HIGHWAY U.S. 1, SOUTH

My earliest memories of the enchanted two-lane road called, U.S. 1, was hearing the old folks boast that “this” highway runs all the way from the top of Maine down to the very tip of the great sunshine state of Florida.  The marvelous combination of asphalt and other unknown materials just seemed to honor us with its existence.  In reality, it did little to honor my father’s farm by going right through the middle of it.  This constructed marvel took the lives of an infinite number of farm animals and some of our very beloved pets.

When I was a child, the road to me was truly the most astonishing achievement of man.  I would see strangers speeding by in an endless number of cars and trucks.  In my childlike understanding, they were not driving by but were flying to some distant land.  I could not even imagine where they may be going.  Since my feet were my primary means of transportation, I would often ponder the thought of whether or not I could walk the entire length of those brightly covered lines which ran down the middle of the road.  The experience of trying to walk barefoot on this domain of wonderment in the summertime taught me that it would quickly fry the soles of my feet.  So in my youthful encounters, I resolved that I should wait until I was old enough to have a car before I set out on a journey.

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Election day came and I felt we were ready for whatever the results would be. Fate is a cruel master. Just when you think you are ahead, you find that you are behind. The only thing I knew for sure was that we had done everything we could possibly do to win the election. It was now up to the voters and only the voters. I took a few minutes out for quiet reflection on how I had come to be in the position I held. My mind drifted back to the people who had made all this possible. First, there were my parents. They raised me as a hard working country boy who was taught the importance of treating all people the same. I was taught to love God, family, my state and my country. These values got me through some very troubling times. There were people like Dot who became a friend when I needed a friend in college. Mary, God bless her. She became my benefactor after a chance meeting on U.S. Highway 1. The only thing we had in common was that we very much needed each other. Ellie taught me that color doesn’t matter. She also helped me to understand that you do not have to be educated to love someone. Maria taught me that often from respect comes love. Love even under the worst conditions of life. And then there was Christine. What could I say about Christine? She gave up her life and career because she felt I was doing the right thing. Her standards were certainly higher than mine, but I knew that one day I would meet her requirements. And how could I ever repay Dabney Brown? Dabney had proven he had what it takes to make it in a white world on his own merits. He took me under his wing after hearing the words of an old black woman who convinced him I was the right kind of person to be trusted. I owed a lot to many people and I was not going to let them down!