Installment #43 Marshall

Installment #43

Marshall

Marshall realized when he pulled into his yard that he did not have a key to his house on his key ring since his keys were God only knew where and would need to enter through the tunnel entrance. Parking near the front door he left the door of the Jeep open. He was not going to be here very long. He was just going to grab Meg and slip back down the mountain before the Johnny laws decided to spread out; start searching the area. And he sure did not want to be standing there with his arms full of Meg Parker when they popped into the yard.

“Oh, gee, look what I found sleeping in my bed!” He quickly reached the edge of the clearing and without a look around, he slid the door over, stepped inside and slid it back into place. No sense tempting fate. He flipped the switch that illuminated the tunnel and was amazed to see Meg standing in the middle of the tunnel being held erect by Fred, the idiot handyman.
“What in the hell are you doing in my tunnel This is my property! Where are you taking that woman?”

Fred stared at the livid man.
“What are you doing with this woman? You are holding her against her will! I ain’t stupid. I dug her out of your root cellar. I am taking her to her home. You have no right doing this. This is just wrong.” A tear slid down Fred’s face and Marshall laughed.

“You damn simpleton! You have meddled where you have no business. How do you think you are going to stop me from what I want? Look at her! She is sound asleep. Are you going to drop her and then what? You under fed little faggot, you are not going to get out of this tunnel. At least not alive. Now I will wait while you put her down very gently over there against the wall and then I am going to very quietly break your f-ing neck. Or I will just break your neck and catch her when she falls. Your choice, simple simon.”

Fred knew there was no way out of this one. He knew that he did not stand a chance in hell against this giant before him. He would do what he could to protect Meg with his last breathe, but he had to put her out of harms way.
“Let me put her down.  I don’t want her to get hurt. I will put her right over there and then we will settle this man to man. At least I will try.  Momma always said I should do my very best.”
Marshall flushed beet red.  “Your momma? What in the hell is wrong with you? Your momma should have told you about the big bad boogie man that lives in the tunnel, you little wooze. Now put her down!”

Fred eased Meg against the wall and let her slide gently to the ground.  He bent and kissed her on top of the head and straigtened just in time to see a look of horror on Marshall Purcell’s face. He saw his glass eye pop out and fall to the floor. He saw Marshall turn and move toward the open door. What Marshall had seen was Kevin who had just thrown a huge rock and hit him in the back of the head. What Marshall did not see was the razor sharp Machete raised in the air and propelled though the air with a force that even Freddie Himes, Jr did not know he had in his body. When the downward thrust was finished the jugular vein that had fed the evil mind of Marshall Purcell was completely severed.

Kevin and Fred locked eyes above the now inert body that lay on the floor of the tunnel. Kevin rushed to Meg. He gathered her in his arms and together the three of them skirted past the dead man and hurried to the door.  When they were outside Fred closed the door and twisted the lock. He was shaking and sweating. He looked at Kevin and began to cry.

 “Oh, man I was so scared! I knew I had to get her out of there when I found her. I knew he was a bad man and then when he caught me, I figured we were both goners. Where did you come from? You are her kid, right? How did you know she was in there? Oh, we got to tell somebody!”

Kevin looked at the sad little man and knew he had to do something with Meg so he could do something with Fred.  He located a big boulder nearby and nodded toward it with his head.

“Set down over there, Fred and I will put mom beside you and you hold her while I make a call.”

 And Fred, the innocent little child he was, did as he was told. Fred sat and Kevin gently placed Meg beside him.
“Hold her so she doesn’t fall while I call the guys down at the farm.”

Meg was just beginning to stir when the sheriff cars rolled up Storm Lake road and onto the Purcell property. When Jack came out of the tunnel he looked at Kevin and Fred.
“Who swung that machete? It is stuck in his bone and probably not ever gonna come out. Now who goes first? Not Meg. She looks like she is still pretty out of it. That Adavan is some potent shit. Fred, is it? You start. Try to remember everything that happened. How did you find Mrs. Parker? Do you know this guy? Oh, go ahead, just tell it like it happened.”

 “Well, I shot me a little deer. Oh, God, now I am going to jail for sure. Damn! Damn!”

