Our Town

River City will never rival Thornton Wilder's imaginary distillation of small town life but these past few days, as I have patronized a variety of places it has felt "hometownish." A lady at a drive-in asked if I remembered the time she stormed into my office at the high school: the basketball coach had accused her kid of smoking dope. She was a momma bear on the fight. I asked her how "B" was doing these days. He is fine, has a good job and a family of his own. "He had to go to prison in Colorado for awhile. He said I should have put him in there when he was sixteen," she reported. Exactly our point way back then but it was nice to clear the air. I am glad he is doing well.

That is kind of a Riverton trait: One lady stood up in the Middle School lounge and announced: "Yes, my husband has been having an affair but we are working on our marriage." They are still together.

Bought wiper blades at NAPA and the clerk offered to put them on for me!!! I took him up on it and tipped him and he seemed surprised-like I was. He was an on-the ball kid.

The owner of RTO went out of his way to help me with the VW and called me by name. His employees did the same.

Went back to NAPA and a big Arapaho Indian man/clerk asked me if I was Steve and did I remember him. I told him many years had passed and asked his name? "Tommy" and in an instant I supplied his last name. He attended the Alternative School I founded/directed at the time. He went up the river for a major crime but is back and competently finding blower motors and explaining installation. (Successfully did that, ahem.)

A kid at the QuickLube was so on the ball, I was filled with admiration.

The town seems thriving but is short-handed-a lot of people left positions I know they had last December-probably for the energy business which is booming. Riverton has always been boom and bust with an average 1% annual growth over time. But the ones who are serving the public seem perfectly nice and helpful and have hope in their hearts. Bless them all.