Story Up On Hartford Ridge

[Kathy in FL]

Kathy,

Thanks for the chapters. Remembering more of the next chapters as this elderly brain starts to remember.

15 chapters posted and another 85 chapters to go. 5 chapters at a time seems like a lot, until you complete the 5th chapter and start dreaming about the next 5 chapters.

If you posted moar than 5 chapters, the moar hounds would howl about needing moar.

At 5 chapters per day, that is 17 plus days depending on how many chapters are yet to be written. Then the crying will really start.

Sometimes good things end way to soon.

Texican....

I have a calendar for Gus and Hartford to keep myself on track. Barring an emergency, Hartford should be up to Ch 90 on 2/17. I may slow down to one a day until the story is completed after that. There is definitely 98 chapters thus far and I really want to complete it in not too many more chapters than that.

 

[Dumb Blonde]

While the link is not working, I managed to get to Hartford Ridge via google.
I've spent a day and a half up there and now I have nothing left to read....

 

[Sammy55]

Well, Kathy, I seem to be in the minority here. I have not ever read this book. So, it's all new to me! LOL!! I am immensely enjoying it thus far and very very much look forward to the rest of it. If it's anything like your other books, I will learn a lot. And I think I will, just like I suspect that the Hartford Clan will also learn from Kay-Lee's experiences in life and at her school. She just might become a "Grandpa's favorite!"

I really enjoy your books! So many SHTF books are centered around strong men so it's really nice to read your books that are centered around strong, smart, down-to-earth women who can, as they say, "bring home the bacon and fry it up in the pan." Reading about strong women helps me to better myself as much as I can in my circumstances. Thank you for that!! (Pac's books are much the same way.)

 

[Kathy in FL]

Chapter Sixteen

"'S'cuse me ma'am. We're here to pick up ..."

I guess they have a lot of practice at that sort of thing because they were in and out in twenty minutes. They took the bed and the medical monitoring equipment but said the rest of the stuff was supposed to be "disposable" and was not returnable as it had already been paid for by the insurance company. They said if I wanted to get rid of it I'd have to make a special call for medical waste. Well I wasn't interested in throwing it away but I didn't tell them that so while they dismantled and moved the big stuff out I started carting the boxes to the wrap around porch, ostensibly to give them more room to work.

After they left I went back upstairs and continued emptying each room. Between loads down the stairs, I would check the washing machine and when it was finished I would take whatever was in that load outside and hang it to dry on the clothes line. I was lucky and a fresh late April breeze blew everything dry before the wet stuff could get backed up. I didn't bring anything back inside however, I just folded it and left it on the porch to keep it from getting restinkified.

Then I had to stop as the gas man arrived and he wasn't the nicest human being on the block, complaining at how far "out in the god forsaken boonies" we lived and how he wasn't getting paid enough and how "the damned hillbillies" always seemed to want something for nothing. I was surprised someone would feel so free to talk like that around someone they didn't know but when he started going on about the state of the yard and how hillbillies kept things so trashy, I started seeing things from his perspective. That didn't mean I agreed with him, but I could see how someone might mistake the mess I was making for a permanent way of doing things. I didn't enlighten him. If he wanted to be a jerk, I decided to let him go on ahead and make a fool of himself while he was at it.

He kept complaining until he got into his truck, slammed the door, and left. I was glad to see the back end of him but was startled when he slammed back out of the truck and stomped to the other side and started taking off several propane tanks and setting them near the porch. "You know I would have gotten in trouble. You'd have just let me drive off. I coulda lost my job."

"It was Mr. Hartford that placed the order. I'm just signing for it. I don't know what all he ordered."

"Then he shoulda told you. I don't have time to babysit every damn customer."

He finally left in a cloud of dust and diesel fumes leaving me to wonder just what some people's personal problems were. I didn't start cleaning again until after I ate some peanut butter crackers for lunch. While I did that, I thought about what I would need to fix for dinner and came to the conclusion that at some point real soon I needed to make a menu instead of just doing everything at the last minute.

I continued cleaning, making a few more discoveries here and there then worked on separating the laundry to give my hip some relief from the stairs. Soon enough I realized it was time to stop thinking about supper and actually put my plan into action.

There was a small home canned jar of beef chunks and some potatoes in a mesh bag. I put the potatoes on to boil and turned the beef chunks into a pot. Then using the corn starch that I had found in the freezer I made a little thickener to turn the beef broth into gravy. I was no sooner finishing the mashed potatoes when a truck pulled up.

A minute later I heard the front screen door open. "Whoa, guess they came and got that stuff like they said." I recognized that voice as Sawyer's and I almost answered him but then I heard a second set of boots in the room with him.

"Looks like." This voice was male but older and gruffer. I heard a sniff and then the man said, "You made it sound like the place needed fumigation. Ain't too bad from what I can tell, less'n I got a cold I don't know about yet."

"It smells a whole lot better but I can still smell it some." Sawyer called out, "Kay-Lee?"

"In the kitchen!"

I sensed and then heard them make their way back to where I was. This time both of them were sniffing and they made me want to laugh as they reminded me of Mr. Mole from one of my favorite childhood stories. Sawyer wiped his mouth on the back of his hand and said, "Man that smells good. I was going to see if you wanted to go down to the pizza place but ..."

"If you'd rather ..." I said turning.

"Actually I wouldn't. Um, Kay-lee, this is my grandfather ... Gramps, this is Kay-Lee Baffa."

"What are you talking about Boy. This here is Kay-Lee Hartford." He stepped over and told me seriously, "Welcome to the family Honey."

I don't know what it is, but Mr. Hartford made me blush as bad as Sawyer ever did. But it seemed to please him for some reason because he smiled really big for the first time. "Well, you look like your daddy, except for your eyes."

"You knew them Sir?"

"Call me Gramps Honey ... all the kids do. And yes I did know your parents. Your father was a pistol and a half before he met and took up with your mother. Lord that boy got into some mischief. Not a bad 'un but he was half wild being there was no man in the house except for that older brother of his who was ten times as wild and more interested in anything other than a little brother that needed a role model. Then he went and died just like his daddy. Shame really, he had such potential. Pet did what she could of course, being the oldest, but it didn't do much good. Your grandmother was a sweet woman but busy trying to provide for three children by herself and it busted her down too early. Your grandfather ... well ..."

"Did he run off?"

"Huh? Naw ... he just drank and him and some friends got liquored up and then ran off the road into a ditch. None of 'em were wearing a seat belt. Not the first time such a thing has happened and probably not gonna be the last but it happened when your daddy was only eight and left a hole in his life that didn't get filled until your momma's daddy took him in hand."

I'd never heard the story before and though it interested me I had no connection to it. I told Gramps as he insisted on being called, "Thank you. I'd never heard that before."

He sighed. "Reckon you probably don't know how to tell me it don't mean nothing to you."

I bit my lip but told him honestly, "It's not that I don't care or that it means nothing, I'm just not sure what it should mean. It's part of the picture but there are still so many gaps that ... it's like a piece of a puzzle only I don't know which box it came from yet."

He gave me a kind grin and said, "Well don't tease yourself about it. It'll come or it won't but it sure won't come overnight. Now what you doing girl? Sawyer is right about one thing, it smells good."

"Just open faced sandwiches."

Both men's stomachs growled at the same time and it was so loud it nearly made the dishes rattle. It also made me laugh at a memory. "Now I know where Tommy gets it from. We always knew when he was hanging around outside the kitchen at school because his stomach would give him away. Linda finally took pity on him and started slipping him a sample of whatever we were making. She said if he was going to hang around, we might as well let him taste test the experiments. After a while I think she could have fed him concrete and he would have said it was good so long as he got to talk to her for a few minutes."

Sawyer laughed and said, "He's still like that."

I asked, "You want to eat now or ...?"

"Now," Sawyer said.

The older man said regretfully, "Well, I better run ..."

"You sure you wouldn't like a plate?" I asked Gramps.

"Well ... you sure I ain't puttin' you out?"

"No Sir."

I was suddenly glad that I'd made the extra potatoes even though I had meant to save them for fried potato patties in the morning.

I served them their food and then sat and ate when they expected me to eat as well. Gramps said, "You get around pretty good all things considered. Linda told me you had a rough start in life."

A little uncomfortably I told him, "Yes sir." But then I warned him, "This is as good as it is going to get. There are no more surgeries or therapies that can fix anything else."

"M' brother is to the same point. Forrester ain't too comfortable in his own skin though lately he seems closer to finally accepting the way things are. He's anxious to see that foot brace of yours as he heard about it today from Sawyer."

Sawyer explained, "Uh ... it wasn't anything bad Kay-Lee. Just I wondered out loud if a brace like that would help Uncle Forrester not to drag his foot so much. He turns his ankle at least once a week."

"It might," I said, struggling not to melt into the furniture.

We kept eating and they discussed their day and what all they had accomplished and which trailers would be moved and hooked up on the next workday, this one scheduled for Monday after they purchased some pipes and such over the weekend. I pretty much just concentrated on not being noticed. Then Sawyer leaned back in his chair and rubbed his belly. "Man that was good. I remember when Mom used to fix it. Delly tried to make them but she only used those fake potatoes and it was never the same."

Gramps said, "Well now that you mention it so do I. Them potato flakes do have their uses but some folks rely on 'em too much. I sure do like your cooking Honey." He turned to me and winked and for some reason I blushed again which just made him grin all the more. I don't know what it is about Hartford men. I was never like this before.

I stood up having finished my own supper and started to clear the table. They got up and took the last few things over to the sink for me then Sawyer said, "I'm gonna take Gramps on a tour. You mind?"

I shrugged a little perturbed and embarrassed I hadn't gotten more done. "It doesn't smell as much upstairs but it is nowhere near clean yet. I haven't even run a dust mop."

"Gramps isn't here to do a white glove inspection, just to see what we have to work with."

 

[Kathy in FL]

Chapter Seventeen

"Kay-Lee?" Sawyer called from upstairs.

I stepped to the set of back stairs and called back up, "Yeah?"

"You got a sec?"

"Coming," I called back suddenly worried that I'd done something wrong.

I wiped my hands that were damp from the sudsy wash water and limped my way up the stairs, sore from all the up-and-down I had done that day, and then over to the big bedroom where I saw them standing. "You wondering where everything is?" I asked.

"I saw it on the porch just didn't look close enough to see how much there was. I'm wondering how you got it all down by yourself."

I blinked and then told him, "Uh ... I carried it?"

"Not funny Kay-Lee. Really, how did you get all this done? Did someone stop by?"

"I would have told you if someone besides those guys that took the medical stuff or the propane delivery man came by. And I told you, I carried it down. Did you think I'd just dump stuff out the window or something?"

"Noooo ... you mean you really got all this done by yourself?"

I realized something right there. Sawyer may have been handsome but he wasn't real secure. "I told you Sawyer. Besides it would be pretty rude to lie about it. You're just forgetting I've been going to school to do this kind of thing - be a cook or a maid or something like that - since middle school. It goes a lot faster when you do it in an organized fashion. I wanted to get more done but it took me longer to empty this closet and that little room over there than I thought it would. And I also dragged all the boxes from ..."

"You coulda got hurt," he said switching gears to cover up what he'd let peek through.

"Coulda but didn't. I'm not made of glass, and I work smart as well as hard to save time and effort. There is one thing I need to show you and I'm not going down in there until someone checks out the stairs."

That distracted both men. "What?"

"I got that door under the back stairs to open ... the key was in the kitchen junk draw on a ring with a bunch of other keys that are labeled what they belong to ... and it isn't a storage area but another landing with stairs that must lead down to a basement area. I can't find the light and I looked around the house foundation and I think I found some boarded over windows that might be to that space. I can't say for sure but ... those stairs are wooden and the top one creaked when I put my foot on it."

"Show me."

So all three of us trooped back downstairs and sure enough it is a basement.

"Gramps can you hang around just a little bit? I'm going to take a flashlight and see if that's where the smell is coming from."

"You test each step before you put your full weight on it, you hear me?"

"Yes sir."

In the end the stairs proved to be steady enough except for the top riser that was cracked and needed to be replaced. Sawyer came up after looking around. "Place is completely dried in and actually smells better than it does up here. There looks to be several gross of empty canning jars sitting on shelving and some other odds and ends but I don't even smell any dead mice in the walls. Whatever is causing the smell has to be up here."

I nodded and told him, "I took out some awful smelling shoes and old clothes that smelled pretty rank. All the linens and rugs smelled pretty ripe too. I think it is mostly just the smell of filth and old sweat. Do you know when it is supposed to rain next?"

Gramps answered, "Weatherman says Saturday but my bones say Sunday. Why?"

"Well if I can get all the linens and clothes washed by then I won't have to use the dryer. The only thing is I'm not sure how to clean those mattresses."

"Honey those mattresses are done for. Most of 'em are probably older than you are and from the look of 'em some of might give me a run for the money. The boxes should be ok if you take some bleach water to 'em but the springs themselves need to go." He turned to Sawyer. "I know you've got that windfall you found, and you said you were going to inventory before you spent any of it but if I was you ... and I ain't telling you what to do Boy but just suggesting ... I'd put near the top of the list to get replacement springs. Just the mattress though as you can probably get some plywood and shore up the boxes. Deep as those things are you could probably even use 'em for extry storage space should you need to. You think on it."

"We will."

Tommy drove up not too long after that to fetch his grandfather home. He only came in long enough to hand me another basket and take the empty one back with him. "Linda said for you to get these in the frig. They're fresh so they should keep a good while. She also said that she'd see you Saturday instead of Sunday 'cause Sawyer said he'd take you to the flea market." I peeked in the basket and it was full of eggs and a bag of cornmeal.

I looked at Sawyer but he waved his cousin and grandfather off before noticing. "If you don't want to go you don't have to."

"What's at the flea market?"

"Everything and a bunch of junk too," he said right before giving a tired yawn. "A bunch of us usually get together and go. There are a couple of scratch and dent booths so you might want to try and figure what we could use between now and then. Hey gotta question for you."

"What?"

"Do you know how to can?"

"If you mean like preserving food I've never done it by myself but we had a couple of lessons on it last year in class and Linda showed me how to do some when I helped her with her senior project. Why?"

"Well it's how we preserve a lot of things, so we don't have to go to the grocery store. Gramps and the aunts all want to get a lot of that done this year instead of using the freezers. I guess Aunt Pearlene ... she's Uncle Junior's wife ... wants to get started on some of the greens that are coming in as well as some other things. First order of business, so I was told, was for everyone to get together after church on Sunday and try and work out a calendar of workdays and that sort of thing."

Following the logic I said, "To get things done as quickly as possible in case the power goes down or the stores close."

"Yeah. And speaking of I called the co-op and Old Man Baffa paid quarterly in advance and had just made a payment so we're set for a little over two months unless we wind up using so much power we get a special assessment."

"I'll be careful."

"Good. And I will too. Er ... I want to do more than go to the flea market on Saturday. I got a few errands in town so ... uh ... maybe you want to make your list?"

"My list? Oh. Oh my list. Uh ... okay. Um ... yeah. Look I gotta finish the dishes before the water gets gross."

I turned and walked back to the kitchen and a few minutes later he followed me. "Kay-Lee?"

"Yeah?"

"You mind sleeping in the truck again?"

Trying to be casual about it I answered, "Not if you don't. I had wanted to at least get that room finished but between one thing and another ..."

"Don't. You did a heck of a lot more than I expected you to. Did you sit down when you needed to? 'Cause it looks like you're sore again."

"I am a little."

"You need another one of those napricks or naprocks or .."

"Naproxin. No, I took one already in case you wanted to do any cleaning tonight."

"No, it's getting dark and I think neither one of us needs to do anymore of that tonight but I would like to at least get our lists started. That way tomorrow all we have to do is add to them if we think of stuff."

 

[Kathy in FL]

Chapter Eighteen

"I can't believe you found even more of that stuff."

Trying not to yawn I told him, "Yeah. There were more boxes under the beds upstairs. I had to use a broom handle to push them out. The rooms on the second floor I mean; I haven't even made it to the third floor yet."