Jack laughed. “We will let this one slide, just tell us what happened here.”
“Well, I shot me a little deer and the shot was off a bit so I tracked it over here. Found it right by that tree over there.  I looked through the trees and saw this big guy carry a woman into the house and then leave. I kind of thought it looked like the Parker woman but I wasn’t real sure. Well, I trussed up the deer and hung it and slit it’s throat and then field dressed it so it would be good to eat. When I wrapped the sheet around it to keep the flies off  I got to thinking that if it was her she might be in trouble. Well, I knew this tunnel was here cause I dug it. I knew that would be the only way I could get in the house, so I went there.  The tunnel is different now than it used to be so it took me a while to figure out that he had changed it. I knew she was somewhere in there so I figured it had to be in the root cellar. I found the soft dirt and dug it out and went in and there she was! And it was her! And I knew I had to get her out of there and quick cause he would be back. And he was. Caught us right out there where you found him. Would have been me if this guy had not come along.”

He indicated Kevin.   Jack looked at Kevin expectantly.

 “Well, I just happened to walk up here and I saw that deer hanging in the tree and it scared hell out of me. Then I climbed a tree and saw that I could see the farm from the top of it. While I was up there I saw the guy get out of the black Jeep and walk around in the yard and then head towards the tree. I figured I was a goner, but he opened a door or something and disappeared inside. I thought that was weirder than weird so I crept a little closer and I picked up a rock just in case. The door did not make a sound and I was damn glad of that! When I peered in there I seen him and Fred and mom. Did not take much to figure out who the bad guy was. When Fred was putting mom down the guy was intent on that and when Fred kissed the top of her head I threw that rock with everything I had and prayed like a demon. But Fred is the real hero here.” He beamed at Fred.

 Meg stirred and looked at Fred in bewilderment. A gurney appeared and it was clear Meg was going to be checked out in the back of the ambulance. She was like a little girl as they placed her on the cot and put the oxygen over her nose. The last thing she could remember was reaching to lift up the doggie door.

“Well you two are going to need to undergo a complete debriefing at the house so Leroy will give you a ride down.”
Fred suddenly looked very agitated.  “Look, I ain’t done nothing wrong, except that deer. I got that deer and I can’t let that meat go to waste.  That would be just wrong!  Can I just take it home and cut it up some and stick it in the cooler? Then I could come down there.”

Jack smiled at the rough country man. “Yeah, go ahead. If you leave it hanging there you are going to get in trouble for sure. But come down as quick as you can.” And Fred hurried away into the forest, intent on his job. Meg and Kevin walked down the mountain instead of riding. Meg thought the exercise would do her good.  Clear her head. As they neared the farm the dogs caught sight of her and ran to meet them.  She laughed as she held the two squirming bodies and caught sight of the calico cat watching them with a haughty air. This was home.

Installment # 22 Him

Installment #22
Him

He stood with his back to the closed door and felt the
sweat pour down from his head and arm pits. He was not ready
for this! Why had she come up here? Why was she in his yard?
This was his home and she had found him. She appeared so
innocent, but he knew better! Never knew this house was here?
Who was she trying to fool? This house had been here for years.
Years! She was snooping around and he had caught her. Did she
know about his tunnel? Did she know about his tree? Did she
know he watched her? Maybe she was watching him watching
her! Women! Nothing but treacherous bitches, every one of
them. Even that stupid Jennifer. Always making coffee and
tidying things. Damn feather duster. What was it with the
cleaning all the time? Her job was to run the office, not get in his
way.

He peered out the window and could not see any sign of
the woman. She must be gone. She had to be gone. Of course
she was gone. She was probably down there right now on her
farm gathering her eggs. Damn chickens never stopped, did
they? Course not, they were females. Females never stop what
ever they start doing. They would keep laying eggs and Meg
Parker would keep gathering them. Jennifer would keep dusting
and putting her pointed little nose into his business. Maybe he
should do something about her before he did something with
Meg Parker. When he made his move on Meg it would take time
away from the office. Jennifer would be suspicious. She might
come up here. No, she did not know where he lived. She knew
about his apartment in Denver. She knew about the apartment
on Williams, but not about the cabin here in the mountains. She
knew he went somewhere out of town, but not where. Nosey
bitch could probably figure it out. Get with the accountant and
see where he paid taxes. He shook his head violently. This was
sheer paranoia and he had more important things to concern
himself with right now!

