Song: I miss back when

By: Tim Mcgraw

Start song at (1)

Several people gave aunt Josephine or Joe, the one who Jack had unwittingly spied on, hugs and comforts.

She in turn thanked them, happy now that she had finally told a story that had been on her heart for years but had never had the courage to actually speak out loud. "It wasn't necessarily proper the way we met, not to mention how Vietnam was viewed." She said with just a hint of bitterness undercoating her words. "But he and I, we shared something even if it was only for that brief moment. I will always treasure it!"

"As you should!" Jamie's mom said. There were murmurs of agreement all around and several nodding heads.

"What you mean by proper?" Susie asked.

"Well things were done differently back then" the little cousin's mom explained."

"Oh back when everything was in black and white?"

Jamie looked confused "black-and-white? What do you mean Susie?"

"Well all these pictures," she said pointing to a few of the open photo albums that had black-and-white and faded brown photographs." Are black, white, and brown. When did the world change to color mom?"

No one could help themselves they giggled, then they chuckled, then they burst into fits of laughter, much to Susie's annoyance.

"What!"

"I'm sorry Susie!" Jamie said desperately trying to get control of his laughing. "We're not laughing at you!"

"Sure feels like it."

"Oh sweetie," her mom scooped her into a hug. "I'm sorry you see what you just said is a common misconception when you don't know that photography is the one that changed." Susie gave her mom a blank stare. "You see, old TV shows and old pictures taken with cameras are in black and white or brown colors because the cameras couldn't capture any other colors."

"They couldn't?"

"No," Jack said coming into ruffled her hair. "I come from before that time remember, do I look black and white?"

"Yes" she said with confidence. "You've got white hair and white skin and white teeth and white nails and brown pants."

"What about my hoodie?" Jack asked showing off his bright blue hoodie. "Or my eyes?"

Susie stared closely at Jack's face. "Your eyes are blue! I'm sorry Jack! I thought you just changed into this colored hoodie because you're black or brown one didn't fit anymore."

The simplicity and innocence of the answer gave everybody smiles, in an effort to be polite several people had to excuse themselves before they burst into more laughs.

Aunt Joe came over and kissed Susie on the forehead. "Thank you sweetheart."

"For what?"

"Being you, brightening the room, building such good memories for us all to share. It's things like this that make sadness and heartache less painful."

Susie still looked confused, "But, then why is everyone laughing at me?"

Jack took Susie from her mother's arms and spun her around a bit until she laughed with joy. "We're laughing happy laughs! Those are the kind that come when something fills us with happy thoughts and they just have to come out in as happy a way as possible. Hearing your understanding and how you think did that. What your feeling right now as I spin you round and round makes you happy right!" Still laughing so hard she was unable to talk Susie could only nod excitedly. "See your happy laughing!" He told her.

When she was on the ground again and had calmed her laughter Susie looked at Jack and the adults. "So I made you happy? Not mean, like when bullies make fun of you?"

"Exactly!"

She pondered this for a bit then seemed to come to another thought. "So if it wasn't color that changed what was different back then?"

"A lot of things." Uncle Albert said as he re-entered the room having controlled his own laughter. As the adults settled back in and the kids meandered about Albert became wistful. (1) "I remember back when there was fizz in a Pepper, Peanuts in a bottle, and fried baloney sandwiches."

Many an adult was licking their lips, while the kids ether looked lost or grossed out.

"Things have gotten so complicated now, I personally like the so called 'Old and outdated' way of life! Back when there wasn't so many double meanings. When a hoe ment a garden hoe, coke was the soft drink, and crack is what you were doing when you we're cracking jokes. Back when a screw was a thing you used the tool called a screwdriver for, the wind was all that blew, and when you said something like 'I'm down with that' it meant you had something like the flu. Boy do I miss back then!"

"Don't forget the records!" Jamie's dad put in. "Or when each radio station played what you liked and only that. Country, or soul, or rock and roll, but now I have to read 'Street slang for dummies' because they put POP in our country."

"You have that right!" The men toasted their cups to the Joke.

"Yep, just give me a flat top for strumming, just like it was back when."

Everyone spoke at once as they agreed with each other. "Back when a hoe was a hoe, Coke was a Coke, and cracks what you were doing when you were cracking jokes. Back when a screw was a screw, the wind was all that blew, and when you said 'I'm down with that' it meant you had the flu. Boy do we miss back when!"

"It really like that back then?" Susie asked her mom.

"Something like that and at the same time much much more!" Her mom answered with a smile.