The Longest Way 'Round

It was one of those days. What with the phones going, a show rehearsing, and people popping in and out, my office was like backstage at an Olsen and Johnson musical.
One of my appointments was with an ex-soldier back from the Pacific. Like a thousand other kids, he was anxious to go into show business. I told him I'd get in touch with him if anything turned up, and asked him to excuse the short interview because I was rushed. He smiled and walked toward the door.
"What are you grinning about?" I asked.
"Oh, nothing," he said. "I just happened to think of another fellow who was in a hurry."
The way he said it made me curious. "Tell me about the other fellow," I said.
"He was nobody important," said the ex-GI. '4He and his father farmed a small piece of land. But except for their name and the patch of ground, they had little in common. The old man believed in taking it easy. The son was the go-getter type.
"One morning they loaded their cart with vegetables, hitched up the ox and set out for the city. The young fellow figured that if they kept going all day and night, they'd arrive next morning. So he kept prodding the ox with a stick.
"'Take it easy,' said the old man. 'You'll last longer.'
"'If we get to market ahead of the others,' said his son, 'we have a better chance of getting good prices.”
"The old man pulled his hat down over his eyes and went to sleep on the seat. Four miles and four hours down the road, they came to a small house. 'Here's your uncle's place,' said the father, waking up. 'Let's stop in and say hello.'
"The young man fidgeted while the two old gentlemen gossiped away an hour.
"On the move again, the father took his turn leading the ox. When they came to a fork in the road, the old man directed the ox to the right. 'The left is the shorter way,' said the boy.
 “I know it,' said the old man, 'but this way is prettier.'
"'Have you no respect for time?' the son asked.
"'I respect it very much,' said the old fellow. "That's why I like to use it looking at flowers.'
"Twilight found them in what looked like one big garden. 'Let's sleep here,' said the old man.
"'This is the last trip I take with you,' said his son. 'You're more interested in flowers than in making money.
"Before sunrise the young man shook his father awake and they went on. A mile away they came on a farmer trying to pull his cart from a ditch. 
'Let's give a hand,' said the father.
"'And lose more time?' asked the son.
"'Relax,' said the old man. 'Some day, you may be in a ditch yourself.'
"By the time the other cart was back on the road, it was eight o'clock. Suddenly a great flash of lightning split the sky. Then there was thunder. Beyond the hills, the heavens grew dark.
"'Looks like a big rain in the city,' said the old man. 
 “If we'd been on time we'd be sold out by now,' grumbled the son.
"'Take it easy,' said the old man. 'You’ll last longer.'
"It wasn't until afternoon that they got to the top of the hill overlooking the city. They looked down at it for a long time. Finally the young man who had been in such a hurry said, “I see what you mean, Father.'
"They turned their cart around and drove away from what had once been the city of Hiroshima."
-Billy Rose