KILLING CURSIVE

                                                 
Apology to Bill O’Reilly for borrowing from his best-selling book titles. This letter attempts to answer two questions: (1) Why cursive matters. And (2), why is cursive writing one ballpoint pen away from flat lining? (Pun intended)

1.     Cursive writing matters because students taking longhand notes do better on tests. Teachers and parents, take a deep breath and sit down, and look up studies at Princeton, University of California, Scientific American, Psychological Science, Research Gate, Psychology Today, et. al. Beyond the objective rationale for cursive note taking, there is, in my opinion, cursive writing reveals the distinctive identity of the writer. Furthermore, a cursive writer is not burdened by the starts and stops of keyboard activity. Thoughts, the good, the bad, and the ugly flow unhindered from the moving pencil or pen. A cursive writer never stops to find an emoji or emoticon to express their feeling. Well known authors who do their writing in cursive are Quentin Tarantino, Joyce Carol Oates, Amy Tan, Tom Wolfe, Danielle Steel, George Clooney, and many more. Many musical composers use a special form of cursive to write their songs. (You might call it “note” taking!)

2.     The usual suspects of the computer and cell phone as the major culprits in destroying cursive writing. I prefer to look a bit farther down the digital stream to the ink jet and laser printers. Every well-formed character is antiseptic and displays a dispassionate similarity; when you see one machine-printed “E”, you have seen them all. Venturing even further upon this theme, in my opinion, political correctness and the homogeneous everyone gets a trophy view of society, disdains cursive as too distinctive, too individualized, and too much an indicator of hard work and effort.

Not everyone agrees with my line of reasoning. (Another pun). Josh Giesbrecht, writing in The Atlantic, August, 2015, “How the ballpoint pen killed cursive” describes the history of the ballpoint pen and how it displaced the fountain pen which started the rapid decline of cursive writing. His clinching argument is---hang on for it---cursive died because people could not properly hold a ballpoint pen! (Just think this writer was probably paid by the word.)  The best part of his article is a description of Bic’s “Fight for Your Write” slogan. For the record: I euphemistically refer to myself as a “Hillbilly with a ballpoint pen.”

Glenn<><

Just West of Yesterday

A POEM POSTED FOR A FRIEND

See The Following URL:

https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/43331/i-knew-a-woman

Glenn <><
Just West of Yesterday 

SOMETHING 'BOUT STEAM LOCOMOTIVES

 


Something ‘bout Steam Locomotives

Steam engines, even at rest, always sounded ready to go

Their skeleton was on the outside, and muscle they did show

The smoke, whistle and the steam told all nothing to hide

Huff and puff; start slow at first, then fast with fire inside

With determined focus that old engine never had to look back

Connected train cars followed that engine, all stayed on track

Glenn <><

Just West of Yesterday

"AS SEEN ON TV"

                        “As Seen on TV”  

        

I don’t know about you, I can only speak for me

This Christmas, all gifts come from “As Seen on TV”

What great deals, get one free, pay only an extra fee

No traffic, no lines when you just shop “As Seen on TV”

Knives to cut, glues to mend, and sunglasses to help you see

Widest selections and best prices when you shop “As Seen on TV”

Glenn <><

Just West of Yesterday

REVERSE ENGINEERED POLITICS

                                     REVERSE ENGINEERED POLITICS

Forget Roswell, Area 51 and Hanger 18; instead, think Washington, D.C. For those who may have stayed too long in “Sleepy Hollow”, UFO advocates strongly contend alien spacecraft were recovered in the 1947 Roswell, NM crash, secretly taken to Hanger 18 on Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, and then transferred to the impenetrable Area 51 where scientists have reversed engineered the out of this world technology and constructed similar craft, maybe, even new and improved versions.

I personally doubt the reversed engineered hypothesis concerning UFOs. I have no such doubts when it comes to politics that constantly, predictably, and inevitably swarm into our print and electronic media from that great ”Twilight Zone” situated in our nation’s capital. Here’s my reasoning:

1.     Pick any political topic and advocates from the Right or the Left will take a stance solely dependent, not on any logic, but simply on party affiliation. In other words, skillfully constructed lines of “reasoning and sure fire evidence” that are determined not by merits or truth, but where the politician stands. Sadly, they prove again and again the old political axiom, ‘Where you stand depends on where you sit.” Reverse engineered politics.

