Johnson Family Chronicles
Lillie’s Homecoming (Short Fiction)
My husband, children, and I just boarded the airplane that will fly us from San Francisco to Charlotte, North Carolina where either a brother or sister will pick us up and take us home to Montcross, North Carolina. We are returning to remember my father, Raymond Johnson, Sr., who passed away yesterday, May 20, 1984.
Dad retired from the Montcross Railyard which was still running full steam in 1965. At 68 years old, he wanted to spend time traveling with Mother. No matter where they traveled or how long they were gone, both looked forward to returning to Montcross.
The textile business was still active and making money in 1959 when I left my home in Montcross at the age of 24 to follow my husband. This will be the first time I have been home in fifteen years because Mom and Dad would visit us wherever we lived at the time for Thanksgiving, Christmas, or Easter. In the 25 years since I left Montcross, we called Centennial, Colorado; Amarillo, Texas; Phoenix, Arizona; and finally, San Francisco, California home. Alvin, my husband, has been a troubleshooter for the Western Pacific, the Southern Pacific, and the Union Pacific railroad. Each town had its own unique characteristics, but they never lived up to the small town experiences I had growing up in Montcross. There have been times I wished…
