The note was written in a scrawl

Chapter 29)  The football game/ Truth and Abandon Cards
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Understood why all those tall skinny Negroes who went to Sunday morning church walked so upright and straight legged, laughing to himself how they were always talking about white folks walking with a stiff ass.
Wilkerson slapped River Boy across the back, saying, hey, act regular. I can see you getting stiff, which almost caused River Boy to laugh out loud, as if Wilkerson was reading his mind.

Feeling goofy like French toast understanding why those regular Sunday morning churchgoing men walked around in their suits so upright and stiff legged and upright
Real embarrassing
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Mr Wilkerson made it home around three thirty, and Bethel served an early dinner so they could make the game.
Then they went upstairs, and while Susan and Bethel played the piano in the other room, Mr Wilkerson let River Boy try on several suit jackets, finally settling on a tweed before Wilkerson pointed out the pants, shirts, and belt.
And wow, that River Boy made those clothes look good.
Susan was stunned with pride, and decided to call her girlfriends to tell them their boyfriends needed to wear suit jackets also.
That got Wilkerson thinking and before you know, word was spreading around town that all the kids and parents should wear a suit jacket to the game.

Trinity was going full out to impress themselves and their town guests, although many were still half drunk and stained with barbecue sauce from the fishing tourney. At least nobody drowned and most the work-a-day fellas had churchwear of some order consisting of a fairly clean pair of I'll-fitting dungarees and jacket.
Good enough, Trinity was ready.
Latchy also suggested her house guests wear similar to the game.

Folks began arriving at the game and somebody suggested they all walk in together.
Maggie saw Susan standing next to a tall handsome man ... and almost passed out after recognizing River Boy ...never imagining he would show up at a school game ... with a date ... nor have nice clothes.

Maggie is included in the circle of friends, and of course Thomas is already wearing a jacket.
The whole group meet outside the game so they can sit together.
And In a display of local royalty, the group enters the game, led by Thomas and Maggie, followed directly by River Boy and Susan and the other young couples, who by this time had swelled in number.
Likewise, the mothers in town, getting news of the dress up, demanded their husbands wear a jacket instead of the old barbecue shirt … that barely covered the belly.



Powerful heavyball of a man
Notes for continuing story:
Mr Wilkerson comes home... they fit River Boy into a suit coat from the closet upstairs.
He looks great. Susan is stunned with pride, and calls her girlfriends telling them their boyfriends need to wear suit jackets to the game.
Maggie is included in the circle of friends, and of course Thomas is already wearing a jacket.
The whole group meet outside the game so they can sit together.
And In a display of local royalty, the group enters the game, led by Thomas and Maggie, followed directly by River Boy and Susan and the other young couples, who by this time had swelled in number.
Likewise, the mothers in town, getting news of the dress up, demanded their husbands wear a jacket instead of the old barbecue shirt … that barely covered the belly.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Latchy has invited important people into town, both for the fishing tournament and to explore the opportunity of doing commerce at Trinity. The fishing tournament was bust as soon as folks started climbing over the fence to listen to Banging Gypsy. The pork dogs and potato salad were great, and the Negroes didn't loose every fish to local squander. Yes many got to eat dinner that night, laughing at the trick that River Boy played.
Well it was kind of double-edge, because Latchy and the town might have looked a bit disorganized... however none was lost, since the music was wonderful, everybody had a good time, plenty of beer ... and ... several local people, excited by the possibility of more business, invited Latchy and the important people to attend the football game.

Mr Wilkerson has clued Latchy that the girls were going, and it's going to be a nice display of local pride... find different word...
Hoping to salvage a possible disgrace,, Latchy realizes it's a perfect moment to officially enter local society. The out-of-town guests go to the football game and are amazed ... impressed ...  that so many well-behaved young people, and parents were at the game in nice clothes, many of them already aware of Thomas Churchail III as a future leader.
Latchy has salvaged the moment, but later,,,, in a

.....  bit of confusion and perplexion by Latchy, who clumsily introduces River Boy as Mr Mayor, as  the out-of-town guests are further  amazed that such a young, handsome and self-assured man was chosen to lead Trinity. No doubt deservedly since Latchy introduced him.
That dang boy had gotten under Latchy again somehow... that lady of the lofty world about just keeps getting confused when he's around.

