by A. J. Wells
“Don’t see why not, I’m starving, too.” I turn, “Hey guys, we’ll see ya’ll later. We haven’t eaten yet and we’re going to the ‘Barn’. Anyone else hungry?” Everyone, except Mom, says they are and they’ll see us there. We all head to our cars.
Bob, Maria and Shay arrive before Miss Lili and Glen and we talk for a while. Bob wants to go by the house to get some clothes before they go “home” and Maria agrees. Steve asks, “You moving out?” Bob says no, but he’s staying another night, or more, if Maria will let him. I ask Steve if he wants to get a few changes before we go back out to the ranch. He smiles, saying he should.
We order when Miss Lili and Glen come in and eat. We get a chance to look at Miss Lili’s ring. It’s huge. In the bathroom, after lunch, she mentions that her rings from Buck are now ready for another hand. She tells me, Steve is her grandson from Buck’s son, she was never able to carry a baby. Buck’s first wife left him and Buck Jr. because she couldn’t stand being married to a smelly oil man. “I’m glad she did because it gave me a family. I raised Junior from the age of two.”
“I went through the years when Buck worked in the oil fields and came home oily, sweaty and dirty. I raised Junior, sent him off to college and was heart broken when he married a wonderful girl from South Carolina and lived there ‘til Steve was three. When Buck got sick, they moved here and lived with us then with me. When Steve went to college they decided to go on a second honeymoon to Europe. There was a terrible car accident while they were France and Steve stayed with me. He’ll inherit the town guardianship and my estate from Buck. He and Bob will inherit the job of the oil companies and he already has his inheritance from his father. I hope you and Maria will be helpful to them, as well as, love them.”
“Bob and Maria are well on their way, but Steve and I have a ways to go. Miss Lili, how do ya know when you’re in love? I thought I knew, but now I’m not sure anymore and more confused about it than ever.”
“Sher, you’re a smart woman, you’ll know when ya can’t wait to see him and don’t like being away from him. That’s the way I felt both times I fell in love. Now, we need to get back to our guys.”
On the way to Miss Lili’s for Steve’s clothes, we talk about how long he would stay. He’ll be staying with me until Sunday evening. His shift starts at four thirty a.m. so he’ll stay home Sunday night. Bob’s shifts are at four thirty p.m. and Maria lives in town so he can stay as long as he wants, but he’ll be home Sunday night, too. And they’ll both be in town Thursday and Friday since Maria and I will be working. We say our goodbyes and Steve and I go grocery shopping then stop by the fire station to tell the dispatcher to call Steve at my number if he’s needed to man the office if there’s a fire.
We get back to the ranch, put the groceries away and go out to the barn. Steve wants to go for a ride, if he can figure out how to get on without using his left foot. Dad’s in the barn and says he’ll find something. After a bit of gymnastics and a box, Steve’s mounted. Dad advises Steve not to dismount ‘til he’s back home. We ride out to the creek and rest for a bit. Luckily, there’s a tree stump there so Steve can dismount and re-mount without much trouble. We sit in the shade to cool off some, it’s still close to ninety, even though it’s mid November.
Steve puts his arm around me and I snuggle into his shoulder. When he kisses me the lightening storm starts again. We make love under the tree then snuggle again. We get Steve back on Auggie and we head up to the ridge. It’s getting late, the sun’s on the horizon, and we know we need to get back. As we come down off of the ridge the area is darker, being in the shadows of the trees and the ridge. We can hear the brush rustling, but there’s no breeze.
Steve shouts, “Kick it up, we have company and we’re not armed.” I kick Izzie up and Steve comes along side, kicking Auggie, to slap Izzie on the rump. I don’t know why the horses didn’t smell them. We take off, riding as fast as the horses can go. The coyote’s are howling behind us, now, spearing fear into the horses and their speed. Dad meets us while we’re at full gallop and as we pass him he fires a shot into the pack. We hear several yelps then Dad riding to catch up with us. Then we hear growling and more yelps, the pack is attacking their wounded. We ride a little farther, slowing down when we reach open land, but keep to a gallop all the way back to the barn.
