March 07, 2009

Come On Baby Light My Fire

After spending a few hours running errands and talking to friends on Thursday, the time to scuttle home came. I loaded up Ridge and pointed the Explorer, away from Elk City and toward our life on the open range in Cheyenne. The trip started out uneventful, as they do every Tuesday and Thursday. I decided to drove home the back way, through winding county roads, rather than the highway. I don't know why I do, I just like the scenery I suppose.
Not far outside of Elk City, a utility pickup was stopped in the middle of the road. The air on the sides of the truck was in that blurry wave that frequents the sides of charcoal grills and, I don't know, most other kinds of FUCKING FIRE. Just as I stopped, two guys bailed out and hustled to the back for a fire extinguisher. Clearly something in the back of their truck was ablaze. Before these two could get the extingusher going, a fiery bit of debris flew onto the dry, brittle grass of the nearby pasture. The two men dropped their fire extinguisher and ran quickly to the expanding flames, trying in vain to stomp it out. With Oklahoma in the middle of a
drought, these two thinking this would help is like thinking a b.b. gun can stop a freight train. Needless to say, it was fucking on.
I immediately got out my cell phone and dialed 9-1-1 and, before the dispatcher could patch me through to the fire department, the fire had burned at least two or three acres. I mean, this bitch was up in smoke like a hay stack.
After the sea of flames had spread like rapid flood waters over the pasture, the two men gave up their defeated campaign of stomping it out. They walked quickly away from the blazing truck and the even hotter field. I pulled my car around, rolled down the window and told them I had already called the fire department.
And that's when I realized that this was one of my old friend's big brother. I've known this guy most of my life and, bless his heart, his life has always been some bizarre mix of a reality television show and one of those skit comedy shows. In other words, you just never know what the hell is gonna happen in any day in the life of Bobby.
After I told him I made the emergency call, he thanked me. Because Ridge was in the backseat, overrunning with the pure excitement only a near disaster can bring an adventurous 4 year old boy, I felt like staying at a wildfire would just be, I don't know, bad parenting. Bobby agreed that I probably should get out of Dodge since the welding equipment that had started the fire in his truck were still in it. I asked Bobby if he and his co-worker wanted me to take them somewhere, perhaps a place not going up in smoke. But, he was shackled to the responsibility of staying out there with his work truck until the fire department arrived. I tried for a moment to persuade him, but he was staying the course.
So, as I turned around, I hoped the fire department would get this under control faster than some other wildfires that have raged in Oklahoma under these dry, dusty conditions. But apart from my concern, I couldn't help giggle at the thought of Bobby, with all his many mishaps, had in part started a wildfire right in front of my disbelieving eyes.

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14 comments:

dumbwhore said...

Sometimes life if just too fucking surreal, right?

dumbwhore said...

is, not if. damn, I need more coffee.

Chris said...

Uhm..... Ooopsie. LOL

BTW, your google ad is asking me "Is your husband gay?" LOL

Anonymous said...

Wow, that would freak me out but good. And probably my 4-year-old too. Which may just be the difference between girls and boys.

And your Google ad is telling me about fire safety. ;-)

Trixie said...

I dunno...if it was me I would of freaked as well...esp after the wild fires in Oz last month killing so many people. I certainly hope it didnt get too out of control.

Casey said...

Wow, that's amazing timing. I hope they got it under control and nobody was hurt. I'm sure the kids loved the free show, you might want to hide the matches for awhile.

for a different kind of girl said...

Dude, this is like equal parts scary and awesome. I mean, I'm not down with the rampaging fire, but there's something cool about being there to summon the call for help. Of course, bear in mind I've not been out of my house in two days, and it's raining here.

Anonymous said...

I would have creamed my pants at how quick and far that fire had spread!! I truly hope they did get it under control also. It looks terrible on the news when they show how quickly they spread. Hope you and your hubby and the kids are well :-)

phonelady said...

that is really wild huh that you would know this person huh ? only you my dear friend like me could possibly get into something like this . we have the lucy and ethel syndrome you and I . LOL !!!

Unknown said...

It is so wet and rainy here so its hard to imagine anything dry. I have mushrooms between my toes.

Anonymous said...

My boys would have been ecstatic too. Isn't that crazy...it's that Y chromosome thing they come with.

Anonymous said...

I can not wait to tell Bobby that he made the Cowboy Chronicles!! He was really a little freaked out by the whole experience. Thanks for stopping and calling 911. You would have thought that they would have done that already????
No it takes a fast thinking woman to come up with that idea! LOL!
Mary

TexasRed said...

Wow - this sounds like a Western TV episode, not real life.

Laura said...

It's all about the great story and this is a killer!

Finish This Page, but click on the older posts, too.

The knee-slappin,' cursin,' GOOD TIMES don't start or end on the front page, so read the older posts! Maybe you missed something. Maybe you forgot. I try to post daily, so read the older posts!
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