His name was Washington Jefferson Jackson.
A horror for any school-age boy to learn to spell, but his parents had wanted to cloak him in the mantle of responsibility and great accomplishment. And although their intentions were righteous, things had not come to pass as his mother and father might have imagined.
***
The Old Man, as everyone called him, had made his presence felt for almost a century. Even as a young child, he was prone to moods of melancholy, of deep thought, or just obstinate silence.
He'd experienced many things, chief among them, the disappearance of his wife.
When it came to it, many wondered if the Old Man, even at his advanced age, would not pack up his belongings and hit the road one day.
So many took to the rails, hopping trains and heading off to parts unknown. And you couldn't blame them. Jobs were scarcer than hen's teeth. Rich and poor were in the same boat. They called it a depression, but to those living through those days, it felt more like a Biblical plague had befallen the world.
But he stayed, weathering the many storms that Life had a tendency to throw at people.
And memories faded.
The ones whose memories lingered, died and carried them to the cemetery to be buried in the dirt behind the only church in the little community.
What had happened to her?
Buddy often wondered.
YOU ARE READING
Love Songs: The Wrong Note - A Collection of Short Stories
General FictionA second volume of short stories in the Love Songs collection. Many of the stories in this collection focus on the theme of love and how it sometimes goes wrong. A large collection of stories that run the gamut from humorous to tragic. 1. Love Songs...
