'51 Hillview Street'

An old D day veteran recalls his memories of his home and life in 51 Hillview Street

51 Hill View Street

A short Story by Will Neill

Just like it says on the post mark, my house-51, sits top of the Hill, and yes I do get a good view of the valley. Bin livin here oh, must be nigh on 60 years give or take a month or so. Me and Gracie we moved in here new just after the war. Summer of 1946 to be exact, boy were we excited, new home and a baby on the way. The big ash tree that’s just at the side of the house, the one that blocks out the sun each afternoon was no more than a sapling back then. You cant miss it, once you turn in from Hill Avenue, that big ole boy sits high above the the Hills crest, poken skyward. Billy Dawson built these houses, decent man-didn't deserve to get murdered collectin the payroll for his men. We were the first to get a mortgage from that old skinflint Barney Hightower at the First National bank of Massachusetts, thought we couldn’t afford the deposit see'n as how I was just out of the marines. Five hundred and sixty dollars was a heck of a lot of money in 1946. Barney was shot an killed along side Billy Dawson when they robbed the bank three weeks after we'd bin to visit him. Some say he got his head blown clean off by a twelve bore, musta bin true-his widaw Bell and his two sons Tom and Clancy kept the lid on the coffin 'fore he was buried up in Claymount. I can still see that fat son of a b***h just sittin there in his imitation brown leather swivel chair sweatin and smokin a big fat stoggy, while statin how things were 'tough in the world of Finance'- I sure wiped the smile offa his face when I slammed down my $560.00. - he never said much after that just drew up them papers quiet like.

Can't say I liked the fella some myself, but Gracie wouldn’t hear me speak ill a the dead, and they didn’t catch those bank robber's either, not that I've heard anyhow's. Others say it was an inside job that had gone wrong, word was ole Hightower was a gambler-owed a lot a money to Jack Shipton the Casino boss who runs the 'Double Dealer' over on main street, fond of black Jack was the word. Not so lucky at it neither they say- that big guy Shipton, put you in mind of that base ball player Babe Ruth. Rumour was he collected what was owed with a base ball bat, called it 'Darlin' too, just like the babe did. I remember once I was lookin out my living room window, the one thats at the side of the house next to the tree. Now I was just standin there suppin on a cup of coffee 'fore I headed off to my evening shift up at the factory when I see a big ole blue Cadillac pullin up just out side a my neighbors house. An guess who was a drivin, yep! Jack the 'snake' Shipton. Now, I thought it wise just to step back a tard into the shadows casin he looked my direction, Gracie she was sleepin upstairs with little Kate who had just turned a year that month,so I was being real quiet. The picture of her mother thank god.

I watched him lift 'Darlin' outta the trunk, 'fore he looked the Hill up an down. Next I see him rappin on Bobby Deslow's door like he was a mail man delerverin a package. Soon as Bobby walked out Jack took the legs from under him with a single side swipe. Poor Bobby go down on his knees, then in the glow of his own porch light I saw Shipton crack his head open like a ripe water melon. I heard the echo at the back of my yard. Cool as you like Jack, he just sauntered back to his car leavin Bobby twitchin on his drive. His wife Mary, she kept his casket closed likewise, never had kids them two, cryin shame if you ask me. Six months later the bank foreclosed on their property. Mary went a bit do-wally after that, she spent the next 5 years up at the sanatorium,- Jessie Metcalf- lived across street from me, we met in town one Saturday morning just outside Farnboroughs drug store. 'Fine day Bill' she said pullin me into the doorway.

'You heard the news?'

I removed my hat outta manners ' No Ma'am I replied' perplexed, she rarely spoke to me, mostly preferring to gossip with Gracie.

'You mean you haven’t heard about Mary Deslow?'

'No ma'am I cant say that I have'

Jessie she move in closer, and god help me her breath it stink like pig s**t.

'Gone and hanged herself poor woman' Now Jessie Metcalf, she look like Betty Davis same sort a eye's and thin face, but she dress like an old bag woman, wouldn't think she be the richest lady on Hillview. Worth thousands I heard.

