Chapter Eight
You have to observe, we all were more than family. I guess you could say we were a clan. We were all involved in the Fortier complex, but not exclusively. Neil had his law firm. Elizabeth had her realty agency. Pam and Shelly did work with the complex as needed. Ronnie was in charge of keeping our homes in repair.
Molly was the head, but it was I who hammered out the policy. I was often asked for advice about many different things and dealt with them as they came up. We had our own personal lives to lead. Once in awhile I was asked to mediate a dispute between Neil and Elizabeth or Pam and Ronnie and even Molly and the rest of us. Why? Don’t ask me.
My three older kids were still adamant about all wanting to go to college together. Kathy, the oldest, was working for a year. “Dad, I want to take over your management position at the pig feed operation for a year while I’m waiting for Sandy and Jimmy to finish school. I will be taking business management courses when I get to college. It will be a good experience.”
“Okay. Do you think you can handle the truck drivers that come in delivering grain and the bread from the bakeries? They get pretty bold.”
“I can handle them. Aunt Molly has been giving me lessons. I can swear and I can flirt and if that doesn’t work, I’ll kick ’em in the balls. Seriously, I think I can do the job just fine.”
“Okay, but don’t wait to tell me if you have any trouble.” Kathy was the biggest of the three kids. She was slightly over Jimmy’s five feet ten and a half inches. She was also full figured. I never doubted she could handle her own in most instances.
Kathy had been dating since she was sixteen and had always had a boyfriend around. She often double-dated with Jimmy. That is until we let Sandy start to date. Jimmy had his license, so he usually drove Sandy and her boyfriend while he had a girl of his own.
Sandy excelled in drama and led the debating team. She went to state when she was a senior and won the contest. Jimmy played shortstop and was clean-up batter. He broke the school record for runs batted in two years in a row. I would guess the record that he made as a junior and broke himself in his senior year would stand for years. He wasn’t interested in making a career as a sports figure. He didn’t say why.
Sandy was valedictorian when she graduated. Jimmy had an average in the top seven percent and we were satisfied with that. Elizabeth was damned proud, letting everyone know how well her son and stepchildren did in high school. Shelly and I knew that the three would pick their own college. They would have little trouble getting into any school of their choice with the marks they had nailed down in high school.
They ended up choosing a smaller business school in the state system about three hundred miles from home. The main curriculum was focused on entering the business world. They felt they had gained a lot of experience already. They understood that management and the bigger problems in business would take a more formal education.
They made the trip to the college early in the summer before the year started to look over the housing situation. They didn’t want to live on campus so were looking to find an apartment that they all could live in by themselves. When they returned Shelly asked what they had found.
“We bought a small cottage. It has three bedrooms. Two rooms up and one down. It has a small kitchen and a huge living room where we are going to set up cubicles so we won’t bother each other studying. Even with the taxes, water and sewer rent, it will be much cheaper than renting or living on campus. We can sell it when we graduate.
“We have enough money to make a down payment and we would like to borrow the remainder from you and Papa. We have put a binder down already, so basically it is a done deal.”
“Sandy, what happens if your mom and I don’t think this is a good idea and don’t lend you the money?”
“Come on Papa, Aunt Elizabeth would buy the house and give it to us if we asked her to. My Daddy is well enough off now, so he would lend it to us. And too, there is Aunt Molly. I could claim credit for finding her sister and her mother. She wants to do everything for me. She has offered many times.”
“Okay, I get the point. You get the loan. I was just checking to see if you had thought this through. The point you made is, it is not what you know, but who you know, although I guess both would apply in this case. You seem to have a handle on everything. How about house rules and dating and all of those things?”
Jimmy replied, “Kathy just has to have a man around so she gets the back bedroom upstairs. Sandy and I will still be going on double dates and we do not expect to be entertaining at home very much. In the house we are all going to be doing chores together, although I get to take out the garbage and trash.” He grinned as he said this.
