I told her about my trip on my motor cycle and thats where the bugs came from. I told her everything! I told her about the arguments that I had with my father. How I didn’t want to go home. I told her about how my uncle Floyd was sick and that I was going to stay with my Mimi. I told about my brakes and that I was thinking of looking for some work so that I could continue my trip.
She told me that she would wash my clothes while I stayed in my room and watched some television. She was ending her shift and it was no problem helping me out. She returned after a while with my clothes. We talked a little more and she asked me if I wanted to go with her to a revival meeting. I didn’t know what she was talking about. She asked me if I had seen the fairgrounds across the highway. That there was a prayer meeting going on. There was this preacher called Billy Graham. He was one of the best preachers around world. I told her that my momma had said something about him, and I seem to recall that my father didn’t like him for some reason. That was what made me decide to go.
When we got there there was already a lot of people there. It was packed! We got us a seat and when Billy came out the crowd clapped really loud and long. He talked about the Bible. He talked about the Bible in ways that I had never heard before. He talked about the boys in Vietnam and he talked about our political system and that we needed to pray for both to our Lord Jesus Christ, so that they all will make the right decisions. That the kind of unnecessary killings had to stop.
He said one thing that stuck with me for a long time. He said “that the truth will set you free”. I say those words stuck with me, but I’m not saying that I didn’t lie after that, but when I did lie and I would feel guilty then I would remember.
On the way back to the motel Sara talked me into calling home. She said that I should at least let my folks know that I was alive. she said that they would be worrying about me. I told her that I would think about it and then she left for her home.
I didn’t want to call home, really it was the last thing I wanted to do. I was however sure that my mother would be worried, but not my father. He would be very mad. I imagined that he was out looking for me and that was probably making him even more angry. So why call and go through that hell. I watched some television for a while and day dreamed about the trip I had been on and where I was going.
It was about 1:00 a.m. as I lay there in bed thinking and not being able to go to sleep. I was thinking “The truth will set you free”. So I called home. My sister Cathy answered the phone. I asked here where mom and dad were? She wanted to know where I was. I hesitated to tell her but she insisted, so I told her I was in Mississippi. She did not believe me. I told her all about my trip. Then she told me that our folks were out looking for me. I was astounded! Out this late looking for me. I really couldn’t believe it.
I talked to Cathy for a little while, she was the next youngest of my siblings. We were closer, I suppose because we were only a couple years apart in age. I told her to tell mom that I was okay, that I could take care of myself. Cathy insisted on me calling back or at least give her the phone number at the motel. I decided to give her the number though I really didn’t want to.
