Lake Charlesby Lucinda Williams

"Bennet was a WWII vet who survived Pearl Harbor. His service started like a lot of soldier’s in our country - he didn’t "get along" with his dad so he joined the Marines at 16 (the government graciously changed his birth certificate to help in his plight to escape an abusive home.) He was an obsessive fisherman and instilled this in me. When he told me had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, he said, “Ma, Ma, Mandy (he stuttered on M’s due to epilepsy and even though at 12 years old I had requested everyone call me “Amanda”, he still called me "Ma, Ma, Mandy"), they’ve given me 6 months to live, kid. I guess I’d better teach you to fly fish like we’ve been talking about.” So for the next 6 months, we got together at his and my Grammy’s house in rural Arkansas and he taught me to fly fish and make his favorite breakfast - red eye gravy and grits. This was in 1998 when Lucinda William’s “Car Wheels on a Gravel Road” was released. His demise was swift. The disease took him fast and towards the end I would push him to the pond in his wheelchair so he could critique my cast. The song I listened to over and over as he got sicker and sicker and eventually passed was, “Lake Charles”. He always had a reason (excuse?) to get back to his favorite place - on the water. Cancer fucking sucks. I love my Paupaw. Fish on." - Amanda, thank you for sharing, this one's for you and your Paupaw Bennet <3