#32: Jackson, Mississippi

Louisiana-Bound (2008) Part 32 of 40 - Jackson, Mississippi It began to feel like we were well on our way home. The driver announced, "All passengers on the bus which are going south wait for a boarding pass." We were going north so it didn't apply. Quickly we tried to get off. But major congestion blocked the aisles. Everyone was just getting off without reboarding passes. The bus driver had made a mistake. He should have said, north instead of south. We all needed reboarding passes. Everyone had to be reseated and wait for a boarding pass. No harm was done. I said to the driver, "You should have been a major leader baseball pitcher. You threw us a great curve ball." He laughed while patting me on the shoulder. I made a connection and it was fun! Melanie and I enjoyed a good walk, a coke each and were the first to board the bus as Melanie's white cane gave us that privilege. Again our double seats were available. Melanie sat directly in front of me. She enjoyed the large 4 foot by 3 foot window. Soon we were loaded and leaving Jackson. A large dome building, most likely a sports arena, was seen through my window. The speed limit sign showed 60 miles an hour on Route 55 toward Granada. I had a comforting thought at the time by remembering to mail in two furniture payments to Retail Services. It was a total of $120. A big deal, yeah, because if the checks were late, they would charge $35 for each check. The deadline was near, but the checks would be there. How comforting! The day moved on. There was time to read some of what I wrote. Soon we were in Winnona, Mississippi. Double seats were now rare. The decision was made to share my seat with a black male who was had difficulty finding a seat. He seemed to need to talk. This 46 year old man was heading back to St. Louis, Missouri. It seems that he bent over backwards to help some friends who were moving from St. Louis a little ways back. So he moved down to Winnona and was on his own. There was no help. Things were not all bad according to him. He worked for a good wage. But all his time was spent working. He was married and had a child, he said, but his wife was doing her own thing. I listened not knowing how much of the truth I was hearing. I believe there are two sides to every story and maybe a whole lot more. Apparently he worked only three weeks, making about $2000 before deciding, with the big city expenses and no commitment from his wife (they were married on December 23, 2005), that Winnona was not a place for him. Something happened on his anniversary on December 23, 2006. Maybe that is when his marriage started to fail. He could get work in the Winnona area, but it wasn't worth it to him. Now my acquaintance loves to fish. He even talked about going to Canada with his father to do some fishing many years ago. But he had a tip for me. He said, "Granada, Mississippi is a great place for fishing. The waters are filled with fish." I am thinking he meant catfish. Those big ones. But I forget now. Anyway, he was remembering the values he grew up with and he was going home. He didn't need all the rejection and disappointments in Mississippi. Jack kept telling me he was a big boy now. He meant a man, I knew that. He said, "I can take care of myself." I replied, "Yeah, I know you can." Yes a sad feeling came over me as I thought about a person who was in love with a special lady, yet now he would be on his own. He told me that he would welcome her back, but she is lost in other things. And Jack, himself, he had to move on. Written by Harvey A. Bond

 

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