On Account of Rain

I’d like to open with a “thank you” to James Gardner, who hosts the ter­rif­ic Write Out There pro­gram at the Clark County Public Library.  James pro­vid­ed us the writ­ing prompt fea­tured in the title at tonight’s meet­ing and the fol­low­ing sto­ry dropped into my head com­plete, dialect includ­ed.  Thanks James.

It was jes’ won­na those things, ya know.  My boss was breath­in’ down my neck hard ‘at day, ya know, real­ly up in me.  Me an Sally been goin’ at it late­ly, ya know, lass cou­ple days maybe. Jesse’s kyna inna back­groun’ ‘cause me an Sally ain’ doin’ so good. An I miss some time, ya know, in alla com­mo­tion. Ya know, all ‘at fussin’ an cater­wallin’ makes me sick an all, an I miss some time, but I was a good dad.  I jes’ koont go ta the game ‘at day ‘cause a alla com­mo­tion, an I missed some time is all.  I missed some time, an we was bahine, an my boss was pissed, so it was jes’ won­na those things I koont go ta the game ‘at day.  But I was a good dad.

Ya know, me an Sally been fussin’ onta a good cou­ple weeks now, no longer ’n at, an ya know, its jes’ won­na those things.  She onta me fer alla beer I’m drinkin’, an me rem­i­nin’ her about allem hours I’m workin’, an koont a man jes have a beer, an how she woont have no new ‘frig­er­ad­er fer me to take jes’ the teen­si­est cor­ner of fer ‘em beers a’ mine. An how she woont have no roof over ‘at new ‘fridger­ad­er, but I wern’t tradin’ em hours of my life like a whoor to pay fer, an koont a fel­la jes’ have a beer an a moment a’ peace affer alla ‘at.

An, ya know, Jesse was alleez playin’ ball, ya know.  His mama alleez takin’ him ta ‘is league an ‘at.  An I’m a good dad, ya know, so I’m goin ta all his games, an I’m talkin to all his coach­es, even the girl one, an all, an I’m being good, ya know, ‘cause I’m a good dad.

An I’m goin’ ta all his games, an I’m sit­tin’ in the stands with the oth­er folks, an I’m being good, ya know, ‘cause I’m a good dad.  An I’m sit­tin’ with the oth­er folks, an we’re talkin’ about base­ball an nor­mal stuff, an I’m being good, ya know.  I’m cheerin’ fer Jesse, an yellin’ an all ‘at, ya know, ‘cause I’m bein’ a good dad, an I’m real­ly hootin’ an hol­lerin’.  ’Til my voice is horse, ya know, real­ly rootin’ it up so Jesse can hear me. ‘Cept when the wind was too high, or the ‘state too busy, or ‘em heli­copters, but all the rest he could hear me fer sure, ‘cause I yelled my head off, ’til I was horse. ‘Cause I was a real good dad.

I mean, it was jes’ won­na those things.  I went ta all ‘em games, but fer ‘at one I jes’ koont go (an I was mose­ly good when I did go).  An Jesse’s mama fussin’ at me about ‘em beers, an where was I last Saturday when she had­da pick Jesse up affer her shif’, an Jesse wait­in’ there on ‘at bench across the street from the park, an how there wasn’t even no light over where ‘at bench was, an whad­def Jesse had­nta been there. An I tole her ‘at I was on my way when the tire blew an I had­da roll inna Sharon’s bar ta wait fer the truck an ‘ats why I “stank like cheap per­fume and booze” an din’t she rememer ‘cause I gave her the reciept. An she said ’at the date onna reciept wudn’t even the same week as the game, an I said I was a good dad, an the kid at the shop pro­l­ly gave me the wrong reciept, an I was on my way, an ‘at kyna thing hard­ly ever happened.

But ‘at day it was jes’ won­na those things, ya know.  Sally was fussin’ at me, an my boss was pissed, an we was bahine at work, but I was a good dad, ya know.  I woo­da been there.  I alleez was, ya know, alleez there for Jesse’s games.  He was great.  He was alleez swingin’ fer the fences. So I was yellin’, ya know, ‘cause I’m a good dad an I want­ed him ta hear me.  An my voice was horse from all ‘at yellin’, so I just koont be there ‘at day, is all.

An I tried to call Sally, but she woont pick up, an my boss was pissed, an I koont be there ‘cause we was bahine, an my voice was still real horse.

An, ya know, it rained ‘at mornin’, an I din’t know, ‘cause I koont be there, but I’m a good dad, ya know, I alleez was before.

But on ‘at day, ya know, they called the game. An Jesse had­da cross ‘at street an wait on, ya know, his ma, ‘cause I koont be there.

An there was the rain, ya know, comin’ down in buck­ets ‘at day, an I was alleez there before, ‘cause I’m a good dad, but I koont ‘at day, an ‘at car koont see Jesse when he slipped comin’ across ‘at street. An Sally wunt answer her phone ‘cause a’ all ‘at fussin’, an my throat’s all sore from hootin’ and rootin’, is all.

An Jesse, he jes’ slips, ya know, right there in the street, an it’s dark, ‘cause the clouds are heavy, ya know, thick.  An he jes’ slips, an I koont be there ‘at day, an it’s too late.  An ‘at car, it koont see Jesse, koont see him when he slipped inna street, and ‘en ‘em lights were on him, but it was too late…

But I was a good dad.

He jes’ koont see Jesse, ‘at guy, in ‘at car… On account of rain.