Table Talk

Not long ago, as I parked myself behind They had baled one day, and that night the wheel of our 1995 Chevrolet pickup, the full racks were all home and a couple it took me back to the days when our of them had been unloaded into the barn. three children all fit in the back seat. That meant empty racks were in the

And all at the same time, no less. yard and needing to be moved out of the way; so my husband asked one of our

Those days are long gone. Oh, the chil- sons to hook them onto the four- wheeler dren might still fit back there; but their and move them. They had done this legs would look like human spaghetti as before, so it was a simple task.they searched for a place to bunk for the duration of a ride. Until it wasn’t. And with all those feet involved, I’m guessing it wouldn’t smell as good as spaghetti. It was dark out by now and I was in the machine shed doing whatever it is moms do when it’s summer time, dark outside, and no one has eaten supper yet. Suddenly,

When I think of that pickup, I’m reminded of the one of our sons came running into the shed, said time we were all coming home from a very late nothing, but grabbed my hand and started running.night of animal preparation for the sheep show at our county fair the next morning. There became a smell in the truck so powerful. With the kids (and us) exhausted — yet still carrying on, I asked my We stopped and he let go of my hand when we got to this said red pickup, and pointed to the dent that was now in the door. husband, “What reeks in here?” He looked at me with fright on his face; I won-

He answered tiredly, “I think it’s us.” dered how much gas was in the truck.

Well … that was a disappointing answer. He told me what happened: somehow the hay rack had come unhooked and ran into the side of the

From time to time, as I see and drive that pickup, truck. its war wounds take me back to the time when our children were young and just beginning to be pretty good help around the farm. “I suppose we better tell Dad about this, huh?” I asked. He nodded, but with that same constipated look I had when Dad figured out it was me who put

TABLE TALK By Karen Schwaller

the hole from the cigarette lighter into the seat of his brand new Oliver 1750 — the only tractor he ever bought new.

It was just so inviting.

We hung around a bit, and when my husband made his way over to us, we showed him the dent. And to our surprise, he said simply, “Well, the first one hurts the worst.”

Then, in an unexpected move, he just walked away.

I looked at our son, and he stood there looking at me as if some miracle had just occurred. Because the truth was, it was as miraculous as no blue jeans to resuscitate on mending day.

He expected to be lectured about being responsible and paying attention to what he was doing — with a few expletives tossed in there for staying power. Instead, he was greeted with what appeared to be understanding.

It was like we didn’t even know this man who had stood in front of us.

Perhaps the heat and length of the day, with its hot and heavy activities, lent my husband to just not care at the moment — at least not until he had consumed a hop-based beverage.

Whatever the case, our son was given a stay of judgment, and he escaped punishment like a kid who had just stolen from a candy store.

That truck went on to become the source of another tale involving our two sons who drove (as farm kids do) at a very young age, but that’s a story for later.

A mother can take only so much trauma at a time.

Karen Schwaller brings “Table Talk” to The Land from her home near Milford, Iowa. She can be reached at kschwaller@evertek.net. v