stories/and the naming of the town

All my life I have loved stories. For the  past decade this general love of stories has found focus in the concept of Narrative Theology. This theology takes into account the sweep of the story of God. This theology suggests that we know and experience God as our stories intersect with God's larger story.

Stories and thoughts about stories play a role throughout the book.

One thing that was very interesting for me in writing this is that in the beginning I really had no idea where any of it was going. I just started writing, and a portion of the book seemed to gel (at least I thought it gelled) around the importance of stories. So below is Quin's exposure to the stories about the naming of Appendix as told to him by his mom and dad....

Appendix, continued from yesterday

“Well Quin I’m delighted that you are not forgetting your roots while you’re out there on the West Coast.  The first thing that you have to remember, Quin, is that there are a couple of different explanations. The first I heard, and the one that I think is the true story, was that the original settlers couldn't agree on a name. So they agreed that the two oldest men of the settlers would each be blindfolded, and one would be given a dictionary, and would while blindfolded open the dictionary.” Buzz paused and looked at Quin while making the motion of opening a book and then continued, “Then the other man while also blindfolded would have to point to a spot on the page, and that would be the name of the town.” Again Buzz acted out the scene for Quin’s benefit only this time he pretended that he was blindfolded.

“Now apparently these two old fellows were rather cantankerous and had been doing a good deal of quarreling since the trip had begun. And they were neither one of them too happy about the place the band had finally stopped. And neither was too happy that the other was to be involved in the final naming of the town. The one who was to do the pointing insisted that his counter part just open the dictionary right in the middle, because it was much better to have a town named something in the middle.  Well the opener out of spite pulled back only a small number of pages and so we ended up with a town that started with an A.” 

“The pointer was so mad that after drinking way too much raspberry wine - there were fabulous black raspberry patches all over the place back then Quin – well there still are if you know were to look. But that’s beside the point. Anyways, the pointer drank way too much raspberry wine to soothe his bitter disappointment over the town starting with an A. He drank and drank. Only instead of soothing, the alcohol was fuel on the fire of his anger. Into his second bottle he got so angry that he decided to go and burn down the little old shed that belonged to the opener. He did just that with the opener inside.”

Buzz spread his hands out wide and made the sound of flames enveloping the shack. He looked absolutely delighted. Quin smiled and nodded his head appreciatively as he listened again to the same story he had been telling at the college parties. Buzz continued, “But our poor pointer had had way too much to drink and fell asleep watching the shed of his nemesis go up in flames. So when the other pioneers came to put out the blaze they found him with his now empty bottle, and justice being much swifter in them days, they promptly hung him from the nearest tree.”  Buzz pantomimed someone being strung up, and Quin chuckled while thinking that the motions his dad added were a nice little touch to the story. “But, you know Quin, they say it wasn't a bad way to go as he was so drunk he never woke. He simply went to sleep with the happy vision of the opener’s shed going up in flames."

            Quin’s mom, Linda laughed, “Well now that’s just a wonderful story to be telling Buzz, full of spite and drinking, arson and hanging. Just wonderful, Buzz.” 

Buzz laughed appreciatively, “You are too right my dear, but nevertheless I’m pretty sure that is how events transpired.”

“Buzz Holsten you know better than that. I heard your story too once from my grandma, but she said that it was just a story invented by Arnie Wondermaker when he was first making a name for himself. Quin you pay no attention to that nonsense.”

Both Quin and Buzz laughed. Linda continued, “Now listen Quin my granny said that the real story was that Wondermaker's granddaddy had had to leave Detroit in a hurry on account of a couple of card games that hadn't gone his way. Back then the name was still Vandermacher, by the way.”

“Anyway his granddaddy had to leave Detroit in a big hurry and he took with him his new bride who was only about 15 at the time. My grandma said that there were a few folks who said his new bride had more to do with why he left Detroit than the cards did.  Anyway he left with not much more than a wagon, a couple of very poor horses of dubious lineage, a gun and his new bride. They were only about three days out of the big city when Wondermaker's granddad started feeling pretty poorly and said that they had to stop until he was feeling better.  Well he never did get to feeling any better.  The only Doctor in the county arrived early enough for him to still be warm, but too late to say much more than, ‘He's dead. Appendix burst.’"

“Now his young wife had just about zero education, so the Doctor could have just as easily said, ‘He's dead. Worm gnawed out his gizzard,’ and she would have been satisfied.  The girl asked the Doc, ‘What's the name of this place,’ and the old doc replied, ‘This place ain't really nowhere, most folks just call it the settlement by the lake,’ ‘Well,’ the child bride replied, ‘I'll always call this place Appendix from now on.’ So anyway my grandma said that, that's how the town was named. The town was named by Wondermaker’s young pregnant wife.  She named the place after her dead husband's burst organ."

Buzz laughed, “Well now, you are right Linda that is a much more wholesome story, what with the cards, a fifteen year-old bride, and a burst appendix.” Quin laughed at both of them.

Buzz continued, “I guess Quin you get to choose which version you prefer. I like the one with the burning and the hanging. Either way Quin they are good stories, especially if they are told well. The storyteller makes the story Quin. You remember that.”