Miss Direction

"Excuse me, sir? I seem to be at the wrong place. This is the third house on the left on 800, yes? Are you Mr. Mulder?"

A man with beads of sweat dripping onto his cutoff T-shirt tilted his head sideways while his wife stood a few feet behind him, her head down and her foot scraping dirt in a circle.

"Ma'am, you're not on the right 800 street. You see, this here section splits off, but if you take a left onto 200--that street runs north and south--take a left, and go to 700--street runs east to west--take a right. From there you'll come up to another stop sign. There's a shoddy little shack on the corner there. Cain't miss it. Ever'body talks about it all the time. Mmkay, then you're gonna take a right, then a left on the nother 800. Mulders life on that road."

I told the man thanks, and leaned my head to the side to wave goodbye to his wife, too. They stood in the driveway, and I watched them in my rear view mirror as I drove away.

My GPS was saying "Take right at 200. Recalculating. In one mile turn right onto 49. Recalculating..."

I had spent the day listening to my GPS, staying the the correct I-80 lanes through Des Moines and Chicago, taking the correct exit to Indiana, but suddenly I was on tiny little one-lane paved roads trying to find the "Mulder's." Trying to even make sure I was in the right part of the state.

My GPS said, "Now arriving," so I turned into the driveway of the Mulders' neighbors. A lady named Christina opened the door. "Oh! She said, you're staying with the Mulders. Two houses up. I'll see you at the graduation party. Tell Barb we'll be there soon!"

When I knocked I was immediately greeted by Barb, her husband, and son, whose graduation party they were celebrating.

"We are expecting about 150 people. Most of them will want to get to know you. I've got all kinds of people you need to meet!"

Barb and I had been talking for the past few weeks about this trip, and she has been helpful in welcoming me to the area. Others new to the area stay with her, she said.

"Well can I help you set up?" I asked.

Barb had made all kinds of cheesecakes, and apparently it is a specialty. The community gets together on account of those cheesecakes regardless of graduation celebrations.

She had no problem introducing me to everyone who came. I sat at a random table, and suddenly people whose names I knew but hadn't put faces to came and introduced themselves to me. Once they would leave, others came, and this pattern repeated itself a few times. And I smiled a lot. And I said where I was originally from a lot.

"Am I gonna have to make you a photo directory?" Barb laughed when I said I'd never be able to remember all their names.

But the whole time I kept thinking, this is going to be my community. I'm going to be teaching that girl over there...and that boy...and those people will be my colleagues. Last night was just about skimming the surface on getting to know this community.

And the familiarity will come. Until then I'm going to be pulling over asking for directions.