The Hermit of Highway 10

A man desides to ride his bike to free his mind.

He was tall, not real tall, just average height perhaps. He wore an old faded white shirt and ragged blue jeans.
The glasses that he was wearing showed signs of wear and tear and too many miles on the road.
He was only fifty nine years old, but his years on the road made him look much older. His eyes and the wrinkles on his face were the culprits for his appearance.
He may be old looking, but his mind was sharp as a razor and his humor would make any Hollywood comedian jealous.
The unwashed hair on his head showed signs of balding, but he didn't care. He liked the way he looked. He would tell those that happened to meet him, “It keeps strangers from asking questions.”
They would ask him why he looked the way he did and why didn't he have a place to live. And many would ask him why doesn't he go out and get a job.
It never bothered 'Old Man Williams' that people would ask him these questions. Because he knew who he was and what he was put on this Earth for. To live the way he liked and to be who he was on the inside.
No one knew his last name. Every one called him Old Man Williams because that is the name that someone gave him years ago.
His first name really was Joseph. But to those who lived like he did, he was known as 'Joey'. That is the name that he liked the best. “It makes me sound like a good guy, one of the 'good ole boys.” He would say.
Joey never has been arrested for anything. Most times he is only asked to leave from where ever he was sitting because as someone once said, 'it makes the place look bad'.
Joey would smile, and apologize and be on his way. He would walk away from the area and sit somewhere where he would be welcomed. Mostly a deserted log somewhere in the woods by the side of a road. He would sit there, and rest and feed the birds that might land by his feet.
Animals loved Joey. They could sense when someone has a heart and cares for others.
Joey rarely traveled near the southeast, because he remembers what it was like when he was growing up as a kid in Alabama.
He remembers the hate that many people had for people like Joey.
You see, Joey is a black man. One of the kindest and compassionate people you would ever meet.
At one time, Joey had a good job. After he left the military when he was wounded in Korea, he got a job with a car dealership detailing new cars. He liked that job and the ones he worked for loved him. They loved how he took care of the new cars as if they were his own.
He didn't have a car of his own, the only thing anyone ever seen him with was a nice bicycle or riding the city bus to work.
Joey was never wealthy or even had a lot of belongings. He lived in what they called a 'flop house'. An old motel that rented to people who were always down on their luck. He kept his room spotlessly clean. Never had any trash that was left in the open. His floors were always swept and clean. And the little dresser that he had for the few clothes he had was always polished. He would use a bar of soap and an old rag to wipe down the wood on his dresser and the one table that he had in his room.
And Joey was always clean himself. Always had a clean shaven face when he came to work. And always smelled like he just took a shower.
Some of the time, he would walk behind the supermarket and look in the trash bins for discarded leaking bottles of dish soap or broken bars of soap that the store can't sell. And sometimes he would get lucky and find a near full loaf of bread that the store tossed out, just because it was one or two days out of date. He always ate well. The local cafe that was near where he worked would often invite him in to have a free dinner. They would tell him that they would have to toss it out if no one ordered it.
The people at the cafe really liked Joey because he was so polite and thoughtful.
After he ate a good dinner at the cafe, he would play them a beautiful tune on his old rusty harmonica as a thank you. The cafe folks loved him for that. They said that he was really good on the harp.
He then would thank them again and walk out the door smiling. Making his way to his little room in the flop house. Joey would sleep well most every night. That is, when he didn't have nightmares about the war.
Then the day came in 1965 where the car dealership where Joey worked closed their doors because of bankruptcy. Joey was saddened on that day. He had been working at the dealership for over eight years.
The manager of the dealership saw Joey at the cafe one afternoon and came in and sat down across from him at his table where he was eating a good meal.
The manager looked at Joey and Joey could see that he was sad. His cheeks were red from crying he thought. Then Joey said, “Afternoon Mr. Johnson, i'm sure sorry that they shut down your dealership. I surely loved working for you. You all have been so kind to me.”