"I'll help with that tomorrow. I'll also drag those mattresses out and down the stairs. Did those movers happen to say what we are supposed to do with the unopened boxes and the spare sheets and stuff?"

"I didn't come right out and ask them but kinda mentioned it the long way around; but when I did those movers seemed to act like I was going to ask them to haul the stuff off and they got all defensive - guess people are getting kind of funny about their jobs. They told me if I wanted to get rid of the stuff I'd have to call someone that dealt with medical waste. By putting together what they said apparently a box of that stuff should have come every week and that Mr. Baffa had been sick enough to need hospice almost two years and was getting medical supplies for dialysis and wound care and stuff like that even before then."

"That's a lot of dang boxes."

"Yes it is and when I get the last one down I hope I don't have to haul them all back up. I think the cardboard has absorbed some of the smell so I'd rather just unbox things if I can."

"Trouble is going to be finding a place to put it all. I suppose we can turn some of those upstairs rooms into storage."

"Actually, you said there were shelves down in the basement right?"

"Yeah. There's also a lot of junk down there too."

"OK but I can clear off shelves a few at a time. But my idea is that there are a lot of unused milk crates out in the barn and ..."

"You went out to that barn?! What if there had been a snake or something?!"

His yelp of agitation surprised me so much my mouth must have fallen open and hung in mid-air. "Uh ..."

"Don't do that no more. Or at least let me go first to check things out ... like I did with them basement stairs."

"Uh ..."

"Don't take this the wrong way but if something was to happen I can move faster than you."

"Uh ..."

"What? Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Uh ... um ... I ... I guess I just never had anyone that ... I mean ... you know ... care like that."

"Wha ... oh. Well what about them foster families and stuff?"

"Some of 'em did, some didn't, and some were just plain awful. Linda's family was the exception, not the rule. Foster homes are supposed to be temporary housing, not potential adopters. They move the kids around a lot to try and avoid letting attachments form. But none of them ever ... at least for me ... I mean every time I turned around ... and you don't even know me. Not really anyway."

"We're married."

"Yeah and from what I've seen and heard that doesn't always mean anything. I ... look it just feels funny I guess. Not funny in a bad way just ... like weird. But not in a bad way."

He yawned, "Well get used to it ‘cause that's the way it is. Promise you won’t go crawling in places you could get bit or stung or ... hurt."

"Well I won't do it on purpose but accidents kinda just happen ... that's why they're called accidents."

"Ok ... just don't get hurt."

I wanted to tell him he was overreacting but didn't. Instead, I changed the subject.

"I think I can piece out the food here in the house through the weekend but Sawyer, we gotta use some of that money to get some groceries. A lot of what was in the cabinets was way passed spoiled though there are some syrups and things like that that are still ok, just crystallized. I was worried what to cook for breakfast until Linda sent those eggs and cornmeal. I looked over the stuff that was in that pantry and some of that stuff was just gross. I started a trash fire like you said but ... yuck."

"Linda was asking me what all there was and I had to tell her I didn't really know. Aunt Pearl and some of the others got into a discussion about what it would take to feed us all and it sounds like they plain on feeding an army."

I snorted. "All you Hartford boys put together are an army and that's just the ones I know of. Add in the ones I don't ... and there have to be some because I didn't know you existed until yesterday ... geez was it just yesterday ...?" I stopped and shook my head. "Anyway, guys need a lot of calories. Guys who work need more calories or they aren't going to be able to keep working. If you're sitting around all day playing video games you won't need as many."

"There's a few that try and be that way but Gramps put his foot down and said they wouldn't get much more play out of it. Some of the parents tried to get irritated with the way he's being about it all, but Gramps said if he is paying the bills then he gets to have some say and that if they didn't like it they knew where the road was back to town."

"Wow. Did anyone take him up on it?"

"Yeah. One of Uncle Forrester's daughter in laws took her kids and went to live with her parents over in Mississippi. She'd been making noise about doing it for a couple of years and this was just the tipping point. Bud ... Uncle Forrester's son ... may follow her there when he gets done working the oil fields. He's got an itchy foot and has a hard time settling any place. Uncle Forrester knows it and says that he can live with him being gone. Every time Bud comes around, he always causes a flap in the family and then leaves in a huff. Last time he was around he and I even started to fight and Bud and I used to get along ok."

The idea of this huge extended family he kept alluding to made me really nervous. "How many of your family are going to be at the flea market?"

"Don't know. We don't pile on top of each other when we're there, usually just meet out in the parking lot afterwards for sandwiches and hellos. This time though Gramps seems to have some kind of game plan. Everyone is going to have a list and we're to get things on that list first off before going after anything else ... unless we see a deal we just can't pass up."

I thought about something I had been wondering and said, "I know that paper Mr. Baffa left said that nothing from this place was to go anyplace else but when you get right down to it you can probably read into it just stuff that is like heirlooms ... like antiques and stuff."

"I ... I guess."

"It just doesn't make sense to have eleventy-dozen bottles of alcohol and peroxide and enough gauze and bandaids to mummify everyone on Consolidated Central's football team if no one else has any right?"

"Well ... sure."

"And I don't know about you but finding a place to store all this stuff is going to be a real puzzle. And it's a shame to just burn those boxes before someone else can get a use out of them. So if you really do have that much family and Gramps really does think that things are going to get bad why don't we just tell him to divide that stuff up and have 'em come over in dribs and drabs and pick it up right off the porch."

He laughed. "You just don't want to have to carry it anyplace else."

I gave him a silly smile. "Well, this would save those milk crates for something else wouldn't it?"

He laughed again and then we spent some quieter time going over what we thought we would need and what we thought it would cost and then multiplying it out so we would have a year supply.

I sighed. "That money isn't going to go very far. Looking at these lists it doesn't look like near as much money as it did to begin with especially if we take out for new mattresses."

"I've got some savings. We'll ... we'll just have to be careful. I'll see if I can't pick up work here and there but running all over looking for work isn't cheap given the cost of gas."

As we were climbing into the truck I finally admitted that making those lists and trying to figure out a budget hadn't been as relaxing as I thought it would be. I'd rather have kept cleaning.

 

[Kathy in FL]

Chapter Nineteen

I came out of the closet covering my nose and mouth. "Whew, every time I think I've found the last of the stink I run up on more of it."

"What did you find this ... whoa ... what is in that closet?" The face that Sawyer was making mirrored my own disgusted expression.

"Old boots, old coats and some old boxes with ..." I gingerly pulled back the lid of one of the boxes and said, "With old magazines in them." I had to back out of the closet because it was making me want to gag; I had just eaten.

"Why in the hell would he put a bookcase in front of a closet door? I swear he was crazy."

Coughing and sneezing I walked over to the window to get some fresh air. "Whatever he was it sure wasn't healthy to live this way."

Sawyer walked over to join me. "You ok?"

"Yeah just that stuff stinks even worse than that upstairs closet did. This is more like a frig that hasn't been cleaned out for a long time. Something is definitely rotten in there."

"Well you got the one upstairs so I'll get this one, just hand me a clothes basket and hold the screen door open for me. I'm just going to pitch this stuff out into the yard."

The boxes of magazines were too heavy to just pitch so they sat on the edge of the porch while Sawyer and I sat in the swing giving our sinuses a chance to recover. "Man that was powerful," Sawyer griped. "I hope that bucket of bleach water you set in there hurrys up and does its thing."

I shook my head and voiced a fleeting thought. "Maybe he was a hoarder, like on those tv specials ... only the mentally ill kind not the kind that the government is always warning against."

"You mean the kind Gramps is?"

I snorted and then sneezed what felt like a field of dust bunnies out of my nose. When I got my breath back I told him, "Your grandfather isn't like the government says. He's taking care of his family. The ones the government is talking about are selfish."

"Betcha the government really doesn't care one way or the other, they just don't want some people to have more than others."

I shrugged. "Maybe. The government is just another form of mental illness if you ask me. They're all crazy and make no sense most of the time."

Sawyer laughed and then got down and reluctantly crawled over to put the boxes into the wheelbarrow to take them to the burn pile but the first one he picked up fell apart as he tried to lift it. Magazines started slipping and sliding all over the place and I bent down to help him. We both noticed it at about the same time.

Sawyer said, "You have got to be kidding me."

"Is that ...?"

Sawyer was flipping pages in a magazine he picked up and said, "Yep. There's a one dollar bill between every page. See if any of the others are like this."

After we had unboxed all of the magazines Sawyer looked down inside the grocery bag I'd brought over to keep stuff from flying around. "Dang that old man was craaaazy. I mean really crazy not just half crazy. Have we put anything else like this on the burn pile?"

"No."

"You sure?" he asked double checking.

"I'm sure. Remember we just stacked those other magazines and books in that back room until we could decide which to keep and which to pitch. They smell and we didn't even mess with them, just stacked them in there."

"Well let's take this inside and then go look. And we need to start looking in coat pockets and all other kind of weird places. I'll need to go over the mattresses before I start burning them too."

"Why?"

"'Cause that's what crazy people do with their money or so says this book I read one time. One of the stories in it was about this old guy that died and when they came to clean out his house they found money in all kinds of weird places like the freezer, the phone book, the back of pictures, inside his mattress, you name it. A couple of years later the person that had bought the house went to remodel and found that the crazy guy had even taped money to the plaster and then wall papered over it."

I'd seen crazy in the foster system but that even sounded strange to me. I shrugged and told Sawyer, "I guess it takes all kinds."

----------

I wiped the sweat off my forehead and said, "Ok, I'm beat and just about as weirded out as I care to be."

"You and me both. And Baffa didn't say a word about this in those papers. Not a word. Gramps is never going to believe this and if we tell any of the others, they'll be around here tearing up stuff and trying to 'help' find more."

"Maybe that's why Mr. Baffa didn't want anything to be taken from the house. I mean he taped dollar bills to the bottom of just about every piece of furniture we've gone through so far."

He didn't respond and I looked at him. He had a troubled expression. "Sawyer? You ok?"

He looked at me and said, "They'll think I stole it. It'll be just like last time."

"You didn't steal it. We found it."

"You know it. I can probably get Gramps to believe me, especially after we show him; but most everyone else will think I stole it from someplace."

"'Cause anyone that knows me will know I don't have any money."

He glanced at me real quick and then relaxed when he saw I wasn't being snarky, just stating a fact. He mumbled, "Gotta think about this."

I limped over to the dining room and sat down in a chair and looked at what we'd found thus far. Most of the magazines held twenty to thirty dollars; some held more and some held less but that was the average. We found one's, five's, and ten's taped to most of the drawers in the house. There were one's and five's between a lot of the pages in the books and magazines we had set into the old kitchen. There were some bills stuck in picture frames and it was tedious to check each one, not to mention a little creepy. The worst though had to be when Sawyer got the idea to check the smelly boots. There was a roll of cash stuck in the toe of each boot and the smell was so bad I found a plastic tub and started gathering all of the cash, putting a layer of bills down then sprinking it with baking soda.

Looking around before speaking Sawyer asked, "You've been keeping a rough count?"

"Yeah. Have you?"

"Yeah. That's why I said people were going to think I stole it."

"I'll tell them ..."

"No. No I don't want you to have to get in the middle of that stuff. We're just going to have to be extra careful how we spend it."

"I'd say just let everyone think it came from the bank but one whiff and no way anyone would believe that."

Sawyer gave a surprised and unwilling chuckle. "You ain't kidding. I think we'll need to wash it or something. At least it is in small bills and they're worn so we don't have to have people complaining about accepting anything bigger than a $20."

"There's a lot of small bills. I don't think anyone will appreciate being paid in only one's either."

"Like I said, we'll have to be careful and pay attention. At least now ... you know, I got an idea."

"What?"

"Friday I'll go to town and stop by the bank and make a withdrawal from savings - I was planning to anyway. But I'll gripe about having to buy a new mattress and box springs and how expensive everything is. The tellers are always so nosey and wanting to know why you take more than a couple hundred out anyway. Telling them that will give them something to chew on. We do need mattresses - Gramps was right about that especially now that I've cut them up looking inside them - but I know a place that sells them off the truck, so we won't have to pay showroom prices."

"How much does a mattress cost anyway?" When he told me I almost wilted. "Every time I turn around that pile of money looks a whole lot smaller. I should feel rich but something tells me I'm just fooling myself if I go that direction."

Welcome to the life of the working man.

 

[Kathy in FL]

Chapter Twenty

"There you are!!"

Linda's happy yell made me smile despite worrying about Sawyer being in a strange mood since the day before when he went to the bank. When he came back from town he picked at his dinner, hardly said anything the rest of the evening and then told me to come to bed whenever I felt like it before heading out to the truck before it was barely dark. He wasn't any better this morning and hadn't even opened up despite having drank his third cup of coffee.

Linda came over and Sawyer walked over towards his grandfather. She looked at me and went, "Whew, what bug flew up his nose?"

"I don't know. He's been like that since yesterday when he got back from town."

"Getting irritating?" she asked.

"No. It's ... I don't know ... I wondered if I had done something, but he came back in that mood and ... and I guess I'm kinda worried about him. He's hardly eaten. I don't know if he is getting sick or just what."

I jumped when I felt a hand on my shoulder. I looked up and there stood Sawyer. I looked daggers at Linda but she just smiled and walked back towards Tommy and started hanging all over him. Sawyer said, "I'm ... I've just had stuff on my mind. Didn't mean to worry you. And no, you didn't do anything if you're still wondering."

I shook my head. "I don't want to be in your business but ... is there anything I can do to help?"

"No, not really."

"Um ..." The quietly I asked, "Did they give you a hard time at the bank?"

"No. It wasn't at the bank. I just ran into some people I wish I hadn't."

"And they made fun of you for marrying Igor Baffa."

"Hey!"

"It's alright Sawyer. I mean it isn't alright that they’re picking on you I just mean it’s alright you don't have to hide it from me to be nice. I know what people think of me."

"How do you know what happened? I didn't say anything."

"I had kinda wondered last night but didn't want to ask because you seemed so down. But if we are going to get through this until people get used to it and get bored and go onto the next thing that makes them feel like they are better than us then we might as well be honest about it. I'll hang out with Linda and whoever she is with ... at least until I can figure out what I'm supposed to be doing ... and you go hang out with whoever else and ..."

"No."

"You sound like someone who doesn't want to eat their vegetables even though you know their good for you."

"No."

"Sawyer ... trust me. Linda, Tommy, and I have had almost a lifetime of experience dealing with this kind of thing."

"And I haven't?!"

"You've had some and a really bad some at that ... but not a lifetime. Please, just let us handle it ok?"

"I can't ... I mean ... believe ..."

"It isn't about running away or abandoning me or whatever is turning your head inside out. It is just some people are jerks. And then there are some people that know how to ignore that and some people who don't or won't. You're the kinda person that has a hard time putting up with being picked on. That kinda stuff just doesn't matter to me."

"Still ..."

"Still nothing. If they think that we're trying to ignore them it will be like blood in the water to barracudas. It will just get worse and worse. But if you go with your grandfather, they won't want to be a jerks while him and your uncles are around. And they won't want to be too obvious with Linda and whoever she's with because they won't want to look like jerks. Usually it is divide and conquer but this time it is we divide and they have to split their forces too which makes them weaker."

He just looked at me and then said, "We'll try it your way for a little bit but I want to know if ... someone ... gives you problems."

"Don't be a worrywort. I'm a big girl and I've dealt with bullies for as long as I can remember."

He stood around for a moment looking like he was searching for some other solution but then sighed and pulled something out of his pocket and told me to put it down deep in my pocket since I didn't bring a purse. "What's that?"

"What do you think it is?"

"OK, so it's money but why do you want me to hold it? Won't you need it?"

"I've got some, that's yours. I stopped by last night and told Gramps about what we'd found and how and I thought he was going to laugh himself sick. He said God works in mysterious ways. He also agreed about all them medical supplies and said if no one could get by to get them tonight we should probably tarp them over better than we've got them done right now because the weatherman is starting to see things his way."

I grinned. "Don't check the weather channel, ask Gramps."

Sawyer was starting to relax just a little and said, "You aren't the first person to say that." Then he sighed. "I feel like a heel."

"Why?"

"'Cause."

