Bill went to ruck

After March's epic heat blitz, the weather had settled near the season's norm.

A few showers ended the month-long pollen rage and when the clouds cleared, the

days turned pleasant and cool.

 

Late Sunday afternoon, Bill hefted a rucksack onto his back, put on the baseball

cap bearing his son's highschool logo, and went out for a walk. They called it

rucking, marching under load, which had become his favorite exercise. It allowed

him to work out while blending in, like a zebra in its herd. Not that he had

much to hide but what with the valley's pirate tech culture and lately monetizing

privacy, he constantly felt a need to be invisible.

 

The milieu beats the man, a Chinese proverb he'd come to appreciate after moving

to the Peninsula from the East Bay six years ago. He used to jog on miles upon

miles of trails along the Alameda Creek, in the Coyote Hills, and on the dirt

levies arching deep into the Bay. In the packed hoods of high-tech Mountain View,

however, running felt standing out, which went against what he was taught when

young--know thy place, follow the rules, and stay with the crowd. So much had

changed since then but early lessons last a lifetime. Now in his 50s, he was

like the elephant that was tethered as a baby with a thin rope to a sapling and

couldn't break loose even when it grew to a giant bull.

 

At a measured pace, he weaved his way within the few square miles around

Silicon Valley's birthplace. From El Camino Real to the Caltrain tracks, the

area was studded with densely erected modern apartments with names like the

Dean, the Village, and the Landsby, and townhomes bordering on the San Antonio

mall, the hub that had kept up with the times. At the mall's north-west corner

once stood a European-style al fresco grocery store, the Milk Pail where Bill

bought imported oil-packed tuna and canned San Marzano to make a pasta sauce and

later on, after his health scare, discovered the Clara Valley raw milk which

showed cream indeed rose to the top. A five-story office space had been planned

but the site had stayed empty since the store sold out before the Pandemic.

 

Here he turned left and trodded east on California Street, keeping the visor of

his cap leveled and his eyes on the ground right in front. It was before reaching

Rengstorff Ave he spotted a black faux-leather wallet on the pavement. He didn't

remember the last time he made such a finding. The Artful Dodger would've been

thrilled. His own thrill faded rapidly, however, and turned to dread even as he

picked up the palm-sized article--now he had to do something about it. Rifling

through the content twice, he found some cash, a Costco membership card, a

Mexican ID which he couldn't read, but no address or phone number.

 

For the next 10min, Bill patrolled the sidewalks around the apartment building

nearby, raising and swiveling his head like a periscope to sight a 30-ish

brown-eyed woman in curly waterfalls. He probed the panel at the entrance of the

building. No response. In time, he relaxed the hairstyle criterion and asked a

female passerby looking the age bracket if she had lost a wallet. She smiled and

shook her head, which made him feel silly.

 

So he marched on, purse in hand, and headed north for two blocks to find the

community center closed. By now he was getting tired. His heart was racing and

sweat gathered quickly on his forehead. An hour into rucking, the 50lb bag was

crushing every step of the way and the straps were cutting into his shoulders as

he haunched forward and felt a blistering pain under the acrylic jacket. He gave

the place one last look and headed home.

[7grizzly]

回複 '暖冬cool夏' 的評論 : I understand. By 'will change "weaved" to "woven" in some future revisions' I meant I did it right by luck which might not be there when I revise the post :-)

[暖冬cool夏]

Oh, no, I meant your “weaved” here is absolutely right. I’m more familiar with “wove,” but “weaved” is correct when it describes moving in a winding way, as opposed to “wove” for interlacing threads.
This is another nuance I’ve learned from you—like “shine,” which can take two past tense forms with slightly different meanings. Thank you!

[7grizzly]

回複 '暖冬cool夏' 的評論 : Thank you 暖冬 for liking. Thanks to your reminder, Bill suddenly felt he had a lot to say :-)

Taking the cash sounds reasonable but, alas, it's too late. He turned it in to the police the next day without leaving his name. His early education of "做好事不留名" tripped him up again.

Thanks for pointing it out. I somehow didn't think about it when writing but sure will change "weaved" to "woven" in some future revisions :-)

[暖冬cool夏]

And you are right to use “weaved“ instead of “wove“ as I googled online to find the difference. Great word of choice, by the way. Thank you!

[暖冬cool夏]

Love Bill’s stories! As always, it’s a joy to read—to feel what he feels in a particular season and setting. The descriptions are richly detailed, and the vocabulary is ver well chosen—I could gush on and on :)

Did Bill ever find the owner in the end? If not, where could he turn it in?

A few years ago, J lost her purse on the way to the airport and had to cancel her flight. She found it at a store near a bus station in the end. Her driver’s license and credit cards were still inside, but the $60+ in cash was gone :)