The Grey Man- Changes

by JL Curtis

  Matt replied, “Felicia wants me to come back after breakfast, which would be about eight she said. I guess I’m going to be introduced to the other side of the family tomorrow. I cannot believe how big the dad’s side is, there must have been thirty people that came through! And apparently their mother’s side is bigger! I don’t know what the hell I got myself into here.”

  The old man said, “There are only two that count, the two Abuelas. Everybody else is window dressing.”

  Matt looked at him. “Abuelas?” Searching his memory, he finally said, “Grandmothers?”

  The old man nodded. “Yep, they control the families. Get in good with them, you’re in. They don’t like you, you’re history. Period.”

  After everyone had been shuffled off to their various beds, the old man sat at the kitchen table enjoying one last cup of coffee. Yogi flopped bonelessly next to the chair, not even moving. This is the way the house should be, full of sound, life, and people. And this is quite a group of people. Tomorrow is Christmas Eve, two more days and the kids have to head back. That’s going to hurt. I didn’t realize how much I missed Jesse till she wasn’t here, but she’s got a real life now. I just need to let her go, and she’ll be a lot safer well away from here.

  The old man got up slowly, rinsed his cup and called softly to Yogi as he headed to the bedroom.

  ***

  Christmas Eve dawned cool but clear, and the Marines were up and out running early. Trey came in a few minutes later, begging a cup of coffee. They sat in companionable silence until Beverly, Jesse and Cindy descended on the kitchen chattering like magpies. Billy, never a morning person, grumped in complaining about all the noise as he poured himself a cup of coffee. The old man started breakfast as soon as the Marines came back, and the girls all scrambled to get presentable as they called it. Everybody got fed, and the girls cleaned up the kitchen while the guys showered and dressed. Matt went out the door like a man going to his hanging, but the real surprise was Cindy and Toad holding hands and Toad saying he was going to give Cindy a ride home.

  Toad said he’d be back by tomorrow night, and Cindy just smiled. There was really nothing anyone could or would say, since they were both adults and they left as soon as they loaded their bags in Toad’s truck.

  Aaron poured another cup of coffee and asked plaintively, “Will somebody tell me what the hell is going on here?”

  Jesse looked across the table at him and sighed. “Aaron, sometimes you guys are dumber than a box of rocks. Cindy likes Toad because he’s never put on airs. He’s smart, he hasn’t tried to bullshit her, and she was impressed because he actually talked to her and listened to her. Most guys she’s had interactions with either wanted to get in her pants, or thought she was a dumb blonde, or they were scared of her when they realized she is very smart.”

  Aaron said, “But Toad is not-”

  Jesse held up her hand. “No, Toad isn’t the most handsome guy out there, and he could use some better skills at picking out clothes, but that’s not what Cindy sees. She sees his smarts and his willingness to communicate! That makes up for all the other shortcomings.”

  Billy laughed. “Aaron, you young pups gotta learn that suave and deboner don’t always get the job done.” Which prompted Trey to spit coffee and cough loudly as Beverly pounded him on the back.

  Trey and Beverly got up, and Trey said, “I hate to do this, but we need to get on down the road too. I promised Momma we’d be there today, and knowing her, she’s probably staring at the front door wondering where the hell we are.” He reached over and hugged Jesse. “You get well, girl.” Shaking hands with Aaron he continued, “You sir, stay safe. We want you back in one piece. You gotta keep her happy.”

  Aaron nodded, and Beverly hugged both Jesse and Aaron, as Trey came around the table to Billy and the old man. Billy looked up at Trey and said, “You take care of yourself and say hi to your mother for me.”

  Trey stuck out his hand and said, “I will, Mr. Cronin. Thank you for putting us up, and I wish you a very Merry Christmas. If you get up to Dallas, please let us know.” Billy and the old man both shook hands with him, and Beverly kissed the old man. “He means it, and I do too. Y’all are family to us. Please don’t be strangers.”

  The old man nodded. “I will Trey, thank you Beverly. Y’all drive safe, okay?” Everyone trooped out and Aaron helped Trey put the bags in the car. They waved as they drove out of the yard, and Jesse flopped down on the porch. Boo Boo immediately jumped up and started licking her in the face and was soon joined by Yogi on the other side, much to everybody’s merriment. She got up and chased Aaron into the house saying he deserved to share some doggie kisses as Billy and the old man laughed.

