CENSORSHIP
I WALKED OUT TO THE MAIL BOX TO PUT SOME LETTERS
IN IT FOR THE MAILMAN TO PICK UP. BY THE TIME I
GOT BACK TO THE PORCH I HAD A SHEEN OF
PERSPIRATION ON MY FOREHEAD. IT WAS ONLY TEN
O’CLOCK BUT IT WAS ALREADY 92 DEGREES AND WITH A
HUMIDITY OF 69% THAT MADE IT MIGHTY
UNCOMFORTABLE.
I KEEP THE THERMOSTAT ON THE AIR CONDITIONER SET
AT 78 DEGREES AND I FELT A LITTLE CHILLY FOR
JUST AN INSTANT. I WENT INTO THE OFFICE TO
WRITE SOME MORE.
I WAS SITTING AT MY COMPUTER PECKING AWAY AT THE
KEY BOARD WRITING A WHOLE NOTHER STORY FOR A
DIFFERENT TIME WHEN JOHNNIE CAME INTO THE
OFFICE.
“WHAT ARE YOU DOING?” SHE WANTED TO KNOW.
“I’M WRITING ANOTHER STORY.”
“AM I IN THIS NEW STORY OF YOURS?”
“YES, YOU’RE IN MOST OF MY STORIES. AFTER ALL
WE HAVE BEEN MARRIED OVER 50 YEARS. HOW CAN I
WRITE ANYTHING ABOUT MY LIFE WITHOUT YOU BEING
IN IT?”
“WHAT IS THE NAME OF THIS NEW STORY YOU’RE
WRITING?”
“I HAVEN’T NAMED IT YET.”
“YOU MEAN TO TELL ME YOU WRITE A STORY BEFORE
YOU HAVE A TITLE, AND I GUESS YOU DON’T HAVE AN
OUTLINE FOR THE STORY EITHER.”
‘I’M NOT AN AUTHOR, I’M JUST A TELLER OF TALES.
I DON’T HAVE TO HAVE AN OUTLINE TO TELL A TALE.
FOR THAT MATTER I DON’T HAVE TO HAVE A TITLE.”
JOHNNIE LOOKED AT ME AND SAID,
“IF I’M IN THAT TALE OF YOURS, I WANT TO READ IT
BEFORE YOU SEND IT TO ANYONE. YOU MAKE ME SOUND
LIKE AN OGRE IN SOME OF YOUR WILD TALES.”
“WHAT IS THIS? ARE YOU GOING TO START CENSORING
MY STORIES NOW?’
JUST THEN THE PHONE RANG AND JOHNNIE WENT TO THE
DEN TO ANSWER IT. I THOUGHT MAYBE SHE WOULD
FORGET WHAT WE HAD BEEN TALKING ABOUT BY THE
TIME SHE GOT OFF THE PHONE.
IT WAS ONE OF HER PHONE BUDDIES AND SHE WAS ON
THE PHONE FOR AN HOUR. BY THE TIME SHE CAME
BACK INTO THE OFFICE I HAD FINISHED THE STORY,
PUT A TITLE ON IT AND FILED IT IN MY FOLDER.
I HAD OPENED OUTLOOK EXPRESS TO CHECK OUR EMAIL
AND JOHNNIE HAD AN EMAIL FROM OUR
GRANDDAUGHTER. I GOT UP AND LET JOHNNIE SIT
DOWN AT THE COMPUTER AND WONDERED OFF INTO THE
DEN TO SEE WHAT WAS ON TV.
AFTER JOHNNIE READ HER EMAIL FROM AMANDA SHE
CAME BACK INTO THE DEN AND SAT DOWN TO WATCH THE
MOVIE WITH ME. THE MOVIE WASN’T OVER UNTIL TEN
O’CLOCK. WHEN IT ENDED WE GOT UP AND WENT TO
BED.
THE LAST THING JOHNNIE SAID BEFORE SHE WENT TO
SLEEP WAS,
“DON’T FORGET, ANY OF YOUR TALES THAT HAVE ME IN
THEM. I WANT TO READ THEM BEFORE YOU SEND THEM
TO ANYONE.”
“YES DEAR. I HEAR YOU. YOU WANT CENSORSHIP
RIGHTS ON ALL MY TALES THAT HAVE YOU IN THEM.”