by VC Angell
“You might want to join us. We’ve got a little informal group. It’s not much. I’ve got 1911 that I shoot. I reload because it is cheaper,” Luke said.
“It sounds like fun. I’ve got to do something for fun,” Jim smiled.
They continued to chat for the better part of an hour. As Jim drove back to the motel, he realized how little he had in common with Luke anymore. He knew only the bare outlines of the logging business. Luke was married, and he wasn’t, so they could share nothing on that front. God, had Alma changed that much, and he hadn’t?
* * *
It was well into the following week when Carol called his office. The Johnsons had agreed to his price and wanted to talk to him about what they should leave or haul out to the dump. Jim still felt like a fifth wheel, so he jumped at the chance. He asked, “When would you like to do this?”
“I could pick you up in an hour or so,” Carol said.
“I’ll come over to your office, and then we can go out there. My head is still spinning, trying to come to grips with running this paper. I think it will be late enough that I can go back to the motel after we are done at the Johnson’s.”
“Okay, I’ll expect you in about an hour.”
Jim buzzed Helen and asked her to come in. He began, “I just got a call from Carol at the real estate office, and the Johnson’s want to go over with me what they should leave and what they should throw away. I’m going to leave in about an hour. I don’t think I’ll come back this afternoon. Is there anything I should do before leaving?”
Helen thought a moment. “I can’t think of anything pressing. Will is doing a good job with the next issue. There is some kind of problem with the birthday calendar. They are upgrading the alarm system. There will be a new code for the system. I’ll make sure you get it. Everything else is pretty much in place. We could use a couple more classified ads, but they tend to get slow this time of year.”
“Thanks, Helen. I don’t know what I would do without you and Will. You have been a real lifesaver for me. I know the reporting side of the business, and growing up, I learned a bit about this paper. However, there is far too little that I know about running it. I don’t want to ruin it and put you all out of work.”
“This isn’t like a big paper. We have problems like any paper. At home, we get the Minneapolis Tribune. They cover the news, but they don’t cover birthdays, who is traveling, who is visiting, and so on. In some ways, this newspaper is more like a club newsletter than a big city newspaper. You are just adjusting to that. Change of subject – have you thought any more about Ted Erickson’s offer to have you join the development committee?”
“I told him I had to get my feet under me here at the paper. Something I haven’t even tackled is the financial side of the paper. From what little I’ve learned from our bookkeeper, we’re very close to not even breaking even. He seemed satisfied with that. My brother wasn’t on that committee, was he?” Jim asked.
Helen shook her head no, “I’m not even sure if they asked him. Maybe they think you should know the community more now that you’re running a paper. Is there anything else?”
“Nothing I can think of. Thanks, Helen. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
* * *
Jim stopped at the fast-food drive-through and got another big chocolate shake. He went to the overlook on the lake and worked on his shake until almost time to go to the real estate office.
The shake was almost gone by the time he arrived at the real estate office. The only thing he had eaten was the complimentary breakfast at the hotel, and the shake satisfied his hunger. Carol was talking to an older man when Jim stepped through the door.
Carol turned towards Jim and introduced the man. “This is Larry Swedmark. He owns the real estate business.”
Larry stuck out his hand and shook Jim’s. “It has to be a sad homecoming for you. I was sorry to hear about your brother’s death.”
“Thank you. I was working in Europe. It took me a couple of days to get back,” Jim said.
Carol said, “I was telling Larry that you bought the Johnson’s place.”
“I’m glad to see it sold as the Johnson’s didn’t want to spend another winter here, and for some reason, real estate was slow this past summer,” Larry said.
“It’s absolutely ideal for me. I don’t have the worry of furnishing it while trying to run the newspaper.” Jim said.
“You’ll have to excuse me. I have to go show a house in a few minutes.” Larry said.
“Good luck, Larry.” Jim turned to Carol and was greeted by those beautiful blue eyes. He tried not to stare. He asked, “Are you ready to go?”
“Yes, I’ll have to lock up as there will be no one in the office. I don’t know how long this will take, but hopefully, I won’t have to come back to the office again today.” Carol said.
As Carol walked away, he admired her figure. He said, “If you’d like, we can take my car. That way, I could drop you back here on my way back to the motel.”
Carol nodded her acceptance with her back turned to Jim. Even that view was intriguing to Jim.
The trip out to the Johnson’s went too quickly for Jim. Once inside, the Johnson’s invited Jim and Carol to sit down at the kitchen table. Mrs. Johnson had a list in her hand.
Mr. Johnson said, “She’s a retired schoolteacher. She made a list, so nothing gets forgotten.”
Mrs. Johnson said, “You will need the everyday silverware. We’ll leave those but will take our good set with us.” Mrs. Johnson looked at Jim expectedly.
“That sounds good,” Jim said.
“You’ll need the everyday set of dishes. We’ll leave those, we have an everyday set, but they are badly mismatched. We will take our good set of dishes,” Mrs. Johnson said.