  They sat in the rockers, and chatted about the possible lawsuit, which still had not been filed. The old man was pretty sure the suit was coming, but Billy didn’t think even Hector would file on something as flimsy as what he had. “Have you told Jesse, yet?”

  “Nope, not planning on it unless it actually gets filed.”

  Jesse and Aaron came out of the house laughing and bundled up, and Jesse said, “We’re going to run into town. Either of y’all need anything, we’ll be back in a few hours?” Both of then demurred and Jesse and Aaron left for town.

  Billy and the old man went through the rest of the paperwork, and Billy left to fly back to Houston after noon. The old man wandered the property, fed Diablo and Buttercup some apples and generally stayed out of the house. Suddenly, it was too quiet. He checked all the buildings, noting that Beverly had made the bed and put all the towels in the washing machine before they’d left. He went ahead and started it, but went back outside, not wanting to stay in the silent house. Yogi and Boo Boo followed him closely, both sensing his mood and never getting far away. He finally remembered he had to take the turkey out, and set it on the counter in a pan to thaw. The photocell bonged, and the dogs ran to the door with the old man close behind. It was Aaron and Jesse returning, and they were loaded down with packages and bags.

  Jesse placed the bags she had on the counter and looked at the old man, “Papa, can I do a meatloaf for dinner? I haven’t had a good one in a while.”

  The old man smiled. “You can fix anything you want. It’ll get eaten, you know that.”

  Jesse grinned. “Meatloaf, mashed potatoes and green beans. And gravy! And biscuits!”

  Aaron laughed. “What is wrong with you Jesse?”

  Jesse replied, “Comfort food. I’m home, it’s Christmas, and I want comfort food.”

  Aaron rolled his eyes. “Yes, dear.”

  Jesse said, “That is the right answer. For that you get a kiss.” And proceeded to kiss him until his ears turned red. Jesse laughed delightedly and pushed him away saying, “Now go away. I have to concentrate on cooking.”

  Jesse’s dinner was a hit, and everything disappeared, even the crumbs. The men did the dishes and Yogi and Boo Boo did the puppy pre-wash on the gravy and meatloaf pans. Everyone decided to go to bed early, since tomorrow was Christmas

  Later, as Aaron and Jesse lay in bed after making love, Jesse said softly, “Aaron, I just realized I haven’t been taking my pills. What do we do if I get pregnant?”

  Aaron pulled her closer and kissed her again. “We have a baby boy. That’s what.”

  Jesse returned his kiss and their hands began roaming over each other’s bodies again. As they made love Jesse held Aaron tightly and moaned, “Oh, how I’ve missed you.” Then she laughed, prompting Aaron to freeze. “Now what?”

  Jesse started again and whispered, “Well, the last couple of days we’ve sure as hell consummated our marriage haven’t we.”

  Aaron laughed as he collapsed beside Jesse. “Yes we have, Mrs. Miller. And I hope you’ve enjoyed it as much as I have.”

  Jesse snuggled against Aaron and said, “Oh yes, oh yes. Good night, hubby of mine.”

  Aaron held Jesse and dropped off to sleep with a smile on his face.

  Unwrapping and Wrapping up

  Ch
ristmas morning dawned clear and cold, but Matt and Aaron were up and out early, running as the sun rose over the hills. The old man sat in the kitchen with the dogs and sipped his coffee as he watched the old aluminum Christmas tree change colors as the color wheel turned. His thoughts turned back to earlier years, Amy playing with Jack on the floor in front of that same tree, Jack and his little red wagon and Jesse as a baby, stopping the color wheel and laughing even as Amy told her it was hot. A tear rolled unbidden down the old man’s cheek and he hastily wiped it away as he got up and walked into the office. He pulled the few small presents off the top of the safe and placed them under the tree, just as Matt and Aaron came back through the door laughing.

  Matt poked Aaron. “You’re out of shape! You used to beat me by fifty or a hundred yards.”

  Aaron smiled. “Well, considering I haven’t run in three months, I’m just happy to keep up with an old man like you.”

  Jesse came out of the bedroom and said grumpily, “Will you two just shut up! Damn, I’d like to sleep in one morning this trip. Just one, but no! You two have to prove how manly you are. Gah!”

  Boo Boo clicked over to the bowls and noisily slurped water then licked Jesse, prompting her to jerk her hand away, and spill coffee. “Really, dog, really? You just had to do that, didn’t you, Boo Boo?” Boo Boo barked happily at Jesse, prompting a sigh and laughter from the men.

  The old man fixed breakfast as the kids, as he thought of them, got cleaned up. Yogi and Boo Boo sat on each side of the old man, hoping interesting things might hit the floor until the old man gave them treats in the living room.

  Jesse, Aaron and Matt dug into breakfast as Matt kept looking at the time. Jesse finally asked, “Well, are you going to Felicia’s folks or not?”

  Matt said, “Felicia told me she wanted to come out here first. She said she’d be here by eight.”

  Shortly after 8:00AM, the photocell bonged and Felicia pulled up in front of the house. After greeting the dogs, Felicia called Matt and he helped her bring a box into the house. Felicia proceeded to hand out presents from the box and people began tearing into the wrappings after everyone had presents in front of them. Almost simultaneously, Jesse and Felicia both squealed, and held up jewelry. Jesse realized the pieces she held had been done by the ‘Lenes and remembered telling Aaron about how beautiful they were. She glanced over to see Felicia holding the turquoise and silver set that she’d also told Aaron about.

  She leaned over and kissed Aaron. “Thank you, I love them, but you spent way too much for these. I know what they’re worth.”

  Felicia, tears streaming down her face, was hugging Matt for all she was worth and finally said, “This is the first piece of jewelry anyone other than my family has ever given me. Jesse, can you help me?”

  Jesse and Felicia headed off to the bathroom and put on the jewelry as Aaron and Matt shook their heads. The old man handed Matt and Aaron two boxes that were suspiciously unbalanced, and they looked at each other questioningly and then opened the packages.

  Matt got his open first, and said, “Holy shit, Mr. Cronin. I can’t-”

  Aaron finally got his open and sat with a stunned look on his face. Jesse and Felicia came back just then and Jesse asked, “What? What happened?”

  Matt held up the engraved nickel 1911 with shaking hands, and Felicia said, “Oh, Matt, a barbeque gun!”

  Jesse reached in and took another engraved nickel 1911 out of Aaron’s box, racked the slide and checked it was safe and said, “Yep, barbeque gun, cattle brand style.” Looking suspiciously at the old man, she said, “These aren’t-”

  The old man held up a hand. “No, mine are still in the safe. These are Cole Agee’s cattle brand pattern via Weldon Bledsoe, but David Wade Harris did them over in Granbury. David was a student of Weldon’s back in the day.”

  Felicia looked at the old man in confusion. “Who are they?”

  Matt reached into the box and pulled out an antiqued brown belt, holster and magazine carrier and whistled. “Damn, these are beautiful too!”

  Aaron finally reached into his box and pulled out a dark brown duplicate to Matt’s rig, and sat back against the couch not saying a word.

  The old man said, “Well, Cole Agee was an engraver of six guns and 1911s here in Texas and he came up with the cattle brand style of the Texas brands. He taught Weldon Bledsoe, who taught David Wade Harris back in the eighties. It’s not a standard type of engraving, but it’s pretty well thought of here in Texas. Kenny Rowe made the belts and holsters over in Hope, Arkansas. He did them to the old school patterns. All their stuff is hand done, so it takes a while.”

  Matt said, “Mr. Cronin, I know how much, well I can guess how much this gun is worth. I can’t possibly accept-”

  The old man replied, “Matt, Aaron, you have no choice. These guns and rigs are gifts from the sheriff, Clay and myself. Y’all put your asses on the line when you didn’t have to, and Aaron, now that you’ve married into the family, you’ve gotta have a dress-up gun for barbeques and church and such.”

  Aaron stuttered, “Ch-church?”

  The old man chuckled. “Yep, we do wear guns to church. Didn’t you pay any attention at the wedding?”

  Jesse laughed. “Papa, stop it. At least the finish on Aaron’s rig matches mine; that was nice of you. But I’ll stick with my blued gun, thank you very much.”

  The old man slapped his head. “Damn, almost forgot yours, Jesse!” He handed an oblong box to her and sat back in anticipation.

