Greetings, fellow travelers, and welcome to the seventh posting of volume four of the Blog. You know, the last seven weeks is starting to appeal to you people. My page view counter is telling me some people actually read last week's posting. That also tells me that people are beginning to interest themselves in the adventure Oddley is having right now. I promise I will continue the tale. Before I do that, I must write some non-fiction.
First, let me touch upon a news story that greeted the week but quickly became buried: the suicide death of Mindy McCready. To take your life at the age of 37 is horrible to me. I mean, those who take their own lives don't think of the mess they leave behind. To leave a life unfinished happens to many of us. However, to purposely leave it unfinished is wrong. You have the ability to make your life a good one. Don't end it just because you have a bad day.
I think the real tragedy here is that McCready will not be remembered for her talent or her songs but for the way she lived her life. Her legal troubles and personal problems will define her legacy for years to come. While many a country star has left the same kind of things when they pass, they were stars and their music, in the end, means more than how they lived. She was never much a star, so her music never meant more than her problems. How people remember you is tops on that list of death, don't ruin it by ending it all.
Next, I wish to touch on the Illinois State Senate' Valentine's Day vote (a lot of capital letters there) on same sex marriage. Now, in a previous posting, I mentioned that the number of states that have such a thing was six. Now, it's nine after three states put the question to the voters and they said yes to same sex marriage. Even in Minnesota, while it wasn't legalized there, a ban was voted down for the first time. The historic vote put the state on the fast track to marriage equality.
Now, onward to the fiction. This is Part 3 of "Two Weeks in Peoria". In Part 1, we saw Oddley end up in a strange woman's car after his sister downed a little too much of a special potion. This strange woman turned out to be a housewife, wanting to find herself on the open road. In Part 2, Oddley and the woman, named Wanda Lee, find themselves trying to sort out their new partnership. Eventually, they figure things out in time to reach Peoria. However, as we left last week, Oddley had taken a refueling stop to tour the town. As we ended last week, Oddley had been crossing the street before a car hit him...
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Everything was black in my mind for a moment. I can't remember how long I was out but I was. Finally, I came to. As I opened my eyes, I looked up from my landing spot in the street to see the face of Wanda Lee, staring down at me.
"Wanda Lee, you came." I said in a daze.
"I saw you cross the street and got hit. I wanted to see if you were still alive." she said to me.
"As you can see, I'm still a member of the living world. I will tell you who's gonna be leaving, though. That driver." I said as I tried to resume my standing position.
"Oddley, please don't." she said.
"I must. That driver knocked me down and he had plenty to stop. He just ran into him without reason." I said, stumbling my way upright.
"Oddley... " she then pleaded.
"Where is that driver? I must kill him." I said as I finally succeeded in standing and began to look around.
"Oddley!" said a familiar voice behind, that Chicago lisp of a voice I know so well.
"Ogden!" I said, turning out to face him.
There he was. The totality of him. His Elvis hair, his eyes, his outfit, his... everything. I was beside myself as my accidental journey took me to Ogden.
"Oddley, I thought I would never see you again." he said to me.
"And it took a car accident to do it." I said, feeling the pain in my side where I was hit.
"I'm sorry. I just saw you walk across the street and forgot that I had to brake." he said as he walked up to me.
"It's okay. Just having you here is lessening the rage I feel for you." I said.
"Thank you for not wanting to kill me now." he said.
"Now is correct." I said.
"Say, who's the dame?" he then asked.
"This here is Wanda Lee Melvin. She's a housewife on a search for herself." I said.
"I can see that." said Ogden without fail.
"Ogden, I think your car is blocking traffic." said Wanda Lee, as my ears picked up the sounds of a dozen angry horns.
"I'll move it." said Ogden as he went back to behind the wheel.
"I can't believe that my best friend almost killed me." I said to Wanda Lee as the two of us begin moving back toward our car.
"Are you alright?" she asked.
"I am. This is a pain in my side." I said, starting to limp.
"We must see a doctor at once." she said.
"I'm fine, Wanda Lee. I can manage." I said as we finally made it off the street.
I then watched as Ogden drove his car from the street to the gas station. He took a spot across from us as he stopped and got out again.
