Installment #12

Meg

Meg walked around the house.  The workmen were gone.  She was alone.  She had handed Fred the roll of bills and then insisted he count it for herself as well as for him.  She knew it was there, but she wanted him to know as well.  As she watched him she was suddenly struck by how innocent and child like he seemed.  There was more to Fred Himes then anyone would ever know.  She had asked for a tour around the house so he could show her what he had done.  He explained about the double welding and that it would take a cutting torch for anyone to get inside. “So don’t lose your key or you will be sleeping in the yard.”  He had suddenly become agitated when he said that.  Strange.  She turned back into the house then turned and watched him climb into his Toyota pick up.  Man that big had no business in a little truck like that.

She checked her eBay sales and then frowned because there were none.  Business was sure down for some reason.  She clicked through to her store and then to the mark down manager.  Of course she had to sign in again.  Ebay was very careful about that.  She selected several vinyls and then changed her mind and selected them all.  She marked them 50% off, selected the start and end date and then clicked to save.   That done she checked her emails.  Nothing very interesting there.  She wandered to the kitchen and stood at the sink.  She really should fix some lunch, but suddenly the idea of eating alone brought tears to her eyes.  Was this how the rest of her life would be?  Eating alone, sleeping alone, walking alone?  What was the point?  She opened the refrigerator and picked out an apple.  Then she grabbed a handful of Cheddar Cheese squares.  She took her keys off the hook behind the door.  At the clink of the keys, Daisy and Elvira appeared, fresh from a nap!

“Come on girls!  Let’s go for a little walk up the mountain”.  She picked her knap sack off the hook, put two bottles of water and an empty plastic sour cream tub inside.  “ Got everything you ladies need, so let’s hit it!”  She put the keys in her pocket, the knap sack over her shoulder, got a bottle of water for herself, and lastly took her walking stick down from over the door.  It was a gift from Tom many years ago.  It was very sturdy and had a hummingbird etched on the side with flowers.  Very good for stabilizing herself as she walked and sturdy enough that she could defend herself if need be. 
The dogs ran ahead and sniffed everything in sight.  Of course they also had to mark their territory, because that is what dogs do.  It was a beautiful day and while warm it had a cool breeze blowing down from the mountain.  She picked a trail that looked sort of worn and the dogs immediately joined her.  Birds flitted in the canopy overhead as they walked.  Meg was always alert to the possibility of a timber rattler so she kept the dogs close.

Almost imperceptibly a change came over Meg.  Her footsteps slowed and the dogs came closer.  What was it?  She could feel eyes on her.  She turned around. Nothing.  Daisy stopped and her hackles raised.  She stared ahead into the underbrush.  Meg stopped and strained her eyes.  Nothing.  No, wait, there was something.  Something about that big Pine tree.  The growth at the bottom of it was mashed down.  Had a bear been here?  Could very well have been.  It was wilderness and there were bears.  But the limbs had been removed.  No, not removed.  Only some of them.  It looked like a ladder the way they were staggered.  She stepped on the first one. Then up another one.  One more.  She could set up here and be quite alone.  This branch made a nice broad setting place.  She sat and turned.  Her eyes fell on her farm.  A cold feeling of dread settled over her.  Was she the only one that knew about this place?  She quickly scampered down the limbs again and when she reached the ground the dogs were staring at her quizzically. 

She turned quickly and started back down the path.  The dogs fell in step behind her and did not run and sniff.  They could barely keep up with her.  When she reached the edge of the clearing she stopped.  She opened the knap sack and got the bowl and water.  The dogs lapped greedily.  Meg gave them each a piece of cheese and then ate the rest of the cheese and the apple.  Her nerves began to relax and her mind began to clear.  Maybe it was just the spell of the forest.  She looked down the mountain.  She could not see her farm from here.  She looked up to see if she could see the tree she had climbed.  No.  She was going to need to delve into this a little further.  Where did the trail lead?  Was there a house up there?  If so, who lived there?  Who could she ask?  Fred.  Of course.  He had been on this mountain for years.  He would know. 

She knew she needed to proceed with caution when she talked to Fred because he was one skittish little fellow. That was alright.  She was just curious.  Now how to get Fred to the house without alerting him.  Of course!  Now the only way anyone could get into her house was if they used the doggie door.  It was in the wall going to the back yard.  True her dogs were small and so was the doggie door, but it could be possible.  She would have Fred build a metal cage that the dogs would exit into for their “personal needs”.  She would have plenty of time to visit with him while that was being done.  She glanced back over her shoulder as she hurried down the mountain.  She could not shake the feeling that eyes were boring into her back.

When she reached the house she quickly entered and slammed the door behind her.  With shaking hands she found Fred’s number, but before she dialed she took several deep breathes and composed herself.  The phone rang several times before she finally gave up.  She would try later.  He did not seem to have an answering machine.  After several hours, he answered. She explained her plan to him and he promised to come by the next morning.  She smiled as she hung up the phone.  Fred was so easy.

Installment #11

Fred

Ah, yes, this was going to be a good job.  Even after he paid for the wrought iron and the delivery he was going to pocket over $3,000. He thought briefly of where to hide it.  He had an empty Hershey’s can on the shelf.  That would work perfectly to hold the bills, but where in the yard.  He thought of all the little cans buried here and there.  The area around the cabin was getting pretty filled up, but he owned 12 acres so he was not going to run out of room any time soon.  It was just that he had a plan.  The money he got from his trust fund was plenty to live on.  And dad had built this little cabin and then left it to him when he died.  No one else to leave it to since his bitch of a mother had taken off with some salesman and left him and dad to figure it out.  He had been an impressionable teenager when she did that.   Both Fredric Himes, Jr and his father, Fredric Himes Sr. had mourned the loss of Marybeth Himes.  It was not that it was a shock, quite the contrary.  Fredric Himes worked long hours in the factory and then at his accounting job on the side and Marybeth was a young woman and full of life.  And she loved to dance and hang out with party people.