"Well don't. It is a waste of energy. You aren't hurting my feelings and in a way it makes me feel better."

"What kind of screwy logic is that?"

"You kinda got the raw in the deal here and this makes me feel that I can at least contribute something besides a bum leg and people's criticisms."

"Aw now, don't say that."

"That's how I feel. This makes me feel like you trust me, at least a little more than you did at first. And this is me showing I trust you because I believe you honestly feel bad about people being jerks. But really, you don't need to feel so bad you make yourself miserable, ok? People aren't worth it."

He did that thing with his hair and then said, "Alright. We'll try it your way. We'll probably cross paths a couple of times. I got the list from Gramps. You try and pick up ... uh ..."

"Yeah. I've got my list too."

"Ooookay then. Uh ... Dang it."

"What?!"

"I meant to pick you up one of those disposable cell phones yesterday. How could I have forgotten to ..."

"I'll send up smoke signals or something. Will you go? Your grandfather looks like he is ready and waiting on you."

"Are you ..."

"Go already."

"Uh ... there's one more thing."

"What?"

"We're going to swing by Gramps' after we get everything done we can and pick up my dogs. Do you mind?"

I tried not to wince but asked, "They don't have the same digestive issues as Mooch do they?"

He was surprised for about two seconds and then started laughing. "No."

"OK then I guess so long as they don't think I'm a tasty snack I'll learn to get along with them."

Gramps called, "You coming or getting left behind Son?"

Sawyer ran over to his grandfather's side where he was standing with several other men and I turned to find Linda laughing. "I didn't think he was ever going to let go. You find out what was wrong?"

"Yeah. Someone made fun of him marrying me. It upset him."

"People are jerks."

"Yeah and some of the people that act like jerks would probably really surprise him. I figure this way he doesn't have to feel so bad, and we can actually get something done."

She grinned, "You bet. Aunt Pearl has already taken the rest off and they are scouting out deals. You can come with me if you want to."

"I want to," I said with a grin. "So how does this place work anyway?"

"About like the farmer's market they have downtown during tourist season only bigger with less arts and craft stuff and more like a giant garage sale. Then there are the scratch and dent booths where you can pick up some decent deals on groceries if you're careful. First thing you need though is to get you one of these carts. They're a little pricey but dead useful. I even use them for hauling stuff around in the yard."

 

[Texican]

Kathy,

Reading Up On Hartford Ridge the second time is as entertaining as it was the first time. I start reading and the memories of the story come back.

The trip to the flea market will be interesting.

Texican....

 

[Sammy55]

Thank you, Kathy! This story is wonderful!! (And it's a looonnnnggggg time until tomorrow. sigh)

 

[Sportsman]

Okay, I finally started reading this and am already caught up. Like most of your stories, this one is also inspiring.
Thank you.

 

[Lake Lili]

Thanks Kathy!

 

[moldy]

Re-reading as you post again. Love, love, love this story! I really think it's one of your best (which is saying something, because they all are really good).

 

[Kathy in FL]

Chapter Twenty-One

"You sure you don't mind pushing this stuff around?"

"No."

"And you sure no one has given you a hard time."

I shook my head. "You're gonna get left behind if you don't hurry."

"Dang it. Send up a smoke signal ...," he said as he hurried to catch up with his grandfather.

Linda looked at me, "You didn't tell him about them girls from school."

"Oh puh-leeze. Like those girls can do anything but run their mouths. Besides, they looked a little ... I don't know ... something."

"They probably got their feelings hurt because they're having to shop at the flea market instead of at the mall. They were doing fine until they saw us and it reminded them things aren't like they used to be. We're the ones that are married and comfortable and they’re the ones still trying to keep their heads above water."

"Linda ..."

"Yeah I know it sounds like sour grapes but seriously, what goes around comes around and they were awful snobs in school."

"I guess. I kinda get the feeling through that people are hurting worse than I knew."

"That's because you've always been down and didn't notice when everyone else started joining you on the bottom."

"But if everyone is on the bottom it isn't the bottom anymore, just a new top."

Linda laughed. "You always did have a strange way of looking at things." She gave me an impulsive hug and then asked me why I hadn't bought anything yet. "You're gonna run out of time."

I shrugged. "I've got a list, just haven't found anything on my list yet."

"Let me see." I pulled the piece of paper out of my jeans pocket and handed it to her. "Oh right. Most of that stuff is usually on the next aisle though you might have to get some of this in town."

"Sawyer said he needed to go to town after this for a couple of quick stops."

Suddenly I got knocked into real hard and my bad foot got stepped on. "Oh my gosh Kay-Lee are you ok?"

"I think so. The brace took most of it."

"You twisted your leg though didn't you? I saw the face you made."

"I'll be fine. Let's just get out of this crowd. This is worse than halls on the last day of school. Gosh."

We got to the end of the aisle and she pulled me out of traffic and asked again. "You sure you're ok?"

"Yeah. I'll ask for a rest if I need it."

"Promise?"

"Promise. You're as bad as Sawyer."

"Good. You need someone that looks after you. I can't believe those jerks were running around like that. Stupid County boys."

"County? The high school?"

"Yeah. They were here last time and caused a ruckus. Security guards wound up having to trail them over the whole market. Hey look, it's an Avon dealer. Let's look."

From there we hit a booth that sold socks and underwear and I bought some for both me and Sawyer. Linda giggled and I said, "Stop that. It's no big deal. I've been doing the laundry all week and know what he has and what he doesn't."

"I bet you do."

"Linda!"

She just giggled again and all I could do was shake my head. She was wound up and that's a fact. But then I forgot about being irritated when I found a pair of earth shoes like the ones that I'd always wanted. They were second hand but looked new and I was able to dicker the guy down to ten bucks if I agreed to also buy the other pair in the same size but a different color.

"Wow. I didn't think I'd ever have one pair of these much less two. These are the kind that the podiatrist recommended."

"A foot doctor?" At my nod she smiled. "Good deal Lucille. I guess you don't really have many clothes do you."

"I need a couple of pairs of jeans but I think with all the clothes ... assuming the smell comes out ... I can piece out some stuff and I'll have more than enough."

"What about night clothes."

"Uh ..."

"Yeah, that's what I thought. C'mon."

"Linda, I am not going to go where I think you want to go."

"Kay-Lee, don't act like an old granny. Now C'mon."

I reluctantly let her drag me into a large booth that had lingerie on racks and hanging up. Some of it looked like it belonged on a hooker, but she pulled me passed those to another rack. It felt like my face was on fire the entire time we were there, and I nearly died when the cashier smiled and winked before handing me the bag which I quickly stuffed into my back pack.

"I cannot believe I let you talk me into ..."

"You'll live," Linda said then added, "Sawyer might not."

"Linda!" She took off laughing and telling me to keep up.

It's when we got to the grocery aisle that we both got serious. I had a list of things in my head that our culinary teachers had always considered absolute essentials to have in the pantry and every one of them was missing from the kitchen when I'd made the inventory. That's where Aunt Pearl found us as I debated the price difference between vanilla extract and vanilla flavoring.

"Hi Aunt Pearl!"

"Hi yourself Linda girl. Whatcha found?"

"Kay-Lee said her pantry is in miserable condition and she figures to start at the bottom and work her way up." She put her arm around me and said, "Kay-Lee this is Aunt Pearl. She's wonderful."

Wonderful is a word that Linda used sparingly and only for a few people. I looked at Aunt Pearl and figured she must be something special. "How do you do?"

"Fine thank you Honey. Now let me see ... that's not a bad price but I think you can beat it at the Mennonite store."

Linda explained, "It's the one that Mrs. Valdez was always going on about. We plan on going there after we leave the flea market. You wanna come?"

"I'll have to check and see what Sawyer wants to do."

"Hopefully he'll say yes 'cause I ain't been too impressed with what I've been seeing."

Aunt Pearl nodded. "We'd best get over to the Farmer's market area. Junior rang me up and he said things are going faster than he's ever seen them go."

 

[Kathy in FL]

Chapter Twenty-Two

It was a push to get through the crowd as everyone seemed to be going the opposite direction. Aunt Pearl said, "My goodness, they must really want to get over to the bread store before it closes."

I looked at Linda and she explained, "There's a couple of local businesses that bring their day-old bread and stuff like that to sell it off rather than watch it go bad. Towards the end of the day they deep discount what is left and people go nuts."

I frowned and looked over where people were heading but Linda said, "Trust me, by this time of day it is the really nasty stuff that tastes like used sponge. Besides, you can make your own bread."

"Yeah ... when I have the ingredients for it. I've already run through a lot of that cornmeal you sent which reminds me, don't I owe you or somebody for that?"

"No and shut up. Try and talk Sawyer into letting you go and you can get everything you need."

A voice behind me said, "Talk Sawyer into what?"

I jumped. "Oh."

"Did I scare you?" he asked with a grin, obviously back to how he normally was ... or at least the way I had seen him most often. Aunt Pearl and Linda looked at him strange though.

"Yes you do and you meant to." He just grinned even bigger. "It's ... well ... do you ... Look, Linda said they're going by the Mennonite store, and I know you have things you need to do in town but is there time to ..."

"Oh is that all. Sure, if you want to go we'll go. Bet Aunt Pearl was talking about their fantastic prices. We'll have to ... er ... work the budget."

"I bought two pairs of shoes maybe I shouldn't have but that's about it."

He slapped his forehead.

"Stop that, you're going to give yourself a concussion. What did you forget this time?" Linda snickered in surprise but jumped back and stuck her tongue out when Sawyer tried to pull her ponytail.

"I didn't forget anything," he said turning back to me. "I just should have figured that you'd need special stuff and ..."

Some of the fun went out of everything but I tried not to let it show as I said, "I don't need special shoes. I have my braces. So long as the brace and the shoe fit together I'm good to go."

A shrill voice to my side said, "Oh Kayley ... you got off so lucky. You used to have to wear so much hardware you clanked everywhere you went."

I turned to see Rose Marie Lobaino, heir apparent to the captaincy of the cheerleading squad. "Hey Rosie."

She made a face but I didn't care. She knows my name is Kay-Lee, not Kayley, and she also knows I used to let it irritate me when people made the mistake whether it was innocent or not. But in return I know she despises being called "Rosie." Just a small shot across her bow to remind her that she wasn't the only one with claws.

"The rumors are so stupid. They say you got married."

"I did."

"Nooo."

"Yeeesssss. Look, I'm kinda busy with family stuff so ..."

"But you don't have a family."

Aunt Pearl was a very no-nonsense kind of woman and told her, "She does now. So if you have something to say then say it otherwise scat and stop trying to start a fight. I don't have time for that kind of immaturity."

Linda and I couldn't even look at each other after seeing the horrified look on Rose Marie's face and how quickly she disappeared over into her clutch of friends. Aunt Pearl shook her head. "You know, I'm less sorry every day I didn't have any girls of my own. I'm not sure they would have survived to adulthood had they acted like that." She said it loud enough that there was some outraged squawking from the clutch of ninnies but I didn't have time to even tell myself it was rude to gloat because Aunt Pearl was directing us into helping her to grab some of the deals left at the end of the day.

I wouldn't let Sawyer descend into depression again as I started using him like a pack mule to hold all the dollar bags of produce that Aunt Pearl was buying. Tommy got roped into the same job and soon enough all the Hartford men had something in their hands as we cleared out several of the booths like locusts before the first Passover. When the other vendors saw we were in the mood to buy, even if something was a little bruised or on its last day of freshness we got a lot of deals and everyone seemed to have a good time ... Aunt Pearl and the vendors both got what they wanted in the give and take of haggling. I got a few special deals when a couple of vendors found out I spoke Spanish. Aunt Pearl had me tell the old Spanish guy that seemed to be in charge that he had the biggest, prettiest this, that’s, and the others that she had ever seen for sale this time of year. I then got caught in the middle of a conversation the two had until Aunt Pearl and the old man decided it was time to close his booth up.

"Come along Children, let's get this to the coolers. The day has warmed up and I don't want to risk anything spoiling," said Aunt Pearl in a voice not even MacArthur would have dared to disobey.

 

[Kathy in FL]

Chapter Twenty-Three

"Move over a bit," Sawyer told me as I sat on the tail gate of his pick-up.

"What's that?"

"What's it look like?" Sawyer asked looking determined as he shoved in two cases of ginger-ale.

"I know what it is," I told him as he hopped on the tail gate and finally started eating his sandwich that the Hartford aunts had been passing around from some seemingly bottomless picnic basket. "I meant where'd they come from and what are they for?"

"Tommy said that's what you like to drink."

"Uh ... it is ... when I drink pop ... which isn't often. And we didn't put it on the list."

"I know."

"Sawyer ..."

"Relax, it isn't going to break me."

"I didn't say it was but why are you all grumpy all of a sudden again."

There was noise all around but he still leaned over and said, "I didn't think about a ring."

"A ring of what?"

"A wedding ring."

A whole bite of bologna sandwich nearly went down the wrong way. When I got my breath Sawyer asked, "You didn't think of one either?"

"No. It was enough that you were marrying me. Kinda crazy to expect anything else."

He opened his mouth to say something then didn't. He did scoot closer and we let it go at that. I've never had jewelry except for maybe a beaded necklace I made in the hospital to pass the time or to work on my hand/eye coordination so a ring just never occurred to me. It actually meant more that he was upset that he hadn't thought of one than actually getting one would have meant.

Soon enough the Aunts were satisfied that no one was going to perish from hunger and said that unless the men had anything else they wanted that we needed to get to the Mennonite store.

I turned to Sawyer and he said, "About that ... you mind if I drop you off and then go get a mattress? I've about had it with sleeping in the truck and the smell is gone."

"Ok," I told him at least as eager as he was to get off that air mattress. It was getting harder and harder to get up in the mornings and I was beginning to snap, crackle, and pop like I did when I had to sleep on the mattresses at the group home.

----------

All I could do was stand inside the store’s front door and stare. Slowly and carefully I started walking down the first aisle and Linda started laughing. I heard someone ask if I was ok and Linda answered, "Kay-Lee just saw the Promised Land is all. She really likes to cook but regular food, not the fancy stuff. She was constantly doing battle with the teachers to let us cook more than just party and special occasion food. I remember one time someone asked her what she wanted to do when she got out of school, and she said be a cook at a truck stop. She's just like that."

I wasn't really paying attention or I might have objected to her telling my business in public like that because I was too busy drooling over what I was seeing. There were barrels and plastic bins of bulk items. On the shelves where prepackaged amounts of other bulk ingredients. Over on one wall was a cooler with cheeses and sausages in it that made me want to have a little taste of each one. I started thinking about the money I had in that envelope buried in the backpack and trying to figure how much I could buy with it without upsetting Sawyer's budget.

A lady in a simple dress came over and asked, "May I help you?"

All I could do was look at her and say, "It's beautiful."

She grinned and said, "It is that. Look your fill but don't go away empty handed."

She walked over to someone else and I pulled out my list and started calculating. Linda came over and said, "Kay-Lee can you help? I forgot my calculator."

Linda had a hard time with anything math beyond simple addition and subtraction; division beyond the basic fractions she used for cooking were like a completely foreign language. I soon had her straightened out and went back to putting some things in a hand basket. Aunt Pearl was right, the vanilla was better here. I also threw in some other flavorings and extracts then put most of them back realizing it was a luxury to have anything beyond vanilla and almond though I did keep the lemon extract. I next went to go look at the sugars, but Aunt Pearl said, "We're picking up a bulk order out back - that's where the men are now - and you'll get some of that. Stick to things you need to flesh out basic staples."

I looked at my list and asked, "What about cornmeal and flour?"

"We're getting that. And don't get any meat either unless you want to pick you up some burger when you go to town. We're going to be clearing out the deep freezes starting next week. You help with that then you'll get a share. Linda says you know the basics."

"Only because she taught me."

Aunt Pearl smiled. "She's a good girl and makes Tommy so happy."

One of the other aunts called her over so I started looking to get a little creative with my list. If I wasn't going to have to spend money on sugar, flour, or cornmeal that was really going to help. Linda came over and said, "I'd go ahead and get salt and pepper. Canning and preserving take a lot of salt and I don't know if they ordered it this time or not."