The introduction of River Boy as Mayor rather dumbfounded the high school crowd, including Susan, who looked over at her father, who was aware of current events as much as could be understood with half the information and a big heart not wanting to spoil things at the edge of success, and nodded to his daughter.
Her acceptance smoothed it across the other kids in a ripple of quasi-acceptance, who, dressed nice, and displaying good manners were able to avert the usual hooting prevalent when encountering the unbelievable or incredulous at that age.


The bank continued their push for all the crackers, but Trinity was spared for now.

That night, Latchy Gray had one final thing to do before she could abandon the past.
Tell Rich man where his boy was.
She wrote a note and didn't sign it.

A few days later Rich man was sitting on his porch reading a note written in blue ink.
The words were strong and carefully uniform. A woman's handwriting, perfect script.
Each time he read it, the note seemed to say something different. It felt warm in his hand, and true.
It clearly said the small boy he sought was in Trinity and lived by the river, and had grown into a fine man. The post mark was three days before, and no signature.
It was intriguing. He couldn't decide. His losses and gains in life were on the plus side.
Time distorts what a man remembers and it cost him so much and happened so long ago. The truth was lost.
The next day, not much sleep the night before, he put the note on the table for the last time and it slid off on the floor.
He had to settle for comfort that the note offered, nothing more.

So it was over. The truth card was lost, the last card still unknown and the deck of life could be dealt again.
Grandpa was free.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Thot i was fooling the nurse but I was only fooling myself

The unknown card
Final paragraph?

The rush of night with a twinkle in his eye, standing totally alone among all these people he cared about, his new family leaning toward him same as he toward them, River Boy was still and forever would be caught between worlds, that of Grandpa who owned nothing yet squeezed out a life on borrowed ground, and those gangsters who beckoned his skills, and that beautiful girl he just met today that made him feel good wearing clean clothes and believing in him.
God there was no answer in front of him, nothing but nothing for Mr Mayor felt right that night, yet everything was perfect.

Feeling the roam of night with a twinkle in his eye, standing totally alone among all these people he cared about, his new family leaning toward him same as he toward them, River Boy was still and forever would be caught between worlds, that of his Grandpa who owned nothing yet squeezed a life out on borrowed ground, and those gangsters who beckoned with their lonely greed, and that beautiful girl he just met today that made him feel good wearing clean clothes and believing he was okay.
God there was no answer in front of him, nothing but nothing for Mr Mayor felt right that night, yet everything was perfect as the unknown card passed silently through him and disappeared without a sound.
And that moment, the Deck of Life fulfilled its journey from Grandpa, and freed itself to be dealt again and again, over and over to the end.

XXXXXXXXXXX
rich man last chapter
this bracelet is what i found after your son left
It was supposed to stay with him but somebody tore it off.
its has the number we gave him .... we didn't have a name, except for yours so I'm sending it to you
.... and one of the nurses found a note that somebody wrote for the boy or his family

Rich man ran the paper bracelet through his fingers
damn them
they sent my boy out with no name ... damn them
how could they break my heart more, then opened the note and began to read.

it said, all i can give you is what i have left
its not for regret sadness that i wish things were different  because i don't and cant tell you why
i should
and its not because you lost me, or that i wont miss you .. because i will and you'll always be mine.

the last line was muddled.
it seemed to change, and the more he read it the more exhausting it got.

The last time he read it, it said, even when you lose this, if im your memory, maybe its enough to be humble and sad

that he was
He had lost so much over this already.
his wife left and was never the same when she came back
his children stopped talking to him
they were  grown up now with families of their own.
over time the whispers behind his back died down, and people noticed he lost his swagger and had taken up with kindness

He no longer stood at the end of the irrigation ditch outside Yahoo City cussing the Negroes: a slight change he no longer felt was necessary. Of course they didn't either, not that anyone from that world would remember or care if the man fell in the ditch and never came out, yet fearful if such a thing happened while they were in the field.

. its because one day 
no matter how it comes out, your memories are our memories  i'm in your heart

the old note was long lost
it was only 18 years before ... a distance that seemed more brief
He didn't even remember what happened to the bracelet
it was in a drawer for years, then disappeared

XXXXXXX
The truth was lost so the world could go on play music again

U can’t forget a world you stepped into that made u Scream

Ur trying to guess ahead about things that haven’t happened
Some folks are good at that but not for me

There is no truth ... it jyust whatever misery is going around now.

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