It was now next week and redranger was on the horizon
and headed toward Denver, ready to rendevous with Meg. He
had to figure out how to stop that from happening. Get his
ducks in a row. First, check her email and see what the plan
was. It took so long for the computer to boot up that he
decided to make an exception and have a drink in the middle of
the day. A splash of soda and a splash of Scotch. Well, two
splashes of Scotch. That was better. He settled at the
computer; pulled up her yahoo account. It had been rather
quiet the last few days. No sales at all. A few feedbacks and
finally he saw the redranger. “meg. I will be leaving
Brattleboro, Vermont on Wednesday morning and arriving at
Stapleton early afternoon. John is having a car meet me so I
am good for Wednesday until Thursday. I would like to meet
with you on Thursday and we can spend the whole day
together. I am at the Sheraton and they have a lovely dining
room there. Let me know and we will firm all this up on
Tuesday.”

He hit the “print” button and then the “keep as new
button” It was one thing to hack into her account but she was a
smart woman. Smart and alert. She would connect the dots and
know something was wrong if he started leaving things laying
around or not laying around. Nothing else that was of any
interest to him. But he left the screen up in case she showed any
action. He put a CD in the player and kicked back in his
recliner.

His mind toyed with what to do with the redranger.
Eldon. That was a silly name. He wondered if it was his real
name. Somehow he doubted that it was. He had been around
and he knew what this online stuff was. Guy probably didn’t
even have a job. Just coming to Denver to play around and Meg
was his target. A little weasel that hid in the shadows and played
pretend games because he was afraid of reality. Acted like
something he was not. He would do God only knows what to
Meg and then go back to where ever he came from and never
even think about her again. Well, not while there was life in his
body! No siree! He would save her. He would protect her. A
shimmer of an idea began to form in his mind. Yes, he knew
what to do. Eldon would arrive in Denver on Wednesday.
Today was Monday. He would be ready. Of course he would be
ready. Wasn’t that what he had learned in Viet Nam, to always
be ready? He smiled as he drained his glass and the hot liquor
found the warm place right beside his heart. The heart that
suddenly longed for Meg Parker. He sighed sadly thinking of all
the things he had done and would continue to do for her. He was
sad that she could never know the real depth of his commitment
to her. It would frighten her, he knew. His eyelids grew heavy
and he chortled because he knew he was going to sleep right
there in the chair. And fully clothed as he thought of Meg
Parker standing in his yard, he touched himself and blushed at
the pleasure it brought him. Then his mind went blank with
sleep.

Installment #12

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 rose. 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 knapsack 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
all right. 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

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 somewhere 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 never
had forgotten about how Marybeth had just walked away and
never 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 the 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 #9

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
care of her. But he would give her time. He had lots of that.
Not like he had friends to 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 # 7 & 8

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 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 emails “
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. Eight 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 8:00 AM where he was which was two hours ahead
of her time here in the Mountain Standard Time. So he must be
on Eastern Standard 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 sitting 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 three
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 then
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, let’s 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 three 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 all right with you. If you’ve 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 two 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, ma’am! I will get right on that!” He whistled as he
walked to the first window.

Installment #6..Meg

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 was on her way out the door with the little bag
17
bobbing merrily behind her on it’s tiny wheels.
The drive home had been uneventful and two 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 hallway 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 four
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
18
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 chicken’s 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 up the mountain.

Installment #3

NSTALLMENT #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 thier 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 Canceled 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
11
seller with 100% feedback. 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 in her email address and hit the send
button. The marketl a d y@h o tma i l . c om . 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 two 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
12
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 four
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
walk-in 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
13
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 four days with Kevin.
Nothing could spoil it for her, and when she came out of the
tunnel and saw 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

Chapter One...Loose Ends

Chapter One...Loose Ends

INSTALLMENT #1
*Meg
Meg Parker stood very still in the gathering dusk as she
watched the sun slowly slip below the western rim of the
Rocky 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 three 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 nowhere 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 she 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 kn er 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
saving and moved to Montana to at least spare her mom and
dad the humiliation of her transgressions. Kevin Lee Jackson
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.

Farewell to the motor home that made a home in my back yard or who is the queen of ebay?