So into my basket went salt, pepper, and some other seasoning like hot sauce, bay leaves, the Italian seasonings, and then the baking spices like cinnamon and that sort of thing. There didn't look like much in the basket but the price tag was already high, so I quit that aisle and grabbed some of almost every dried bean they had including the bean mixes. I also got some bulk dry soup mixes. I wanted peanut butter but it was fresh, organic and pricey so I left that on the shelf. I added a bag of rootbeer drops when I heard from one of the other aunts that they were Sawyer's favorite. If he could buy me ginger ale, then I could buy him those candies.

In the end I didn't do as much damage as I thought I would but it was bad enough that I worried about trying to explain to Sawyer. When he showed up looking flustered and irritable, I really started to worry. When we got into the cab of the truck to pull out and head to town while the others went back to the Hartford farm I quietly handed the receipt to Sawyer.

"What's this?"

"Sawyer I swear, none of it will go to waste. I know it seems like a lot of money - I mean I know it’s a lot of money - but ..."

"Don't do that."

I tried to figure out what I was supposed to stop doing and then he put his finger under my chin and turned it towards him. "Don't cringe like ... like I'm going to hit you or something."

"I don't mean to, didn't mean to I mean. I just don't want to make you mad. We didn't talk about this stuff before I bought it."

"You need more cash?"

"Huh? No. No you gave me a ton and there's still a lot left. But didn't you hear me? I spent ..."

"Well whatever you picked Aunt Pearl sure seemed pleased. She's normally so involved with her coupons and sales that it’s hard to get her attention. She just about yanked my ear off pulling me over to load up those groceries and telling me the whole time that I'm luckier than should be allowed, me and Tommy both, and she wished some of the other new wives would take note and follow suit."

"She ... she did?"

"Yeah. Nearly yanked my ear completely off."

"Sawyer!"

He suddenly laughed. "You're too easy to tease. Yes, Aunt Pearl said that." He started the truck, put it in gear, and then pulled out in the direction of town. "Look, I knew it was going to take money to whip the house into shape and then to get groceries to hold us until the farm started producing. I'm just thankful I won't have to figure out how to stretch my savings to do it. Even with that crazy windfall I'm going to need to hunt up a job pretty soon even if all I can find is temp or seasonal."

"I'll find one too."

"Uh ... actually I'd ..." he stopped and sighed.

"What?"

"Do you mind not working? I know some of the other wives aren't as happy doing that as they thought they would be but ... but ... My mom never worked until I started school and Delly didn't work once my nephew was born. And most of the aunts don't work ... outside the farm I mean."

I squirmed. From somewhere I heard the words "kept woman" but wasn't even sure exactly what that mean beyond the obvious so I tried to find something good about it.

"Well ... it'll save gas not having to run both of us to work. And ... hmmm ... I won't have to pay for a uniform or anything like that. I ... hmmm ..."

"That's great," he said enthusiastically. "You'll stay at home, and I'll find a job and we can really get rockin' and rollin'"

I didn't tell him my brain already felt like it was on an out of control spin cycle most of the time. Rockin' and rollin' would probably put me into the stratosphere and give me hives.

 

[Kathy in FL]

Chapter Twenty-Four

"You don't have a problem shopping here do you?"

"Of course not. A lot of my foster families came to this place or places like it."

He relaxed. "Lisa always hated it when I insisted on shopping here. She said it was embarrassing."

"Lisa was your fiancé?"

"It was never official." Then he got grumpy and said, "And it's in the past. Let's not talk about it."

I shrugged and let him lead. We walked in, grabbed a buggy, and started taking things out of bins and shelves that worked with our lists. We wound up having to use two carts and then switching that to a flatbed as we added flats of canned goods that were slightly dented but otherwise just fine. I spotted several bottles of off brand salsa and other condiments that we stocked up on. Every time I would put one of an item on the flatbed Sawyer would double, triple, or more if it was there to be had. I let him choose until he tried to put forty-eight bottles of honey mustard on there.

"Sawyer!" I said laughing at the serious look on his face.

"What?"

"You know what you just put on the flatbed?"

He looked and then frowned then slowly it changed to a grin. "Yeah, I know it looks funny but Gramps said to pick the good deals up and we'd spread it amongst the family. If you think of it that way, that's not really all that much mustard."

I had to agree to that.

We left there, and the manager even came out to wring us up and to get nosey. Sawyer looked at me and said, "You know, it's not fair being the youngest newlyweds. They think it's funny to send us to town with all their grocery lists and tell us it's to save fuel but I'm telling you I don't think it is that funny at all."

"Well they're your family," I responded.

"Yeah I guess but now I gotta break this down and make sure everyone gets what they told me to pick up and give them back the right change and everything. And you know Gramps is going to want a full accounting right down to the penny."

The manager smiled and said, "Got one of those in your family too do you?"

"Uh ... sorry ... guess I shouldn't complain. Things are bad enough as it is."

"We all need to blow off steam some time. At least they didn't tell you to write a check. For this amount I would have had to call the bank and they're closed now."

I didn't say a word until we had everything loaded in the truck - I discovered the mattress was on the bottom covered by a tarp - and he opened the door to help me up into the cab. "You getting tired?"

"No."

"You sure?"

"Yeah."

"Then what's wrong?"

"What was all that about back there?"

"Gramps warned me people were getting nosey and that we don't need them thinking we're hoarders or stockpiling or anything else. Most people know we've got a big family so when we make purchases in town we try and make out like any one purchase is for all of us even if it isn't."

"Oh."

"You don't approve?"

"It's not that. I don't like lying but since we did buy some of that stuff to share, I can probably work my way around that but ... I guess it gets a little more real every day."

"What does?"

"Those things you tell me your grandfather says and thinks. It also makes me feel kind of dumb."

"Why would it do that?"

"I didn't think much about that manager coming out to ring up the order or the questions he was asking ... not until you pointed it out by acting the way you did. It just seems so ... cloak and dagger."

"You don't believe Gramps?"

"No, it's not that I told you. It isn't that it isn't believable it just seems so strange that one family would know about it but no one else acts like they do."

"More people than you imagine have an idea of what is happening all around us ... it’s just that too many of them think it can be fixed or put off longer or that the worst of it won't happen to them for some reason. Gramps says that's a good way to wind up hard up, hard off, and maybe even dead."

I shivered.

"You ok?"

"Yeah," I answered but I was beginning to wonder if I was.

 

[Kathy in FL]

Chapter Twenty-Five

After the scratch-n-dent Sawyer took us through a fast-food drive since it was going to be late when we got finished with everything. While we ate, we finished up the game plan for the rest of our time in town. We decided that instead of going several different places we'd save the gas and head over to the big box store and pick up everything in one place.

Apparently it was a paycheck weekend so the place was busy. To keep from bringing too much notice to ourselves we took separate carts and checked out in different lanes. We didn't even act like we knew each other until we got to the truck and Sawyer said, "Need a lift pretty lady?"

"You're crazy," I told him but he just laughed and started unloading the carts as quick as he could to keep people from gazing over into the camper top to see what all is in there.

Last place we went was the dollar store and the manager turned out to be the mother of one of the girls I knew from school.

"Kay-Lee! How you doing Sugar?"

"Fine Mrs. Blaine. Um ... I'd like to introduce you to Sawyer Hartford. My ... my husband."

That stopped her cold. She looked up and then gave Sawyer the evil eye. I squeaked, "It's not like that!"

Sawyer looked at me and asked, "Like what?"

I gave him a look and he still didn't get it. I hissed, "She thinks we haaaaad to get married."

"She thinks ...?" Then he made this funny kind of yelp. "Gramps would kill us both."

I admit Sawyer looked kind of funny but Mrs. Blaine thought he looked hilarious and nearly couldn't stop laughing. She finally gasped. "Oh my goodness. Yeah, Mr. Hiram would have something to say about it I guess. I still remember that time he found my sister and her soon-to-be behind the bushes on Pioneer Day. He marched them both over to our mother and Priscilla still won't talk about it to this day." She laughed some more and then had to go take care of something going wrong on a register.

"Your grandfather sure has a reputation."

Sawyer laughed. "And he deserves it too. Gramps has what some people call a velvet fist. We get away with a lot, but he'll be the first in line to knock our heads together once we get too far over the line. But there isn't anyone better to have in your corner. You have to pay consequences if you've done something to deserve it, but he will also be there when you’re finished paying to help you get back on your feet."

I looked around and decided to use Sawyer's strategy and waited until Mrs. Blaine had a moment. "Mrs. Blaine? I don't want to make you have to restock stuff. Is there any way for us to get cases before they've been opened? We've got a list for the family and ..."

"Oh sure Sugar. If I've got it in a closed case we'll just pull it from the back room. I might not though. They aren't letting us keep our inventory as high as we used to."

Lucky for us most of what I'd wanted Mrs. Blaine still had in cases and by buying in bulk we were able to knock a few pennies off here and there. Sawyer wound up pulling the truck around back and Mrs. Blaine herself checked us out and rolled the handcart out to the truck and set it down. "I'd help you load but store rules say we can't. I tell you though that I'm glad to see this sell. We're supposed to make so many bulk sales a month and I've only gotten about half what we normally do. I'm not looking forward to having the regional manager come around again and tell me I need to work harder. I can't make people buy more than they have money to spend."

She didn't need me to respond but just listen which is what I did. When she added that it didn't help that everyone was running out to that new discount place on Rt. 2 I filed the information and then went out to see that Sawyer was putting the last of it in the back like a jigsaw puzzle.

I asked, "Have you heard of some new discount store out on Rt. 2?"

"Someone mentioned it today. Where'd you hear about it?"

"Mrs. Blaine was complaining it was starting to take some of her sales volume away."

"Maybe we should check it out."

"Maybe we should. Do you know where it is at?"

"Only place it could be is that old strip center where the Food Mart used to be. I think there is a feed store on one end unless it’s closed."

I nodded but still didn't remember ever seeing anything like that. I'd lived in foster homes all over town but rarely got outside the city limits.

We got there and the parking lot was about half full. When we got inside about two-thirds of the store was clothes, cheap toys, and housewares with a small corner for furniture and the rest was groceries, cleaning supplies, and garden stuff. Sawyer mentally counted what cash he had left, telling me to keep what he'd given me back for reserves, and we carefully filled another cart with odds and ends for ourselves.

There was a lady in there doing what we were doing and she tapped my shoulder and said, "You drink coffee?"

"He does."

"Go around the other side of this aisle here and get your man a couple of those containers. I haven't seen prices like that in a couple of years and I bet when it’s gone I ain't gonna see them again for another long time if ever. My husband is barely human without his morning coffee and I hate to think what we'll have to give up so I can keep buying it."

She told me about a couple of more things she had seen and I thanked her before she had to go back to listening to her daughter complain about the fact she was out of data on her phone again and the mother basically telling her tough that she'd have to wait until roll over to get more. I pushed the cart over to the coffee only to find Sawyer already there with a cart of his own. "There's a limit of three so you take these and I'll put three more in this cart."

I did as he said and told him, "There's limits on almost everything but it doesn't seem to stop people from shopping."

"No it don't. Glad we could get what we got from the dollar store though. I'll have to tell Aunt Pearl about this place."

"What is that other stuff in your cart?"

He answered, "Back in the clearance section they had a bunch of lids and rings and I decided just to get them all. Aunt Pearl told me to be on the look-out for some for you. They've put an order in with the Mennonites but until they come in, she's afraid they might run short. And that might be the last they get to order. The store owner was telling Gramps that the government is looking at coming down real hard on people that do their own home canning."

"What business is it of the government?"

Sawyer gave me a look that said "not so loud" so I lowered my voice and added. "That doesn't make any sense. Next they'll be telling people what to cook and how."

Sawyer said, "They're already trying to do that in some places."

----------------

"Harley! Davey! Down!! Get back!!" Tommy was pulling on the two dogs' collars and Sawyer was bending over to help me where I was trying to get up off the gravel driveway.

"Are you ok?! Damn dogs," he growled.

"I'm fine. I just didn't expect them to be so ... er ... friendly. That was friendly right? 'Cause they weren't growling."

"They know better than to jump on people. Did they sit on you? They weigh a hundred pounds each and it’s all muscle. Dang mutts."

"Sawyer I'm fine. Just ask 'em not to jump."

Tommy snorted and so did a couple of other people in the yard where we'd pulled to deliver the stuff that's we'd found in town. Tommy said, "Dogs aren't like people Kay-Lee. You can ask 'em but they might or might not do it. Usually not."

"That sounds exactly like people to me," I said as one of the huge dogs tried to get me to ride it like a pony.

"Ok, that's enough," I snapped trying to regain my very lost dignity. "I'm head of the kitchen where you're going to live so if you want to eat, you'll mind or else."

While some people snickered the dogs actually looked like they were listening and began to calm down after Sawyer paid some attention to them. Watching I told Tommy, "They're as bad as the little kids when they get all sugared up. They want attention and they'll get it anyway they can."

Linda walked up and said, "Dogs are like that. Smart half the time and the other half acting like little kids with ADD. These two though are smarter and because of that can get up to mischief if they don't have enough to keep them occupied. Don't leave your brace where they can get it or one of them might wind up wearing it or eating it."

I was familiar with having to keep everything put away because of the other foster kids I lived with so already had the habit. I just reminded myself not to get lax. As soon as the dogs got enough greetings and people stopped laughing at the fact they'd run over me the guys started shifting stuff around in the back of the truck. Some things came out and some stuff went in. I followed Linda over to a bunch of picnic tables put end to end where things were being divided up.

"Aunt Pearl is there something I can help with?"

"Sure Honey. First thing, Linda says you can make your own bread."

"Yes ma'am."

"Well that'll take some pressure off. I'll give you flour and baking fixings and give the other girls the store-bought stuff. What all can you do?"

"If I have a recipe just about anything. But I already have some favorite recipes that I use that are real easy."

"That's good, real good. And Linda also tells me you know how to dry things for storage."

"Yes ma'am. Linda taught me last year. Her parents do all of that stuff 'cause they're real health conscious."

She gave me a grin then said, "Even better. I've got a dehydrator I picked up at the flea market for you. Take it home and I'm going to give you some of the fresh stuff we bought too. You'll need to be careful of the ziploc bags though, they're getting precious."

"There's a lot of big jars that I can use for storage if you need to keep those baggies. Sawyer was going to pick up some at the scratch-n-dent store, but I told him to wait because they were the cheap kind that were real thin."

"Bless you. I know just the kind you are talking about and you're lucky to get one use out of them before the zipper goes or it gets a hole. Money wasters is all they are. Jars will be better anyway, just make sure to store them out of direct light and to keep an eye out for moisture. You have any questions just ask Honey. More of us that can do what needs doing, less problems all around. And what was that boy thinking?" That last was said with a laugh when she saw all the bottles of mustard that Sawyer had picked up.

Each family group had a table where things were being set after being bagged up or separated. Aunt Pearl explained that Sawyer and I were considered part of Gramps' family group and that Linda was bagging things up for our group in smaller containers since we would be taking our share with us to the house.

"And Honey, when you get a chance I need you to look around your place and make a list of what you've got in the yard."

"Excuse me?"

"Like the kind of trees and bushes. Sawyer will help with that, but I hope your handwriting is better than his. His isn't much more than chicken scratch."

Having already noticed that I tried to hide a grin.

"You laughing at me?"

I turned at hearing Sawyer's mock snit and I told him, "If you're the guy who can't read his own writing then sure seems like it."

He grinned and said, "And yours looks like it come off a typewriter so I guess that means you can do all the writing from here on out."

I rolled my eyes before turning back to what I was doing while Sawyer grabbed a box that Aunt Pearl told him to move out of her way. When he walked off several of the girls and aunts made comments amongst each other then one said, "Been a long time since I've seen Sawyer not be so flaming touchy about everything."

I looked up and she added, "I'm Beth ... Cutter's wife."

I almost told her she had my sympathies and something must have showed on my face because she giggled. "Yeah, he has that effect on people, but we get along. I don't know if you remember me or not. I was a senior your freshman year."

"I'm sorry, I don't. My freshman year was a little crazy."