2.     A previously shared true illustration drives home this point. During my military career I took a very long and detailed communication and electronics course at Keesler AFB, MS in 1966. One of my instructors was a college-educated and technologically knowledgeable person from the local area. During a classroom break, I mentioned Ralph Nader’s book--- “Unsafe at Any Speed”--- and I said former Attorney General, Robert Kennedy supported the book which described the many safety hazards in the Chevrolet Corvair.  The time and the location are crucial to understanding his immediate response, “If Bobby Kennedy is for it, and then I guess I’m against safety.” Reverse engineered politics.

3.     The current maelstrom over President Trump’s nomination of Judge Kavanagh for the Supreme Court represents my contention to the maximum degree. If Trump is for it, the Democrats and their supportive media acolytes are not only against the nomination, there is a not so covert attempt to fight a classic military delaying action until the cavalry—make that November elections---arrives. Reverse engineered politics.

Regardless of the Kavanagh outcome, the American public has daily witnessed the bloody “open heart surgery” of reverse engineered politics.

Glenn <><

Sign of the Times

                                             MY OPINION  

If uncorroborated and unproven allegations become the new criterion of guilt, Lady Justice can remove her blindfold, hock the scales of justice, and make a swift trip to the supermarket and purchase the latest tabloid issue and go home with a clear conscience. 

(Submitted to “The Daily Oklahoman”  9-17-18)

Glenn <><

Just West of Yesterday

Another Letter to Editor of Local Newspaper

                                               Maybe it’s the Corn

Maybe it’s the name “Ben.” Well, it could be a combination of both. The fact remains those two Nebraska U.S. Senators named Ben, though a decade apart, has captured the national political spotlight. Oklahomans know all too well Nebraska is called the Cornhusker State. Consider:

1.     The fiercely debated Obama Care legislation was passed in the U.S. Senate in 2009 with several widely publicized “incentives” to secure the votes of some senators that were on the fence. Several Democrat senators received additional motivation to secure the needed 60 votes. Tennessee received federal funding for hospitals in rural areas of the state. The State Bank of North Dakota, yes, there is a state bank in North Dakota, was the only state granted permission to continue to process student loans. One of the most widely publicized holdouts was Democrat Sen. Mary Landrieu of Louisiana who earned $300 million dollars in additional Medicaid funding for her 59^th vote. The media dubbed her support as the “Louisiana Purchase.”

2.     Former Democrat Senator Ben Nelson of Nebraska, the needed 60^th vote, received $100 million additional Medicaid dollars for his state. His vote was widely heralded as the infamous “Cornhusker Kickback.” Subsequent action by the House of Representatives removed the $100 million from the budget. Most readers know Obamacare was passed without a single Republican vote.

3.       Enter Republican U.S. Senator Ben Sasse of Nebraska, (another Ben), he told a nationwide TV audience Sunday on “Meet the Press” that he often thinks of leaving the Republican Party to become an Independent. He cited his frustration with the gridlock in Congress as his reason. Also, he said he had no plans to run for the presidency in 2020. In my opinion, the timing of his appearance might, repeat, might signal his requirement for some sort of concession from the Trump Administration. President Trump is well aware every Republican senator will be needed to secure the nomination of Judge Kavanaugh for the Supreme Court. Furthermore, a threat, even a veiled threat, to oppose President Trump in 2020 is something the president will surely want to avoid.

4.       I find it interesting, probably coincidental, that two U.S. Senators, one former and one current, both named Ben, and both from the Cornhusker State are such key players in our national political agenda.

Glenn <><

Just West of Yesterday

POETRY IS EMOTIONAL SHORTHAND

What follows are two recent poetical efforts:

           Any Day Now

Come late winter or early spring

I’ll tackle this oft-delayed thing

My intentions are honest; my motives pure

But putting off afflicts even the mature

Any day now I’ll get started; no more debate

Just permit me one more day to procrastinate!        

 

                            Fancy Company Dishes

Unmatched deeply cracked plates and chipped cups were for daily use

Yet porcelain soldiers rested expectantly and never wounded by abuse

These exactly alike dishes were used only when visitors came for a rest

We were forbidden to touch them; Mom cautioned they were her best 

Mom and the dishes are gone; yet we recall her constant dining wishes

At the Banquet, when she arrived, she saw only Fancy Company Dishes  

Glenn <><

REMEMBERING JOHN MCCAIN

 

