The Power of Testimony

’TIL WE MEET AGAIN
were occasionally drowned out by a loud grinding noise
as he struggled with the stick shift, which protruded from
the floor like a bent broom handle. Behind us, sitting in
the tan seats, were my sisters Lois and Jeanie. The girls were
chattering away in the back—​about what, I didn’t know.
But it was good to be spending some time with them
and the rest of my family. I’d been away too much lately.
I needed this.
I pulled my coat tighter around me and looked out the
window. We were heading up to Antrim Lake, and it hadn’t
taken long to leave the city behind. The road was now
flanked by tall trees that stood guard by the river. Stripped
of their leaves, stark against an endless sky, they looked
even taller. If it had been summer, we’d have been going to
the lake to swim, but since it was cold, we just planned to
meet up with some other friends and shoot the breeze—​
and give Forrest a chance to perfect his gear changes.
It had been a year or two since I’d left high school, and
I’d done some maturing in that time. I’d found a job with
Western Electric, and I’d grown accustomed to the rhythms
of my new life. I traveled to different towns in Ohio, going
from office to office and installing whatever telephone
equipment my supervisor told me to.
On top of the new job, I’d also found a new place
to live. I’d left East Maynard Avenue and found a room
downtown, and both the job and the relocation had come
at just the right time. During my years in high school and
just after graduation, I had made some choices I knew my
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