Roses for the Living

"You've got a gorgeous wife Willie." said Jack.

Georgia Ray blushed and smiled sweetly at him.

"Why thank you kindly." she said.

I had taken Jack to our motel room and introduced him to my new bride...My third wife. He had promised to take me to the grave of my first wife....Thelma Louise....Which was why I had come to Smackwater anyway.

"Uh Georgia Ray...Pack our things....I have to go on a little run with Mister Jack here and when I come back, we leavin for Arlington and then the Airport, jus like I promised ." I said.

'Alright Willie...don't make me wait too long." I said.

"Ah won't baby." I said as I got in the car with Jack.

"Sweet Dick....what you come back here for? For real?" asked Jack.

"I had to see where she was buried....I been gone a long time...I never got to go to her funeral, Never got to pay my respects." I said.

"Sweet Dick....she dead..been dead about forty years now...sometimes you got to let dead things stay dead....You livin....what you need to come back here and rehash all them ole memories for?"he said as he drove through town..

'Jack, stop here." I said.

"It's a florist...what for?" he asked. I shot him a look and he dropped his head, almost in shame at being so insensitive and simply said-

"Oh."

I bought two dozen White and Orange Roses and then got back in Jack's car....

''Two dozen white and orange roses Willie?? For a woman that been dead forty years?" said Jack.

"What's your point Jack?" I asked.

"My point is, you got a fine woman that's alive back at that motel and you aint bought her jack shit Willie...You aint even talked about her much since you been here." he said.

"She's my future Jack...I come here to bury my past, so that I can move on." I said.

"Your past is buried Willie...it been buried...forty years...she's your here and now man...live in the now..let the dead rest." said Jack.

He was after all right. That's why I didn't say anything....I was quiet until we got to the cemetary. He led me up the hill , where her grave was...There was a nice headstone that read

Thelma Louise Jenkins

1949-1969

Rest in Eternal Peace

I thought that last line was a nice touch. I spread the flowers around the gravesite . In the short time I knew my first wife, I knew that she had a thing for roses...If she was watching, She'd love this. The grave had been kept up pretty well...It looked a lot better than I thought it would after all of this time.

"You shoulda nevah come back here Sweet Dick." came the voice.....

I turned around slowly to see an older , yet still honary version of Burt Curley standing a few feet away with a .45 trained at my head.

"Burt...it's been forty years....I don't have a gun on me...you don't have to do this." I said.

"I loved her too.....and I was making progress, until YOU came to town and took her from me." he snapped.

"Burt, she didn't love you....you was just spendin money on her that's all...She didn't like you like that and I think you know that...I think you've always known that." I said.

"You killed my brother." he shouted.

"Your brother killed her and tried to kill me...what was I spozed to do?" I said.

"Yeah....he did...crazy bastard...aint nobody ask him to do that.." said Burt, who began to weep like a child...

Just then, Jack crept up behind him , grabbed his arm and took the gun from him....

"Come on Burt...let's go....it's over." He said.

He walked Burt back to his car...

"He shouldn't have never come back here." said Burt as Jack walked him to his car...

"I know..I know...he's leaving..." said Jack.

I stood at the grave for a little while...saying nothing..then I got in the car. Jack was already in the car.

"You ready?" he said.

"Yeah man...Take me by that Florist again." I said.

We stopped at the florist and I bought a dozen Red Roses...for Georgia Ray. I also bought her a Moon Pie, cause she love em and a RC Cola. She love them too! I said nothing as Jack dropped me off at the motel...When I got out of the car I extended my hand to shake his...He just looked at me...

"Don't come back here Sweet Dick." was all he would say.

"I won't." I said and I watched as he drove off into the afternoon.

"What'cha got there Sweet Dick?" asked Georgia Ray.....

"Roses...For you" I said.. Her eyes got wide and she smiled....

"For me? Oh thank you Sweet Dick." she said..

'Ah bought you a moon pie too and a RC Cola.." I said with a smile.

"You really know how to impress a girl don't you Sweet Dick?" she said.

We loaded our belongings into my car and we headed for the highway......Georgia Ray who hadn't asked me before finnally asked me...

"So..why did you come back here?"

"I had some unfinished business I needed to take care of ...so I could move on..." I said.

"Unfinished business?" she said.

"Yeah, I had to lay something to rest." I said. I didn't offer any more of an exclamation than thatand she didn't ask....She just laid her head on my shoulder as I put my foot to the pedal and sped as far away from Smackwater as this car would take us.!

(For My wife)