So she was gone one day.  Just gone.  No note, no tearful goodbye, just a slamming door while Freddie was in school and Fredric was at the factory.  Fredric donated her belongings to charity and never spoke her name again.  Freddie just envied the boys who had a mother and wished someone would make him cookies.  No one seemed too surprised that he never dated.  Girls were not to be trusted.  He learned to cook and keep house and what good would a woman be anyway?  He hung out in the saloon and learned the tricks of the trade there.                                                                                                              

He was a misfit in school so when he turned 16 years old, he just quit going.  Big waste of time.  He mowed yards and shoveled snow.  He painted and fixed roofs and mended fences and became quite the handyman.  Very dependable.  Did great work and charged a reasonable fee.  Strange bird, but honest as the day was long.  Then Dad built the house halfway up the mountain not far from Denver.  Built it for a vacation home.  Just some where to get away from the rat race that was his life.  But it was more to Freddie.  To him it was an oasis away from the pitying eyes of the people in Denver.  The ones who had never forgotten about how Marybeth had just walked away and not looked back.  Poor Freddie, raised by his Dad.  No woman in his life.

So they lived; the Father in Denver and the son on the mountain until one day the Father stepped in front of a train.  Some said it was an accident and some said it was on purpose.  So young, only 47 years old.  He had left a will and a very large Life Insurance.  The executor took over and a trust fund was established for Freddie.  The home on Larimer street was sold to a developer.  And then Freddie was dealt the crowning blow.  The house was demolished and the reason Marybeth had for leaving was revealed.  Her bones behind the wall in the root cellar spoke volumes and her son now saw it clearly.   His Father had not let her go quietly.  He had not let her go at all.  For all the years Freddie had missed his Mother, she was right out there in the yard.  And his benevolent Father had put her there.  Yes, the mountain was where he must remain.  The mountain and his solitary life.  Oh, and his cans of money.  Those were his monuments. When he buried one, he never dug it up.  He knew it was there.  He knew who had given it to him and why.  That was all he needed.  He had been doing this for 20 years and he had no idea how much was there.  It did not matter.  What did matter was that when he buried something of value, he remembered.  Not like his father.  No, not at all like his father.

Freddie looked at his reflection in the window.  He was not a bad looking man at all.  Just over six feet tall and a body hardened by hard work and primal living.  A diet of natural foods grown in his own yard kept him healthy.  Lots of water to drink.  A tender yearling deer on occasion, or a rabbit, or a dove furnished him with needed protein.  His dark brown hair was shoulder length and his beard was full. His dark Brown eyes were alert, but they covered the confusion in his mind. 

No woman was not exactly the truth.  There had been that one in Kansas when he was working construction.  That was back when he thought he was normal, before they found the bones.  He liked to travel the country and just taste life.  He had tasted that woman very deeply.  He had wanted to stay, but he couldn’t.  Women were evil.  They would tie you down and you would have to work in a factory and be tired all the time.  Then they would just leave.   She had been warm and willing and he had thought about telling her about his mom and asking if she was that way, but he knew better.  She would just lie.  He wished he could remember her name.  He could remember her body and how she moved beneath him, but he could not remember her face.  When the last day of work came he was relieved.  He had grabbed his gear and headed back to Denver, secure in the knowledge that she could never find him.  He was right.

Then he smiled as he remembered her name.  It was Darling.  Yes, that was it, Darling.

Installment #10

Kevin/Meg
Kevin stopped on the trail and fished the cell phone out of his pocket.  Mom. 
“Hey mom!  What’s up?  You never call this early.”
“Just wanted to tell you that I miss our little morning runs.  I knew you would be out this morning.  I guess I am just a little lonely for you.”
“Well, yeah, but if you moved out here you would not need to miss me, would you?”  He hesitated briefly, then forged ahead.  “Mom, I have met someone.  I want you to meet him.  If we can work it out we will fly out the end of the month.  He owns a pub here and will need to get someone to take care of it while he is gone.  And he has a cat.  And his own house.”  Kevin suddenly stopped as he realized he was rambling. “Mom?  You there?”
“Yes, dear.  Just give me a minute.  This is not what I expected this morning.”  She took a deep breathe.  “ I am so happy you have someone.  I just need a moment to gather my thoughts.”  Thoughts she must never let him know she had.  She waved the phone in the air as she crumpled a leaf.  “Kevin, my phone is acting up.  Let me call you this evening.”  As they rang off, Meg sank into the chair at the kitchen table and broke into sobs.
She had known for years that Kevin was gay.  But he had no steady friend, so there was hope.  Now it all came into a reality that she was not prepared for.  There were so many ramifications in the words “I have met someone.”  I have met a man and you will never be a grandmother.  I have met someone and I will never be your little boy again.  I will turn to him and turn away from you.  You will never hold a grandchild.  Never.  Never, ever.  She watched the truck bringing another load of the steel bars and it suddenly dawned on her that while she was building a wall to keep the world out, she was also building a wall to keep herself in.  Kevin had a right to be happy and if this man made
him happy wasn’t that more important than her selfish wants?  And how selfish that she
had not even asked his name.  She dried her eyes and watched the workman carrying the bars toward the house.  She would not share this with Kevin.
Kevin was just getting back to stride when the phone rang again.  Mom.  What now?  “Hi Mom.  Did you forget something?” 
“No, dear.  I just want you to know that I am happy you have some one and I would love to meet him.  But does he have a name and what does he do and all the things I should have asked before? “  Kevin suddenly laughed out loud.
“Oh, Mom!  I am so glad you lost your connection a bit ago, cause it sure sounds like you have a solid one now!  This is the mom I know.  I will email you all about him when I get off tonight.  Have a good day and I love you.”
“And I love you, Kevin.”  They both smiled as they broke the connection.  Meg turned back to the window and Kevin turned back to the trail.

Installment # 9

Him

He sat in the tree with his back against the broad trunk.  From this vantage point he had an unobstructed view of the small farm below.  Of course the telescope was one of the high dollar ones that could pinpoint and bring in a gnat if he needed it to.  He had not bought it for this particular reason, but rather to study the heavens, but he liked to use resources he had on hand.  If there was ever a question as to why he had such a high powered instrument he would just show them the notes in his “The moon as I see it.” notebook complete with dates and drawings.

