I wrote this piece back in 2001 as an op-ed piece in The Roanoke Times. My daughter no longer rides to work with me, and we rarely have occasion to see William, but he's still there every day, waving.
Waving William
Every morning on the corner of Cove Road and Peter's Creek Road in Roanoke, Virginia, William-an employee of the corner Hardees fast food restaurant-takes time from his duties to wave at the passing cars. It doesn't matter how wet, warm or cold it is outside, William will always be there waving. He stands quietly at the very edge of the grass before the pavement and waits for a line of traffic to move past the stoplight. Once the cars are moving, he looks through the cab of each car into the passenger compartment and makes some kind of telepathic bond. Then his body erupts into wild, frenzied waves-as if he needs to impart the energy contained within his hand into each person.
William is a student of the traffic, however. A person is not guaranteed a greeting from William. Some mornings, he just seems to stare through you blankly and not see, hand placidly at his side. I've begun to suspect that William's energy well is running low because he doesn't wave as much as he used to.
My daughter and I drive past William every morning on our way to school. It's usually dark when we pass by his corner, but the area is well lit. At 7:07 AM, William is always there. Callan and I have come to relish William's greetings. Each day we think about new strategies to get noticed by him and get the really big wave. I've taken to wearing my Lands-End flannel red Elmer Fudd flop-eared hat and my black London Fog "Pervert Coat." William seems to like that outfit sometimes. Callan seems to get the best results when she is wearing her "Squid Lid"- a dreadlock spidery warm hat.
When William recognizes us, our day automatically brightens. He probably helps create the first genuine smile of the tired dark morning for both of us. If we get the really big wave, we talk about it for miles down the road, discussing in detail William's body language and what message he was meaning to give us as we passed. William is joy. It freely explodes from his body and lites in the hearts of every passing person.
On the few days when William misses us or when he reserves the big wave for the car behind us, we both feel a bit lost and hurt. In those situations, our conversations center on why William withheld his joy from us. Perhaps there was some darkness in our soul that he spotted and felt should be avoided. Maybe he didn't like our hats. It could be that he was looking for cars, not 15 year old sport utility vehicles. Whatever his reason, when William fails to wave at us as we pass by, the rest of our day is haunted with doubts.
I know other people feel the way I do about William. I've noticed the 7:07 AM regulars on the road approach his corner and look for William's encouraging, joyful hands and infectious angelic smile. I've seen his smile mystically transfer through the air and land on unsuspecting drivers, brightening their day. Children leap within their seatbelts and drivers honk returning the joy when William casts the double-handed frenzy complete with leaning smile.
William does basic custodial work at the Hardees on the corner of
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