EXOTIC PLACES

Fran Lemm

I was about nine years of age.

I always wanted to travel and visit exotic places. Of course, from my home in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, any place more distant than Chicago, was exotic.

The process began with my mailing coupons and literature requests. Soon, an avalanche of colorful travel brochures began arriving  almost daily. The mail came to Dad’s business address next door to our home.

Mother cooperated with me by helping me set up a small office in our basement. I used boxes of various materials and shapes for furniture, including file cabinets to store all my vast collection of travel brochures.

One day after school started, I stopped by to see Dad, as was my habit, and to pick up my mail.  Dad always asked me first thing what had I learned that day in school and I always told him…in detail. Dad let me ramble on for a while, and then he told me he had a visitor during the day.  It was the General Passenger Agent for the Union Pacific Railroad.  He made a special trip, all the way from Chicago, just to see…me!

He asked Dad if he could speak to me.  Dad said I was in school.  The V.I.P. asked whether I was a professor in our college?  No?

Superintendent?

No

High School Principal? 

No

Dad said I was at an elementary school.

Principal?

No

Teacher?

No

Dad said I was a student.

Hearing this, the man was burned to a crisp. He turned on his heels, and stomped out the door, without a word!

Once again, Dad had to tell me to cool it! I closed my office, but I did enjoy looking at the colorful brochures and reading all the literature about those exotic places.  I was nearly seventy years of age before I had the opportunity to travel.

I am so grateful that I was able to visit many of the exotic places I had dreamed of in my youth. I am equally sorry that Dad wasn’t with us to enjoy as much of the world, as well as all of the fifty states and nearly all of the state capitols that we have been able to see.

Well that’s another story.

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