What a beehive of activity it was this morning around the house.  It was very clear that Meg was having the house secured for some reason or another.  He thought back to his last visit and tried to recall if he had left anything behind.  Nothing.  He had seen the screen hanging loose last week and wondered about that.  It seemed that the screen had been loose for several days.  It seemed to go unnoticed until the idiot handyman had called her attention to it last week.  He would have been content to set here in his little nest up in the tree and watch her farm down below 24/7, but he did have to put in an appearance at the office occasionally.  Jennifer was an excellent secretary and office manager, but way too nosey for her own good.

He watched as the welders began installing the decorative iron over the windows.  He sure hoped it was to improve the look of the place and not to keep him out.  That was a waste of time. Nothing would keep him out of her world.  He had watched her and Tom for years and he had loved her then as much as he loved her now.  How convenient for him that Tom had loved hiking in the back country.  How convenient that the avalanche had swept down the mountain on that particular day burying Tom under many feet of snow.  Convenient?  He laughed to himself.  Memories are precious things and the best part of the memories is that they are all in the mind of the one remembering.  He alone knew how the avalanche started.  How patient he had been that morning shadowing Tom along on his back country trek that day.  He was way up the mountain and Tom down low.  And then he saw what he had been looking for.  The snow was piled and seemed to be trembling and just waiting for the signal.  He gave a shiver of delight as he pulled the starting pistol from his jacket and at just the right moment, pulled the trigger releasing the loud bang.  Tom’s head jerked upward at the sound, but all he saw was the wall of snow thundering down the slope directly headed for him.  He did not have time to even move.  He disappeared under a wall of white.  He was gone. 
The man gave a sigh of relief.

Poor Meg.  All alone with that little queer son in Boston.  She would need a man to take
occupy his time.  The job took very little time and was quite lucrative.  It all depended on the stock market.  Jennifer handled the paper work and all he had to do was invest money and make money for other people.  The more he made for other people the more he made for himself.  It paid well enough that he had been able to buy this little cabin in the mountains on 40 acres.  Solitude.  It was just a short commute into Denver and far enough away from civilization that he was not bothered by anyone.  And that is how he had found Meg and Tommy.  He had met them on a walk in the woods.  They had nodded to each other.  But Meg had looked directly into his eyes and smiled.  Not many women did that.  Well, actually, none.  The scars he had brought home from Viet Nam usually stopped people from coming any closer.  He did not need anyone close.  Even his own mother had shuddered when she saw him.  Her mistake.

Installment 8

Home

Meg grimaced as she settled at the computer.  63 emails.  She ran the cursor down the list.  Nothing from redranger.  She started with the junk, then the forwards.  Next she looked for the paypal’s that announced that she had received a payment.  There were six of them and she quickly printed them.  Then she clicked on the eBay “your item sold’s “ that corresponded with the payments.  Those out of the way she clicked on the other eBay correspondence.  Six were questions which she quickly answered. Two from peepster25 who told her first how much she liked her new necklace and then the next one wished her a good vacation.  8 items were ended and needed  to be relisted .  At last she stared at a blank screen.  She gathered the items that had sold and loaded the shipping labels in the top bed of the printer.  Before she could call up the shipping list the mail box clicked.  Redranger.  She opened the email and began to smile.  “Meg?”

“Eldon?”  And the conversation was on.  She told him how great the short vacation had been and how good Kevin looked and how they had ran and gone to the Golden Gate Bridge.  It felt good to visit with Eldon.  It was such a comfortable feeling.  No pressure.  And she could set at her computer in her ragged tee shirt and her gym shorts and he would never know.  Long distance, Internet romance, what ever you called it, was exactly what she needed this morning.
 
He was the first to break off since he had to go to work.  It was after 7:00 AM where he was which was an hour ahead of her time here in the Mountain Standard Time.  So he was sort of on Central Time.  She made a note to call Fred about the light in the chicken house.  Fred was the retired Marine who helped out with odd jobs around this area.  He lived a little ways up the mountain in a small cabin  and worked cheap.    Fred was a sad specimen as were many of the characters who lived on the mountain.  Not bad people, just sort of misfits.

“I will be in early tonight and we can catch up.  OK?  :)”  Eldon always signed off with the little smiley face and Meg always smiled when she saw it.  She tapped back an “OK” and headed for the kitchen.  She needed to make cookies for the luncheon on Tuesday for the AIDS clients.  Once a month she sponsored a social luncheon in the conference room at the ACS office in town.  AIDS Client Services had been active since 1987 when the epidemic was reaching new heights and help was not to be found.  Currently the office served 145 people, but only about 20 of them were active in social events.  The climate of the disease had changed a lot over the years and now it was more a chronic disease as opposed to  a death sentence as it had been back then.  It was much easier in this day and age to get on Disability Income.  Meg was glad that Kevin was working.  She could not picture him setting and waiting for the next shoe to drop.  He had put himself through college and he would put himself through life.

Meg gave Fred a quick call and made arrangements for him to come by later in the morning to check out the light in the chicken house.  That being taken care of she headed for the shower.  She loved a nice hot shower especially on a cool morning like today.  Most mornings were cool here in the foothills as were the evenings.  That was one of the great things about Colorado.  Kansas had been hot and humid.  True she had never needed chapstick in Kansas, but then she rarely used it now.   Just some times.  The humidity was very low in this area so the heat and the cold did not affect her like they had in Selda.  She suddenly thought of her sister and instead of the shower she picked up the phone.

“Eleanor!  How are you?  I have not talked to you since forever.”  Her younger sister laughed softly.

“Course not.  You just stay holed up out there and don’t talk to anyone.  When are you coming for a visit?  You know Betsy is getting married again, don’t you?”

“Well, how could I?  Nobody ever calls.  You know you could come out here and see me.  I always go to see you.”  And she suddenly remembered why she never called.  She was the outsider.  Mom had always been close to the 3 sisters.  When Dad had left and moved to New Jersey with his secretary, Eleanor, Betsy and Merilyn had turned their backs on him and taken care of Mom.  Meg had been in Montana than and saw no reason to return.  Mom was in good hands and apparently so was Dad.  Now Dad was dead and Mom was still not going to let it go.  Nor were the girls.

