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.