Where the Pig Trail Meets the Dirt Road
Jay Thomas Willis

It was May 4,1955. Jason and his parents lived in Redding, Arkansas. He got up at five o'clock every morning to do his chores. He had to first make a fire in the old wood-burning stove; second, feed all the livestock. They had horses, cows, hogs, chickens, and ducks. The dogs also had to be fed. Once these chores were done, he got dressed for school, then ate breakfast. Jason was a senior in high school, and this was his next-to-last day of school. He could feel that something unusual was going to happen today. Jason could smell it in the air and could hear it whispering in the wind. He seemed to be waiting for a sign from somewhere to give him some directions on what his plans should be. Without such a sign he would be lost.

Jason was the last child at home out of ten siblings. His youngest sister had left home and gotten married two years ago. He and his parents lived alone. His four brothers lived in Little Rock, four of his sisters lived in Texarkana, and the other sister lived within the city limits of Redding. Jason, his mother and father lived in the rural area of Redding, about ten miles outside the city limits. Most of Jason's sisters and brothers rarely came home, nor did anyone else visit for that matter. The sister who lived in Redding came by to visit almost every weekend. Jason presumed his older sisters and brothers didn't want to be reminded of where they came from.

Jason and his parents lived in a dilapidated house. It had been built in 1912, and few if any improvements had been made since that time. It had never been painted, had a tin roof that leaked during the slightest rain, and there were many cracks through which the wind came calling in winter. They had no running water or indoor bathroom facilities. They did have electricity but no gas and no telephone.

He only had to trek through the pig trail on his way to school for one more day. He had to walk for about a mile through tall grass while dodging low-hanging limbs on the trail to the dirt road where he caught the bus for school. Jason, his mother and father normally kept the trail free of such obstacles, but lately the trail had been allowed to grow up. They worried about snakes hiding in the grass at night. With Jason busy with his track meet and practice, and his father busy at the sawmill, there was little time for clearing the trail.

None of his other brothers or sisters had graduated high school. They all got fed up with being deprived, doing chores, and navigating the pig trail, so they eventually gravitated to cities nearby. Their one objective was to get out of those god-forsaken woods. Jason's parents had lived here since they were married in 1912. Jason was seventeen and the oldest child was 45. His parents were both sixty years of age. None of the other children had thought about going to college, even after reaching adulthood.

Jason wanted to go to college, but had no idea of how he would pay for it. He knew his parents couldn't afford to send him. He tried not to allow that thought to penetrate his consciousness. He knew he would have no help from any of his brothers or sisters; they could barely manage their own economic situations. Jason often thought of how wonderful it would be to go to Central State University and get a degree in history. In his spare time he constantly read books about history. He was number three in his graduating class. The top individual had a 4.0, the second had a 3.8, and Jason had a 3.6. He had gotten this news just three weeks ago. There were 226 students in his senior class, and 1,232 students in his high school. Redding had a population of 32,000.

Jason got through with his chores, cleaned up as best he could, got dressed, and ate his breakfast. His father had already eaten and headed for the sawmill. It was a short walk further down the dirt road that connected to the pig trail.

"Good morning, Mother."

"Good morning, Jason. How'd you sleep last night?"

"Fine, how about you?"

"Okay. "

" Finish all your chores?"

"Yes, I did."

"School's about over for you."

"That's right."

"What're your plans?"

"I don't know."

"Well, you had better do some quick thinking."

"I guess so."

"Have you looked for a job yet?"

"Not yet."

"Do you know what kind of job you want?"

As if he had a choice of occupations. Jason had thought about working at the sawmill with his father, but didn't want to mention it to his mother. He had always wanted to build them a new house. He could live right here in Redding with his parents while he built it. However, he didn't think his mother would like the idea of his staying at home and working at the sawmill. She wanted better things for Jason but had no means of providing them.

"Hadn't thought about it much, been too busy with school."

"Well, you better get out of here. You know that bus ain't go'n wait for you."

"Bye, Mother."

"Have a good day at school."

He grabbed his books and headed down the pig trail to the bus stop.

A car could barely navigate the pig trail. There was a deep ditch that could swallow a car whole. Only God and the road commissioner knew why