The Cross And The Pinecone - Part One
The Cross And The Pinecone - Part One
By Rod Jones Artist-Writer
“I don’t understand my husband.“
“What do you not understand my wife?“
“John; why do I see pinecones in religion?”
“I don’t believe I have the answer for you, Mary.“
John and Mary grew up and lived in a rural part of West Virginia. Although they did not know it, they had something in common almost from the day they were born. John and Mary were dropped off at the not very well kept, Mountain View Home for Orphans on the same day and time. There were no names given to the two babies, so the orphanage gave them their first and last names. Unfortunately, there was a mixup on the orphanage’s internal paperwork so both John and Mary ended up with the same last name which was McKinney. The orphanage generally kept the boys and girls separate, after they turned the age of 14. John and Mary casually knew each other, but did not really speak to each other all that often. They both lived and grew up there, until they turned 18.
Hollow Creek Distillery, a practical family owned small batch bourbon distillery, owned, and operated by a husband and wife who most people would say are miserly, but had good hearts and loved the community they were in. When their friends and neighbors would ask Claudine and Jeffrey Stoots why they get a bit miserly when dealing with their neighbors and general town folks. Claudine would always speak up first and was quick to say, “ We make hard liquor, there’s no shortage of people around here who are happy to consume as much as they can’t get their hands on. They’re also looking for free samples every time they come by. We have to be miserly, otherwise we’d have nothing to sell.” Claudine’s husband Jeffrey, just gets a big grin on his face and says, “ Yep, Claudine‘s the boss, she knows what she’s a, just a sayin. You better believe it.”
The Hollow Creek Distillery is where John and Mary ended up working. The orphanage somehow managed to get them a job after they turned 18, although they were not officially allowed to work at a distillery unless they were 21 years of age. The distillery needed help, and there was no one from any government agency that was going to say anything or report them. People in that area looked out for each other and generally just wanted everyone to get by.
John and Mary were acquainted with each other from the orphanage. When they both got jobs at the distillery they began to lean on each other. Having jobs away from the orphanage was both exciting and scary. Within a relatively short time, they started to hang out together after work. This was relatively easy to do because Hollow Creek Distillery had outbuildings that were like little apartments for various hired hands to live in. Especially because in the distillery business, it can be seasonal. And they needed people to come in and work for a few months at a time.
Both John and Mary were avid readers. They would often share books that they read about romance. It wasn’t long before they started to spend every hour they could hanging out with each other. Just about everything they knew about having an intimate relationship came from the books they read. They both understood the concept of marriage and when they both turned 20 John asked Mary to marry him. Claudine and Jeffrey Stoots, the couple that ran the distillery, were all for it, and made arrangements for them to be married at the non-denominational Grace Hollow Church. The Reverend Jedidiah Jones performed the matrimonial nuptial. All in all, It turned out to be a pretty nice affair. People from the orphanage came, and of course everyone from the distillery showed up. They were even people that lived as far as 35 miles or so away who showed up for the wedding.
The Grace Hollow Church had an old barn behind it, and it was often used to hold the receptions after weddings. Of course everyone that attended the wedding was told to head over to the barn for refreshments. Several of the guests showed up with various instruments, mostly fiddles. One man had an accordion, another had an old guitar. It was quite an ensemble, but the group generally knew each other. In one corner of the barn there was a buildup of sorts with some planks on it that was suitable as a stage. Underneath some carefully laid out burlap potato sacks stood an upright piano, with a stool tucked just under the keyboard. The man with the accordion yelled out to the people who gathered into the barn after the wedding and said, “ Hey you all, any of you-an can play this pi-ano?”
Two of the guests that showed up to John and Mary’s wedding were an older couple, their last name was McKinney. The couple sat at the back of the church during the wedding, then after they headed over to the barn.
Lucky for John and Mary, the ensemble of musicians managed to get some friendly dance music going. Everyone encouraged John and Mary to perform the first dance. John and Mary spoke out and said to everyone that they weren’t too familiar with dancing. But Claudine yelled out, “Give it a try anyway, your-en amongst friends here.” John and Mary held each other and did a slow simple waltz accompanied by a solo violin player. Everyone remained perfectly quiet, some of the women teared up. John never took his eyes off of Mary, and she focused on him, with what people would say was the most agreeable and charming smile a woman could ever have.
When the dance ended, John and Mary became a bit unsettled. They both were pretty shy and now all of a sudden they realized everybody had watched them dance and now they were clapping and making howling sounds. Mary just held onto John as tight as could be. She was nervous, intimidated, and downright scared. She felt John’s strength and the way he was holding her. He whispered it into her ear and said, “Don’t be frightened Mary, but just so you know, I’m a little scared myself. I feel like we were some sort of spectacle and all I wanted to do was just hold you close to me and pretend like we were the only two people in this whole world.”
Before they could leave the dance floor, Claudine came running up to them. She shook John’s hands with a sturdy man-like handshake congratulating him. Then she turned to Mary, grabbed both of Mary’s hands, mostly by her wrists and looked at her. She was quiet for a moment and then told Mary what a beautiful, kind and loving person she is. Then Claudine pulled Mary close to her and gave her a warm and very tender hug. Mary never felt anything like that before from anyone. She thought to herself that there is something very special about Claudine and the way she was holding her. Mary started to get tears in her eyes. Claudine moved back, just enough from the hug to be face-to-face with Mary. Claudine could see in Mary’s face and eyes an innocence and tenderness that she never saw in another woman. Claudine put her hands on Mary’s cheeks, lifted her chin up and looked deeply into her eyes and spoke these words, “ Mary you are an angel. I know you did not know who your mother was and how you ended up in that orphanage. I don’t know how important it is to you, but I suspect you will learn who your mother was.”
