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The Old Country Blues, by Ed N. White

24/7/2020

 
Grandfather came from the “old country” for a visit on the first cross-Atlantic passenger ship after WWII. He was a tall, flush-faced, austere man. Always dressed in a suit and waistcoat with a gold watch chain running from pocket to pocket and carried a walking stick. His thick brogue was barely understandable to the boy.

Grandfather returned home three months later and died while cheering for a football club he sponsored.

The boy became a man but never went to the old country. Now he downloads YouTube music of “Scotland the Brave, “Five-Hundred Miles,” and becomes Isabel Dalhousie’s secret lover.
Don Tassone link
24/7/2020 09:45:30 am

I wish the grandson could go to the old country to experience it for himself. Great take on our increasingly virtual reality.

Mary Wallace
24/7/2020 10:32:05 am

You will never know until you go. Experience is the one thing you can never learn from another.

Paritosh Chandra Dugar
24/7/2020 01:21:01 pm

It's the question of quality of pleasure that the story raises so beautifully. Well done, Ed.

Marjan sierhuis
24/7/2020 01:31:35 pm

Nicely done, Ed.

Krystyna
24/7/2020 03:17:06 pm

Craftsmanship at its best with so much said in so few words.
Wonderful presentation of an incredible adventure, Ed.

So, who was Isabel Dalhousie? Intrigue lives on until another story is told.

Ed N. White
24/7/2020 03:34:27 pm

Thanks to all who commented. It is much appreciated. You can Google my secret love, Isabel, for more information. But please don't reveal me.

Sue Clayton
25/7/2020 03:14:18 am

As we age our roots always begin to call us back to the ancestral home. Hopefully we can find the time and funds to visit the "old country" of our forebears. Nice description of Grandpa, Ed.


Comments are closed.

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