From This Day Forward: Part IV

“Fill ‘er up and wash the windshield will ya? And make it snappy; we’re in a hurry,” James replied to the sloth-eyed gas station attendant.

“Aight then.” came the indifferent response.

The young man spit tobacco onto the greasy pavement and set to work. Bobby walked to the rear of the car and began to pump gasoline. Once this task was completed he proceeded to wash the front windshield. Bobby frowned at the amount of elbow grease he had to use on in order to clear off all the bug juice. He then made a quick inspection of the vehicle as he walked around it and noticed that the back left tire was becoming low on air. He considered mentioning the defect to but his laziness caused him to overlook the tire. “They’s jest strangers anyway, why help ‘em?” He thought to himself. “Besides, he was kinda grumpy with me anyway.” Coming back around the driver’s side Bobby peered into the window. Upon seeing Lois in the back seat a flirtatious grin swept across his face. “ That’ll be four dollars, mister,” said Bobby to James, his eyes never leaving Lois’ face. “Three seventy-five for the gas and twenty-five cents for the warshin.’” Reaching in hi s pocket James pulled out a wad of dollar bills. “I thank ya, sir.” James replied as politely as possible through clenched teeth. Bobby slowly stepped back from the car and shot another smile and a wink ant Lois. Lois smiled sheepishly and turned her head to hide her blushing cheeks. Bobby removed his baseball cap, wiped the perspiration from his brow, returned the cap to it’s former position and moseyed back inside.

Once the bunch of weary travelers was back on the road, Mother looked over at Lois and poking her in the ribs playfully, “Why Lois, I think that young man fancied you.” “Well, maybe so,” Lois agreed, lifting her chin, “but that don’t make no matter to me. Just think, if I was to marry him I’d have to move to Harlan, Kentucky and I will never…”

“Never say never,” James teased.

“ Never!” Lois replied. “No just shut your mouth and drive!”

And so they drove…

And drove…

And drove.

It was late when they crossed the Virginia state line. The darkness of night had long since settled in. Mother was getting weary. She complained of being so thirsty that she might just dry up and blow away. In the front seat Becky held James’ hand and every once in a while he would take his eyes off of the road to look at her.

Suddenly the family heard a siren come up behind them. It was the police! James pulled off onto the shoulder and rolled down his window. The few moments it took for the officer to get out of his patrol car and waddle to the driver’s side window James rolled down, seemed like an eternity.

Officer Cole was a big man. He was tall with broad shoulders and a protruding belly. In ritual Cole polished his badge until a person’s reflection could be seen. “What have we done wrong? We wasn’t speeding.” James said.

“Well sir, you’ve got yourself a busted tail-light.”

Oh, this isn’t my car. I mean to say, this is my brother Harold’s car, we are just borrowing it. We didn’t know the light wasn’t workin’.”

“I’ll let you go but you have to promise me you’ll get it fixed as soon as possible.”

“Yes sir, we will, thank you.” Officer Cole tipped his hat to the ladies and waddled back to his patrol car.

“James,” Lois began tentatively in the back seat, “why don’t you let me drive? Mother and I will sit up front and you and Becky can get some rest.”

“Alrighty then, come on up here.” After a few minutes of playing musical chairs everyone got situated. Lois started up the car and pulled back out onto the road. An hour later, Lois was humming Amazing Grace just to keep herself away. Mother was beside her with hands folded in her lap. Her head was resting on the window and her mouth was slightly open. A little string of drool dribbled down her chin. In the back seat, James had his head back with his mouth wide open. He snored quietly. Becky’s head rested delicately on his shoulder. Her raven ringlets fell across her face. Lois began to notice that the vehicle was becoming more and more difficult to steer. The back tire began to make a whopping noise against the asphalt. The steering wheel jerked abruptly and Lois spun gravel in the shoulder of the road. Mother was jolted awake, her head slammed against the window and James was startled, his green eyes jumped open quickly.

James’ mind was foggy as he tumbled from the car. He stumbled around the vehicle and upon seeing the flat tire began to curse aloud, not stopping to apologize for his foul language. “Ahhhh, hell Lois, couldn’t ya keep her on the road?”

“James how dare you, it isn’t my fault that your broker can’t maintain his own car.!” The two continued to bicker, shouting vulgar obscenities at one another. Becky dumped all of her body weight onto the bumper of the car and began to sob uncontrollably. Mother came around, wiping the sleepy jacks from her eyes. She put her arm around her daughter’s shoulder. “Oh dear, it’s alright, nothing but a flat tire. Calm down now.” James and Lois had fallen silent, ashamed of their behavior. Becky continued, “All I wanted to do was come to Bristol, Tennessee and get married in my new dress! I’ve still got these ruined clothes on! We can’t even go two hours without James and Lois getting at each other’s throats and I’ve only got two days before my husband leaves home. I WANNA GO HOME!”

