Me & Lester
Up in the Ozarks
Me and Lester - Jan 22, 2024
Photo by Will Gardiner on Unsplash
Me & Lester
Published by Don on August 21, 2018, 1-22-24
“Did you blow a fuse,” Kenny asked me.
“I don’t think so.” I leaned over and turned a table lamp on and off with no effect. “I thought we had until the fifteenth,” I said.
“What is today?” Kenny asked in his own way of being slightly obtuse. Kenny was a smallish black dog maybe two and a half feet tall. He was, by breed some kind of herding dog who liked to herd people's shins and calves every time they got up to go somewhere. Kenny was almost always a straight-to-the-point kind of guy so it was not like him to be obtuse by any stretch of the imagination.
“This is the seventeenth,” I answered, as I looked at the calendar. One of us felt a little embarrassed, and I could tell by Kenny’s smug look it wasn’t him. Rarely has anyone seen a smart dog like Kenny with a red face.
“What are we gonna do?” he asked.
“Well, the bill is over two hundred dollars, and I am sure since it's already turned off, they will want a deposit, too, to turn it back on. I had been in this situation before. On a deeper level, Kenny and I sure don’t have two hundred dollars between us for the bill OR the deposit. On an even deeper level still, the sun’s going down in a couple of hours, and we don’t have any candles or beer.”
Kenny just shook his head. None of that was too important to him. Not like going out to stretch his legs in the park.
“We need to ponder this, and try to decide what to do,” I muttered to Kenny. “It’s Friday, so we're screwed for the whole weekend, and the electric company doesn’t care at all,” I kept muttering. Kenny at least looked as though he was listening, but he has been known to pretend to be paying attention in the past. I, myself, am over six feet tal,l built with a body and stomach that always has room plenty of room for groceries and plenty of room for beer. I have worked in car sales for a long time, and part of the training for new car salespeople was concerning the consumption of cigarettes and alcohol.
We never seemed to make enough money to enjoy life, and now here we were with no electricity for the TV or money for some beer. I'm not gonna lie, the prospect was a little scary.to me.
And Kenny only wanted to go down to the creek at the state park like I had promised him.
“Where did Lester put the cord,” Kenny asked. Now Lester, our roommate was excitable. He was usually a pretty quiet guy, but he could get worked up over almost nothing. Kenny couldn’t wait ’til Lester learned about this latest predicament. Lester has flaming red hair and when he gets mad or flustered, And his face quickly matches his hair.
The last time this happened, we figured out we could just run the old yellow indoor-outdoor extension cord under our front door and out to one of the apartment complex common lights in the breezeway. That could run the TV, the stereo, and the refrigerator without blowing a circuit breaker Like the one that operates Lester’s face.”All we have to do is watch for the manager.”
Also, you have to worry about pulling out the cord and throwing the end inside the apartment if you had to go somewhere.
Lester got home and was so over-wrought about this new power problem, that he barely spoke to anyone. When the power was finally restored iast time, he just wadded up the cord into a heap and must have tossed it into a closet or storage locker.
“What’s the matter, Lester?” I asked, already knowing the answer.
Lester had just walked up while I was watching for the apartment manager and realized we were in our same situation all over again, and he started twitching. There was a storm brewing and we were all out in it.
“I’m just tired of you guys never paying attention to anything important,” Lester spewed. “She’s gonna kick us out of this apartment!”
“I know that you always say, “no matter how hard we work, the MAN runs our life. We have no control over our own lives at all.” Lester was given to drama. He almost wet himself. Kenny, on the other hand, was usually organized and fairly calm. He was the type who enjoyed grinning, or even the good laugh of letting one go under the dinner table when we had company. If we ever had company. If we ever had a dinner table.
“And tonight we're gonna miss my favorite TV show!” whined Lester.
“Lester, Kenny, I am going to bring us back a burger and a six-pack,” I said. “I think I have a couple of bucks.”
“Lester, you go find what you did with the power extension cord. Kenny go get some paper towels.”
I thought that sounded better than, “Boil some water and get some bandages,” like they always say in the movies.
“I’ll be back in ten minutes, and we have to do some thinking and deciding. It may not be the end of the world, but I am ready for this to be the end of this chapter. I don’t think I can stand to go on living like this.”
After I was gone for two minutes, Kenny said to Lester, “I think we're about to have a summit meeting.”
Two
Published by Don on September 1, 2018
“Small bugs sound different from daddy-long-legs.” Kenny was trying to explain to Lester, “Little spiders sound kinda squeaky, while big daddies sound like they have a reverb system.”
“They are not really like War of the Worlds, but they reverberate, all the same.”
Lester wondered, at this point, what made Kenny think he ever thought about any of this.
“I think about sun and rain and dinner and lots of stuff,” said Lester, but not really about spider voices.”
Actually, this is about as exciting as it ever gets when the power is off and the conversation turns to bugs. When the power is off, there is no air conditioner noise or anything to break up the craziness.
Lester was crazy to quit living on the doorstep of debtor prison. Kenny just wanted to go play in the creek, and I just wanted to be anywhere but in the middle of the argument between these two.
