Bob came down and walked by our place, and just happened to catch us outside. “Do you have an American Flag?”
A storm took ours a few years ago — the anchor post and everything. Bob is very hard of hearing. We all know to repeat everything we say to him, or we don’t bother say anything at all. We explained clearly, and loudly, why don’t have a flag, and Bob understood. Yet, Bob said he would fix us up.
A few days later, he came down on his tractor, with tools in a bucket on the trailer behind him.
Without even saying hello, he set to work on the top level of our deck, mounting an anchor for the flag he had for us. He worked quietly and efficiently, and we left him alone.
I don’t like the PVC pipe, but Bob was an engineer, and he knows, probably, that wood won’t hold in the storm, and the PVC pipe will give the flag longevity, even in the worst winds.
When he was finished, we thanked him. And then I asked him if he was a veteran.
“Yes, Korea.” “Artillery. That’s why I have trouble hearing.”
And then, I realized that our deck is really just a place for Bob to watch Old Glory wave.