SUNDAY DINNER PART ELEVEN

I FOUND THAT I QUICKLY ADAPTED TO BEING WITH MY PARENTS AND MYSELF (!)  DURING THE VISITING WITH THEM AROUND THE TABLE.  IT WAS MAMMA'S HOME COOKIN...ROAST BEEF, POTATOES AND CARROTS, LIME JELLO WITH FRUIT SALAD.  AND STRAWBERRIES AND ICE CREAM FOR DESSERT.  I OFERED TO HELP CLEAR THE TABLE, BUT MOM RESISTED.  AFTER THE TABLE WAS CLEARED, BOBBY WANTED ME TO SEE HIS ROOM.  I LONGED TO SEE IT TOO !   A FULL SIZE BED AGAINST THE NORTH WALL AND HIS DESK TO THE LEFT OF HIS BED.  A TABLE MODEL RADIO ON END OF DESK SO HE COULD REACH IT WHILE LYING IN BED.  CHEST OF DRAWERS ON EAST WALL. ON TOP OF THE CHEST WAS AN OLD MARBLE MANTEL CLOCK THAT WORKED.  ON TOP OF THE CLOCK WAS A BUDDHA INCENSE BURNER AND ONE RED GLASS VOTIVE CANDLE ON EACH SIDE OF BURNER.  THERE WAS AN OLD OVER STUFFED CHAIR IN THE SOUTHWEST CORNER.  THE EAST WALL COVERED WITH MAPS OF THE SOUTHWEST U.S. AND ON THE EAST SIDE OF BED AGAINST THE NORTH WALL WAS AN OLD FIVE BAND RADIO.  THERE WERE TWO WINDOWS ON EACH SIDE OF BED AND ONE ON WEST WALL LOOKING OUT OVER BACK YARD.  UNDERNEITH THE WEST WINDOW WAS A WALL MOUNTED GAS HEATER.  I COMPLIMENTED ON HIS DECOR AND HE SAID THAT EVERY THING GAVE HIM A SENSE OF BEING.  HE TOLD ME I WOULD HAVE TO VISIT HIM AT NIGHT WHEN HE LIT HIS CANDLES AND BURNED INCENSE.  I ASKED HIM WHY HE LIKED THOSE THINGS, AND HE SAID IT GAVE HIM A GOOD FEELING.  HE SEEMED TO STRUGGLE WITH HIS VOCABULARY.. BUT DID MANAGE TO ENLARGE ABIT.  "I LIKE THE FEELING OF LONLINESS,  THERE IS A PRESENCE IN LONLINESS...MANY THINGS THAT CANNOT TALK DO TALK IN A WAY I LIKE."   I WANTED TO CHANGE THE SUBJECT, SO I ASKED HIM ABOUT THE OLD FIVE BAND RADIO.  HE TOLD ME HE BOUGHT IT AT A SECOND HAND STORE USING HIS PAPER ROUTE MONEY,  "I GOT IT FOR TEN DOLLARS"  HE SAID.  "I CAN PICK UP HAM RADIO OPERATORS FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD...I LISTEN TO THEM SEARCHING FOR SOMEONE TO TALK TO  CQ CQ CQ  TWENTY METERS....THIS IS W5 ARM IN LEVELLAND TEXAS CALLING CQ"  HE RELATED.  HE THEN WENT ON..." I STRUNG AN AERIAL WIRE FROM MY ROOM TO THE POWER POLE IN BACK...I REALLY LIKE THE LEAD IN WIRE THAT COMES FROM ROOF DOWN OUTSIDE MY WINDOW.  WHEN THE WIND BLOWS, I CAN HEAR IT TAPPING AGANST THE SCREEN.  MY FRIEND WHO LIVES UP THE HILL HAS A WIRE COMING DOWN OUTSIDE HIS WINDOW, AND I SAW IT BLOWING....AND IT GAVE ME A GOOD FEELING, SO I HAVE ONE TOO"    MY FATHER....CARL..CAME IN AND INVITED ME TO VISIT IN LIVING ROOM, SO I THANKED BOBBY AND PATTED HIM ON HIS HEAD AND LEFT.  DAD, MOM, AND I HAD A LONG VISIT.  I MUST HAVE SAID THE RIGHT THINGS, BECAUSE DAD WANTED ME TO STAY AWHILE.   HE BECAME INTERESTED IN MY INTEREST IN THE BIBLE.  BOTH DAD AND MOM TAUGHT SUNDAY SCHOOL.  HE WAS INTERSTED IN TALKING THEOLOGY AND ASKED ME WHAT I THOUGHT OF COVENANT THEOLOGY.  JUST TO SEE WHAT HIS RE-ACTION WOULD BE, I TOLD HIM I WAS A DISPENSATIONALIST.  THAT REALLY GOT HIM GOING.  BEFORE WE KNEW IT, THE SUN WAS SETTING AND I TOLD HIM I NEEDED TO GO.  I THANKED THEM BOTH FOR THE MOST WONDERFUL DAY.  BEFORE I LEFT, I ASKED IF I MIGHT SEE THE BACK YARD,  "SURE"  HE SAID AND BOTH OF THEM WALKED WITH ME TO THE BACK YARD.  I PEEKED INSIDE OF THE LATHE HOUSE WHERE I KEPT MY SUCCULANTS.  THERE WAS THE OLD DRIED STAR FISH I HAD HANGED ON THE LATHE HOUSE.  THERE WAS BOBBY'S RED GLASS KEROSENSE LANTERN HANGING OFF OF A CROSS MEMBER OF THE LATHE HOUSE. THERE WAS MOM'S CHASE LOUNGE UNDER THE APRICOT TREE.  AND HERE CAME SQUEEKY THE DUCK WHICH BOBBY BOUGHT FROM ALAN SLOCUMB.  HE CAME QUACKING OUT FROM HIS SHELTER BEHIND THE GARAGE.  ALL OF THIS SERVED AS A GREAT PLOW SHARE STUCK DOWN INTO THE EARTH OF THE MAGICAL PAST.  THE VOICES THAT STILL CRY FROM THE FIELDS OF THE FORGOTTEN AND UNKNOWN.   (TO BE CONTINUED)