After their wedding, John and Mary lived quite comfortably in the house the distillery owners, Claudine, and her husband Jeffrey provided them.
John and Mary quite literally opened the front door, walked about 150 feet to the back door of the distillery and put on their work aprons and went over to their workstations. They were about 15 feet apart so occasionally they would yell over to each other. The distillery machinery wasn’t all that loud but I think they just had fun talking loud enough and joking with each other so the other employees could hear them. It was always in good fun and lots of humor to make the workday harmonious and fun.
The distillery was approximately 300 feet off of the main road. A dirt road led up to the distillery shop where Claudine and Jeffrey occasionally sold some of their special bottles of small batch bourbon to people that pulled off the main road. It was a wonder that anyone found their shop. They only had a small hand printed sign pointing to the distillery. But for sure everybody in the small town and for many miles around, knew exactly where to go if they wanted a good bottle of carefully crafted whiskey at a good price. Claudine, Jeffrey, and most of the employees would joke about how many of the locals who came in for a bottle, wouldn’t know good whiskey from swill, and of course they used other condescending terms. If Claudine overheard that kind of talk, she immediately dressed them down and said, “These are our friends and neighbors. They may not be the smartest, but they’re all damn good hearted. Also, when it comes to your payday, you better be thankful they do show up.”
It wasn’t the locals that kept the distillery in business. There was a distributor that would show up from time to time and load up a van of their premium spirits and pay them cash and off he went. They basically understood that he was selling their premium whiskey to fancy restaurants in major cities; it was a pretty sweet business for Claudine and Jeffrey. It was one of those small cottage businesses that kept a few people employed and it was especially a blessing to John and Mary. Claudine and Jeffrey Stoots provided them a home to live in, made arrangements for their marriage, and kept them employed. And from time to time gave them the advice they needed to grow and mature. Mary would often confide in Claudine when she was learning what it was like to become an adult woman. Jeffrey was a kind hearted father-like figure to John, who happened to have a kidding and sometimes teasing way about him that made John not only respect him and learn what it was like to be a real, but kind and loving man.
After their day’s work, John and Mary would head outside and walk. The distillery that sat back off the main road was surrounded by trees, many of which were pine trees, and many of which were dropping pinecones that covered the ground. Mary was always picking up different specimens, almost like a well-educated botanist. Comparing one against the other with the intent on finding the principle pinecone that was shaped perfectly. Every once in a while, she would look over at John and say, “This is a perfect specimen. I must take it back to our house and display it on the kitchen table, or perhaps I’ll just stick it on the fireplace mantle.” John was totally amused by everything Mary said when it came to her pinecone collecting. He was careful not to tease her, in fact, he would often say, “You sure know an awful lot about pinecones, I’m amazed how you find such beautiful and perfectly shaped ones, you truly have a gifted eye. That to me looks like a perfect one to add to your collection.” Mary by now knew John well enough to know that he was sincere in what he was saying. She felt his love, and it was very easy for Mary to give all of her love to John.
It was a warm spring day. John and Mary did not have to work. Claudine and Jeffrey knew it was Mary’s birthday and they had planned a little celebration for her. Claudine made a beautiful homemade cake that everyone agreed was scrumptious to eat.
John had a very special gift for Mary, he wrapped it in some clean washed burlap he cut out of a gunnysack. One of those that held grain that was used in making bourbon. He even managed to decorate it with some painted images of trees. John very proudly handed it to Mary, “Happy birthday Mary.” John knew that Mary was often bashful and shy, sometimes even a little self-conscious. She always wanted to do the right thing and not be embarrassing to herself or others. Mary took John’s gift in both of her hands, looked down and then up at John. “Thank you for buying me a birthday gift. I know you and I were never accustomed to giving or receiving gifts, especially birthday gifts. You know what John? I believe this is the first one I’ve ever received. It seems like we were never really taught to think about such things. What made you decide to give me a gift now? I guess this is the first birthday I’ve had since we got married.” John was smiling and acting a little bit boyish and giddy. “I hope this is something you will like. It’s not all that fancy and I guess you would say it’s not very romantic when it comes to a birthday gift, but it’s something I thought you would really enjoy, and as luck would have, I accidentally found it when I went into town with Mr. Stoots. He was kind enough to help me get it for you.” Mary, still looking down at the gift and doing her best to hold back tears, looked up at John and said, “Gift or no gift you mean everything to me. I know how much you love me and I know that you must’ve felt something really special when you selected this present for me. I promise I will cherish it forever, including how beautifully you wrapped it. Thank you for being such a caring and loving husband.
Claudine, as she did quite often when it came to Mary and witnessing her innocence and sensitivity, seemed to always have to hold back some tears, she raised her voice, and said,“ Open it, open it so we can see your birthday present. Jeffrey and I are excited for you. We’ve never been much at giving birthday gifts to each other. It makes me feel really good to know that John made sure you got one on your birthday.”
This is the end of part one. When you read part two, you’ll understand the meaning and the story behind The Cross And The Pinecone.
This story or essay was written entirely by me, Rod Jones Artist-Writer, with human hand and imagination, no AI assistance. Any imperfections in grammar or punctuation are authentically mine.