Thank you very much, shriner75 and riged4detination.
And I appreciate each and every reader that I don't mention by name also.
Thank you all.
Tale of Johnny Ray
Discussion in 'Road Stories' started by MUSTANGGT, Aug 24, 2009.
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I cringe every time somebody writes "with baited breath".
Makes me imagine they are eating fishing worms.
The root word is "abate" which means cease or stop.
Therefore "with bated breath" translates into holding ones breath in anticipation.
Sorry about the grammar lesson everybody,just a pet peeve of mine.shriner75 Thanks this. -
Six weeks later.
"I'm telling you Cat, it just ain't right. It ain't proper and you know it. I just can't have it in my establishment" Bubba proclaimed.
"Well if it ain't Mr. High and Mighty! Just who in the hell do you think you are Bubba McGlohorn? You worried about your image all of a sudden?
What you aining to do? Just throw that little gal out on the street?" Cat retorted.
"Now calm down Cat. She ain't even married, for God's sake. And I got my customers to consider. Can't be offending folks with such as that." Bubba countered.
For a moment Cat just stared at Bubba, leaving him to wonder if she was attempting to control her anger or if she was building up more steam.
"So now you're worried about offending folks? Boy if you don't just beat all. If they ain't offended by your brothel and your moonshine stills, I don't see how anybody would bat an eye at this.
And just who exactly are you worried about offending? That old sourpuss deacon Smith that comes by and picks up a quart of shine every friday evening?
Or maybe the Mayor's son who I seen coming out of trailer #3 last night?
I been in this town all my life just like you have Bubba and you know durn well there ain't a soul around here I'm worrying about impressing.
If they don't know me by now, that's just too dang bad. The good Lord knows what's in my heart and that's all that matters.
And I'm telling you right now, you ain't firing that little girl and you can quit whining about her staying in that raggedy trailer of yours for free cause I'm moving her in with me."
Bubba couldn't hide his disbelief. " Now listen Cat, you can't be serious. Let's talk about this thing. We can work something out."
" No Bubba. You listen to me. It's gonna be the way I say and that's all there is to it. If you give me any crap whatsoever you can consider this rathole shut down.
Don't make me no nevermind. Not after what happened to my very own daughter.
She was so worried about what everybody would think , she went to that "doctor" in Albany and took care of it.
Girl almost died on that table. I'd a never let her do it if she had come to me first.
But she didn't want to disappoint her momma and she was worried about what these town hypocrites would think.
Well I ain't worried about 'em, not no more."
And so it was. That very afternoon Cat helped Tammy pack her meager belongings into her car and she moved in with Cat.
They worked the same shift and rode together each day. Tammy worked right up until she gave birth to little Johnny Ray and ole Bubba was smart enough to keep his mouth shut from there on out.GliderDaddysWife, Elvenhome21 and simplyred1962 Thank this. -
simplyred1962 Betty Boop, One Bodacious Babe!!!
Keep it comin', mustang!!
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Trying to finish up with Tammy,(my wife likes this part best) so I can move on to Viet-Nam.
The "present" in this story is 1971. I am still trying to establish the backgrounds of the major characters, and when we get back to Decatur the real story begins as Johnny resumes searching for his mother(Tammy) Don't forget the sheriff. They will definetely meet again.
Bear in mind, you are watching a rough draft in progress.
In the final version, a lot of this will be rearranged somewhat, along with a lot of polishing, but you will recognize the story.
Hopefully it will be much better.shriner75 and simplyred1962 Thank this. -
After nearly three months away from home, Tammy finally summons the nerve to telephone her mother, Mrs. Abigail Pennyworth, and an eventful call it was, for both parties.
Not only did Tammy require time to gather her courage, privacy was also an issue.
With no phone in the trailer, her only option had been the pay phone in the diner, which was far from private.
There was also the fear that, despite his normally reliable schedule, her father could answer the phone.
With Cat and herself working the evening shift that day, she chose 9 AM to call, knowing her father would be safely at work and mom should be in the house alone.
When her mom answered on the first ring, Tammy thought she could hear some anticipation in her mother's voice.
Almost as if she was anticipating this call each time the phone rang. Perhaps she was.
"Momma?" she managed, choking back tears at the sound of her mothers voice.
For a few seconds she thought there was a bad connection until she realized her mother was crying and unable to speak just yet.
"Momma I'm OK. Please don't cry." Tammy said, unable to think of anything else, being unaccustomed to the role of soother.
"Oh baby, it's so good to hear your voice. I didn't know what to think. Lord forgive me, but I was worried that...well, that something terrible had happened."
"It's OK momma, I know. I should have called sooner. It's all my fault. But I just didn't know what to do." Tammy told her mother.
"No, no baby, don't say it was your fault. If I had been brave enough to stand up to your daddy, you would still be here." Abigail said.
Tammy hesitated a minute, unsure of how to deliver the fateful news, unaware that her mother was having the same internal debate.
"Momma, I need to tell you something and there ain't no easy way to say this" Tammy almost whispered.
Abigail was silently grateful for the reprieve, unsure of how she would be delivering some devasting news of her own.
Tammy dropped the bombshell in a shaky voice."Momma, I'm having a baby."
The silence on the other end lasted almost ten seconds and Tammy feared her mother may have fainted.
"Momma, you still there? Please don't be mad at me momma. I never meant for it to happen." she pleaded.