The manager looked at Joey and said, “Joey, you are truly a man with the biggest heart I have ever met. And there is something that I want to give you because of who you are and what you have done to the souls of everyone you meet. I want you to have this and be happy. Be happy for a long time Joey. You deserve it and more.”
The manager handed Joey an envelope and shook Joey's hand then stood and walked out of the cafe.
Joey had a tear on his cheek as he watched his old boss, his friend, walk out and get in his car and drive off. He would never see him again.
Looking down at the envelope in his hand, he saw some writing on it. 'To Joey, the richest human we have ever known.' And under that was written the names of all the employees that worked at the dealership and the words, 'God Bless You'.
Joey sobbed a little as he read the front of the envelope again as he slowly opened it.
Once he had the envelope open, he took out a smaller brown envelope that had a clasp on it.
He also found a note that read, 'Joey, this is from all of us. We knew that the dealership was going to be shut down almost a year ago. And we knew that you didn't have much, so we all chipped in and wanted you to have more than us. Because you are worth more than us. Thank you Joey.'
Joey opened the little brown envelope and found twenty, hundred dollar bills.
Joey could not believe his eyes. He read the note again and then once more.
Then he heard clapping from the cafe counter. It was the three workers of the cafe clapping and smiling.
The cafe manager came over to Joey and said, “Joey, Mr. Johnson came in here a week ago and told us not to let on that we knew what he was going to do. He knew you came in here for dinners sometimes and he wanted to make your life better when the dealership closed. You are special Joey and we love you.” Then she gave him a hug and kissed him on his cheek.
Joey started to cry.
“Come on you guys! Bring our man here his favorite chocolate malt!” The manager said laughing. Joey began to laugh as he cried.
Joey was smiling wide and crying at the same time as he sat there in his booth enjoying his chocolate malt. That was a treat in itself.
Joey stood up, looked at everyone in the cafe and smiled his wonderful smile and waved to everyone.
The manager came over to Joey and gave him a big hug. She knew that he was a good man and she told him, “Joey, anytime that you need to eat, come on in here. You can have whatever you want. It's our gift to you, for as long as you grace this world.”
This got Joey to feel so loved by everyone.
Little did they know that from that day on, something magical happened to the man they all knew well. Something changed for Joey.
After sitting in his little room for almost a month without anything to do, Joey decided to take his new bicycle and ride, just ride.
Joey had always kept in shape. When he had his other bicycle, he would ride it everywhere. To the middle of town, to the store. He had a small basket on the back that held the few groceries that he purchased. And he would ride home again. People would always see Joey on his bike, riding all over the place.
Sometimes, he would ride over to the main highway and stop on the overpass to watch the traffic speed under it.
The highway was a major road that ran south towards the open grandness of west Texas. North it led towards El Paso.
Joey loved Sparks, Texas. It was where he ended up after his war years. His wife lived there for many years. When Joey and her married, they settled in Sparks.
Joey and his wife had a little home on the south end of town that was paid for with the VA benefits that Joey had saved up. Sadly, a few years later, Joey's wife became ill and passed away.
After her funeral, Joey decided to sell the house as it was becoming too sad to live in. That's when Joey moved into the flop house.
He was saved from deep depression while he worked at the dealership. His friends there made him comfortable with anything he needed. Rides to El Paso to his medical appointments, helping him with anything.
Sometimes, when Joey rode his bike to the overpass to look at the traffic, he would think what fun it would be if he just got on his bike and rode down that highway to be free.
That thought stayed with him for many years. Until the dealership closed and left Joey without something to do. There was no other work in the town that Joey could do. No construction jobs and no other dealerships that needed help.
The thought of getting on his new bike grew stronger every day.
Then the day came that changed things for him.
One morning, he was awakened by a voice in his head. At first it sounded like his wife was calling him. Then as he listened, it sounded like his old boss, Mr. Johnson. 'Joey.........you are needed' was all that he would hear. When he opened his eyes and looked around, there was no one there talking. Joey could not understand what the voice had told him, “Joey, you are needed?” Joey thought. “Needed for what?”
