Pride Goeth Before A Fall

[PacNorWest]

Inga Evangaline Hanson

Grand Prix rider extraordinair
out of a job, out of luck.


Inga turned her face away from the television set. As she moved, she dislodged her heart monitor and it beeped loudly. Lights flashed, a second alarm kicked in and Inga didn't give a rat's behind if she lived out the day.

Within seconds the nurse raced in, anxiously checking the bedside computer station vitals and scanning her troublesome patient for signs of failure.

The nurse fussed at Inga a bit, but the semi paralyzed woman phased out her human contact and returned to her nothing world.

[debralee]

Very interesting start. You have me hooked already. Now I need more.....please?

[sssarawolf]

Oh Oh Inga yippeee.

[PacNorWest]

#1

Six months after her much televised event fall; her horse destroyed by the vet in charge as the pole had speared into the huge liver chestnut's side, Inga Hanson took her first step towards recovery.

There was a year's worth of physical therapy, pain upon waves of pain that would have destroyed a less determined woman.
Inga's recovery was progressing nicely when the economy faltered and then collapsed. The last week in July conference, between the doctors, therapists, nurses and Inga was the last. They couldn't continue to treat her.

The business agent showed up early the next morning with her personal items, a contract, and a bill. It was gather up what few clothes she had, pick up her purse with $150.00 in it and take a look at the bill that was close to $850,000.00.

Inga called her insurance agent who was mysteriously out of the office, and left a message for the woman to call the hospital. "I don't know what to say Mr. Jepson. You told me the insurance would cover the cost, and now you say nothing was paid? Why would the hospital let the bill grow to that proportions, before meeting with the Insurance company?"

It was under these circumstances Inga Hanson found herself out on the street in front of South Carolina's most prestiges hospital with the directions to the local YWCA in her hand.

It was a mean, nasty winter of waiting tables, house sitting and pet pooper scooping to save the necessary money for a bus ticket home. The bus ride was as mean and nasty as the winter and Inga got within 300 miles of home before she ran out of money.
The ticket would get her home; but her stomach was protesting it's hunger every mile turned under the bus wheels.

A little old white haired lady gave Inga a package of peanuts as she got off at her stop. And at Salt Lake City, a small family left her a sandwich and a bottle of water. The bus lurched over the snowville summit and headed to Twin Falls and a raunchy looking teenager with green and purple hair left her a box of fried chicken and a Mountain Dew when he left the bus. It got her through.

As the bus lumbered up the Meacham Summit and sped down the river to Portland; Inga began to feel twinges of excitement. She was going home, a place she hadn't seen in twelve years. Changing buses at Portland for the trip up North , she watched the rain on the window as the vehicle sped along. The monochrome gray and green landscape was soothing, monotonous and welcome.

Inga was furious when the bus ended it's journey 50 miles from her home. Energy and financial cuts, the driver shrugged his shoulders, nothing he could do. Alone in the bus station, she paced up and down. Tired, hurting and out of patience with herself and her weakness Inga started walking the highway towards home.

It was a long vehicle-less walk until a chip truck topped the slight rise behind her and started picking up gears. Inga turned around and stuck her thumb out, hopefully hitching a ride.

Everett Wilson was used to hitchhikers on the long lonely stretch of road. His job as the second shift driver for the chip company had him returning home just before dark, the bus unloaded at 2pm. and people on the move made it just about this far.

The slight female form was limping badly as he approached, but she turned and made the universal sign for a lift. He flipped the jake brake on and it rattled, slowing the truck and trailer. With a hiss of air, the old Peterbilt cabover stopped.

The woman came around to the driver's side and shouted up, asking for a ride. Ev nodded and shouted back to get in. She got the door open, and had difficulty stretching her leg up high enough to reach the saddle tank step. Eventually she made it in, collapsed in the seat and weakly slammed the door.

"I'm headed to Evergreen, are you going out that far?" she questioned tiredly.

"That's my yard," he replied, thinking she sounded familiar, but not placing the voice familiarity. "You up here visiting?" he asked affably, happy to have company on the run.

"I used to live here," the woman replied. "I've been gone a long while. Maybe you know my parents. Hap and Evie Hanson?"

[seraphima]

Yes! a new story, and the plot thickens!

[wab54]

ALLLRRRIIGGHHTT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WWWHWHWHHHHHHOOOOHHOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


WAB

[chaosdad]

alright, way to go Pac. can't wait for this one.

[PacNorWest]

#2
"Do I ever know Evie; Cheryl and I are neighbors, that must make you Inga. Have you been in touch with your mother, there are many changes at your place, you know." Ev watched the youthful looking blonde's face for any recognition that she knew about her dad.

"Changes at our place, not likely," she laughed lightly. "My folks have seen stuck in the same rut forever."

"Inga," Ev hesitated as he debated what and how much was his responsibility to share. "There are changes you need to know about. As you could guess, the economy has not been kind to your parents. Pete came back and left his family with your mother to raise, the next door neighbor woman brought her kids to your mom and vanished. And, it seems those were Pete's children also. And then.................."

A deer crossed the road a quarter mile ahead, and Ev hit the jake. Where one sauntered, there were bound to be more. The one thing a driver could count on in the hills; mama deer never taught their fawns to look both ways when they crossed the road.
Experience proved him correct as the old faded blue Pete closed the distance to the crossing. Three more deer jumped into the road; a great looking 3 point buck and a doe and fawn. Ev made note of the mile marker. A good place to consider hunting, he smiled.

"I had forgotten about how stupid deer can act," Inga observed, as she watched the graceful creatures stand in the road watching the oncoming truck.

Ev grabbed the leather pull of the air horn and yanked, blasting his displeasure at the deer. Three gears down and then back up as he lifted the shifter on the super nine speed transmission. The Pete was a little short on pulling power, the nine speed the only cheap replacement for the trashed 15 speed that failed the month before.

Ev thought about the part time driving gig he had been lucky to land. It was so difficult to find a job, any job, that a person just did what the job called for and didn't complain. The driving part wasn't bad, it was the loading of the gravity bin hog fuel that was a pain in the back. If you miscalculated the amount of chips you loaded, you shoved your truck down to the correct weight. After the second time of shoveling for six hours, he figured out how to be smarter. Now, he was accurate most of the time.

Ev slowed for the turn into the company yard, swinging wide to allow for the truck and four wheel trailer to hang on the established track. November weather was wet. They had already had over six inches of rain, and it was only the 15th. But the truck yard was oozing mud, pretty easy to get stuck as not. Ev sure as the heck didn't want to chain just to park.

"Give me 15 to finish my log and turn in my paperwork, here's the keys to the old blue pickup next to the fence. Start it and let it warm up and we'll get you home." the part time truck driver smiled at Inga and disappeared into the office.

Inga unlocked the protesting pickup door and pried it open. The 4 wheel drive was difficult to get into, as high off the ground as the old Ford sat. A backwoods boy's pickup, Inga thought with disdain, as she swiped at the mess scattered on the seat.
Inga tried several times to depress the clutch with her injured left leg. The pedal was so stiff she couldn't push it down, besides she couldn't move the seat ahead enough to get a purchase.

"Here I am," Everett announced cheerfully, as he yanked the driver's door open with ease. "Having trouble getting ole Betsy to start?"

Minutes later Inga was deposited at Evie's front door. Ev thought she was kind of a prissy stuck up little miss to be Evie's daughter; but then he had been astonished that Pete was her son.

Evie had looked out the kitchen window when she heard Ev's pickup, and could hardly believe her eyes. Dear Lord it was Inga!

[sssarawolf]

Oh poor Evie not another Priss to deal with .