Just a Song at Twilight

Jack Kay

   I first met Willie Thomas soon after he moved into town. I own the drug store and have been the pharmacist for over twenty years. He brought in a sheaf of prescriptions, issued by a military Doctor. He mentioned very softly that he was a veteran soldier. I asked him how long he had served. He was not very talkative but mentioned he had been in the Canadian army for over twenty years. I welcomed him and advised him that his meds would be available in two days.

   We spoke for a few more moments and then he asked me if I knew of an apartment he could rent.

   "There is a one-bedroom fully furnished apartment building a few blocks from the downtown and there is a good manager and it is very reasonable," I said, pointing to the direction.

   He nodded and left through our side entrance. I watched as he made his way out and wondered if he planned to assume residence.

   A few days later he returned and cheerfully thanked me for the tip on the bed-sitting rooms.

" Many thanks, I rented a third-floor apartment, with a great view of the mountains," he said in a quite animated fashion.

   "You are planning on moving here then."

    Yes, for a while anyway. My name as you saw is Willie- Willie Thomas."

   We shook hands and I mentioned my name was Glen Askins and filled him a little about the town.

Only one druggist -that is me, five churches, one movie theatre that doubles as a concert hall, six restaurants, three of which serve great meals, with the others not so great. We have one overpriced grocery store, two car dealerships, and the cutest mayor in the whole province. She is my daughter" I laughed and he joined me.

   Eventually, he picked up his prescriptions and I thought I will see him occasionally. But he became a frequent visitor and eventually he began having coffee and lunches together. Life happens that way sometimes there are just guys like him that relish your friendship and the feeling is mutual. He was well-read and he spent a lot of time at the local public library. We discussed several different subjects.

    I found out after a while that he had a perchance for being helpful around town. He owned an old car but began giving elderly people rides to our medical clinic and also to the area hospital which was twenty-five miles away. He refused payment and we were astonished. The first snowstorm of the season arrived in early November and as I drove to work, I saw him out shoveling a path at the local clinic. A few days later he came in and we had coffee together.

   I broached the subject of him getting a John Deere with a Snowplough. We headed down the road to the dealership and spoke to Randy Hopkins the manager. He recommended a machine with an enclosed cab and a power drive to get over large packs of snow. The cost was high but Randy mentioned he would give Willie good terms and that it would pay for itself. I agreed to sign for Willie and later arranged for him to get work cleaning the town parking lots. In six months of a large downfall of snow, he managed to pay off his Snowplough It was also amazing that he found time to clean the school parking lots and all of the churches, for which I heard he refused payment.

   During the summer months, he helped a few farmers, seeding and other various jobs. He became a welcome guest at several of the residences around town, as he cut grass and continued to help the elderly get to appointments. He was invited every year in November to visit schools (we had 3) where he spoke about his service in the military. One of the teachers told me he was incredibly soft spoken and mesmerized the students with his true stories of action in various Canadian theatres of war. He helped to enrich our young people and for that most of the people in town realized how fortunate we were to have a solid citizen among us. I did notice however that his medications increased considerably and in strength. It was not my place, of course, to make any comment.

   One year the recreation department introduced dancing to their evening programs and rented the Odd Fellows Hall for Friday evening dance parties. It became extremely popular mostly because of Willie.

   One of the people attending came in regularly to my Drug Store and she raved about Willie's dancing. All the single women flocked to the hall just to dance with him...

   Mary Horvath my assistant pharmacist gushed enthusiastically to me by telling me numerous times " Wow can that man can sure dance, every kind of dance, and he is so light on his feet, I feel like I am in seventh heaven."

   I would chuckle and when Willie and I had lunch, I would tell him about how he caught the fancy of all the young girls in town, and he would look down at the table but did say he was having fun. He never took any of them out, he was very shy about asking one or more for dates. He enjoyed his solitude. He never attended any of the churches despite being invited but on Sunday he was seen walking down by the river which adjoined the town.

