20 - BRIDGEWORK

BRIDGEWORK

13 ½ x 21 ¼ inches

(c. early 1950’s—Bridge on the road separating Burt and Dodge Counties)

This rickety old bridge edged the north side of our farm. Even though it shortened the drive to town, driving over this bridge was terrifying. With stealth, Dad skillfully maneuvered the car while straddling the holes. We sighed with relief when all four wheels reached the other side. For years I had recurring nightmares about collapsing bridges.

When this bridge was being disassembled to make way for a culvert, Dad leaned over the iron railing to survey the progress. A huge sneeze overcame him, and his dental bridgework flew out of his mouth, falling into the creek below! Dad searched and searched, but finally accepted that it was forever lost in the water.

Years later, as Dad was tilling the soil, he spotted something shiny in the silt of the creek on our farm. Low and behold—his long-lost dental bridgework. In his mindset of not throwing things away, just in case they could be used again, Dad decided to keep the old bridgework in a jar of disinfectant on a shelf in a bathroom cabinet. As a little girl when I opened the cabinet door I could see the teeth in a jar on the top shelf—it was totally creepy! When I needed something from the closet, I got what I needed and quickly slammed the door shut.

Dad finding his lost dentures after so many years had passed was a lesson in learning to let go.