Obi-Wan (Floyd) Kenobi

Agent wife & I bought a house about 2.5 years ago. I call it a borderline neighborhood: bordering between middle class and poverty culture and slowly teetering towards the latter daily.

2 months after our move-in I met Obi Won on his front porch. Obi-Wan is an 88 year old black man who's lived in our neighborhood for 35 years. Growing up on a farm in Chilton, TX (outside Waco) he's had his share of life experiences (racial predjudices and forgiveness issues that I'll never experience, I'm sure). Obi-Wan worked in service stations all his life except for the 3 years he served against his will (drafted) in the US Army during WWII. He's outlived 2 wives: wife #1 - Margaret who died in the early 1980's and wife #2 - Katie who died the month before Obi-Wan & I met. Then there were 2 other wives before them that he really doesn't consider wives since they cheated on him then left him (or so that's his side of the story). Non wife #1 - Roberta wanted a divorce while he was over seas in WWII and left him when he returned to the US. Non wife #2 - Jennie Mae mothered his 2 kids and 2 step kids. Both step kids were from the same man but the 1st kid came before Obi-Wan's marriage and the 2nd kid came after the birth of Obi-Wan's kids during his separation from non wife #2. Confused yet??

In 1953 while working at a service station in Waco and depressed from 2 failed marriages, a traveling insurance man (a 'white Christian guy from Tennessee') suggested he try new scenery. Jobs in West Texas (Abilene, Midland, and Odessa) were plentiful at the time. The man suggested that Obi-Wan cash his paycheck that Friday and buy a bus ticket. If things didn't work out in the new place the white man offered to send Obi-Wan money for the trip back to Waco.

Obi-Wan boarded a bus, got off at the first stop (our fair mother city) on a Saturday, spent the night with a friend's relative, attended Macedonia Baptist Club the next morning (where he's still a member), found a service station job on Monday, started working on Tuesday ("and I've worked ever since"), got his own apartment on Friday, and has been in the mother city ever since.

Due to his age and health Obi-Wan doesn't get out much anymore. He hasn't been to his club in 2 years. And me...my church/club dealings will be posted later. So I usually try to spend my Sunday am at Obi-Wan's house, where the bacon is cooking, tasty and the preachin' is even better.

Yesterday morning was no exception. Obi-Wan was preaching to himself before I arrived. He went on and on about the funeral preparations for wife #2 a couple of years ago and how the minister didn't do her justice by not letting her female friends speak, etc. "So the message today is about how people will eventually let you down, so forgive them anyway?", I ask.
"No" he said. "Never forget Nobody".

I love Obi-Wan. With exception of Agent Wife, Obi-Wan is my best friend. I never stop learning from him.