A Christmas Story...

[hal4uk]

Just spent the Thanksgiving weekend in Nashville with my old man. 
I reckon he ain't too far from the "jumpin' off" point.

Sometimes, just when I think he's gonna tell the same story (for the umpteenth time), he'll fool me, and come up with one I never knew about.

I thought I would I share this one. 
Christmas time is a good time to share one like this.

The story involves a family of poor white dirt farmers and a black family.
No, the story ain't about white or black or short or tall, so don't go stupid and read it that way.

It's about people...
and "always doing the right thing".
and how it always comes back to ya.

-----

My grandfather ("P.F.") was born in west Tennessee, in 1901.  His father, basically had "40 acres and a mule".
There was an old house on the back corner of the forty acres that hadn't been inhabited in a few years, and had been more recently used to store corn.
One day, A black family arrived looking for a place to settle.  That area was predominately populated by poor white farmers. 
My great-grandfather offered up the old house.  He didn't ask for any rent, but did ask in return, that they help him some with planting in the spring, and harvesting in the fall.  In truth, he didn't really need any extra help, but had to ask something in return.
The family did what work they could find in the area, but there wasn't really enough to get by.   From time to time, and particularly when a bad storm had come through, P.F. was instructed to saddle his horse and ride back to the old house and check on them.  They always said they were getting by "just fine", but P.F. would sometimes tell his father that it appeared to him that the parents were looking "thin" - as if they had spared what little they had for the children.
P.F.'s daddy would tell him to "round up some provisions".  Get some potatoes and jars of preserves from the basement, and so on.  He would send P.F back in the wagon; often including country hams and turkeys (the best of what he had for his own family).
The oldest boy ,"Leon", was about P.F.'s age, and they became pretty good friends.   Leon would, of course, get by with as little as he could, saving as much for his younger brothers and sisters as possible.
In 1935, my father was born on the 2nd floor of P.F.'s grocery store in Paducah, KY.  One day, as young man, P.F. and my dad took a trip back to west Tennessee to visit family.  For whatever reason, it was just the two of them (I'm guessing my dad's older brothers were both overseas - in WWII -  at the time)
While visiting, the weather changed, and they had to leave quick...  The roads there were dirt and impassable during heavy rains.  They should have left sooner...
They came to a hill, right dead in the middle of nowhere, that had become slippery, and couldn't climb it.  P.F. would roll back down after each attempt, back up further, and try again with a better running start, but without any luck.
With the rain still falling, eight or nine full-grown black men appeared at the top of the hill.  The men began to walk down the hill toward them, and my father was "scared"... 
P.F. said don't worry, son, everything will be alright (although P.F. had no earthly idea who these men were at the time).
As they neared the car, Leon said "Ford?" (the "F" in "P.F" -- "Perry Ford") and Ford said, "Leon?  Is that you?"...
P.F. stepped out of the car, and as Leon extended a hand, P.F gave him a great big hug...
They talked a while, standing in the rain, and then Leon and his friends pushed that car up the hill as P.F. drove it...  It climbed the hill "like nothing".
At the top (where it was level, and close to the blacktop home), P.F. got out, thanked the men and reached into his pocket --- before he could say anything - Leon said, "Your money's no good today.."
Leon told his friends that, if weren't for this man, he doubted that he or his sisters and brothers would even be alive today.
P.F. insisted, but Leon wouldn't accept anything for the favor on this day.

Awrighten.

[Quarlow]

That story reminds me of my grand father. He was always there for whoever needed help. If you were in need of help to build a shed or a fence or even a swimming pool he was the first to lend a hand. And all he ever had to do was say the word and he had more than enough people to do what he needed. He got polio as a child and walked with a limp of pain, but he never complained and nothing could stop him. When the younger ones would bust their butts for 4 or 5 hours he would just plod along all day and never stop. When everyone would sit down for lunch, he would just grab a sandwich and keep going and go till the sun went down. He was a great human being.

[KyNola]

Hal,
Is your grandfather's store in Paducah the old Driver's Grocery building over by the Courthouse?

Larry

[hal4uk]

Yep.  Still there.  Name never changed. 

[classicrockgriller]

great story Hal, thanks.

[KyNola]

And still selling fresh made sandwiches and soups everyday.  Hal, did you know they branched out and opened a facility in the West End where Friedman Lane meets Highway 60?

KyNola

[hal4uk]

Well how bout that - I'll look for it next time I cut through there.

[tsquared]

Good story, Hal, thanks.
T2

[squirtthecat]

Great story, Bubba..

I sent that old pic of PF and hal4ukSr to Larry.   Do you want the link to post?

[HawkeyeSmokes]

A great story Hal. It just shows that for what you give, it comes back many times over.

[OU812]

Great story.

Just goes to show, kind hearts and good friendship lasts forever.

[Caneyscud]

Hal, great story!  Does my heart good!  Especially with the not-so-good stories of West TN from my in-law and my FIL's grocery store in Union City, a couple of his well-loved employees and confrontations from others.  My FIL also used to put up about 100 country hams a year - selling them in the store and giving them out to the needy or trading them to the people who didn't want a hand out.   They had a big smoke house in the back yard that included this huge hollowed out log he salted his hams in.  That log was probably 5' diameter.  We found his recipe taped to the underside of a dresser drawer, when we moved MIL to a nursing home in Nashville years ago.

[hal4uk]

Glad y'all enjoyed it.  I'm riddled with flaws myself, but I could have made a lot more (and worse) mistakes in my life if it weren't for PF's examples. 

When I was about 5, I made a remark to the effect of "it's just a penny" - and he told me "Pennies make dollars".  Of course, I knew that a hundred of 'em was a dollar; I had to get a little older to realize what he really said.  To this day, if I drop a penny, and it rolls 3 miles down a hill, and bounces into a pile of $#%t in a hog lot...  I retrieve it...  I know all too well what he meant now.

---
MrC - sure - sounds good
P.S. I'm raising my glass right now - a toast to the furry one.

[squirtthecat]

MrC - sure - sounds good

[hal4uk]

Sure enough...  That's him.