Overheard at Chipperfields' ... Part XXXV ...

It was late in the evening when J-- strolled in the front door of the shop. The door hadn't even closed when he called to Kriss and Anna ...

"My regular please," he said, "and a slice of carrot cake."

"You're kind of late for your morning constitutional aren't you?" asked Kriss looking up at the clock and noting it was just after 9pm.

"Yeah, I guess so," said J-- with a sly smile.

"So, where have you been all day?" asked Anna, "no one has seen you?"

"I've been off on a grand adventure," answered J--, his smile broadening.

"With a woman?" asked Kriss.

"A couple," answered J-- as he sat at the table with his coffee and tucked into his carrot cake that Anna had just put before him.

"So, are you going to tell us aout your day?" asked Anna, "or do you not kiss and tell?" Her laughter was light and cheery.

"Well," J-- took an enormous forkful of carrot cake and ate it quickly. It occured to Anna that he looked hungry, but couldn't imagine J-- missing any meals.

J-- began his story: "I decided to go up to Clear Lake for lunch with a lady friend. She had invited me and was supposed to give me a ride home. About an hour before she was to pick me up she called me and said that something had come up and she would still like to meet me for lunch, but she couldn't drive me because she was having dinner with a cousin from Alberta who was at the Resort."

J-- paused and took another couple of forkfuls of cake, which he devoured quickly, "So I kind of dug in my heels ..."

"I can't imagine that," interupted Anna, "that would be ssssssoooooo unlike you ..." her voice was dripping in sarcasm.

J-- smiled as he continued eating the cake before continuing the story, "So, I said to her, 'just pick me up and I'll make arrangements to get home ...' And she picked me up and we went and had a lovely lunch up at the Resort. Her friend showed up for dessert, and we had a lovely chat. Then at about 2 they wanted to head off to the golf course and have a round before dinner. They dropped me off in Erickson in front of the used book store."

J-- paused and cleaned up the last of his cake. He set down his fork and lifted the plate with both hands, he looked plaintively at the plate then up at Kriss who was still behind the counter, "Please miss, could I have some more ??" J--'s face had softened into a pathetic pout.

"Sure," said Kriss with a smile as she lifted the glass cover on the cake plate, "one or two ?"

"Better make it two," said J--, "I'm hungry ..."

He waited until Kriss set the next two pieces of carrot cake down in front of him before he continued, "So, I'm standing on the side of the highway and I put out my thumb to hitch hike my way home ..."

"You hitch hiked?" laughed Anna, "how did it go?"

"Well, I did it before in my life lots," answered J--, "when I was in training before I went overseas I used to hitch hike my way home to see my wife every chance I could get. It was great. When you stood on the side of the road in a uniform cars would line up to pick you up. And since then I've done it innumerable times. I've met some of the greatest people that way ... I'll have to tell you about some of them another time." As he was talking J-- was continuing to put forkful after forkful of cake into his mouth.

"So, anyway," J-- said with a smile, "I was standing on the side of the highway with my thumb out. I don't mind people passing me, but I get a little ticked off when it's people I know and when they see it's me, they hit the gas and speed up ..."

"That didn't happen," said Kriss.

"Maybe it did," said J-- with a sly smile, "maybe it didn't ... I'll never tell."

The three of them laughed, and J-- continued to relate his tale; "So a dozen or so cars blow past me, and then a young mom from Minnedosa sees me and pulls over. She puts down the window and say - 'what the heck are you doing out here hitch hiking?' I tell her I'm just trying to get home, so she tells me she's heading to Minnedosa and that I should get in. Never one to turn down a lovely woman, I hope in and we head down the highway."

"Um," Anna interupted as she looked at her watch, "you said that was two in the afternoon," her eyes narrowed in a conspiratorial fashion, "what did you do for the last seven hours?"

"I don't know if I should tell you," J-- said with a chuckle, "I don't know if your young ears could handle it!"

Anna blushed slightly and smiled.

"So, I get in the car for the ride home and we're chit chatting and at Mountain Road she decides to come home through Clanwilliam, so we turn left at the top of the hill and head down to the top end of the beach road," J-- finished off the second piece of cake as he paused, "we turn south on the gravel and we're talking and all of a sudden - the car stalls and stops ... She gets it over to the side of the road and tries to start it. Nothing. 'Oh,' she says, 'I must be out of gas. I thought $25 dollars worth would get to and from Dauphin today ...' "

"Not at a dollar a litre," said Anna.

"Exactly," agreed J--, "Turns out both her cel phone and mine were dead, or out of range, or something. And so I, being a valiant gentleman, offer to walk to the closest farm and see if I can get some gas. I set out and the first four farms I get to have no one at home. I tried to see if I could find a gas can and some gas in the yard, but everything was locked up tighter then a drum. So I keep walking, finally after over an hour I find someone at home. They say - 'sure, no problem and drive me to Erickson to get some gas.' We passed the car on the way and told Mary what what up, and she was fine with it."

"You left her sitting on the side of the road?" Said Kriss shocked.

"She was fine," said J-- laughing, "so we get the gas and come back and fill the car up and head back up the road to Erickson to get a full tank. And that was fine. We had a cup of coffee and a glass or two of water at the coffee counter before heading back. This time at the hill, Mary says she'll stick to the highway. I agree. But then just at the bottom of the big hill the car starts shuddeing and making a funny noise. Turns out the front tire blew."

Jim paused and took a long sip of his coffee, "Then as though that wasn't bad enough, the spare is flat too. So, we have to wait until someone will stop and help us out. It took about 20 minutes before someone would stop. Do you know how many cars there are in 20 minutes on the highway??"

The two women shook their heads.

"Alot," J-- answered, "eventually one of them stopped and we got a ride into town to the Tirecraft th both tires, and the crew there fixed the tires and gave us a ride back to the car. But by this time it was almost 6:30. Then we had to get the tires on the car and get to Minnedosa. But as we hit the junction with the duck, Mary remembered that she was supposed to pick up her daughter at her mother's in Neepawa. So, we just went over there and got the little tyke before coming back here fifteen minutes ago ..."

"Sounds like quite a day," laughed Anna.

"Gonna go hitch kiking again soon?" asked Kriss with a smile.

"Nay," said J--, "I think I'll stick to my truck and my Harley. It's less complicated and it takes less time ..."

"You want a refill?" asked Kriss as she went behind the counter.

"Absolutely," answered J-- a broad smile crossing his face, "and another slice of cake. I'm not sure why, but I'm hungry."

"Can't imagine why?" commented Anna.