Five years ago today, on January 20, 2014, I met my husband. We went on a blind double date and stayed up til 3 am talking in my friend's living room. That night I learned a lot about Will. He told me all about his work as a cotton farmer and about his co-workers. One co-worker and friend I heard about that very first night we met was David Jones.
David was a childhood friend of my father in law and had managed the farm for years. He drove a truck and on any given day you could spot him in his truck "driving the loop" or on the farm. Let it also be noted that the man enjoyed a Budweiser, even if it had been sitting in a truck bed for 8 hours in the Alabama heat.
When Will returned to the farm after finishing college at Auburn, he and David began working together and David quickly became a colleague, mentor, and friend to Will. He was a one of a kind man.
Not too long after my first date with Will, I had the privilege of meeting David for myself. Will and I had been dating for a few months and he was back in planting season so I finally got to go visit the farm. Though he never told me directly, I can imagine David had some doubts about Will bringing some city-girl from Birmingham (Mountain Brook, at that!) down to the farm. Nonetheless, he invited me to hop in the tractor with him and take a ride. So I did! That's right, the first time I climbed into one of those giant machines was not with my future husband but with David. We rode for a little while...down and back down and back...talking about politics, history (Will had mentioned that I was a history major so David was sure to quiz me on my Civil War facts.), religion, and a little bit of farming. By the end of our ride I like to think I'd started to grow on David a little bit.
On my next visit to Prattville, David invited Will and me to his cabin to visit. Once we got there he proudly displayed his newest jar of moonshine and like the good Southern gentleman he was, offered some to us. I was pretty sure this was some sort of test. During our tractor ride we had covered the fact that I enjoyed a nice bourbon every now and then. I think he found my brown water preference a bit "hoity toity" so he figured he'd see what I did with this offer. Still trying to prove that I could hang with these farm guys, I accepted and thanked him generously as my throat burned and the taste of grain alcohol lingered on my tongue. As I looked up, David was grinning. I couldn't tell if he was taking more joy in the face I was making or that I'd just accepted his challenge. From that point on, I knew David and I were friends.
As Will and I dated, I got to know David a little better with each visit to the farm. I came to love his kindness, loyalty, and the confidence he had in being himself. Since we've been married, I have watched his relationship with Will change from one of caution and supervision to one of respect, trust, and love. When my parents came to visit the farm, David came out and met them. He walked my mom around one of the fields and helped her pick cotton by hand as she told him stories about her mom who had grown up doing the same. Both times I've brought our son to the farm David made an effort to spend time with us. He only met Mack twice, but I'm pretty sure they took a liking to one another. David always spoke highly of me to Will and of Will to me. That meant to world to both of us.
David passed away yesterday morning after being sick for awhile. It broke my heart. I know it broke Will's. But I have no doubt that David is with Jesus. In fact, I told some of his family this morning that Will and I had smiled as we pictured David cruising around "the loop" in Heaven in his dirty pick up truck on streets paved with gold. We're also pretty sure he declined his mansion in favor of a cabin, and I for one can't wait to stop in for a visit when I get there!