For the whole winter this 40' Fleetwood motor home sat in my backyard.  I had listed it on eBay early in the fall, but then one of the big boys with his own financing wanted the listing, so I gave it to him.  I just wanted the folks who owned it to be able to make a clean and easy sale.  And it sure looked like that was the way to go.  For the first few weeks I kept track of it, but then it got harder to find and I became less interested.  I was sure it was a go.
Alas, the best laid plans, or so they say.  Then the owner called a few weeks ago and asked if I would re list it so he at least would know where it was.  And so I did.  There was a flurry of interest and then the auction ended.  No sale.  So I dropped the price a silly $1,000.  That woke them up and I was busy fielding questions.  Of course no one was interested in paying the asking price and there were some offers that were downright insulting.  But we persevered until finally a guy named 4x4dude out of Oklahoma emailed with a list of questions that he needed answered.  I knew by the questions that he was a serious buyer.
Had it been smoked in?  Pets? Warranty?  Where was it located?   Maintenance records and things like that.  Then nothing.  So off I went to church that Sunday morning and when I got home I had a short nap.  Then I decided to check my ebay for sales.  My item sold!  My Fleetwood sold to a guy in Oklahoma for $100K.  My heart damn near stopped!  You need to remember I am in the bird cage cover /seed catcher business and my high dollar item is $25.00!
Phone numbers and addresses were exchanged and the date was made for 4x4 to come the following week to meet with the owner.   He would bring a check.  So early in May, Karl and his wife along with brother Larry and his wife arrived at my house.  The owner was already here and after a day of new batteries, mechanic checking things out, tweeking here and tweeking there and a couple nights in the motel, it was a go.
While we were standing around visiting Karl mentioned that he lived in Mustang, Oklahoma.  Bingo!  Do you know my niece, Cindy who lives there also.  Why yes I do!  Small world, huh?  Karl contacted Cindy and he was instructed to give me a big hug, and you people know how I like to get those.  And it was decided they would spend one more night and then get an early start.  And that is how that went down.

Mirrors are adjusted, black smoke bellowed out the back, dust kicked up on the road, and the motorhome with it's new owner at the wheel disappeared down my driveway.

And that, my friends is how I became the queen of eBay!

  

Long Ago and Not Very Far Away is still available.

This button will only be available until October 1.  At that time you will not be able to buy this at any price.  When you pay I will send you the installments in 7 consecutive emails so as not to overload your computer.  If you prefer a pdf. of the entire script let me know and I will go that way.

Rating

Liked it some $5.00 USD Liked it more $10.00 USD Crazy about this book! $12.50 USD

You are paying securely through paypal, so not to worry.

Lou Mercer

Installment #50 Whoops! Where is it?

You could now be reading Installment #50    "And things fall into place"  like Alice, Debbie and Jeffery are.    All you need to do is click on the Buy Now button and donate $5.00 to the cause of Lou Mercer (although it probably goes through the "My Site" account).  This is my little way of validating my year of writing for your enjoyment.

This button will only be available until October 1.  At that time you will not be able to buy this at any price.  When you pay I will send you the installments in 7 consecutive emails so as not to overload your computer.  If you prefer a pdf. of the entire script let me know and I will go that way.
 

Rating

Liked it some $5.00 USD Liked it more $10.00 USD Crazy about this book! $12.50 USD

You are paying securely through paypal, so not to worry.

Lou Mercer

Installment #48 ....and time marches on

Installment #48

… and time marches on.

     Tucker watched the rental car as it backed out the drive and pulled on to Pearl.  Anton would be back.  He knew that.  He had tried to tell Anton goodbye and make it final, but his little brother was not making it easy.  And then there was Albert.  Tucker had not talked with him.  They were not estranged, just did not seem to have much in common.  Anton would no doubt fill Albert in on how bad Tucker was, but he would not call.  That was just how it was.  Tucker knew that.

     He smiled at Cynthia.  “Well, I guess I will be going home with you tonight.  My baby sitter just left.”

     “Looks like it.  What shall we have for supper?”  She asked the question, but she knew the answer.  The Cream of Wheat was the only thing he ate and he drank very little water.  He was so thin that it hurt her to look at him.  He was wasting away before her eyes and there was nothing she could do to stop it from happening.  So she filled Cleo’s bowl with food and gave her fresh water.  Soon they would need to find her a new home.  She could not take her to her house because she had geese that would suffer the fate of a big dog playing with them.  And the cat.  Cleo was part grey hound and did not like cats at all.  She sighed and decided to tackle the new home idea tomorrow for sure.

     Tucker snapped his fingers.  “I almost forgot!  Mark called today and he will be here this weekend.  He has a surprise for me.  Wonder what it is?”

