The Students Of The Highway

                                                                   Chapter 1 

                         An Introduction To “The Students Of The Highway”                            

                                                       Written By Rashon Leyf

            I don’t want this opening chapter to become complex. Most likely there’ll be plenty of complexity, ambiguity, and just plain disorganization in the chapters which shall follow this one. Rather, I simply want to state a little bit about how this book came about, and what it contains.

            “The Students Of The Highway” was actually the second prose composition undertaken by the “literary types” who live amongst us here in the city. Yet, it didn’t become the second book to be formally published here, that distinction went to “The Clarity Zones,” a rather unstructured effort which told some stories about certain characters named Jim, Marsha, and Pam. But that wasn’t all “The Clarity Zones” concerned itself with, the search for “organized living” was stressed within it also.

And, of course the first book produced by our “artistic enclave” was Joseph Same’s “The Same Tapes.”            And “The Students Of The Highway” is loosely based upon two assertions made by Joseph Same in “The Same Tapes.” And those postulations are that first, planet Earth actually has fifty-four distinct “realities of existence” functioning upon it, and second, that mankind is divided into four basic classifications, with one of those, The Students Of The Highway, being the entity from which this book derives its title. But “The Students Of The Highway” classification, unlike the other three, is comprised of two separate divisions. And all of this will be clarified for you as this book progresses – I hope.

            And, this is a book primarily about journeys, realizations, and occurrences both commonplace and barely believable. And like “The Same Tapes,” it has no definite “flow” to the chapters. Rather, developments are basically written about in the order they happened, but even that policy is deviated from. Also, you should know that two chapters herein appeared previously as internet postings. But, those chapters will be repeated here so as to keep the “unfolding” of this book intact as much as that may be possible. And now that these opening remarks have been made, I hope your understanding of what will surely be another disjointed literary effort has been enhanced.

                            THE STUDENTS OF THE HIGHWAY  

                                                                   Chapter 2 

                                            R.F.: We Love You                          

                                                       Written By Rashon Leyf

            I know that my friend and co-contributor to this book, F. John Surells, has stated that each month, he, Ralph Hawk, and myself will release one chapter of it. And now, here it is, the time to post the initial chapter, and what happens – we put out the first two! Well, as you may expect, there’s a previously unplanned reason for this action.

            There is a sort of arrogant, but yet in many ways charming individual named R.F. Husnik who visits our city from time to time. He’s a worldly-wise, creative type I guess you might say, and everyone here always enjoys his company when he does favor us with it. And though he seems to enjoy portraying a sort of “tough guy” persona, everyone here in the city can see right through him; and we do have such good times with him when he infrequently appears here.

            But, as fate would have it, he was spending a few days here at the very time that Ralph wished me to write the introduction to this book. And, when I completed those introductory words per Ralph’s instruction (“keep it short” he said), he (Ralph) was pleased with them, but when we showed them to R.F. for his appraisal, he made some derogatory remarks about them, most of which concerned their paucity.

            And a friendly debate pursued then about Chapter One of this book. And Ralph, John (F. John Surells), and myself championed its structure as it is, but Husnik said that he found it to be simply too short, and too “contrived” also, yet he refused to tell us what he meant by that latter term. Thus, after a good-natured discussion of a few moments’ duration, Ralph and R.F. agreed that we should settle this “dispute” by having me write a rather nonsensical, and previously unexpected second chapter to “The Students Of The Highway.” And, as per request, I went home then and did so; and the “fruits” of that literary challenge follow here now. And I hope you’ll be able to enjoy those “fruits.” And also, Ralph wanted me to tell you that next month we’ll definitely begin to adhere to the one chapter per month promise. But, until then, here’s the rest of chapter two.

            Gosh, you’re such a nice guy R.F.! But earlier today you criticized the brevity of my introductory first chapter to this book. Yet, I was told to keep it short! After all, it was supposed to be an introduction! Still, to further assuage your large ego, let’s state this once more: “Gosh, you’re such a nice guy R.F.!”

            And whenever you visit our city, all of us here feel like the poor man who once begged for only the crumbs from another man’s table. And, oh yes, thus do we here implore you to spare us but a few of the insights generated within a mind known to, as they say, “fight the flow.”

            And, you have I sense a giving heart, yet no wish to impart confusion real or supposed. And, I wonder how many dare to tread where you’ve already trod. And, whenever we’ve spoken, I’ve wondered how many of my fellow mortals can look into a mirror and tell themselves they’re really free.

            But when we have a party here, in the city, we like to have all parties, meaning the political as well as the just usually involved, in attendance. And then, sometimes we ask them about you R.F.. And then, sometimes they tell us stories about your times. And you must have had many times, many times in the past. But I only know you through your visits to our city; although I’ve heard you’re a well-known man now – basically.

            And I know that whenever you visit our city we always beg you to stay when it’s time for you to leave. And I guess, though we’d like to have you stay here with us permanently, your fate is to remain where life “imPACK’s.” And that last sentence refers to the fact that you live in that famous football city. And yes, I like to watch your favorite team on T.V.