Not having a paycheck does things to a man’s inner spark. I got slovenly, sluggish, nasty. That’s when Marlene left me. Then I truly had nothing. 

My granddaddy was an original. I can picture him now in his liberty coveralls, shiny black shoes, and old felt hat. The grandfather stereotype was probably modeled after him. I will go so far as to say that if you saw another old man dressed similarly you’d say-“Hey isn’t that…”  Yep’! You would be reminded of my granddaddy.

The tea tray sat on a mahogany side table in a living room with dark green curtains drawn against a late afternoon sun.  My father made polite conversation about my journey, the weather and the usual fluff people talk about when they would rather sit alone. His new wife poured tea.

Conrad Treplet emerged from his mother wielding a tiny bayonet. The bayonet was sharp and the perfect size for a newborn boy. His mother, knowing such tools to be dangerous, ordered the bayonet to be disposed of immediately.