                       John McCain Remembered

 If you live long enough, many things from your past will greatly help in    understanding the present. Specifically, the late Senator McCain’s POW experience in the “Hanoi Hilton” comes into a sharper focus as I recall the three personal discussions I have had with former American POWs. One of the WWII POWs was imprisoned in Germany and the other survived the Bataan Death March. The Vietnam War POW was a “guest” of the North Vietnamese. I have no words to adequately describe their physical and emotional terrors. Hopefully, what follows honors his wartime experience and attempts to describe his sometimes confusing role in the U.S. Senate:

1.  John McCain was the son of a U.S. Navy Admiral and a grandson of yet another U.S. Navy Admiral. No doubt there were a lot of expectations placed on his young shoulders. Nevertheless, the choice was ultimately his to not run to Canada and to enter the U.S. Naval Academy. His four years at Annapolis, coupled with rigorous flight training, especially, flying an A-4 jet aircraft off of the aircraft carrier Forrestal into hostile skies over North Vietnam surely places him on the doorstep of hero status. (I leave to readers to sort through the supposed reports of an alleged nickname for naval pilot McCain--- “Johnny Wet Start”--- and the tragic fire aboard the Forrestal that claimed 134 lives.)

2.                       Life in the “Hanoi Hilton” is well documented in Admiral Denton’s revealing     account—“When Hell Was In Season.” The five plus years as a POW and torture surely earns the accolade of “Hero” for John McCain. Seldom mentioned, but well documented, is the fact John McCain made recordings while he was a POW expressing an apology to the North Vietnamese.  (AZCentral.com). While this is a clear violation of the U.S. Code of Conduct, there is some consensus this action was coerced.

3.  John McCain. Senior Republican U.S. Senator from Arizona seemed to relish    the “Maverick” description given to him by the print and electronic media. Over the course of his long political career, he had about an 87% record of supporting Republican positions; however, his rating with the American Conservative Union at times dipped to 50% on their rating scale. He will always be remembered for his thumbs down vote on scraping Obama Care. (fivethirtyeight.com).

     Glenn <><   

 

SOMETHINGS NEVER SEEM TO CHANGE

                    

       I have changed, but the thrill remains the same!

                                   Jupiter

A month and one half from now and I will be 77 years old. Several 

of my teenage interests are still part of what made me what I am. I 

have just returned from outside where I observed the First Quarter 

Moon through my 80mm/400 mm focal length/refractor. I have 

never gotten over the thrill I experienced in Indiana as I looked 

through my very, very crude 2 inch objective refractor with about a

 48 inch focal length. The chances are excellent I was the only 

student in Paris Crossing High School, in Southern Indiana who 

a telescope. Several boys, and a few girls, peered through my $12 

monster and were awed by the craters on the Moon, Jupiter’s four 

moons, the rings of Saturn, and the phases of Venus. Sunspots 

could be projected onto a piece of white paper held some distance 

from the eyepiece. 

Over 60 years has passed since those clear skies were both my

entertainment and outdoor classroom. Several telescopes have 

come and gone, yet the joy of seeing God’s spectacular creation in 

the heavens has always remained the same. Nothing puts life into 

the proper physical perspective of seeing nebulae, star clusters,

double stars, and galaxies thousands, millions, of light years away. 

I'll never fully understand how the Creator and Sustainer of the

Universe finds time for me. WOW!

Glenn <><

   

GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN--Maybe?

                              Mission Essential?  

                                                  

It galled me to hear comedians say, “Military Intelligence is an oxymoron.” For 20 years, I saw the fruits of such invaluable intelligence. What frustrated me even more was the use of the term “Mission Essential Personnel” in our many contingency operation plans for inclement weather, natural or man-made disaster, or government shutdown.  Without exception, those plans always said, “Only mission essential personnel need report for duty.”  Here is my analysis: 

The position description for every member of every unit was directly connected to the unit mission. Not every member (military and Department of Defense civilian) was designated as “Mission Essential.” In my mind, only two possible conclusions existed---(1) Too many personnel were assigned to the unit to support the mission or (2) The mission of the unit was of limited importance. That was then, this is now.

Threats and fears of a looming government shut down have produced discussions about such a shutdown not affecting “Mission Essential” employees. Further, conversations I have heard on radio/TV imply all affected government employees would be paid when the government restarts normal operation. Here are some of my opinions:

1.     The term “Shutdown” has ominous and, in my view, unwarranted suppositions. The fact is, military members will not abandon their duty stations, law enforcement personnel will not turn in their shields and weapons, aeronautical and maritime control members will not go on vacation and permit aircraft to fall from the sky or watch helplessly as tugs, ocean liners, oil tankers, and other water craft crash into piers or  other ships.

