A day I will never forget.

I thought I had made this up all in my head or had some weird dream about this until I finally asked my sister about a few years ago. Many years ago actually. I was little when this happened is the reason I questioned it so much I guess. As you have read my dad had a temper. Every adult in the county we lived in knew this well. He would go off at the drop of a hat. Didn't matter what it was or who it was. He was scared or nothing or no one and didn't care about going to jail or prison. Actually been a couple of times.

Anyway, this man whom I have no clue who he is/was acted like he was going to run his van into our house while we (the kids) were home with momma one day. Of course my dad didn't take that lightly. I am sure my dad did something to piss this man off to make him do something like that, trying to get back at him or something.

My dad thinks the best course of action is to beat the living crap out of this man with his fist and his handy leather belt. Not just with him around but with his kids and his wife having to watch and not just at his house but on a river bridge. The Mississippi folks will know where I am talking about. When you used to take the back roads to Coffeeville and to go over that long river bridge. That's the one. He took that man in front of that fan at the end of that bridge when there was no water, but it was still high and beat him till he couldn't stand right there in front of us. I remember trying not to look but I did and I was crying and sobbing and I remember my mom telling us it would be okay and it would all be over soon. Finally, he stopped kicking him after he was already down. The man on the ground was all bloody. What happened next played over in my mind for years and I still think of it from time to time. He dragged the man to he guard rail and chucked him over. I don't know what ever happened to him. I doubt he died. There was no water there. I'm sure it took a day or two to find him or for him to climb out. But, it haunted me for years. The not knowing. Even though I didn't do it or have anything to do with it. I was a child. Maybe 5.

My dad was an angry man and apparently still is. I just hope for the sake of himself he finds peace one of these days because he has already burned this bridge.