“Life’s Dues”
The creation below started as a column for writer Dan O’Connor of Nevada. Dan is a native of Tipperary Ireland, been in America a wheelbarrow load of years. He wrote a column for the paper, submitted it, they rejected it. Dan was discouraged, just canned it, then sent it to me. I looked it over, it had much good, some bad -- I could see why the paper rejected it. I took out the beer drinking and Irish Pubs and racy women, rearranged many lines, added words, sent it back, he was amazed. He said “It’s now yours.” I said, “no, it’s ‘ours.’” For my column, I added three lines, September, my dear sister Ophelia in Nevada, and my niece the girl named Sue in Nevada, who is dying of cancer. The story below could be your story, or mine. Anyone’s, really. Enjoy. Oh, yeah, “Mama” was one of my additions also. Angie will like that.
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