Mr. Sutton sat there, and just sipped his tea and listened. Maggie Patterson desperately needed to talk. He poured cup after cup of hot healing tea, and lent his ear for as long she needed. He didn't give any advice, nor try to fix her problems, he simply sat and listened.
"Oh my!" She said, looking at the clock on the wall. "I'm so sorry Big Paul, I must have talked your ear off, I'm so sorry."
"No need to be sorry, ma'am." He answered, as he gently took the empty cup and saucer from her hands. "I'm here any time you need to talk."
"Will Jake be here tomorrow?" She asked, giving him a slight smile.
"Ma'am, if you don't mind" Mr. Sutton said. "I'd like to speak with him first. I'm having dinner with him at the Brierly's tonight. I'll be sure to tell him you came by."
"The Brierly's?" questioned Maggie.
"Yes ma'am!" said Mr. Sutton. "He's living in the old barn on their land. Don't worry, he's perfectly comfortable there. He eats breakfast and dinner at the Brierly's every day."
Mrs. Patterson shook his hand, thanked him once again, and proceeded to leave the store. Mr. Sutton stood there for a few minutes, thinking how sad the situation was, and how her son had to grow up so quickly.
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Back at the house, Jake and Madison confirmed with the Brierly's of Big Paul's acceptance for the dinner invite. Mrs. Brierly was particularly excited to host the newcomer; she went right to work in the kitchen, cooking and baking. She loved to cook; an award winner actually, receiving a blue ribbon in many local contests.
While his wife cooked, Mr. Brierly, Jake and Madison went their separate ways to tidy the house and put on their nicest clothes for the special dinner with Mr. Sutton. All Mrs. Brierly had left was the finishing touches on the freshly baked apple pie. Shortly after everything was prepared, she also went upstairs to freshen up and get changed.
Jake and the Brierly's were all dressed up and ready to eat around 6:54 p.m. There was a loud knock at the front door, and Mrs. Brierly stood up and adjusted her dress.
"That must be him!" she said. "Get the door Nate!" she ordered, as her husband chuckled and shook his head.
"Okay kids" Mr. Brierly, said as he smiled. "Be on your best behavior, alright?"
As Mr. Brierly opened the door, his eyes widened as he saw this huge man standing before him. His white beard was neatly trimmed, and his suit appeared professionally pressed. Mr. Sutton removed his hat, and stood with a smile waiting to be asked inside.
After a few seconds, Mr. Brierly heard his wife clear her throat, hoping to snap her husband out of his trance. It worked perfectly, Mr. Brierly, stepped aside motioning Mr. Sutton inside.
"Good evening Mr. Sutton, my name is Brierly, Nate Brierly." he said as he extended his hand.
"Pleased to meet you sir." answered Mr. Sutton, as the two shook hands.
"This is my lovely wife, Abigail." Mr. Brierly voiced, pointing to Mrs. Brierly.
"Pleasure to meet you, ma'am!" Paul said, as they shook hands.
"This is my daughter Madison." Mr. Brierly concluded and looked towards Jake. "And you've already met Jake, our little stow away."
"It's so nice to finally meet the two of you." Paul began. "I've heard so much about you from young Patterson here, and please, don't call me Mr. Sutton, I may be older in age, but I'm still very young at heart. Call me Big Paul."
As everyone made their way to the dining room, Big Paul slowly glanced around their home. "Mrs. Brierly, you have a beautiful home." He noted. "These paintings are just lovely."
"Well Mr. Sutton" she said proudly as she blushed "We take great pride in our home. As for the paintings, they were painted by our Madison Brierly!"
"This is just beautiful Madison!" he said, walking over to have a closer look. "You're quite talented young lady."
"It's easy!" She smiled. "I look at something, or think of something, and paint it!"
"Well" Mr. Sutton said "They are absolutely beautiful!"
As they sat at the table, Mr. Brierly said grace, and they began to pass the delicious food around. Then they heard a quiet knock at the front door. Mr. Brierly placed a bowl of vegetables down and sighed.
"Abigail, did you invite someone else to dinner?" He asked.
