Choice

CHAPTER TWENTY THREE: The Path Not Taken

Wherein our hero opts to not look.

[Saturday afternoon, October 4th, Metamora, IL]

"Far Hills Drive is in Germantown Hills. It starts on the north side of Rte 116 and winds back into a hilly wooded area whee there are many nice houses. I know if I took that road, there is a particular place where that road forks. If I were to go to the left, somewhere down that road is where Number One lived (1). If I were to go to the right, I would find the past residence of Wolfboy (2). I can't see any benefit in going to either place (3). There is truth in either place that would damage the memories I have and/or want to keep. Those, and anything east of town I guess I will let be (4)."

(1) The odd part of that being that for as fond of those memories of her as I am, I doubt I could find her old house. And, finding her old house would be of no use to me, except to feed the pangs of nostalgia.

(2) Which, I learned later, is no longer inhabited by any member of his family. That makes one more place left to exist solely in the halls of memory.

(3) For the reasons listed above. I was already riding a bit of a downer from trying to digest how many things had changes or been lost. There is enough positive memory association with both of those place that I opted to keep the memories as they are and ignore the present status of either location.

(4) My travels took me no further east than the road I came into Metamora on.