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As the feeling wave subsided,  Kellen and Kirk became aware of the present.  The chatters of the Mothers and their children as they walk from the school property on their way to one  of the two the grocery stores on Main St. mix with the men’s voices from the post office that are still talking politics in regard to the local community.  Kellen is aware of the feeling wave of the Hage clan. It is in his memory.  He hasn’t any memory of how the information came to him.  He does not realize that his special gift is to feel the wave.  His special gift is to feel the wave of the fathers before him.  His special gift will bring solace to during his grief later in life.  For the feeling wave of the Hage clan will see him through many rough spots during his long life.  Already he has suffered the terrible fate of never having met his Grandfather.  It does little to ameliorate the loss in the present.  It is hard when he is only allowed to feel the history of his grandfather through the feeling wave with out being allowed to know the reason of how or why?  Kellen will not completely understand his gift of the clan until later in life.  Feeling the wave is special.  Accepting the wave is automatic.  Understanding of what is and what is not happening during a wave is beguiling.

The father and son stand.  Kirk looms over Kellen who happens to be taller than most kids his age.  Standing at six feet two inches Kirk is exactly a foot taller than his ten year old son.  Kirk knows that in a few summers he will need to gaze up to see the color of his sons eyes.  ”Let’s walk, son.” as Kirk swung to his right with a spritely step.  With Kellen soon to be in synchronized step with his Father. Both unconcsciously stepping over each crack in the side walk as they headed past the truck shop of the  Buttendyke Brothers.  Inside Harold Devaul was sitting on the old wooden school chair while Joe was giving him the latest news of the trucking world.

Harold was  a veteran, family man, businessman, and a part time trucker with Joe B. on the weekends.  Most times they would leave early Friday afternoon from the Inwood area with the red cabin-over International that had a sleeper behind the seats of the two passenger truck for Western South Dakota, Montana,  or Wyoming.  The tandem axel tractor was the pride of the fleet.  The International was the only tractor.  The had four strait trucks for short hauls and grain hauling.  The cabin-over tractor pulled a 40 foot double deck trailer with tandem axels.  Harold loved to tell any one who would listen how great it was to drive a truck that had twin screw (two powered  tandem axels) instead of a single axel or a pusher twin axel.  Joe was a slight built man but he had an answer to most anything.  Both of them seemed to be enjoying their day as Kellen and Kirk gazed into the picture window of the office.

Kirk noticed the reflection of the boarding house to the east in the office window of Joe B’s shop.  Beside the boarding house to the North was the old Inwood band room.  Many a Inwood residents used it as a practice room for their concerts.  Kirk’s generation used it as a Kindergarden room. The informational thoughts of the town and its residents give Kellen all the understanding that the Hage Clan feeling wave provides. Kirk’s thoughts are flowing through Kellen as they continue on their way past Inwood Furniture Store owned by Ken Dowdy, one of those radical Methodist.  They always had late church  A good Lutheran was shaking the preachers hand by 10:30,  at the coffee shop by 10:35, and reading the Des Moines Register by 10:40 with a hot cup of coffee  while waiting for the kids who were attending Sunday School.

Directly cross the street from the Inwood furniture store is the Inwood Hatchery.  The owner, Augie Piersma,  was a radical Dutchmen.  He converted to a Lutheran.  Most were glad he did.  His volunteer time with the Lutheran church was extensive.  He greeted the Lutheran kids of the Sunday school with a parable of life to coincide with the preacher sermon each sunday morning for many years.

Along side the Hatchery is another business owned by a Lutheran. H. D. Moen & Son.  It is a farm store for Case farm equipment.  It is a wonderland of tools, belts, and hydraulic fittings.  Herman,  the son of HD Moen,  ran the business with his brother Henry.  Such a wonderful man.  He would always ask the Hage boys how they were doing. “Pokey pete,’ he would say. How are you boys doing!  There were always people at the counter of this store.  The whole store was filled with honest  hard working individuals that were trying to live life.  Each with their own families but an integral part of the Hage Clan.   Kellen is feeling the wave and filling up with knowledge.  Of what use this will be is a mystery to Kellen?

Kellen makes his mind will a feeling wave to his Father not realizing that he has not bothered to speak.  ”Father, I am aware of the knowledge that you impart to me.  What good is this information?  It has to do with you and not me?” he said.

“Who is to say, Kellen?  It is what it is.  It is your gift.” Kellen’s father responded as he continued walking.  ”Each business has an owner.  Each owner has an experience with me.  Being part of the Hage clan feeling wave with your special gift makes  you a privy to my experiences.  Who is to understand why?  God has given the Hage Clan a gift.  This gift is accepted but not explained.  Being part of the Hage Clan feeling wave does not give answers to the living.  It provides feelings.  Those feeling give us this moment of communication.”  Kirk stopped and turned to his son peering deep into the dark lipid pool eyes.  ”Do you see my lips move,Kellen?”

Kellen looked around as if shocked when he heard the question.  With eye brows raised his face went blank,  his mouth fell open, and stood frozen in the realization that he had heard the communication of his Father without his Father speaking. ” You see, Kellen,  as we were walking you were wondering what were my connections to these businesses and the people that own them?  As we were walking the answers flowed through you from me without speaking.  My knowledge is your knowledge.  My memory is your memory.  We need not speak to communicate to each other.  From now on we only need to speak aloud when someone other than a Hage clan member needs to hear.  It is a God given gift that we share for this moment.  NO one knows how long it will last?”

Kellen shakes the cobwebs out of his head.  He is feeling great.  All the questions that ran through his mind when he thought of his deceased Grandfather, Lloyd Hage, have now been answered.  Standing on the corner of Main street he was directly in front of the weekly Inwood Herald office.  With the help of the  feeling wave Kellen could see the face of his Grandfather standing at the office counter the day of the big political advertisement for his son, Kirk.  Attired with his customary chambray shirt, bib overalls,and white farmers hat, Kellen could see the man reach into his left chest pocket of his chambray shirt and pulled out a very old and very worn wallet.  Packed with sale ads from the newspaper, cattle buyers/agent cards, and assortment of cash, and Inwood State Bank counter checks.  He pulled out one of those counter checks to pay for the ad  that Kirk was going to order for a county auditor election coming up in the fall.  He could see the man writing the check, signing his name, and laughing quite hardily when handing the check to the office clerk .  Pride was pouring out of his being.  Kellen was surprised that it was so vivid.  His mind cleared he looked for his Father.  He noticed his father had already crossed the street heading east past the farm store towards the new addition to the town.