"I can imagine. That was the year you had those rods in your leg."

"Yeah. I guess you remember me because I stood out."

"No. I remember you because you petitioned Coach Edgars to use the football team as Culinary's guinea pigs. Some of the teachers were a little bent about that when they found out."

"How was I supposed to know that the teacher's thought they were entitled to all of that going to the teacher's lounge? They always left stuff to spoil and I hate to waste food and the cleaning ladies were always complaining. I thought I was helping."

"You were," she laughed. "Some of the teachers were just brats and probably still are." I didn't disagree but wasn't going to gossip about it. You never knew where things like that might end up.

Soon after that Sawyer said it was time to go or it would be dark before he could get the mattress out of the truck. Gramps said, "Don't move so fast boy. A couple of us are coming over so we can grab them boxes off the back porch."

"Well then meet us over there. We'll unload the truck and somebody can help me haul that mattress upstairs when you get there. It ain't exactly light."

 

[Sammy55]

Thanks, Kathy!! A great break read for me!! Now, back to work.... (me, I mean...not you, though I know you work a lot! LOL!)

 

[Texican]

Oh Kathy,

You know that you have reached the end of the days chapters when the chapter ends in a 0 or a 5. It is sad, but another 5 chapters are coming tomorrow.

What a tale you spin.

I am watching Swamp People while reading and listening to the accents and can imagine what the accents of the folks up on Hartford Ridge sound like.

Thanks for all of the enjoyable reading.

Texican....

 

[Lake Lili]

Always a smile when Rosie gets hers...
Thanks Kathy!

 

[ejagno]

Kathy, this is a new read for me and as always your stories are amazing. Thank you!

 

[Sportsman]

Thank you Kathy. I'm always amazed at all of the little details you think up.

 

[Kathy in FL]

Chapter Twenty-Six

"I am not sleeping in that truck. I don't care what it takes or where it is, but it ain't going to be in that truck," Sawyer groused as he moved stuff from the front room to the kitchen.

With a smile I told him, "I thought you said you liked sleeping in your truck."

"I do smarty pants, just not all the time for days on end. Besides we've got the dogs here now."

"What's that got to do with it?" I asked.

"They sleep outside except in really bad weather. They'll guard what is left on the porch so I don't have to worry so much about it."

"I didn't know you were worrying," I said feeling somehow stupid to not have realized it.

Sawyer noticed and said, "It wasn't your worrying to do. The dogs and having all those fancy boxes off the porch help too. Don't figure on being able to do any laundry tomorrow. Gramps said his arthritis is singing like it is really going to be a humdinger tomorrow. I don't even think we're going to be able to get out and go to church. The county hasn't finished clearing that washout and traffic is going to back up like crazy. You mind?"

"Mind what?"

"Not going to church."

I shrugged. "I only went if the foster family I was staying with went and most of them didn't."

"Well we go most of the time." He caught me in a surprised look and he blushed. "I know. I need to work on my mouth. I got out of the habit the last couple of years. Let's just put this stuff on the table and cover it and try and finish getting the bed set up."

It had taken several days but we'd finally gotten the smell out of the house. It was a combination of stale air, dirt, sweat, old boots, rotting junk, and a few small plumbing leaks that had been repaired but not cleaned up after that had allowed small patches wood root and mildew to appear. In the master bedroom Sawyer had sealed and painted the plaster walls, the bead board, and chair rail plus the trim that ran around the top of the ceiling. I took down the old antique light fixtures and washed them really good ... they were full of dust and dead flies ... so when the light came on it didn't smell like smoke or look like a haunted house anymore. I re-hung the cleaned shades, shears, and drapes yesterday and we'd changed out some of the pieces of furniture for some that we had found upstairs in the attic and other parts of the house.

When we put the box spring and mattress on the bed and then I'd put the sheets and bedspread on it I was almost been afraid I was dreaming.

"Wow."

"Wow what?" Sawyer asked as he wiped a hand print off the wall where they'd brought up the mattress.

"It just looks so nice. I can't believe we get to sleep here."

He turned to look at the room and then at me. "You gonna get bent if I hug you?"

"Huh?"

"Are you going to be upset if I give you a hug?"

I blushed and said, "I guess not."

"Good. 'Cause I've wanted to do this for a while. And it isn't just because of how the room looks. It’s about how you look when you see things. Like how you see Tommy and Linda. How you didn't mind shopping at the scratch-n-dent. How you didn't throw a hissy when my dogs knocked you down." With each sentence he took a step closer and then he was there and put his arms around me.

Not knowing what to do or say I finally said, "I had fun today."

"Me too. I still say we should have walked the market together."

"You wouldn't have liked it."

He stepped back. "Did someone say something?"

I snorted and said, "People always say something but your Aunt Pearl is funny how she knows how to put them in their place."

"Who was it?"

"Just some girl from school. But Aunt Pearl basically called her a brat to her face and said we didn't have time for that kind of immaturity."

Sawyer snorted. "Oh yeah, that must have gone over well."

I giggled. "I know I shouldn't get so much satisfaction from it but I did. Her face was priceless." Then more seriously I asked, "Did you get picked on?"

"Are you kidding me? When enough of us Hartfords get together in one place people have trouble breathing much less having enough air for bumping their gums. Is that all you bought?" He said pointing to what I had set on the floor before finding a place to put it away.

"Yeah and some of it is yours." I bent down to pick it up and a pain in my hip socket caught me off guard and I went all the way down to the floor.

"Kay-Lee?!"

"I'm ... I'm ok."

"You don't look it. Here, let me ..."

"No. Just give me a sec. I need to stretch it out."

"Dang those dogs."

I shook my head. "Wasn't the dogs. When I was walking around with Linda things got really crowded then some guys from County HS started getting rowdy and I got stepped on. It wasn't bad at the time but to keep my balance I twisted. That's all it is."

"You got stepped on? You didn't tell me that."

"Who doesn't get stepped on when it gets crowded?"

"Kay-Lee ..."

"I'm fine. Just sore and tired. I don't care if you are a Greek godlet, you have to be tired too after tossing those groceries and things around all day."

He sat on the floor beside me as I pulled things out of the bags. I handed him his socks and underwear really quick and he just sort of stared at them and then tried to see over into the bag. "Watcha got?"

"Shoes."

"You got more than shoes."

"I picked up ... socks ... and stuff."

"What stuff?"

"Never mind."

He reached around me and dumped the bag and out slid the nightgown I had bought. I tried to stuff it back in the bag but he grabbed my hands and then leaned against my back but didn't lean on me.

"My turned to say wow."

"Your turn to be crazy."

"I'm already crazy, remember?"

"You can say that again."

"You gonna get bent if I kiss you?"

Slowly I said, "I guess not."

"Good."

 

[Kathy in FL]

Chapter Twenty-Seven

"Go to sleep Kay-Lee."

"You sure?"

"No so stop looking at me like that. I'm practicing restraint."

"Why?"

"Kay-Lee," he groaned. "You are not making this easy."

"OK."

He laughed and then groaned again before he turned out the lamp and started kissing me again.

----------

I was limping down the back stairs to start my day and praying that the naproxen was where I left it. Before I headed for the pills, I stopped to make sure the coffee pot had kicked on. I opened the door to check the weather and nearly came out of my skin when four beady eyes were there waiting for me.

"Stop that," I told the dogs who were winding up like a couple of overexcited five-year-olds. Their tales were wagging so hard their butts were gonna knock them off the porch.

"What did they do this time?" Sawyer grumped while making a beeline for his coffee transfusion.

"I wasn't expecting them to be there at the door and now they're looking all pathetic, but they're wet. What do I do with them?"

"Leave 'em on the porch. I'll get them some pooch food now."

I was more than happy to do that very thing though they weren't happy when I turned and walked away. They both whined like a couple of babies. I hobbled to the frig and then to the stove to put in the pan of oven French toast I had set to soak the night before. While that was baking, I turned and looked at the mess that still covered the kitchen table. First thing I needed to do was get some of the gallon jars washed out and dried.

I was in the pantry when I heard the screen bang and the dogs start snarling and someone yell. I froze but when I heard boots running across the linoleum, the screen door slam again and then another yell and then something crack ... all while the dogs kept making a fuss ... I limp-ran to the door with the big flashlight I had bought yesterday at the flea market because of the lights not working in the pantry.

I slid almost as soon as I got onto the porch because the rain had blown during the night and we hadn't scrubbed the algae off the boards yet. Nearly going down kept me from being plowed into and taken down by another person. Instinct had me bring the flashlight down on the person trying to grab me and they cursed and backed off. I didn't. I swung and caught them in the jaw and they fell over the porch where one of the dogs started harrying him. The other dog was snapping at someone that was trying to get in the middle of a fight that Sawyer was in with a third person. I didn't know which way to move until the guy that had fallen off the porch got up again and tried to grab my leg.

I brought the flashlight down on his head and he was down and out. The dog seeing this turned to help his pack mate and took the second guy down and he started screaming as they got some meat with the clothes they were ripping at. I wanted to put my hands over my ears and do some screaming of my own. Right as I found the courage to finally start down the porch steps the guy that by the porch came to, went to help the guy fighting off the dogs, and then they yelled at the guy that Sawyer was fighting with to just forget it and come on.

Sawyer heaved a brick from the flower bed through their windshield as they took off in the rain right as I reached his side. Sawyer took one look at me, swore, and put an arm around me and helped me back into the kitchen. "Did they hurt you?"

"What? No. Scared me but didn't hurt me. Are you ok?"

"Yeah," he said before walking over to spit pink into the kitchen sink and pick up the phone.

"Gramps! Three guys - I'm pretty sure one of them was Mason - were here." I could hear him saying something on the other end. "I don't know, it just happened. I've got to go look. They knocked Kay-Lee around though and ..." There was hollering and Sawyer gave me the phone.

"Try and answer his questions while I go look around and see what they were doing. They couldn't have been here long or the dogs would have said something sooner."

"Gramps, it's me Kay-Lee. Sawyer says he needs to go look around outside."

"Are you ok Honey?"

"I'm ok. But Sawyer was fighting with one of them and the inside of his mouth must be cut up because he spit blood into the kitchen sink."

"Do you know what those men looked like?"

"I don't think so, at least not much. Things were happening so fast, and the rain is coming down pretty hard. Let's see ... the guy that Sawyer was fighting with was bigger than him. He seemed ... I don't know ... older too for some reason but not that much older. The ones that the dogs went after screams like a girl but that's all I know for sure because he never came into the porch light. The one that tried to tackle me was dark blonde, smelled like a two-pack a day habit and had on a black t-shirt with some faded old rocker band picture on it. Actually they all were dressed in dark clothes."

"James and Mark are on their way over there right now. Don't let Sawyer take off after them."

"Uh oh."

"Did the boy already leave?"

"No. He's cursing about his truck tires being slashed."

"Whew boy, I'd be me some kinda hot too ... am hot but we need to use some sense. If we ain't got any proof ..."

"The one I hit is gonna have at least one goose egg. One of them is going to be dog chewed. I don't know about the one Sawyer was fighting with but the car they left in is going to have a brick hole through the windshield at the very least. If that isn't proof I don't know what is."

"Well that won't hurt that's for sure. Is that Sawyer I hear snortin' and snarlin'?"

"Yes sir. I'll give him back the phone."

Somehow Gramps knew just what to say to get Sawyer to calm down and he stayed on the phone with him until Uncle James and Uncle Mark drove up.

Uncle James went and talked to Sawyer and Uncle Mark snapped at me, "Get that stuff put away before the Sheriff gets here. We don't need them noticing anything. Use some sense girl."

I started moving things and Sawyer noticed. "What are you doing?"

Trying to put the best light on it I told him, "Your uncle thinks it would be wiser to put this stuff in the pantry before the cops get here. Less for them to notice."

"I didn't do anything wrong," he snapped.

"Of course you didn't. That's not the kind of noticing he's talking about. I think he's talking about the kind of noticing your grandfather was talking about."

He grumbled and I said, "There's clean mugs in the cabinet behind you. You all three are soaked and should get something warm inside of you. Breakfast will be ready in just a minute." My answer was more unintelligible grumbling but he did turn around and take down two more mugs.

I started picking up packages and taking them to the darkest end of the pantry and placing them on the shelves that could not be seen through the one window in there. I nearly tripped twice until Uncle Mark came in and said, "Honestly, you remind me of Tommy. Boy can't find his head half the time. You ever heard of a light switch."

"Heard of and tried to use. And tried new light bulbs when this one wouldn’t work. It's not the fuse either," I added as he started to open his mouth.

"Well you’re saucy this morning."

"Almost getting clobbered by a guy twice my size does it every time. What I'm really irked about is that his head broke my brand new flashlight. I just bought that thing yesterday."

I moved around him and grabbed the next load trying not to let him see me wince as I was beyond stiff and sore. I came out after sitting that load on the shelves and almost rain into Sawyer who was carrying two of the large sacks of grain and the other two men who were carrying several cases of canned foods. With all four of us it was a much shorter job and was finished just in time as a sheriff's car pulled up.

I stayed inside to save the French toast casserole from burning and Sawyer and his uncles went out to meet the two men coming up the porch. I looked out after a minute and saw Sawyer's face getting all puckered up and hacked off. I grabbed the coffee pot and stuck it under his nose and asked, "Anyone need their cup refilled?"

 

[Kathy in FL]

Chapter Twenty-Eight

All three men turned to look at me as the patrol car turned around and then left the property by way of the gravel drive. I ignored them until I heard Sawyer start to snicker. I looked at him and just stared and he finally just broke down laughing.

In my best imitation of Mrs. Valdez's voice I said, "Hospitality is nothing more and nothing less than managing people. If you make them comfortable and happy they are more likely to be amendable to what you need them to do."

Uncle Mark whispered, "My gawd."

Uncle James was laughing at him and Sawyer as much as he was laughing at how I'd managed the law enforcement officers. "My gawd is right. That was slick as cow snot. Coffee and French toast. You had them eating out of your hands."

"They didn't seem a bad sort, just tired of getting calls out to the Baffa place. They reminded me of the high school’s Resource Officers. Once I explained that Mr. Baffa wasn't here anymore and that I was really, really sorry to bother them but that I was worried that those men might go out and try and hurt someone else and cause more problems for the sheriff's department ..." I shrugged. "To be honest we all know they didn't really buy it, they just played along to be polite and see how much they could get out of it. I mean they believed that something happened, it just gave them an excuse to not have to be a couple of hard cases. What I didn't like was when they asked if Sawyer had hit me."

Uncle James snorted and said, "I do believe that got straightened out real quick. Especially when you said how the heck could it have been Sawyer when he was fighting a bigger guy and looks worse than you do."

"Well he does. I still don't see why they had to smile about it."

Uncle Mark snorted and said, "Because they started wondering if you had beat on Sawyer."

"What?!"

Sawyer laughed. "Don't worry about it Kay-Lee. It was funny to think that you would be able to. Why don't you go upstairs and sit down or change or something while Uncle James and Uncle Mark and I check around things one more time."

I was just about to object that I didn't need to sit down when I realized what he really meant was that he wanted to talk to his uncles privately. I trudged up the stairs even though it was the last thing I wanted to do at that moment and decided that changing clothes didn't sound like such a bad idea after all. I was changed and threading a new shoe string in my dry tennis shoes when I heard a vehicle leave and then Sawyer come up the stairs.

"Uncle Mark thinks you're going to be in a snit."

"Why would he think that?"

"'Cause he thinks that modern girls don't like being excluded from men talk."

I sighed and just kept threading. "Don't take this the wrong way Sawyer but your Uncle Mark has issues. One, he doesn't like that I'm a Baffa. Two, he doesn't like that a Hartford married a Baffa. And three, there's probably a whole lotta things he don't like that has nothing to do with me being anything other than female."

Sawyer barked a laugh. "For such short acquaintance you sure do have Uncle Mark nailed down." He came over to where I was sitting on a stool and kneeled down and took my shoe from me and asked, "You sure you're ok?"

"Yeah."

"You don't sound ok."

"Well I am. But can I ask you one thing? Who is Mason Penny and why would he be out to hurt you?"

"He's Buttface's little brother."

