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August 08, 2004
Owing Lawrence twice
Missing LawrenceAfter an unbelievable rally in Kansas City -- I mean 25,000 plus people who were really alive with energy, people as far as you could see, people who started gathering before 5 for a 10 PM rally -- we boarded the terrific train again. It was getting late by then, and we had no news of any crowds waiting for us as we sped in the darkness through Kansas. People onboard started falling asleep, dropping off slowly, pulling out pullmans, grabbing a pillow and blanket and curling up in a chair for our overnight on the train.
I was sitting up in the small lounge at the back of our car when I heard it: the growing sounds of cheers and screams, and then I saw it -- speeding by too fast to count, on both sides of the track, was it a thousand or more people waiting for us in Lawrence, Kansas? They were cheering and waving and smiling. We raised our hands to wave, but the engineer hadn't slowed and by the time we had waved even a little to the signs and cheers and camera flashes, it was dark again. We sat frustrated -- but we knew we were not as frustrated as the people of Lawrence, Kansas, who stood until 1 AM for the train to pass through -- a whistle stop, a slow roll, whatever. And then "whatever" was just a glimpse, a half-wave.
So we awoke this morning, scrambling to find a way to show Lawrence the same affection it had shown us. Our promise to Lawrence: we are juggling right now so that we can visit and thank you in person for that great gift in the darkness.
John and I have a special affection for Lawrence. In 1976, we drove my parents' old station wagon from North Carolina to the Grand Canyon and back. We had so little money that we ate in restaurants only twice -- a McDonalds in New Mexico and a Pizza Hut in Lawrence. We stayed in a motel once in Colorado, but only because there was a huge electrical storm that made camping with the gear we had too dangerous. As we came back through Colorado, coming down the Rockies, we inadvertently left the brake on -- we thought we had released it fully, the perils of a unfamiliar car -- and by the time we got to Kansas the car needed attention. We hadn't much money, but we found a compassionate mechanic in Lawrence who helped us out for an amount we could afford, and while he worked, we ate that pizza. So, Lawrence, we owe you twice. Don't worry, we'll repay that debt. And soon.
Posted by Mike at August 8, 2004 02:12 PM
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