  Jesse cautiously opened the box, only to find a long black zippered case inside. Zipping it open, she pulled out a fixed blade knife in a sheath that matched her gun belt. She pulled the knife out and exclaimed, “Oh, Papa! That is beautiful!” Turning the knife to catch the light, she asked, “Damascus? I’ve never seen a pattern like this before!”

  Everyone looked at the old man as Aaron gently took the knife from Jesse’s grip. “It’s a custom done by Gordon Graham over in east Texas. He calls it tiled Damascus, and he’s been working on it for a long time.”

  Aaron said, “Ow!” He sucked his thumb. “Sharp sumbitch, too!” he added, prompting laughter as he handed it to Matt. Jesse finally got it back and put it back in the sheath.

  Everyone finished opening the rest of the presents, and even the dogs got toys, so everyone was happy. Matt and Felicia left to go see the rest of Felicia’s family and Jesse fixed lunch while the old man and Aaron took care of the horses. Late in the afternoon, Toad pulled back in, and when Jesse asked him what happened, he replied, “Well, it was interesting. Apparently Cindy’s dad is a hunter, so we hit it off. We had a good talk on the way up, too.”

  Toad headed out to the old house to clean up and left Jesse standing in the kitchen frustrated with Toad’s answers, so she jumped on the computer and sent a long email to Cindy to try to find out what in the hell was going on.

  Dinner was a quiet affair, with Felicia begging off shortly after dinner saying she needed to say goodbye to her family. Matt elected to stay at the ranch, and the old man found he and Toad in the kitchen with the Harris Colt spread out on newspapers as Toad cleaned and checked the pistol. Aaron brought his in also, and Toad was soon in his element, instructing both Matt and Aaron on the care and feeding of 1911s and telling them both guns were from the 1918 series, just after WWI.

  The old man met Jesse in the office, had her go over the ranch paperwork, and make sure she had copies of all the important paperwork since she wasn’t planning on being home before taxes were due. Felicia called and said Angelina would drop her off at 06:00AM that she needed to have a little more time with the family.

  That started Matt worrying, and nothing Aaron or Jesse could say lightened his mood. Finally, everyone went to bed, and the old man made one more round of the house and grounds before he turned in.

  Early the next morning, when Angelina pulled in with Felicia, breakfast was just being set. Angelina joined them, saying that everyone enjoyed seeing Matt and Felicia, and how much Pedro
was going to miss his ‘horsie’.

  Everyone laughed at that, and Angelina stayed until they’d loaded the truck and said their goodbyes. As Toad pulled the Excursion out of the yard, Angelina reached up and hugged the old man. “Mr. Cronin, my family thanks you for bringing Matt into Felicia’s life. I know it’s hard for you, being out here by yourself. Abuela says you’re welcome any time if you want some home cooking. Abuelo Ortega asked you stop by next time you get the chance. He said he has something for you.”

  The old man thanked Angelina and walked her to her car. Watching her leave, his thoughts turned dark, knowing he was facing an empty house again, and decided to take Diablo for a ride. He took Diablo up to the north 40 and visited the cemetery, saying a prayer for each one there. It started getting chilly, and the old man finally decided to head back to the house.

  ***

  Fourteen hours after they left the ranch, Toad dropped Matt, Aaron, Felicia, Jesse and Boo Boo off at the apartment. Matt summed it up succinctly, “Well, fun’s over, now it’s back to reality.” Jesse and Felicia hugged Toad and thanked him for driving and Toad headed off to the barracks.

  Matt loaded Felicia’s bags in his truck and took her home, telling Aaron he’d see them tomorrow. While Aaron carried the bags in, Jesse took Boo Boo for a walk, and fed her before taking a quick shower. She and Aaron flopped into bed and Jesse snuggled into Aaron’s side with a sigh, “Thanks for being you, Aaron. I love you.”

  Aaron nuzzled her hair as he whispered, “I love you, too, Jesse. One more day and I’ve got to go back.”

  Jesse hugged him tightly. “I know. I don’t like it, but I know. Dammit, this week’s just flown by.”

  Aaron said, “Yeah, but at least I got a week back. This didn’t use to happen, we were gone for a full deployment.”

  Jesse turned to face him. “I don’t know which is worse, this- this tease or not having you at all for the entire six months.”