John and Lisa will be coming back shortly. Actually, they will be going to a Little People of America function, much like I will be attending one in a few weeks. It will be my first time attending one in several years, so I am deliberately deferring work on that chapter until after my return.
In the meantime, those among my followers who enjoy hanging out in the cheap seats, strap in, there's some fun in store for you.
Among the songs that have had the longest life among Harry Chapin's fan base, three of them come off his 1973 "Short Stories" album: "W.O.L.D.," the tale of a radio DJ whose best years, both personally and professionally, are behind him... "Mr. Tanner," the result of Harry reading an absolutely scathing review of a singer in the New York Times and wondering about the man whose life aspirations were utterly shredded in four sentences... and "Mail Order Annie," the tale of a struggling gentleman farmer and the woman who responds to a personal ad he placed in the newspaper.
Recently, the idea crawled into my brain to wonder about the path those characters took to arrive at that point in their lives. I thought it would just be a matter of dashing off a couple of pages and going on with life.
Three weeks and seven chapters later, I haven't even gotten Annie on the train yet. I am, however, having all kinds of fun hiding Easter eggs. Among my favorites so far: Annie was born on "March twenty-first, the first day of Spring" and has four older brothers named Tom, Steve, John, and Wallace.
Also appearing, so that she may receive the thorough and merciless upbraiding she deserves, is a teacher who never imagined that her snarky comment about an 11-year-old student would become internationally famous for all the wrong reasons.
My hope is to finish the story before posting it, so that no one finds themselves waiting four and a half years to hear it all. My goal is to start posting it before the holidays.
In the meantime, if you've never heard the song... or if it's been a while... here you go.
https://youtu.be/IbUu7Q5lUeA?feature=shared