The apartment manager just wanted us to quit using her electricity and get out of her apartment. I just wanted to find a good-paying job or some forgotten, inherited money to stop the madness.
Kenny just wanted to play.
Night fell unfulfilled.
THREE
Me and lester2 1-22-14
My friend Lester and I had just finished a long day of hiking with my dog, Kenny. The sun was setting, and you were all tired and hungry. I hoped Kenny was happy with his running and acting crazy as we drove down the highway. Then I spotted a Texaco station sign up ahead, and I knew it was time to refuel and maybe grab a bite to eat.
As we pulled into the station, I noticed a rusty pickup truck with a camper, leaning badly to one side, parked in a corner of the lot. Me and Lester exchanged curious glances and I decided to check it out.
As I approached the vehicle, I noticed a man slumped over in the driver's seat, seemingly sleeping. I guess my instincts kicked in, and I rushed over to check on him.
Lester followed closely behind, holding onto Kenny's leash tightly. The dog's ears perked up, sensing something unusual.
"Hey, are you okay?" you asked, tapping on the truck's window. The man didn't respond, and you could see that his skin was pale and clammy.
I quickly realized that this was an emergency, and I needed to act fast. I called 911, and the dispatcher instructed me to perform CPR on the man until the paramedics arrived.
Me and Lester sprang into action quickly, pulling the man out of the truck and laying him on the ground. I began performing chest compressions, while Lester helped to stabilize the man's head.
Kenny barked nervously, sensing that something was wrong, but he stayed close by, watching over the scene.
Minutes felt like hours, as we continued performing CPR. Finally, you heard the sound of sirens in the distance, and you breathed a sigh of relief.
“Man, that was crazy!” I said as the paramedics arrived and took over, rushing the man to the hospital. Me and Lester exchanged a relieved look, grateful that you were in the right place at the right time to help.
As the commotion died down, I decided to grab some food and gas up. But as i walked into the station, i couldn't shake the feeling that something was off.
Lester noticed it too. "Hey, do you smell that?" he asked.
I sniffed the air and caught a whiff of something foul. "Yeah, it smells like something's burning."
You both quickly scanned the area, looking for the source of the smell. That's when you noticed a small flame coming from the back of the pickup truck.
"Oh no, the truck is on fire!" you exclaimed.
You rushed over to the truck and opened the camper's door, hoping to find a fire extinguisher or a blanket or anything that could be used to put out the fire. But instead, I was greeted by a thick cloud of smoke.
Lester called 911 again, while I used my jacket to cover my face and then dove into the camper. You spotted a small fire starting in the kitchenette and quickly doused it with a nearby bottle of water.
The fire was out, but I was left coughing and wheezing from the smoke. Kenny barked frantically, still sensing that something was wrong.
The fire department arrived, and you explained the situation to them. They thanked you for your quick thinking and for extinguishing the fire before it could spread.
As the firefighters worked to make sure the area was safe, you and Lester sat down to catch your breath. Kenny curled up at your feet, his tail wagging happily.
"That was quite an adventure," said Lester, still catching his breath.
i nodded. "Yeah, I can't believe we stumbled onto a medical emergency and a fire all in one night."
Kenny barked in agreement as if he understood the gravity of the situation.
As I finished filling up my gas tank, I couldn't help but feel a sense of pride and satisfaction. We had helped save a man's life and put out a dangerous fire,
4 the trade
write a 1500 word short story about me and Lester and my dog, Kenny, finding a pick up truck with a camper leaning badly sitting at the Texaco station.
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Me and my best friend Lester, had been planning a road trip for months. You packed up your trusty old pickup truck, loaded up the camping gear, and set off on an adventure with your loyal dog, Kenny, in tow.
The first few days were a blur of winding roads, beautiful scenery, and campfire meals. But as you approached a small Texaco station in the middle of nowhere, you noticed a strange sight.
A pickup truck with a camper was parked at a strange angle, leaning badly to one side. You and Lester exchanged a curious look, wondering if the owner was having mechanical issues.
As you pulled into the station, you noticed that the camper's door was open, and there was no sign of the owner. The truck was filled with camping gear, but everything seemed to be thrown haphazardly around.
You stepped out of your truck, and Kenny bounded over to investigate the area. He sniffed at the tires of the camper and barked excitedly.
"Hey, do you think someone stole this thing?" Lester asked, looking around for any sign of foul play.
You nodded, feeling a sense of unease. "Maybe we should call the police, just in case."
As you fished your phone out of your pocket, you noticed a piece of paper stuck to the windshield of the pickup truck. It was a note, scribbled hastily in pencil.
You needed to stop and read it because you know the police are surely on their way to collect the back rent and the power bill. These peeps sure knew how to ruin a vacation.
"Sorry for the mess, the note read. I Had to leave in a hurry. Keys are in the glove box. Please take good care of my baby."
You read the note aloud to Lester, feeling a bit more relieved. Maybe the owner had just run into some unexpected trouble and had to leave in a hurry.
But as I climbed into the driver's seat of the pickup truck, and looked in the glove box, I noticed that the keys were missing. Lester exchanged a worried glance in my durection, and so did Kenny, wondering if this was some kind of trick.
