“Ssso thisss here isss the main busssinesss area of Columbia Fallsss.” Clemens explained as he and Jenny walked down the streets, the sunny, cloudless sky bringing the temperature up which in turn made it a good day to walk around if you were one that either liked or were comfortable with the rising heat.
“So peaceful, and quiet.” Jenny remarked as they continued his tour of the area.
“Well thisss isss a much smaller town,” Clemens explained to her. “Ssso there’sss going to look quieter.”
“I know that.” She teasingly scolded him, not at all in a negative sense. “Just noting the fact. It is very different to Jacksonville.” They shared a small laugh as they continued their “tour” of Columbia Falls.
“But it is quieter than it used to be, it seemsss.” Clemens reminisced. “Maybe it’sss just nossstalgia or something like that, but there doesssn’t ssseem to be as much happening here as there usssed to.”
“So what was it like when you were a kid?” Jenny probed.
“Then?” Clemens sifted through his memory to get what he needed. “Every Sssaturday, the family would come to get the weekly shopping done. Alwaysss food, and whatever elssse wasss needed. Back then, they alwaysss bought the food from many different shopsss, grocersss, butchersss, that’sss the way it worked here then.”
“And still is, it seems.” Jenny looked at the butcher’s shop.
“Could be. Sssmall townsss and large citiesss don’t work in the sssame way. Anyway, on Sssundaysss,” Clemens continued on. “After Church, during the Sssummersss, if the weather wasss good, there would be a barbeque lunch in the park. We’d often ssspend mossst of the afternoon there in that cassse.”
“Sounds like you had it quite easy then.” Jenny noted.
“Not really, thossse tended to be the better daysss. Weekdaysss meant ssschool, and they were very ssstrict with you here. And there wassss alwaysss work to be done around the houssse and farm.”
“You were a farmer?” Jenny queried.
“My parentsss were.” Clemens corrected her. “They usssed to own a rather large acreage here, they had to sssell it when they retired a couple of yearsss back though. To be cccertain they’d get a good and comfortable retirement.”
“I see.” Jenny mused. “Him?”
“Yesss.” Clemens replied sourly. “By then he wasss the only one with the money to do ssso. I think for him it wasss jussst future money and good PR by buying at above value. But my parentsss allowed it sssinccce no-one elssse could buy or inherit it, and they really needed the money for their retirement. I wasss already in Florida by then.”
“Ah.” She sighed softly as they continued the rest of the tour.
[+]
The rest of their day was taken up with this, with Clemens showing Jenny the various sights and places of significance to him, before they eventually made it back to Joseph’s house, his car and their rental car parked there.
“Let’sss sssee.” Clemens checked the time on his watch. “Jussst gone five, ssso we should have enough time to get ready.”
“Okay. I’ve really been looking forwards to this.” Jenny pointed out.
“I know. You’ve been sssaying that every day for a while.” Clemens chuckled, though with no malice in his voice.
“Oh. That’s mean.” She responded with mock hurt.
“Sssorry.” Clemens had to suppress his giggling as he held her close as they entered the house.
“Welcome back Clemens, Jenny.” Joseph greeted them as they made it into the hallway.
“Good to be back, but we need to get ready to leave sssoon.” Clemens returned. “If we want to be there in time.” He stated as Jenny was already heading upstairs.
“Come to think of it, I just realisssed thisss.” Clemens worked something out in his head.
“Yes?”
“Last year, it wasss Molly and George over here, now it’sss usss over there.”
“Yeah,” Joseph agreed, now that he knew what Clemens was referring to. “And Jenny’s here too.”
“Asss are Machli and Michael.” Clemens pointed out.
“That’s certainly true. A lot’s changed in the past year.”
“And practically all of it for the better.” Clemens finished off. “But I need to get changed now. These clothes are getting a little dirty now.”
“Don’t worry Clemens.” Joseph reassured him. “We’ll be there on time.”