Only You

Old South

Good Times...

As I sat in my car, driving to my hometown of Fairfax, South Carolina I wondered if things had changed. I cringed as the old pain, the one that bubbled and hissed like a wild witch's cauldron rose up to consume me. The last night I had been there was the Homecoming dance, 1993. That had been the last night I had ever seen Nathaniel, seen my friends. After a certain incident my parents had thought it better for me to finish my school'n elsewhere.

Fairfax, like many other towns in the Old South, was as tight knit as could be. It only had around 2 500 residents, many of which were starting to get on in their years, or so I'd heard. Everyone seemed to know everyone, Mrs. Goodale who ran the local Laundromat, Mr. Yarrow who was the Pharmacist.

All my memories of the town seemed to have a sliver of happiness though, because I knew I was coming home. Never mind that I'd suffered... ultimately I'd won. I hoped.

Cruising down the interstate going around 80 or 90, I shuffled through my CD's until I found the one with songs from my childhood, and of course that oldie favorite of mine: Sweet Caroline.

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Never Seemed So Good...

I was sitting on the school bus, all alone in that big 'ol seat. Look'n round it was like I'd run fresh outa luck. But keep'n one of Grandma's sayings fresh in my mind, "Even a blind hog finds an acorn now and then." meaning of course, that everyone gets some luck now and then.

Being my first day of Grade One I was feeling as though I had not a friend in the world. That was until the bus pulled up at Nathaniel's house, then little 6 year old Nathaniel Morrison shucked his backpack off and plopped down next ta me in the seat.

"Ain't this the berries!" he whispered excitedly. He lately gotten into the habit of saying our southern sayings. I nodded, though I was still shaking in my boots.

Our town was mighty small back then, in fact you might not have even called it a town at all. It was barely a blip in the road, we didn't even get our own weather report; we had to listen to the one from a larger town a few miles off.

 Together we sat there, in that seat, in that small little world,and were perfectly content to to just let it stay that way for a while.

When we arrived at our school we both squirmed in the seat, peering out the windows to see the formidable, white building that we'd call home for the next 12 years.

I walked into the school, following the trail of other first  -years. Everyone of us experiencing the same mixture of emotions. But while others cried for their mamas' and papas', Nathaniel and I just laughed together.

That first day turned into another and those days became  weeks, months, then finally years. During that time I can remember us growing closer every day. As we grew, so did our friendship. The first memory I have of someone reading more then there was into our boy/girl relationship then was there starts at about eleven.

We'd just had a Math class together and were going to eat in the cafeteria when a group of older students passed us. I was always in a state of awe around them. Next to my puny grade 5 self, they were gods!

Although when I think about it now they couldn't have been more then 14 or 15 themselves.

Nathaniel was talking to me, "Bliss, Bliss." he cut me out of my reprieve on the marks of popularity. "Would you like to go to the library and help me with my Math homework?"

"Sure, yeah, yeah, yeah... I grumbled impressively.

"Are you mad at me?" he asked looking hurt.

At eleven, I didn't think it was wrong to hug a boy, we'd practically grown-up together after all--so I lightly moved his shoulder and gave him a hug. Awkwardly, he hugged me back, "No problem, I guess I was just in a hurry."

The older kids looked at us and snickered. "Is that your boyfriend?" One of them asked teasingly, I blushed and shouted a veniment, "No!"

At the same time Nathaniel gave a much quieter, "Not yet." which I wouldn't know he said until much later...

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"Years may come and friends may go but that's OK. Darlin' you're the only one I need to stay. I know I said I never would be satisfied. Baby I lied I couldn't leave you if I tried." 

I sang along to the old Rodney Crowell hit, as I travelled along the highway, hopefully I wouldn't see him again...

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JUST A QUICK COMMENT... I DON'T KNOW IF I SHOULD KEEO WRITING THIS STORY LINE? PLEASE COMMENT SO I DON'T FEEL LIKE I HAVE TO DELETE THIS :( THANKS