As you contemplated your next move, you heard a rustling sound coming from inside the camper. You cautiously approached, wondering if the owner had returned.
But as you reached the camper's back entrance, there was a pair of eyes staring back at us. A small, scruffy dog was huddled in the front corner, looking frightened by our presence.
Kenny wagged his tail, sensing that he had found a new friend. Me and Lester exchanged a halfway amused smile, happy to have some company on your road trip.
As you settled into the camper, you noticed that everything was in disarray. The owner had clearly left in a hurry, leaving behind half-eaten snacks, empty paper sacks, and clothes strewn about.
You and Lester set about tidying up, feeling a sense of obligation to see if there was an ID in any of the owner's belongings. The scruffy dog followed you around, his tail wagging happily.
As we rummaged through the camper's cabinets, you found a notebook tucked away in a corner. It was filled with scribbles and doodles, as if the owner had been using it as a journal and then the police slowly pulled up beside us and the camper.
You quickly flipped through the pages, feeling a bit guilty for invading someone's privacy. But as the police cruiser pulled up, and you read on, you realized that the owner had been going through a tough time.
He had lost his job, his wife had left him, and he had been struggling to make ends meet. Like us, he had decided to embark on a road trip as a way to clear his head and figure out his next steps.
You felt a pang of empathy, realizing that this was someone who had been dealt a tough hand. You and Kenny exchanged a serious look, deciding that you would try to track down the owner and return his keys. but then the police car flipped on the blue lights for a minute.
The three of you exchanged a look or two. All your plans for a road trip were going to be right down the drain.
As we waited in the back of the patrol car, I made a few phone calls and sent out some messages, trying to locate the owner of the pickup truck. It wasn't easy, as he seemed to be a complete loner. So now we were on the way to some holding cell and courtroom to try to reclaim the fees we owed.
As I was finishing with the little book, next to the last page was a note to me that read “To the tall goofy guy who found this book: there is an envelope for you under the driver’s seat.
The cop let me check under the seat where I found and retrieved an envelope full of twenty and fifty dollar bills. There was enough there to pay our back rent and electric bill with enough left over to finish our vacation to the creel at the state park up in the Ozarks
Kenny was deliriously happy.
You and Lester had been on the road for a few weeks now, traveling in your new pickup truck with your loyal dog Kenny. The three of you had been having a blast, exploring new sights and camping in the wilderness.
But as you were driving down a winding road in the middle of nowhere, you remembered the small dog in the back of the pick-up.. It was a scruffy little thing, with matted fur and a forlorn expression.
You and Lester wondered where the dog’s owner had come from. there were no houses or other vehicles nearby when they found the truck, and the dog seemed to be all alone.
You pulled over to the side of the road, and Kenny bounded out of the truck to investigate. The two dogs sniffed at each other for a moment, sizing each other up.
Before you knew it, the scruffy little dog had hopped into the back of your truck, as if he had decided to join your road trip. You and Lester exchanged an amused look, wondering if you had just adopted a new travel companion.
The new dog seemed content to curl up in the back of the truck, next to Kenny. The two of them seemed to get along well, and you couldn't help but feel a sense of warmth at the thought of two dogs bonding on the open road.
As you drove on, you noticed that the new dog was in pretty rough shape. His fur was matted and dirty, and he looked like he hadn't eaten in a while. You and Lester decided to make a quick stop at the next town to see if you could find some supplies for the little guy.
You pulled into a small convenience store, and Kenny bounded out of the truck to explore. You and Lester picked up some dog food and a brush, hoping to clean up the new dog's fur.
As you were checking out at the register, the store clerk asked if you were planning to adopt the little dog. You shrugged, feeling unsure of what to do.
"We didn't really plan on it, but he seems to have taken a liking to us," you said.
The store clerk nodded, a smile on her face. "Well, I have a friend who runs a local animal shelter. If you're interested, I could give you her contact info."
You and Lester exchanged a curious glance, wondering if you should consider taking in the little dog permanently. You didn't want to make a hasty decision, but you also couldn't deny that you had grown attached to the scruffy little guy.
As you continued your road trip, the little dog seemed to settle in more and more. He seemed to have a natural knack for adventure, and he was always eager to explore new sights and smells.
One day, as you were camping in a remote wilderness area, the little dog took off on his own. You and Lester searched for him for hours, growing more and more worried as the sun began to set.
But just as you were about to give up, you saw the little dog bounding towards you, his tail wagging happily. He had found a stream and seemed to have spent the day splashing around in the cool water.
You and Lester exchanged a relieved smile, happy to see that the little guy had a sense of adventure and was able to take care of himself.
As you continued your road trip, the little dog became a more and more integral part of your travel experience. He seemed to have a knack for finding the best camping spots and the most scenic views.
And as you approached the end of your road trip, you and Lester couldn't help but feel a sense of sadness at the thought of saying goodbye to your new travel companion. You had grown to love the little guy, and you knew that you would miss him when you returned home, if he had to go home to his original place.
As
7 flip a coin & head west