How My Pa Talked

Mail sent and received. Ireland 2022. No relation to me, but clearly Irish blood runs in my veins.

Many many years ago, I got it into my head that it would be good - or at least funny - to take Dan back home to Indiana to meet the family. There are so many great stories from that first trip home. But since I’m exploring the idea of voices, I had to choose this one. Let me cut to the chase. The story goes like this:

Dan: How do you get to the church from here? 

Pa: Oh well, it’s very close. It’s just one turn. It's where the old school house used to be, not the one I went to because I grew up around Greentown area, but the one folks around here went to either that one or the one out by Fowlerton. Course neither are there now. The people who farm that land are the same ones that used to farm ours until we sold to the Presnals. Course you wouldn't know them, but Laurie graduated a few years behind their oldest. 

Dan started to blink but was interrupted. 

Anyway, you go out the driveway, but you gotta be careful of that culvert, we’ve had a devil of a time with that darn thing, that whole side of the road there collects water. If you go left down to the Holloway farm, they had the same problem with that low part of their land. Course now they put corn on it, but it used to be just pigs. 

Pa leaned over to get the hanky out of his pocket. 

But anyway, don’t go that way, go right towards Leach's place. You probably don’t know them, but they are just about the best people you’d ever meet. Had bad luck with their kids, through no fault of their own. Jim would give you the shirt off his back. He’ll plow out your driveway before you even thought to ask. 

Pa started to blow his nose into the hanky. This was Dan’s last chance to get out of there, we all knew it. But he was like a deer in headlights.

When the tornado hit his place, we all put his roof put back on in no time. Anyway you go towards his house but don’t turn left at the T, go right towards Dave’s. You met him yet? Well, the less said about that the better. But you go on past his house for a little ways and you’re basically there. Just opposite where Fritz and Arelie live, you know them, right? You don’t know them? Well, I’ll be darn. They do more for that church than just about anyone. Anyway, that’s where it is. 

Dan left for the church and we never saw him again.