THE MANSE, 1936

my grandfather built a very angular, stone home in 1936, divorced my grandmother and took on an energetic and ambitious younger wife......when this wife left him, years later, he lived with her mother, who was his age......within a few years of his death, a large tree grew through the roof of the greenhouse, his ancient vehicle was left to rust in it's garage, the house was boarded up and forgotten.........he outlived his three sons by my cast-off grandmother, whom i never met, and died, thinking of his new lover, Jack Daniels.........we were never close, although he gave me a brown, bakelite AM radio when i was ten.....his estate had fallen into ruins and he seldom saw the light of day.......he is still a mystery who always wore a beautiful hat, and three-piece suit of white ocre color....white and caramel two-toned oxfords with thin stockings held by wine and grey garters...........there were no tears at his funeral........