The one person in my family that really sticks out, I never met. Junior Sage, this was my mother’s father. He died at the age of 37, from throat cancer. The ironic part is; he never smoked a day in his life. From what I’ve been told, he was “The Man” of the family. Even my father talked highly of him.
There’s one story of Junior that really stands out in my mind is; when he found out my aunt’s 1st husband was beating her. Junior and my oldest uncle (his oldest son) found the guy at the local bar, drunk of course. They escorted him to the diner down the street, feed him and made him drink coffee to sober up. Once they felt he was sober enough, they drove him out into the country and then proceeded to beat the crap out of him. They were even nice enough to drive him home. Granted this was back in the day, when this type of retaliation was accepted. Junior told him, “If he ever laid another hand on his daughter again, he would get the same treatment.” Apparently he did do it again, this time my aunt handled it by shooting him to death.
It’s stories like this and many others that I’ve been told over the span of my life, that make me wish I would have been able to meet the man they called “Junior”. This is why they call me “Jr.” It’s out of respect for a man that I never had the pleasure of meeting. “The Man” that help mold this family into what it is today; a family of faith, love and compassion.
Hi Junior,
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing!
Are you certain you wouldn't want to write about this man :) It seems like he had some fascinating times in his day. I like the fact that you bring in his experiences as supporting detail. In the first paragraph, you established a claim, but in the next you establish the assertion by including the story. Great job!