"Your brother in law's brother?"

"Yeah."

"Mason is the guy that let you get in all that trouble instead of owning up to it?"

"Yeah."

"He's a jerk."

"He is. And worse."

"Why isn't he in jail for stealing that money?"

"He was for a couple of months but he got out for time served and overcrowding."

"Jerk."

"You said that."

"Well he is. What's his problem anyway? Or is this some kind of feud?"

"Not a feud exactly," Sawyer answered as he started playing with my ankle which tickled. I tried to pull my foot away but that seemed to only encourage him more. "Buttface and Delly are having money problems. I paid the rent on that garage apartment before I did anything else. Buttface moved his brother in and Mason ain't paid 'em a lick yet from what I hear and is using a lot more ‘lectric and water than I ever did. Now Delly is hacked at Buttface for kicking me out and not finding a way to replace that income."

"She didn't stop him," I said, finding I had a dislike of his sister even though I'd never met her.

"True but Delly, from what family gossip got said yesterday, has put Buttface on notice. See the house is in her name and she's angry enough that she refused to let him use the house as collateral to consolidate some of his business loans. She told him that if he could get rid of her brother than he could get rid of his and that he better hire someone that actually does something besides sit around collecting a paycheck - that he doesn't pay his bills with - to help him with the business 'cause she ain't happy about all of the economizing she is being forced to do. I guess Buttface finally got a brain cell working because he did just that and now Mason is running through his other relatives only most of them ain't buying what he's trying to sell."

I was listening to him but I was also getting lost in the sensation of his hands messaging my foot and calf.

He got up on his knees and leaned over and asked, "That feel good?"

"Uh huh."

"Wanna see if I can make you feel better?"

For the life of me all I could do was nod.

 

[Kathy in FL]

Chapter Twenty-Nine

It continued to rain and we were still in bed even though it was almost lunch time.

I sighed.

"What? You tired?"

"Kinda but not really."

"Then what's wrong?"

"Nothing is wrong. Not yet. I'm just waiting to wake up is all."

"Huh?'

"This. It's gotta be a dream. Eventually I'll wake up."

He pulled me closer and then pulled the covers up higher. "Then we just don't wake up."

"You'll get bored with that soon enough."

He gave a gruff chuckle. "That right there tells me how little you know about men. Honey, there are some things we never get bored of."

"If you say so."

"What? You think you're going to get bored with this?"

I shook my head. "Not so long as there's this part. This just ... just being together. I don't expect you to be like Tommy or some of that other silly stuff I've seen guys do. But if there can just be this I think I could do this forever."

"I can handle forever," Sawyer said.

----------

Sawyer eventually dosed off and I carefully got up and dressed and made my way down to the kitchen to quietly pull out the ingredients for pizza.

The pizza was in the oven and cooking and I was trying to reorganize the mess that had been made when we moved everything to the pantry willy-nilly when Sawyer showed up.

"What's cookin? Smells good."

"Pizza."

"I didn't see that we picked up pizza yesterday."

"I got a log of pepperoni at the flea market and some pizza sauce at the same booth. And not all of those mixes we picked up at the discount warehouse were for biscuits or muffins. There were a couple for pizza crust as well. Won't be exactly like you can get at the Pizza Pub but it should still be ok."

"What about cheese?"

"Aunt Pearl got some at the Mennonite store and divided it amongst everyone."

"Oh." He leaned back against the doorframe and then said, "You got up. Was it because I went to sleep?"

"No."

"Then why?"

"I ... I guess ... look, it sounds pathetic."

"So tell me anyway."

"When you went to sleep ... I guess I just started thinking."

"About what?"

"About the fact that I'm here to make it so ... oh I don't know. I just got up ok?"

"No. It's not ok. Didn't you like what we did?"

"Yes," I said turning bright red all over. "It was ... it was too good to be true Sawyer. Can't we just leave it at that?"

"I would if this wasn't forever but ... but it is. You talked about forever too."

"Sawyer how can you possibly look so hot and still be talking about forever with me? I know you said no one bothered you about it yesterday but I'm pretty sure they were thinking it and let you know they were thinking it even if they didn't actually say anything. And don't say they didn't because I might not know much else, but I know people. I've had lots of time I couldn't do anything else but people watch and by and large the human race pretty much sucks."

"Wow. You're cynical."

"It keeps me out of trouble and lowers my expectations to the point of being reasonable."

"Dang girl. You're really cynical ... sound just like I did before Gramps helped me."

"You're Gramps is different. I don't know what kind of different he is but he is most definitely different. Most people are the same. They may look different but if you could crack them open to their gooey centers you find the same kind of filling ... usually the kind that everyone is disappointed they find in the box of chocolates."

"How about me? Am I different?"

"Sawyer I can say with absolute certainty you are not only different, you are grade A crazy."

"So is that a good thing?" he said finally stepping over and getting in my space.

"It makes you dangerous and vulnerable. It isn't the best combination," I told him honestly. "You're going to get hurt. And when it comes to this, you're going to get hurt because of me. I can't stand that. And ... and I gotta figure out some way to stop it."

He walked me back against the shelves and surrounded me. "Looks like I'm not the only one that is crazy." Then he started kissing.

I didn't want to stop him but I pushed and said, "Sawyer, you can't ignore this."

"Which this? This problem you have thinking that every problem I have is your fault? Or this?" he said putting his hands in places that he seemed to like to.

"Sawyer ..."

We didn't make it out of the pantry until the timer for the pizza started dinging. I saved it just in time. And I had been right, it didn't taste like Pizza Pub but that didn't stop Sawyer from inhaling most of it then pretend chase me around the kitchen then back up to the bedroom where we stayed the rest of the day.

 

[Kathy in FL]

Chapter Thirty

"Boy, you look tired. Didn't that new mattress agree with you?"

"Yes sir," Sawyer grinned. "Yes sir it sure did. Just catchin' up from where I was stuck on that air mattress in the truck for most of a week."

It was Monday and Gramps and a couple of Sawyer's uncles had come to look over the house to see what kind of repairs it needed.

"Road needs to be graded for one but I ain't wantin' to start that in this mud and until after we make sure we ain't gotta dig it up to make sure the yard drains proper. What about that basement Son? Did it stay dry?"

I stepped out onto the porch and asked, "Coffee? I've also got muffins made. Everything is on the kitchen ta ..."

I moved out from in front of the doorway just in time to keep from being trampled. Gramps laughed after taking his first bite of muffin. "Honey, did anyone get your toes in that stampede?"

I smiled. "No sir."

Around mouthfuls of coffee and muffins the men found out that the basement itself didn't leak but the broken window down into the basement did which was why it was probably boarded over in the first place. While a couple started on that, another uncle went to check out the roof and another one started checking the fire places. Sawyer was everywhere at once while I stayed in the kitchen making stew and dumplings for lunch and pocket pies for dessert. I was also reading the directions for the dehydrator and getting it set up.

About an hour before lunch Sawyer bellowed, "Kay-Lee!!"

I stop what I'm doing and "run" to where he was hollering at which was the fireplace in the master bedroom. I come in breathless to find him covered in soot ... and so was everything else in the room including all the clean linens that I had so painstakingly ironed a few days before.

"What happened?!"

"That screwy uncle of yours that's what!" he groused.

"What now?" I asked calmly without telling him it was a kinship by blood and nothing else so to please not act like it was my fault by connection.

He tried to hand me a blackened box but I just backed up and wouldn't take it. "Here," he said.

"It's dirty. Everything in here is dirty ... especially you."

He opened his mouth to say something then really looked around for the first time. Uncle Junior walked in and said, "I told you Boy not to drop them weighted scrubbers; that we had a little prepping to do first."

"Uh ..." Trying to ignore the horrible mess he'd just caused he instead blamed it on Mr. Baffa. "There was a blockage, and we couldn't figure out if some of the bricks had fallen on the inside or what. Turns out it was this."

I still wouldn't take it. "Don't you want to know what's inside it?" he demanded.

"Whatever it is you can deal with it. I need to get this stuff down, shaken off, and washed unless you want to go back to sleeping in the truck. Oh, and I still need to fix dinner for all you Hartford men."

"But Kay-Lee ..."

"Sawyer, if it was something Mr. Baffa thought important enough to hide then I think it must be important enough that you can deal with it."

"Kay-Lee just guess."

I rolled my eyes. "Pictures of naked women?"

"What the ...? No smart aleck." He flipped back the lid and showed me that it was rolls of fives, tens, and twenties just like the money we'd found in other places, only this time inside one of those smallish sized fire proof safes.

"Well at least it doesn't stink as much as the stuff we found in the toes of those boots. Still ... you get to clean this bunch since apparently I'm going to be spending most of the rest of my day cleaning this room up."

I started stripping the bed. Uncle Junior said, "C'mon Son ... sometimes a man needs to know when to make a strategic retreat. This is one of those times."

------------

The Hartford men had all left for home hours before, the kitchen was clean for the last time, I'd managed to put the bedroom back together, and the stars were out in force in the clear night sky. I should have been exhausted after all the work I had done, and I was, but apparently not exhausted enough to get some sleep.

Sawyer had passed out as soon as his head hit the pillow, proof that he'd worked long and hard to keep up with all his uncles were doing; but, every time I tried to get comfortable I was afraid of joggling him and waking him up so I rolled out of bed and came down to sit at the kitchen table and chop celery to go on the dehydrator first thing in the morning. While I washed and chopped I replayed the day.

Everyone had liked the stew and really liked being able to take a pocket pie and go outside for a bit of fresh air. That's where they were at when a car with the words "Process Server" on the door showed up.

"Is Kay-Lee Baffa Hartford here?"

I stepped out onto the porch but the men had formed a protective ring which pretty much kept me there rather than let me come down the steps. It was Gramps who asked, "What business do you have with my granddaughter?"

I was so hung up with being called his granddaughter that I almost missed him saying, "I'm sorry to inform you of the passing of Jacob Baffa, her uncle. I also have papers here for her to sign to release the body and a few other odds and ends. He requested cremation and then burial at the National Cemetery without a graveside service." He droned on for a bit longer, but the bottom line was all I needed to do was sign the papers because everything else had already been take care of. One of the papers even said the inheritance taxes had already been paid.

"Who paid them?" I asked.

Sawyer said, "The lawyer that handled the property transfer. They got it filed before he died so the tax effect was smaller. Property taxes are also paid. All the legal stuff is taken care of. I'll give that to Old Man Baffa, when he decided to do something, he didn't do it in half measures."

Everyone else went on along like it was just an everyday occurrence. I just sort of stood there with the papers in my hands. That's how Uncle James found me. "You ok Kay-Lee?"

"What? Oh ... oh yes sir," I answered trying to hide how confused I felt.

"Don't seem ok."

"I am ... or will be. As soon as I figure out how I'm supposed to feel about all of this."

And that's where I still was at; trying to figure out how I felt. I had no connection to Mr. Baffa. He said he was my uncle and that giant family Bible said I was he was my uncle ... and related to a lot of other people too yet had never known or seen. And for the life of me I couldn't make myself feel anything for them. And somehow that made me sad which was too strange to contemplate. And then there was the house and land and the Hartfords seemed like I should be dancing nekked in the streets with joy that it came my way. But somehow that didn't mean anything to me either. I was just a conduit that transferred the land and house from a Baffa to a Hartford. Then there was Gramps calling me his granddaughter like he didn't even have to think about it, that being married to Sawyer had somehow conferred that privilege to me. I had more feelings about that than any of the other.

And then there was Sawyer who I really didn't know what to feel about. We were married. We were even acting married ... but somehow it felt like it was all on the surface and for show while at the same time there did feel like something more was going on. The "more" also worried me. In fact, all of the connections I was developing with the Hartfords worried me. I'd gotten attached to a couple of my foster families when I'd been little, and I'd even made the mistake of falling into the fantasy that one of the nurses that had taken care of me when I was in the hospital was going to adopt me and take me home just as soon as I got well enough. That had been the last straw because I had been old enough to realize I'd built something up that wasn't there and that it was my own fault that it hurt.

I remembered all too well what a broken heart feels like. I didn't want to feel that way again ... ever again.

 

[CGTech]

Thank you Kathy

 

[Sammy55]

Wow!! I'd LOVE to discover money hiding all over my house!! Not that I'd like the smell or the soot or the work. I guess you could say that Kay-Lee and Sawyer were actually "paid" by the Baffa uncle for having to clean out that disgusting mess. Whew! But at least they got something out of that mess.

I hope Kay-Lee is able to come to grips with the "not knowing" her kin. It's no different, I guess, than people (like me) who do genealogy research. We find our ancestors, but we've never met them, don't know them personally, just have to accept that they were our kin...they are names in our lineage. It doesn't seem that hard, except for the fact that Kay-Lee's family were alive but didn't claim her or spend time with her. I have some relatives like that. But they are ones that I'd rather not know either and am happy they keep away. LOL!

Thanks, Kathy, for bringing some interesting things to think about.

 

[9idrr]

Much appreciated.

 

[nancy98]

Being forgetful has it's blessings. Much of this story I'd swear is new! LOL

 

[Lake Lili]

Thanks Kathy!

 

[Sportsman]

Thanks Kathy. I sure want to binge-read this one!

 

[Catshooter]

THANK YOU KATHY!!! Of all your stories this has been my favorite. I'm so glad to see you finishing it!

 

[Kathy in FL]

Chapter Thirty-One

"Kay-Lee?"

"Coming!" I answered Sawyer. I was wondering what had kept him away all morning instead of watching how tight I was holding onto the rail. I was halfway up the basement stairs when my brace hung up on a riser.

Normally it was no big deal. Normally I was holding on tightly to the hand rail. Normally I wouldn't have panicked. Normally when I did stop falling, I wouldn't have thrown a hissy fit. Unfortunately, normal went out the window.

"Kay-Lee!!"

Sawyer clattered down the stairs faster than I would ever be able to move, even stumbled and caught himself, then finished by neatly jumping down beside me all of which only made me more upset.

"I'm fine!" I snarled.

"You fell down the stairs!"

"No kidding," I snapped. "Just move and let me get up."

"Get up?! Just ... just wait. I need to see if you're hurt."

"The only thing hurt is my pride ... again ... like I need more reminders of just how stupid and clunky I am. Now move!" I tried to get up but then a shooting pain in my ankle took my breath away and I stiffened up. "No ... no, no, no. I don't have time for this."

"You've got whatever time I say you have. Now be still. Wait. Hang on a sec."

He ran back up the stairs and off to I didn't know where. All I cared about was it gave me time to get up and prove to him - and myself - that a fool I might be but one that could move under their own power.

I heard feet and then from top of the stairs, "Kay-Lee! Oh my goodness!" I heard her tell Sawyer something and him start to get upset but then she told him to move and I heard him running up the back stairs.

"Linda?! What are you doing here?" I asked her when she got to the bottom.

"Trying to save you from getting smothered to death 'cause I know you hate it. I sent Sawyer to get one of those blue pills you take when your joints hurt. Wow, look at you. What happened?" she asked as she helped me stand up.

"My brace caught a riser and I wasn't paying enough attention so couldn't stop myself once I started to lose my balance. Geez I am such an idiot."

"Don't call yourself names. You never let Tommy and me do that when we'd flub a test or anything like that."

"Totally different."

"No it isn't."

Then there was as squawk and Sawyer flew at me and I almost fell again only I wound up being picked up and carried up the stairs. "What are you doing putting weight on that foot before I've had a chance to look at it?! Did you hit your head? God, I need to take you to the emergency room you could have a concussion. Hang on let me get my keys."

"Sawyer ..."

"How many fingers am I holding up? Do you hurt ..."

Sawyer!"

"I'll fix this Kay-Lee, just let me ..."

"Sawyer!!"

"What?"

"Put me down in the kitchen chair. Then get a glass of water so I can take this stupid pill. Then get a wash cloth, wet it, and wipe your face. You act like your head is on fire."

He stopped in the middle of wetting a kitchen rag, looked at it then looked at me. "That's not funny Kay-Lee."

"I didn't mean it to be. You're making a fuss over nothing. I may be an idiot but I'm not a crybaby."

