I received a far more valuable gift that Christmas … a gift that would last a lifetime, from a man who loved me with all his heart: the gift of honesty
Purlean and “Ug” Upton owned a mom-and-pop store in the Mississippi Delta, and paid top dollar for pecans.
One look explained Mr. Upton’s nickname. After a mule kicked him on the cheek, his jaws didn’t match, giving his face an ugly, frightful twist. The blow also affected one eye, which focused momentarily and then roamed.
Each year, my boyhood mentor and best friend Jaybird and I gathered pecans under my father’s trees and sold them to the Uptons.
