This is Bill.
Bill was my husband, my partner and my love until July 19, 2024 at 2:09 PM when God took him to a better place than County Road 209 where we lived.
I will be writing more about my experiences after I lost him but they are too painful right now to express. This is easy because I'm just copying what HE wrote.
These are Bill's notes for this one.
He may be gone from this world but he left his words behind. So very many of them. He was a deep thinker and great story teller. I come across his thoughts (which I never knew he thought) and his diaries and short notes as I go through his things. This one he must have written when he moved to Oxford, Florida in 1996. He had to move here because his wife at the time was very ill. He was her caregiver. She died at the young age of 49.
Anyway, here is what I found today. I'll call it "Wildwood."
WILDWOOD
The conversation between the small group of men ran from what bait was productive in attracting large mouth bass to which one of them was most successful at looking the busiest but accomplishing the least.
It was immediately obvious to any stranger to this small but prominent café that the three small tables pushed together to form one long table was privileged to only those seated there now.
It was centrally located to the restroom and the waitress service station and within remarking distance to the other segregated tables.
The TV, which appeared to have been placed on the shelf near the ceiling, was there to honor this elite crowd of local residents. But it wasn't paying homage to the weather worn outdoorsman with its Saturday morning children's show.
One of the men barked at the waitress as she passed and before the next customer, had their coffee refilled, the remote was beaming a signal replacing cartoons with TNN's morning fishing program.
"Roland's Fishing That There Weedling" was the next comment from the center of the room.
https://yourbassguy.com/professional-anglers/roland-martin/
Immediate silence fell over the room as all but one who noticed Rowland Martin first turned their head to watch a 5 pound bass being lifted out of some small Texas lake. But as soon as the expert started to explain to any fishing novices listening, all heads turned to the center again.
As my eyes circled the table, I guessed which of them still worked for the railroad.
This small south central Florida town called Wildwood was once Florida's main railroad hub. The café sat directly across the street from the depot which now only served mild freight traffic and two Amtrak trains per day.
The group of six men ranged from their late twenties to somewhere in the tattered seventies. The BIG ONE at the end with his back to me seemed to command respect and most of the attention of the others. Holding the men spellbound as he described his new 12-gauge Mossberg camouflaged turkey gun.
This is a 12-gauge Mossberg camouflaged turkey gun.
Season was coming and he knew exactly where to go where the birds would be plentiful.
I marveled at what was left behind when a good part of the south moved ahead. The good ole' boys were locked into their life styles that their daddies handed down to them. And they passed it on to their sons and so on and so on.
They all wore ball cap style hats. Some were hunting camouflage while others were advertising farm equipment, boasting stock car logos or just showing a gaming animal. But one thing was certain: They all wore their caps with the bill FORWARD! None of that backwards crap like those punk gang kids.
Most of the shirts were short sleeved button up the front, plaid, with the sleeves each getting two short rolls. The all were denim. But only their leader could afford the $29.95 plus tax for the good ole' American made Levi-Strauss. The others settled for Wranglers.
They had leather belts with their big metal buckles announcing what their favorite sport was. That way, you probably wouldn't need to ask a stupid question.
Their boots were either cowboy style or engineer. American made of course! So, I assumed their socks and underwear were made with American cotton. Union, of course.
"Big Bubba" had just lit another Camel no-filter with his silver Zippo when their favorite commercial came on the television for the second time. All heads turned toward the TV.
I don't know if it was the mention of "oil" or the dueling banjo there that held the group. Mobil Oil and Brand X had been heated to boiling and now we would see if they would still be fluid enough to pour.
Well! The relief was evident when Mobil Oil flowed as if it was straight from the can. So…oil was the topic until Clarence and his wife sauntered in.
Clarence looked older than any of those at the long table. He evidently golfed when he was younger or else white polo shirts, Bermuda shorts, knee socks and white loafers was his way of declaring a difference to the town.
They all gave Clarence their usual "Mornin!" as he approached their table. Then, as he passed Bubba, he leaned in and with a shaky pointed finger he poked Bubba on the shoulder.
"So!" he said with an unmistakable British accent, "Are you planning to overthrow the government today?"
Clarence and his wife shuffled off to their table and before they could sit down, home fries and conversation had been removed from the menu for the day.
I hope you enjoyed reading this tale from Bill. I, for one, am certainly looking forward to the next story or insight I will find from him.
The End.
Bill had no life insurance. Not even the $9.95 plan we often joked about. Every time that commercial came on he would ask me, "Hey, Janet! Do we have that $9.95 plan?" And we also made fun of John when his wife Anne asked him, "But WE have life insurance. Right, John?" And John says "I'm trying to find something we can afford!"
Yeah, sure, John. In less than a minute you got the $9.95 plan.
Anyway, in light of my huge loss as well as the incredible lightness of my bank account, it sure would help out if anyone would consider becoming a paying subscriber.
If not, my Substacks are always free for your reading enjoyment. And…I sure would love to hear any comments you have. Especially for this one.