were neighbors living out in the middle of Kansas, 20 miles from any other people, and they weren't speaking to each other.

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