ARTS O’ MAGAZINE
🚶 Ramblin’ Man 🚶♂️
Mike Kraus
Holding back an avalanche of junk from the driver’s seat, it took 20 minutes of sitting in an abandoned store parking lot to decide to come to this crummy town. The only remarkable thing about this place is that people still live here. Nothing but dollar stores and cookie cutter sprawl. I turn down a road that is a labyrinth of identical houses on cul-de-sacs. The only way to reach your destination is to remember to take the second street on the left and count four houses on the right. A residential “House of Mirrors.” I pull into a driveway and eventually knock on the plastic door. A disheveled, thin, old man answers in a tattered baby blue bathrobe. He’s sickly and holds onto the door jam for balance. I try to appear positive and fail when I say, “Hey Gran’pa.”
He’s alone. Grandma’s been dead for quite a while. A child of the Depression, he grinded himself into the ground at the factory to put his children through college. It was that hard labor that exposed him to the carcinogens that gave him the kidney cancer he was diagnosed with two months ago. He raised me and always seemed to know what he was doing. It’s why I’m here. It’s why it’s so difficult to realize there is no cure.
“How ya doin,’ pa?” He stubbornly pushes me away when I try to help him to his recliner.
“Not bad. Just threw up. You?” And, he honestly means that he was doing alright. “Find any werk yet?”
“Eh. Had some leads, but nothin’ dat’s panned out yet.”
“Ya need ta pound the pavement ‘nd knock on some doors.”
“It doesn’t work that way. Ya hafta submit yer resume online ‘nd hope dat yers gets selected instead of da hundreds of other chumps dat apply. ‘Nd, ya gotta hope dat no one gets special treatment ’cause they’re da bosses’ kid or friend too.”
“Dat’s why ya gotta get in their face. Make ’em tellya ‘no’ in person.”
“Awright. Anyway, how are yer treatments?” I change the subject since he hasn’t applied for a job in over a half century.
“All dem goddamn pills make me sicker than a dog. Can’t hold nothin’ down. Not even soup.” I look over at the coffee table and it’s been transformed into a pharmacy. Piles of pill bottles.
“Anythin’ I can help ya with?”
“Na. Just havin’ company is good. How’s dat girl of yers doin?”
“Ah… Awright, I guess.” His head tilts forward with an inquisitive stare.
“Awright? It’s never good when ya say it’s ‘awright.’”
“It’s fine. Nothin’ ta bother ya with.”
“Bother? What da hell else am I doin’? What, ya got inta a fight? Do somethin’ dumb?”
“Uh… Yeah… We kinda jus’ broke up.” Grandpa’s head leans back in the chair.
“Sorry ‘bout dat. Sure ya don’t wanna go inta details.” He always gets the same look in his eyes when something doesn’t work out for me. It’s sympathy; not disappointment (which may be worse). “So, where ya livin’ then?”
“I can probably stay on a friend’s couch ’til I get a place. Call in some favors.”
“So, ya don’t have anywhere ta go? Where’s yer stuff? Take one of my extra rooms.”
“Oh, I can’t do dat?”
“Why not? I ain’t usin’ ’em. ‘Nd it’s not gonna be pleasant with me fumblin’ ‘round the place.”
“Are ya sure? How much doya want fer rent?”
“Be quiet. I’m no landlord.”
“Well, I’ll do all da chores ‘nd all then.”
“No worries. I gotta nurse fer dat.”
“Then she can focus on taking care of ya instead of doin’ da dishes.”
“Ah…” He dismissively waves his right hand at me. “So, where’s yer junk?”
“In da car.”
“Go get it ‘nd bring it in while I go take my medicine.” He gets up, again refuses assistance, and heads to the kitchen with pockets full of drugs.
In-and-out of the house. Box after box stacked into the spare room until it looked like a storage unit. I took a seat on the twin bed with its old plaid comforter. It’s been a while since I’ve stayed in this room. The dresser top is still full of knick knacks that span several decades. The desk is dusty with a few reference books neatly aligned in the right corner. There’s nothing on the crème colored walls. The room would look like a set of an old movie if it weren’t for all my crap.
