Chapter Two | Time, a waste of

You see, I am new around here. I had no idea where Duck Creek was. Duck Creek is about 55 miles east of Cedar City up and down and up the canyon. Two miles past Duck Creek is a dirt road. Three miles down the dirt road, it turns into a pure snow road. Five miles up the pure snow road is where our new friend got his truck stuck.

I knew making conversation was going to be difficult, but I had a long ride ahead of me and got started.

"So what were you doing up there?""I don't know anybody in our apartment. You know more people than I do. I know Elle, but I don't really go over there to see her. I don't really know anyone in our apartments."

I was going to re-phrase the question, but from what I had experienced already I knew it would be to no avail, so I just took that to mean, "I had nothing to do, so I took my truck up the mountain."

"I only really know the guys in #4 and the girls in #3." I knew that was a dumb thing to say because that was still like 9 times the amount of people he knew.

"What about Stefanie?"

"Oh, well yeah I know her too."

"And Elle?"

"Yeah, I know her too I guess." That's what I get for trying to make him feel better about not knowing anyone. He continued to ask me what Elle was up to, and to tell me about how much he cared for her. Apparantly, he had waited too long to ask her out. By the time he did, she said that some guy had just asked her to be his girlfriend. I knew she didn't have a boyfriend, or want one, but I knew I better keep my mouth closed tight about that. I did think about how awkard that conversation must have been. He later told me of an experience he had that had to do with Elle, and I don't feel comfortable talking about it here, so if you want to know, ask me in person, and depending on who you are, I will tell you.

This was also my first dose of how he talked. He has a tendency to repeat the same phrase over and over again. It is quite entertaining to listen too actually. "It's my grandpa's truck. I have taken it everywhere. It's my grandpa's truck and he his dead now. I will never get rid of it because it is the only thing I have left from my grandpa, so I will never get rid of. It is like the only memory I have left of my grandpa. That's why I won't ever get rid of it. Even when the engine is shot and there is no way it will ever work again, I still won't get rid of it." And to those of you who think I am exaggerating, I am making a considerable effort not to exaggerate any of this story. It doesn't need it.

Eventually we made it to his truck. He was completely sideways on the road and his front end was buried. I have no idea what he was thinking. His truck isn't even four-wheel drive. There was no way we were getting it out with the Jeep. We would bury right in the snow. That is why I tried to get this information out of him earlier. Plus, I guess when he got stuck, some guy tried to help him and ended up getting his car stuck, and that guy came back earlier this day and got his car unstuck and took Ryan's tow strap and come along with him. So we turned around and drove back down the canyon.

On the way home I said I didn't think that we would be able to pull the truck out with the Jeep. He said he agreed. Agreed!! Couldn't you tell that it would have been impossible without dragging me up the mountain!?