“Okay,” Jim said. And so, it went for the better part of an hour. Mrs. Johnson had been very thorough. It was late in the afternoon when they left the Johnson’s.
Carol asked, “Are you satisfied?”
“Yes, I never thought of all those things belonging to a house. Would you like to join me for supper?” Jim asked.
“I would, but I got to get ready for another showing tomorrow morning. I would rarely get a chance to sell another property at this time of year. Could I have a rain check?”
“Sure.”
Jim dropped Carol off at the real estate office and started to head to a fast food place when he saw Laura waiting to cross the street. He stopped and rolled down his window and asked, “Would you like to join me for supper?”
“I guess so. I need to go to the Emporium. I need to get a bra,” Laura said.
“I could wait while you shop for one.”
“I wouldn’t want to put you through that. I got to get a good bra for when I’m working. I got enough old ones to use otherwise. Anyway, it usually takes me quite a while to decide what to buy. The good ones are expensive. I don’t think my Johns would appreciate a ratty bra.”
“I would think all they care about was getting it off,” Jim laughed.
“They aren’t like my daddy was. Some like that to see me in my underwear. You know, everybody’s got their thing.”
“Supper is still open if you want?”
“I’d like that. It was good the other day. Same place?”
“Sure, hop in.”
It didn’t take Laura as long as she said at the Emporium. They enjoyed their supper together.
He and Helen were going over some items the next day when Jim asked, “What about Christmas? Does the paper have a Christmas party?”
“Oh yes, your brother had already booked a party at a new supper club just outside of town. Everything was set except for two things. What was on the dinner menu and how much to spend on booze,” Helen looked expectantly at Jim.
It was clear to Jim she didn’t know how he would respond. He said, “I don’t know what they have to offer in terms of food. I assumed my brother set a limit on how much booze he would provide in years past.”
“I h
ave a menu out at my desk of what they’ll serve for bigger parties. I’ll bring it in so you can look it over. The way your brother handled the booze was to give everybody a chit for a couple of drinks. If they wanted more than that, they had to pay for them,” Helen said.
Jim nodded his acceptance as he said, “That’s a good booze policy. Nobody should be able to get drunk on just two drinks. It wouldn’t be a good idea to get them loaded and then have them drive home.”
Helen said, “You think a lot like your brother.”
Helen left and brought back the menu. Jim settled on a prime rib dinner. Helen gently pointed out they had a vegetarian working for them. Jim didn’t see anything on the menu that would satisfy a vegetarian. He picked up the phone and called the supper club. He told them about the vegetarian. They said they had several dishes they served regularly, and the vegetarian could choose between them. They fixed the menu with Helen’s help, and the supper club had a chit system that worked for them for parties or things like wedding receptions.
Jim left work that day feeling like he had accomplished something for once.
* * *
A few days later, Ralph Hansen called asking if he had made up his mind about joining the development committee. Jim told him it would have to be after the first of the year because he was getting used to running the paper, buying a new home, and even planning the Christmas party for the newspaper staff.
* * *
Ted Erickson called Ralph Hansen one of the real powers in Alma. He asked Ralph, “Did Waterman agree to join the committee?”
“No, he put me off until after the holidays. He says he’s got his hands full with the paper.”
“Is he putting you on, or is he serious?” Ted asked.
“I think he’s serious. He’s buying a house and arranging the Christmas party for the staff at the newspaper. I think he’s up to his eyeballs in things.”
* * *
Carol called with the date and time for the closing on the Johnson’s property. She asked, “Is that okay?”
“It sounds good to me. A long-range forecast is for a snowstorm. How would that affect the closing?” Jim asked.
“This time year in northern Minnesota, we expect storms. If we have to move it up a day or two or postpone it for some time, it’s no big thing,” Carol said.
“Fine,” Jim said. They were still talking when Julie stuck her head into the office. Jim signaled her to sit down and told Carol he had to go.
“What do you need?” Jim asked.
“I’m trying to be delicate, but I have seen you with Laura several times. Do you know what she is?” Julie didn’t look at Jim.
Jim chuckled and said, “Sure, she even asked if I wanted to be seen with her.”
“You know that she’s a prostitute then?”
“Sure.”
“You know people will talk then. You really shouldn’t be seen with her,” Julie said.
Jim didn’t answer right away as he thought. “I know this is a small town, and people would look down on her, but she’s an old friend. We even dated when I was in high school. I know from our discussions about how she chose her profession. There wasn’t much else she could do.”
The reporter in Julie spoke, “What do you mean? Why did she choose to be a prostitute?”
“You know there are times when you don’t reveal who your sources were, or there is even information you come across that you choose not to put in an article. I choose not to tell you the whole story behind Julie’s choice of profession. However, I will give you one fact. When she was in jail for being a working woman, a psychologist tested her, and she is severely dyslexic. She managed to get through school because she’s really sharp. She used alternative ways of learning. She tried to work as a cashier, and because of her dyslexia, she made errors, and her till was always off, and she got fired. Her profession does not require her to read or maintain a till. She thought it was about the only thing she could do to earn a living,” Jim looked at Julie.
