A Yule Time Drive
It
was a few days before Christmas many years ago when I was driving back from
town on a long desolate road. Through the snow I saw a person bundled up
from the cold who walking down the road. I went past this person, did not
really think muchabout it but something told me to go back. I turned around
and found them again. I rolled down the window to talk to the individual
quickly to make sure that it would be safe. I could immediatly tell from
his voice that the man was a bit mentally retarded, and harmless.
I
talked with him as I took him the few miles until our paths parted. I soon
found out that he was walking back from work (some fifteen miles away) because
he could not drive, and did not have a vehicle anyway. He told me that he
was saving money to buy his girlfriend a ring. It really touched me, something
about the purity of this man. He told me about where he lived, not much
of a place, and about the nice lady that takes care of him.
Everything
Danny talked about showed his love for the world around him, even though
he had fallen through the cracks of society to be ignored and forgotten.
I ended up taking him all the way to his home, and leaving him with all
the money I had on me (only twenty some dollars). I do not know where he
is now, probably never will. But I would like to think that I gained a little
bit of Danny Houseman's pure love of life that night.