“It’s alright, Becky,” James said, trying to comfort her, his tone now quiet and calm. “I’ll get this flat fixed and we’ll be home in no time.” Becky nodded and the three women watched as James replaced the flattened rubber heap with a new tire.

James took the wheel again and they cruised back down the road. Becky tried her best to go to sleep but her outburst the hours before had pumped her adrenaline. Lois and Mother had managed to get fairly comfortable and snooze in the backseat. All was calm. They were headed home. There were no obstacles ahead of them. The headlights illuminated the yellow lines that raced along the middle of the road.

Fifteen miles out of Bristol the young couple was startled by a familiar sound. A cop was pulling them over again. James pulled off the road and slowly rolled down his window. The police officer strolled up flipping pages in his little black ticket book. “Sir, do you know that you have a busted tail light?”

“Yes sir, we do but we have not found any place open to get it fixed.” James replied.

“Well since it is late and I’m a nice guy I am going to let you off. But get that fixed!”

“Thank you, sir.” James replied. As the officer retreated back to his patrol car James muttered one of his favorite insults under his breath, “Rumhead.” Becky laughed at this comment he often used in contempt of someone.

It was well after midnight when the family rolled into Salem, Virginia. Becky’s sister, Eunice, who lived in town on Union Street offered them her spare bedroom for the night. They planned to take off Sunday morning on their real honeymoon.

Sunday morning James and Becky jumped in the car once more. They had two days and one night before James left home for two years. They wended through the beautiful countryside, stopping here and there to stretch their legs. The couple made it as far as Staunton before they had to stop for the night. They stopped at a tourist court. It was nothing more than a row of one-room cabins built for travelers passing through. The Tate’s opened the door to their cabin cautiously and stepped inside. In the middle of the room was a double bed with a patchwork quilt and four feather pillows. To the left of the doorway was a dresser, with a large mirror that ran horizontally across the top. In the corner was a nightstand, beside it a wingback chair. To the right of the door was a bathroom no bigger than a coat closet.

Becky put down her things and went into the bathroom to change into her nightgown. James picked up the local newspaper and sat down in the chair to relax. A few minutes later Becky opened the door and looked across the room at her husband, expecting to get some sort of reaction. James had fallen fast asleep. Becky crawled under the blanket and turned out the lights. Lying in the bed alone she peered through the darkness and listened to her husband snore. She had to smile. It was a sound that would fill her life for fifty-eight years thereafter.

‍ ‍***

“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.”

-1 Corinthians 13:4-8

Of particular note is the nature of Harlan, Kentucky at the time of my grandparents marriage. In the 1930’s Harlan earned the name “Bloody Harlan” for an incident known as “The Harlan County War”. This began in 1931 when the coal company cut miners wages by 10%. Miners in that region were already paid on average, 40% less than unionized workers in other states. There were a series of violent skirmishes and strikes that took place involving coal miners and the union organizers on one side and the coal firms and law enforcement officials on the other. There were even some bombings and executions. The battle went on for nearly a decade, ending in 1939, only two years before my grandparents made their way there to be wed. While the peak of the "war" occurred in the 1930s, tensions flared one last time in the spring of 1941. On April 2, 1941, a deadly shootout broke out between union pickets and non-union workers at the Crummies Creek mine, leaving four men dead. It’s no wonder then, that local voting days, like the one my grandparents encountered on August 2, 1941, were intense times for the county. My grandfather, James Nicholas ‘Tug’ Tate was born on June 18, 1916 and died on June 2, 1999. He was one of 10 children, all of whom I remember from my childhood. They grew up in “the holler” near present Green Hill Park and attended Green Hill Church of the Brethren his entire life. My grandmother, Phillis Rebecca Phlegar was born Oct 9, 1922 and died November 20, 2015. She was one of six children, who also grew up in “the holler.” Of those children I remember fondly my Uncle Wayne & Aunt Lois. The Phlegar and Tate families grew up as neighbors and friends. My grandparents settled in the holler and lived there the entirety of their marriage, raising my dad and aunt there, who also grew up attending Green Hill Church of the Brethren. If you want to know my Papa Tate, just look at my daddy (spitting image and personality). And for my Grandma Becky, look to my aunt (both spunky as the days are long, but I wouldn’t tell them that, they are too much alike)! *