THE BUCK

October 29, 2006


I was driving home in the dark early Monday morning, having spent a long weekend at the warehouse working on the computers we keep there.

From time to time on these drives, I'll see deer on the road. Most are young, and if they are not facing the headlights, usually squeeze off to the side, usually heading up slope.

As I rounded a corner on the winding wooded road following the steep valley, I saw a buck traveling the road ahead of me. I slowed to a crawl. He picked up a little speed as I came up, but not much.

He was handsome and he knew it, holding his head high, sporting his small rack in the air as he pranced slowly ahead of me.

He was leading the parade and enjoying it, making use of my headlights to see where he was going. The headlights of the Gods were upon him, and he wanted to strut his stuff!

I got to see the a bit of his gray-brown sides in the headlights as we rounded a few corners. Yes, handsome and young, not quite into his prime yet; but certainly practicing for the day.

We slowly paraded down the road, rounded a few curves before he thought the better of it. He spied a good path off the downhill side, slowed a bit, as did I, pulled off to the side of the lane, slowly ducked his head under some branches and was gone.

I stopped for a moment, closed my eyes, and smiled ear to ear.

He was one handsome buck. Just remembering him makes me smile from ear to ear. I wanted to pull over and clap at his performance; sad he would not understand. May he live a long and productive life!

-JVV-

Copyright (C) 2006, JVV