Grandfathers

By John Isaac Jones

“Grandfathers” is the last story in the Billy Johnson Collection. The first part of the story relates Billy’s experiences as a five-year-old with his grandfather. The second part recalls Billy’s experiences with his own five-year-old grandson. What a difference 50 years makes!

• Language: English
• Publisher: John Isaac Jones
• Release date: Mar 21, 2017
• ISBN: 9781386316183

John Isaac Jones

John Isaac Jones is a retired journalist currently living at Merritt Island, Florida. For more than thirty years, "John I.," as he prefers to be called, was a reporter for media outlets throughout the world. These included local newspapers in his native Alabama, The National Enquirer, News of the World in London, the Sydney Morning Herald, and NBC television. He is the author of five novels, a short story collection and two novellas.

Book preview

Grandfathers

John Isaac Jones

Published by John Isaac Jones, 2017.

This is a work of fiction. Similarities to real people, places, or events are entirely coincidental.

GRANDFATHERS

First edition. March 21, 2017.

Copyright © 2017 John Isaac Jones.

ISBN: 978-1386316183

Written by John Isaac Jones.

Table of Contents

GRANDFATHERS | From a Barlow® to a Pentium®

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GRANDFATHERS

From a Barlow® to a Pentium®

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Everybody in the McKinney family knew that William Vernon Johnson, the first-born of the McKinney’s oldest daughter Virginia, was grandfather McKinney’s favorite grandchild. When he was born in early April of 1941, the child’s grandfather had made a special trip to the hospital to see the day-old infant. Although there was another grandson, that was the one and only time the grandfather had made such a trip. And while the parents of the other grandson were aware that their offspring was playing second fiddle to Little Billy, as the grandfather called him, they never mentioned it. They just looked the other way and accepted it. So, in late July of 1946, while grandmother McKinney was in south Alabama visiting a sick sister, no one was surprised when the grandfather asked that Little Billy, who was five years old, come spend a few days with him at the McKinney homestead.

On a warm Saturday morning, oldest daughter Virginia Johnson delivered the child, along with a bagful of toys, clothes, and coloring books to the McKinney’s non-electric home deep in the backwoods of North Alabama. Once the daughter’s car had stopped, the five year old jumped out and ran up to the front porch to greet his grandfather.

How’s Little Billy doing? the grandfather asked.

Oh, he’s doing fine, Granddaddy, the child’s mother said. He can count to a hundred, he knows all of his ABCs, and he is a big fan of Roy Rogers and the Lone Ranger.

And Tonto, the child said, correcting his mother.

Oh, yes, the child’s mother said. I forgot about Tonto.

Virginia smiled at her father and then turned to the child again.

I’ll be back Monday morning, the mother said. Now, you be a good boy and mind your Granddaddy.

I will, Mommy, the child promised. Billy kissed his mother goodbye. The grandfather and grandson watched as she returned to the family car and drove back down the dirt road that led to the main highway. Once the car was out of sight, the grandfather turned to his grandson.

Let’s go, Little Billy, the grandfather said. We got things to do.

Some ten minutes later, the two were in a small greenhouse behind the barn where the grandfather grew tomato seedlings for later transplanting into the garden.

First, we’ve got to cut some strings, the grandfather said.

What are strings, Granddaddy?

The grandfather took down a roll of cotton twine from a shelf and held it before the child.

"We get strings