A Teardrop in the Dust

• Drama
• Fable
• Fiction
• History
• Short story
• Children

								
Hearing the voice of the man, I listened as he remarked, “There was a cave-in, in the hole he was working in.” I was finishing my late schoolwork that morning, not knowing if Papa was gone yet, so I crept down the creaky stairs. Papa had just left. Papa’s brand new 1948 Bel Air he named “Bell,” took me to school that morning. When I arrived, my self-proclaimed duty at the schoolhouse was to collect the newspapers on the front steps of the schoolhouse every morning. I was carrying the papers to the newspaper box when an advertisement caught my eye, “John’s Fuel and Repair,” I read aloud, as I took a newspaper from the roll. After we were dismissed for the day, I departed the schoolhouse and headed straight toward the shop and began to discuss the advertisement with John. “You’re hired Katso,” John said. I immediately ran outside to find my first customer, a man pulling into the parking lot shouted, “Pumping gas can take it out of you son, don’t you agree?” I worked around John’s shop for around four hours. There were no other workers that day, so we were busier than ever. The sun was starting to go down; I checked the pocket watch my father had loaned me. I happily walked inside and peeked through the crack in John’s door, “Come in, Katso. Here’s $3.00 in your name,” he stated while shaking my hand. I had never been this overtaken by adrenaline before. I had to tell somebody about my first paycheck! Bell and I visited the Grant County General Store, where my friend Wayne worked. The doorbell echoed through the general store as I entered. Wayne immediately asked, “Is there anything I can help you with, Sam?” “I came to tell you about my new job! Today is Papa’s birthday, and I’m going to surprise him this evening.” Wayne was just as excited as I was! “Can I help you find something for your father here?” “No, I’m on a budget and I already have something in mind.” We concluded the conversation, and I decided now would be the best time to get Papa’s surprise. Papa always loved baked goods, so I thought of some bakeries I knew were close to Masonville, Newman’s Pies and Pendleton’s Pastries. I knew Newman’s Pies was the closest sweet shop, and we're running out of daylight. Bell is quite fast, so I got to Newman’s Pies in fifteen minutes flat, but “We’re Closed, Come Back Soon,” read a sign on the door when I arrived. Pendleton’s Pastries is only two miles away from Newman’s Pies. I entered Pendleton’s with confidence. The beautiful aroma of pies, macaroons, and cakes lingered in the air. Papa’s favorite dessert has always been peanut butter pie; when I looked down at the price tag, it was perfect, $2.25! I placed the piece of pie from the bakery in the cooler at home. I checked my pocket watch eagerly for Papa to come home. I began to get anxious, until I heard knocking at the door, “Mr. Katso, may I come in?” a man asked in a sorrowful voice. The man spoke to me seriously, “A cave-in, in the hole he was working in.” When the first word came out of his mouth, I knew what had happened… Papa had passed. When I turned eighteen, I began to work for John full-time. Working had taken my mind off of Papa. After working full-time for around a year, I was face-to-face with another challenge, the Korean War. When the draft had taken effect, I was drafted into the United States Army not much later than when the war began. Arriving in Korea, led me to think more of Papa. I was stationed in Korea for two years, the hardest of my life. That’s where I met Robert. We immediately became close friends. We were inseparable fighting in Korea, we even operated the same tank. Being with Robert helped me cope with Papa’s death and helped dull the pain I had been feeling. The war fell short, and it finally started to cease. Flying home to Masonville felt as if it was the longest flight in the world because Robert and I weren’t riding the same flight! Robert and I stayed in touch after the war. Our bond of friendship seemed untouchable. A call woke me one night, “He has passed,” said a voice unfamiliar to me, “Robert has passed.” “Going to Oregon would cost too much,” I said to myself. I thought about Robert that week more than ever, emotions attacked me once again. Years after losing the only two people I was close to, have haunted me. I will always remember shedding a teardrop in the dust.
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