Izzie stops and Dad jumps down to help Steve down and they come to me, Steve leaning on Dad. I’m shaking so hard I can’t dismount safely, so I sit where I am. Dad and Steve pull me off Izzie and Steve holds me while Dad takes care of the horses. Dad gets Steve and me into the house and hands me a beer. I drink half of it before I stop shaking. Mom comes over shortly after we get back. Dad tells her what happened and she comes to me “I brought pizza, come over for supper,” and she pulls on my arm to get me moving.
Half way to Mom’s, I say “I’ve never been so scared in my life. Thank God Steve was with me and recognized the rustling was coyotes or I’d have been dead now.”
“Hush talking like that. Izzie would have taken off for the barn as soon as she smelled them.”
“But Mom, she didn’t smell them.” I say as we go in her back door.
“Must’ve been down wind from her. Didn’t Auggie smell them?” she asks. Steve shakes his head.
“We’d burned a field up wind from where they ran onto the pack. The smell must’ve masked their odor. Must’ve been ten or twelve of them. They were so hungry, they turned on their own when I wounded a couple of them.”
“Enough about that. Thursday you have appointments the whole day. I’ll come in to help with anything you need. The next four work days will be just like tomorrow. We scheduled the appointments as quickly as possible and even switched a few around if a problem seemed more urgent.”
“Thanks Mom, you’ve done a great job and I’d appreciate the help.”
“Don’t thank me. Thank Steve and Bob, they’ve had yours and Maria’s backs since y’all left. They triaged over the phone and I made the appointments. If they said ya might need more time I blocked out the following appointment. You owe them a dinner, at the very least.”
“We said we’d cover the clinic so y’all could have a break. Ya don’t owe us anything. We were glad to help. Y’all needed some time away and we were available.” Steve’s not sure how much to say. He and Bob know Miss Lili is introducing them to what they’ll need know to be their wives, outside of what they do in town. But Sher isn’t ready to hear that.
Mom asks about the trip and I tell her with a little help from Steve. Mom’s shocked at everything that happened, but had the good manners not to say anything in front of Steve. She wants to hear more, later. Now we need to settle down and get in bed early.
After I help Mom clean the kitchen, Steve and I go back to my house. I noticed, earlier, Bob was calling Maria’s and Miss Lili’s “home,” but Steve only called Miss Lili’s home. Maybe Steve doesn’t feel my home is his home.
I don’t have much of a chance to think once we’re inside. Steve turns me around to face him and drops one of his crutches to kiss me. “Don’t over think this, please. I just wanta reassure ya I’m where I wanna be. Gettin’ a shower?” He wants to join me. I nod. We get to sleep quite late.
My last free day, Steve and I stay home except when I do laundry at Mom’s. He and Dad start on the paperwork for making the ranch more profitable and we spend a lotta time together. He watched while I brushed Izzie and cleaned the stalls in the barn to give Dad a break. Then we were in bed early for my first day back at the clinic.
Our first appointment arrives late, throwing the schedule behind, ‘til lunch. Miss Lili and Glen bring lunch and Steve and Bob join us. Some how, the subject of the relatives in Corpus comes up; Miss Lili hasn’t had a chance to talk to the boys since we’ve been back. Bridget’s mentioned and Bob and Steve laugh at the nerve of Matilda and Teddy. Maria and I agree, but not with the tone of the conversation. We finish quickly so we can be ready for the next appointment hoping to get back on schedule.