     “Oh, I am so glad!  I know how much he means to you.  A surprise?  I have no clue what it could be.  Is he flying?”

     “No, he is bringing the pickup and a trailer.  I want to send some stuff back with him.  I am pretty sure I am not going to be staying here in the house much longer and I want to get everything of value into the right hands.”  He stopped and gazed out the window.  “Funny how I worked all my life for this and now it is just something to get rid of.  I did not think I would live long enough to get to this point.  I just don’t care about any of it anymore.  I did talk to Mark about taking me to the nursing home before he leaves.”  Cynthia caught her breathe.

     “What do you mean?  Nursing home?  I thought you would be here with me until, until, you know?”  She could not bring herself to use the word “died”.  That made it too real.  That was final.  She knew how Tucker did not like to be touched, but this time she put her arms around him and told him, “Tucker!  Just hold me because pretty soon you will not be here to do it.  I need you to hold me!”  And he did.  And he stroked her hair, and a plan began to form in his mind.  It was a plan that just might work!

     Little did she know how time was about to fast forward.

 

Buy final installments with the buy now button.

Rating

Liked it some $5.00 USD Liked it more $10.00 USD Crazy about this book! $12.50 USD

Installment #47 Anton Comes to Call

So began the daily routine of Tucker being at home in the day and sleeping at Cynthia’s every night.  Cleo was home alone, but that was how it had to be.  Tucker rather enjoyed being in Cynthia’s home.  He had always felt comfortable there.  He liked her dogs and he liked the cat.  Apparently the cat liked him too, since she always leapt on his lap as soon as he set down.  The recliner was hard for him to get out of, so he was dependent on Cyndi to push the foot rest down.  Tucker had always been independent and never needed anyone, but now he let Cyndi do things for him.  He even ate a little Cream of Wheat every night and every morning.  He had the upstairs bedroom and she slept downstairs.  Once he even thought about how nice it would have been to share the bed. 

     On the third night of the new routine, Anton called.  Tucker had finally admitted that he was not well and it would be alright if Anton wanted to come for a few days.  So this phone call was to work out the details concerning the visit.  He would be coming on Amtrac since he was afraid to fly and did not want to drive.  He would arrive at noon on Monday and Cyndi could take 3 days off since that is how long he would be there.  Tucker thought not.  He was used to her.  He needed her.  Anton was his brother, but she was his what ever she was. Fiancee, he wished.  He liked the sound of it. Maybe he would tell her some day, but for now, just get the brother visit over.

     So, on Monday, Tucker and Cyndi were on the porch when Anton drove up in the rental car.  It was awkward to say the least.  Anton was shocked at the big brother who was now a very thin, pale big brother and it showed.

     Cynthia watched the body language of the brothers as they greeted each other.  It seemed very strained, but then this had to be hard on Anton especially.  He was 15 years younger than Tucker, but he would be without a brother very soon.  Surely he could see that.  There were 3 brothers and Anton was the only one that had married.  He had two sons and those were Tucker’s only nephews.  If the family name was to be carried on, it was all on Anton’s shoulders.

     Cynthia smiled as she saw Tucker smile at Anton and grab him in a bear hug.  Anton was taken aback and this made Cynthia laugh.  She knew Tucker was not a touchy feely kind of guy and she assumed from the look on his face that Anton did not expect this at all.  A simple hand shake was all he was used to having from his brother, but here he stood wrapped in his arms.  Anton had a lot to learn and Cynthia could only hope he was a fast learner.

     When the brothers broke apart, Cynthia took her leave and headed home.  Tucker knew she was as close as the phone and she assured him that she would be there if he needed her, or if he just wanted her there.  She looked in the rear view mirror and said a silent prayer that the visit would go well and they could say their goodbyes.

***************************************************

 OK, kids, push has come to shove.  This installment and #48 and #49 will be published here for you, but after that, I am on strike.  You like to read and I like to write so in exchange for a paltry $5.00 donation you will receive Installment #50 and all other installments in your email box.  So cough up using the Buy Now button below and we will all be happy.  This is my position...I like to know that I have readers who actually like my work.  This is my way of validating.  So far I have collected $5.00.  I will keep a tally going so you know just how rich I am going to wind up.  So, lets get that button to popping and make me a happy woman!