2.     Government shutdowns, as currently envisioned, are not without precedent. Recall: Presidents Ford-- 1 for 13 days; Carter-- 5 for 73 days; Reagan—9 for 56 days; Bush(H)—1 for 5 days; Clinton—2 for 50 days; and Obama—1 for 17 days. (VOX website). Remember, the world as we know it, did not end!  

3.     For all intents and purposes, the government shuts down every weekend. No one marches in the streets. No trolls crawl out on social media. And, no calls are made to talk shows demanding the government not close every Friday at 5pm. Today, the term “Government Shutdown” is now loaded with partisan political and desk pounding implications that border on the absurd. 

IF, the government shuts down, it might be an appropriate opportunity to objectively examine the true meaning of the term “Mission Essential."

Glenn <><
Just West of Yesterday

NEW SERIES STARTING---LETTERS TO EDITOR

Over the years, I have sent many letters to the editors of several newspapers. This is the first of many that I'll be posting:

                                      Reverse Political Alchemy

In the Middle Ages, alchemists vainly sought to turn lead into gold. Today, in my opinion, socialist alchemists are vigorously attempting to turn our Representative Republic (gold) into Utopian Socialism (lead).The names of the new champions for a government-commanded economy are well known; consequently, this letter focuses upon the “Why Now?”

1.     The American public has been bludgeoned into near unconsciousness by daily accounts of Special Counsels, North Korea, Russia, Iran, Tariffs, Border Security, Fake News, November Elections and a multitude of other lead stories. As a result, the startling rise of socialist activity fails to move the public attention needle.

2.     Another benefit of socialists hiding in the weeds of public indifference is the historic failures of socialism that somehow is conveniently omitted from the discussion.

3.     While President Trump has many economic and international achievements to herald, he continually diverts the political radar sensitivity of Republicans that support him and Democrats that want to impeach him. These “neutered” professional political gurus have neither strength nor resolve to confront and counter the fast-growing dangers of the socialist agenda.

4.     Social media and the atrophied legacy media are fertile soil to sow the socialist dogma. While it is an unfair stretch to suggest the media is pro socialist, it is certain socialist headlines trump (pun intended) the bleeding away of advertisers and readers/viewers.

5.     Free Medical Care, Free University Education, and Free Housing resonant with younger voters raised on the Pablum of entitlement. Socialism to these voters is an adult “binky” that just keeps on giving.  Socialism has immediate appeal to those who lack a strong work ethic, understanding of American history and a desire to make the future better for their children.  Socialists smoothly veneer the cold hard truth----in life, there are really no free pizzas! 

6.     Socialists are always primed for the K.O. punch to their position: “Sure, it hasn’t worked anywhere else; but this is America, we are smarter, richer, and better educated than those other socialists, and besides, we are really just Socialist Democrats. Who can be against poor people, old people, and children?” Fear and emotional appeal are options the socialists use for both offense and defense.

Perhaps the late “Iron Lady”, UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher uttered the single best line against socialism, “The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people’s money.”

Glenn <><

ONCE MORE MY FRIEND ASKS.....

I COULDN'T REFUSE HIS REQUEST. SO......

"Please ask that special someone to just remember me----that's all!"

OK......I'VE DONE MY JOB. NOW BACK TO MY REGULARLY SCHEDULED BLOG ALREADY IN PROGRESS.

GLENN <><

WELCOME NEW BLOG VISITORS.....

I provided the following to our 2018 PCHS Alumni Meeting. Most of those attending are over 70 years of age. This seems appropriate:

COULD IT BE YOU……..

1.   Attend so many funerals, the funeral homes award you frequent viewer miles?

2.   Have more doctor appointments on your calendar than all of the family birthdays and holidays combined?

3.   Know more first names of Walmart associates than the names of your neighbors?

4.   Purchase each year more Christmas gift cards than actual presents?

5.   Know the title(s) to your car(s) is in the house somewhere, but where?

6.   Watch more Old Western reruns than modern Sitcoms?

7.   Have worn out a couple of pair of good scissors cutting open packaging that Houdini couldn’t get into?

8.   Think students in High School lie about their age, they look more like new Jr. High students?

9.   Have difficulty understanding teenager’s language, music, dress and cell phone addiction?

10.    Need to improve relationships with some family members and Almighty God?

       To paraphrase Willie Nelson, “PCHS you are on my mind”

               Glenn <><  Class of 1959---email: ke5gk@sbcglobal.net

Roy and Joni (Concluding Chapter)

                                           Roy and Joni –Concluding Chapter

                                                      (Please read previous chapters)

Roy was upset at Larry for not coming clean with him about the awful Joni incident.