“Shit, pardon my English,” Julie shook her head, “How did she ever graduate?”
“Tricks and no pun intended. Laura listened carefully, asked questions of people around her and other things she figured out. I knew she was really smart, but I could never figure out her problem when we were in school. I don’t think I’d heard of dyslexia until I was out of college,” Jim said.
“That’s tough. Selling yourself just to eat and keep a place, so there’s a roof over your head. Do you think she would let me interview her?”
“I think if you asked her, she’d say no. Perhaps if I tell her you are interested and that you’re an honest person, she might,” Jim said.
“I think you know that personal interest stories are my forte. Would you speak to Laura for me?” Julie asked.
“Yes, I will. I don’t know when I’ll see Laura again, but we just had lunch the other day.”
“I know, and it wasn’t the first time.”
“It’s truly a small town, but I won’t deny an old friend. Laura said that people would talk.”
“People will think you’re using her services. They might look down on you.”
“So be it. I don’t care. I’ve learned from this business that many people out there got dealt a bad hand in life. They’re working with that and doing the best they can. Some people are bad by choice. Some people are bad because they had no choice.”
“Those are great lines. Can I quote you?” Julie asked.
“If you must. I’m no poet, and I know it,” Jim laughed.
* * *
Several days later, Will stuck his head in the office door and asked, “Have you got a moment?
Jim asked, “Sure, what can I do for you today?”
“Christmas is coming up, and there’s usually an editorial by the owner. You know, it’s about the Christmas season and how we should love everyone,” Will said.
“I can do it. I’ll have to look through our morgue and see what has been done in the past,” Jim said.
“Great. How soon are you closing on your new home?”
Jim looked at his watch, “In less than half an hour. Damn, time got away from me. I’m glad you stopped, or I would’ve missed it.”
“I’ll leave you. Nothing is that far away in Alma. You’ll make it!”
* * *
The closing went very quickly. The only thing that surprised Jim was the number of times he had to sign his name. As they were finishing up, Jim asked, “Are you heading out for the South today?”
“No, we plan to go over to Duluth and stay with our youngest daughter,” Mr. Johnson said.
“Even before the predicted snowstorm, we were going to go there because she and her husband just got married. They won’t have a whole lot of money to be able to come to see us, so we thought we’d visit with them before we left. It worked out even better with the snowstorm coming on,” Mrs. Johnson said. Goodbyes were said all around.
Jim stopped Carol on their way out to their cars and asked, “Would you join me for lunch?”
“Julie told me that you might ask. Sure, where would you like to go?”
“How about the Country Kettle?”
“I want to drop this paperwork from the closing back at the office. I’ll join you there as soon as I can,” Carol said.
When Jim reached the Country Kettle, he found it busy with the lunch crowd. He entered his request for a table for two and was surprised how soon the hostess came and got him. Jim looked around and saw there were three or four people at every table, if not more. He thought lunch hour in Alma must be a time of socializing.
Carol joined him only after a short wait said, “I see you got a table fairly quickly.”
“Yes, there appear to be very few of these small tables,” Jim said.
“This is a good time and place to connect with friends. You need a big table. If you’re married, it’s hard to meet with old friends at any other time of the day. A quick lunch fills the bill. Have you ordered yet?”
“No, the waitresses seem very busy.”
“Good, then I didn’t miss anything.”
Jim was fascinated by her blue eyes and smile.
Carol asked, “Can I ask you a question about your finances?”
“Sure.”
“I have never seen anybody buy a property with cash other than a business. It might be impolite, but are you rich?”
“Yes and no. Back in my college years, I had a friend who had an idea. My grandfather had left me some stock that proved very valuable. My friend needed money to start his business, so I sold some stock and loaned him money. The business took off, and he needed more money. I sold the rest of the stock my grandfather had left me and loaned it to him. Bruce’s, my friend, business took off, and he was making money hand over fist. He asked me if I would take shares in his company as repayment for the loans. I said yes, and the rest is history,” Jim explained.
Before Carol could say anything, a waitress showed up with menus and asked what they wanted to drink. They both asked for coffee.
Carol said, “Let me look through the menu. I think I know what I want, but they often change the menu, and it might not be available. Besides, let's be ready to order at this busy time day whenever she gets back with the coffee.”
“Good idea,” Jim turned his attention to the menu. He saw something that looked good and sounded good – a Paul Bunyan Lunch Sandwich.
The waitress arrived with their coffees and took their order.
Jim asked, “Did you want to know anything more about my friend’s business?”
“You didn’t say what it was or why it was so successful.”
“The company is called Easysite. My friend’s idea was to make any website you wanted easily. If you wanted to start a website before his idea, you either had to learn HTML or hire someone to build your website. The software he developed did all that for you with no need to know code,” Jim explained.
“Your friend must be a programmer?”
“Yep, but more importantly, realized when he didn’t need to sell the software. He could turn the software into a business. When he told me the idea of what he was doing, I wondered why a thousand other people hadn’t thought of it before,” Jim said.