As I glance out the window, a doe and two fawns emerge from the bushes. The doe chews on some flowers while the spotted fawns chase each other around. I blankly stare at them darting around. Where do they live? There aren’t any woods or anything else natural for miles. Ostracized by speeding traffic, barking dogs, and high fences. How do they survive in this hostile environment? They don’t belong here, but where else can they go? And, as quickly as they appeared, they vanished.
Anyway, everything was unloaded and I was finished daydreaming. I had to drop off the car. As I pass the living room, I see grandpa sleeping in his chair. I left him a note that said, “Thanks for letting me stay. Dropping off the car. Back in a while. –Luke.”
To read more, please visit: Intro: 🏡 History of Walnut House 🏡: https://readmedium.com/c01d241376bf 2) — 👁Just Don’t See It 👁: https://readmedium.com/c93db0285d52 3) 🍸 Awakening 🍸: https://readmedium.com/b72e7dcbd17c 4) 🎸 Gazed In Wide Wonder 🎸: https://readmedium.com/626ce857b1cd 5) 💊 Tattered 💊: https://readmedium.com/a0422087f4e0 6) 🏭 Warehouse 🏭: https://readmedium.com/31bb79506dee 7) 🍹Little Taste of Grandpa’s Cough Syrup 🍹: https://readmedium.com/135499bc53d8 8) 🍳🥓☕ Breakfast With Anabelle ☕🥓🍳: https://readmedium.com/0839cce6bc47 9) 👾 What Lurks In the Basement 👾: https://readmedium.com/e8e7525f9bcc 10) 🌙 Night Time Is the Right Time 🌙: https://readmedium.com/6f6bbaef1e8e 11) 🖼 Refuge From An Indifferent World 🖼: https://readmedium.com/8ef888cb076c 12) ☠ Skull & Crossbones Memory ☠: https://readmedium.com/3f18f90ac784 13) 💚☕🚚 An Enchanting Evening At the Golden Ticket 🚚☕💚: https://readmedium.com/2f8284be509f 14) 🌭 Gotta Have Some Fun Before Ya Go 🌭: https://readmedium.com/2ca6412ca654 15) ✋ Handsy Hubert 🤚: https://readmedium.com/d7151e07870b 16) 🤵 Fake It ’Til Ya Make It 🤵: https://readmedium.com/f82ade21a44d 17) 🐴📦 Funny Little Box 📦🐴: https://readmedium.com/ea4b2fb0002d 18) 🍕 Tommy’s Pizza, Can I Help Ya? 🍕: https://readmedium.com/4ea3d996da9c 19) 🍺 Dusty’s Saloon 🍺: https://readmedium.com/09d9328ba48f 20) 💣 Does It Matter? 💣: https://readmedium.com/71218e31b858 21) 🥀 Hospice 🥀:https://readmedium.com/c7e330448393 22) 📢 ESTATE SALE! Today 10am-3pm 📢: https://readmedium.com/864c65a8c544
Mike Kraus was born on the industrial shoreline of Muskegon, Michigan. After earning his Fine Arts Degree from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, he attended Grand Valley State University for his graduate degree. From there, he gained varied experiences from the Chicago Architecture Center, Art Institute of Chicago, Hauenstein Center For Presidential Studies, Lollypop Farm Humane Society, and the Lurie Children’s Foundation. And every place he worked, he had his sketchbook with him and found ways to be actively creative. In 2014, Kraus became a full-time artist by establishing Mike Kraus Art. Since then, he has sold thousands of paintings that are displayed in nearly every state and dozens of countries. Currently, Kraus lives in Rochester, New York with his beautiful wife and goofy dog.
For more information, please visit: Store: http://MikeKrausArt.etsy.com Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/user/BrightscapesArt/ Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/MikeKrausArt Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/MikeKraus/ Instagram: https://instagram.com/mikekrausart LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/mkraus
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