We were excited to see the newly weds on our way back home from Dothan, stopping in Prattville just before Sam was getting off work. So we got to visit with Noel for a bit before he came home, but she promised not to tell any of the Honeymoon stories till they were together. Davis and I had seen the place before when we moved the couch in, but it was now fully decorated and the perfect spot for the perfect couple. Noel had made us some amazing cookies to snack on while we waited. And Magan and the girls took the tour with Noel, while I opened all the cabinets and found out what was in every drawer in their new home.
Sam finally arrived and we all gathered around them to hear the tales of the epic journey they went on first getting to Vancouver, then on an amazing trip through Alaska and Canada. It was so fun listening and laughing, with them sitting on the floor as there are not enough seats with our whole crew there. But they did not mind a bit. The pictures were great, and stories even better, and this dad was proud that his son wrote down some details that might be another blog birthed forth from this one. Our housewarming gift that I am sure will be displayed forevermore at their home was a 3D printed anatomically correct scrub daddy holder. You are welcome Noel!
For dinner, Sam told us about a pizza place down by the river. And the only river I knew of was back down in Montgomery, so I expected we would head that way, but instead it was in downtown Prattville. I never realized there was a downtown Prattville, but when we arrived, I was blown away at this little Mayberry of a town. With a large covered area with live music. Assortment of restaurants and coffee shops, and even a real live river flowing alongside the city. It was at the river, where we thought Mom was going a little crazy when she said "I have been here before". She does this often when passing a city that has a pancake place or a Jacks or a Walmart, and we know to just let her enjoy these memories of being in this place when it is often in a completely different state. So of course none of us even remotely believe her, until we get to Fox's Pizza Den where Noel (of all people) says "Yes, I have been here too...with you".
Rod Serling steps forward out of a nearby alleyway, a thin line of smoke rising from the cigarette between his fingers. His voice is calm, measured, and edged with that familiar, unsettling curiosity. “Portrait of a woman named Magan Junkin. A wife, a mother, a future grandmother. Ordinary by every visible measure—except for one persistent, impossible conviction. Magan believes she has walked the streets of this city before. Not recently. Not in passing. But deeply… intimately. As though the bricks themselves once whispered her name.”
“Her family insists she’s mistaken. They’ve never been here, never traveled these roads, never seen these buildings. Yet Magan remembers cafés that no longer exist, faces that have no names, and a young womanhood moment she swears happened right here. Tonight, a second voice joins hers. A young woman—new to the family, new to the Junkin name—who recalls a memory from her own girlhood. A memory of this same city… and of Magan standing beside her. A meeting that could not have happened, in a place neither of them were ever meant to be. Two women. Two memories. One city that should belong to neither. But in the Twilight Zone, the past has a way of revisiting its owners… even when the owners have yet to arrive.” (Microsoft Copilot, 2026)
As our story continued, we found out that Magan had been here, and strangely enough, it was with Noel during the trip they took with the Sartins. Anabelle also remembered it when they were in the Fox's pizza place. The Pizza was great, and while I really don't remember the conversation, we were so loud and laughing so hard, that one older lady jokingly came and told us we needed to quieten down. And so we did. The "magic card" (as Ruby called it) was used once more for my portion of the meal, and then it was put to the back of the wallet. We exited the restaurant to a bit of that rain that was forecasted all week. But hanging close to all the canopies along the street, we did not get very wet, at with the sounds of the live band under the large covered area, we gave our departing hugs. I can't wait for our next visit. Loved getting to see this first home for our Sam and Noel.
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