~Every Step Of The Way~

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crazypipe

Lifer
Sep 23, 2012
3,484
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~Every Step Of The Way~
My grandmother's cousin Ken graduated from high school in the Midwest

during the worst of the depression. Farm country was particularly hard

hit, and Ken had few prospects. A tall, gangly boy from a large,

cheerful family, Ken tried not to worry the future.
He worked that summer for his uncle, who owned a traveling carnival. Ken

manned the "Pony Ride," where ponies walked a circle inside a pen.

Because Ken was good with children, he received the job of lifting

little boys and girls onto the ponies.
When fall arrived, bringing chill air and the bleak promise of winter,

Ken faced the harsh reality of his time. The carnival only operated in

summer, so he could no longer help his struggling parents keep food on

the table. Jobs were non-existent; many a good man drifted from town to

town searching for work.
One day Ken's friend said, "The John Deere factory is hiring. Go right

now!" Ken was skeptical. They hadn't hired in years. This news should've

been everywhere.
"How many men?" "Only one," said his friend.
Ken hurried to the factory, hoping word hadn't spread far. He crowded

into a large room where a hundred men waited to apply for that single

job. His heart sank, but he decided to stay. He had nowhere else to go.
The foreman entered the room, mounted a small platform, and surveyed the

crowd. An expectant hush fell over the men. The foreman stayed silent

for a long moment, and then his gaze fell upon Ken, in the back.
"You there. With the yellow hair," he said. Ken looked around. Yes, the

man meant him. He saw no other blonds. Stunned, he nodded, his mouth

dry.
"Come up here." Ken pushed forward through the crowd of scowling men.

When he reached the front, the foreman said, "Come with me." He led Ken

into a sunny room and directed him to sit at a wooden desk.
"Name? Address? Previous employment?" Dazed, Ken answered his questions,

then signed the paper the foreman shoved across the desk. "Report to me

at 7:00 tomorrow morning. I'll show you where you work."
It took two paychecks before Ken believed his good fortune. Yet he let

some time pass before he worked up the courage to ask why he'd been

chosen. The foreman smiled, as if he'd been waiting for the question.

"You worked at a carnival last summer, at the Pony Ride."
"Yes." Ken remained baffled.
"I remembered you. My little girl wanted a ride, but then she got

scared. You held her in the saddle every step of the way, walking around

and around with her until she started to like it. By the end of the ride

she was laughing. I thought, I wish I could do something for that boy."
Ken worked for John Deere for 40 years. He always said he had comforted

many frightened children that summer, and didn't even remember the one

whose father changed his life.
by Teresa Coffman

 

dottle

Starting to Get Obsessed
Dec 1, 2012
230
3
Like Ive always said, what goes around,comes around, be it good or bad.

 
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