After we clean and close the clinic, we decide to have dinner at the “Barn,” but Shay isn’t invited tonight. We talk about how Shay’s taking to Bob being there. He’s glad to have Bob around more. We talk about the trip and bring it around to Bridget. When we asked why they had laughed about Bridget, they start chuckling. Seeing our confusion, they explain Bridget was the last one in a long line of attempts to marry one of Matilda’s relatives into Miss Lili’s money. They never give up trying to get into Miss Lili’s bank account. They believe the town’s trust can be used by Miss Lili anyway she wants and because they’re distant relatives, they think they’re entitled to some of the money. The trust is explained to them every time they call and, yet, they still try to get Miss Lili to break it. The relatives believe the trust will, then, be up for grabs and they’d get their hands on it, at least that’s our take on their actions. They don’t know the particulars of the trust because they don’t stand a chance of getting any of the money, per the trust. However, they’ve been told the next executor has been named, according to the trust dictates.
But they keep trying to get to the money. “Hell, Bob and I don’t get any of the money, either. And when we inherit it we still can’t get more than what’s allocated. But they make a game of ‘gettin’ the bank’ through me. The last time they brought a girl out I told them I wouldn’t marry anyone they introduced me to if she was the last woman on earth. Obviously, they can’t take a hint or they’re so use to wearing people down they won’t take ‘no’ for an answer. We laugh at them more outta anger and frustration than anything else, and at their not so subtle stabs at ‘gold digging’. They won’t accept anything we say, concerning their efforts and won’t believe we’re smart enough to spot their attempts for what they are.”
Now Maria and I understand. The three of them are tired of all the stupid attempts at getting their hands on a “rich man.” Bob adds, these attempts at the money have been going on for twenty years or more and the “match making” has been going on since Steve was a junior in high school. It’s gotten to be so expected they just laugh it off, like a joke. We get up to leave after supper and give the guys a hug. Maria and Bob go home and Steve and I go back to my house.
I ask Steve if he thinks of my home as his, too. He says as long we’re together, that’s home. But Miss Lili’s will always be home because it will be his some day. I understand now. At home, he hugs me then we shower together and go to sleep snuggling, content with each other.
Today rivals yesterday in hectic. Chief’s x-rays show his rib is still fragile, but he’s fine otherwise. José’s splint comes off and they’re off, limping and slowly, glad to be free of encumbrances. I suggest Chief should come to the ranch with us, when we’re together there. Steve agrees, except, the floor space is so small and Chief would take up most of it, making Steve’s mobility problematic. So we agree, for now, Chief will stay at Miss Lili’s with José and Chaucee.
Chief, José and Chaucee insist on going to the kennel room to relax. They’re soon wrestling, playing tug-o-war and chasing each other. When I check on them later, they’re curled in a ball of fur, asleep. I notice Chaucee, at ten weeks, is as big as Jose. She’ll grow to be twice Jose’s size and weight. That’s some group of friends. I smile and go back to work.
Chief, José and Chaucee visit all day then want to go home. I knew then Chaucee has the right home. Miss Lili and Glen take the dogs home, leaving us to clean the clinic before we close. Miss Lili wants us to come to dinner. She’s had a ham on all afternoon. She’s trying to impress Glen with her cooking she tells Maria and me, later, when the guys aren’t so close. Steve looks at me and I shrug. Then he looks at Bob and Maria. Maria looks uncertain about the dinner invitation.
Maria says Shay is getting too spoiled with all the dinners away from home. Miss Lili says this is going to be the family Thanksgiving dinner. She and Glen will be at his daughter’s for Thanksgiving. They’re going there to meet the whole family, before they come here for Christmas. So Maria gives in.
As usual the dinner is great. Then Miss Lili announces Glen and she will be leaving Sunday for Memphis. They plan to sightsee along the way so they arrive at Glen’s on Tuesday before Thanksgiving. We tell them to be sure to call. They’re in their seventies and Glen has been driving safely, to date, but everyone’s concerned anyway. Well, I am, but Steve gives me a look that says “Don’t say it.”
Miss Lili says she called Representative Andrews and he doesn’t have any free time to visit Granite Bluff until after the New Year. He expects to be able to visit in January.
When we leave, we go to the office to meet Maria, Bob and Shay. We have the conversation Steve’s look postponed. Finally, we admit we can’t say anything to Miss Lili and Glen. It would sound like parents telling their teenage daughter the dangers of dating a boy alone. Maria and I remember how mad that made us, so we’ll just grin and wish them luck. Looks like her “boys” and her “girls” are being phased out, at least, for now. We agree we’re not sure we like it.
