Chapter 2

When she released me, she shoved me back by my shoulders and looked at me. Tears were running down her face and she was smiling with her big teeth shining.

“Lucky, you have made us very happy with your decision to be our partner, and one day, take over the business. My Lars can rest well now, and thanks to you, he will be here with me in our old age.”

“Thank you Ms. Inga, for your confidence in me and for wanting me to take on all of this as a manager and a partner. I’ll do my best for you.”

“We know you will, Lucky. Now we need to talk about my young granddaughter who is flying on the big aero-plane to Oklahoma City tomorrow morning early. Will you be there to bring her here to me so I can love her? I am so worried about her flying on the aero-planes, and I will not allow her to ride the trains over here alone.”

“I’ll be there for you, Ms. Inga. But how will I get there?”

“Come with me, Lucky. My Lars has taken the liberty to make sure you will have transportation as the new ranch manager, and get to school and back.”

We walked behind their house where Mr. Swede parks his old Ford pickup.

There, parked beside his pickup is a brand spanking new, 1950 Ford F-1 pickup. I looked up at Mr. Swede and he grinned as he gave me the keys.

“Lucky, this is your new ranch truck. You will drive to Oklahoma City and bring our little granddaughter here to us.”

“Mr. Swede I don’t...”

“Then don’t, Lucky. Let my Lars be happy and take care of our new partner,” Ms. Inga said.

“Yes Ma’am.”

I went over to look at the new pickup. It’s black and shiny new. It has a floor shift like Daddy’s old truck. It even has a heater and a radio built in. This pickup is really something else.

I raised the hood and saw the little flat-head V-8 sitting there. For the third time today, my eyes started watering up.

I turned around and Mr. Swede and Ms. Inga have gone in the house to leave me alone with my thoughts.

I led my horse to the barn and took the saddle off him. I knew Mr. Swede would need Thor, so I left him at the hitching rail in front of their house.

I drove my new pickup over to our house. Momma and Daddy were eating dinner, so I sat down at the plate Momma had set for me, and started helping my plate.

Momma poured me some tea and I got a plate full of beans and a slab of warm cornbread and buttered it.

“Lucky?” Momma said.

“Momma, I said yes to Mr. Swede. I’m the new ranch manager and partner with Mr. Swede and Ms. Inga, as of today.”

Momma walked over and hugged me as I sat in the wooden chair. Then she patted my back before she sat down.

Daddy looked across the table at me as I looked up. He was grinning and I grinned too, when he winked at me. That was it. They approve.

I had never been to Oklahoma. I had never been anywhere further than the five miles up to Shamrock. I reckon that’s why the wanderlust had hit me. I had never been away from my home for any longer than a day at school.

I left as soon as I got through eating dinner, and drove up to the highway and filled my truck up with ethyl. The gauge showed right at half a tank but I wanted to top it off and leave with a full tank.

I bought a map of Oklahoma at the Tower Conoco Service Station where Route 66 comes through town, and I’ve just about memorized all the roads and intersections I’d have to look for.

I knew I could do alright until I get to Oklahoma City. I’ll follow Route 66 all the way. Surely I can manage that.

I pumped ten gallons even, and handed the man $3.00. I got a cold Dr. Pepper out of the cooler and a pack of peanuts off the rack. He gave me thirty-five cents change, and I headed out.

According to the map, it’s about one hundred and eighty-five or ninety miles to Oklahoma City. I knew I’d get there close to dark, but I was hoping to find the airport tonight and spend the night in my pickup so I could be there early tomorrow.

All I had was a piece of paper that had some fancy handwriting on it with the TWA flight number, and Ingrid Eriksson, written on it.

I was driving along about sixty-five, with my left elbow hung out the window and the wind popping my blue-denim shirt.

Of course I’m wearing my boots, with my cowboy hat cocked back on my head. I’m from Texas after all, and I live on a ranch that I had just today, become a partner in.

I was smiling at what all this day has turned out to be, after waking up to just another ordinary day in the Texas Panhandle.

I looked up from my reverie to see the sign: Entering Oklahoma - Leaving Texas.

Not only am I out of Shamrock, I’m out of Wheeler County and even out of Texas. For the first time in my life I was out of the state I was born in.

It didn’t look any different. If the sign wasn’t there, I’d never know I’d crossed the state line.

I reached up and pushed my hat back on my head a bit more and whistled along with a little tune about - the stars at night being big and bright, deep in the heart of Texas, which was playing on the radio.

That line, and the one about the sage in bloom smelling like perfume, were the only two lines I could remember, so I just whistled them over and over and tapped my fingers on the gear shift in time with my whistling.

The cars were whizzing past me like I was parked on the shoulder of the highway. They were quickly moving off in the distance as they sped on toward Oklahoma City. I stepped down on the gas pedal and grinned when the little flat-head V-8 jumped like a jackrabbit.

I was keeping up now. I looked down and I was now doing a little over seventy.

Four hours after I left Shamrock, Texas, I saw a sign that said, Oklahoma City, 25 miles.

Man, I’m really making good time.

Route 66 goes right through the middle of town like it does in Shamrock and I stayed on the main road looking for some kind of sign about the airport.

There it is, I see the sign ahead, and I can see planes flying low over the buildings, as they land and take off.

I followed the signs and drove right onto the parking lot.

I parked as close as I could to the front door and walked in to see if I could find where the TWA planes and passengers would come in.

I saw a desk that had a sign over it with: INFORMATION, and walked over there.

I showed the pretty woman the piece of paper and she grinned at me, “This plane doesn’t even arrive until tomorrow morning at 8:00 am.”

“Thank you Ma’am. I reckon I’m a little bit early.” I picked up my paper, tipped my hat and walked off.

That was easy enough.

I drove back out to the main part of town and filled the gas tank again. I put ten gallons in and gave the man $2.50 and he gave me a dime back. I tossed it on the counter with another nickel and got RC Cola and a pack of peanuts for supper.

I slept in the truck seat, and I was up at daylight. I wasn’t sure if the planes ever fly fast enough to be early, but I sure didn’t want to be late. I walked back into the airport building at 7:00 the next morning and went back to the information desk. There was a different pretty little girl here today and I showed her the note I had.

“Go right down that corridor and you’ll see gate 11 on your left. You can wait there for your passenger to get off the plane. It’s scheduled to land at 8:05.”

“Yes Ma’am, and thanks.”

I wondered how in the heck they knew the plane would be here at exactly five minutes after 8:00.

I didn’t have any idea how I would ever be able to recognize Ingrid Eriksson. I just assumed she would look like Mr. Swede and Ms. Inga.

In the back of my mind, I just wasn’t sure I could ever see me living my whole life with a woman who looks like Ms. Inga. Not that she isn’t a good woman, but I had always daydreamed of a pretty woman loving me enough to marry me.

I waited and waited and waited. Then looked up at the clock to see it was still thirty minutes until arrival time. I went to the restroom and came back to wait some more. This waiting takes up a lot of time and I was thinking of all the things I needed to be doing back at the ranch.