Elizabeth was the one paying for the schooling. I couldn’t persuade her that Shelly and I should be the ones to do this. “No, I promised to pay for all three. It isn’t just the way you have brought them up either. For God’s sake, look what you have done for me. My life has purpose now and I have a family that loves me. I don’t think I had that the last years we were married and I’m not blaming you at all. It was me that was too shallow to recognize what I was missing.”
Kathy had done a great job the year she was waiting for her siblings to finish high school. All the truck drivers asked about her, telling me how much they missed her when they came to deliver supplies. In the production process, she had full control as well. It was declared I was going to have to go some to beat her being the boss and manager when I resumed managing the operation that fall.
Kathy had grown into a tall full-figured woman and exhibited a zest for life. It didn’t seem to matter whether it was the little old ladies and men or young couples starting out, who were leasing the apartments. Or even the rough truck drivers and people on the first floor making pig feed.
She would shout and cajole, flirt and swear. She was always in control and was respected and liked. She treated them all with deference unless they crossed her. I sometimes wondered if she didn’t have as good a vocabulary as her Aunt Molly. It rarely was displayed, but it was there to use if it was warranted.
Jimmy and Sandy, with Kathy, still held Saturday morning office hours at the apartments. It wasn’t often that Jimmy and Sandy overruled Kathy as manager, but it did happen on a few occasions. Here again it was Sandy who determined the fairness of any decision Kathy made as the manager and ultimately it proved correct.
Kathy had been given a vehicle when she graduated high school. Jimmy said he needed one as well so he received the same, but Sandy said she would use one of the others, although she did have her license. The others shared without stint. I don’t think I have ever known of sisters and brothers being as tight as these three were. Shelly and I often remarked on it.
Molly was always looking for an excuse to have a blowout. She gave the three kids a backyard party before they went off to college. Madie and Will came of course. All three children treated these two older former servants of Elizabeth’s as grandparents. They were not neglected either, for the kids made a point of visiting them on their way to the apartment house every Saturday morning.
When they all returned home from the blowout, Kathy said, “We received enough going away gifts to furnish our house. Actually Aunt Elizabeth gave us enough all by herself. Daddy gave us a liberal amount too. He said it was for not being able to provide for us when we were smaller.”
Shelly overheard this. “I could have used the money back then and sometimes I needed it desperately, but I don’t think I pushed too hard for it. Well except for when I garnished his wages. It was somewhat tight for us even after John and I married. Connecting up with your Aunt Molly has made a big difference for all of us.”
“Mom, I think it was more like when Aunt Elizabeth came here to live near Jimmy. I remember at the time, Jimmy wasn’t too happy about it, but he said she had lots of money. He suggested we suck up to her and give her lots of love and she would give us every thing we wanted.”
“Jimmy, did you actually say
this?”
“I did, Pop. When she first came here, I didn’t know if I loved her or not. You were divorced because you felt she took all of your self-respect and she did. We all knew that, but she changed and I think the girls and I helped change her. It was mostly you, though, and you got your self-respect back. She finally realized how important esteem is. Then you made her your friend instead of your ex-wife. Sandy, Kathy, and I followed your example and she returned it to all of us. Now we love her as a Mom. Please don’t tell her this because we all love her now.”
“I disagree, I think sometime you should tell her how you feel. She would like to hear what you just said. For myself and Shelly, I don’t think we realized you had discussed her and acted as you have.”
“Papa, we aren’t dumb you know. We three have always been close and we talk about things and how we feel about everything. She does know how we feel about her and some of why.”
I shook my head. Did I ever think things through as these children of mine have done? No. No, because I never had anyone as close to me as these three were to each other.
Ronnie and I took one of our trucks loaded with enough things to furnish the kid’s house. Pam and Shelly rode up in Kathy’s car, Shelly driving. This was when they decided they would use only one vehicle at school. There was only one parking space at the house and if company came, they would have to park on the street.
Kathy slept most of the way. She had a date the night before and I guess she had partied hard. Jimmy drove his own car and Pam and Shelly would drive it home. Halfway there at the second stop, Sandy transferred to Jimmy’s car so Kathy could stretch out on the back seat.
I mentioned to Kathy that she was going to be on her own in college and would have to be careful about her excesses. “I know, but I won’t be seeing this guy until Thanksgiving. I did not drink that much. I’m just tired.”
“That may be, but I didn’t say anything about drinking. That isn’t the only kind of excess I was talking about.”
“Oh, you mean like when you have to go away for a few days and Sandy and I can’t get Mom out of bed the next morning? You mean that kind of excess?”
I shook my head. “You’ve got a point.” I still worried.
The first few weeks we had telephone conversations from our college kids frequently. It dropped off before they came home for Thanksgiving. They had made it home for one weekend, the four of us had driven up one weekend, and Elizabeth had gone with us another time when she learned we were visiting them.
Kathy said she had been on a couple of dates, but Jimmy and Sandy had not found anyone yet to date. That did not mean they stayed at the house all the time, they just went out together or with Kathy as the three of them still enjoyed being together.
They all came home the next May. Their house was rented out to a couple of professors, man and wife, who were teaching summer courses. Leave it to the kids not to let the prospect of money slip away. “We learned all of this from you, Pop.”
Kathy took back the job of managing the pig feed process for the summer, and of course all three resumed managing their tenants. This gave Shelly and me a break from this for the summer months. Jimmy went into his mother’s real estate management office and Sandy worked with Shelly on the personal accounting she did for the families.
Shelly handled all of the personal accounting for Ronnie and Pam, Elizabeth and Neil, our own, and for Gram Johnson now. Shelly did Molly’s and Ted’s accounts. This was almost a full-time job, as Molly kept getting richer and richer.
When the kids headed back to school, all were adults, as Sandy had turned eighteen. Molly again had a big backyard party. We were all so proud of these college kids of ours. Now it was time for them to decide what they wanted to do with their lives in the future. Jimmy planned to become a Real Estate Broker and Sandy said she wanted to become a Certified Public Accountant.
Kathy wouldn’t say what she had planned for her future at this time. “I’m going to be working. Maybe harder than my sister and brother, and it may not pay as much, but I will be happy.” We did not pressure her to share her goals with us.
Sandy was Molly’s darling now that it was she who had discovered her mother. Gram Johnson felt the same way about Sandy finding her daughter. It was odd, but Molly and Mrs. Johnson as mother and daughter did not draw that much closer together. It was as if each had filled in the gap in their lives and that was all that was needed to fulfill them. Nice to know, but Mrs. Johnson had given her baby up and still felt some guilt. Molly had a rough start to life and couldn’t totally forgive her mother for her many years of unhappiness.
Mrs. Johnson of course resented this. It was left to Pam to bridge the gap. Molly did make sure her mother had everything now, as she certainly could well afford it. It was left to Pam to administer the largess from Molly to her mother. It was hoped by the rest of the family this would change as both aged. This didn’t take away any of the feelings they had for Sandy.
Shelly and I saw Sandy draw Molly away from the rest of the crowd at the party. She had her on the far side of the lawn and looked as if she was trying to explain something. A few minutes later Jimmy drifted over and entered into the conversation. I could see that Molly didn’t wholly agree with them about what was being said. It broke up when Molly kissed Sandy on the cheek and hugged Jimmy.
“What was all of that about Molly?”
“John, I can’t say. Sandy was looking for advice about something. She came to me, because she is related to everyone by blood or as a stepchild. Jimmy is her protector as always and suggested she talk it over with me. You will find out eventually and I have no idea how everyone will accept it. That’s all I’m going to say.”
“Sandy isn’t pregnant is she?”
“God no, John, Sandy is smarter than that. There is nothing illegal about it either. I would forget it for the time being if I were you. I wish she had come to me without the family around and where everyone could see her talk to me. She will tell you someday and you may be disappointed in what she has done, but then again maybe not. She is a sweet child. No, let me amend that. She is an adult now and well able to make her own decisions. She’ll accept the consequences if there are any.”
It was Pam, Shelly and Elizabeth who escorted the kids back for their second year of college. What I called the second baby crop were old enough to be left with their fathers, so Ronnie, I, and Neil could look after them while our women were away for two days.
I received a call from Jimmy at 11:15. “Pop, ask Mom if she ever drinks too much. Mother took us out to a lounge after dinner and all three older women got pretty loud. We kids weren’t drinking of course, but Mom, mother and Aunt Pam were letting their hair down. I had to call a taxi when we were asked to leave. We followed them back to the house. I don’t think they will be coming home tomorrow. They will be staying over one more day.”
Shelly looked pretty sheepish when she came home. I asked her if she had a good time. “We did. It was like being back in college again. Elizabeth sure knows how to party.” This was all that was said and then she grinned at me.
When it came time to take the kids back to college for their third year, Neil, Ronnie, and I, drove them up to the school. This was at Shelly’s suggestion.
———————
It was I who made a discovery two months into their third year. It was something that rocked everyone’s boat. It shocked some of us, disturbed others and could have upset the balance between us all.
One Wednesday I was traveling in the upper part of the state. I was only forty-five miles from the college where the kids were attending. Rather than stay in a motel, I decided I would drop in on the kids. It was nearly 7 o’clock in the evening when I arrived. There was a light on in the living room. I knocked on the door, leaving my car on the street. Kathy came to the door with a textbook in her hand.
“Dad, what are you doing here?” She stood with the door partially open with a shocked look on her face. She was blocking my entrance.
/>
“Kathy, may I come in?”
Reluctantly she said, “Yes, I guess so.” She sat me in a chair near the door.
“Where are Jimmy and Sandy?” I could then hear noises coming from the downstairs bedroom. They were muted, but not enough so but what I knew what was happening. It was a man and woman and the sounds were of sex. “I thought that was Sandy’s room? Does she have a boyfriend here? Maybe I had better leave. I would not want to embarrass her.”
Kathy was speechless for more than a moment. She suddenly made a decision. “Wait here.” She went to the bedroom and knocked on the door, saying it was Kathy to those inside. After a bit I recognized Jimmy’s voice tell Kathy to wait and to come in after a couple of minutes.
She cracked the door just wide enough to slide inside the room. Now I could hear Jimmy’s voice and I thought another voice that sounded like Sandy’s. It was five minutes before Kathy came out. She wouldn’t look at me. In those five minutes while I was waiting, I thought the worst. A sister and brother making love. That is if it was actually Sandy in there with Jimmy.
This time Kathy faced me. “Mr. and Mrs. Rheingold will be out soon if you will give them time to get dressed. While you are waiting, would you look at this?” Kathy handed me a small leather letter-sized folder. I opened it.
Encased was a marriage certificate, declaring that one, James Rheingold, and one, Sandra Waters, were husband and wife. It was recorded and stamped giving the address of the city hall in our fair city. It had been signed by the name of the judge who married them and I recognized it as the same judge who had married Molly and Ted.
I started to question Kathy, but she held up her hand for me not to say anything about what I had read on the certificate. While waiting I grilled her about what and how she was doing in her classes.
It took fifteen minutes before Jimmy and Sandy faced me. Their hair was combed. Sandy had on a nice blouse and a skirt. Jimmy had put on slacks and a dress shirt. Sandy had taken time to apply some makeup. I stood. They faced me bravely, and it appeared as if they knew this confrontation was coming someday. I could assume it had been rehearsed beforehand.
“Pop.” He stuck out his hand to have me shake it. This was my son and I loved him. I shook his hand.
“I guess congratulations are in order.” I looked at Sandy and opened my arms. Daughter, stepdaughter or daughter-in-law, I loved her as much as ever.
“Papa.” She came into my arms and I kissed her cheek as she clung to me.
“Which one of you is going to explain this development?”
“I am Papa. It is going to take a long time though. First, I must state Jimmy and I made sure our marriage is legal. A year ago, I asked Aunt Molly to make sure. We waited a whole year after we found out that it was possible for us to wed. I’m nineteen now and we have been married for two months. Jimmy and I have been in love since I was eight and he was nine. This was not long after you and Aunt Elizabeth were divorced.”
“I’ll give you that. I didn’t realize your love was a different love than as brother and sister. Would you explain how you came to the decision to buck society and go forward with your plans to marry? Twelve years is a long time to wait for someone.”
“You miss the point, Papa. I didn’t wait for Jimmy and he did not wait for me. We waited for each other, but the waiting was only to wed. Our love has always been there. It all started in the park back where Jimmy lived at the time. He brought some sweet buns to the park for a snack and I was so hungry that day, I asked him for a bite. The next day he brought twice as many. Sometimes he would look in our refrigerator, see what we needed and run home, and bring it to us. Kathy always called him her brother, but to me he has always been more than that.
“Can you imagine how I felt when we were going to be evicted and have to move away from him? That was the day you appeared and you were just as good to Mom and us as he had been. That is why we so wanted you to marry Mom. I prayed every night for this to happen and my prayers were answered. I was afraid when you wanted me to take the name of Rheingold that this would screw everything up. It was the major reason why I refused.
I asked a teacher who could marry and who could not. She explained it, but she also said it was easier to get married if you did not have the same last name. She didn’t say much about blood or stepchildren, so we didn’t really know until Aunt Molly checked for us. We were very careful in school not to act as brother and sister or admit that we were. Hardly anyone were aware we were stepbrother and stepsister.
“In school I was always considered Jimmy Rheingold’s girlfriend, Sandy Waters. Even not many of our tenants know we are brother and sister. We explain that I’m just living with the Rheingold family and am a state child, but you and Mom like me and say I’m hers to save explaining.”
I started shaking my head. This was unbelievable. “How old were you when you seriously started planning on a life together?”
“I was fourteen. That was when I had to kiss Jimmy in that school play. Jimmy helped by asking Mom to find the real wedding ceremony. It was you who read the words and that married us. We felt this was appropriate. From that moment on, we considered ourselves married, not only in the play, but in real life.
I looked at Kathy. She was sitting looking self-satisfied. “Kathy you helped with all of this. Weren’t you jealous?”
“Sure, until I started dating. I felt I could do things with other boys that didn’t seem right to do with Jimmy. I admit he and I did fool around a little, but his heart wasn’t in it and I knew that all along he was Sandy’s love. I would come home from a date and tell them all about my fooling around and what to expect, as they got old enough. Mom and you trusted them because I was the blatant one and you watched me and didn’t watch them as close as you should have if you had wanted to stop it.”
“You two were always going on double dates. How did you handle that?”
“We did go on double dates and we did do some fooling around with our dates, but we were committed to each other and always stopped before it got too heavy. We would leave our dates off early and then we would fool around with the person we really loved. We were never caught, mostly because Kathy watched our backs.
“Going out on dates helped in another way. Mom made sure I was on birth control. We never pushed the envelope before that.”
“So you are saying, it was me who married you and it was your mother who made it safe to consummate the union?”
“Yes.”
“You two are terribly young to be married. Do you honestly believe this marriage will last?”
“We are as certain as any couple can be.” This was Jimmy speaking. “Look at you and mother. I will bet that when you married Mom and her money, you thought that this was the life you wanted. Please remember that Sandy and I have literally been together for twelve years and our love for each other is stronger than ever.”
“Yes, but speaking of your mother, she is the one who will cause the most trouble for you. She will hate what you have done. She will feel that you have shown no respect for her at all.”
“We know that and Sandy’s father will feel the same. He will most likely want to shoot me. Sandy and I are so glad it is you who first learned of this. That way you can get Mom on our side.”
“What makes you think I will do that for you?”
“Because look at you. You are sitting here listening to us rationally and we are depending on you to talk Mom into being rational too. It is a fait accompli and you both love us and have for all of our lives. We were your responsibility until we became adults. Now you aren’t really, but you still will do the right thing by us.”
I was shaking my head, knowing I was being manipulated. I also knew I would do just as they asked. The last few years had been so comfortable for me and Shelly and I wanted it to continue. It couldn’t if these two were estranged from us. I was aware I could do without Neil, Elizabeth, Pam, and Ronnie, but I could not let my children go.
“Can you cut classes for t
wo days? I think all of you had better come home tomorrow and get it settled as soon as possible.”
“Of course. You can stay the night can’t you? There is a bedroom upstairs that is unoccupied.” A grin appeared on Sandy’s face as she said this.
“Okay. I’ll start making phone calls before I go to bed. Do you think your Aunt Molly will let us meet at her house?”
“Papa, she always has because you know and I know she will do anything for you.” Were smart kids the best for a man to have? It made you wonder sometimes.
I called my wife, “Shelly, I’m staying with the kids tonight and not coming home until tomorrow. They will be following me home. There has been a development here we need to address when we get home.”
“Are they all okay?”
“They’re fine and healthy, no problem really. I am calling Molly to see if we can meet tomorrow evening at her house. She will be a part of this too.”
“John, something is going on. You have never kept a secret from me before.”
“I know, but this time it isn’t my secret and I was asked to not tell you. You will know immediately after we arrive tomorrow afternoon. I promise.”
“Let me speak to Kathy.”
“She has gone to bed and Sandy and Jimmy have too. Now please hang up and let me call Molly.”
“Do you still love me?”
“I love you more than life itself.”
“You’re sure everyone is okay?”
“Everyone is, I promise.”
“Okay, I’ll trust you. Night sweet.”
“Hi, Molly, this is John. How are you tonight?”
“I’m fine. It’s late you know.”
“Yes, I know. I was hoping you would do me a favor. Would you gather the family together for tomorrow evening? Mrs. Johnson needs to be there and I’d like Madie and Will as well.”
“Why?”
“Just because of something that took place a couple of months ago. I am here with the kids and I discovered it a few hours ago. I want to get this out into the open and over with as soon as possible.”
“I can do this. Does Shelly know yet?”
“No, but she knows something is up. She will know before the others do. Sandy will tell her just as soon as we arrive home tomorrow.”
“Caught the two in bed together didn’t you? I’ll bet you were relieved to find out they were husband and wife. John, how do you feel about them being married? The whole family will look to you and what you are going to do about them being husband and wife.”
“Molly, I loved Jimmy as a baby. I still feel the same about him. Sandy and Kathy came into my life. I loved them immediately and I still love them now. What they have done might be questioned by some people, but it feels right to me.”
“They will be all right then. I’m standing with you and with them. Shelly will too. Get some sleep and I’ll see you tomorrow.”
I did sleep. Jimmy shouted up the stairs, “Warwicks. Get up Pop, we want to leave in a little bit. This is a big day for us.” It was not even light. I looked at my watch and saw it was only 5:30.
I came down the stairs. “God it must be nice to be young.”
“Hey Papa, this is the first day of the rest of our life and you’re part of it. Don’t be a grouch.” She met me at the bottom with a hug and a big smile. This morning I took a long look at her. She looked like a young bride. When did she change from my sweet little girl to a now married woman?
“You guys don’t seem worried about how the family is going to take this. Are you?”
“No, because we have you behind us. Mom will be okay. Aunt Elizabeth will look sour and have a few words to say. Then she will look at you see how things are setting with you. She might not even ask and take it in stride when she sees it is okay with you.
“Daddy will cuss and swear and Pam will tell him to shut up and to be happy for us. If he won’t, Aunt Molly will swear at him and tell him to shut the fuck up, the kids are married and there isn’t anything he can do about it, so accept it.”
“You’ve got it all figured, have you Mrs. Rheingold?”
“That gets you a kiss, Papa. You’re the first except Kathy and my husband who has addressed me as a married woman.”
It wasn’t long before we were on the road. We should be home by 2:00 at the latest. The newly married couple followed me. Kathy was riding with me. “I have the feeling you have your life all sorted out with what you want to do. You said one time you were not ready to share yet, but I think you should at least tell me. I don’t need more surprises.”
“I’ll give you one thing. Pete is going to be very happy tonight. He thought it would be Thanksgiving before he got lucky again when I left for college two months ago.” I sorted through my mind of all of the Petes I was acquainted with.
“Pete Gembrowski.”
“That’s the one. Dad, look at me. It is going to take a big man to keep me satisfied. I’m tall, I got big tits and a big ass, and I have found I love being with the working people in this life. Mom and Pete are going to teach me to drive big trucks and I’m going to get a CDL. That is for backup. Pete’s dad is turning his half of the pig farm over to him the year I get out of school. That makes him your partner. We would like to buy you out and own the farm together.”
“Pete is older than you.”
“No older than Pam is older than my father. Jimmy and Sandy are going to be happy doing office work for a living. Not me, not every day, all day long, anyway. When you get sick of the pig feed operation, we may want to buy that from you too.”
“What am I going to do if this all takes place?”
“Who knows, but I’ll bet it will be interesting and something you’ll love doing. Look at the number of people who respect you? There are all of the people who live in the Fortier complex. Businesses and people alike know they can come to you with a problem and they can come to you to have it resolved fairly. The businesses you have brought in and have given advice to when they were having a difficult time making a go of things when they first arrived.
“There is a waiting list of businesses who would like to have the Fortier address. This district covers the Fortier complex. Also owners of the other factory buildings that are following your lead and being reconstructed. The district even extends out to some surrounding farms in the city limits. This includes the pig feed operation and all of the people you have managed and are associated with it.
“You would make an excellent city councilman. About four years of gaining city-wide recognition and respect, and then you can run for mayor. You could buy your way into that office, but you won’t, although Aunt Elizabeth and Aunt Molly will urge you to. You won’t, because it just isn’t you. There will be no need anyway, because of who you are.”
I looked in my mirror at the car following. I could see two heads as close together as possible. My mind turned to what Kathy had just said. If it would make my three older kids proud, I would think about it.
Before I knew it, we were home. It was I who lingered by the car with Kathy as Shelly greeted Sandy and Jimmy when they explained their new marital status. When Shelly hugged them and looked over their heads toward me, I knew everything was fine. Little Johnny came running to greet his dad and little Rachel toddled as fast as she could to get to me. Johnny stopped and waited for his sister, taking her hand so I could hug them both at the same time.
The End
About the Author
Norman Hewes was born in the early 1930s. His parents lost everything in the Great Depression. He was nine years old before he lived in a house with interior plumbing, running water or electric lights. The house did have a lot of love in it and this is reflected in the stories he writes. During mud season he often rode to school in the back of a cattle truck. The one thing the town had was a good library. He found much enjoyment and soon read beyond his grade level. All through his youth he worked at various jobs, mowing lawns, shoveling snow and peddling papers. When old enough he worked on a dairy farm. G
raduating in 1952, he worked as a bus driver for a few months. The draft soon caught up with him and he was sent to Korea. Returning home he worked as a mechanic, and then as a factory worker. In the meantime he was married and lived together with his wife on a small farm for fifty-four years of happiness. Always, any spare minute, he read fiction and when he retired in 1996, he taught himself to type. His wife helped to make his stories readable, she being in printing as a proofreader. He has continued to write, using volunteers he finds on the Internet to edit and proofread. He is now striving to post 100 stories in different mediums. Many are short stories with a few novels interspersed. He still lives within twenty miles of his birthplace just as he has all his life here in beautiful Vermont.
Norm most often used “happyhugo” as the author to write his stories under and uses this for his blogspot. The Happy denotes the type of stories he writes, having a happy ending for most of his characters and trying to follow the Golden Rule of: “Do Unto Others as you would have Them Do to You.”
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