From behind me Linda asked, "Now who's head is on fire. If you get any madder Kay-Lee you're going to burn down the house. Instead of Sawyer wiping his face maybe you should stick your head in a bucket."

I was ready to tune up and blow back on her like no one's business but then I realized this was Linda, one of the few friends I had in the world, the one that was honest to a fault and was never mean on purpose. I groaned. "Fine. Point me in the direction of the bucket and I'll do just that."

Linda laughed but Sawyer not so much. "Stop it Linda. Kay-Lee is hurting."

"Kay-Lee hates to fall Sawyer. She really, really hates it. It isn't the hurt, it's the fall."

Sawyer wasn't listening to her, and he came over and put his arm around me where I had my head on my arm on the table. "Kay-Lee? Seriously, let me look at your ankle. I know it hurts. I heard you."

I sighed. "Why do you guys have to be so nice? Can't you just let me be a dumb clutz once in a while?"

"OK, that's enough. I guess I get why you don't like falling. It embarrasses you in a way that makes you feel insecure. But you didn't fall on purpose and it's just me and Linda, not a room full of people. And we aren't laughing. C'mon Kay-Lee ..."

I didn't bother looking as he turned me in the chair. I knew exactly what it was going to look like. It was my weak foot and while I didn't have all the feeling in it I had enough I knew the foot was swelling and bruising. After years of operations and physical therapy I had learned to manage pain and to not let people see it but somehow they both knew. Linda I could understand because she'd been my friend forever. I was having a hard time computing why Sawyer would have been able to tell.

He said, "Kay-Lee this might be broken."

"It's not broken."

"You don't know that."

"I do. I've got more metal in that foot and ankle than I do bone. Pins, plates, rods, screws ... all titanium. They tried to get me to laugh about it by calling me the bionic girl. Ha ha ha. If the job they did on me was so great I wouldn't have to live in that stupid brace. If I ..." I hissed involuntarily when my leg started to draw. "Move!"

"Kay-Lee ..."

"Move!"

Linda said, "Move Sawyer. Her tendons are drawing up ... kinda like a charlie horse. She needs to stand up and stretch them."

I used the table to keep my balance. I was having to choose between the pain of the badly sprained ankle and foot and the pain of the nuclear powered charlie horse. Stopping the charlie horse won hands down.

"What do I do? She's hurting."

"Nothing you can do Sawyer. Kay-Lee sometimes hurts. It's a lot better than it used to be. She used to hurt every day, sometimes all day long. When they were straightening her back and making her leg grow longer it was the worst. She told me once it was like ..."

"Linda!"

"He needs to know that you’re strong Kay-Lee. When he understands how strong he won't worry so much. You're not like his momma. You're not going to go away from a bee sting or a fall ..."

This time it was Sawyer who yelped, "Linda!"

"Well, someone needs to explain it to you two because you sure aren't explaining it to each other."

Linda's logic was breathtaking in its simplicity. She was right but it was really hard to admit it. But one look at Sawyer's face and I knew that I'd have to be the one to reach out first. Still holding onto the table with one hand I inched my other one over to lay on the top of his and said, "Sawyer, could you help me to sit back down and get my foot propped up? Then in my pack there is this telescoping crutch; I ... I ... need it."

 

[Kathy in FL]

Chapter Thirty-Two

"You sure you don't need anything else Kay-Lee?"

"I'm fine Linda. I'm sorry I spoiled your day off by acting like a baby."

"You weren't acting like a baby and my day off was just fine. I got to spend it helping a good friend which is what I had wanted to do anyway."

From outside Tommy called, "Linda, we gotta go. This ice is melting and Mom wants this meat to get all the way to Aunt Pearl's."

Linda gave me a hug goodbye and then had to avoid Harley and Davey's brand of good bye before telling Sawyer bye and climbing into Tommy's truck and leaving. I closed my eyes and did all those relaxation exercises they had taught me in physical therapy, but it only partially worked. I was so into my breathing exercises that I hadn't heard Sawyer come back in.

I jumped when I felt him picking me up. "I thought you were asleep," he said. "I was going to take you upstairs."

"You're going to hurt your back. I can use my crutch."

"Tomorrow. Tonight I want to do it."

"You don't need to."

"Maybe I do."

"Sawyer ..."

"Not because I don't think you can get up the stairs by yourself but because I don't want you to have to get up the stairs by yourself."

"Was that supposed to make sense? Because if it was I missed it.”

"It makes sense, you're just tired. I wanted Linda to come over and help figure out why you've been upset the last couple of days but it didn't work out that way. Now I'm going to have to just come out and ask you myself. Did I do something wrong?"

"Huh?"

"Is ... I mean ... is it about Old Man Baffa dying?"

"Oh Sawyer ..."

"It is isn't it. I guess we were kinda ... uh ..."

"No. I mean yes in a way, but more because I don't feel worse that Mr. Baffa died. But there's other things too and ... and I just don't know how to talk about it. There's just a lot of new stuff going on in my life and I'm not sure ... I mean ..."

"Is it being married to me?"

"What? Sawyer ... doggone it ..."

"Well, what am I supposed to think? We were getting along good and then we started getting along great ... better than great. Didn't you enjoy Sunday? You said you did, then you changed the next day. Was it too much?"

I put my head back on my arm on the table. "The only problem is that I'm still waiting to wake up."

"You're still ... you mean what you said the other day about being worried that I'm going to get bored?"

"Yeah only it is more than that. I don't ... I mean I really don't Sawyer so don't figure that I do ... expect you to act like other guys. I don't know if I would know how to act if you did. But ..."

"Kay-Lee, you're not making any sense at all."

"I know. God I know. But that's the way I feel. What happens ... what happens if ..."

"What happens if what?"

"What happens if ... if I get more ... more attached than you do? I know there are things that you like - and that's ok, I'm not saying it isn't because it is - but what if it makes you uncomfortable that I like you more than you like me? What happens when I finally embarrass you enough that ..."

"No."

"I know. That's what I thought," I said dejectedly.

"Kay-Lee I mean no ... as in you don't embarrass me. I admit it sometimes might bother me - like at the flea market - that people say the things they do but it is not because you embarrass me but because they don't know what they are talking about. There's nothing wrong with you."

"Sawyer, are you blind?!"

"No. No I'm starting to see better every day. And I'll do what I can to help you see better too."

I let him carry me upstairs. I let him help me get ready for bed. Then I let him hold me until he went to sleep. But all I could do is lay there and think.

 

[Kathy in FL]

Chapter Thirty-Three

"Feel like going to town?"

"What?"

"To town? Feel like going?"

"Uh ... Sawyer. My ankle is still ... I ... I have to ..."

Frowning he said, "You better use that crutch. I don't want to see you putting any weight on that foot until that brace fits properly. Kay-Lee, there's no need for you to be in pain. Don't make me be a jerk and have to order you."

I looked at him and saw something. He was giving me an out. Letting me think that it was his fault I had to use the crutch. He was actually trying to use reverse psychology on me so I wouldn't feel bad. My mouth almost fell open. "Sawyer?"

"You gonna make me be a jerk?"

I hobbled over to him and put my hand on his chest. "You aren't a jerk. You're ... you're the opposite. And I'll take the crutch."

"And use it?"

"And use it," I agreed.

He relaxed. "Good. Hopefully, if everything works out, we'll grab some Chinese food when we're finished. If there's time we'll even go to a buffet. If there isn't we'll do take out. Place I'm thinking about has both."

Going back to the kitchen chair and sitting down I asked him, "What do you need in town?"

"I thought we'd hit that discount place again. Then a couple of pawn shops I've been meaning to stop at. But first Linda told me there's a couple of thrift stores and some yard sales that she and Tommy and a couple of the others were going to where I might be able to find some extra jeans and I thought ... well ... you don't have many clothes either so ..." Then in a little bit of aggravation he said, "How come you don't ever ask for anything like that? You don't ask for anything."

"'Cause I don't need anything. And besides, you gave me that money to spend at the flea market and I got what I needed then and when we went to town."

"I mean besides that."

Carefully since I didn't understand the problem I asked, "Aren't we ... I mean you and me ... whatever ... supposed to be saving money so it could be spent on stuff we're gonna need when that thing you're Gramps expects happens?"

"Yeah. And we are way ahead because of your crazy uncle ... er ... I mean ..." He sighed. "I'm sorry Kay-Lee. It's just really hard to think of him any other way."

Slowly I admitted, "He probably was a little crazy. Hiding money in a fireplace, even in a supposedly fire-proof safe, isn't exactly not crazy. And the other stuff he did showed he had issues too. And I know he gave your family a lot of grief. I can understand where it is coming from but the guy is dead and he left us all this ..."

"You. He left you."

"You. Me. Us. Does it matter? We're here now and ..."

"It matters to you."

"What? No it doesn't."

"Sure it does. You think because I volunteered to marry you that somehow I'm going to be sorry for it and wish it away and you're going to be out on the street. You think now that he's dead that it's just going to happen sooner."

I was silent for a moment then said, "You did marry me so your family could get this property. That's a fact and one I've accepted. But it isn't because of this house and stuff that you could get to where you wish you hadn't been the one to volunteer. I don't know if you need glasses or what but ... c'mon ... look at the mess I am right now. God knows I'm not as much of a freak as I used to be but I'm not ever gonna get better. I'm not ever going to be able to be like other girls Sawyer. I've accepted it but I'm wondering if you have. Falling like an idiot is just part of it."

"One I wish you wouldn't call yourself a freak. It isn't good to make yourself feel like that. You ... you were different but different doesn't equal freak. And two, you have to give me a chance to prove you wrong. You accept real easy that I might regret volunteering down the road someplace. How about accepting that I might not regret it?"

The idea was so novel and different that it took me a few minutes to wrap my head around it. "Uh ..."

My confusion must have been enough to appease Sawyer because he smiled and pulled a chair over to where I had been sitting folding the latest load of the old clothes that I had managed to wash, dry, and mend. "Here. Let's see if I can loosen the fastenings on your spare brace. This way it won't turn your toes purple."

"You don't have to do that Sawyer I can ..."

"I know you can but let me pretend you need me a little more than you do."

"Huh?"

"Linda told me that I need to ... uh ... open up to you more because if I don't then you won't. I used to be a really open guy, no secrets, no nothing but ... now it is a lot harder to be like that so if I sound stupid blame Linda. But here it is ... I like when I'm needed. It ... it hurt my feelings when Delly believed Buttface over me. I did a lot of stuff for her because he was never around or when he was he was too tired to notice she needed help. Then when Lisa and her folks turned their back on me too ... I couldn't ... still can't ... believe how fast everything changed. I can't understand how they just out of the blue believed that I would steal like that. Buttface and I had never been what you would call friends, but we weren't enemies. Hell, he is twenty years older than I am and I barely had much to do with him until after Dad died. He was just never around. There was no reason for him to believe that I'd steal that kind of money from him ... any kind of money." He stopped and shook his head. "Everybody use to be my friend, love me I guess, and suddenly I couldn't get a dog to come around even with a steak tied around my neck. I know that sounds pathetic, but I was feeling pretty pathetic and hurt and confused. It still hurts that my cousins and uncles thought it was possible that I would sink that low but it is what it is and I think mostly it is because Uncle Forrester had just had his stroke and everyone was so worried about him dying that Gramps ... well he thought that it would work out."

He started putting the brace on my foot and said, "The reason I can understand some of what you feel is because I guess I felt abandoned by everyone ... like you got abandoned by your extended family after your parents died when you were a baby. For a while Delly acted like she was sorry, and I went right back to doing what I had done before but I think Gramps may have had something to do with that even though no one has ever come right out and said so. But ... now there's you ... and me ... and we ... I mean ... together ... we can need to be needed by each other and it's ok because we aren't going to leave or whatever." He was concentrating on putting my shoe over my brace and said almost too low for me to hear, "I'm the type of guy that needs to be needed Kay-Lee. Just need me a little ok?"

I reached out and touched his hair. "I'm afraid I might start needing you a whole lot. If I do and then suddenly, for whatever reason you aren't ... I've hurt a lot in my life, but I think that would hurt more than I could stand."

He looked up and I just knew he was going to kiss me. He was half an inch away from my lips when a car horn playing "Dixie" could be heard coming down the drive. Sawyer groaned. "That would be Benedict. He and Jeannie were picking up Tommy and Linda."

"And we're all going into town together?"

"If you want to go. I won't make you but ... I'd like you to."

"Depends," I told him.

"On what?"

"If I can get a rain check on the kiss and if you help me to get up and get going so we don't keep them waiting."

Sawyer grinned hugely making it totally worth stepping outside my comfort zone.

 

[Kathy in FL]

Chapter Thirty-Four

Linda saw me first and opened the car door and came over. "Are you ok?"

"Yeah. I guess I sprained it worse than I thought. Most of the swelling is gone but not all of it. And my foot and ankle look like I've been stomping grapes."

"She's going to use that crutch and that's all there is to it."

Linda looked at Sawyer and rolled her eyes. "Down boy. Ain't you had your coffee yet?" Everyone chuckled and then chuckled some more when he held up a big thermos with an even bigger grin.

I was quickly introduced to Benedict and Jeannie. Benedict was nearly twenty-one and Jeannie was nineteen. I remembered her from school but only as a face on the student council. Linda quietly warned me not to bring her parents up because they'd basically disowned her for dropping out of college to marry Benedict and it made her either really mad or really sad. They'd been carrying on behind her parents' backs for a while and actually "had" to get married if you catch my drift. I didn't say anything even after Benedict had to stop the car twice between the house and the highway so that Jeannie could jump out and puke.

"What kind of car is that?" I asked Sawyer after the second stop.

"The body is a Chevy Impala but everything else is basically a mutt. It was Benedict's senior project. He was hoping it would get him a scholarship to that mechanics college in Ohio but the scholarship fund ran short and he didn't make it. He dug the body out of a gully and then took an old Diesel engine and converted it to run homemade ethanol. Pretty slick. He and Uncle Ben still keep it up and running and converted one of their tractors over to do the same thing."

"Wow. He must be a really good mechanic."

"He's da ... uh ... doggone good and gets all the work he wants making decent money at it too. Too bad Jeannie's parents only want to think a college degree makes a man."

"It doesn't. Not even a lot of degrees makes a man if he isn't one to begin with. You could say the same thing for a woman. I met a lot of doctors that are jerks and don't even realize it."

Finally Sawyer asked, "Uh ... you know what the sitch is?"

I nodded. "Linda warned me not to bring up her parents and kinda said that they had to get married. The puking just sort of clarified it. How long have they been married?"

"About a week longer than us. Jeannie is ok. Better than some of the other ... uh ..."

When he stopped in the middle of his explanation and looked like he was trying to find out how to say something without it sounding rude I helped him along since I’d already gotten some of the family gossip. "Yeah. Linda said some of the wives are having trouble settling in. Probably just town girls having to learn to live in the country."

"That might be some of it but really, it's mostly that a couple of my cousins just didn't get as lucky as me."

He put his arm around me and grinned and I didn't know what to make of it. He added, "If you reach into my front pocket I put some more money in that envelope so you could get what you want."

I felt bold all of a sudden and told him, "Sawyer Hartford. I might not know much but I'm pretty sure that money isn't why you want me to put my hand in your front pocket."

Sawyer started laughing so hard he had to wipe his eyes and then laughed off and on from there to our first stop which was a multi-family yard sale in the parking lot of a closed tire store. "Hang on," he told me. "I'll come around and help you down." I could have gotten down on my own, but I let him help as it seemed to make him feel better ... or more in control ... or whatever it was he needed.

Jeannie was already pulling Benedict over to a table full of baby stuff. Benedict didn't look unwilling to be pulled either. Linda grinned and said, "Here's hoping that we don't run into anyone Jeannie knows. She's in a good mood and that's put Benedict in a good mood so hopefully we should have fun today."

Tommy and Sawyer wandered off to talk to a guy that had a bunch of tools on his table. I asked Linda, "What are you looking for?"

She pulled a piece of paper out of the pocket of the shirt she was wearing over a tank top and said, "Craft supplies, jars, good plastic containers, baskets big enough to use in the garden, shoe laces, zippers - well sewing supplies of all sorts really - fabric, paper goods, card games, and a bunch of other stuff like that. What are you here looking for?"

