For Billy Dale from Randy Willis
Where shall I begin? My back porch may suffice as my Annual Pickin' on Christmas Party begins. A friend and guest arrived early with a unique Christmas gift for me, her mother's homemade Twinkies made with rum.
I thanked her and thought little of the gift until another friend beside me tasted them and said, βThese are mine.β
I tasted one and replied, βOh my, not hardly.β
My βfriendβ took the palms of his hands and pressed them on the entire tray of Rum Twinkies. I asked, βWhen was the last time you washed your hands.β
βMonths ago,β he replied.
βYou donβt play fair,β I said, βNow I know how you won the Heisman.β I later found out he had just washed his hands.
The football player, who shall remain unnamed, for hijacking my Rum Twinkies reminded me of a trip we made to visit his mother near Tyler. "Paybacks are hell," he said.
On the way, he shared that his mother made the best hamburgers in Texas, perhaps the world. That night, she made her famed hamburgers for dinner at our request.
Early the following day, while her son slept, I told his mother, βThat was the best hamburger I ever tasted. May I have the recipe?β
She smiled politely and gave me the same answer her son had the night before, βNo.β
To be fair, those Twinkies were not nearly as good as those hamburgers.
I also had to ask her how the road she lived on got named after her.
She smiled and said, βOne of my sons (not said football player) called her one day and said, βMama, the County Commissioners just name the road in front of your house after you.β
βSon, they donβt need to do that. Thereβs a bunch of old folks out here who deserve it more than me,β she said.
Then she smiled with a sparkle in her eyes that I will never forget, βBut itβs kinda nice when folks call and ask for directions. I just say, βTurn right on Ann Campbell Road. I'm on the left in my home, which my son had built for me.β
She added, βI told my children when their Daddy died, βDonβt be calling me if the county locks you up; I ainβt got any money to get you out of jail. To this day, none of my eleven children have ever been arrested.β
She was a grand lady. She reminded me of my mother, humble, wise, and proud of her kids. I was blessed to meet her and took a photo on her wall of her son that Coach Darrell Royal gave her. I've included that photo. I have never published it before.
I vote for the following names to be placed on Darrell K Royal Texas Memorial Stadium: mothers like Ann Campbell and wives like Edith Royal. But then again, I suspect there might not be enough paint.
β― β― β―
A week after the photos at my home I got a call from the owner of the Heisman Trophy, "I believe you have something of mine."
"Yes sir, I do, it's on my fireplace mantel. When my friends ask "What's that? and I tell them they all have the same answer, "Yeah, sure."
"I'm on the way to your office. No, I don't have any Rum Twinkies."
Randy Willis