Happy Farming!

The Upper Basin Chronicles

Chapter 18

Happy Farming!

Alexander sat in his pickup in front of the Eastern Iowa Airport south of Cedar Rapids. He was listening to Tim Boyle and Mark Allen on WMT-AM. The morning promised a hot, humid July day in June. Already a white sky floated a red ball sun over the Linn County hills. The noise from the truck traffic on I-380 blended with meadowlark calls and the chatter of house sparrows, both Iowa airport regulars. From the looks of the security guard eyeing him from the entryway, he wouldn't be able to sit here much longer.

Alexander searched in vain for a glimpse of Laura through airport glass reflections. She said she would return to say good-bye after she checked her bag. She'd declined when he'd offered to see her to the security checkpoint.

More than a week earlier, just after the third grade graduation ceremony, Alexander stood looking at pictures on the classroom wall. Rose, the beaming graduate, had gone home with Owen, Teresa and Michael. The pictures were the ones the kids had done on their field trip to the Murphy wetland. They were quite good, he thought. Many of them captured an innocence about the place he hadn't seen there before.

Laura finished talking with Mrs. Adams, the last parent to demand her attention, and walked over. She put a hand on his forearm. “Help me take these down?” she had asked. Other than the drawings, a cluster of three boxes near her desk was all that remained to be put away.

“I can do that,” he replied.

"Nice work with the kids today," he offered. "Families, too. Everyone really enjoyed hearing the kids read their paragraphs. You have them writing well on what they learned this year."

"This trip was one of the highlights," Laura said, gesturing at the wall of drawings. "Thanks again for letting us come to see your slough."

"You're welcome, Laura. Thanks for doing it. The kids had a great time. How come you didn't send these home with them?" he asked.

"Oh, I got behind. I want to scan them into a slide show for the school web site; the kids agreed that was OK. I'll hand them back in the fall," she explained.

"That's good news. Your contract was renewed, then?" he asked.

"Yes! I'm sorry, didn't I tell you?" she responded. They continued pulling the three dozen drawings from the tiled wall, removing the masking tape, and stacking them together on a nearby table.

"No, you didn't. You haven't said what your plans are for the summer, either," he complained.

"Oh!" she exclaimed, "he's finally going to ask me what I'm doing over the summer."

"Now, what a minute, don't be sarcastic, please! I've been a little distracted with the crops, and the accident. I lost track of the time, that's all. I do care what you're doing. I didn't mean to take it for granted that you would just be here." Alexander's speech covered more ground than he intended.

Laura said nothing. She carried the stack of drawings to her desk. She picked up a lone manilla folder there, labeled it "Wetland Drawings, 2002," put the artwork inside. Then she filed the folder in her open briefcase. She hoisted one of the three boxes and headed for a nearby closet. Alexander grabbed the other two boxes, one atop the other, and followed. Empty shelf space waited inside the closet.

"That's it," she said firmly. She closed the closet door. Laura moved to the desk, and shouldered her briefcase and backpack. She turned around near the light switches at the classroom door. She looked back past him, seeming to examine nine months of work with a single glance -- time compressed from the moments of silent concentration to the hubbub of celebration.

As they walked side-by-side through the empty, dim hallway toward the bright doors, Laura said, "I'm going to New York. To Columbia University to learn about Green Mapping. It's a way of cataloging urban environments for sustainability. People worldwide are using it to learn about where they live. I'd like to see if it will work in farm country. While I'm there, I'm going to do some genealogy, look up some Paruzzi family history, perhaps find some relatives. I'll be back in early August."

"Oh...," said Alexander, "I hoped we could take the kids over to the big river like we talked about."

"We can do that. I'm counting on it, in fact," she smiled at him.

"That will be fun. I know the kids will love it. Uh, sorry I didn't ask you sooner about your plans. Let me take you to the airport, at least. Beats walking," he smiled back.

"Don't worry about it," Laura responded. "And thanks, I would like a ride to the airport."

That was a week ago. Now there was a burly security guard bearing down on him, hand on his holster, about to order him to move it. Before the guard could speak, Laura appeared at the pickup window.

"So long, Alexander!" she said. "Thanks for being the best third grade dad ever. I'll be in touch, send you a postcard. Happy farming!" With that, she gripped the truck door, stepped up onto the running board, and kissed him full on the lips. Alexander was so shocked he couldn't respond. He'd been expecting a handshake, or a friendly hand on the shoulder. Laura stepped down.

She grinned at him. "I don't treat all the dads like that, so don't get confused. See you soon." As he struggled for words, the burly guard stepped into view and jerked a thumb toward the exit.

Alexander started his pickup. He looked soon enough to see a smiling Laura vanish into the terminal. He shifted to first, and let out the clutch.

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Next week... "Iowa Boy in July'02," Chapter 19.

The Upper Basin Chronicles, Chapter 18 was written and edited by John Gabbert.

Resources:
Green Map System

Comments? Email feedback to The Upper Basin Chronicles, Chapter 18

The characters presented here are purely fictional, and neither bear resemblance to persons living or dead, nor represent the views or opinions of Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota.