Secrets of the Spiral Tower

by Joe Woods

  “Yeah? Which one?”

  “You remember that hair-lipped guy. What was his name?”

  “That’s Rudy. He is a sorry example of a human being.”

  “I had a slight problem with him, but Connor set him straight.”

  “Speaking of Connor, where is he?”

  “I stopped by the office today and Caitlyn told me he was meeting somebody down at Port Gibson. I’ll catch up with him later.”

  Turning onto Wisconsin Avenue and weaving through the side streets, Woody turned west on I-20 and headed across the Mississippi River Bridge.

  Rupert said, “My, the river appears to be on a rise.”

  “Yes. It is at the end of the annual spring rise. There is a lot of timber and farm land above here that has been flooded to record levels this year.”

  “You know, Woody, I can remember one year, after record snow falls across the northern states, how this river rose to elevations second only to the great flood of 1927. Towing that year was as dangerous as it gets.”

  “Daddy, remember? I went out on the river with you after a big tow hit the bridge and broke up. We chased and caught barges as far downstream as five miles.”

  “Yes, Willow, that was a harrowing experience. Remember that fuel barge we caught?”

  “Do I ever? I recall all of the talk on the two-way radio between you and the Coast Guard. As I remember, you owned the only tow boat with enough horsepower to hook up and hold the barge. But, Daddy, since this was such a dangerous mission I’ve always wondered why you took me along?”

  “It was time for you to learn how it was done. I wanted to show you the right way to hook up a fuel barge and not blow the thing up.”

  “Uncle Rupert, how many times have you chased loose barges on this river?”

  “I don’t remember exactly but at least twenty-five times. That was always dangerous work, but I had an experienced crew and they knew what to do. And it seemed like more often than not, we had to do it at night. But each time we were paid very well.”

  “Willow, do you remember the time your mama, you, Woody, Connor, and I camped out on Goat Island?”

  “Oh, Daddy, I certainly do. That was the time we almost lost Connor. We were standing on the edge of the steep sand shoreline, when a tow boat came by and rolled a huge wave into that sand face. The sand collapsed under Connor and he fell in.”

  “The only thing that saved him was my long arms stretched out, and grabbing the strap on his life jacket and pulling him to shore. That scared me more than anything we ever did towing barges.”

  “Yes, Daddy. That scared the punk out of me. And, we never camped on that island again.”

  “Yeah. That was too close for me. But, you know it was a good place to camp overnight and have fun around the campfire.”

  “Those days were fun. I guess people still do that.”

  “Yes. Mainly teenage kids do it today,” said Woody.

  “Uncle Rupert, I’m going to bring up an embarrassing memory for Willow. Do you remember the time she and Connor took your Jeep out on the sandbar below the bridge?”

  Rupert laughed. “Yeah. You know I had just gotten that World War II Jeep completely refurbished and had no intentions of ever getting it off the hard surface.”

  “I know you spent a lot of money on mechanical and cosmetic restoration.”

  “Yeah, that’s right Woody. As I recall, the paint job alone cost me $4,000. It was sharp with those chrome wheels, roll bar, and some oversized, raised letters street tires. I was so proud of it.”

  “Daddy that was a very difficult time for me, especially when I called you on the two-way radio to come get us. I knew everybody in Warren County heard my distress call. I can laugh now, but not that night. When you drove up in your Dodge 4X4, Connor drifted out of the headlights. He was terrified you were going to throw him in the river.”

  “That thought crossed my mind. But, then I realized that you were probably the guilty one for going out on the sand bar anyway.”

  “You’re right, Daddy. I coaxed Connor into driving down there. He was scared to, but I kept on accusing him of being a chicken. He finally gave in, and we made one run before hitting a soft spot and sank up to the axles. We stopped just like we hit a stone wall. It was a good thing the windshield was down; otherwise I would have hit it head on. I fell across the dash and onto the hood. Jumping off, I panicked, thinking if a tow boat should come by and rolled a big wave our way, the jeep would sink out of sight.”

  “Didn’t you split your lip on something?” Woody asked.

  “Yes, but that didn’t matter.”

  “But, Daddy, you didn’t raise your voice at me.”

  “Willow I don’t want to tell you what I was thinking, though. It wasn’t very nice.”

  “You know, Daddy, we never went back to the sand bar. And I never asked to drive the Jeep again.”

  “That’s good, because after I got it cleaned up again, I kept the key in my pocket and I wasn’t about to let anybody drive it.”

  Woody asked, “Where is the Jeep now?”

  “It is stored in my maintenance building at the Port Gibson Port.”

  “Now that Willow is back to stay, do you think we should get it out?”

  “You know, Woody, I haven’t thought about it in several years. If you want to crank and drive it, I would love to ride in it again.”

  “What about it, Willow?”

  “Umm, I don’t know. My last memory of that Jeep wasn’t a pleasant one.”

  “Then that’s even more reason for us to get it out. I can probably get it running again with very little effort. We could make some more pleasant memories this time. “

  “Okay, let’s think about it a bit more. Let’s go home now.”

  “Willow, Olga and Anne are meeting me at the Complex. I’ll get in the car with them and follow you home. They have the barbecue.”

  “Sounds like a plan, Woody. I’m getting hungry. I’ll call Mamie and give her a heads up and ask her to make some sweet iced tea.”

  “Great.”

  As Willow and Rupert drove away from the Complex, she asked, “Daddy, how do you feel about going to our old home?”

  “I’m looking forward to it. Can I stay the night? It would be great to sleep in my old bed for a change.”

  “I hadn’t thought about that, but I’ll see what can be arranged. It would be nice for the two of us to stay there again.”

  At that moment, Willow’s phone rang. She recognized the number. “Hello Connor. Where are you?”

  “I’m leaving Port Gibson headed your way. “

  “Good. Stop by my old home. I’ve got Daddy here, and Woody and his family are on the way.”

  “What? You’ve got Rupert there?”

  “Yes. Woody and I took him on a ride across the river today. You won’t believe what Daddy remembered.”

  “What?”

  “The sinking of his Jeep.”

  “Oh, my. That was one big nightmare for me. When your daddy arrived to pull us out, I thought about running away. He had spent so much time renovating that old thing and in just a few minutes, we practically destroyed it. You know that Jeep is parked in the maintenance building at the port down here.”

  “Yeah. He and Woody talked about getting it out and fixing it up again.”

  “Sounds like you and Woody are having fun.”

  “Yes, we are. It is good to reminisce about those ‘good ole days’ and laugh at some of the things we did. They weren’t necessarily funny then, but looking back, it is easy to laugh now. Are you going to stop by or what are your plans?”

  “Yes. I’ll stop. When are you and Rupert going back to the Complex?”

  “I’m thinking I want to spend the night with Daddy here.”

  “But, what about us? I wanted a repeat of last night.”

  “Connor, I don’t think I can survive another night like that for a while. Daddy is so happy. We’ll have time later.”

  “Willow, I’m looking
forward to being with you. I want you all to myself.”

  “Now, Connor. I’ve got other commitments with friends and family. There’ll be plenty of time for you. By the way, I stopped by McKenzie Towing today.”

  “Yeah, I know. Caitlyn called me. She said that you’re setting up a private office there.”

  “That’s right. In a couple of weeks, I want to move in and get involved.”

  “Are you for real?”

  “Yes. You don’t object do you?”

  “Oh, no. After all, it is your father’s company. I’m just hired help.”

  “Now, Connor, you know that’s not so. You’ve been a member of this family for over thirty years.”

  “I guess that’s true but blood is thicker than water. Anyhow, you can take over. I’ll go fishing and hunting with some of my buds.”

  “Connor, don’t get defensive. I just want to be a part of your business life as well as your personal life.”

  “Willow, I think I’ll skip stopping by and go home.”

  “We’ve got some good barbecue. I hate for you to miss out on that and go eat something from one of those short order places. And, by the way, Daddy asked about you. He would love to visit with you for a while. You could bring him up on your meeting today. He probably knows the customer.”

  “Okay, I’ll stop by for a few minutes. Do I need to pick up anything?”

  “No. Mamie is making iced tea, so we’re all set, just waiting on you.”

  “Give me about twenty-five minutes.”

  “Sounds good.”

  As Woody, Olga, and Anne pulled up the driveway, the next door neighbor, Mrs. Bray, walked across her yard and called out, “Hello.”

  “Hello, Mrs. Bray. It is good to see you.”

  “Woody, is that you?”

  “Yes ma’am. It is. Let me introduce you to my wife, Olga and daughter, Anne.”

  “Hi, Olga. Hi, Anne. It is good to meet both of you. I’ve known this guy since he was your size, Anne.”

  Anne, slightly embarrassed, ducked behind Woody. Olga extended her hand. “It is nice to meet you, Mrs. Bray. Seems like I should already know you. Woody has mentioned you many times.”

  Swelling up with pride, Mrs. Bray said, “Well, I did have a hand in raising him. He and Willow played in my backyard often and used to come to my door looking for something to drink.”

  “We really enjoyed visiting in your house because you always had a coconut cake to go along with everything else.”

  “Yes. Coconut cake is a specialty of mine.”

  Turning to Anne, Mrs. Bray asked, “Darling, would you like to have a piece of cake?”

  Looking up at her Daddy, Anne didn’t know what to say.

  “Anne, as much as you like desserts, you will enjoy Mrs. Bray’s cake.”

  Taking Anne by the hand, Mrs. Bray led Anne across her yard and inside her home. In a couple of minutes, Anne emerged with a quarter sheet cake in her hands.

  “My goodness, Anne. That’s enough cake for all of us.”

  “Uncle Rupert,” Woody said, entering Rupert’s house. “I don’t believe you’ve met my wife, Olga. And Anne has grown up since you last saw her.”

  Olga extended her hand to Rupert. “Uncle Rupert, is it okay if I call you that? It is very nice to meet you.”

  “Yes, you may call me Uncle. We’re all part of the family.”

  “Where is the barbecue?” Willow asked.

  “It’s out in my truck. I’ll go get it.”

  Moving toward the door, Mamie said, “Mr. Woody, let me help you.”

  “Thank you, Mamie.”

  About that time, Connor pulled up.

  Mrs. Bray waved, saying, “Hello Connor. Looks like y’all are having a party.”

  “It is a party of sorts. Willow brought her Daddy home for a while.”

  “That’s good, Connor. I know Rupert misses being here.”

  “Who knows, Willow may bring him home full-time.”

  “Wonderful. It would be good to have a neighbor again. We could sit in the back yard and watch the tow boats and barges go by.”

  “I’m sure he would enjoy that.”

  Connor turned to Woody. “How are you today?”

  “Doing just fine. How about you?”

  “Just as busy as ever. May I help you with something?”

  “Grab that sack. It has a carry out box full of baked beans. Be careful. I don’t know how well it is sealed.”

  “No problem. Boy, they sure smell good.”

  “Olga picked this up. We’re going to enjoy barbecue two days in a row.”

  “That’s all right with me. I love it.”

  After enjoying the meal, Connor turned to Rupert and asked him if he knew that Willow was setting up shop at the office.

  Rupert reacted with a look of surprise. “No. We haven’t talked ‘shop’ any. We’ve just been remembering some of the scrapes the two of you got in.”

  “Yes, I heard she reminded you of the Jeep incident.”

  “No, Connor, as a matter of fact, Woody brought that bit of information up. I can still remember my words when I saw my Jeep stuck in that hole. It wouldn’t do for me to repeat those choice words in front of these ladies.”

  “All I know is that I was scared to death,” Connor said. “I expected you to thrash me within an inch of my life.”

  “That thought crossed my mind, but then I realized Willow probably put you up to the idea.”

  “You’re right about that. She made me do it.”

  “Yes, I made him do it. He was such a ‘fraidy cat’. But, let’s change the subject. Daddy, I see the picture of Connor, Woody, and me still occupies a prominent place on your den wall.”

