Song Within My Soul – Tally’s Song

Tally’s Song Within My Soul

Author’s note: This story is continued from Safe Home With You – Tally’s Song and is the last chapter in this series. Thank you, dear reader, for following the whole story of Tally and Jessie.

~~~
Tally stopped the truck next to the trailer park office. He reached over to Decker and scratched the puppy’s ears. “I’ll be back soon, Decker. You take good care of your Mom.” Jessie laughed and hugged Decker. “I have never had my own puppy. I love him so.” Tally leaned over and kissed her. “Me neither. I promised myself I’d get a dog when I got my pickup. I’m very happy with my family. It adds to the song within my soul.”

He started to get out then paused, scratching the back of his head. “Uhm … it looks like we will all be sleeping in the same bed tonight.” Jessie just realized that and her eyes grew big. “Well, I was thinking you could sleep up here in front.” She smiled at him in a flirtish way. “Like hell I will. little miss! You just stop that thinking right now. I’ll be back in a few. I’ll be right around the corner if you need me.”
~

Not more than ten minutes after Tally backed into their space, Norman and Steve showed up. “Hey kids, I forgot the puppy food for Decker.” He handed a bag of soft kibbles and a few cans of puppy food to Tally. Steve gave Jessie two stainless steel bowls for Decker. “Aww! Gee, thanks guys. We appreciate this. I was wondering what to feed Decker. I don’t think he’d like a salami sandwich.” They all laughed. “Naw! He wouldn’t know what to do with it! Just put half a cup of kibbles in his bowl and half a cup of can food. Mix it up good and he’ll eat it up in no time.” Norman looked at Jessie. “Are you two married, or planning to be?”

Jessie blushed and looked down at Decker who was looking for a place to pee, then she looked at Tally. “No and uh… yes. If she agrees,” Tally looked questioningly at Jessie. With teary eyes she nodded yes. Steve spoke up. “Well when we were heading home we both said at the same time, “Wonder if they’re married?” Then we remembered you had separate beds in the warehouse.”

“Yeah,” Norman apologized to them. “Hope we’re not embarrassing you, but, when we get home and tell my wife your story, the first thing she’ll ask is, if you are married. She’d banish me to the sofa if I said no.” He looked at Steve. “So … we were talking a blue streak all the way here and wondered if you’d want to go down the road a bit further to the Justice of Peace. I mean the only bedroom you have is one mattress, and…”

“Yeah,” said Steve. “And if you just proposed, we’ll go with you and be your witnesses. Like Dad said, there’s only one mattress, and … well it would be nice to keep things legal.” Tally put his arm around Jessie. “Will you marry me, Jessie Snow?” She hugged him tight and said, “Yes, Tally Gunther.”

With Decker clinging to Jessie’s shoulder and Tally looking like the most proud man alive, they were married in the little cottage of the Justice of Peace. After the ceremony the Judge’s wife gave them a little cake and a bottle of Champagne to take home. Norman paid for the services and waved away Tally’s offer to pay. “My wedding gift to my new friends.”

After Norman drove the little family home he figured he and Steve had done the right thing. “When I tell my wife this, she will want to have a reception for you. We’ll invite the Judge and his wife, and Decker, too of course.” They left the newly married couple to enjoy the honeymoon.

Later that night, Tally sat up in bed and shouted, “What a great day to add to the song within my soul!” Jessie sat up and hugged him tight. “I love my husband!” Decker hopped up between them to take advantage of hugs. Soon they got dressed and walked over to the restrooms with Decker in tow. Tally escorted Jessie to the women’s door, kissed her and said, “Ill be right around the corner if you need me.”
~

For almost a year they lived in the pickup. Once in awhile they would drive out to their favorite spot in the desert and spend the night gazing at the stars as Decker slept at their feet curled up in his own sleeping bag.

Tally came home one night with a bottle of wine and a take-out dinner. “What’s the occasion, Tally? This is wonderful and so special !” Decker had grown too much to be picked up and hugged, so he stood on his hind legs to join them in a big hug. “Little girl, we are going to spend our first anniversary in our own little cottage! I took the afternoon off and followed Norman to the cottage.”

Jessie screeched and covered her mouth with both hands, her eyes open wide in surprise. “What? What are you saying, Honey?” Tally pulled her over to the picnic table where he had put their dinner. He uncorked the bottle of wine, took plastic glasses out of the bag and poured them each a glass. “Norman and Becky saw the ad in the paper and took a look at the cottage. The Judge owns it and wants to sell for a good price, so Norman said he will co-sign for us if we want it. It has two bedrooms, sunny morning kitchen, dining room, living room, one bathroom, a large back yard for Decker to run and play in and a beautiful garden in the front yard, with roses, lavendar, all sorts of flowers …., so, you want to go look at it and see if we should take it? I have to go to the men’s room! I’ll be right around the corner if you need me.” He said that every time he had to leave her, whether it was off to work or just a short ways away.

Tally came running back so excited he could hardly sit still. “I have the key! Let’s eat and take a run over to the cottage. If the loan goes through the payments will be low enough for us to afford. With Norman and the Judge signing for us, there should be no problem.”

Jessie fell in love with the cottage. When Tally showed her the bedrooms she was surprised how big they were. “I am so happy we’ll have a second bedroom for the baby.” Tally looked out the window. “Yes! And the window faces the side of the house where I can… What?” Jessie giggled. “I have a surprise, too. We are going to have a baby in about six months.” Tally was beside himself with joy. “Oh, Jessie! Jessie! A baby? I’m going to be a daddy? Jessie girl, this is the best thing – our own home and a baby.” He crumbled to the floor and sat with his face in hands, sobbing. “I am the happiest, luckiest man alive.” Decker was all over him trying to find Tally’s face for kisses. Jessie sat down by them and they sat there crying like kids, with Decker running in circles yapping and wanting to play.
~

The loan went through and they moved into their cottage two months later. Norman and Becky gave them a house warming and anniversary party, inviting as many people as they could think of. Tally and Jessie were well loved in town and about 100 people showed up. Becky had written in the invitations that all gifts must be kitchen, dining, bedding and bathroom items. The cottage was filled with everything Tally and Jessie needed except furniture, which came a week later when Norman and Becky had rounded up used furniture and hired a truck to deliver it all. Two months later all the same people came back for the baby shower and the nursery was fully stocked, including baby furniture. Tally had made a welcome sign with the cottage name of ‘Song Within My Soul’ and everyone loved it.

Samuel Norman Gunther was born August 8, on Norman’s birthday. Decker fell in love with the baby and would not leave him unless he had to go outside for business.

Tally and Jessie stayed in the town that adopted them. They still played on street corners every Saturday. Eventually they organized a folk festival in the park. It started with several amateurs who were taking guitar and banjo lessons from Tally, singing lessons from Jessie and fiddle lessons from one of the elderly men in town who owned the music store. Through folks spreading the word to relatives and by newspaper ads the festival grew so large they had to move it out to a large abandoned farm the city owned With volunteer help the events park was set up with a stage and vendor booths. Grass was planted for guests to sit on blankets or their own folding chairs. The barn was restored and booths inside were built for folk art and other homemade products. The Mayor and town council named the park ‘Tally’s Song Within My Soul Festival Park’, which eventually was referred to as just ‘Tally’s’ Park by the locals. The festival was held every Saturday during the summers and grew to over 1000 people on average. Tally, Jessie and Sammy became the last performance of each event. Sammy started playing guitar at the age of three and by the time he was ten he was almost as good on it as Tally was. Decker was always on stage with the family wearing his red bandanna till he died at the age of 12 years. The family was heart-broken. They had a tribute to Decker and the crowd went wild with cheers and tears. Pictures of Decker were all over the stage.
~

Life had turned out very well for Tally and Jessie. At least once a month they drove out to the desert and camped overnight, reminiscing about their beginnings as they walked along the trail their footsteps had carved over the years. Then they would bed down by the campfire and gaze at the stars. One night Tally talked about the time he would die and Jessie told him not to do that. “But, I have to Little Girl. After I’m gone you will have to sing our song at the festival. Sammy will play for you.” Jessie shed tears when she said, “What is our song, have you written it yet?” Tally hugged her and said, “It has been written, it is in your soul. And when I die, I’ll just be right around the corner if you need me.” Jessie cried herself to sleep holding Tally close.

Three years later, Tally died at the age of 82. The last thing he said to Jessie was, “I’ll be right around the corner if you need me Little Girl.” He had instilled in Jessie a spiritual wisdom of life and death, love for nature, and the importance of kindness for self and others. With that wisdom holding her up she sang her last song at the age of 79, on stage at the festival. She retired that year and turned over management of the festivals to Sammy and his wife.
~

Jessie’s last song was titled ‘Tally’s Song Within My Soul’. It was hard for her physically to stand up on stage, but her voice was as beautiful as ever. She sang with  deep emotion from within her heart and soul, mind and body.  It was a performance that would be remembered by all present for a long time to come, and for life by Sammy who cried silently as he played his Dad’s song. He strongly sensed Tally and Decker on the stage standing by his Mom. Her face was wet with tears at the end and Sammy carried her off stage after the standing ovation when she nearly fainted.

Tally’s Song Within My Soul

The journey of his life was long, each day he lived was whole
Played his music, loved me true, Tally’s song within my soul

Together for years we walked the desert land every night
The silence was so profound, desert moon our only light

He held me close to keep me warm and sang his song of love
The shifting sands carried his voice, as stars rose bright above

Words that linger in my heart, words within my soul
Never will they fade away, forever will my love grow

Now in loving memory I must sing his song of love
I walk alone upon the sands knowing he hears above

Alone on the desert, yet ever with him in spirit
Shifting sands return his voice so dear, O’ let me hear it

Now I am at the end of life, my story has been told
Once again I hear his song of love as in days of old

Many paths we have walked, in different places on Earth
Now it is time to once again return to a new birth

Hear the voices now upon the sands, let it ever flow
Always in my heart, forever a song within my soul

The journey of his life was long, each day he lived was whole
Played his music, loved me true, Tally’s song within my soul

