Three Cans of Soup by Don Childers

nothing.
    Suddenly, Bill’s spirits quickened. Was that a pine tree he just passed? Was there another? And another? It was pine trees! The air flowing in the open windows seemed cooler. As Bill climbed toward Spokane his heart rate increased. This looked more like home, more like the lush beauty of the Willamette Valley. Bill drove on, his spirits higher, past Spokane and crossed the border into Idaho. It was then that he saw it! There stretching out before him was a beautiful lake, nestled between gorgeous mountains. The sun was rapidly slipping into the west, but this was the most beautiful sight Bill had ever seen. He did not know it at the time but he was entering Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. This is where he would spend the night!
    Bill took an exit and realized that he was very, very hungry. He spotted a sign that read: “Ted’s Café, Home-cooked Food.” He slowed the Dodge and pulled into the gravel parking lot. Bill actually did not compute that he looked more or less like a hippie. He had trimmed his hair and cut off his beard, but he still retained a nice mustache. His jeans and sandals, striped shirt and vest, and necklace identified him to the patrons as one of those “damn hippies”. When Bill walked in he was aware that all eyes seemed to be looking in his direction. Maybe this was not a good idea, he thought to himself.
    Bill sat down in a well-worn, red-leathered booth and opened the menu. He looked up as the waitress brought him some water. She was gorgeous. Tall with blonde hair, her name-tag read: “Sadie”.
    “Can I get you something to drink?” Sadie asked with a definite accent. Bill would later learn that it was a Texas accent but at the moment it just sounded strange but nice.
    “Water would be just fine,” Bill said, very aware that he was on a tight budget.
    “Are y’all ready to order?” Sadie said cheerfully.
    “Yeah; I‘ll have a hamburger, fries, well done on the hamburger, and, ahh, onions, no mustard, and a little mayo, if that’s okay?”
    “Sure is,” Sadie said, quickly writing down the order. “Say, are you a pro-tes-tor, or sumthin like that?” she asked quietly.
    “No, I’m on my way to seminary, in Texas,”
    “Texas? That is where I’m from. I come from near Abilene but my folks moved out here when I was a teenager. What is a sem—in—ary?”
    “Sorry,” said Bill. “I am going to be a minister and seminary is, well, it is where you learn about the Bible and how to be a minister.”
    “You don’t say?” Sadie said with a big smile. She turned to a man behind the counter, dressed in an apron, who Bill assumed was Ted and said louder, “Hey, Ted we got us a preacher-man here. The young man is on his way to Texas to be a preacher!”
    “You don’t say,” Ted said in a deep voice. “Well, for a preacher the meal is on the house!”
    Bill interrupted, “No, no, that is not necessary.”
    Sadie looked at him and said, “No use arguing. Ted used to be a preacher of sorts himself. We’re both Baptists. Nice to meet you!” With that, Sadie turned and gave the order to Ted, who went behind the swinging doors to start the order. For some reason the information that Bill was a preacher caused the conversations in the café to return to normal. Bill guessed that a preacher trumped a hippie, at least at Ted’s.
    His meal was one of the best he had ever tasted. Most likely it was because he had basically skipped lunch and was dead tired. It was good, though.
    As Bill finished, he reached into his pocket and left a nice tip for his free meal. He got up and thanked both Sadie and Ted.
    Ted, grease-covered but with a pleasant smile said, “Say, kid, I don’t mean to butt in, but if you are going to Texas how come you’re up here in Idaho? Your car license says you’re from Oregon. Do you realize Texas is way south of here?”
    “I am on my way to meet a friend in Montana. Then we’ll head to Texas.”
    “Just wanted to make sure you weren’t lost or