Joey sat in his little room thinking about the strange thought that he heard, and put it off as just his imagination.
He was sitting in his room one afternoon cleaning the new bicycle that he purchased with the money that Mr. Johnson gave him.
He had a new touring bike with big handlebars and a big basket over the rear fender. And it was his favorite color, red.
The man at the bike shop gave Joey a good price on it. Since he would sometimes come into his store for tubes or something for his old bike, and he liked Joey. Always polite and friendly.
As Joey polished the fenders on his bike, he thought that it would be so much fun riding just to get away. Then it hit him.
He thought about the overpass that he use to stand on and watch the traffic speeding south toward the open lands of Texas.
“Man oh man that would be something.” He thought. Then he laughed and looked at his bike again. “Yes sir! That's what i'll do. Got nothing for me here any more. Why not?” He said to himself.
So, for the first time since his wife passed away, Joey decided to leave the little town where he has been living for the longest time. He wanted to get away and now he was finally doing it. All the while Joey had a big smile on his face and felt his heart getting stronger by the minute.
The next day, Joey packed a small ditty bag that he had from his time in the Army with an extra pair of socks and a clean shirt and a pair of jeans that he liked and a couple pair of under garments, then tied the bag on the front portion of his basket.
Then, after saying goodbye to the few friends he had in the flop house, he took his bike outside and rode it down to the small market to load up on supplies for his trip. He knew exactly what he needed.
All the way to the market, Joey kept that big smile on his face. He has never felt more alive than he did on this day. He had all the money he needed and he also had two extra inner tubes for his bike that the bike shop owner gave him at no charge.
Stopping at the market and parking his bike by the front door, Joey went inside and began loading up a carry basket with his supplies.
He got a few cans of potted meat and some pickled eggs. A few cans of corn and a small loaf of bread and a small squeeze bottle of catsup. He grabbed a pint of milk to drink later before it gets too warm. He didn't have any way to keep things cold so he only got items that did not require a refrigerator.
After loading up the basket, he went to the checkout and while he was checking out, he grabbed a couple packs of gum.
After paying just under twenty dollars for his supplies, he went outside and loaded them up on his bike. Then looked it over to make sure he was ready.
The day before, he had purchased a plastic bottle to rest in the bottle holder on the bikes frame and he found a small box that was the perfect fit for the little basket that came on the handlebars. That's where he kept his aspirins and a small medical kit. He knew that sometimes, he might need a band aid or an aspirin.
While loading his supplies in the rear basket, he took out the packs of gum and his pint of milk and set them in the handlebar basket.
Feeling satisfied that he was ready and had everything he needed, he hopped on his bike and road to where the overpass was located.
Stopping on the overpass to look at the traffic, Joey thought about what he was about to do. “Yes sir.......this is what i've been wanting to do for a long time.....get on with it old man!” He said to himself as he laughed.
Then without any fanfare at all, Joey rode down to the on ramp to the south and peddled his bike out of the place he called home for many years. Joey was happy.
Joey was smiling as he slowly peddled his bike on the shoulder of the highway. Every once in a while a police car that was patrolling the highway would pass him by, oblivious to him being on the shoulder of the road. It was not legal for bicycles to be on the this highway as it was dangerous. But the vehicles that passed him seemed to not notice him or just didn't mind seeing him.
Joey kept his smile and his slow peddling. He was enjoying himself. Sometimes he would be humming a gospel song while he rode and sometimes he would whistle to keep his mind off of the noise of the traffic that passed him by. Once in a while a semi truck would pass and they would blow their horn at him. He took it as a 'hello' from the trucker.
Cars would pass him that had families traveling and sometimes there would be cars that had businessmen going to their next assignment. Most times there would be just one or two people in the cars.
There were families on vacation traveling to parks or to visit relatives. And sometimes there would be couples in the cars just traveling.
