Post by willow on Feb 5, 2007 19:47:35 GMT -5
A muggy and foggy morning for the town of Moss Point, Mississippi. The time is 7:30 in the morning. A rough looking man stood on the front porch of his home, duffle bag slung over one shoulder, suitcase in one hand. He had lived here for his entire life, but now, it was time to move on. From the screened in door out came an older, bigger, looking man, and a fragile looking elderly woman, she seemed to be almost in tears. The elderly man was the first to speak from the three.
"Now, son... Are you sure about this? Leaving home to go chase some dream that may not get you anywhere?"
The young man, with the duffle bag and suit case turned to meet the two, his parents.
"Now, pa, you should've known this day would have eventually come. And y'all still see me on the television at least, and I'll write every other day. Although, you know, it would be better if'n y'all got a telephone."
The father simply nodded, as if saying he'd try and get a telephone someway or another. The mother was the next to speak.
"Now, Billy, I want you to be careful out there, world isn't none too safe. And I want you to eat right, okay?"
Billy chuckled slightly at his mother's worrying and just simply nodded his head.
"Don't you worry about a thing, ma. I'll eat right. Hell, I'll probably eat more than enough, knowing me."
"You sure about that, son? I'm sure the foods good and all, but it can't amount to the greatness of your ma's cooking now, could it? I bet that sissy food won't do you no good."
"Haha, no need to worry about that now pa. If'n I eat enough of it, it'll fill me right up, just like ma's. It wont be nowhere near as good, but it'll do the job and thats fill me up, I reckon."
Billy's mother began to leak tears from her eye, slowly, but surely.
"Aww, now ma, don't start with'n your crying. Ain't nothing to it, you had to watch Bobby, and Jimmy, and Timothy leave home, now you just gotta watch me leave home. I'd figure you'd be used to us leaving the nest."
"Ain't never easy to watch your kids leave home, your ma's just a tad more on the sensitive side, and you know that, Billy Ray."
Before his father even finished, his mother had moved in and pulled him into a hug, gripping him tightly, or rather, as tight as her fragile and weary body could allow her to.
"I'll be alright, ma. I promise. And, if'n I do good, I'll send most of my earnings y'al---"
"The hell you will, Billy. I bring in the money to this damned household, and I ain't gonna have you sending me your hard earned money, you understand me, boy? I so much as get one penny from you, I'll bring myself to wherever you're at and give you a whooping like you've never had... And if'n your boss don't like that, I'll whoop the hell out of him too."
Billy's eyes widened at his father's sudden outburst, his father was a proud man, always had been, and he'd had forgotten that in that brief instant.
"Yes, sir! I reckon I wont be sending you no money then..."
An awkward silence between him and his parents, he looked down at the old and tarnished wrist watch on his left arm, if he was to make the train, he would need to leave now. He stepped forward, hugged his mother and gave her a kiss on the cheek, and then shook his father's hand, firm and hard.
"Well, I best to be going now... If'n I don't, I'll miss my train and I don't need that... So, this is goodbye for now. Y'all take care."
And with that, he turned, and headed off the porch, dufflebag over his shoulder and suitcase in hand, his mother and father stood there, close together, father's arm over mother's shoulder, as they watched him depart, he'd make it to the train station a little after 8:20 AM, giving him a good ten minutes before the train departed for its destination....
"Now, son... Are you sure about this? Leaving home to go chase some dream that may not get you anywhere?"
The young man, with the duffle bag and suit case turned to meet the two, his parents.
"Now, pa, you should've known this day would have eventually come. And y'all still see me on the television at least, and I'll write every other day. Although, you know, it would be better if'n y'all got a telephone."
The father simply nodded, as if saying he'd try and get a telephone someway or another. The mother was the next to speak.
"Now, Billy, I want you to be careful out there, world isn't none too safe. And I want you to eat right, okay?"
Billy chuckled slightly at his mother's worrying and just simply nodded his head.
"Don't you worry about a thing, ma. I'll eat right. Hell, I'll probably eat more than enough, knowing me."
"You sure about that, son? I'm sure the foods good and all, but it can't amount to the greatness of your ma's cooking now, could it? I bet that sissy food won't do you no good."
"Haha, no need to worry about that now pa. If'n I eat enough of it, it'll fill me right up, just like ma's. It wont be nowhere near as good, but it'll do the job and thats fill me up, I reckon."
Billy's mother began to leak tears from her eye, slowly, but surely.
"Aww, now ma, don't start with'n your crying. Ain't nothing to it, you had to watch Bobby, and Jimmy, and Timothy leave home, now you just gotta watch me leave home. I'd figure you'd be used to us leaving the nest."
"Ain't never easy to watch your kids leave home, your ma's just a tad more on the sensitive side, and you know that, Billy Ray."
Before his father even finished, his mother had moved in and pulled him into a hug, gripping him tightly, or rather, as tight as her fragile and weary body could allow her to.
"I'll be alright, ma. I promise. And, if'n I do good, I'll send most of my earnings y'al---"
"The hell you will, Billy. I bring in the money to this damned household, and I ain't gonna have you sending me your hard earned money, you understand me, boy? I so much as get one penny from you, I'll bring myself to wherever you're at and give you a whooping like you've never had... And if'n your boss don't like that, I'll whoop the hell out of him too."
Billy's eyes widened at his father's sudden outburst, his father was a proud man, always had been, and he'd had forgotten that in that brief instant.
"Yes, sir! I reckon I wont be sending you no money then..."
An awkward silence between him and his parents, he looked down at the old and tarnished wrist watch on his left arm, if he was to make the train, he would need to leave now. He stepped forward, hugged his mother and gave her a kiss on the cheek, and then shook his father's hand, firm and hard.
"Well, I best to be going now... If'n I don't, I'll miss my train and I don't need that... So, this is goodbye for now. Y'all take care."
And with that, he turned, and headed off the porch, dufflebag over his shoulder and suitcase in hand, his mother and father stood there, close together, father's arm over mother's shoulder, as they watched him depart, he'd make it to the train station a little after 8:20 AM, giving him a good ten minutes before the train departed for its destination....