"I know you didn't baby. I know you didn't. I'm just so scared for you. I wish you were here so I could care for you...but your daddy..."
"I know momma, you don't have to say it. I love my daddy, but I know how he would act. That's why you can't never tell him."
Tammy knew that what she was asking seemed cruel on the surface, but it had to be that way.
Cruel because she knew her mother's desire to be a grandmother and how heartbreaking it would be to be unable to share that knowledge with anyone.
But necessary because her father would not be so reasonable. He would want to ship her off somewhere secluded to have the baby.
Somewhere remote, like her aunt's place in Texas. He would surely consider Tifton too close for comfort.
He would worry that she would be recognized by an acquaintance passing through on business or vacation.
In reality, that thought already crossed her mind every day. Cat had already offered to allow her to live here in the house and not work.
Tammy had actually considered this, feeling that it would also serve to ease the rift between Bubba and Cat over her continuing to work in her "condition".
But Tammy felt like a freeloader if she wasn't earning a paycheck. Cat told her she was being silly. Maybe she was.
Maybe it was time to reconsider the offer. What if momma spilled the beans, accidentally or otherwise, and her father came up here looking for her?
"Tammy, please don't tell me I can't ever see my grandbaby? I couldn't bear the thought" Abigail cried.
"No, I ain't saying that momma. We'll work something out, I promise. All I'm saying is, you just can't tell nobody, especially daddy".
"Ok baby, ok, it's just...this is all so hard. And I need to tell you something and I don't know how to say this..." and she bagan sobbing before she could continue.
"What is it momma? Is everybody ok? Just tell me momma". Tammy begged.
"Oh Tammy, Good Lord help us, but Chuck is dead honey".
Tammy couldn't accept what she was hearing. Dead? How could that be? The war is over.
"They said it was some sort of training accident. Some kind of explosion. We don't talk to Chuck's folks ever since...well you know.
I heard some ladies talking about it at church last night. It's just so horrible, especially now. Oh honey, what in the world are we going to do?".
There is no "we" Tammy thought. Something in her mother's tone made her wary.
She loved her mother but she had to think about her own life now and the life she wanted for her baby.
In her mother's desperation to see her grandchild she could very well tip off her whereabouts to her father.
He was a domineering man and Abigail would never dream of challenging him.
If he had the slightest inkling that she knew anything, he would easily have her telling all.
At that moment it occurred to her that she had not informed her mother of her whereabouts. Nor did she intend to.
Nor did she intend to call her again anytime soon, if ever.simplyred1962 and GliderDaddysWife Thank this. -
Tammy decided that day to take up Cat on her suggestion of quitting the diner and staying on at the house.
Bubba was delighted. Not only for saving his supposed "reputation", but for giving him the opportunity to hire this waitress from the Blue Bell Diner in town that he had been eyeing as of late.
So delighted in fact that he allowed Cat to persuade him into giving Tammy a modest severance check. Will wonders never cease.
"Now don't go thinking of yourself as a nuisance Tam" Cat told her.
"Believe me, I can darn sure use the help with these younguns, especially when me and Dan are working the same shift. Gonna save me some babysitting money.
And I've seen you helping out in Bubba's kitchen. I got a feeling you will have a nice meal waiting on us every now and then.
It's gonna work out just fine shug".
And it did. Tammy felt right at home in no time. She soon found herself helping the kids with their schoolwork which was a double edged sword.
She realized she how well she connected with children and thought how wonderful it would be to raise her own.
But that only brought on the painful reminder that it was not to be. After all, this was 1948 and she was a single mother.
Had she been married to Chuck, all would be fine. More than fine really.
In these patriotic times, being the widow of soldier who died in the line of duty would have been an honorable status.
Unfortunately for Tammy, this was not her status. Far from it.
She had some hard choices to make. Hard for anybody, especially so for an eighteen year old on her own.
She had Cat to lean on, but in the end, she knew she had to call the shots and take responsibility.
And throughout all this she had no animosity toward Chuck. She was mature enough to realize she was every bit the willing participant.
And while he was alive, she had no intentions of forcing him into a reluctant marriage as was often done in those days.
The point was moot now anyway. Nothing to do but deal with the present.
Adoption was the only viable option, but she shuddered at the thought of her baby ending up in an orphanage.
She had heard too many tales of children spending their entire youth in those places, having never been adopted.
Or worse, being adopted only to be returned like an unwanted puppy. She couldn't imagine a worse fate than to be rejected by your potential saviour.
She decided to discuss this with Cat. Maybe she knows of a childless couple willing to adopt her baby.
Some decent folks who would love it and give it a wonderful home. She saw no other option.Last edited: Sep 6, 2009
GliderDaddysWife Thanks this. -
MUSTANGGT Thanks this.
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Some authors use it very effectively, while others overuse it causing a lack of continiuty. For instance, the first chapter was the hook, letting the reader know that some excitement lays ahead.
And the dinner table conversation is supposed to build some anticipation about Tammy and the remark about the pole connects with the strip club.
We know that wasn't Tammy by her age, but what is the connection?
Or was there even a connection at all?
It may have been too early for the Fort Dix stuff, but that's something to be worked out later.
I may not delve too much into Johnny's childhood which wouldn't be too fascinating to most people, but rather reveal his character and upbringing through his letters.
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I am seriously enthralled. You, sir, have a rare gift.
Keep at it!!MUSTANGGT Thanks this.
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