My memory of when my world was new is less cluttered than the sea of activity and emotion of later years. I remember the first day of the first grade. We were only about a dozen and all sitting in the grass in the sunshine by the big Hackberry tree outside the gym door and Jackie shared her lunch with me. That was the kindest thing that someone outside my family had done for me. I don’t suppose I’ll ever forget.
We arrived there under the Hackberry tree that day, around the middle of September 1947, by different modes of transportation. I am sure that some rode the only bus; an orange Studebaker driven by "Hoot" – with lightly padded benches, one on each side running the length of the bus and two back to back running down the middle, and no seat belts. There were metal poles to hold onto. But I travelled there on top of a load of handpicked cotton on a 1941 Ford stake body truck driven by Thomas. He delivered me to the first day of the first grade after delivering the cotton to the gin. Libba had never sent anyone off to the first day of the first grade and didn’t get the memo so I arrived without lunch, and that is how Jackie first became someone I will never forget.
Several years ago I was Tommy again for a night at our 50th Class Reunion. Most of our small class (swelled to almost thirty by school consolidations) was there. It rekindled fading memories. And I learned that they probably had liked me more than I recollected.
At the reunion each of us stood and made comments and I told the lunch story as part of my comments, and also told of my pretty amazing granddaughter SuSu who calls me “Tom Thom”. Jackie told me later in the evening that she didn’t remember our lunch together but that her granddaughter calls her “Jack Jack”.
If you have a comment, and/or an argument, please do so below. Feedback is welcome.
If you enjoyed this post, take a few seconds to subscribe. Use the Social Media Sharing buttons below to share it with your friends.
If you would like to see my collection of Carolina Lowcountry memories—"Magnolia Elegy: Place In the Edisto Fork," you can view the book trailer here, and see the book page here on the publisher's website. The book is also available from Amazon, B&N, and your independent local bookseller.
