One spring day, I drove to the motorcycle shop. My husband was leaving his motorcycle for a State inspection and I was going to drive him home.
It has been a hectic morning, what with getting or children off to school, and I was enjoying being alone in the car - at least for the twenty-minute drive.
As I turned in to the shop parking lot, I admired the soft green of the trees’ new leaves. I opened my window. Amazing. I had gotten to the bike shop before my husband.
The young woman who worked in the garage store was leaning against the building’s rough wooden planks. I got out of the car and walked over.
“Hi….” I ventured, “You’re open, right?”
“Yeah, sure, it’s just….” And she paused to light her cigarette, her hand trembling just enough that she had to pass the lighter over the end twice. “It’s just I don’t want to go in there.”
“Why not?”
“Well, it’s out.”
“What’s out?”
“The iguana.”
“What iguana?”
“You never saw the iguana? It’s huge - maybe you just never noticed it – it’s a couple of feet long. It usually just hangs out in its pen, but when he gets out he roams all over the shop and I am not going in there.”
I watched her hand tremble again and I leaned against the building with her.
“Me neither.”
It has been a hectic morning, what with getting or children off to school, and I was enjoying being alone in the car - at least for the twenty-minute drive.
As I turned in to the shop parking lot, I admired the soft green of the trees’ new leaves. I opened my window. Amazing. I had gotten to the bike shop before my husband.
The young woman who worked in the garage store was leaning against the building’s rough wooden planks. I got out of the car and walked over.
“Hi….” I ventured, “You’re open, right?”
“Yeah, sure, it’s just….” And she paused to light her cigarette, her hand trembling just enough that she had to pass the lighter over the end twice. “It’s just I don’t want to go in there.”
“Why not?”
“Well, it’s out.”
“What’s out?”
“The iguana.”
“What iguana?”
“You never saw the iguana? It’s huge - maybe you just never noticed it – it’s a couple of feet long. It usually just hangs out in its pen, but when he gets out he roams all over the shop and I am not going in there.”
I watched her hand tremble again and I leaned against the building with her.
“Me neither.”
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