Rating

Liked it some $5.00 USD Liked it more $10.00 USD Crazy about this book! $12.50 USD

Your opportunity to contribute to a starving artist.

This is your chance to show me how much you are enjoying reading Long Ago and Not Very Far Away.  Be sure and check out the drop down ratings.  If this works out I can keep doing the online stories and not bother with the publishing business.

Rating

Liked it some $5.00 USD Liked it more $10.00 USD Crazy about this book! $12.50 USD

And thanks for reading.

Installment #45 Sister Nancy comes to call.

     Tucker had gone up to his room to rest after breakfast and Cynthia was putting the last of the dishes in the cupboard when the doorbell rang.  She hurried to the door and pulled it open.  Sister Nancy stood on the porch smiling.  Cynthia reached out and embraced the dear woman.  This woman was truly a gift from God.  Cynthia could not help being humbled every time she encountered her.  Today was no exception.

     “Well, Cynthia, here I am.  I told you I would come and where is our dear Tucker?”

     “He went up to lay down a little bit, but I heard him walking around, so he is not asleep.” 

     Sister Nancy smiled and stepped to the bottom of the stairs.  “Tucker Fuhrman!  This is Sister Nancy down here to see you.  I am in my full habit and you better get down here right now.”  Cynthia smiled at the nun who stood there in a pair of blue jeans, tennis shoes and a cotton blouse.  She was smiling and her whole face beamed.  To Cynthia’s surprise, Tuckers face appeared at the head of the stairs.  He looked like a naughty school boy caught with his hand in the cookie jar.  As he started slowly down the stairs Cynthia was suddenly filled with happiness.  This was going to be alright.  She knew it!  She reached for the leash and Cleo ran to her side.

     “OK, Sister, you are on your own.  I will be back in an hour or so and if you are gone I will catch up with you later.”  With that she and the dog stepped outside, pulling the door shut behind them and when she came back later, Sister Nancy was gone and nothing was said about the visit.  Tucker did make the remark that “Sister Nancy was not at all like I expected her to be.”  And Tucker seemed to have a more relaxed air about him.  For that Cynthia was grateful.

     And Tucker did have more news.  “Some guy called today from hospice.  He is a volunteer.  I forgot his name, but he is going to come and visit later this afternoon and he says he is a cook.  Well, he actually said he was a chef.  He will fix me something to eat so you do not need to stay unless you just want to meet him.”

     Cynthia smiled.  She knew this would be the “buddy” that hospice had promised.  “I think I will just let you two get acquainted.  I have plenty to do at home.  What time is he coming?”

     Tucker looked confused.  “I don’t know.  He said later, so I guess it will be later.  But you can leave whenever because I think I am going to take a nap!”  He smiled.  Cynthia smiled back.

     “Well, then I am going to leave you to your nap and trust that you will call me later?”

     “Yes, I will.”  He stood and kissed her on the forehead as she stood in the opened door.  Then he closed it behind her, turned the key and started up the staircase toward his bed.  He needed this time alone to think back on his visit with Sister Nancy. 

     As he lay on his bed being very careful not to disturb the covers, he reflected on his visit.  He was glad that Cynthia had taken the dog and left him alone.  At first he had known a moment of panic.  A Catholic Sister in his front room!  He had carefully avoided all things Catholic for many years and now there was one standing right before him.

     She did not have a habit on at all!  She was dressed in blue jeans.  And she was short!  Very short.  Shorter than Cynthia.  And heavier.  And her face was round and her smile was wide and very friendly.  If he had to pick a mother figure out of the women in the whole world, he would have picked her.  He longed to fall in her arms and let her hold him and soothe all his fears.  If only… 

     And then to his surprise, Sister Nancy opened her arms and the 6’2” German from St. Louis who needed no one to make his life complete was suddenly clinging to this tiny woman and pouring out his heart; his needs, his wants, his frustrations, and his terror at the prospect of leaving this world.  And she patted him softly and crooned to him.  Yes! He was home with the beloved Catholic Church that he had left so many years ago.  And Father Pat would come to see him and Father Pat would prepare his soul for it’s journey.

     And as he closed his eyes he could see the beloved Blessed Mary with her arms open wide and behind her was Momma and Poppa.  Oh! And Grandma.  As he drifted in the blessed arms he slept the first peaceful sleep he had known in 50 years.  Thank you, my dear Sister Nancy!