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“Now boarding passengers for flight 56 to
Dallas," the woman’s voice announced over the intercom. “Those needing assistance, those with
small children, and unescorted children will board first."
The young teenage boy quickly whirled
around and hugged the woman next to him.
As the light reflected off her face, a glimpse of water glistened from
her eyes. The boy was too excited
to take notice to his mother’s welling tears as he kissed her cheek and darted
toward the gate to board the plane.
The check-in clerk glanced at his ticket
and motioned to a stewardess standing near by. The young stewardess was wearing a dark blue dress suit and
had eyes as blue as the sky.
“Please escort this boy to his seat," the
clerk curtly said.
As Joe followed the woman, he mumbled
under his breath that he didn’t need any help. He disliked the implication that he was some little kid. He was almost fourteen and was flying
to spend the summer working for his granddaddy. Despite this incident, Joe enjoyed the flight with free food
and his window seat with no one sitting next to him.
Joe could barely contain his excitement as
he rushed off the plane into the waiting outstretched arms of his
grandparents.
“Did you enjoy your flight?" Grammy asked
as she put her arms around his shoulders.
“It was good. I almost finished my entire book."
“What are you reading?" Granddaddy inquired in a deep voice
that echoed for blocks.
“The Sackett Brothers."
“Ah, yes, a good Louis L’Amour book. I haven’t read that one yet. Would love to read it when you’re done,"
Granddaddy said.
“Yes, sir."
“So, tell me how the family is doing,"
Grammy asked as they traveled toward home. Joe recounted to them what the family had been doing since
his grandparent’s visit at Easter.
During the ride Granddaddy began telling Joe what he expected of him
with his upcoming job.
“If you expect to get paid, then you need
to work hard," he told Joe. “I’ve
no use for lazy workers and will not pay anyone for doing nothing."
“Yes, sir," Joe obediently said. He knew his Granddaddy meant every
word.
Digging irrigation ditches was not an easy
job at all, especially in Texas with its high humidity. Granddaddy made sure Joe was up and
ready to leave the house every day by seven sharp. They stopped for occasional drinks and lunch. If Granddaddy went off and returned to
find Joe and his workers talking without digging, in a bellowing voice to be
heard by all within fifty feet, Granddaddy sternly said, “Joe, stop dallying
around and talking. Get to
work. We need this job done
today." As long as the shovel was
hitting the ground in a consistent basis, talking was tolerated. Joe wondered the reason Granddaddy had
only reprimanded him for not working.
Joe was always relieved when they would
finally arrive back to his grandparent’s air conditioned home, and one of
Grammy’s home cooked meals that inevitably included some delicious dessert that
she had baked that day. Exhausted
from a long day of work, Joe anticipated the quiet and relaxing evenings spent
sitting in the living room with his grandparents.
Conversations with Grammy and Granddaddy
were never forced. There was
always a sense of being able to share your thoughts or just enjoy the presence
of one another. Joe especially
enjoyed the stories his grandparents shared with him.
“Marriage for us began on borrowed
money." Granddaddy told him one
evening. “I had to borrow the money
to buy our marriage license. I
paid my folks back as quickly as I could and worked hard to purchase only what
I could pay in cash."
“Even your house and car?"
“Yes. I don’t believe you should buy something if you can’t afford
to pay for it at the time."
Joe was surprised that his grandparents
could own so much without payments.
He wondered if he would be able to do the same thing since prices were
so much higher than when his grandparents bought their house and car.
“Speaking about borrowed money, boy, did
you return the twenty dollars your grandmother gave you last week?" Granddaddy inquired one night.
“Not yet, sir."
“You got paid today, boy. You give her back what is hers now,
before you go spending it all."
“Yes, sir," Joe sheepishly answered as he
retrieved the money and gave it to his Grammy.
The years have come and gone
since that first summer, and the following summers that Joe would spend with
his grandparents. They are gone
now, but the lessons they taught have not died. Joe knows he was scolded, because Granddaddy cared about Joe's character. Now when Joe sets his mind to some task, it is
accomplished. Joe provides well for his own family and knows the value of each dollar he saves and
spends. He too has strived to owe no
man anything, but to love the way his grandparents loved him.
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