A man said to the universe:
“Sir I exist!”
“However,” replied the universe,
“The fact has not created in me
A sense of obligation.”
Stephen Crane
Dwight, the garbage man’s cousin, is an important figure in our community. He is our village handyman. Not the sharpest knife in the drawer. He is an extremely handsome young man who just isn’t very smart. More importantly, he is a guileless creature of God. Maybe it takes intellect to turn bitter and hateful with life’s unfairness. All of the bad things he endured growing up did not leave any scars. His remorse for his fellow man’s bad luck is genuine. If he tells you he is sorry. He means it.
His Mother was hooked on methamphetamines when he was born. She had eight children. None with the same Father. When she had all the kids in tow. They looked like a daycare class at the United Nations. If it wasn’t for her parents helping with the kids. Child Protective Services would have taken them long ago. Faulty wipers, a rainy night, and an oncoming truck took her parents’ life. This tragic loss could be explained by a terrible chain of events. What defied the explanation was how she could kick her meth addiction by herself. Something that was supposed to be impossible without medical help. But, she did. She started cleaning houses and doing any odd jobs available. Steadily working to repair her reputation. Something inside her stood up to care for those children. Sometimes people would say it is too bad after breaking her parent’s hearts that they couldn’t see how she has changed. The older folks would say, ”Oh, they know”.
Dwight asked his Mother about his Father. She told him that the only thing she remembers was that he was extremely drunk. That was it, not even his name. The only advice she ever gave him was. “Keep your weight on your elbows and learn to dance.” Leave it to Beaver and The Brady Bunch formed his only ideas about what family life is like. As he grew older he realized that family life wasn’t like that anymore, or if ever. Reality TV became his escape of choice. Besides, you could pick up little snippets of information that would impress people. Once he told Loretta that he didn’t think he’d ever find a wife. She told him. “Listen, Honey, I play Hell trying to find women that can make the right change. There is someone for you!” The second she said that she wished she hadn’t. She realized how hurtful that sounded. Then she noticed his face. He was reassured by the remark. If he could find a woman who can’t make change, he has a chance.
He did learn to dance. There is no shortage of dance halls around here and Dwight knew them all. He had a talent for gliding over the boards. All the latest dances were in his repertoire. The women who loved to dance were fans of his. It was just in conversation that disappointment surfaced. Luckily for Dwight, too much beer and Saturday night affected some women the same as most men. He wasn’t destined to go through life not knowing the touch of a woman. Some return engagements weren’t alcohol-induced. They were middle-of-the-night visits. That is where the elbow advice kicks in.
Dwight is our guy. The Universe may not give a shit, but we sure do.