10,028. BROUGHT HOME TO CHESTER HAVEN

BROUGHT HOME 

TO CHESTER HAVEN

Well, that smarted. The line of lights 

went into the woods, just some bulbs 

on long insulated wire. Looked fairly 

primitive, yes, it did, but what is light

anyway  -  well, not light, rather 

illumination : What is illumination? 

You're going to try and tell me, I know.

There are fortunes made like this : those

flatbed trucks, for one, that have a light

on the rear, a huge beam which scans the

sky, to announce a grand opening or a sale

or any of those sorts of things. Craziest idea

in the world  -  as annoying as skyplanes

dragging advertising banners. Like they 

own the sky, these guys. Two hours of

this beam-lighting starts at like six hundred 

and fifty bucks. Everyone winds up paying

for it in the end  -  these stores don't give

anything away. Fifteen cents or so more,

added to each item; they get it back.

It's got nothing to do with light.

-

Here in Chester Haven, there's cheap neon;

signs that simply say 'Open' : liquor stores,

candy shops, adult books, one or two places

for a sandwich and coffee, lunch with some

bimbo waitress picking at her place for a three

dollar tip. All he other things are out on the

highway  -  just as if they all moved away.

The furniture shop, and the bicycle store.

With parking lots, like the supermarket

has. There's really nothing left of the 

simple town, except legends of glory 

and the past  when the local Little 

League was sponsored by the local

businesses  -  Kenton Brothers Farm 

and Yard, Lessinger's Home-Center,

Derick's Five & Dime. It's all gone

now, and there's nothing left of glory.

Two Arab guys pump the gas and rent

the bays out for repairs  -  Owen Churey's

kid runs it all  -  called 'Haven Auto Fix-It.'

The hot rod kids come by, except they're

not kids anymore, just old guys running

their Chevelles on memory. Owen mutters:

'Kids don't do that stuff, these days, anymore.'

I love the hesitation in his voice.