“OK, Ellie, lets try to get together for Christmas.  I would love to have you all out here.  Want to?”  Eleanor promised to talk to the sisters and Mom and let her know.  So Meg rang off and started the shower with warm water.  She stepped under the spray and turned the cold down a little.  As she relaxed under the hot water she reached for the soap.  Her hand stopped in mid air as she looked at the strange bar of soap in the tray.  Irish Spring?  She did not use Irish Spring.  She bought all her soap from a girl on eBay who made it in her kitchen.  It was all coordinated.  Tahitian Vanilla Soap, Tahitian Vanilla Body Butter and Tahitian Vanilla Lotion.  She had not bought any thing else in the last 3 years.  She suddenly felt very vulnerable and small in her nakedness.  She stepped quickly from the shower and wrapped in her lavender towel.  The towel smelled of Irish Spring and she discarded it in a heap of the floor.
 
What was going on here?  Who had been in her home?  Was she alone now?  The door bell chimed and she jumped.  Grabbing her robe she ran down the hall, pulling it on and belting it as she moved. She wrenched the door open and encountered Fred on the porch with his hat in his hands.  She must have been a sight because he stepped back and almost fell off the porch.  Suddenly she felt very foolish.

“Oh , Fred!  I am sorry!  I forgot you were coming.  Please excuse me.  I must look a mess.  Come in.”  She stepped back while opening the door wider.

“Oh, no, Miss.  I will just go check out the chicken house if that is alright with you.  If you got a problem I will get right on it.”  He hurried down the steps with a confused look on his face.  Meg sagged against the door jamb.  What a damn fool she must look like.  She left the door ajar in case Fred got back before her and hurried down the hall to dress.  She quickly grabbed a pair of jeans and a flannel shirt, panties and white cotton socks.  In less than 10 minutes she was back at the door fully dressed and watching Fred ambling across the yard towards the house.

She met him at the door with 2 cups of coffee.  She handed his to him and motioned to the glider.  “Well, Fred.  What did you find?"

“Not a thing, Miss.  Light seems to be fine and I checked all the wires.  Must have just been a trick of your imagination or a gremlin.”  He sipped his coffee and looked toward the chicken house.  “I did notice though that when I walked by the side of the house on the way out there that you got a loose screen right there on your garage.”  He gestured and Meg’s eyes followed his finger.  Loose screen?  The whole bottom half of the screen hung loose.  How had that happened?  As she realized how it had happened  her stomach went ice cold with dread.  Some one had been in her home while she was in California!  Nothing was missing, she was sure.  She would check, but she knew suddenly that if the intruder had meant to do harm to anything he would not have taken a shower and dried on her towel.

In a very controlled voice she turned to Fred.  “Yes, Freddie, I want you to fix that, but let’s do this.  Go into town and get the screen and  while you are at it, I want to burglar proof this place.  See Mr. Watts at the Iron and Metal place and have something nice and sturdy installed.  You work with him and I would like to have it done sooner rather than later.”

Fred smiled.  This would be a job worth doing.  Put a little money in his pocket.  He liked money.  If he didn’t like it, why did he have it buried all over his property?  He pulled his tape measure off his belt and took a notebook and pencil out of his shirt pocket.  “Yes, mam!  I will get right on that!”  He whistled as he walked to the first window.

Installment 7

Him

He watched her pull into the garage.  He watched as the lights came on in the house and imagined the dogs running to meet her.  The idiot that was tending the place had locked them in their crates.  He knew that was not right.  When the overgrown boy had left he had gone into the house and let them out.  They had not even barked at him.  Was it because they liked him?  Or because he had let them out of their crates?  Or because he had given them a treat from the little jar on the shelf?  He had parked his jeep behind the chicken house.  Then realizing that the light in the chicken house shone on his fender he had turned it off.  The switch was located sensibly right inside the door with easy access.

Then he settled back in the seat to wait for her to come home.  Just to be sure she was safe.  He could have stayed at the airport and followed her, but this way was better.  This way she was coming home to him.

He watched her in the moonlight on the veranda.  He wondered what she was thinking.  Panic seized him as he realized she would know the light was not on in the chicken house.  What if she came to see what the problem was?  What if she found him there?  He was not ready for that.  When she turned to go into the house he thought it best to leave. He quickly turned the light back on and drove out of the drive in the dark.  As he reached the road he saw her returning to the veranda.
 
That was a very close call.  He must be careful from now on and not take any more chances.  He pulled the light switch on and the light flooded the road ahead of him.  He gave the Jeep more gas and began to hum a tune under his breathe.  A Garth Brooks tune.  The one about the lonely woman and the summer and the hot kid that got lucky with the older chick.  Then he laughed out loud.

Installment #6

Meg

Meg hurried across the lobby at Stapleton.  Getting her luggage out of this place was always such a hassle.  How could any place so modern and beautiful be so inept at the simple things in life?  As she watched for her plaid bag with the teal ribbons her mind drifted back to California.  Kevin was keeping something from her.  She could feel it.  He had avoided the Gay bars when they went out.  Did he do that for her or for him?  Since learning he was Gay and HIV she had educated herself on the life style and the disease.  It was quite a leap for her Bible Belt mentality to make, but she had done it.  Now she was even comfortable with the fact that he was different.  The HIV was a different matter, but his health was good and that was a relief.  He tried harder than most of the kids she dealt with at the HIV/AIDS center.  She stomped her foot as she watched her bag disappear around the carousel and chastised herself for being so preoccupied.  This time she was ready when it sailed into view and very soon she was on her way out the door with the little bag bobbing merrily behind her on it’s tiny wheels.

The drive home had been uneventful and 2 hours later when she pulled into her drive and hit the garage door opener she was relieved to see the lights on in the house.  She was sure Brice had left them on so she would not have to return to a dark house.  It was almost midnight so she decided not to go check on the chickens.  They were fine and she was tired.  Daisy and Elvira ran to meet her when she stepped into the kitchen. Icarus, the haughty cat watched the dogs with disdain.   Her time would come later, after the dogs were crated and asleep.