'Yes'um Bill, up there at the Sanatorium, she done wrapped her bed sheet round her neck and swung from her own door handle'. I shook my head and said a silent prayer, but I thought god works in mysterious ways, so I believe it was him just balancing the books. By the time I'd reached home I was sure the whole town woulda known about Mary Deslow, Jessie would a seen to that.

Do you remember me talkin about Tom and Clancy Hightower, turns out ten years later after Mary killed herself, them two boy's musta heard about old Jessie Metcalf's fortune and went lookin for it one October evening . I recall that time cause we were havin one hell of a thunder storm, that night, at about ten thirty in the cover of the thunder Tom and Clancy broke into Jessie's house, power line's were down so it was black as coal.. Jessie must a heard them comin up the stairs, in between the thunder and the lightin flashes using her son's service pistol she put two rounds into Cancy's chest and one into Tom's back as he was runnin out the front door. Johnny Metcalf served in the 29^th infantry Division, got shot to pieces on Omaha beach, they found him still holdin his gun-never fired a single shot. Poor b*****d. Some of his friends brought it home as a keep sake for his mother, I's pretty sure them was the same bullets he loaded that mornin 'fore he got into the landin craft. Jessie was never the same after that, she left and went to live with her sister down in Copertino California -Willed all her money to her niece Susan, who loaned some of it to a collage friend a her's a Fella named Steve Jobs in 1976, somthin to do with Apples I heard, just goes to show people must like apples, she ended up a multi millionaire .

Every so often I kinda think that's maybe why they never caught them bank robber's.

Yes sir I'as seen it all over the years from upon this Hill, One time Gracie, Kate and I was up in Texas the day that J F. Kennedy was shot-we was takin pictures with Kate's new camera of the cavalcade when he was hit, poor man, never did get that camera back from the F.B.I. She took some of a guy with a rifle just behind the wall at the grassy knowle where we was standin. We was sure it was him, but it turns out it was that fella 'Lee Harvey Oswald' up at the book depository. Kate did well for herself, left collage and took up journalism, got a good job too with the local newspaper, she wrote a piece about the Vietnam war, next thing she know's some big shot passin through town up and read it. Give her a job on Time's Magazine he liked it that much. Sent her out there Spring of 72 to cover the with drawl of troops. The army brought her home in a box that Easter, she got caught up in the 17^th parallel when the Veit Cong invaded again. I surely miss my little girl.

Time magazine felt really bad about what happened to Kate, they offered me an Gracie a week long stay at the Watergate Hotel around June that year, nice enough place don't get me wrong-but we left after a couple of day's. The bell hop told us some guys broke in at the office building next door. They must a stole somethin real important, police were every where. Makin one hell of a racket, so we checked out early.

Me? well I worked up in the shoe factory until I was 65, Graice died that autumn took a stroke, God I loved that woman, she used to say I was her Clarke Gable, donno about that but she sure looked like Vivian Leigh when we first met. Hard to believe she's bin gone twenty years. Never thought I'd live this long, no sir. Toni Moreli, was the brother of Mary Deslow, he used to own the factory up until I retired, sold it off to two guys for a hefty sum I found out. Toni always liked to bragg he was pals with Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra. I think there names were Phil Knight and Bill Bowerman wanted to extend their company that made tennis shoe's, they even gave them shoe's a name' 'Nicky' or somethin fool like that. Don't figure they'll catch on if you're askin me. Then there was the darnest thing, when them builders, Billy Dawson's two boy's were renovating the factory for new machine room-they only gone and found a skeleton buried in one a the walls they was knockin down. The local paper said it was the strangest thing, it had a cracked skull and, now get this'-a base ball bat was found stickin outta it's rear end.

I suppose I'd better open this letter I just got this mornin, 'fore I started strollin down memory road, well they sure got my name right.

To

Mr. William Willows

51 Hillview Street

Worchester County

Massachusetts

Looks like it's from the Government, let me see now.

'Dear Mr Willows, please find within our compulsory purchase order to commandeer your home in order to make way for the construction of a new highway due to be built next year. The four lane road will run directly through your area making it necessary to demolish all the homes on Hillview Street.

Taking into account your age, and knowing you have no living relatives we have reserved a room at the Mellow Place retirement home. We trust you will consider this offer, you have three months to comply.

