I was 21 and my girlfriend was 19. We'd been dating for a few months and I'd just started working at an auto shop.
This new guy just comes out of nowhere and fills out an application. He seems like a pretty nice guy, his name is Joseph.
Turns out he doesn't have any money, and can't afford a place to stay. He's sleeping in his car.
My gf agrees to let him stay with us until he can get a place of his own, but no more then a couple months. I agree, Joseph is a decent guy. We have beers, play some video games, watch some football.
One day at work, Joseph was grinding a rusted bolt off a shock and got a metal fragment in his eye. He wasn't wearing goggles. He had to wear this gauze patch and put medicine in his eye for like a month.
A couple months later I'm talking to the gf about asking Joseph to look for his own place. I was seriously considering asking her to marry me, and didn't want to start things off with a roommate.
She breaks down crying and tells me shes pregnant. I tell her it's alright, I was planning on asking her to marry me anyways, this is great news.
She won't stop crying and finally admits the baby isn't mine. I felt crushed. She said that one day while she was helping Joseph change the cotton compress from his accident, they got really close.... well too close. Now she's not ready to marry me knowing that the child isn't mine!
I raged. Joseph was still at work and I was fuming the whole afternoon. I take all Josephs stuff and put it in the yard. I'm considering what jail will be like after I wreck this guy. When I hear his car pull up I get ready at the door. As soon as the door opens I slug him in the face. He stumbles back but recovers pretty quick. I swing again but he ducks and gets me in the ribs. I'm completely raging now. I get two quick jabs in and he falls back again. I turn around to get my baseball bat that I keep near the door and Joseph runs to his car. He blazes out of there without his stuff.
I haven't seen him or heard from him since.
My friend asked me why I'd been down.
I told him I remembered this story.
I told him if it hand't been for cotton-eye Joe
I'd been married a long time ago
Where did he come from, where did you go...
Where did you come from, Cotton-Eye Joe?
Just try to get that out of your head... you'll be humming that well into this week.
Your welcome
