The Tennessee Youngster

Prologue

Some say that life works in mysterious ways. Others would just say it passes on by faster than you would know it. We all tend to forget a lot of things as we grew from adolescence to an adult, but there are genuine moments in time that seem to stick with us forever. For Thomas Davidson, now consumed of old age, realizes that for one summer as a child meant the world to him. His life didn't exactly turn out the way he had hoped and envisioned. Although Thomas had dreams of a living out his life chasing a life as a successful writer, it wasn't until after running as fast as he could away from what he knew was his life as a young man would be so hard. It eventually took a toll on him costing him everything he had that he knew.

It wasn't long after Thomas landed in New York City in the mid-1960s, where he soon found out living on his own without the comfort of his mother and stepfather to provide for him, would take more than just landing a job and finding a place he could call his own. It would involve hardship, financial struggles to just barely make ends meet. Movement of a Nationalist Party was forming by a Civil Rights activist, Malcolm X, stirred controversy over the Television broadcasting waves, only to be later assassinated by gunshot. The learning of a famous writer executed under capital punishment a few years prior to his arrival seemed to way heavy on his mind if he was seeking the right path of being a writer. 

The British evasion of the rock band "The Beatles" dominated the music charts hitting it to number 1 of the Billboard charts, while country singer Jim Reeve's private plane crashed near Nashville killing him at 40, devastating his mother, who was fond of his songs, especially the one she would sing lyrics to while holding Thomas dancing slowly in the kitchen of their Camden home from time to time in the likes of "I love you for the way you never doubt me, but most of all I love cause you are you."

Before eventually getting his first big break with a story he had written in his spare time while working for a local publishing company, Thomas did odd end work. Anything from emptying the trash, cleaning the lavatory to delivering mail to staffers, the story of Thomas Davidson was of smaller scale, a boy from a small town where dirt roads were more common than paved, while life took on a more simple appeal.

Thomas grew up the younger of two boys. Always trying to compete against his older brother Nick in sports and school but never really seemed to match him. That was very frustrating to him as he felt he was just as good. After time moved on his relationship with his older brother seemed to dissipate as both of them took on life. Nick, after high school, moved away to California in hopes to become a movie star.

Thomas couldn't be happier for his brother as Nick made it and became an actor. It was sure strange seeing his brother perform in movies, but he always knew Nick had the desire and passion to do so. Something changed between the boys. As time went on and year after year, the brothers seemed to stop talking to one another. It wasn't that they didn't get along; it was life. Life had taken the boys on separate journeys and those paths rarely crossed. The only time it seemed the boys would get together was when both of their parents passed away. First, it was their stepfather, and then it was their mother.

At both times the boys had a special childhood place they would meet up and would cry over the loss of their parent and then they would reminisce about the past as kids and the tears soon dried up as they laughed and laughed about their one summer they spent together and bonded. It was as if being kids all over again as they chatted about the things that went on when they moved from Boston to a small town called Camden, Tennessee.

Thomas on the other hand after graduating High School went off pursuing his dream of becoming a successful writer in the Big Apple, despite his mother begging him to not go, yet he felt it was a calling he needed to do. Eventually, Jolie, a former childhood friend would cross paths once again who later became his wife. The two only had one child and for many years Thomas's writings would end up becoming very successful and his wife's carrier of fashion would draw in many, but as time moved forward her health rapidly demised over the years and taking care of her took a toll on Thomas's writing carrier to the point he just stopped. The only thing that mattered to him was caring for his dying wife. Time passed and several years later now in his late Sixties realizes how wonderful it would be to go back and revisit the place that changed his childhood not to mention his life. This was the place he ended up falling in love with several girls over the years growing up in Camden, but one, in particular, he could never forget.

It was time to make that trip and Thomas made his way back to Camden to the special place he knew. Upon arriving into town, it was as if it was frozen in time. The roads looked the same and main street seemed a little updated, but the essence of his childhood was there still. Sure time had certainly made the town grow financially with new business mixed amongst the old that stood the time. The old diner that used to be across the newspaper building his stepfather worked at to the day he died, now was a Dairy Queen and the hardware store, well that hadn't changed one bit.

Thomas stood there in front of the Chronicle holding a handkerchief in one hand asking the taxi cab driver to stay put and not take off, as he had one more place to visit. Just being back there after so many years had brought him to tears thinking of the past. Right there in front of him, he could see his mother sitting in a chair through the glass window while looking to the side his brother Nick standing with his hands and nose touching the glass in punishment for fighting in the car the day they arrived in the town where their stepfather interviewed for a job.

Chuckling and getting teary-eyed at the same time seemed odd over such a silly memory, but Thomas knew it was moments like this that would stick with him forever. The Chronicle seemed to have changed a bit, the window wasn't quite the same as he remembered, it was smaller and the building sign seemed larger. Even main street had changed. As a boy the main street barely had any cars driving it, but today he noticed quite a difference with many cars passing by behind him. It wasn't but a few minutes after that Thomas made his way back into the back seat of the taxi instructing the driver of his final destination spot a little way down over at Cane Creek near the rails before letting the Taxi cab driver go. Standing on the outskirts that once was just full of trees, was now a little park between a few homes on each side.

Thomas was certain he was in the right place. The trees that tunneled over the park were the same, yet it didn't have the same feeling like it did so many years ago. Images of him and his childhood friends flooded his mind playing next to the creek that was still there, yet the concrete path under his feet was new leading inward. This used to be a secret place but now is but a park. Oddly enough, the one place that hadn't change other than time was the tree house. It still was there and looked not as far up now as it did when he was a child, yet it brought a warm feeling. A park bench seemed to be up ahead and directly facing the tree. What a perfect time to sit down and reminisce about the past before making his way back into town to the old Steel factory, which now was a Hotel.

Thomas was sure tired from the trip down from New York City and a short rest on the park bench seemed like a good time to relax and think of fonder times. It didn't take but a few moments before his head nudging slowly down dozing off and memories of how he ended up as a child from a big city to a sleepy little town immersed his mind.