So this morning i was coming home from my workout sweaty and all and I see this old man walking down the street looking lost in a jacket and gloves and a hat. The weather outside is way too warm to be wearing such accessories. As I pass him I think to myself I can't just leave him out here so I flip around and pull over.
"excuse me sir do you need any help?" He walks across the road and to my car. As I am asking if everything is ok and if he needs a ride he walks over to the passenger side door and pulls on the handle. Well I take it he needs a ride. I am asking him questions and he is just kind of mumbling as he gets in. I notice as he gets closer that he has just a jacket over his garment top. No shirt today. I think to myself oh no what have I just got myself into? I have this senile man in my car and I have no idea where he lives. I keep asking him where he lives and what his address is and he isn't really responding to me. Just keeps talking about the pond near by and the trees. I figure out that he isn't completely (completely key word) senile just really hard at hearing and I just need to speak up. I get out him that his name is William Melton and he goes by Bill. If you want to meet a lot of Melton's just go to Virginia. I keep asking him if he can guide me to where he lives or what his address is and he said "Well I didn't think I would need my address today"
As I am driving down the road trying to find where this old man lives he directs me to the senior citizen community in Springville and I am thinking well this looks promising. As we loop around and around the community (both times he comments on how the wind feels good at the exact same spot) trying to spark Bill's memory we get no where. We see people outside and I ask if he knows them and he said yes and he waves and they wave so I pull over and I said do you think they would know where you live and he said well I don't know them and I said you said you did and he said well they waved so I waved. Oh geez what to do what to do Dyanna. I also did not have my phone to try and look up his address that way. I was up a creek. At least I had a friendly old man by my side.
Bill is apparently really into horticulture because he could have cared less where he lived but he loved the willows and the pansies(grandma Meltons favorite flower) and the mountains which he informed me have been there a really long time. To Bill this was just a joy ride.
Back to square one I head back to where I picked him up and he is then able to guide me to his house. "oh look at those rocks" "willows there" "this grass is weak, ,my grass in't weak" "what pretty flowers"These are the ramblings of Bill as I am driving him home.
As I pull into his drive way (Hoping that it in fact was his drive way) I help him out and he tells me about his daughter Margaret that he lives with and how she is a nurse and that she is pretty and that I have a pretty smile and great teeth. He also walks me over to his garage key pad reading the numbers to me and showing my his broom and his edger saying that is was out to get him because it has spikes (you know those old school manual edgers) Asking me if I like the yellow shovel because he thinks it's an awful yellow. I say my goodbyes and tell him it was nice to meet him and leave his house
As I get home I call my mom and tell her the story and she says that I should go back and make sure he really does live there and wasn't wandering from a care center. Freak! I didn't know what to do. I was just happy to find his home. Back to Bill's I head
Chapter 2
If you are still with me I pull into his driveway one more time and am relieved to find Bill safe in his home. He gives me a tour of his house pointing out every little thing telling me about it. He showed me pictures on the wall and tells me about his family which I think he and his wife must have adopted hispanic kids because they were both white but his kids were not. He pointed to and asked "whose this old man with big ears" (himself). And my favorite Bill quote as he points to a black and white picture of his I think son or Son-in-law he says " now I could be wrong but he looks like a negro in this picture" Oh Bill. What a character. I tell him I need to go which he completely ignores me and keeps talking and following me outside clearly not wanting me to leave. Luckily as I get into my car his I think grandson pulls up and i tell him I am just dropping Bill off and he asked where he was and then was just like oh. I say my goodbyes and pull away. The end
Luckily when I went back to his house I asked if I could take a picture of him. I needed a face for my story. Here he is Ladies and Gents; William (Bill) Melton. If you know him tell him I say Hello
