{"id":435,"date":"2016-07-04T16:56:22","date_gmt":"2016-07-04T20:56:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.fayegibbons.com\/?p=435"},"modified":"2016-07-05T01:24:12","modified_gmt":"2016-07-05T05:24:12","slug":"tommy-shows-his-good-side","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/blog.fayegibbons.com\/?p=435","title":{"rendered":"TOMMY SHOWS HIS GOOD SIDE"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"IMG_0267\"<\/a><\/p>\n

My Benjamin at about 4 years old.<\/p>\n

My latest book, HALLEY, awarded 2015 Jefferson Cup Honor for Historical Fiction. Awarded the Moonbeam Silver Medal for Young Adult Fiction. \u00a0 (see the following web address for more information)\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0 http:\/\/www.newsouthbooks.com\/pages\/2015\/10\/20\/halley-wins-moonbeam-awards-silver-medal\/\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Available at: NewSouth Books:\u00a0www.newsouthbooks.com\/halley and Amazo<\/p>\n

My husband\u2019s Uncle Tommy never followed anyone\u2019s rules, or changed his ways to suit others.\u00a0 Perhaps that was a big part of the reason he never married.\u00a0 Partly because he had been an adored first child, he always expected to be catered to and indulged.\u00a0 Being a hard drinker sometimes made him a burden for his family too.\u00a0 Yet over the years I have heard from various relatives, \u201cTommy had another side too.\u201d\u00a0 Sometimes he would come in with a new dress for my mother-in-law, who was the baby of the family.\u00a0 Not just any dress.\u00a0 Somehow he could always pick the right size and style to flatter her.\u00a0 And price was no object. At Christmas time he might show up with the very children\u2019s toys that finished out what might have been a skimpy holiday for some of the nieces and nephews.\u00a0 Often he would decide to buy my husband and his brother school clothes.<\/strong><\/p>\n

August of 1954 was one of those times for my husband, Benjamin.\u00a0 Benjamin had reached that age when he had become acutely aware of the opinion of his peers, especially in Auburn.\u00a0 There he was a country boy come to the \u201ccity\u201d and had lots of opportunities for embarrassment.\u00a0 On this occasion his family was visiting Atkins relatives in Auburn when Uncle Tommy showed up.\u00a0 His pockets were loaded because it was payday, and he had obviously had a few snorts of whiskey.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cBenjie,\u201d he said to my future husband, \u201cwe\u2019re going to walk uptown and buy you some new clothes.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

Benjamin hung back.\u00a0 Uncle Tommy was staggering and smelled bad.\u00a0 His shirt was stained and it wasn\u2019t tucked into his pants on one side.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cLet\u2019s go,\u201d Uncle Tommy said, impatient to carry out his generous impulse.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Benjamin turned to his mother to save him, but she was probably thinking that new clothes would make up for some of the unpaid loans they\u2019d made to Tommy in the past, so she said, \u201cYou can go.\u00a0 Just be back in time for supper.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

So they left, with Benjamin lagging as far behind as he dared. Tommy shouted hello to a neighbor and waved to someone in a passing car.\u00a0 Unfortunately, he knew everyone in town–and every dog.\u00a0 Every dog they met wagged a welcome, and one–Miz Agnes Zeller\u2019s dog, Jiggs–fell in behind and began sniffing at the seat of Tommy\u2019s baggy pants.\u00a0 Unfortunately, the reason soon became obvious.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Br-r-r-r-rip!\u00a0 came a muffled explosion.\u00a0 Uncle Tommy laughed.\u00a0 \u201cComes from eating second helpings of beans and cabbage,\u201d he said.\u00a0 \u201cGit away, Jiggs.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cYou come here this minute, Jiggs,\u201d yelled Miz Zellers.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Jiggs ignored both her and Uncle Tommy.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Br-r-r-r-r-r-p!\u00a0 \u201cThink I ripped my pants that time,\u201d said Uncle Tommy.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Mortified, Benjamin wished with all his heart that the sidewalk would swallow him up.\u00a0 It didn\u2019t.\u00a0 His steps slowed and he pretended a sudden interest in the upthrust root of an oak root mounding the sidewalk in front of him.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cTimes \u2018a wasting, Benjie,\u201d Uncle Tommy bellowed up ahead.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t have all day.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

Benjamin speeded up a bit only to slow again when he heard Uncle Tommy break wind once more.\u00a0 A moment later Tommy turned and said, \u201cBenjie, I\u2019ve messed my pants.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

Jiggs barked agreement.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cLet\u2019s go home,\u201d Benjamin suggested.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cNah!\u201d said Uncle Tommy, starting on.\u00a0 \u201cI finish what I start.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

They reached the store and Uncle Tommy held open the door for him.\u00a0 \u201cWe\u2019re going to get this young man outfitted for school,\u201d he told Mr. Green,\u00a0 the store manager.\u00a0 \u201cTwo pair of pants, two shirts, socks, and shoes.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cYou must be loaded,\u201d said Mr. Green.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cYou don\u2019t know the half of it,\u201d\u00a0 Benjamin mumbled.\u00a0 The manager wrinkled his nose and shooed Jiggs out.\u00a0 \u201cThat dog musta rolled in something.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cWouldn\u2019t doubt it a\u2019tall,\u201d said Uncle Tommy.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Suddenly the manager seemed in a rush to take care of Tommy\u2019s list.\u00a0 Eyes on the floor, Benjamin followed the manager from one table and rack to another while Uncle Tommy shadowed them, talking as he went.\u00a0 Customers and sales people cleared the floor around them.\u00a0 It seemed like hours before Benjamin was handed the bag of clothes and he could rush outside.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Jiggs was waiting.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cGuess I\u2019ll take Jiggs home and set a spell with Miss Zeller,\u201d Uncle Tommy said.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cGood idea,\u201d Benjamin said, hugging his school clothes to his chest and breaking into a run.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Back behind him he thought he heard another explosion.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

My Benjamin at about 4 years old. My latest book, HALLEY, awarded 2015 Jefferson Cup Honor for Historical Fiction. Awarded the Moonbeam Silver Medal for Young Adult Fiction. \u00a0 (see the following web address for more information)\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0 http:\/\/www.newsouthbooks.com\/pages\/2015\/10\/20\/halley-wins-moonbeam-awards-silver-medal\/\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Available … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/blog.fayegibbons.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/435"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/blog.fayegibbons.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/blog.fayegibbons.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/blog.fayegibbons.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/blog.fayegibbons.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=435"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"http:\/\/blog.fayegibbons.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/435\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":443,"href":"http:\/\/blog.fayegibbons.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/435\/revisions\/443"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/blog.fayegibbons.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=435"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/blog.fayegibbons.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=435"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/blog.fayegibbons.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=435"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}