“The guys that work the ranches are the loneliest guys in the world.
They ain’t got no family and they don’t belong no
place. They got nothing to look forward to…”
George, a roaming farmhand talking to his
traveling companion, Lennie; taken from
John Steinbeck’s, “Of Mice and Men.”
Like George and Lennie in Steinbeck’s epic novel, there are still those who travel the Great Plains looking for work on ranches and farms. But, for drifters, decent, well-paying farm work is scarce in this day and age. Inevitably, just like Lennie and George who went before them, the road will exact its toll and, sooner or later, they’ll get tired of the rejection and look for a place to land. The most fortunate will probably wind up busting their humps in a 12-hour shift at the local meat packing plant. And the rest? Well, more than likely, they’ll end up at some broken-down boarding house trying to hang on to any shred of dignity they might have left.
Standing in the shadow that accompanies the last light of day, I hope from the deepest part of my heart that just one of these letters brings with it good news.
In more populated locales, boarding houses are the last stop before the shelters. But if you are down on your luck in a small town, boarding houses are usually the last stop before you disappear.
What do you think?