The Jacket

by Janice Daugharty

Imagine that you, like the grandfather in this story, are confined to a wheel chair from which you watch your only grandchild--in this case a boy, "Butch"--repeat your past like a re-wound video. Already emotionally estranged from the child, who is completely in your care, you can only watch and wait and hope the video will end before you are forced to use the pistol next to your right hip.

16 pages, ebook

First published July 10, 2010

About the author

Back on Goodreads and back to writing, and hopefully publishing.
I need my fans, old and new, to boost my confidence, as I start over again.
The reason for my long absence can be chalked up to...well, life!
I have a large family and most live on our property, in South Georgia, Cow Creek Farm. No, we don't farm, and no, we no longer have cows. The name is derived from a creek called "Cow" that flows through our property.
OK, enough about me. I want to hear about you--what you're reading, maybe writing. Or just what you are doing nowadays.
Love, Janice

Reviews

[Sarah Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

* This story is about a man who is in a wheelchair, he used to be a mechanic, but then his legs started giving way on him and he couldn't feel them at all, so now he's in a wheelchair.
* His daughter Vera left a year ago, leaving her 13-year-old son Butch behind supposedly to care for his grandfather. They're both pretty sure that she's never coming back.
* The grandfather is told by the welfare lady that he needs to nag his grandson to keep him out of trouble, but all that seems to do is put distance between them.
* Butch tinkers with his mother's third husband's Chrysler, and manages to get it to work. He drives the car, and then he parks it close to the house and begins to sleep in it. His grandfather watches the jacket that Butch left in the yard, slowly covered by mud and water and pine needles.
* Eventually the car stops working and Butch can't work out how to fix it. He has a conversation with his grandfather about how his mother is most likely never coming back, picks up his jacket out of the puddle, and considers joining the Navy.

This was okay, I liked the way it was written, I don't think I quite get the significance of the story though 🤔