EILEEN, THE
HUNDRED POUND LADY RUSHED OUT TO THE CURB,
GRABBED THE BOX AND THREW IT UP INTO THE TRUCK.
WHEN JOHNNIE
AND I LIVED ON DARLENE STREET HERE IN ARLINGTON,
WE HAD SOME NEIGHBORS THAT LIVED ACROSS THE
STREET FROM US THAT WERE GOOD FRIENDS. IN FACT
EILEEN AND JOHNNIE WERE BOSOM BUDDIES. THEY DID
EVERYTHING TOGETHER.
ONE DAY JOHNNIE
READ IN OUR LOCAL PAPER THAT A FARMER SOUTH OF
TOWN WAS SELLING HIS PEACHES FOR $8 A BUSHEL IF
YOU PICKED THEM YOURSELF. SO JOHNNIE AND EILEEN
JUMPED IN OUR STATION WAGON AND OFF THEY WENT TO
PICK PEACHES. THEY PICKED TWO BUSHELS AND
BROUGHT THEM BACK TO OUR HOUSE.
ON THE WAY BACK
JOHNNIE SAW A BUNCH OF CHICKEN HOUSES WITH BIG
PILES OF CHICKEN MANURE AT THE END OF EACH
HOUSE. BUT THAT’S A WHOLE NOTHER STORY FOR A
DIFFERENT TIME.
WHEN JOHNNIE
AND EILEEN GOT BACK TO OUR HOUSE, THEY BROUGHT
THE TWO BUSHELS INTO THE HOUSE, PEALED THEM, CUT
THEM UP AND PUT THEM IN ZIP LOCK BAGS. JOHNNIE
PUT HER BUSHEL IN OUR FREEZER AND HELPED EILEEN
CARRY HERS ACROSS THE STREET AND PUT THEM IN HER
FREEZER.
THE NEXT DAY
WHEN THEY WERE TAKING THEIR MID-MORNING COFFEE
BREAK, JOHNNIE SAID SHE NEEDED TO PULL THE WEEDS
OUT OF HER FRONT YARD. SO WHEN THEY WERE THROUGH
WITH THIER COFFEE, THEY WENT OUT IN THE FRONT
YARD, SAT DOWN ON THEIR BUTTS AND STARTED
PULLING WEEDS.
THE NEXT
MORNING THEIR COFFEE BREAK WAS AT EILEEN’S
HOUSE. THEY SWAPPED BACK AND FORTH EVERY DAY.
WHEN THEY FINISHED THEIR COFFEE THEY WENT OUT
INTO EILEEN’S FRONT YARD. EILEEN SAID THERE’S
GOT TO BE AN EASIER WAY TO GET RED OF THE WEEDS
THAN SCOOTING AROUND ON OUR BUTTS.
SO SHE WENT TO
HER GARAGE AND CAME BACK WITH TWO SHOVELS AND A
BOX. EILEEN AND JOHNNIE DUG UP THE WEEDS AND
DUMPED THEM AND THE LITTLE CLODS OF DIRT IN THE
BOX. WHEN THEY WERE THROUGH JOHNNIE SCOOTED THE
BOX OVER TO THE CURB FOR THE TRASH TRUCK TO PICK
UP WHILE EILEEN PUT THE SHOVELS BACK IN THE
GARAGE.
EILEEN WENT IN
HER HOUSE AND BROUGHT OUT TWO COKES AND HANDED
JOHNNIE ONE. THEY WERE STANDING THERE ON THE
DRIVE WAY LOOKING OVER EILEEN’S FRONT YARD TO
SEE IF THEY HAD MISSED ANY WEEDS AND DRINKING
THEIR COKES. JUST THEN THE TRASH TRUCK TURNED
INTO OUR STREET.
AS THE TRUCK
DRIVES DOWN THE STREET TWO MEN, ONE ON EACH SIDE
OF THE STREET, RUN ALONG, PICK UP THE TRASH AND
THROW IT IN THE BACK OF THE TRUCK. AS THE TRUCK
GETS TO EILEEN’S HOUSE THE MAN ON HER SIDE OF
THE STREET STARTS TO PICK UP THE BOX OF WEEDS
AND DIRT.
HE DOESN’T GET
IT OFF THE GROUND. THE TRUCK STOPS AND WAITS ON
HIM. HE STARTS TO WALK ON DOWN THE STREET AND
EILEEN HOLLERS, “WAIT A MINUTE. AREN’T YOU GOING
TO TAKE MY TRASH?” THE TRUCK DRIVER STEPS OUT ON
THE RUNNING BOARD TO SEE WHAT THE HOLLERING IS
ALL ABOUT.
THE MAN RUNNING
ALONG BEHIND THE TRUCK SAYS, “LADY THAT BOX IS
TOO HEAVY. I CAN’T LIFT IT.”
THAT’S WHEN
THIS 28 YEAR OLD, 5 FOOT TALL, 100 POUND EILEEN
RAN OVER, GRABBED THE BOX AND THREW IT IN THE
BACK OF THE TRASH TRUCK. THE TRUCK DRIVER
STARTED LAUGHING. JOHNNIE STOOD THERE CLAPPING
HER HANDS. THE MAN DUCKED HIS HEAD AND RAN FOR
THE NEXT HOUSE.
AS THE TRASH
TRUCK STARTED ON DOWN THE STREET THE DRIVER
HONKED HIS HORN IN SALUTE TO EILEEN.
BY LOREN
MOORE
|
COPYRIGHT
2005 |