The story On Little Terry Road by Tom Franklin is nothing short of a love story. A cop falling for a troubled young girl and will stop at nothing to keep her safe. Ferriday, the daughter of his dead ex-girlfriend, always finds herself in a predicament. Dibbs, a drunk also a cop in this small town, knows everything about everyone and does his best to save who he wants.
Throughout the story you understand more of Ferriday’s and Dibbs’s relationship. You can see how much he cares for her, but is it out of love or is it our of pity? He knows how her homelife was with her father and being sexually abused by him. He also was there when her mother died after years of not even knowing her really. The burden Dibbs had to ensure nothing ever happen to Ferriday was something he would hold onto for the rest of his life.
We come to know that even after she plead for his help, knowing he would do so, she leaves. Was it out of fear of not knowing? Was it because she knew he would handle it and she can move onto something else? Or was it because she was just simply scared? Dibbs knew the risk of losing his job, having to start a new life, and yet still chose to help Ferriday. He would do anything for this girl regardless of the repercussions and still be let down. Even after he finds out she has left, he still decides to cover up that she was even there at the motel.
This story just shows that people will do anything for love or even the hope of love. Part of me believes that he looked at Ferriday as her mother since she has now past. He doesn’t want to let Barbra go, so he holds on to Ferriday. Out of protection maybe, not wanting to to let her down again by another person she cares about. But I don’t think Ferriday cared at all. She would do anything that is best for her, where as Dibbs would do anything that is best for her too, without thinking of how it could affect himself.