Meg glanced at the computer, but decided against that also.  She was tired and hungry and just wanted the solace of her own bed.  She got a glass of milk and 3 cookies and headed up the stairs and down the hall to her bedroom.  Daisy stopped suddenly and looked up at Meg.  Meg froze in place.  What was it?  Nothing.  Nothing at all was different.  No sound.  Nothing out of place.  So what was it?  She willed herself to  relax.  She knew animals could sense fear and there was nothing to be afraid of here in her home, in the  hall way on the way to her bed.  She reached down and scratched Daisy behind her ears.  Then Elvira wanted to be petted and soon they all relaxed and the fear that she had felt disappeared.  She gave the dogs a treat from the jar inside the linen closet, opened their crates and then closed the doors behind them.  She never latched them, just closed them.  Their crates were their security.

As Meg got her night gown off the hook on the bathroom door she thought how nice it had been in California.  She knew she would need to think about a move before too much longer.  The farm was great and it was her home, but it did not make sense at all to live out here in the boon docks with the nearest neighbor almost a mile away.  She did not need this big 4 bedroom home and all the expense of the upkeep on it.  The acre of land was not enough to make a living with, but too much to landscape and keep up with the weeds.  And what were her goals?  What did she want to do with the rest of her life?  She undressed quickly and tossed her clothes in the hamper.  She pulled her  nightgown over her head and then walked to the French doors in her bedroom and  pulled them open and stepped out onto the veranda.  The moon was full and the view was clear.  She studied the chicken house for a moment and wondered at how boring a chickens life must be.  What would they think if she just went out and let them loose.  Would they leave?  Probably not.  More likely a fox would make a meal of some of them.  Best not to do that.

But something was not right.  She thought about the scene before her and could not quite put her finger on what it was.  She finally remembered her cookies and milk on the shelf in the hall where the dogs were sleeping and stepped quickly inside and into the hall to retrieve the snack.  Then back to the veranda to survey her kingdom.  As she drained the last swallow of milk from the glass she realized that what was not right before was now corrected.  The light had not been on in the chicken house before.  It was always on at night, but it had not been on and now it was.  How could that be?  There was no one here to turn it on, but it should have been on.  Oh, silly, it probably had some sort of short or something.  She would check it out tomorrow.  If the lights were playing games, the chickens would not lay.  And that was their job.  Everything had to stay on an even keel.

As she turned and walked back into the house she just missed the flash of moonlight on metal as the black  Jeep Cherokee turned onto the road and headed for town.

Installment #5

　

Kevin

Kevin breathed a sigh of relief as he watched the big American Airlines plane lift off headed West and then bank to the left and disappear in the Eastern sky. It had been great having mom here for the four days. It was especially nice to have her to run with early in the morning. And the fact that a piece of fruit, or a bowl of soup, or crackers and cheese could constitute a meal was even better. She understood his current passion for being a vegetarian and she could take meat or leave it. He had tried to show her a good time in hopes that she might sell the farm and move to California. They could afford a house if it were the two of them. And it did not have to be California. They could go back to Boston or back to Dallas or maybe up to Seattle. There was really nothing holding her in Colorado except memories. No family. Just the farm. Her sisters were in Kansas and he was just not comfortable with her being alone on the farm.

It was a lot of work and while there was room for a hired man and the chickens brought in enough to afford help, she still refused. It was good that she was occupied with her little store on eBay. He checked in from time to time and her merchandise seemed to move well. Her descriptions were written like she was talking to an old friend. Meg Paker was definitely a force to be reckoned with in the technology department.

Kevin pulled his little Subaru into a parking place in front of Your Little Pub. Guess it was alright to have a brew since it was almost noon. And he wanted to see Greg. He had not talked to him while mom was here. Not quite sure he was ready for mom to meet a male friend. It could be awkward.

When Greg caught sight of Kevin walking across the floor and up to the bar, he smiled and changed directions. He had been taking a tub of dishes to the kitchen but that could wait. He smiled shyly at Kevin. He had never met a man before that could turn his knees to jelly and his insides to butterflies, but this man did. Kevin was so sure. So aloof, but when he turned his brown eyes on him, Greg was done. He felt like the man looked into the very depths of his soul. Eyes of brown did that to him.

“Hey, Greg, how goes it?”

“Great Kevin. And how did your mom’s visit go? I guess she is gone now.”

“Yeah, just put her on the plane. It was all good. I should have had you over, but ..”

“I know. You don’t need to say any more. You have not met my mom either!” They both laughed uneasily. They had discussed the mother thing before and were both sure they needed more time to adjust and accept themselves as a couple before holding each other out to the family. Greg was more sure then Kevin, but then he had been out in San Francisco while Kevin had never held hands in public with a man. It would take some getting used to that was for sure.

“Hey, Kevin, I picked up that old Loretta Lynn movie with Sissie Spacek, you know Coal Miners Daughter. Don’t know how good of shape it is in. Got it at the junk store. Want to come by tonight and watch it? “ Kevin hesitated and sat his brew back on the bar.

“Can I bring the eats? You do know I don’t do the carnivore thing, don’t you?”

“Hey man, I was there way before you! That is no problem at all with me.”

“I’ll pick up a bottle of wine.” He turned back to his brew and thought to himself, “This just gets better all the time!” No one else would ever understand his deep love for country music. It just did not fit in with his lifestyle, but here was Greg understanding him so well. Not only understanding, but accepting him just as he was. Life indeed was good. Maybe Greg would get to meet his mom yet!

Installment #4...Him

He stepped quickly from the Jeep Cherokee and hurried across the parking lot and into the airport. He better not miss this flight or he would be setting right in her lap and that would never do. It was so much easier before 9-11. Then it was just catch a flight. Now there was all the security and everything to go through. Damned inconvenience was about all it was to him. He emptied his pockets into the tray and stepped into the machine that would show anything he had missed. Lot better then being groped, but there was a lot to be said for that also. He smiled to himself and the security guard smiled back at him. Damn fool. Like a man of his standing would ever give some one like her a second look. He belonged to Meg, heart and soul and very soon she would know it. As the big jet lifted off and the earth fell behind and below him, he closed his eyes and envisioned the perfect world that would soon be his. And for the briefest of moments he thought he felt her breathe on his cheek.

