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MARK AND JOSIES 60TH ANNIVERSARY
as told by Chessie and Dave
(c) 2025 all rights reserved
We, Dave, the children and I had decided to go to Mississippi
to surprise Memaw and Papaw on the occasion of their sixtieth wedding
anniversary. We loaded up the old white station wagon with everything we would
need for the overnight and part day drive and started off. We traveled by night
because the traffic was better and the children would sleep, at least one of
them would. Mark would be asleep before we left the driveway. Shelby, on the
other hand, would stay up all night and her endless chatter helped the person
driving keep their eyes open.
The trip was uneventful, and we arrived at the house just as
Josie was starting to fix lunch. She was busy at the worktable in the kitchen
and didn’t hear us drive up. We cautioned the children to be quiet and all four
of us slipped in through the back door in the den. Memaw had her back to us, so
didn’t see us as I put Shelby down and told Mark to take her hand and go into
the kitchen and say hi to their great grandmother. The children toddled in and
stood watching her until she became aware that they were standing beside her.
She gave a little start, whirled around to face us and cried, “How did you get
here? Mad—dlone! Come look who’s here! Come quick! How DID you get here?” The
look on her face was well worth the drive. Momma wasn’t even sure we could make
it, so she was surprised to see us too. We found out that Papaw was at the
store, so we’d get to do the surprise bit again when he got home. Dave decided
to hide the car, it would have been a sure giveaway, so he drove it down the
hill a bit just to get it out of sight. The ruse worked perfectly, and Papaw
walked into a house full of grandchildren and great grandchildren that he was
thrilled to see.
The celebration was the next day so, after unloading the car
and settling into our respective spaces, we pitched in to help set up. There
were napkins to spiral, crystal and silver to polish, china to wash, best
tablecloths to locate and iron, vegetables to arrange artistically and the list
went on and on. I wondered if we would be finished in time but, by bedtime, all
was ready for the influx of guests. The only thing left to do was get some rest
and dress up for the party in the morning.
The day dawned beautiful in all ways, temperature, sunshine,
flowers, we could not have planned it better. Even though I had helped prepare
the decorations I was amazed by how lovely everything looked for this very
special party. People started arriving at one in the afternoon and there was so
much visiting and eating, picture taking and comparing of children that it
seemed to go on for hours. It was so nice to see all the aunts, uncles and
cousins again and of course, no one knew we would be there, so our surprise was
added to the excitement. Soon everyone had left except the family and Papaw’s
three brothers and their wives.
William, Papaw’s next to the oldest brother was tall and
lanky with the distinct McMullan nose and thinning grey hair. He didn’t talk
much but when he did it was always worth listening to. He was a farmer who raised livestock and just
enough of a garden to feed the family and a few neighbors. Jack, the oldest, was much shorter than the
rest but you could see the family resemblance strongly, He laughed a lot and
had grand stories to tell too. Miley, the youngest, was not as short as Jack
but he was defiantly bigger around. His family resemblance was there but not as
pronounced as the other boys. He worked
for the Mississippi state highway department and sometimes helped William and
Mark with projects they had going on.
They all loved to get together and tell stories. More than that they
loved to play a good joke on each other. This day was no exception and while us
gals were visiting in the kitchen; all the guys were visiting in the living
room. I wasn’t in there to hear this part, so I’ll let Dave tell you about the
conversation that happened.
“Well. Like Chessie said, all the men were talking in the
living room. Everybody tried to talk at once for a while then no one had
anything to say. You know how that happens some time when a bunch of people get
together to visit. Well, in that break…
“William said, to no one in particular, “I think someone has
been messing around out on the property. I was walking through the meadow,
checking around the back gate where we bring the cows from one field to the
other, when I noticed that the weeds looked driven over. I don’t go out there
much anymore and never drive through, so it sort of stood out as being used. I
started looking closer to see if there had been trash or anything thrown around
and there in the middle of the old road, someone had been scratching in the
dirt. I got nearer and in the middle of the little disturbed place, someone had
planted this funny looking little plant. I don’t think whoever did it was much
of a farmer.”
Jack asked, “What makes you say that?”
“Well,” William replied, “They didn’t work the dirt enough to
do any good and it looked like they dumped about a cup of water beside it
instead of around it like they should have. I don’t think it’ll make up very
well. Probably won’t even live. But it sure looked strange.”
Miley wanted to know if maybe “it’s somethin’ that shouldn’t
be there do you suppose?”
William said. “I’m guessing that’s what it’s got to be.” No
one wanted to say the plant type. It was like they were afraid if someone said
it, the police would fall out of the walls and arrest us all.
Papaw chimed in with, “Did you call the cops? You need to get
that stuff out of there!”
“Naw, I don’t think I’m gonna’ call the police just yet. I
want to fertilize and water it and see just what it’ll do.”
Every voice in the room called out together, “I don’t think
that’s such a good idea, get rid of it!”
Jack sat forward in his chair and, with great concern in his
voice asked, “William, why in the world would you want to do that? You’re
eighty six and don’t need to be messin’ with stuff like that.
William just smiled back and told him, “Well if it does
everything that the kids says that it does for them, I want to see what it can
do for me.” Then he broke out in such loud laughter that everyone knew that he
had been teasing about the whole thing.
He had found a marijuana plant in the field
but had no intention of keeping it. He
had called the police to report the “crime”. They did an investigation into the
felonious planting, but we never did find out who had done it. But, like
William said, “He wasn’t much of a farmer.”
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