1bigblackblog

THE BOY WHO WAS NOT

after gassing up and grabbing a pack of smokes the father gets
on the expressway . settling in the fast lane he fiddles with
the radio . hearing tennessee ernie ford sing " sixteen tons "
the father turns up the volume pushes in the cigarette lighter
shakes a chesterfield from its carton taps it on the steering
wheel twice and before lighting up sings along with ernie

" you mine sixteen tons and what do you get ?

  another day older and deeper in debt "

the mother is reading a glamour magazine . an article sponsored
by ponds beauty cream . the girl is in the rear seat . a comics
called veronica and betty is on her lap . she says " daddy tell
me a story " the father looks in the rear view mirror

" whats that pumpkin ? " the girl leans against the front seat
and says " tell me the story about you and sparky and the nips "

the mother looks at the girl and rolls her eyes as if to say
" havent we heard that story forty seven times or more " ? 

the father smiles and sets the cigarette in the ash tray

" well shucks princess i reckon i can . let me think two
seconds . yeah . i remember now . the nips napped sparky
and me in burma . yep ! marched us right through the jungle "

the mother puts her hand on the fathers right shoulder
" honey before you get started " she turns to the girl

" dear do you know the boy up the street ? his family lives
in the yellow house . the one with white trim and the small
rose garden on the right side .  you know the one 

" the boy waved when we went by . did you see him ? "