By Gawd

I guess it has to do with the military. At work everyone is known by their last names. Some of the names have a nice ring to them; Airington, Mellick, Roller, and Payton.

Payton is one of the first guys I worked with at the prison. We're contemporaries of each other and antiques to most everyone else. One day I asked if he knew the town of Franklinton, where my grandparents had a farm. It's pronounced 'Frankleton' by natives and people nearby.

"Yeah, I know Frankleton, my uncle, Cecil Payton, lived there. Every other word out of his mouth was 'By Gawd'. He was known as 'Growler'.

My jaw dropped. I knew Cecil Payton when I was a little kid. He and my grandfather were farming contemporaries of each other and antiques to most everyone else. They were also drinking buddies...by gawd.