Mrs. Brierly shook her head, as Nate excused himself from the table and walked to the door. Everyone stopped eating and watched as he opened it, exposing a trembling frail woman.
"Pardon me, but is this the Brierly's home sir?" asked Maggie Patterson.
"Yes ma'am, how may I help you?" he answered.
"Is my son here?" she asked, poking her head inside the door. "Is Jake Patterson here?"
Mr. Brierly opened the door, allowing her to see her son. When she saw Jake, she put her hands over her mouth and began to tear up.
"Jake—Jake, is that you?" she called.
"How did you find me here?" Jake asked
"She pointed at Mr. Sutton. "I went to his store today, and he said you'd just left, but that you'd be here tonight. Don't be mad at that nice man Jake. He told me he'd speak to you about it first, and get back with me, but I couldn't help myself son, I just had to see you!"
Jake took the napkin from his lap and slammed it on the table. He got up from his chair and stormed over to his mother. "You shouldn't have come here. Please, go back to Round Rock where you belong, and leave me alone!" He stormed out of the house, and headed to the old barn.
Mr. Sutton politely excused himself, and followed Jake to the old barn to talk. Meanwhile, the Brierly's reluctantly invited the woman in, sat her down and made another plate of food. Madison stayed put and continued eating as if nothing was out of the ordinary. After all, it was lasagna night, her favorite.
"What's your name ma'am?" Mrs. Brierly asked.
"Maggie" She said quietly, as she took a small bite of bread. "Maggie Patterson."
Just like she did with Big Paul, Maggie began to explain to the Brierly's the reason Jake ran away, and how she was trying to get her life back in order.
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When Big Paul arrived at the old barn, he could hear Jake sobbing. He took a deep breath, then lightly knocked at the door. "Go away—just go away!" Jake announced.
"Hey partner," Paul said, slowly opening the door. "I smelled some good ol' apple pie at the Brierly's…how about we go back and get us a great big slice?"
"I hate apple pie!" Jake said sobbing; he was sitting on his bed picking at the fibers of his blanket. "I hate lasagna, I hate iced tea, I hate my clothes, I hate myself, I hate everything!" He began to sob even louder, and buried his face in his hands.
"It's okay to cry, Jake." Big Paul replied, as he sat next to him, putting his arm around his shoulder. "You've been through an awful lot. I'm really sorry Jake. I was going to tell you your mother stopped by, after we ate dinner, but it seems she beat me to it."
"Why Big Paul? Why did she have to come here?" Jake asked, wiping tears with his sleeve.
"I'm not sure." he answered "but everyone deserves a second chance. What do you think?"
"I guess so, but she quit caring about me Big Paul, she just stopped!"
"Jake" Big Paul handed him his handkerchief. "It's not always easy to forgive, and frankly, you don't have to, but either way, you'll have to live with the consequences of your decisions."
"What do you mean, consequences?" Jake asked, blowing his nose.
"Well" Paul now folded his arms and took a deep breath. "When I was about your age, maybe a couple years older, I ran away from home, just like you."
"You did?" Jake asked with surprise in his voice.
"Yep, my mother died giving birth to me, so I lived alone with my father. Anyway, I was fifteen years old, and one day, my friends invited me to a festival. I wanted to go so bad––Jenny Andrews was gonna be there, could you blame me? Oh, that girl always made me smile. Anyways, my father told me that I couldn't go, because of something I did wrong earlier that day––come to think of it, I can't remember what it was that made my father so angry."
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"So what'd you do, Big Paul?" Jake asked inquisitively.
"Well" he sighed "I snuck out and went anyway. We had a great time, and it was actually the first time I kissed Jenny Andrews."
"So what happened when you got home? Did you get grounded?" Jake asked, now hanging on Paul's every word.
"No, I didn't get grounded when I got home. My father was sitting in his favorite rocking chair in the living room, the one he and I built together. When I walked in, the first thing he did was ask where I'd been. He told me that I was forbidden to see any of my friends, and that included Jenny Andrews."
"So, what happened?" Jake asked "Let me guess, you forgave your father, and everyone lived happily ever after, right?"
"Oh no Jake. In fact, quite the opposite." Big Paul began. "You see, I ran away that night. My father tried to contact me time and time again, but I was so angry and bitter inside, that I never saw him again––well, I take that back, I did see him one last time."
"but you made up, right?" Jake said, as he smiled and snapped his fingers together.
"No." he replied, as his eyes began to water. "We never made up––you see, the last time I ever saw my father was fifteen years later, at his funeral. I was only thirty years old Jake."
"I'm sorry Big Paul." Jake said, putting his arm around him. "What about your friends, and Jenny Andrews?"
Mr. Sutton chuckled. "Me and my old friends parted ways, but Jenny and I––well, we got married in the spring, exactly one year to the day we met, we were only sixteen."
"Wow...really?" Jake asked.
"That Jenny Sutton, what a gal she was." Big Paul sighed, and looked toward the ceiling and smiled.
"You said was." Jake mentioned. "What do you mean, she was?"
"She passed away two years ago." He said, taking a deep breath in and exhaling slowly. "She died exactly three days after our 45th wedding anniversary."
"I'm so sorry to hear that Big Paul, I'm sure she was an extra special gal. Did y'all have any children?" he asked.
"You know Jake" he said, looking down at his shoes. "Jenny and I were only three months apart, she'd be 63 now." He shook his head and continued, "Well anyway, to answer your question, we tried having children, but for some reason we weren't able to. The good Lord has his reasons, but despite not having kids, Jenny and I had a wonderful life together. We were the best of friends from the day we met, until the day she closed her eyes in death, nobody could ever pull us apart."
"How'd she die?" Jake asked. "Well, I-If you don't mind me askin."
"I don't mind." Paul took a deep breath. "She's been sick on and off the last year of her life––I can remember the last moments with her. She was lying in bed, and I was by her side, holding her hand, she reached up, put her hand on my face and said 'I sure do love you, my beautiful Paul.' Then she put her hand to her side and looked into my eyes. I knew the end was near, so I told her I loved her one last time. She gave me a slight smile and said that she loved me too. Then her eyes closed, and she peacefully left this world. I kissed her forehead, and sat looking at her beautiful face until they came and took her body away. We buried my lovely Jenny three days later." Mr. Sutton wiped his eyes, then changed the subject back to Jake and his mother.
"Jake" he continued "I regret not going to my father. He died trying to make amends with me, but my stupid pride got in the way. My grandma was right; she wrote me a letter just before she died, I was only a baby then, not more than a few weeks old. But I'll tell you, that letter got me through a lot in life. I must have forgotten all about it when it came to making up with my father. Even my dear Jenny tried to convince me to make things right with him, but I never listened. I'll never have the chance that you have right now."
"I get it Big Paul, so what was the letter about––the one your grandma wrote?"
"It was about living life to the fullest, and living life with no regrets, stuff like that––One day I'll read it to you."
"Big Paul" Jake said "I don't wanna' regret this–– will you go with me?"
"Absolutely Jake––absolutely." He said as he smiled, reached over and lightly squeezed his shoulder.
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As they walked back into the house, they saw Madison at the table finishing up her dinner, and her parents getting to know Mrs. Patterson in the living room. Jake walked up to his mother and gave her a big hug.
"So how are you ma?" He asked. "How have you been?"
"I'm better Jake––Well, I'm getting better." She said, as she wiped tears from her eyes.
"What happened to you? What happened to us?" he asked.
"It's a long story son." She said as she sighed. "Perhaps we could spend some time together and talk?––in fact, why don't you come back home Jake, come back to Round Rock with me, we have so much to catch up on."
"Ma" Jake said, kneeling down and taking her hand. "I am home. I hope you will visit me sometime, but I live in the old barn, about a quarter-mile from here, I'm working with Big Paul, and I'm learning a lot about life. I'm sorry ma, but my home is here in Blackwater."
"I understand son." She said, nodding. "I've put you through a lot, and for that I'm sorry, I would like to visit you from time to time, and I hope that someday we can become close again."