Installment #3 EBay

Meg moved the mouse over the eBay logo and double clicked.  While the computer called the program to the forefront and automatically did the things necessary to get her screen open she set a cup of water in the microwave and punched “Beverage”.  Technology.  Where would she be without it?  After Tom had died and the memorial service was behind her, life became very mundane and tedious.  She had friends, but she was the widow woman now.  The third wheel that just did not fit in.  Her friends tried to include her in the social life, but she was always the “extra” at the table.  They tried inviting a single man, but that was not the answer.  There did not seem to be an answer so she had drawn further inward and found herself taking quilting classes, or art classes and had even learned to weave.  Then she discovered eBay. 

EBay offered hours of entertaining buying.  Then she tried her hand at selling.  By opening a store for only $14.95 a month she could keep track and list and paypal collected her money and sent it to her bank when she wanted it.  She started out just listing a few things on the auction.  First was a quilt she had snagged at the local Goodwill for $15.00.  She had it appraised and found it to be worth $437.00.  She put it up for auction with a $49.00 opening bid.  The next morning she had her bid and 6 watchers.  Soon it was up to $179.00.  This was getting to be kind of exciting.  By the time the week was up she had 26 watchers and a high bid of $189.50.  It sold in the middle of the night for $198.50.  Meg’s Market was a success!  She began to list things at a Buy It Now price in her store with a Good Till Cancelled  time limit.  She enjoyed writing the descriptions and researching what they were worth.  She read everything eBay had to offer on how to have a successful store and put it all into practice.  Her minister turned over  a Lion and Lamb collection and this opened more doors.  She began to haunt the second hand stores,  the estate sales and garage sales.  Her friends put items on consignment and soon she was a power seller with 100% feed back.  EBay was becoming a lucrative venture.

She began visiting the chat rooms that eBay maintained for members.  Just now and then at first and only one or two.  But then she made friends.  This was now a social network.  Meg had been making jewelry and now she started listing that.  More sales.  It seemed in the golden world of the Internet she was quite the success.  Customers messaged her through eBay and asked her questions and visited and wished her well and bought her products.  One guy in particular caught her fancy in the chat room and she began looking forward to visiting him in the evening.  Redranger.  Just a little harmless flirting.  What could it hurt?  But then she checked her messages and found one from redr726584433.  That was how eBay disguised him to protect his identity.

“Meg, I would like to contact you outside the chat room.  I think we have a lot in common and I would love to know you better.  I need your email.”

She remembered how she had blushed as she hit the reply button and typed the email address.   The  marketlady@hotmail.com  .   That had been almost a year ago.  The emails came every day.  Sometimes many, many times a day.  They visited at all hours and laughed and Meg began to feel alive again.  His name was Eldon.  No last name, just Eldon.  He lived up North.  Way up North.  She had no intention of ever meeting him, so addresses and all that were pretty much a moot point.  He worked as an engineer in New York and did a lot of philanthropic work.  He spent 2 days a week in the local soup kitchen.  That was all she needed to know.  They were friends and Meg needed a friend she could talk to.  It was nice to discuss Kevin with someone.  He understood about Tommy and shared her loss as he was a widower.  She could vent to Eldon and he would tell her she was special.  She needed the strokes sometimes just to get through the day or the night.  And what better way than with a faceless stranger 2000 miles away.  She joked that this was the best kind of relationship because she could leave him in a box at night and not bother with him for days if she chose.  He was always kind because he had no reason not to be.  And of course money was never a problem.  The perfect man. 

As Summer turned to Fall and then to Winter Meg began to notice a pattern with Eldon.  It seemed that about every 4 weeks he would disappear for 6 or 7 days.  Nothing.  No forwards.  No “Meg?”  No nothing.  Dead silence on the mail page.  Then as suddenly as he disappeared he would pop back in her life.  No explanation.  Just the email with “Meg?”  and they resumed where they had left off. 
In June she decided to fly out to San Francisco and spend a few days with Kevin.  Getting away was not easy with the chickens needing daily care and the two dogs and the insane cat, but it could be worked out.  She called a friend of Kevin’s who still lived in town.  Sure, he would be happy to come out a couple times a day and gather the eggs and put them in the walkin cooler and play with the dogs and ignore the cat.  Daisy and Elvira were very easy dogs.  Couch potatoes to the max.  The cat, Icarus was another matter, but then anyone who has ever owned a cat knows that cats are not owned.
Meg sent the note to Eldon.  “Hey sweetie, I am going to San Francisco to spend a few days with Kevin.  I will holler when I get back.”  There was an immediate reply.

“Meg!  Do you think it is wise to be flying with all the terrorist stuff going on?  Can’t he come and see you?  Who will take care of the farm?  What about your eBay store?” 

This was very uncharacteristic of Eldon.  Actually a bit disturbing.  She replied, “I have not seen Kevin in almost a year and have never been to California.  I have a friend of his coming to watch the farm.  I will put the store on vacation.  I just don’t see the problem.”

“Meg, I just worry about you going off like that by yourself.  When are you leaving?  I want flight numbers and times.  I will pray for you.”

“Oh, Eldon, you are so sweet.  I will be fine and I am attaching my itinerary, so quit worrying.”  She hit the attach button, chose browse and clicked on the itinerary file, and then hit send.  There.  But it did feel good to know he would be worried about her.  Must care a little bit.  Who knows, maybe someday.

She heard no more from Eldon that day or the next.  The morning of her trip arrived and she emailed him a happy little note and heard nothing in return.  So she drove to Denver, parked in the long term parking and caught the jet to San Francisco.  This would be a glorious 4 days with Kevin.  Nothing could spoil it for her, and when she came out of the tunnel and say Kevin she ran to him.  Her son!  He was brown and healthy and seemed happy.  That was all she could hope for at this time.

The next few days were spent sight seeing and eating in Kevin’s favorite places.  She visited his job site and met his staff.  They all seemed pleasant enough.  He had taken a few days off, so they were bumming.  Meg had brought her jogging shoes and they ran on the trail behind his apartment each morning.  The last day they went to the Golden Gate Bridge.  The bridge glowed golden and the bay was calm and serene as they stood looking down from  the bluff.  “ I see why you love this place, son.   California is definitely different than Colorado or Montana.”

