Stranger In Town

So who is this Stranger In Town?

In the quaint small town of Lorry, when a stranger walks down Main Street, everyone notices.

That's the way it was twenty or so years ago on a warm August afternoon as the folks of town were preparing for the weekend.

Mister Weeks was preparing the little league field for the evening game with rivals from Wallace. He was the first to spot the stranger who passed the ball field in a flashy new sedan. Mister Weeks knew nobody in town with a vehicle like that and wondered why the stranger might be visiting. The town of Lorry was basically boring. Once the baseball game was over it would be lights out and he would be off to Parker's Pool Hall for the evening.

At Dan's Barber Shop old Dan was on his last haircut for the day when he saw that same flashy sedan slowly pass the front of his shop. He too wondered who might be driving such a vehicle around their little town.

Sally Stevens, the closing waitress at Ma Brown's Diner, saw this same strange vehicle. Then it parked right out front of the diner. She watched curiously while she filled the salt and pepper shakers, wiped down the tables and kept an eye on her last, or so she thought, customers of the day as the diner closed early on Friday night. As the driver emerged from his vehicle she did not recognize him as anyone from town and wondered what brought him to Lorry.

She would find out soon enough as he headed straight for the diner's front door. He entered and sat at the far corner table.

"Good evening, sir. Can I get you something to drink before you order?"

"Coffee will be fine. What kind of pie do you have?"

"Apple, blueberry, coconut creme and peanut butter."

"Slice of blueberry, please."

"Yes sir."

Sally brought his coffee first and when she brought his pie she could not help but ask. "Hamen't seen you around town before. Here for something special?"

Rather than answer the stranger just shhk his head no and continued sipping his coffee.

"Anything else I can get for you?"

He again simply shook his head no.

She went back to check on her other customers before continuing to refill the salt and pepper shakers.

Across the street at the mercantile Cathy Garner is doing some last minute shopping for a birthday party the next day for her too soon to be teenager. She sees the strange sedan as well and she too wonders who in their small town could afford such a vehicle.

Johnny Watson and Noah Smith, already dressed for their ball game, were heading early to the field when they spotted the unusual vehicle.

"Wow! Haven't seen that car around town before."

"Pretty hot looking. Recon it's fast?"

"Nowhere around here to find out. Wonder why whoever owns it came here?"

"How would I know? Maybe it is someone here to root for Wallace."

The boys continued on to the ball field.

After finishing his pie and coffee the stranger exited the diner and began to just stroll Main Street looking at the various storefront windows.

Passing the local pharmace, the town pill distributor saw the stranger passing by. First thing coming to his head was that the man looked like a DEA agent. Was he here to get him for skimming pills off prescriptions and selling them on the side?

As the stranger crossed the street passing the Church Of God, Pastor James stood at the top of the front steps. Looking at this stranger approaching he thought he might be an undercover officer coming to get him for scamming extra cash off his flock.

But the stranger walked on by.

Mrs. Paxton was looking out the window of her real estate office waiting for closing time when she saw the stranger approaching. She saw in her mind an inspector coming to yank her real estate license for selling houses below code.

But the stranger walked on by.

As the stranger slowly walked towards the park by the courthouse, old man Hawkins was sitting on a bence and began to sweat. The stranger approaching looked like he could tell he was fooling around with one of the younger ladies in town.

The stranger waved but just walked on by as Mister Hawkins breathed a sigh of relief.

Other locals that the stranger passed as he walked all seemed to wonder the same thing. Why was this stranger in town.

Two high school girls came out of the Dairy Queen just as the stranger approached. They just stood with their milkshakes as he passed them smiling.

"Think that might be our new English teacher?"

"Could be but he doesn't look like a teacher to me. Teachers are not that dressed up usually."

"Maybe he is just trying to make a good first impression."

They both looked at each other and at the same time both said "nah!"

Still, other than Sally at the diner, nobody had said a word to the stranger as he walked.

The widow Grumly smiled as she and the stranger passed but she said nothing.

The Main Street Daycare Center still had some children out playing while waiting to be picked up for the weekend. The stranger paused to watch and waved as he smiled when a worker waved at him.

Then the stranger just walked on by.

Approaching the corner ABC store the stranger saw the town drunk sitting by the corner of the building holding his brown paper sack tightly.

Crossing the street the stranger began his walk down the other side heading for his vehicle. Out of nowhere it seemed two boys on their bicycles came speeding towards him. He quickly stepped onto the grass to allow them to pass. They appeared to be in a big hurry to get somewhere.

After passing the post office and several other business and office buildings he recrossed the street to his vehicle. It then struck him as odd that he had seen no other vehicle traffic since he began his stroll.

So who was this stranger those twenty odd years ago?

Me and I was scouting my chosen place for retirement.

Ending my walk around Main Street, I stopped where I had seen a sign for a small apartment to rent. I lived there while I remodeled the vacant store I had bought.

It was a pretty deep store so I was able to create my ideal retirement location. There was room for a small apartment in the back of the building. Was able to create my Four Corners out front consisting of a book nook, music nook, video nook and coffee nook. I was able to keep up with most everyone in town without leaving the building.

Twenty years later, after that first walk around Main Street to a somewhat cool reception, these days anybody walking Main Street would stop and chat over coffee.

Needless to say, I am no longer that stranger in town.