~~~

© 2017 Phyllis Doyle Burns

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Phyllis Doyle Burns

Chief Editor at The Creative Exiles

I am the Senior Editor and SEO Editor for The Creative Exiles (TCE). I edit all posts to help members achieve an acceptable score on Google and other search engines.

I am also an author on TCE and write mainly in poetry and short stories.

I have always liked to write.It is important to me that writing comes from my heart and soul. When writing poetry, if I do not feel a spiritual connection to what I am writing on, I will discard it and go on to something I can connect with on a spiritual level. I live in the moment, I write from the past or beyond the veil. When writing fiction I go with whatever inspires me at the moment - it could be funny, sorrowful, romantic or sometimes done with the use of colloquial language from mountain folk or other cultural regions.

I began writing content online in 2007, starting with BellaOnline - A Voice For Women, where I was the Native American Editor, Folklore & Mythology Editor, and the Appalachian Editor. I also wrote articles forThe Examiner, Daily Two Cents, and Yahoo. I am a freelance writer for Fiverr. I am currently an author on HubPages, a member/author of the Maven Coalition, and Senior Editor and an author for The Creative Exiles.

Most of what I write takes a lot of research and I love it. Even if it is a fictional story, I will research for accuracy in whatever it takes to make my characters, their era, their location, etc. become realistic to the reader.

I hope you enjoy my works. Thank you for visiting.

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