Meg suddenly shuddered.  Kevin looked startled.  “What was that all about?  Are you cold mom? “
She laughed. “No, it was just a rabbit ran across my grave, I guess.  That is what Momma always used to say.  I don’t know.”  Meg turned slowly and caught sight of a tall man getting into a silver SUV.  She had thought they were alone on the bluff, but apparently they were not.  As she and Kevin started down the incline to the parking lot she watched the silver Jeep Cherokee slowly leave the lot and turn onto the highway.   She wondered at the uneasy feeling in her chest, but dismissed it as a mother not wanting to leave her only son.  That was all.

Kevin

Kevin:

Kevin Jakson traced a raindrop down the inside of the window pane with a well manicured fingernail. It had been a rough day at work and he was homesick. He had left Massachusetts 5 months earlier to follow a dream to San Francisco and now he wondered if he had thought the whole thing completely through. Boston had been home for 2 years and he had a lot of friends there. San Francisco was proving to be harder than it should be. Of course before Boston, it had been Dallas and before that Denver, followed by Kansas City. It was not that he was a drifter, it was just that his jobs became boring after a time and a change of scenery was in order. But San Francisco should have been better. They had the largest gay population and programs and doctors to help him manage his HIV/AIDS, so why was he unhappy now.

Work was great and the staff he worked with in Alameda County were a bunch of caring people. The program was one he had wanted to oversee and was a challenge which helped bolster up his resume in case he ever decided to move to another hospital.

Then there was that little problem of home ownership. In Boston he had rented but he still had $150,000 in his escrow account from the sale of his home in Dallas. But this was California and that kind of money would not even make a good down payment on a home of any kind. So he contented him self with an apartment on the second floor of a complex 45 minutes from the hospital where he worked. The view was of the next row of apartments, but there was the little courtyard so it was not that bad. Usually any extra time would be spent on the trail running. Kevin liked to do at least 3 miles every day and the weekends were good for 7-10, but not in the rain. Rain was good for keeping him inside and being inside was depressing. It made him think too much. Like now.
His mind drifted back to Montana and a very lonely childhood. Mom tried, but mom did not understand the teenage boy struggling with his sexuality. Then along came Tommy. Tom was great, but by then he knew and there was no reason to talk it over with anyone. He was a freak who liked boys. Talk was cheap. Just how to keep mom from finding out now.
He remembered the move to Colorado. He tried to fit in at the high school, but found no acceptance until he joined the Drama Club. They were his kind of friends Eric and he really hit it off. He remembered the night of the Senior prom. He and Eric both had dates and after the dance they took them home. Then he and Eric had gone to the Nature Center to walk along the river. That was his first experience with a person, male or female and it was not an easy memory to recall.  They wereboth new at this, but they knew what they wanted.

So long ago and far away. Now there were only fond memories of Eric and there would never be any more made. Eric had died in 1997 while Kevin was away at College. No one had told him. No one had told him how he suffered with the Pneumonia that is common in AIDS cases. He learned from his mom on Christmas break that Eric had died of cancer or some such thing. “ Did you know him well, honey?”

“No, mom, not real well.” Only as well as I knew myself and loved him with every fiber of my being, because he was just like me. But those were thoughts best kept to himself. Or they were until he had gone in for regular testing a year later and learned that love was not the only thing he shared with Eric.

He left the trail of the rain drop down the window and reached up to trace the tracks of his own tears. Today was not a good day. Would there ever be another good day in his life?

Oh, Eric!

My first installment-Meg

*Meg

Meg Jakson stood very still in the gathering dusk as she watched the sun slowly slip below the Western rim of the Rockie Mountains. This little farm in the foothills had been very good to her. True it was lonely, but not really. Since Tommy had been killed in the avalanche 3 years ago, she had made new friends and kept the old ones. The acre here in "next to paradise" gave her security and enough to support her volunteer causes. What had begun as a hobby of a few chickens for eggs had grown into a chicken farm that put money in her pocket. Lot of dirty work, but she liked work.

Hard work and perseverance by both her and Tommy had actually been a blessing in disguise. Tommy had been an over the road trucker all of his life. When they had met in a truck stop in Montana back in 1990 it was the end of the road for both of them. Kevin was just 14 and almost past the need for a daddy, but he and Tommy had hit it off as buddies. Since Kevin had never known his father it seemed an ideal arrangement.

Meg sighed as she remembered the man she knew only as John Horner. She had been working in a cafe in Selda, Kansas at the time. Selda was her home and the only one she knew until John came along. She had graduated and gone to work at the Steak Shop instead of going to college as her parents had hoped. Waiting tables paid good in tips and while there were no benefits, there was a lot to be said for the social contacts and meals were free. She never tired of the banter with the customers and sometimes even accepted a date with one of the fellows. She had just celebrated her 19th birthday when John Horner walked into her life and turned it completely upside down.

Meg knew when the door opened and the tall stranger walked in that he was different from the local boys. And she was right! He was over 6 foot tall and walked with an air about him that made everyone's eyes follow him across the room and to the counter. He knew who he was and he knew what he wanted. Tonight he wanted food. As Meg handed him the menu their fingers touched briefly and their eyes met. As she stared into his brown eyes she felt a jolt to the bottom of her soul. This was fate as surely as fate had ever walked, and it had just walked into her life.

The next two days were spent in an agitated state as she waited for him to enter the Steak Shop again. And then, there he was. He gave her a fleeting smile as he settled at the counter. But tonight she had the dining room and Greta had the counter. Greta was married with kids at home and the stranger held no interest for her, but Meg could not help but admire him as he chatted with a couple at the counter and with the cook who was running the Charcoal that night. After an agonizing period of time he paid his bill and left without a backward glance. Meg was crushed. Then Greta handed her a napkin.

"Your sweetie pie left you this. Quite taken with you, I think. Asked a million questions, but you better watch him. Guys like that leave girls like us crying in the dust." Then she laughed and began wiping the counter.

Meg stared at the note in her hand. "Tomorrow-7:30. Ted's Roadhouse. Drinks and a dance."

