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Authors: Willy Vlautin
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chasing the metal ladder at the end of it. Tommy got on first, then me, but by this time the train had picked up speed again, and Jerry Lee, who was last, fell as he tried to get on. His leg, just below his knee, went under the train.
We both jumped off, not real sure of what was going on. He wasn’t even screaming, and all we knew for sure was that he didn’t make it. The train was moving pretty quickly by then and when I jumped off I fell and landed wrong on my arm. When I stood up I could see something pushing out my coat. I slowly took my parka off and you could see the bone pressing out against my flannel shirt. Tommy came running to me saying that Jerry Lee had gotten his leg cut off.
We went over and Tommy took off his belt and used it as a tourniquet, and then he wrapped a blanket around the stump and ran for help.
By the time the ambulance came only ten minutes had gone by. It was that fast, or at least it seemed like it. I remember while we waited I sat next to Jerry Lee. He was in shock and wasn’t sayinganything, just sorta staring at the sky. I wasn’t sure what to do, I just held his hand and looked at him and told him he would be okay.
They found his leg and we brought it with us in the ambulance. They did things to him, put oxygen on him, started an IV, put some sorta thing over where his leg was. The leg itself they put in a bag. I couldn’t see it, though, I wasn’t sure where they kept it. I just sat there while the ambulance drove us the short distance to the hospital, and it wasn’t until they had brought him in, and he had disappeared to the emergency room, that I finally showed someone my arm.
It took a long time until they came to get me. Finally they took me to a room and numbed my arm and set the bone, sewed it up and put on a cast.
Jerry Lee was in the hospital for four weeks. We didn’t have any insurance. Our mother had been gone only six months, and the money she had left, we used on the hospital bill. It was a terrible time: Jerry Lee lost his leg, and we were in constant fear that they’d send us off to a foster home. My mom’s father from Montana was called and eventually came down to Reno. He met with the Children Services, as he was supposed to be our legal guardian. He stayed in town almost three weeks. He seemed like an okay guy, but both Jerry Lee and I weren’t sure about him and were nervous about living with him in Montana. But he and I moved us out of our old place and got rid of all our things, like the beds and the furniture, the dishes and the TV. We kept only what was small and a necessary. My grandfather got a room at the Virginian and I moved in there with him.
When Jerry Lee was finally getting better my grandfather decided that he couldn’t have us up in Montana after all, that hedidn’t have enough room, that he was too old, that he didn’t have enough money. He was a retired mill worker. His back was wrecked and he lived on social security. I remember he stood in the hospital room and gave us $200 and his phone number, saying that he’d try to get us up there as soon as he could, if he could at all. He left the day that Jerry Lee was released.
When the time came we had a wheelchair and I pushed him out of the hospital down Fourth Street in the early sunlight. We didn’t know where to go, and finally just got a room at the Rancho Motel. I paid in advance for two weeks, and that left us with less than thirty dollars between us.
I remember then making two trips. The first was to get our things I’d left with the Locowanes, and the second was to the store, where I bought two loaves of bread, a jar of peanut butter, a glass jar of jam, and a TV guide. When I got back Jerry Lee was laying on the bed watching the television. He said while I was gone he’d heard people yelling in the room next to us and had gotten scared, and the only thing that made sense to him was ordering a pizza. A large with pepperoni, mushrooms, and olives. When the pizza man came, I
We both jumped off, not real sure of what was going on. He wasn’t even screaming, and all we knew for sure was that he didn’t make it. The train was moving pretty quickly by then and when I jumped off I fell and landed wrong on my arm. When I stood up I could see something pushing out my coat. I slowly took my parka off and you could see the bone pressing out against my flannel shirt. Tommy came running to me saying that Jerry Lee had gotten his leg cut off.
We went over and Tommy took off his belt and used it as a tourniquet, and then he wrapped a blanket around the stump and ran for help.
By the time the ambulance came only ten minutes had gone by. It was that fast, or at least it seemed like it. I remember while we waited I sat next to Jerry Lee. He was in shock and wasn’t sayinganything, just sorta staring at the sky. I wasn’t sure what to do, I just held his hand and looked at him and told him he would be okay.
They found his leg and we brought it with us in the ambulance. They did things to him, put oxygen on him, started an IV, put some sorta thing over where his leg was. The leg itself they put in a bag. I couldn’t see it, though, I wasn’t sure where they kept it. I just sat there while the ambulance drove us the short distance to the hospital, and it wasn’t until they had brought him in, and he had disappeared to the emergency room, that I finally showed someone my arm.
It took a long time until they came to get me. Finally they took me to a room and numbed my arm and set the bone, sewed it up and put on a cast.
Jerry Lee was in the hospital for four weeks. We didn’t have any insurance. Our mother had been gone only six months, and the money she had left, we used on the hospital bill. It was a terrible time: Jerry Lee lost his leg, and we were in constant fear that they’d send us off to a foster home. My mom’s father from Montana was called and eventually came down to Reno. He met with the Children Services, as he was supposed to be our legal guardian. He stayed in town almost three weeks. He seemed like an okay guy, but both Jerry Lee and I weren’t sure about him and were nervous about living with him in Montana. But he and I moved us out of our old place and got rid of all our things, like the beds and the furniture, the dishes and the TV. We kept only what was small and a necessary. My grandfather got a room at the Virginian and I moved in there with him.
When Jerry Lee was finally getting better my grandfather decided that he couldn’t have us up in Montana after all, that hedidn’t have enough room, that he was too old, that he didn’t have enough money. He was a retired mill worker. His back was wrecked and he lived on social security. I remember he stood in the hospital room and gave us $200 and his phone number, saying that he’d try to get us up there as soon as he could, if he could at all. He left the day that Jerry Lee was released.
When the time came we had a wheelchair and I pushed him out of the hospital down Fourth Street in the early sunlight. We didn’t know where to go, and finally just got a room at the Rancho Motel. I paid in advance for two weeks, and that left us with less than thirty dollars between us.
I remember then making two trips. The first was to get our things I’d left with the Locowanes, and the second was to the store, where I bought two loaves of bread, a jar of peanut butter, a glass jar of jam, and a TV guide. When I got back Jerry Lee was laying on the bed watching the television. He said while I was gone he’d heard people yelling in the room next to us and had gotten scared, and the only thing that made sense to him was ordering a pizza. A large with pepperoni, mushrooms, and olives. When the pizza man came, I
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