Then the boys discuss Thanksgiving. Miss Lili has given out her food baskets and she’s arranged for the Senior Citizens’ Center to host the free Thanksgiving Dinner for the poor, as well as the seniors. That leaves Bob and Steve at loose ends, a new development for them. Bob can go with Maria and Steve can go with me, except they haven’t spent a holiday dinner separated since high school. We decide amongst ourselves Maria and I would cook Thanksgiving dinner at Miss Lili’s and our families would have dinner there. Steve and Bob agree. Now we have to convince our families. A simple task, we hope.
We go home satisfied with what we’ve decided. We know Christmas may be a different experience for all us, but we don’t mention it. A shower and a good night’s sleep will be helpful when we approach our families.
Saturday afternoon we spend in town with Miss Lili and Glen. They’ll be leaving right after breakfast tomorrow. The boys have been home alone for two weeks before. So they’ll be fine. Yeah, fine. They sounded a bit like scared little boys during the conversation.
On the way home, Steve talks about never having had a holiday without Miss Lili. And how empty the house is when she’s not there. I guess all that talk at Miss Lili’s, about having the house all to themselves, was just bravado for Miss Lili’s peace of mind. “Sher, would you consider staying with me next week? Otherwise, the house will be too quiet. The week ya’ll were gone we thought we’d gone deaf when we were home. It’s just too quiet…and boring.” I tell him I’ll think about it, but not tomorrow night, for sure.
Sunday we have dinner with Mom and Dad and ask them about Thanksgiving. They agree it would be nice and they don’t mind. At eight o’clock Steve’s packed and is in his truck to leave, but he doesn’t want to go without me. I tell him I’d see him tomorrow afternoon, we have the newsletter and the posters to work on. And I’ll have my truck with me so we’ll figure things out then.
He leaves, almost whinin’, protestin’ sleepin’ alone tonight. I remind him Bob will be there. He smacks me on the butt and lets me know that kind of “alone” wasn’t what he meant and I shouldn’t be such a smart ass.
Once he’s gone, I go in to find space and emptiness. And when I go to bed I find the same things, not something I like anymore. I’m up early, since I had no interruptions in my sleep and find myself packing a bag. I put it in the truck and go to work. I’ll call Mom later to let her know I won’t be home for a few days.
Maria and
I are swamped so we have to work on the newsletter between appointments. There isn’t much to do because of the holiday, but we have a note from Miss Lili telling us to be sure we have the posters for the free dinner out by Tuesday and it needs to be big. How are we going to do that with a regular printer?
At four the sign men are here to put up both signs. At four ten a man comes in for the prototype poster for the dinner. The poster Steve has when he comes in, five minutes behind them. At four thirty the phone starts ringing asking about our boarding rates. Steve hands us a folder that was put together while we were on vacation with the recommended rates schedule in it. He said Miss Lili had flyers put out last week for the boarding house opening this week and he shows us the flyer in the folder. Mom comes in at four forty five and shows us where all the information and registration forms are kept. By five o’clock, Maria and I are about as confused as we can get, but we clean the office and close it.
I ask Maria and Steve if we can have supper together so we can figure everything out. Maria thinks it’s a good idea, but Steve’s puzzled. I ask Mom if she and Dad could join us, since she seems to know more about things than Maria and I do. At supper, we find out everything we knew would happen has happened and we have no clue about any of it. Mom agrees to come in tomorrow to help with the reservations and registrations of our pet guests.
I tell Mom I’d planned to stay with Steve ‘til Friday when I’d be home. She and Dad are okay with it. Mom asks if I’m “taking precautions” and I tell her yes. She gets in her car and drives away with a smile on her face. Dad follows her with the same smile on his face. Steve asks what the smiles were about and I have to tell him “I haven’t the faintest idea.”