There was no where to check yes or no. No telephone to call and say "Sorry, can't make it." Presumptuous bastard! Then she smiled softly to herself. No reason not to go. She was off the next two nights and this man gave her an itch she could not scratch. She would go, just out of idle curiosity was all. Just find out who this guy was.

And find out she did! John was a pipe fitter working on the construction at the new hospital on the east side of town. He was from Nebraska; twenty-six years old and still lived at home with mom and dad on the farm. He had a wonderful sense of humor and as he guided her to the dance floor and took her in his arms she knew that life as she knew it was over. And the last thing that went through her mind as drifted off to sleep in his bed at the Motel 6 that night was an old adage she had heard years ago…”Eyes of blue; a love that’s true. Eyes of brown will let you down.” But tonight was not a night for adages, it was a night for new beginnings.

Meg began to dread the day the hospital would be done as she knew John would leave, probably. Days were spent in work and nights were spent in his arms. They laughed, they loved and talked of future plans. It seemed they lived in an idyllic world and were not touched by the mundane. He talked little about his life in Nebraska and not at all about his plans when the job here was done. Two months and she was late on her period. She wondered briefly what John would say, but instinctively knew he would be happy. They could start their lives together. As she walked across the hotel lobby to pick up the room key a headline caught her eye. She stopped to study the front page. HOSPITAL NEARS COMPLETION.

Well, there it was. Things were nearing completion and her and John could make some decisions. She reached the desk and smiled at the clerk. Nebraska might be a welcome change from the humidity of Kansas.

“Room 609, please.” The clerk looked at her knowingly.

“Sorry, Meg, he checked out this morning. He is gone.”

“No! He is not.”

“Here. See for yourself.” The clerk smirked as he handed her the key.

Meg took the key which suddenly felt very big and very cold and started the ascent in the elevator. At room 609 she placed the key in the lock and turned it to the right. The door swung open into a big, cold, empty room. It smelled of Lysol and Tropical Flowers, but not of John Horner. There was nothing personal anywhere. No sign that John had ever been there. No warmth or laughter or anything that would show how much happiness she had known.

On feet of lead she approached the desk for the second time and handed the key to the clerk, Brian , she recalled suddenly.

“When did he check out?”

“Right after you left this morning. Hell bent on putting this town behind him, it seemed.”

“Did he leave a forwarding address?” She suddenly remembered all the things they had not discussed. “Where do you send the final bill?”

“Paid cash, Meg. His business here is done.” Brian smiled ruefully. “Sorry, I know you really had the hots for him, but maybe now somebody else will have a chance.” He winked playfully and Meg suddenly felt a sob welling up in her throat and turned and ran from the Motel 6 and into the bright sun outside.

Meg wiped a tear from her eye as she noticed it was dark now and the sun was only a bit or rose color on the far horizon. She had hoped against hope that John would come back, but he hadn’t. When she had inquired at the construction company about him, they had never heard of John Horner. Was she insane? Maybe, but the child growing inside of her was not a figment of her imagination. So she had taken her meager savings and moved to Montana to at least spare her mom and dad the humiliation of her transgressions. Kevin Lee Jakson was born in the county hospital and his bill was paid by the state of Montana. A welfare baby. But her baby.

And it was all water under the bridge because now she was a widow in Colorado and Kevin was a computer programmer and system analyst in San Francisco. And he was gay and he was HIV positive. He had his life and she had hers. She had Tommy’s ashes on the nightstand by her bed and a very long road to travel before she could ever reach the prize whatever it might be.

As Meg turned toward the house she once more heard a country western song play through her mind, “Brown Eyed Handsome Man“ She rarely thought of John Horner and the eyes of brown that let her down and she would not think of him tonight. Tonight she would remember her Tommy. Tommy, 5’9” and eyes of sky blue. Tommy with his laughter, and honesty and kindness and love that had brought her from the footloose girl in Montana to the settled, secure, kind, caring, compassionate, giving woman in Colorado; the woman who faced the West and had no desire to cross the mountain.

Preliminary screening.

I took my first two istallments to the craft fair and let 2 people read it.  The church secretary got through the first paragraph and decided she was way to tired to try reading.  Diane read it and thought it was great and is ready for the third installment.  I did have a friend who read it earlier tell me that my writing is "honest and earthy".  I was flattered beyond beleif by that statement because it came from a very wise man.
So, kids, be sure and check in here tomorrow.  I am thinking that I will get started on this and then pick up the pace, but who knows.  My brain may go completely blank and then where will we be?  Worst case scenario is this fizzles and fails.  Would not be my first rodeo so to speak.
See you tomorrow!

Well, I think I am about ready here.

I now have the first two installments ready and here is the plan.  I will publish one installment every 3 days.  This is going to be an adventure for all of us.  Now we all know that this site is pure fiction, but like life imitating art or vice versa, so there is some truth in fiction.  I will not tell you which parts are truth and which are pure imagination, but do know that both are going to come into play here at Chapter One.
I named this site Chapter One because I think it will be  a whole new beginning in my literary endeavors.  You know my Words of Wisdom are the truth as I see it.  By being truth I am limited by the boundaries of that truth.  But here in Chapter One I will be limited only by my imagination.  Now I never was one to remember the lies I told so when I write this little tale and you see that Meg was 55 years old on page one and 30 pages later she is 40 with a 35 year old son, just take that with a grain of salt.  I wrote all this stuff down before I started writing, but in typical Lou Mercer fashion I filed it away and hopefully I will remember where some day. 
In my world time is irrelevant.  Places are irrelevant.  The only things that really matter are emotions and eating.  Stuff like that and not necessarily in that order.  I have read a lot of Jackie Collins, so there may be some romance.  I worship Jean Auel and her Clan of the Cave Bear series so there may be a lot of herbs and homeopathic cures, or not.  And I fell on my knees at the feet of Steven King so the ending may surprise you.  But I do not want to give away my trade secrets here at 4:38 in the morning so I am just going to tell you to add me to your favorite blogs so you will be notified and look for my first rendering here in three days, which will be Monday, November 7.
And hang on; it is going to be a bumpy ride!