Page 27 - Contrast1960v4n1

Homecoming

JESSIE BAZZEGHIN

HE HAD lived in our own town for thirty-five years, but our town
wasn't his town. He came, that long ago, with his brother. He
and his brother were young men then, and adventuresome, I suppose.
Philip Sanders, that was his brother's name, Philip, thought that
maybe in a Northern town he'd have more success as a lawyer. Dave
came with his brother, and got a job in the post-office. Both were
successful in their lives-each married and had a family. Philip had
a good practice right up 'till he died, about 9 or 10 years ago. Dave
became head man in the post-office,and retired with a nice pension
a year or so back. His children were grown and married, and his wife
died of pneumonia that hard winter of '55. Dave lived in a little
place of his own-he didn't want to live with his Son and daughter-in-
law, not so long as he was able to get up and about. He liked his
independence. Over the years he had gone back to the little Virginia
town he called "home"-'Tm goin' home awhile," he'd say when
asked what he was going to do Over his vacation. He and his brother
would go back and visit often when they first came, but after his
brother died, somehow he never went back again. He'd speak often
of going back, especially before he retired-"When I'm put out to
pasture I'm goin' home for good.", he'd say. But with all the things
that had to be done, like planting tomatoes in spring, or painting
shutters, he just never seemed to get around to it after he retired.

I guess it must have been about six months ago that he started
thinking about "home" more and more. Painting and planting no
longer kept him busy. He was restless. He'd think and talk of "goin'
home", and somewhere, sometime these dream-thoughts became plans,
and the plans became reality. He was going home for good.

Dave sold his house, made a final round of visits to friends and
said good-bye. He wasn't going far, only to Virginia, but he wouldn't
be back. He entreated us all to come see him, and of course his son
and daughter-in-law and the grandchildren would come down on
vacations and Christmas and such. There wasn't a band playing when
he left. He wasn't a town celebrity or anything like that. In fact, it
was a pretty miserable day-cold and rainy and dreary. But to look
at Dave you'd think it was a sunny, summer day! God, but was he a
happy man! The small crowd of us huddled together at the station
early that morning to see him off, and we each went away with a little

20