Out From Nowhere

 

Today on Church Street we walked into a Flower Shop that used to be the library many years ago.  After a few greetings the owner said, “James told me y’all were coming, which of you had a policeman father?”

I did.

He said his father was a cop too.  I asked his name.

“John Hood.”

I think my heart skipped a beat and my eye doubled focused.

 In early June 1960, Patrolman John Hood just finished eating dinner and got into his patrol car and drove off.  They lived on Roswell Road near where now the Marietta Parkway crosses Roswell Road.  John Hood hit head on with a drag race in progress.  Apparently, he forgot to turn on his head lights.

John Hood and one of the racers, my good friend Jenky Latimer, were killed instantly.

I was with them about 20 minutes before but I had to leave to go home to get some sleep for my job sacking groceries at the Big Apple Grocery Store the next morning.

The florist was 2 years old and had 7 older siblings  when his father John Hood was killed that night.