When a car would pass Joey riding his bike, they would look over and see him and wonder where he was headed to. And sometimes they would just think it was some old black man doing something that he should not be doing, riding a bicycle on the highway.
There was a car that passed Joey that had a young couple. The couple were arguing about something that had them both mad at each other. Whether it was an argument about family or an argument about finances, no one knew.
When their car passed Joey, the driver looked over at the man on the bike and snarled some bad remark. Then as the car passed, the man became silent. He looked over at his wife sitting next to him and did not say anything.
His wife returned the look and remained silent.
After a few moments, the man reached over and took the woman's hand in his and looked at her and smiled. Then he said, “I don't know what our argument was about, but whatever it was honey, i'm sorry and I love you very much.”
The woman smiled at him and told him that she loved him too.
An hour later, a salesman driving his old worn out car, passed Joey on his bike, the salesman glanced over at the man on the bike as he passed and shook his head.
“What's that idiot doing with a bike on the highway?” He said to himself.
Half a mile down the road, the salesman remembered the man on the bike and smiled, “Man, he looked so happy, I wish I had his attitude.”
Then the salesman laughed and patted his steering wheel. “Come on old girl! We'll get to the next town and give you a good tune up. And i'll get a good meal.” The salesman forgot about his lack of sales and thought about how he could do better. The salesman kept that smile on his face for another thirty miles to the next town.
Nearing nightfall, Joey was about to pull off the highway and get up near the boundary fence for the night when a trucker passed him and blew his horn for a long time.
Inside the cab of that truck was a tired driver. He was angry because the last load he delivered did not go well. He did not make a lot of money on his delivery and the client yelled at him for parking in front of his business to unload.
The driver stayed angry until he saw some old man riding his bike on the highway.
As the driver passed Joey, he had a warm thought run through his mind.
“I shouldn't be angry at that businessman over his load. He was correct in yelling at me for where I parked, I should have been more attentive. I'll do better next time. So what if I didn't make a lot of money on that load, i'll make it on the next one or the one after that. It's all good.” The trucker had a grin on his face that stretched across the state.
All these people who passed Joey on the highway had problems of their own that they could not control or solve. They did not have the right mindset to fix their problems and their situations.
For all his life, Joey had a good outlook on life. He never let things bother him and never let anyone get him down. When someone did not like what he did, he would smile and tell them that he'll do better. Not once has Joey ever shown hatred toward anyone and not once did he ridicule anyone for who they were. Joey was always positive about the things that he did in his life. He was always happy with who he was.
The people that passed Joey on that highway picked up the peace in Joey's heart. They drove through the contentment and joy that Joey had for the entire world.
As the years went by, Joey managed to ride his bike over many highways and many miles of joy.
The year that I passed Joey, I saw him on the side of the highway, up near the highway right of way fence line. He was sitting on an old egg crate, drinking water out of one of his little cans. His worn out bicycle was leaning up behind him on the fence. His face looking warm with a white beard and his white hair.
Joey had the biggest smile on his face as he watched the traffic go by. I know he looked at me in my car, passing him at seventy miles an hour. I will never forget his face.
Joey had the most peaceful and contented look on his face. A man that knew that all was right in the world. And that he had not a single care in the world.
When I passed Joey, I felt his contentment and peace. I stopped worrying about the long drive I had ahead of me and the problems in my life.
I saw the happiest man in the world. I saw Joey.
Joey had been given a gift when he was born. A gift that only God could give. I still think that he is riding his bike and sharing his gift of life.





END

Reviews

[Kane Hagwood]

This is a pretty powerful story right here. A part of me really wishes I could "meet" Joey, and thank him for his service. That, and he sounds like a wonderful person to meet. Although there are parts of the story that make me a little sad, this piece feels like a journey in itself, as told by Joey. There are parts that could probably be tightened up, changed here and there, but I don't really think constructive criticism is needed. This was a fun journey, with a charming finish to the story. Keep writing, and I look forward to checking out more of your work :)