Robin de Puy Instagram – Alan (74), Green River, Utah
Not knowing why I ended up here in desolated Utah, I roam around a couple of motels to calm my nervous heart. As a child of hotel owners, the presence of a motel nearby works as a pacifier for a baby; comforting and it mostly always brings me joy.
From the Motel-6 parking lot I see a man in the distance digging through a laundry basket from the waist down, only his legs sticking out, his toes barely touching the ground. I jump out of the car and skip towards the scene. “Hi!” The man climbs out of the laundry basket and to my surprise I see a cowboy-ish character. The corners of my mouth curl up. The man is built small, has big honest eyes and a deep black moustache. He is wearing jeans with an oversized tucked in blouse, like most cowboys do. On his leather belt shines a buckle with a horse’s head.
“I live in Chihuahua, Mexico. I am only here temporarily.” This last sentence I hear more frequently. Temporarily here often means years if not forever. “My daughter lives here.”
While we are speaking the little man picks up large piles of good smelling sheets out of the dryer. I suppress the urge to grab the pile from him and dive into it; there is nothing better than letting yourself fall into a warm, freshly washed mountain of blankets.
“Since I was nine years old I rode wild horses. I tamed them.” Alans eyes light up. “The horses always threw me off, but I was never afraid. It was my life. As I got older, I ended up getting physical problems.” He shows me a big scar on his chest. “My veins clogged up time after time. I escaped from dying.” After a couple of intense surgeries he had to give up the heavy workload that is a part of caring for the land and the horses. And now he is here with his daughter in Green River. Doing loads of laundry to get by.
“I am not sad or angry. I am always content.” I want to believe him. “I thank God on my knees that He hasn’t yet brought me to paradise.”
Later, when I try to call Alan, he appears to have gone missing. He even didn’t pick up his last pay check. The big little cowboy has flown off. | Posted on 24/Oct/2023 23:37:45
