KENNEY'S AUTO

We were talking to our old friend Tony Gray, a former Brownsville Herald columnist who left the dying daily to work for two decades as Representative Rene Oliveira's aide. He is currently resides in San Miguel de Allende where he is writing the Joe Kenney biography entitled Notes of a Nobody.

"That's not a very admirable title," I responded.

"You miss the point," replied Tony. "A hundred years from now history won't record Joe's time in Brownsville and the many contributions he made to the community. His fate is the destiny of many fine individuals who fade from memory and disappear into history as if they never existed. They were the cogs that allowed the machine to operate, but only the machine are memorialized. I want to honor one of the cogs."

"He is a worthy subject," I offered. "He falls into the category of a Ben Neece or a George Ramirez who loved Brownsville and did everything within their power to return our town to its former glory as the New Orleans of the Rio Grande."

"Joe epitomizes the classic outsider who settled in Brownsville because he saw a beauty that locals oftentimes don't recognize. The old adage that they can't see the forest for the trees rings true for them. It isn't a question of less love. It's a question of lacking the proper perspective to appreciate the beauty that surrounds them.

"I couldn't agree with you more," I added. "From the Checker's Cafe downtown to Cobbleheads and all the stops between, nobody has paid his dues quite like Joe. And his establishments, besides the good food, have been the city's top music venues. Are you interviewing Joe for this work?"

"Good writers don't need to do any research," answered Tony. "Consciousness is a combination of reality and fiction and writing is no different. I've had the pleasure to chat with Joe on a thousand occasions and I don't need to ask him any questions because I can anticipate his answers. Joe is an open book. Now the time has come for him to officially become part of that book."

"How's life in San Miguel? You aren't afraid of COVID?"

"I was more afraid of COVID in Texas. With more than 300,000 deaths and loser Trump still insisting that it's just going to disappear because hoaxes don't last forever, I don't feel as if I were in any more danger in Mexico. Besides, I can't stand living in our country even if it's Austin. Too many boring and brainwashed people have turned our nation into a barren wasteland."

"Do you plan on visiting Brownsville in the near future?"

"I should have this book published by late spring. With everyone vaccinated, I will host a huge book-signing bash at Joe's Cobbleheads. Until then, I will continue on my Odyssey to nowhere. Some people are disappointed when they arrive because it was ultimately all about the journey. In my case, I will remain optimistic in my sojourns because I will never arrive."

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