Borderlands

I live in a between place.

My house sits on a county line. Actually, Kevin and I have been arguing about it. He says the line starts at the sign which is past my house. I say the line starts were the pavement changes because counties pave their roads and not inch more. The pavement goes from bumpy gray to dull black before the house. But that's the problem (and magick) of a 'tween place- nothing is definite.

Let's take a drive. Let's leave the Twin City and go up 280. Just after we enter Chambers Co. we'll turn left onto Seals Street which is only Seals for 30 yards then it will be Tallapoosa 9. Another 50 yards up the road forks. Right is Seals Street again and left is.. what? I think it's Lee Road 70-something. All I can tell you is the closer we get to the house the more it forks and changes. It will be 73, 71, 72, and 71 again before becoming Roxana once we are back at my house and safely in Tallapoosa County where none of the roads are straight.

The air is different. There is a hint of possibility. Things are always the same, but they are not what you remember. My father is always telling me 'I know where I am. Right around the corner will be the beer joint.' Except when we round the curve the old bar is now a garage, but the same greasy men who sat on bar stools are fixing cars. Dad frowns. 'Well it was here.' There's an unspoken I think following each statement.

I got lost two miles from the house. Or maybe it's a lot farther than that. We rode for a long time in the dark, over the winding, bumpy road. We were looking for the new dollar store. My landlord gave vague directions (which is the only thing you can do in a borderland) which included lots of pointing in the direction of Hwy 50. I thought surely the store would actually be on a major highway and Kevin drove pointlessly back and forth down an empty stretch of road the town seems to forgotten about. We got better directions and tried again two days later. This time Kevin went right to it. Where is it? Somewhere on a dark corner. I still can't find it.

If you're waiting for me to get to a point, there isn't one. Nothing is definite in border country. Go for a drive. Find something. Forget about it. Rediscover it when you meet some friends. Find the local bar before the parking lot fills with rusty old cars, or does it already have battered trucks out front?