Tommy Wayne Returns – Chapter 5

Tommy Wayne Comes Home

I used to dream of this road.

Red clay, ruts deep as memory, cicadas screaming like the world’s got something to confess. Every time I closed my eyes, I’d see it stretching ahead, winding homeward toward Piedmont and that old white house with the porch that sagged in the middle.

Aunt Lily Pearl’s house.

I was fifteen when I left it, though truth be told, I’d already been gone long before my feet hit the road. You can’t live in a house full of secrets without hearing them breathe. I heard one too many, and I made the mistake of letting it out into the daylight.

I still remember her face that night; the lamp behind her throwing long shadows, the way her hand trembled on the Bible like it might steady her. “You don’t know what you’re saying, Tommy Wayne,” she told me. But I did. I knew enough to ruin her, and half the town besides.

So, I left. Fifteen years of running. Through towns where nobody knew my name, jobs that lasted just long enough to forget my own reflection. But Piedmont’s the kind of place that grows in your bones like a sickness. You can’t stay gone forever.

When I crossed the bridge over Terrapin Creek yesterday, the boards still creaked in the same places. The water below was low, slow-moving, thick with summer. I stopped halfway across and thought about jumping once, years ago. Now I just spit in the water and kept walking.

People pretended not to see me. Clyde did that little half-nod he does when he’s dying to stare but too polite to. Clara Mae nearly dropped her basket of peas. And Miss Delilah Boone? She turned right around on her porch, though she knew I’d seen her.

Nothing changes here, except the paint peeling faster.

They think I’ve come back for forgiveness. Maybe I have. Or maybe, I’ve just come to finish the story nobody else could tell right.

Because of that letter,
The one I found, the one they all pretend didn’t exist,
It wasn’t just words. It was proof.

And now that I’m back, I reckon it’s time folks in Piedmont remember what truth costs when you’ve been paying on it fifteen years too long.

*****

New Yesterdays is available through the following links: Books-A-Million, Barnes & Noble, and Amazon as well as your favorite bookshops. The Audiobook is available from Libro.fm, as well as Amazon.

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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