Leaving Time

Charley wanted to get to Adel early, so he and Lena got up while it was still dark. The crickets were cacophonous as the farm couple made their way to the car with the kerosene lantern. Lena sat close to Charley in the front seat, but she was missing him already. She had packed a few sandwiches and put several apples in his duffle. He had a clean blanket and a change of clothes. The migrant wheat workers her husband was about to join traveled light. Charley wouldn’t need much, but he had his razor, of course. At first, he thought he might grow himself a beard while he was gone. Lena put her foot down about that. No man she was married to was going to have facial hair and she told him that last night.

“Men with beards look like the rear end of a rooster, Charley. You won’t be looking like that! It doesn’t matter if you are near me or far away, that doesn’t change! No hair on that handsome face of yours, do you understand?” Lena was adamant, and Charley had absolutely no choice but to agree with her on this point.

She made him promise, too. Not just agree, but promise. Promises were a really important commodity between them. They both held honesty and loyalty in the highest esteem. That’s why they had such a strong marriage. They promised each other, and they kept all their promises.

The road to Adel was long, and Charley had lots of advice for Lena as he drove. “Take your paychecks to the bank the day you get them. Don’t take out no cash. Write checks for everything, so you know where every penny goes. Do the same with the money Harley makes. Don’t buy no more crazy things from them traveling salesmen,” he went on and on. Finally, Lena caught him between breaths, and cut in.

“Charley, will you give me a chance to talk? I have some things I want to tell you, too,” Lena pleaded.

“Ya do?” Charley was sincerely surprised.

“Yes, I do. Send your paychecks to me the minute you get them, I put some envelopes and stamps in your bag. I also put a little bottle of kerosene in there, in case some of these wheat bums have lice. That will kill them if you get them on you. And I put a pad of paper in there, so you can write me back. Do not leave your bag anywhere. Take it with you everywhere you go. There are probably a lot of thieves in that bunch. Don’t trust anyone. And remember how much I love you.” Lena stopped to take a breath. She had more to say, but her husband thought she was done.

“I’ll do all of that, Sweetheart. It’s all good advice. Thank you very much.”

“Well, there’s more, you big lug! I have been reading the newspaper, and I know all kinds of things go on that I don’t want you to have any part in.”

“Like what?” Charley asked.

“Like going to town, and drinking, and gambling. And like the women who follow those camps and get money for doing sinful things.” She just blurted it all out at once. Then she waited, hands folded in her lap.

“Oh

my word, Lena. Tell me you ain’t really worried about all that? Ya know I hate town. Ya know I drink milk and coffee. Ya know you are the only woman on the whole earth for me. We done promised. Ya remember that? You was there. Remember?” Charley laughed out loud. Lena hrumphed. Charley laughed some more.

“I’m sorry. You are lookin’ kinda silly here, little woman. Please don’t be worryin’ about that kind of silliness. I’m your man and nobody else’s. Now look at me!”

Lena turned her head as Charley squeezed her shoulder. He gave her that goofy two-eyed wink of his, and she had to laugh, too. Laughing while her heart was sinking. She knew she had the best man ever, and she was going to miss him so much.

Arriving in Adel, they drove to the far south side of town, where the railroad tracks were running east and west. There was a train due about 4:45 a.m., and that was the one Charley wanted to get on. The manager at the farmers’ co-op had told him that the “bulls” who were hired by the railroad, to try to keep the hobos from jumping on the freights, usually did not show up until the 6:00 A.M. train. Jumping on in the dark might be more dangerous, but for an athletic man like Charley, it would be easier than for most. There were many men who jumped wrong and ended up losing their legs or their lives under the moving trains. Charley did not mention that to Lena. If Lena already knew, she did not mention it to Charley.

“I’m gonna get out here, Lena, and wait over by that big ol’ tree for the train to come in,” Charley informed her, as he carefully pulled the car up next to an old corn bin. “I’ll be fine here, and you can get home in time to get over to the Commerce store to open it up for business.” Then he leaned over to kiss her.

Lena was shaking a little bit and was surprised by how hard Charley kissed her. It was a wonderful kiss, and she kissed him back, but did not want to let him go. He wrestled away a little, saying, “Ain’t got time for that now, girlie, but I’ll be back as quick as I can. You know that. Ya drive careful, hear me?”

With that, he was out of the car, facing her from the other side of the door. “Slide on over here behind the wheel and take this car home,” he commanded, reaching in and patting the driver’s seat. She slid over; Charley stuck his head through the open window and planted another kiss on her cheek. Lena turned her head and got one more while she could. Her heart ached, literally, her whole body hurt. She didn’t want to leave, but she certainly didn’t want to wait around and watch her husband leave on the train. Without a ticket, he would have to find a car to hide in, climb up in it, and hope there wasn’t already some creepy or criminal type in there already. Lena had to leave now. Her plan was to drive as far as the county courthouse in the Adel town square and wait there until she heard the train blast its departing whistle. She felt like crying, so she probably shouldn’t be driving anyway.

So she said to him, “I love you, Charley,” and put the car in gear.

“I love you, too, sweetheart,” Charley declared as he turned and strode away. He headed toward the big tree, where he would wait until the train pulled in.

Lena circled around the big lot of the co-op and drove to the court house. She did sit there and cry, and she also prayed. After staying until she heard the early train’s departing whistle, as the tiniest bit of daylight creeped up the horizon, she headed east, back towards home. Well, it really wasn’t home, but it was the only place she had to go. She knew there were folks in these terrible times who had so much less than she had, so she let the Lord know how grateful she was for what she had, praying while she drove. Lena sang a little, too. She couldn’t explain to herself why she felt like singing, but she did; it just made her feel better.

Charley was gone to the wheat circuit. He’d be working, and sleeping, eating, riding the rails, and associating with all sorts of men. Some would be good men, like him, who were just trying to earn some money for their family. Others might be really bad, evil men, who wanted to take advantage of others who might be in a desperate situation. Charley was smart, and Lena knew he wouldn’t get swindled. She just didn’t want him to get hurt.