"I moved it." he said as he walked up to us.
"I can see that. Now, what do I do?" I said to him.
"I don't know. You tell me." he said.
"You can start by telling me what happened to you after the day with the farmer." I said.
Ogden then proceeded to tell me. He told me that after he drove away from the market, he first thought about driving home. Then he remembered that he took the girl in question there. He then changed his direction and drove out of town. He drove away and away until, like us, he ended up in Peoria and almost out of gas.
"So, what's happened since then?" I asked.
"That's what I'm gonna show ya." he then said.
"What do you mean?" I asked him.
"Just come with me. You have time, don't you?" he said.
"I think we do." I said as I looked over at Wanda Lee, who was indicating that she was going along with it.
"Perfect. Just drive behind me." he said as he walked back to his car.
"I wonder what Ogden wants to show us." asked Wanda Lee as we headed back to our car.
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As some would say, that's a good question. For you, the answer will come next week, when I'll bring you Part 4 of our story. How long is this story? Another good question. Answer: I don't know. The story comes to me as I write it down. Oddley himself tells me just enough for each week and makes me wait for the next piece. He's getting good at leaving an audience hanging. I'll have to ask him where he got such a gift. Maybe I shouldn't, better to have the mystery than none at all.
I now must end this week's posting. I think this is one of the shortest entries since I started regular blogging at the beginning of the year. Anyway, I must now tell of how you can tell me how I'm doing. Please leave a comment below. Doesn't matter what you have to say, just say it. Each comment you make at the bottom of each posting lets me how I'm doing. In conclusion, death and taxes are life's two certainies. In fact, you might say that a person is taxed until death, and even then, you're still taxed. Think about it.
Join us next week, won't you?
Yours truly, John Maxwell.
Your Fellow Traveler.
"Ogden, I think your car is blocking traffic." said Wanda Lee, as my ears picked up the sounds of a dozen angry horns.
"I'll move it." said Ogden as he went back to behind the wheel.
"I can't believe that my best friend almost killed me." I said to Wanda Lee as the two of us begin moving back toward our car.
"Are you alright?" she asked.
"I am. This is a pain in my side." I said, starting to limp.
"We must see a doctor at once." she said.
"I'm fine, Wanda Lee. I can manage." I said as we finally made it off the street.
I then watched as Ogden drove his car from the street to the gas station. He took a spot across from us as he stopped and got out again.
"I moved it." he said as he walked up to us.
"I can see that. Now, what do I do?" I said to him.
"I don't know. You tell me." he said.
"You can start by telling me what happened to you after the day with the farmer." I said.
Ogden then proceeded to tell me. He told me that after he drove away from the market, he first thought about driving home. Then he remembered that he took the girl in question there. He then changed his direction and drove out of town. He drove away and away until, like us, he ended up in Peoria and almost out of gas.
"So, what's happened since then?" I asked.
"That's what I'm gonna show ya." he then said.
"What do you mean?" I asked him.
"Just come with me. You have time, don't you?" he said.
"I think we do." I said as I looked over at Wanda Lee, who was indicating that she was going along with it.
"Perfect. Just drive behind me." he said as he walked back to his car.
"I wonder what Ogden wants to show us." asked Wanda Lee as we headed back to our car.
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As some would say, that's a good question. For you, the answer will come next week, when I'll bring you Part 4 of our story. How long is this story? Another good question. Answer: I don't know. The story comes to me as I write it down. Oddley himself tells me just enough for each week and makes me wait for the next piece. He's getting good at leaving an audience hanging. I'll have to ask him where he got such a gift. Maybe I shouldn't, better to have the mystery than none at all.
I now must end this week's posting. I think this is one of the shortest entries since I started regular blogging at the beginning of the year. Anyway, I must now tell of how you can tell me how I'm doing. Please leave a comment below. Doesn't matter what you have to say, just say it. Each comment you make at the bottom of each posting lets me how I'm doing. In conclusion, death and taxes are life's two certainies. In fact, you might say that a person is taxed until death, and even then, you're still taxed. Think about it.
Join us next week, won't you?
Yours truly, John Maxwell.
Your Fellow Traveler.
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