   After he lived in town for five years, he was cutting back his schedule and disappeared for a few weeks, when he came back, he wore a very grim expression and I met with him at the coffee shop.

" I wanted to tell you, Glen, something you already know". he said glancing out the window.

   "I know you are not well by virtue of the meds but I try never to risk doing a guessing game because you know it’s not my business. "

" I am dying and I don't have a lot of time left."

   I took his hand in mine and held it tightly, and I could sense I was going to tear up but held out as I had nothing to say.

   "How do you know Willie?"

   "I went to the Veterans Affairs office and I met with a doctor who explained that the disease has taken a while and now, unfortunately, I do not have much time left. Please don't tell anyone, it has been something I wanted to keep hidden, but I knew I would eventually be pushing daisies."

   He smiled at his little jest about his demise. I chuckled slightly and he looked into my eyes, beseechingly for confirmation to keep his secret. I reminded him that I was required by my profession never to speak about anyone's illness. I then questioned him about making final arrangements. He responded by saying that everything would be taken care of by Veteran Affairs.

   I never saw him alive again. He stopped coming in for his meds and was not seen about town. Several residents called in to ask if anyone had seen him. A few ventured over to his apartment but he would not answer the outside phone connection. One of the towns’ doctors called me to advise that Willie had passed away at the clinic that morning. An ambulance had brought him in. For a few minutes I felt some pangs of honest relief for him, but suddenly I lost it. The word went around like wildfire. Many residents began to call in, it was amazing. I called my wife Sally and we cried over the phone. Within a few minutes, we met at the coffee shop and wrapped our arms around each other in remorse.

   Within a few days, I received a call from a representative of Veteran Affairs with the funeral arrangements. I also a message in the mail documenting Willie's background.

   At first, we were going to have his service at the local funeral home but several residents said they would like to attend and so we asked to use the theatre, the owner agreed immediately, and it was set for three days hence.

   The place was jammed packed; people lined the side aisles and many young people gathered in front of the stage to sit on the floor. A piano was rolled out and a local piano teacher played solemnly several well-known hymns. Finally, I stepped forward to speak,

   I began, and the microphone squealed, and everyone laughed. Eventually, the sound level was set properly and I proceeded.

   "Willie Thomas arrive in our town five years ago from out of nowhere. I was the first place he visited, and from that first meeting, our friendship grew. He was a man of few words, but as we know action speaks louder than words. We knew little of his background and it has not meant very much to any of us with the help of Veterans Affairs I discovered that Willie was originally an American who came here from...........

   Suddenly the doors to the lobby opened and three men marched in with flags. They were from the legion in a nearby town. They were followed I could see by a bugler.

   I continued. " Willie came from Birmingham Alabama at age 16 and within a few months of his arrival, he joined the Royal Canadian Engineers as an apprentice and served worldwide until his retirement.

   Willie hated city life and despite being a cancer patient he moved here and became one of our solid citizens. He worked tirelessly, cleaning snow from our parking lots and especially the schools and the churches where he volunteered his services. In many ways, he was a blessing, almost parachuted into the place to do God's work. He was indeed a good guy, and for a very short time he brought us joy and now we must say goodbye."

      I began to choke up and my wife signaled me to step down.

   Padre Pam from the one of the Churches came to the microphone, stood for a moment, and asked everyone to join in for the singing of Oh God Our Help in Ages Past. Next, she again spoke of Willie's nights out cleaning our walkways and cutting grass in summer. Then she began to speak of his commitment to our country and finally asked the bugler to play last post which he did while the flags were lowered and raised.

  The people in attendance rose up as one and stood in reverence to our fallen citizen and Pam then intoned his requiem.

"Just a Song at Twilight, when the lights are low, and

the flickering shadows, come and go.

Tho the heart be weary, sad the day and long.

still to us at twilight comes love’s old sweet song."

   And so, we said goodbye to Willie, I wonder if I told you that he was a man of colour and for that we will be ever grateful because it taught us the value of the lesson of never judging anyone by the color of their face but by their good deeds.