Signed Virgil Hightower'

'Oh my!'---

'Mellow Place retirement Home, sounds quite a nice place, ifin you say it quick enough, somehow I don't think it's for me. Strange how things work out, Must be God just balancing the books again I reckon, time I was with Gracie anyhow's. Bin thinkin about her a lot lately.

Better go clean that pistol of mine I kept since I landed on Sword beach back in 44, lord knows I wouldn't want it to go off accidental like.

Will Neill 2013

Author's Note

To get the best of this story I would advise you (the reader) to read it a few times-a knowlage of history and infamous people and events over the last 60 years or so will help you understand-watch out for the clues. Enjoy.
I have lifted the mature restriction I don't think it will be read other wise.
Take Care
Will
Will

Reviews

[Woody]

sumptuous!!! alternately sad and funny. I'm not American or British but I certainly liked the dialect of Bill.
your story's based on actual facts but told in an ingenious way that kept me hanging on till the end.
wonderful story, Will.

Note: don't understand what you meant by clues.

[Will Neill]

Thanks for reading Woody, glad you enjoyed it, for me it was fun to write....so far as the clues go all I meant was subtle mentions of dates/times/ and people through modern history ie; Apple..computers, Watergate, The Mafia connection,etc.
Will

[Woody]

ok gotcha. for me, that certainly adds something to the story. silly me.

[ashesonfire]

I like how you establish the time that has gone by early on, with the tree in the front yard.

I absolutely loves the stream of consciousness. I am always fascinated when someone writes this style, especially when they write it well. I'm currently reading a book that is written as stream-of-conciousness, and I am not sure if I like the story, or am so fascinated by the writing style, haha.

You; however, have done both! Love the writing style.

I believe I caught most of the references you were talking about :D I liked the apple touch, and I can see why your other reviewers compared it with Forest Gump (the apple part in particular reminded me). Also got a very vivid image when you compared the one lady to Betty Davis.

I love the language you used to depict the accent, I could hear it very clearly in my head. This was a beautiful piece of work, and I loved all the bits and pieces of famous history you threw in there. Even without being old enough to have been there for really any of these time periods, I still clearly understood the references and what you were trying to say. I just think this is a beautiful and well written peice.

Keep writing! :D

[Will Neill]

:D, Its nice to see that there are still a few readers and fellow writers (like yourself) who take the time to read some of the stories on this site-thank you for that. I will continue to read some more of your work and I hope you are successfull in getting it published.
Take care
Will

[ashesonfire]

Yeah it seems like poetry rules this sight. Seams people do not like to take the 5 minutes it takes to read a chapter.

And you are very welcome! It was a nice read! And thank you, it's always a dream to get published :-D

[Shane Mohamed]

I honestly don't know where to start. I am definitely not from any of the generations mentioned above. However, I am a history junky, so I was familiar with the message. This is the first time for me to read a piece from the writing style of stream of consciousness on the site, and I enjoyed it very much. It was as if I was reading or watching a tragic, yet still comic version of Forrest Gump. You have the Southern accent spot-on, probably better than I can pull it off, and you're surprisingly British! The plot was very well developed; there were a few sharp curves that I had to swerve through. Obviously, the time setting was extremely on target, and so was the location setting; highly imaginative. You have given details to the smallest of matters, which shows your profound ability as a writer. Technicalities aside, I think that this is your best work to date; I enjoyed it as much as I've enjoyed "The Jesus Syndrome," if not more; as usual I was glued to my seat the whole time, with expressions of surprise and a few honest laughs. Obviously, this was a fictional, sociological piece of literature, which in my opinion, if well executed can draw numberless crowds; Faulkner is a great example. I don't know what to say: you're very talented, and I am very surprised that somebody of your caliber hasn't been published yet. I stand corrected: fictional sociology, such as this piece, is where you "truly" shine. A+, thanks for sharing.

[Will Neill]

Shane, thank you for your review I am glad you enjoyed it.
Will

[Sue]

I loved it Will, and I spotted all the clues. Great read.

[Will Neill]

Thank you sue for stopping by.
Will

[Marie]

I read this careful-like and watched out for the clues...reminded me a little of "Forrest Gump..."
Very good.

[Will Neill]

Thanks Marie for your kind review.
Will

[Shane Mohamed]

Haven't even read your review Marie, but I said the same exact thing!