Stories that Stay With You

In middle school, I read a short story about a blue jay called "Bobo." I don't really remember the story at all, and I don't remember being particularly impressed by it. What I do know is that I mentioned the story in one of my old middle school writings--a reference that tells me that I liked the story and maybe even wanted a pet blue jay of my own. Though this is hard for me to wrap my head around since I actually strongly dislike birds, and you couldn't pay me enough to have one in my house.

Until I remembered "Bobo," I thought that stories that stick with you stick with you forever. I realized that maybe some stories don't stick with you as much leave a delicate impression that can be easily molded as you change as person.

When I first read Jacob Have I Loved, I thought it was amazing. I thought I had found a masterpiece of writing that I would love forever and carry with me for the rest of my life. I'm not sure how long it took me afterward to decide the story is odd and depressing. I found I didn't care for the heroine's personality, didn't like that she fell in love with a man in his 70s, thought the ending was rushed, and wasn't impacted by the final scene.

(I'm not saying it's not a good book. In my memory, it's a well-written and engaging coming-of-age story. It just didn't appeal to me.)

But then there are the stories that do stick with you forever, like a bumper sticker you can't get off your car. This is one of them.

John, a young poor farmer, marries well-to-do girl Mary. Soon after their wedding, he finds a book of English poetry and decides to memorize a poem and surprise her with it.

John tells Mary that though he doesn't have a phonograph like she had, he will give her what he can. He recites the poem he's memorized, and Mary is delighted and concludes that he wrote it. Before he has time to explain, Mary excitedly tells him how talented he is. Not wanting to disappoint her, John decides to memorize more poems and recites them to her over the years.

Years later, their children come to visit and the daughter shows her mother the poetry book. She tells her, "Can't you see that dad has been lying to you all these years?" Mary responds, "No, he never lied to me. He never told me that he wrote those poems. I was the one who assumed he had. And I'm glad you showed this to me because now I know how much your father loves me." Mary resolves to never tell John that she knows his secret.

One day, Mary becomes ill and on her deathbed, she tells her husband," John, poem. A new one." But John is out of poems, having memorized and recited all the poems in the book. So he makes one up on the spot. "John, you wrote it," she says when he's done. "Yes," he says truthfully. She dies thinking it wasn't his work, and on her grave, John places the book of poems.

I read this story in school, but, for some reason, couldn't find it in the book I thought I read it. I have no idea who wrote it and I've tried Googling for it to no avail. But who know? Maybe someone out there in the world will read this and tell me where it comes from.

In the meantime, the enchantment is this: Not all stories stick with you, but the ones that do are the ones that matter.