Goines On: When it isn’t a turtle

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On his early morning walk, Goines saw a newspaper headline on one of the driveways he passed. He bent down to rotate the bag so he could read it: “Mueller denies exoneration.” A shame – a shame! – Goines thought, to have a man in the White House so depraved and criminal as to completely drain the possibility of having respect even for the Office of the President while he occupied it.
    It was that kind of morning. Goines passed a big McDonald’s bag beside the country road that ran along the eastern border of his housing development. Such litter, he saw in light of the headline, could symbolize the selfishness of people, their disregard for other people, for “the public.”
    Approaching the road fronting the interstate, he saw a big turtle in the road he was walking. It seemed to be nearing the intersection as a big truck roared past on the frontage road, probably going to the candy factory. There could be no question of calling the wildlife rehabilitator (George) for this one – Goines would have to pick it up with his bare hands – infections or not, his possibly being snapped or not – in order to ensure its safety.
    But as he drew closer, he saw that no, it was not a turtle. For the first time in his life, Goines was happy to see another discarded McDonald’s bag. He whacked the bag to the side of the road with his cane, French fries spilling onto the pavement.

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