A DUCK POND PRODIGAL SON

The old man had just pulled up and parked at the Duck Pond. He had been out to pick up his McDonald’s Gourmet Breakfast and his newspaper and came back to the Duck Pond. He had parked and walked across the bridge and settled onto a picnic table to have breakfast and read the paper. A lot of people have given up on the daily newspaper and quit home delivery, but he just had not been able to make that cut, with the good old days. As he told everyone that asked, “I just like to hold it in my hands and absorb it while I read it.”

As I said he had just got settled in, and he looked up and saw a young guy, about 20 or so walking across the bridge toward him. As he got within a few yards of him he said, “Do you mind if I sit here?” The old man answered that, no he did not mind at all and it was nice to have someone else around. However ‘deep down’ he wondered why he chose to sit there as the park was almost empty.

The old man dug out his McDonald's sack to have his usual gourmet breakfast and the young man started breaking of a slice of bread to feed the ducks and geese.

The two of them sat there on opposite sides and opposite ends of the bench, just doing their thing. Then the young man looked up and said.”Do you come here often?” The old man told him that, yes he did come quite often when it was nice weather.

He had never seen the young guy around before, but since he had opened the conversation the old man asked him if he was from around here? He told him no, he had only been in the city a few days and that it was nice to have someone to talk to.

The old man told him his name was William, but most people just called him ‘Bill’. He also told him it was nice to have company, as he was usually out in the morning alone. The young guy told Bill that his name was Carl and that he liked his name so he never had got a “nickname”.

Well they chatted a little while, and Bill told Carl that he was retired, and Carl said, “Ya I figured that.” They chatted for a while longer and Carl told Bill that he was 23 and that when he was about 20 he had a big ‘dust-up’ with his dad and proceeded to tell him that he did not need him, or anything he had. He grabbed his jacket, his bank book and his back pack. He slammed the door and took off down the street. That was three years and he had not seen or talked to anyone in his family since.

He told Bill that he thought it was great when it happened. In that few minutes while he lost his temper, he had decided to, travel the country, maybe the world, and maybe work when he had to and just enjoy life.

Bill, who had a whole lifetime of experience to fall back on asked Carl. “And how has that worked out for you so far?’

Bill got the feeling that Carl did not want to talk about it, but after sitting and looking at the ground for a while, he said, “Well it went great for about three months. Then I woke up one morning and realized I was really hungry. I did not have a job and had not been able to get one and I only had a few dollars in my pocket. I Had thought I would be able to get a job anytime I wanted to, if I was not picky, but I found out that was not the case.(I think partly because of the way my clothes looked, and partly that I still had MY ATTITUDE.)

Carl went on to say that he had stayed in the Seattle, Washington area for a while and gradually learned the ‘rules of the road’ so to speak. That was one of the things that caused problems with my Dad and me. I guess I thought I would like the rules of the road, better than the rules at HOME. I stayed in Seattle for over a year and although I had a couple of jobs I gradually realized they were dead end jobs. I also realized at that time that I should have finished school.

That was another thing that caused the dust-up with my Dad. I did not like him telling me what to do all the time. Unfortunately it took a long time for me to realize he was telling me these things for my sake and not for his.

When I left home during my boiling temper tantrum, all I wanted to do was hurt him and show him I really did not need him. The sad thing that I now realize is that he only wanted what he thought was best for me. Of course he never wanted to hurt me.

Almost all at the same time we realized, both of us that we had been talking for well over a couple of hours and what was really strange was we were chatting away like we were old friends.

They both stood up and Bill asked Carl if he could give him a ride to someplace. Carl told him no thanks, that is my rental bike chained to that post right over there and it gets me almost any place I want to go.

Carl started for his bike and Bill for his car, probably both with a lot of questions on their minds. Just before Bill got to his car, his new found friend, Carl, called to him and asked if he thought he might be here tomorrow? Bill yelled that yes he thought he would and they both took off in different directions.

Of course the next morning they both showed up at the Duck Park. Carl was a little late, and Bill thought he was not going to show up. However when he got there he held up a McDonald sack and he told Bill that he had stopped to get breakfast to eat with him.

They sat down by each other and Carl said, “Before we talk I want you to know how much I enjoyed our visit yesterday and I also want to tell you something I did not tell you yesterday.”

Bill also told Carl that he really enjoyed talking to him yesterday and he almost felt like they were old friends.

Well Carl started off, “for the last month or so I have been going to a counselor to try and get my life back in order, and perhaps I can go back home to my family. About two weeks ago my counselor asked me if I had anyone in the area that I knew quite well and that I felt like I could talk to?” I really felt bad when I had to tell him that “No, I did not. He told me that I needed to find someone to talk to besides him.

Well I had been thinking about it for a few days, before I went for a bike ride and saw you sitting by yourself at the Duck Park. A thought went through my mind, “he is all alone and I am all alone, maybe I should stop and talk to him.

Well that is when I came over and sat down by you, and I was scared to death that you would just ignore me or get up and move. But you did not, and when I left I felt closer to you than with anyone I had met since I left home. 

I got thinking about it last night and decided that perhaps you were the person my counselor wanted me to find, that I could trust and talk to also.

They talked for several hours, Carl telling Bill how tough life has been since he left home and how he really wanted to go back, but could not quite decide how to do it. And Bill trying to reinforce the fact that he did not think it would be as hard as he had built it up in his mind.

During their talk several things came up. Carl had told Bill that he realized the problem with his Dad was a two-sided thing, but he was not sure that even after three, or maybe because it HAD been three years that his Dad would feel like he did not want to let him come back.

At that point Bill had done something that he had wanted to do ever since they net. He asked if Carl was a Christen. Carl told him that he was pretty sure he was, but he had not been to Church since he was a teen ager.  Bill then asked him he had a Bible. He told him that there were a lot of them in the place he was staying. Bill told Carl that he did not want to push it but if he would read in the Bible LUKE 15:11-32, The Story of the Prodigal Son, tonight, that he would get the answer as to how his Dad would receive him when he decided to go home.

I guess they both thought they had talked long enough, as they both stood up at the same time. Carl remembered that Bill was going to lunch with his Sister the next day, but he asked him to make sure and indeed that was the case.

They shook hands and Bill wanted to give him a big bear-hug but he was not sure how that would be received so he decided not to.

Carl seemed to become more serious, and said to Bill. “I would like to ask two favors of you. If you don’t want to do them it is OK. 1. I have a favorite Aunt who lives in St. George, who I have not seen for years. If I give you her phone number would you call her and tell her you have met me and that I am doing just fine. 2: Would you be willing to share your telephone number with me in case everything works out OK, and I can call and tell you? I know we have only known each other a few days but I feel you are the closest person I know right at this time.

Bill said of course he would do both of the things he wanted. He then explained he thought it would be better for him to call his Aunt, as it would be much more personal. Carl explained he knew that and he is working up to doing that, but that he was not quite there yet. 

Carl peddled off to his room on his bike and Bill hobbled over and crawled into his Trail Blazer and headed to what he had started calling his Big Empty House. Although it is neither of those right now. It is moderate and comfortable and I am still there.

Just a few thoughts about the Prodigals, that have passed through Bill’s mind since that meeting a few years ago:

:The two Prodigals (Biblical & Modern) left home for the same or similar reasons.

:Both were happy to be gone at first, but the longer they were gone the worse it became, until they both wanted to be back home.

:I am not sure about the modern day prodigal, but I hope his return called for a celebration.

:It took effort for the Prodigals to get to a position where they wanted to go back home.
:It took effort and faith on the whole family—and an explanation from the Father.

W.R.Baldwin

8 January 2017