2014 Prompt Responses - 17. Prompt 319 - the Drought

“Eight generations of my family grew up on this soil. It’d be a damn shame if the ninth had to start fresh somewhere new.” The old man wiped his handkerchief across his hot, dusty brow.

“Don’t talk like that. The rain will come. It has to.” His friend patted the old man’s leg reassuringly.

“It’s been over two years, Charlie. It’s not coming anytime soon.” The old man sighed tiredly and looked down the almost abandoned street. The once prosperous area was now comprised mainly of boarded up buildings with ‘For Sale’ and ‘Going out of Business’ signs on them. The only businesses still open were the Five and Dime and the local diner.

“Let’s go get some lunch. We don’t need to dry up in this heat, too.”

The two old friends slowly made their way to the diner. Charlie stopped and looked dejectedly at a dust-covered display window. His shoulders slumped and he sighed shakily. His friend put his arm around his shoulder in a sideways hug.

“Three generations, Ed. Three generations work just blown away by one of those infernal dust storms.”

“C’mon. Today’s meatloaf day. You know how much you like Sally’s meatloaf.” Ed gently guided Charlie away from his family’s boarded-up storefront.

The blast of air-conditioning as they entered the diner was a welcome relief from the stifling heat of the drought-ridden town. The two men sat down in their regular seats as Sally strode over with a pot of coffee. “Did you hear about the Thompsons?” She asked quietly. “The bank finally foreclosed. They’ll be auctioning off the stock next week.”

Ed shook his head sadly. Charlie played with his napkin, trying not to let his emotions show. Thompson Brothers Dairy was the last working farm left. The cost of feed had skyrocketed due to the drought, making it only a matter of time before the business folded.

“Sorry fellas. I know how difficult it is to hear. Would you both like the meatloaf special?”

Both men nodded silently. Sally poured the coffee and left to place their order. Ed and Charlie sipped their coffee in silent contemplation. In the booth next to them, a group of teenagers were discussing their after-graduation plans.

“I can’t wait to get out of this god-forsaken town. It’s just a matter of time before it dries up completely.”

“Me, too. I want to experience the big city and take more than a two-minute shower.”

“I’m going to stay.”

There was a chorus of gasps and mutterings of disbelief.

Ed’s eyes opened wide in shock as he realized that he recognized the voice. He stood up and made his way over to the table shakily. “No, Sam. You can’t stay! There’s no future for you here!”

Sam’s face fell when he saw his grandfather standing before him. “I have to pops. The town will die if everyone leaves. Maybe I can help save it.”

“What about college? A job? Getting married? There’s nothing left here! This town is already dead. Don’t let yourself die with it!” He slammed his hand down on the table to emphasize his shouts.

The few patrons in the diner stopped talking and stared at the confrontation.

Sam sat up tall, determined to make his grandfather understand. “I’ll still go to college. I can study online. I’ll have scholarships and student loans to live on so I don’t need to worry about a job and we both know that marriage isn’t in the cards for me.”

“So move to a state where it’s legal. Don’t throw your life away, I beg you!”

Sam’s heart broke for the man who raised him. He wanted to do everything in his power to see the joy in his grandfather’s eyes when the rains came.

*****

Sam was resolute in his decision to stay in the decaying town, despite his grandfather’s pleas. He studied meteorology online and gradually lost touch with his friends as they and their families moved on to greener towns. His grandfather became more and more frail, until Sam’s time became split between caring for the ailing man and his studies. Sam started to become bitter and frustrated as time went on with no relief from the drought in sight. He refused to let himself admit that his grandfather had been right about the town being beyond redemption. The Five and Dime had closed, leaving the Diner as the only business left in the area. Sally should have left a long time ago, but kept it open out of loyalty to the remaining die-hards. Sam had to drive an hour each way to buy groceries and fill up the gas tank. He threw himself into his studies, desperately trying to find an answer before the drought claimed his grandfather, too.

*****

Halfway into his second year of studies, Sam slammed his hands down on his desk and ran outside in frustration. “Why?” He screamed at the cloudless sky. He sank to the ground and lay there sobbing; his tears the only moisture the land had seen in almost four years. When he had cried out his anger and frustration, he slowly rose and made his way inside to change his dusty clothes and check on his grandfather.

Later that night, Sam lay awake in bed contemplating his life. He felt like the sacrifices he had made were in vain. He felt like a fool. He should be experiencing the true college life like his former friends. He should be out partying and hooking up with random guys until ‘the one’ came along. He should be late to classes and bitching about his workload while secretly enjoying every minute of it. He sighed and drifted off into an uneasy sleep, feeling much older than his twenty years.

Sam awoke sometime later, soaked with sweat and tangled in his sheets. He had been having nightmares for a while now and this was one of the worst. He made his way downstairs, clad only in his boxers. As he opened the fridge to get a can of pop, the kitchen lit up as the sound of thunder rumbled through the old farmhouse. Sam dropped the can in shock and ran outside just as the rain started. He raised his arms to the sky and laughed deliriously as he danced and tried futilely to hug the rain to him. He looked at the house, and then ran inside to his grandfather’s room. The old man looked so weak and pale it broke Sam’s heart. He shook the old man gently. “Wake up, pop! You’re not going to believe it!”

Ed woke slowly, uncomprehending what his grandson was trying to tell him. Sam scooped him up in his arms and took his grandfather outside into the deluge.

“It’s finally raining, pop!” He lowered himself and his grandfather to the ground. It was impossible to distinguish the tears from raindrops as Sam held his pop, faces upturned to the rain, the looks of joy identical on each of their faces.