I’ve always liked short mystery stories. There is always a curiousity about where the story is taking you and it is fun to guess the outcome.
There is a television series called, “Who Do You Think You Are? It is about tracing the family tree. Movie stars allow professionals to help trace their family back 3-4 generations and sometimes more. Emmit Smith from the Dallas Cowboys traced his ancestors back to Africa in the late 1700’s. Kim Cattral from Sex and the City ended up in Liverpool, England, with a great-grandfather that was married to two women at the same time. Interesting stuff.
In the 1940’s my Grandpa Chalk and Grandma Myrna invited Chalk’s mom and dad to live out their lives at the City Club (Elmer and Addie May). Addie died in 1943. Elmer died 7 years later in 1950. Elmer had been a farmer for many years around Waukesha, Wisconsin, before moving to the City Club. Myrna had 7-10 years to “bond” with her father-in-law and share stories. One of the tales about Elmer involved his early years living in Canada, fathering twin boys and eventually moving to Waukesha. The validity of the story has always intrigued me. Do I have “shirt-tail” relation in Canada that trace back to Elmer?
I guess we would call the story, “Elmer’s Secret”. The story would begin with Elmer as a young man traveling to Canada on an adventure. He meets the first love of his life and in a moment of passion, fathers twin boys. He marries and lives a few years in Canada until he learns his wife is a tramp and she runs away with another man. Heart-broken, Elmer returns to Waukesha, Wisconsin, only to meet the true love of his life, Addie May. They marry and have two sons, Charles (Chalk) and George. Both sons become successful. Near the end of their life, they move to the City Club to be near family.
My tale is obviously a fictitious version of something that might have happened. Did Elmer go to Canada before he met Addie? Did Elmer in fact ever go to Canada? Was he married while in Canada or are his two sons “bastards”? Did he get a divorce in Canada before marrying Addie? You get the idea. Lots of questions, lots of unknowns. You can create your own story.
The lesson, Grasshoppers, is that there are many computer programs and applications that might answer the mystery of Elmer. By tracing back through the right courthouse records, press releases and obituaries, the truth may be readily available. Then again, what do I care whether Elmer fathered two little bastards in Canada almost 100 years ago? So the mystery goes on. Maybe it is better that way.
Love,
Dad