  “Yes, and you know something else?” asked Rupert, turning toward Anne. “This little girl here looks a lot like you.”

  “You’re right, Daddy. She has that beautiful blonde hair and deep blue eyes. That must be a McKenzie family gene.”

  “I suppose so. Blue eyes do run in our family. So, Connor, how is the towing business faring in these uncertain economic times?”

  “Rupert, it is amazing. But the true fact is that large companies are doing pretty well in contrast to smaller ones. Several of our smaller competitors are struggling to stay afloat, so to speak.”

  “Is it time for us to buy some of them?”

  “That’s certainly something to think about. Maybe when your daughter comes to work in a couple of weeks, she should take a hard look to see if any good buys are out there.”

  Willow spoke up saying, “Now hold on, Connor, I don’t know anything about buying somebody out. You’ll have to guide me in that effort.”

  “Willow I know with your experience of negotiating with worldly business men in the advertising business, you would have no problem dealing with us river rats.”

  “There is a world of difference between selling an ad campaign that has a predetermined shelf life, and buying tow boats and barges. Anyhow, let’s get off the shop talk. Daddy, do you want to stay here tonight?”

  “I can’t think of any place I would rather stay. May I?”

  “I need to contact Mr. Taylor and see what’s involved.”

  “Would you do that? You’ll need to go get my medicine. I have three pills I take every night.”

  “I can do that and I will have to go to Connor’s to get my suitcase.”

  “Okay. Let’s get rolling.”

  “No, Daddy. You stay here. Woody, could you and Olga stay ‘till I get back?”

  “We surely will.”

  Grabbing Connor by the arm, Willow said, “C’mon. I guess you’re on your way home and I’ll meet you there after checking Daddy out of the complex.”

  “Yeah. I’m on my way home. It has been a long day.”

  * * *

  Twenty minutes after Connor arrived home, Willow pulled into the garage. Connor met her with a glass of wine and a request. “Why don’t you spend a couple of hours with me?”

  “Connor, I can
’t do that. But thank you for the wine. By the time I get back, it will be nearly 8 o’clock. I’m sure Woody and his family needs to go home. Daddy needs his medicine, so let me grab my clothes and hit the road.”

  “From our discussion last night, I thought you were moving in with me.”

  “Connor, I may do that. But right now, I need to take care of Daddy.”

  “What made you change your mind?”

  “I haven’t changed my mind. It’s just encouraging to see how Daddy really came alive when we took him on the short ride. If my spending time with him can lift his spirits, I really want to do that. Mr. Taylor told me if I could get Daddy exercising a bit, he would be able to walk on his own and live longer.”

  “Willow, I don’t doubt that at all. But, remember I’ve been on hold for over thirty years also.”

  “Connor, I’m going to do all I can to satisfy both of you. You need to be patient. But, don’t make me choose between the two of you. If you do, I’ll have to choose Daddy.”

  Taking the last sip of her wine and setting the glass on the bar, Willow jogged up the stairs to Connor’s bedroom. As she was packing her suitcase, Connor grabbed her from behind and pulled her onto his bed.

  “What are you doing?”

  “I want to make love to you. Don’t you have time for that?”

  Pushing away, Willow said, “Not tonight.”

  She grabbed her suitcase and ran down the stairs and out to her car. As she pulled away Connor stood in the driveway and shouted. “You’ll be sorry for running out on me.”

  Willow, shaken by Connor’s unusual actions, sped down the driveway and across Highway 61. She gripped the steering wheel so tightly that her knuckles turned white. She was trembling and her mouth was as dry as a ball of cotton. Looking down at her speedometer she realized that she was speeding.

  Slow down, she thought.

  Driving eighty miles per hour in a sixty-five mile per hour zone is a definite no-no.

  Lifting her foot off the accelerator, the car slowed to the posted speed limit. She stayed below the speed limit the rest of the way.

  Coming to a stop in her driveway, Willow was greeted by Woody.

  Recognizing her excited state, Woody asked if everything was okay.

  “Yes. Connor and I had a brief argument. But, it’s okay.”