The Bull lumbered through Uncle Bubba’s door, his head low and his shoulders hunched over; he might not have been carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders but he had some big chunks of Texas and Oklahoma precariously balanced up there. He lamented how somethings that he though might be a good experience had turned into a stressful deal, not overwhelmingly, but enough to bring him down. Uncle Bubba suggested that they fire up the Harleys and go for a ride. There’s nothing like getting a few miles under your seat to clear the mind. Minutes later they rumbled up the road and disappeared beyond the tree lined curves in the road. They rode out beyond the edge of town and glided along the rolling countryside. They eventually made a stop at a gas station located at a cross road between nothing and nowhere. There’s only a blinking light to slow traffic but only because the intersection is located on a slight rise that limits a driver’s view passing the little store front and gas pumps at 60 mph.
As the Bull and Bubbie entered the store they were routinely greeted by a balding man of east Asian or middle eastern decent. The Bull had stopped in there to specifically ask if he, or anyone else knew of property for sale in the area. At first the store owner was a little busy but the Bull is a very engaging and gregarious man, he waited for the store owner to finish his task before convivially addressing him, warming him up and leading him to his ultimate question. The store owner initially dismissed the Bull by pointing him to some real estate catalogs in a rack by the register. But he quickly redressed his response when he perceived the Bull’s ernest interest. He joked that his little business was located in “Downtown Redneck” and expounded on how redneck his neighbors are. “If you want to be around rednecks, this is the place to be.” Uncle Bubba looked at the Bull and thought it funny; should they be honored or insulted to not look like rednecks? After the pregnant pause the store owner regathered his thoughts and came forth with his projections of some major developments around the intersection that he predicted would start sooner than later. He offered advice to the Bull, to get on the bus early and stay on the bus for the entire trip: in other words, buy land now and wait for the property values to increase once the proposed developments takes place. The Bull thanked him for his advice and they turned to leave but the store owner felt compelled to add some words of wisdom before they departed. He said, “Whatever you do, do what you think you should and never listen to anyone else. I was a stockbroker in New York and I used to teach economics and I always told my customers and students this. God is with you so you’ll be OK.” The Bull and Uncle Bubba shook his hand and thanked him again for his time. They walked out to their bikes and stood there for a few reflective moments looking over the beautiful green and brown countryside residing peacefully under the blue winter sky. They fired up the hawgs and rolled out of the gas station, paused at the curb to check for oncoming traffic and then leaned the bikes to the west and opened up the throttle. They ran through the gears but the gas station guru’s words still rattled around in Uncle Bubba’s head. In Bubbie’s view, that ol’ boy’s wisdom may not have been original but it came from his heart.