"I'm not sure. Sawyer sort of popped this on me at the last second. I should probably get a couple of more pairs of jeans if I'm going to help but maybe some shorts too. I'm making over some of those tops and stuff that were in the house ..."

"That stuff has to be like really old and gross," Linda objected.

"Some of it is nasty that's true. But actually some of it is really nice when it comes out of the wash. Kinda retro. And you should see all the cute aprons and stuff. Much better than anything we had in school. They're fun to wear. Oh wait ... I just thought of something."

I hobbled over to Sawyer and asked, "Can I have a piece of paper off your notepad? I wanna make a list of things as I think of them."

"Sure," he said eager to step away from the table he'd been standing in front of. Below his voice he muttered, "Man, that guy wants an arm and a leg for his junk. I hope the pawn shops aren't like that."

"Lotta people probably trying to sell stuff before the summer starts so they'll have money to deal with the kids being home all day."

"You know I never even thought ... what about your school?"

I shrugged. "Because they are still working on the damage to the school from the riot, they said that they weren't going to require the seniors to finish out the year unless they wanted to or were on the border of failing. I didn't want to and I wasn't anywhere near failing. I guess I should put in a change of address form so they can mail me my diploma."

"What about graduation and all that?"

"The ceremony? They're not having one. They still haven't lifted the ban on large public gatherings inside the city limits ... at least I don't think they have. Some people are real bent about it but it's no big deal. To me it just meant I was that much closer to getting dumped on the street. Not like I was ever going to be able to go to college."

"Would you want to?"

I thought about it. "If I could get a better job maybe but ..." He gave me a growly kind of look so I didn't say what I was going to say but instead said, "But we're planning for something else happening so I figure I'll make a job out of that and worry about the other stuff later ... if things change."

"You don't need to," Sawyer said putting his arm around me. "When work needs to get done, I'll get the job and you can run the house."

I didn't say anything and let him think what he wanted to. There weren't a lot of places that would want to take the risk of having to insure someone like me anyway. Then something popped into my head and I asked, "Sawyer ... what about insurance. The state has always taken care of mine."

"Well," he said thinking about it. "Neither of us has a job. I suppose they can fine us but since we aren't doing anything to create income they can't collect the fines."

"Can they take the house?"

"No ... or let me say they aren't supposed to be able to. Let me talk to Gramps and see what he says. Try and not think about it, at least for today. Let's have some fun. OK?"

I looked at him and saw he needed a day of fun. "Ok. Sorry. I didn't mean to be a downer."

"You didn't ... aren't. I just want us to have some fun. Things are going to start getting busy and there aren't going to be any more days like this for a while. Next week ..."

Linda jogged over, "Next week Aunt Pearl wants to have a workday for the women. There's a lot of greens and things that are going to be ready all at once and whoever helps gets a share for their household."

I looked at Sawyer and he asked, "You feel up to it?"

"Come heck or high water. I like your Aunt Pearl and Linda and I always had fun doing our projects together in school. She was always the one that could catch me up on things the fastest."

Tommy wandered over, "Think Benedict and Jeannie found some of what they were after. They want to head on to the next place if you all are ready."

 

[Kathy in FL]

Chapter Thirty-Five

The next yard sale was a bust and Jeannie was upset and wanted to go back to the first yard sale.

"I have an idea ... maybe."

"Kay-Lee ...," Linda said reading my thoughts.

"Well, that's where they always took us and you know they'll probably have the kind of stuff Jeannie needs. I'm not too sure about the guys though."

"I don't know about Benedict and Sawyer but Tommy isn't going to go for it."

Sawyer asked, "Where?"

I turned and said, "The Mission Thrift Store downtown."

Sawyer and Benedict said, "No."

"But ..."

"No. I'm not taking Jeannie anywhere near that place. It's right next to the 'hood."

Sawyer said, "Absolutely no."

Knowing when I was licked I just shrugged, "OK."

But Jeannie hadn't had her say. She asked, "Why do you think they'd have what I was looking for?"

"Because all the rich people around town would always donate a lot of stuff at Christmas and the people at the Mission would package it up and get it where it needed to go but there was always so much extra coming in - sometimes department stores would donate stuff they couldn't get rid of on clearance or anything that got too messed up and wouldn't sell - that they had to build a thrift store. A lot of stuff is second hand in there but its like name brand and in really good condition."

Benedict said, "I don't care if they're giving gold diapers away. No."

They started bickering and I said, "Aw geez, don't start squabbling. You sound like Harley and Davey after the same bone. If that place is out how about the clearance mall in Hightown. It means a drive but ..."

The three guys looked at each other and said, "I feel a drive to Hightown has moved to the top of my list."

Jeannie said, "What about gas?"

Benedict answered, "I'm good, both tanks were full before we left. What about you Sawyer?"

"We should be ok. Let's stop at the tractor place coming back. Gramps was talking about needing some pins and other stuff for the tractors like ..."

Jeannie rolled her eyes. "If it isn't cars it’s tractors."

Linda grinned and said, "Yeah, and I bet before the day is over they take credit for Kay-Lee's idea since it seemed providential that they could stop at their man stores."

Jeannie smiled and asked me, "You ok with that?"

I yawned, "Anything to stop them from looking at me like I have three heads just 'cause I suggested going downtown. I didn't mean anything bad by it."

Linda walked with me back to the Sawyer's truck. "I know you didn't. They know you didn't. But you gotta remember they're as nervous about going downtown as most of the folks in the 'hood would be about traipsing out to the country. They just don't mix too well."

"Whatever."

Sawyer was on the cell phone with his Gramps almost as soon as we pulled out and by the time we got to the highway had added almost a page of stuff to his already long list of things to look for. He'd call something out and I would write it down. About twenty minutes later we were pulling into the clearance mall.

"Wow, this place looks dead," Tommy said.

"It's not a paycheck weekend. Let it get towards the first of the month again and people will have money to spend," Sawyer said as he helped me get set. He asked me, "You ok for this? Not too tired?"

"I'm fine. If I need to sit down there looks like there are plenty of empty benches. But does this wreck up what you wanted to do?"

"We may have to do the thrift stores another day but maybe not, we'll have to see. I heard back at that place we stopped that now that the grand opening is over with the discount store is jacking up their prices and doesn't have as much on the shelves either ... their restocks are on backorder or whatever you want to call it. Basically they can't get stuff to restock with."

Our other plans may have been a bust but the clearance mall was a hit. In fact, the guys had to go take some bags out to the vehicles and then come back because they said they were starting to feel like pack mules. I had fun looking while Linda and Jeannie shopped for things on Aunt Pearl's lists. I did get a couple of things but not bags and bags like they did. The guys had been good about going in every place we wanted to stop but they drew the line at the discount beauty supply place, so we left them salivating in a tool store.

Jeannie and Linda were testing out nail polishes but I was looking for a hair brush because mine had lost more bristles than it had left and I had forgotten to look last time we were out. What I found were boxes of the inexpensive throw-away combs that you get in the barber shop and from there I found nail scrubbers, nail files and clippers, and the sort of little odds and ends that the charities always put into the Christmas stockings of teenage girls. They were actually useful though in some homes they were a prohibited item so were confiscated.

I picked up a bunch and then took them to the counter. Jeannie saw me heading that way and stopped me. "Watcha got?" When I showed her she asked, "Actually that might be a good idea." Linda agreed and we all came out of the store with stuff like that. While in line I also added a bunch of hair bobs and clips that were in a clearance box just begging for someone to take them home.

We came out to find the guys were starving to death and there was an inexpensive Chinese place in the food court. We all ordered something different and then shared it all around. I had never done anything like that and had a lot of fun. Even the corny fortune cookies were funny. Sawyer's said "Flattery will get you far tonight." Everyone laughed at that one while I blushed but then when I opened mine they laughed harder still. "Marriage lets you annoy that one special person for the rest of your life." OK, so yeah, I saved those two fortunes. Dorky but I've got a place I can stay and keep stuff now so I don't have to get rid of every little thing that might weigh me down or take up room in my backpack.

After eating we finished up the last aisle of the outdoor type mall and then headed off to the tractor place. We - us girls I mean - were set on waiting the guys out but across the road from the tractor place was one of those tourist traps that sold all sorts of junk and then some. There was also a used bookstore and a news stand.

It was two story and I wasn't loving trying to hobble up the stairs but there was a kids' consignment shop up there so I told Linda and Jeannie that I would hang around downstairs and to take as much time as they wanted. I went straight to the bookstore and looked around and then got lost in the dollar bin that amongst all the bodice rippers there were some pretty interesting old cookbooks. I debated and picked up a couple of the cookbooks, a couple of "trash to treasure" craft books, a book on "fixing just about everything," and then a big book on frugal living that had a huge section on homemade cleaning supplies and beauty supplies and another big section of recipes for things like condiments and a bunch of other stuff like that.

From there I wandered through the stores that I imagined tourists would love with all their goofy collectibles like t-shirts, spoons, thimbles, shot glasses, and other stuff that had absolutely no use except as a dust magnate. The news stand was the last store and I was considering buying a couple of the women's magazines that had decorating ideas that looked cute when Benedict stuck his head in and said, "There you are. Uh ... look ... we got a situation."

I followed him out immediately and found Jeannie looking green in the gills, Linda crying, Tommy looking upset, and Sawyer looking like he was about due for a nuclear meltdown. I looked at Benedict but he was already heading towards Jeannie and was pulling what looked like crackers out of his pocket. Sawyer was completely unapproachable and stomped off when he saw I was heading in his direction. I turned to Tommy and he said, "Jeannie ran into her sister who was here with her aunt who was visiting from out of town and there was a scene. Linda's mom told her she can't come by. And Sawyer is mad at Lisa who was at the tractor place with her dad and brother getting their riding lawn mower fixed and complaining about how high the bill was."

"Ooooo-kay." I looked for Sawyer but didn't see him and wasn't in any shape to chase after him where ever he was so I took Linda and sat her on the bench away from where Jeannie was retching into the barrel trashcan. "What's up?" I asked her.

"I called Mom and she said I couldn't come by."

"Did she say why?"

"Because Dad is ... is having a bad day and wouldn't remember me. Then she said it might be better if ... if I not plan on coming by at all ... ever ... because ... because ... Dad isn't really Dad most of the time anymore and that ... that it would be too ... too hard ... that he has gotten a lot worse a lot faster than anyone expected and they think he might have had strokes and I'm not supposed to even come see him if he has to go into the hospital, that she'll let me know ... know when ... when he dies."

"Oh Linda." I held my friend as she tried really hard not to cry.

She was only getting worse and I knew I needed to stop her spiraling thoughts. Linda didn't get like that often but when she did it could get really bad. "Hey Linda ... look, you know your Mom and Dad care about you right? You do know that don't you? They picked you. Out of all the kids they had fostered they picked you and only you to adopt."

She sniffed and said, "I know. I just ... I just don't understand. And he ... he just forgot me ..."

"He isn't forgetting you on purpose. He has something wrong with his brain. You explained that part to me yourself. You ... you knew this was coming. Maybe not so quickly but ..."

"I know. But Mom doesn't want to see me either."

"Now that's just not true."

"How do you know?!" she snapped.

"Because your Mom is one of those really nice people. Not gushy or sweet but honestly nice. Who has she put first in all of this? You. She wanted to see you settled before things got bad. A lot of people might have had something to say about you and Tommy getting married, they might not have understood or might have even been nasty about it ... but not your parents. They want you to be happy and taken care of and living in a situation where you can ... where you can flourish and reach your full potential. And you are. Don't you think she needs to know that you are?"

"Then why won't she let me see her and Dad?"

"Because right now she really needs all her energy to focus on your Dad. I guess they thought they had more time to get things straight, to ease into this ... this new phase they are going through. But apparently they don't and it is taking all of your mom's energy to try and help your dad the best she can. And seeing you seeing him not knowing you would probably be too hard for her ... and she doesn't want him to hurt either so ... so even if maybe it’s hurting you I don't think she is hurting you to make you hurt but to prevent you from hurting worse."

I doubt that would make sense to anyone else, but Linda grabbed a hold of that idea with both hands and I could see her wanting to believe it so much.

"I wanna help her Kay-Lee. She helped me so much, I want to help her back."

"Well, for right now how about writing her a letter telling her that you understand that it would be really hard for her to have you around right now but that you want her to know all the ways that you appreciate all she's done for you. You could put in all the good memories you have. This way even though your dad is losing his memories your mom knows that someone will remember the good times besides her. She'll know for absolute certain that she isn't alone and that you are thinking of her all the time."

Linda nodded. "Ok. I'll give it a try. But you know I don't write very good."

"And the fact that you took the time to try will mean that much more to her."

"You think?"

"You always told me that your mom loved getting mail ... real mail, not bills."

Linda smiled and said, "She does. She really does. She kinda dances back from the mailbox to the house when she gets a letter from someone."

"See? And maybe with some time for your mom to think about it she can find a way to see you and you her. OK?"

"That's a really good idea. And I'll tell her about what I'm doing. Maybe ... maybe she can read the letters to Dad on his good days."

"Sounds like a plan to me."

"But now our day is all messed up. Why do bad things have to happen like this? We were having so much fun."

Remembering what one of my foster families used to say I told her, "Adversity is the opportunity to discover that you are stronger than you think you are."

"Huh?"

"It means in the bad times you can find strength that you didn't realize you had. Bad times is when you find stuff, not just lose it."

"Well it feels like we are all losing stuff. My dad, Jeannie and her family, Tommy worries that he's gonna lose me because I'll go back to living with Mom and Dad to help out, and Sawyer lost ... um ... I mean ..."

"It's ok Linda. I don't know what happened but I know that girl hurt him really bad and he lost his love for her."

"Yeah."

"Look, your dad isn't running out on you on purpose. It's bad but ... kinda out of anyone's control. Like that time I almost died because of that infection I got after they put those screws in my ankle. No one meant it to happen, my body just got sick and ... and now I've got drop foot. It made things hard but I learned to live with it and even though my foot is forever going to be weak part of me is stronger because my foot is weak. Jeannie ... well Jeannie can't control how her family is reacting. Maybe she and Benedict did some things backwards but they're trying to do the right thing now. I don't know why her family is running out on her but they are. Maybe things will get better and maybe, like my foot, she'll have an injury to her heart that won't. But she can be stronger for it. Her and Benedict together can be stronger for it and learn from the mistakes her family is making."

"And Sawyer?"

"I don't know what all happened. It is kinda not my business but ... but if I have it right that girl Lisa ran out on Sawyer when things got tough. She ran instead of getting stronger. But when she ran Sawyer got stronger. He ... he stopped being a boy and all that trouble he went through when people ran out on him ... well he learned to be stronger. Except Gramps ... Gramps didn't run out on him, it just took time until Gramps could reach him in a way he could understand. It can be the same way for your mom. And you can let Tommy know you aren't going to run out on him ... and Tommy's hand writing is pretty decent, you can get him to help you write those letters and that will help you and Tommy to get strong together."

She nearly strangled with a hug and then ran over to Tommy and started talking to him and in two seconds he seemed to be ready to take on the world.

I leaned back and then someone behind me said, "Not bad Sunshine, but it is going to take more than words to help Sawyer."

I turned and Benedict and Jeannie were standing there. "What happened?"

"You know who Lisa is?"

"Generally speaking."

"Yeah well, generally speaking she messed Sawyer up bad. You come along and he laughs more than he has in a long time. We all thought he was going to become like Uncle Mark." I made a face and Benedict nodded solemnly and said, "Exactly. But seems like Sawyer is still pretty sensitive because we were in the tractor store and we didn't even notice them until Lisa's old man comes bulling over and shouting at Sawyer to stop stalking his daughter."

"Huh?"

"Yeah, I didn't know what he was talking about either."

Tommy who had come up added, "Lisa was at the flea market. Yeah I know Kay-Lee but Sawyer didn't want to ruin your day and he seemed to get over it after you two were back together. That Lisa is a piece of work and her dad is really loud and embarrassed Sawyer I think."

"Where is he?"

"Around the other side of the building."