Tommy Wayne Returns – Chapter 4

Miss Delilah Boone Remembers the Storm

It’s been fifteen years, yet the smell of rain that night still clings to my memory like damp linen.
I can hear it plain as I hear my own heartbeat, the thunder rollin’ slow over Terrapin Creek, the lightning flashin’ white across the graveyard like the Lord Hisself was takin’ inventory.

Tommy Wayne was just a child when he came to me. He’d found that letter, poor soul, and come runnin’ to the one person he thought would tell him the truth. “Your husband preaches it every Sunday,” he said. “Tell me what’s right.”

How do you answer a question like that?
His mama, God rest her, had secrets best left between her and heaven. I told him some truths are meant to stay buried until Judgment. But the boy had fire in him, righteous and wild. He ran from my kitchen before the rain even started.

I tried to stop the gossip. I truly did. Went to Lily Pearl’s that night, rain hammerin’ my umbrella, heart hammerin’ harder. But when she opened that door, her face was all fury and hurt, and I, well, I said things the Lord’s been remindin’ me of ever since.

After that, it was out of my hands. The congregation wanted a story clean enough to pray over, and so they made one up. By Sunday, it was the talk of every hymn and every whisper. I let it happen. Maybe that was my sin.

Now he’s back. I saw him today from my porch, standin’ by the church fence where the ivy’s near swallowed the gate. He looked up at the steeple like a man countin’ the cost of forgiveness.

And I’ll tell you plain: the ground shook just a little when he stepped onto the walk. Not much, mind you, just enough to remind me the Lord don’t forget, even if Piedmont pretends to.

There’s talk already, of course. Clyde’s told half the county. But it ain’t talk that scares me, it’s silence. The hush before something breaks loose.

If Tommy Wayne’s come home for truth, he’d best be careful what kind he digs up.
The dead here don’t rest easy, not when their stories was never finished proper.

*****

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About Ol' Big Jim

Jim L. Wright is a storyteller with a lifetime of experiences as colorful as the characters he creates. Born and raised in Piedmont, Alabama, Jim’s connection to the land, history, and people of the region runs deep. His debut novel New Yesterdays is set in his hometown, where he grew up listening to stories of the past—stories that sparked his imagination and curiosity for history. Today, Jim lives in Leeds, Alabama, with his husband Zeek, a tour operator who shares his passion for adventure and discovery. Known affectionately as “Ol’ Big Jim,” he has had a diverse career that includes time as a storekeeper, an embalmer, a hospital orderly, and a medical coder. There are even whispers—unconfirmed, of course—that he once played piano in a house of ill repute. No matter the job, one thing has remained constant: Jim is a teller of tales. His stories—sometimes humorous, sometimes thought-provoking—are often inspired by his unique life experiences. Many of these tales can be found on his popular blog, Ol’ Big Jim, where he continues to share his musings with a loyal readership. Jim’s adventures have taken him far beyond Alabama. For seven years, he lived in Amman, Jordan, the world’s oldest continuously inhabited city. His time there, spent in smoky coffee shops, enjoying a hookah and a cup of tea while scribbling in his ever-present notebook, deeply influenced his worldview and his writing. When Jim isn’t writing, he’s thinking about writing. His stories, whether tall tales from his past or imaginative reimagining is of historical events should read from his past or imaginative reimaginings of historical events, reflect a life lived fully and authentically. With New Yesterdays, Jim brings readers a rich tapestry of history, fantasy, and human connection. Visit his blog at www.olbigjim.com to read more of his stories, or follow him on social media to keep up with his latest musings and projects, one of which is a series that follows Bonita McCauley, an amateur detective who gets into some very sticky situations. His book, New Yesterdays, can be found at Amazon US, Amazon UK, Smashwords, and Barnes and Noble.

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