I couldn’t shake the empty feeling for quite a while. This was more stark and harsh than I had expected. The grim reality of the situation set deep inside my mind. They say despair is something that you can never describe until you experience it completely. Well, I had stared despair in the face and I still couldn’t tell you what it looked like.
I began to see more people on the road the further north I went. Well, some were on the road. Traveling somewhere the same as me. Others were just outside, on their lawns or just on the side of the road. Some stood, some sat in lawn chairs, some just sat on the bare ground. We saw each other, we made actual eye contact. But little was said in the way of words. Some nodded their heads at me, and I returned their greetings. Others just stared as Buddy and I slowly passed. A few didn’t look up at all. It was as if life was passing by and they cared not to see it any longer. Almost like they were waiting for something else, perhaps death.
Osceola was still some 18 miles to the north. On bike it would take a couple of hours to get there with the hills and the carrier full of supplies attached to the rear. I noticed some of the people staring at my carrier. To strangers, it must have seemed like I was flaunting my cache of goods, showing everyone just how much I had compared to the very little they had left. I hoped that carrier wouldn’t be the death of me. And I don’t mean figuratively.
A woman about my age and her two young daughters walked down the center of the road ahead of me. I slowed to have some human interaction with what I hoped was a reasonable person. I managed to stop just in front of them. The girls were instantly attracted to Buddy. The woman smiled at me cautiously.
“Where are you headed, sir?” She spoke in a quiet shy voice. She looked me in the eye but only briefly. She looked at Buddy quickly as her daughters giggled from his wet kisses.
“On my way to Stevens Point.” She looked at me uncertain. “In central Wisconsin.”
Finally recognition crossed her face and she smiled. “We are walking up to town to see if they have anything for sale yet.” She nodded at her girls as she spoke. “Last time we went there everything was still closed. But one of my neighbors said she thought some places were open now. At least that’s what she had heard.”
My stomach sank. I wondered if price gouging had hit this serene area. “I hope you brought some cash with you. Back in Woodbury things were getting out of hand already. I paid $60 for two gallons of water and some canned goods a few weeks ago.” I expected her to be shocked; she smiled again.
“Oh yes, caveat emptor, buyer beware. And I don’t mean that in the sense of the quality of the goods. I’m sure the prices will be steep.” She looked unaffected by the news I gave her. “We’ll just get what we can, and the rest we put in God’s hands.” I could only nod. She had the right attitude at least.
“Perhaps I can walk you into town then, if you don’t mind that is.” I was trying to be polite. A single woman with two small children weren’t safe on the road any more in my mind. She nodded.
“That would be nice. I’m Joan.” She reached out and shook my hand.
“Bill. And the black furry one is Buddy.” Buddy had taken his spot between the two small girls.
We walked and talked for the next twenty minutes. Joan told me that she and the girls lived out here with her parents. She and her husband had divorced several years back, and she couldn’t make it on her own. Her parents offered free rent, so she accepted. Seemed reasonable to me. They loved the simple life here in the country. The girls could play outside with limited worries, they had nice neighbors and everyone watched out for one another. I wondered if she had heard of the trouble just south of here, so I brought it up carefully.
She nodded. “Yes. We’ve taken in two families in our area. So far, mostly destruction of property. I haven’t heard of any fatalities yet.” She looked at her girls walking with Buddy ahead of us. She wanted them left out of this conversation. “I’m aware of what’s going on out here. We all are. For now we’re being very careful and sticking to home as much as possible. Our neighborhood is fairly secluded, so hopefully trouble will pass us by.” She looked up at me with her pretty pale blue eyes. Joan was a very nice woman and it showed.
As we walked along chatting about nothing in particular I wondered if Joan was too carefree, too casual, given these times. She seemed happy and playful. She spoke to her daughters in the sweetest of ways. This was just another day in adventureland for them. It suddenly dawned on me that perhaps I had become too cynical, too dark, and so quickly at that. I was always the one with the positive attitude. I was the one rallying the troops. I felt ashamed.
Marine on St. Croix is a sleepy little spot in the road. A piece of Americana that time has mostly passed by. As we approached, I was taken by its simple beauty and quiet charm. All seemed well in this tiny little burg today. Maybe Joan was on the right path, a path I needed to get back onto as soon as I could. We stopped and looked at the two-block village.
Joan smiled. “Oh good. It looks like the drug store is opened again. Excellent.” She put a hand on each girls shoulder. “Now we can get Amelia’s medicine and a treat for all of us girls.” They squealed with glee. I started to feel better about things. Joan leaned over and gave me a quick peck on the cheek. “Thank you for your company and kindness, Bill. You are a true gentleman in a time when that seems to be a dying trait.” She smiled tenderly at me. “Safe travels. I hope you find your wife and family again someday soon.” I could tell her words were genuine. I felt much better, much better, like my regular self.
“Take care, Joan and girls.” I looked down at the young pair as they bid their farewells to Buddy. He had received some good attention this last twenty minutes, much better attention than I had given him in the past three weeks. I knew Buddy missed the kids as much as I did, maybe more.
I jumped back on my bike and began pedaling up the next hill leading out of this peaceful place. I had to call for Buddy; he wanted to follow the others into town. Begrudgingly he came. Sorry Buddy. The hill was steep and hard; it took my full attention to stay at pedaling. It wasn’t until the crest of the hill I was able to relax again and think of Joan. She was a good person. I was glad I had stopped and walked into town with her and the girls. It was what I needed to renew my spirits that were so depleted after seeing the fires south of their position.
The road was now empty of travelers. I was again a solitary figure in a wide-open and greatly changed world. I wondered how many Joan’s I would find on the road to Milwaukee? Would it be that every time my spirits dipped I would come across someone as wonderful? Or would the road be filled with mostly heartache and despair? It wasn’t even noon and I had already been through the full gambit of emotions. I expected a lot of raw emotion on the road. Currently, as I looked ahead, I saw nothing though. Just open road, miles of open road.
Osceola was within ten miles. I wanted to be through there and well into Wisconsin by 1 o’clock. I had a schedule in mind and wanted to stick as close as I could to it. God willing, I would. I began to wonder what issues I might find in Osceola. Had they already sealed the town off as well? I hoped not. The next crossing was up in Taylors Falls. That was another eight miles beyond my current destination. I wanted to get into Wisconsin and its open countryside as soon as I could. Plus, Taylors Falls would have more people. It lies on a busier highway. I needed to stay as much off the radar as possible. Thus, Osceola was the logical spot for me to cross.
Before we got another mile down the deserted road, Buddy spotted our next trouble. I saw it, too, but Buddy seemed to find the situation more bothersome than me. Two older cars were stopped in the middle of the road ahead. Cars that still might run, if they were old enough. All doors on both cars stood open. I thought about going around but were no side roads available. We’d just have to get by as quickly as we could. I hoped it wasn’t a trap of some type. As we got even with the vehicles I saw a first. A dead man lay on the road between the idle carriers. He was shot in the head. It was the first dead soul I had wi
tnessed out here. I pedaled on silently. Buddy sensed my mood and followed without incident.
Chapter 18