Route 66-based story
written by OC,SH’s founder, inspired by his September 2009 Route 66 road trip
CHAPTER 51: WHO’S GOING TO FILL THEIR SHOES?
Back at the family business, the middle sibling hadn’t exactly planned to be there this day. However, with the news of another Route 66 death, she felt the business was where she should be. So, she went. She arrived to find the shopkeeper already there.
“You didn’t stay here all night,” the middle sibling half-serious, half-jokingly asked while she walked through the door to her brother’s office; she had already greeted a few visitors.
The shopkeeper stood up to meet her, saying, “No, no no. I slept in my own bed last night. Have you heard the news?”
“Yep,” the middle sibling said.
“I suspect yer brother called you,” the shopkeeper said. “He called me & said they weren’t going to go ahead with today’s plans of visiting some places north of Dwight Illinoise today. I told ‘m he’d be a fool not to.”
The middle sibling chuckled. “I hope he took your advice.”
“I hope so, too,” the shopkeeper replied.
The middle sibling smiled & then continued: “Anyway, to answer your question, yes, he did call me. After talking to him, I thought it’d be a good idea for me to be here at least for a while today.”
“Good, I’m glad,” the shopkeeper said. “It’s nice to see you here. My wife will be stopping by a bit later, I think.”
After a slight thoughtful pause, the shopkeeper, deep in thought, spoke, his usual dialect a bit subdued: “I just don’t know what is happening. Seems we’re losing them in droves. I just don’t know who’s gonna fill their shoes.”
The middle sibling kinda looked at him funny.
“Oh, my dear, I know their shoes will be filled,” the shopkeeper quickly backtracked. “Your parents & now, you & your 2 brothers are fine examples of that. It’s just….”
“Nobody can fill their shoes,” the middle sibling interjected, noticing the shopkeeper was losing words.
“I didn’t say that,” the shopkeeper protested.
“I know,” came the reply. “But, it’s true. Each person has their own unique feel, their own unique stamp on this road. I get it now.”
“Yeah, yeah,” agreed the shopkeeper, nodding, with a slight smile flashing briefly across his forlorn face. “Yeah, but the thing is, where are the new faces of the road going to come from?”
The middle sibling shrugged. “I don’t know. Where’d those that’ve gone before come from?”
“The road,” the shopkeeper replied matter-of-factly.
“& so will whoever comes next.”
The shopkeeper nodded & smiled again: “Yer right, of course. I’m just….”
The middle sibling reached out to give him a hug. They embraced & she said, “I know.”
“Well,” the shopkeeper said fighting back tears & backing away from the middle sibling, “my wife wouldn’t like me hugging you none.”
They both laughed.
“I just came in here to take a breather,” the shopkeeper continued, placing his hand on the doorknob to open the door.
“It’s OK,” the middle sibling said. “I certainly don’t mind.”
“& now,” the shopkeeper continued, “I’m going to go back out there ’n’ talk to people like there’s no tomorrow.”
“Good,” the middle sibling said. “I am right behind you.”