Joni was angry at Larry for his failure to express genuine regret and sorrow for the way he treated her.

Larry was very upset at Joni for not accepting his lukewarm apology. After all, she was in on the initial planning of their cancelled motel evening of bliss.

This trio of angry and upset former close friends simmered and stewed for a couple of weeks. Roy took the lead in an attempt to break the log jam of hurt feelings.

“Larry, how long have we been best friends?”

“A long, long time. Why do you asked?”

“Close friends tell the truth to each other. The truth is, Joni shared every detail about the planned motel escapade that went astray”. 

“Hey man, it was her idea too. And besides that, I told her I was sorry.

”Larry, I don’t think she believes your sincerity.”

“What then am I supposed to do?”

“We are not school yard kids anymore. We are young adults that need to own up to our mistakes.”

“Roy, I did a real stupid thing when she pulled the plug on our motel romp. I am  really, really sorry.”

“As your best friend, I urge you to tell that, exactly like that to Joni. Use the same honesty with her as you have with me. She’ll be able to sense the difference.”

“I’ll pray for guts to do that.”

“Larry, I’ll be praying for both of you.”

Larry did follow through and Joni was somewhat reluctant to accept his new apology; however, a few days afterwards, she called him and accepted his truthful apology.

Over the months, Roy and Joni’s relation grew and strengthened. Until one summer night, as they were parked at the bottom of her drive way, Roy asked the love of his life to marry him.

Her immediate and jubilant answer was “Yes! Yes! Yes!”

Roy gave her the biggest kiss ever. And he said, “I guess I need to ask your mother if she will give us her blessings.”

Joni’s mother was happy for them and happy she would be gaining another bedroom and freer access to her bathroom.

Larry was Roy’s best man and paid for three nights at Branson, MO. Joni’s mother made the down payment on a new car for the newlyweds. Roy’s mother and father gave them the keys to a new double-wide mobile home and 20 acres to put it on. A pickup truck full of wedding gifts was unloaded at Roy’s parent's house.

As the smiling couple cut the wedding cake, Joni said to her husband of less than an hour, “I’ll always love you my Country Bumpkin.”

“And I’ll always love you my city girl.”

Glenn <><

Just West of yesterday

Tom and Huck Never Had It So Good

ONE MORE INTERRUPTION BEFORE WE CONCLUDE THE                                        STORY OF ROY AND JONI

                       Tom and Huck Never Had It So Good

This letter (Sent to North Vernon, IN Letters to Editor at Plain Dealer-Sun) has a rather long preamble and a clarion call for continued action. 

There are 22 creeks in Jennings County (according to Bridgehunter.com); however, there is only one that nurtured me to adulthood---Graham Creek. Only a handful of surviving close friends and family understand my historical and emotional attachment to this distant tributary of the Gulf of Mexico.

In 1948, my folks were part of the exodus from Kentucky to Indiana. From age 6 until I left home for an Air Force career at age 21, the Graham Creek and immediate environs, were part and particle of who I was and what I would become. My cousins, my brother and I were founding members of the Graham Creek College of Advanced Piscatorial Studies. If it swam, we caught it. We gigged suckers, seined for minnows and crawdads, broke open muscle shells for bait, and had secret names for our best fishing spots: The riffles, the rocks, and the roots. Interestingly, our biggest challenge was getting fishing hooks. Sure, we did the ubiquitous safety pin routine and I developed a decent skill at fashioning a hook from a paperclip. A small box of 10 hooks cost 12 cents and that was eye-watering finance for young farm boys. A couple of events I clearly recall:

When I was 12, I knew of President Eisenhower's love for fly fishing (I later learned Camp David was created for him in the Maryland mountains for him to trout fish) and I would day dream of finding Ike fishing alone on the Graham Creek and he asking me to fish with him. My biggest concern was how could I ever get the dirt, blisters, and brier scratches off to be clean enough for the president. My only imagined solution was for my mother to simply remove my top layer of skin!

A few years later, I went to the area we called the rocks and there were a half dozen gents surrounding a honey hole of rock bass (aka goggle eye) and the strongest fish on earth—smallmouth bass. An older fellow in overalls was standing on the bank with a cane pole and a small rubber spider attached to his line. The other fisherman were wading, using closed face spinning reels and having little or no luck. The “Spiderman” was catching fish on almost every cast. He was very loud in his celebration of his fishing skills.