Then she gave Jake a warm hug, stood up, said her goodbyes and left. After his mother was gone, Jake was feeling good that he and his mother finally made things right.
"Well everyone," Jake said "I don't know about y'all, but I sure am hungry."
Jake, Mr. Sutton and the Brierly's sat at the table, and finished their dinner. Madison on the other hand, who finished eating while the scene unfolded, took out her easel and paints, and began to paint the group having supper together. Although she was no longer sitting with them she took the liberty of painting herself, sitting in her normal chair enjoying the meal with her family and friends.
Chapter 5
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The Truth Revealed
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Five years have passed since Jake first moved into the old barn, and overall, not much changed in the town of Blackwater. By this time, Jake and Madison, now seventeen, had remained close friends, and including Little Edwin to the mix, made life just right.
Edwin could always find a way to make anything interesting, much more interesting. He was still playing baseball, and still the worst player on the team; until one day his coach offered him a position of equipment manager, and third base coach.
Edwin still played occasionally when one of the other players were injured or absent, but he really had a knack for the mechanics of the game. He soon came to be the coaches' right hand man. Although he may have been the worst player on the field, it seemed he understood the game better than anyone. He would often make small suggestions to the coach, and whenever the coach utilized those suggestions, they worked like a charm.
Mr. and Mrs. Brierly steadily worked on their crops and continued making a great life for themselves. Also, Jake and his mother regularly kept in contact, visiting one another when they could.
As for the others—well, Smitty was still Smitty and the others haven't changed much either. Big Paul was very successful with his furniture store. In time, Jake became very skilled at building and repairing all types of furniture, and Madison—well, that charming young lady could sell milk to a dairy farmer. Big Paul let her sell furniture on commission, and she proved to be a very convincing, wonderful saleswoman. Her beautiful smile mixed with her vibrant attitude was a sure sale to anyone who walked into the store.
Apart from running the furniture store, Big Paul also managed to become the town's adviser. After getting past Madison, buying items they didn't really want or need, they'd make their way to Mr. Sutton's office to ask his advice and opinion on just about any and every subject. As a result, Big Paul would often stay late in his office, catching up on paperwork bookkeeping, etc. However, this never mattered much; Mr. Sutton simply loved to help people, in whatever way possible.
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One day, while working at the furniture store, Jake became a bit agitated with Madison as he was repairing a rocking chair in the workshop. He started to become upset, when he noticed her flirting with one of the older boys in town. Although he was in the back, he could see and hear everything transpiring through the open doorway which separated the workshop from the showroom. Jake continued his repairs, but a bit louder than normal, in hopes to get Madison's attention.
Madison glanced towards Jake, shrugged her shoulders then continued her conversation with Chad Westfield. Jake kept working until he heard the chime of the bell. He looked and noticed Chad Westfield finally left the store. Jake stopped what he was doing, brushed himself off, and walked over to Madison.
"So," Jake said. "What was Chad Leftfield doing here? Like the saying—out in left field."
"It's Chad Westfield, not Leftfield!" She corrected, rolling her eyes and folding her arms. "And oh by the way, Chad Westfield just asked me to have a picnic with him tomorrow in the park."
Jake didn't know why, but when he heard those words, it tore him up inside. Nevertheless, he struggled to appear happy for his friend. "That's great Maddie!" He said "You should wear something really nice!"
Madison was shocked. It wasn't the reaction that she was hoping for. Deep inside she expected Jake would be just a little bit jealous. "You wanna help me pick something out?" she asked.
"Sure" he replied "Why don't you try on some clothes after we have supper tonight? I'll tell you which one to wear."
"Okay, I'll tell you all about how he asked me on our way home!" She said smiling.
"Well" he sighed "I was planning on stopping by Misty McFarland's house when I got off."
"Oh?" Madison questioned, being somewhat surprised.
"Yep" he said "I've wanted to ask her out for a while. I was planning on going yesterday, but I lost track of time, so I'm heading there today instead."
And Along Came Jake Page 8