Smackwater

I parked my car right outside the small Motel...I read the sign that said -"Smackwater, Texas, 25 miles." and sighed....It had been close to forty years since I'd set foot in this town. I had vowed never to return to it again. I don't know why I drove to it now. I was supposed to be on my way to Philadelphia PA. to see my daughters, Victoria, Mabel, Cora beth and Anita. They had all found their way there.. I was not only surprising them by coming to see them for the Christmas Holidays, but also to tell them that they had a new step-mother. I had finnally married Georgia Ray..It was my third wife...They say the third time is the charm...We would see.

Me? My name is William "Sweet Dick" Jenkins, outta Louisiana.. I didn't marry Victoria's mama..but I wanted to....I stayed with her until Victoria was two....then I moved on to another town, Monroe and married another woman... Mary... Mary and I had two daughters...Mabel and Corabeth.....I was too traumatized to be a good husband or father for that matter and so when Corabeth was four and Mabel was six...Mary and I seperated and ultimately divorced. I moved on to yet another town and met another gal, Louise....Louise and I had Anita...my baby girl. I didn't even know about Anita...I must have left Louise with a bun in the oven. Anyway, Anita found me and I introduced her to her Half sisters, Victoria, Mabel and Corrie....

They are all in Philly and from what I hear, they done started a business...Mabel always could cook and out of all my girls...she probably has the best head for business..She just like her daddy!
They all doin well.. Corrie is married ,to that fish eyed Clerow and they got a little girl...Mabel livin with some musician....Ah gotta talk to her about that when I get there and Victoria divorced that lecherous Pastor John Struthers and married the deacon....Somebody gonna have to explain to me how THAT happened!

Anyways...I come back here for a reason....Since I'm married again...and I want this one to work..I gotta come back here..back where my first wife and I met and where my heart got broken in one horrible moment of violence.

My new ,Georgia Ray was sleeping in the car silently..We had been married for two weeks. We had gone to Biloxi,Missisippi and had a high old time...Gambling, Hanging out on the beaches, drinking and eating and enjoying each other in the hotel room...

"Oh Willie...Willie...Why do they call you "Sweet Dick"? she said one night during our lovemaking. I didn't answer her. I couldn't, but while I was lying in bed that night ,sweating and exhausted afterwords...I knew that I had to come back here....Smackwater and exorcize some old demons.

"Georgia Ray....Georgia Ray...Wake up baby..we here." I said.

"Oh....uh....oh...Is this the place?" she said.

"It's a motel...We gon stay here for just a night, then we gon get on the plane in San-Antonio
and head to Philly." I said.

"Oh my God, this place is a dump." she said.

I couldn't argue with her there.

'Well, this here is a clean room, with a clean bed....Here's some money, there's a couple of stores
around here...get us a couple of Fried Chicken dinners and some Sweet Teas and go back to the room and wait for me...I'll be back shortly." I said.

"Sweet Dick honey...why we even here?" she asked.

"Because I got business to tend to." I said.

She didn't argue...she knew that at this point it was pointless. She took the money I gave her and got the key to our room and took the bags in. I got in the car and drove further into town.
It was there that I found an old rooming house. Couldn't beleive that after forty years ,not only was it still standing...but it didn't look like a bit of work had been done on it.

I walked over to the all but familiar door...I heard the sound of men cursing and laughing .....I could smell beer and whiskey as well as barbecue chicken, ribs and fried fish...I knocked on the door.

It took a few minutes..but he came to the door...Laughing Jack. Laughing Jack had owned a bar
and grill here at one time....and had run an illegal card game that brought in tons of money. He was a big time baller back then. I heard he had been busted, had did some time in prison and had lost his bar. He still kept the card games going as I could see. He came to the door, took one look at me and smirked...

"I can't beleive it....Didn't think I'd ever see the likes of you again.." he said.

"I had to come back...you know why." I said.

"Heard you done had a mess of kids..all over Louisiana...Apparently ,you didn't learn nothin did you Sweet Dick?"he said.

"I know all of my kids and they all doing fine. In fact ,I'm headed up north to see em ,introduce em to they new step mother." I said proudly.

Jack smiled, then he frowned.

"You mean you got married again...after what happened here...You said you wasn't never gonna
marry again." he said.

"Hey Jack come on...it's your hand." came a voice from the room.

"It's been forty years Jack....I'm not the same....I've moved on." I said.

"Yeah, then why you back here? Why you come back here Sweet Dick?" he said.

"Because I have to see her one last time......you have to take me to her grave.....then ,I can move on." I said.

"You know Burt is still alive....He aint forgot..." said Jack.

"I aint worried about Burt...He ought not to have forgotten." I said.

Burt Curly had been responsible for my pain and anguish...He had killed my wife and I had nearly killed him... I didn't care to see him, but I wasn't afraid to see him either. See,I come packin..just like I did back in the day....

"Okay, look Sweet Dick....where you stayin? " he asked.

I wrote my address down on a peice of paper and gave it to him.

"Okay man, let me finish this hand and I'll stop by, meet your new wife and I'll take you to her
grave site....Then will you promise me that you'll leave Smackwater and never return?" said Jack.

"Sho Jack...anything you say." I laughed.


(To Be Continued.....)