Two or three weeks later I returned to this can't miss fishing spot. The same guys were fishing, minus the “Spiderman.” One of the men said to another, “You know if we will be real quiet, we just might hear (name withheld) down there in Texas where he is visiting some kinfolks!”

As I daily feel the increasingly moist wind from River Jordan, I have some concerns about the future of Graham Creek for coming generations. Specifically:

1. The continued preservation of the James Covered Bridge over the Graham Creek. I am over 800 miles away, out on the southern Great Plains; consequently, I do not know of the current efforts underway to continue to save this treasured bridge. I do know the late Mary Ann Keller and her brother Bobby Keller were the champions who turned back a major assault from bright young road planners and the mega farmers who own large heavy equipment. I say to all in the current vanguard, 'Do not grow weary in well-doing.' Save Our Bridge!
2.  Several years ago when I purchased an out-of-state Indiana fishing license, I noted the warnings in the book of regulations against eating fish from Graham Creek that were contaminated from herbicide and fertilizer runoff. Hopefully, this is no longer the situation; however, if it is still going on, clean water advocates expand your base of support, find some pro bono environmental lawyers and use every print, broadcast and social media outlet to make the case for the preservation of our precious waterways. To see the scope of the situation impacting our streams in Jennings County, go to the Google Maps satellite view of the fields near the Graham Creek and you will discover, acre after acre after acre of land planted in what looks like corn.
3. It is on Google maps that I found the Graham Creek miss-identified as the Muscatatuck River. The Muscatatuck River is indeed in Jennings County; however, it is not the Graham Creek. I call upon conservationist groups, computer geeks, and concerned citizens to please voice your concern to Google. It is never too late to correct a needless error. There is only one stream in Jennings County that flows through my life, and it is Graham Creek.

I have been blessed to have had the opportunity to fish in lakes and streams in Alaska and Canada and 15 other states, in the Gulf of Mexico, Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. But only one small, sometimes flooded, sometimes almost dry, sometimes covered with leaves, sometimes frozen over, sometimes muddy, and sometimes almost clear stream in Jennings County, Indiana called Graham Creek,that forged and molded my memory of a real childhood that Mark Twain could never create for Tom Sawyer or Huckleberry Finn.

Glenn <><

Just West of Yesterday

Roy and Joni (Chapter 16)

                                           (Please read previous chapters first)

Sometimes the fear of the answers prevents asking the right people the right questions. Such was the case while Larry pondered calling Joni to find out what she had told Roy about their relationship that ended with heartache on both sides.

For Larry, there was the regret he had placed himself and Joni in such a horrible situation at the motel. He knew what the two of them had agreed to was wrong and he was ashamed of his childish behavior he displayed when Joni had the courage and moral sense to say No. He also had much fear about what she might have told Roy about the two of them. He was fearful too of how his relationship with Roy might be permanently damaged.  He remembered what his grandpa often said, “Two wrongs never made a right.” After several hours of unease, he called Joni because Roy had not sufficiently answered his admittedly prying questions.

Finally, he called Joni. After the predictable pleasantries, Larry started his questioning.

“Joni, Roy told me you had mentioned to him we had once dated.”

“Yes, I did. Why do you ask?”

“Oh, I was just curious.”

“Curious about what?”

“You know, how we got along and stuff like that.”

“Larry, it is very impolite and most dishonest to play mind games. What do you really want to know?”

“Joni, did you tell him about our motel incident?”

“Larry, it is none of your business if I did or didn’t.”

“Joni, I told you I was sorry about that.

“I sure do not remember anything other than you saying you wished the whole sad event hadn’t happened. I did not hear much sorrow or regret in that. I was wrong to even agree to go with you knowing what was planned. And you sure were wrong in calling me names that hurt me, hurt me real bad. And if that was not enough, you would not lend me the money to get a separate room which made me spend a night in the same room with you. “

“Joni…I’m…”

With voice breaking and sobbing just a couple of seconds away, Joni spoke very loudly, “Mr. Larry, you shouldn’t worry about what I may have told Roy as much as you should worry about what you never told me!” 

“Joni…” The phone went dead.

Larry thought to himself how he really messed that call up. But he also knew, for the very first time, he had not ever really been sorry for the way he had treated Joni.

                                       To be continued……