Duplex

We ain't got but one duplex in Harper. It was built back in the 1960's by this fellow Fitzbanks (I forget his first name) and his wife Merijoan. He was a painter. For a while this couple from Coffeeville, Kansas lived in one side and the Fitzbanks lived in the other. Later on when the Kansas folks moved to Memphis their side stayed empty for a few years until the oldest Fitzbanks boy, Bartholomew, got married. Then he and his wife, Sufrancis, moved in right next to his parents. I reckon they got on okay 'cause I never heard any rumblings about their situation. Anyway, I was driving by the duplex today and noticed they had begun painting the right side again. They change the color every couple of years sort of as an advertisement for their painting business. This time it looks like it's gonna be blue. The left side is left unpainted and in the front yard they have a "BEFORE" sign on the left and an "AFTER" sign on the right. I reckon they know how to market their business 'cause they have painted almost every house and building in Harper at least once. One thing they do for the community is donate their time to paint at least one of the building downtown every year. The merchant or owner buys the paint, wholesale, and they do the painting for free. I will say they play their part in keeping Harper looking spiffy. You can read more about the Fitzbanks if you go back to the story that begins with "Lures" and goes through "The Jury's Still Out."

Tales of Harper, short stories and poems about the fictional town of Harper, Mississippi is available on Amazon Kind