Something nice, for a change.
This isn't new. I doubt I could write anything nice just now. But, it makes me feel better to share something nice. So,
Regret
"Well, you see," Jeremiah said, "things often seem worse than they really is. Things always seem bad right at the moment, but time often shows you that they don't mean nothin'"
The small girl sniffled and rubbed one teary eye with her little fist. She looked up at the old man and he smiled at her.
"I'll tell you a story, to splain what I mean," he said kindly. "When I was bout your age, I went with my pap to a pool hall with his brothers and mam's brothers too. I was cited to be out 'wid the men'. I felt all growd up, and special-like.
"So, anyhow we went out to the pool hall and the men was all playin pool and I was watchin and listenin to the way men talk when women ain't around. There was one game my pap was in with his brother that came right down to the wire. They was neck n neck right up to the end and all that was left was the eight ball. I was nervous and cited and sorta scared if my pap didn win. I don know why. It was just a game, just like other games they been playin. But this one was so close. It was hair-raisin I guess.
"Anyhow, it come down to my pap taken his shot at the eight ball. It wasn an easy shot, and he took a long time about it, makin a show. Part for me, but mostly for the other men watchin. So, finally, he lines hisself up and takes the shot. And we's all watchin. And the eight ball is going clean into the pocket he called, pretty as a picture. But I look and see the cue ball, that's the white one, I look and see the cue ball coming right at the corner pocket where I was standin.
"Now I don know what came over me, but something did. I didn think or nothing, I just reached right out and grabbed that ball to stop it from goin in the pocket. There was a big pause for a minute. No one was sure what I did, or why. Heck, I don even know why I did it. It was like everyone was frozen, and then, all a sudden, everyone wasn frozen no more.
"My pap was plenty mad. He started to give me a good what for, but my mam's family was a bit snootier folk than my pap's and I think he was barrassed. Barrassed bout what I done, and barrassed about how shocked they all looked when he starts to yellin. So, I got off pretty easy.
"But at the time, I was mortified. When I saw what I done, I wished a hole would open up in the ground and swallow me up. I thought it was the worse thing I ever done, and the worse thing I ever would do. I felt awful.
"But, really, it wa'n't no thing. Just a pool game between brothers. Betcha none of them can even member it now. It's just like that with you. I'm not sayin what you done was right, but it wasn't so bad. And pretty soon no one will even member it."
Regret
"Well, you see," Jeremiah said, "things often seem worse than they really is. Things always seem bad right at the moment, but time often shows you that they don't mean nothin'"
The small girl sniffled and rubbed one teary eye with her little fist. She looked up at the old man and he smiled at her.
"I'll tell you a story, to splain what I mean," he said kindly. "When I was bout your age, I went with my pap to a pool hall with his brothers and mam's brothers too. I was cited to be out 'wid the men'. I felt all growd up, and special-like.
"So, anyhow we went out to the pool hall and the men was all playin pool and I was watchin and listenin to the way men talk when women ain't around. There was one game my pap was in with his brother that came right down to the wire. They was neck n neck right up to the end and all that was left was the eight ball. I was nervous and cited and sorta scared if my pap didn win. I don know why. It was just a game, just like other games they been playin. But this one was so close. It was hair-raisin I guess.
"Anyhow, it come down to my pap taken his shot at the eight ball. It wasn an easy shot, and he took a long time about it, makin a show. Part for me, but mostly for the other men watchin. So, finally, he lines hisself up and takes the shot. And we's all watchin. And the eight ball is going clean into the pocket he called, pretty as a picture. But I look and see the cue ball, that's the white one, I look and see the cue ball coming right at the corner pocket where I was standin.
"Now I don know what came over me, but something did. I didn think or nothing, I just reached right out and grabbed that ball to stop it from goin in the pocket. There was a big pause for a minute. No one was sure what I did, or why. Heck, I don even know why I did it. It was like everyone was frozen, and then, all a sudden, everyone wasn frozen no more.
"My pap was plenty mad. He started to give me a good what for, but my mam's family was a bit snootier folk than my pap's and I think he was barrassed. Barrassed bout what I done, and barrassed about how shocked they all looked when he starts to yellin. So, I got off pretty easy.
"But at the time, I was mortified. When I saw what I done, I wished a hole would open up in the ground and swallow me up. I thought it was the worse thing I ever done, and the worse thing I ever would do. I felt awful.
"But, really, it wa'n't no thing. Just a pool game between brothers. Betcha none of them can even member it now. It's just like that with you. I'm not sayin what you done was right, but it wasn't so bad. And pretty soon no one will even member it."