sssarawolf
Has No Life - Lives on TB
Thank you pac, like so many through the yrs I know they will pick themselves up by their boot straps and go on
Hi, My Name is Tessee
- Thread starter PacNorWest
- Start date
stjwelding
Veteran Member
More challenges for the family and less reason for them to stay where they are. They definitely need to find out what was exploding and burning in the house, was it natural gas, or explosions set to kill them all at some time? I guess we will have to wait and see what you have in store for us. Hope we don't have to wait to long
. Thanks for the post Pac.
Wayne
. Thanks for the post Pac.Wayne
I was wondering also what kept exploding.... I'm also thinking sabotage! That fire could be the best thing that happened if so!!! But I also agree that something is "hinky" with the "new place". I wonder if moving into Borg's place would keep them safer? We already can see that someone keeps going in there....whenever they want to.
Did I miss Mark checking out the safety deposit box? I know he went to the bank... but was not sure if he opened it yet or not.
thanks again!
Did I miss Mark checking out the safety deposit box? I know he went to the bank... but was not sure if he opened it yet or not.
thanks again!
PacNorWest
Veteran Member
#44b
Ev and Cheryl hosted supper that night, offering household goods they decided they could spare to Mark and Clora. All items were gratefully accepted. Clora had gone to the back of the house and with Mark's instructions found Grandma's skillet. Some animal had been into the food, eaten the grub and left tooth marks on the pan sides. Milo, Teddy and Mark were down for a nap and Wayne had gone somewhere so Clora had a few minutes to herself.
She collected the skillet, the ax from the woodshed, and looked into the dismal mess that had been her home. The fire had been hot enough to burn the legs off the Monarch range and it was tipped on it's corner in the basement. Clora's super secret hiding spot had been destroyed. There had been a floor cut out under the range. It was a place that Walt's ancestors had created in the early 1900's when everyone distrusted banks.
Clora had thought it an ingenious place for items, it wasn't likely to ever be found as the heat from the stove kept people from poking around under there. The first home invaders had missed that hidey hole, but Grandma Evie had insisted that to be safe from fire that treasures be buried outside. Clora had lost Evie's journal to the fire, but the treasure was safe.
Clora was so thankful that she had followed Evie's instructions, a deep relief that something had gone right. She cast her eye over the place she had secreted the diamonds and it was undisturbed. That was worth a big smile.
Lainey came walking up, noticing what Clora had collected. "You did save Grandma's skillet," she exclaimed happily, "Ben was beside himself last night thinking it had probably burned."
"That's what almost killed Mark," Clora said morosely. "He went back for it, for me. I shouldn't have been so insistent and silly about a piece of metal."
"Well it resolved itself," Lainey consoled her friend, "it's a powerful symbol for this family, there is no money that can buy this kind of remembrance from your past. You just keep using it Clora, food tastes better from this skillet," Lainey put her arm around Clora and they stood together watching the hot spots in the basement burn the last of the house.
"The baby moved today," Clora shared her delicious secret, "this morning."
"Oh, congratulations. That is so exciting; you must be around 3 months. Are you getting the right kind of vitamins and such?"
"I was," Clora said ruefully, thinking that they were another thing gone missing.
"Our baby moved last week, so we must be pretty close together. I have a bottle you can use, they are really important the first several months. Clora," Lainey said softly, "Clora I'm so sorry this happened. My heart hurts for you and your family."
Clora drew a deep breath, "Nobody was seriously hurt, nobody died and we can regroup and rebuild. God never promised life would be fair and always full of good things, but I have to admit it took a while to think of anything positive about this fire."
"And what might that be," Lainey said seriously.
"I don't have much to move," Clora said with a laugh. "we are like Grandma's way back ancestors, I grab the skillet and a kid and Mark grabs his rifle and a kid, and we are good to go."
"Now that makes me envious," Lainey laughed also. "You'll be able to help me and Cheryl."
"Always," Clora assured her friend, "what ever we can do."
"Umn, Clora what about the diamonds?"
"I lost Grandma's journal, but the diamonds are OK, they weren't in the house." Clora looked up sharply. Wayne had Milo and Teddy on the loose and they were headed for the burned house. "Oh he didn't," she snapped. He did.
Ev and Cheryl hosted supper that night, offering household goods they decided they could spare to Mark and Clora. All items were gratefully accepted. Clora had gone to the back of the house and with Mark's instructions found Grandma's skillet. Some animal had been into the food, eaten the grub and left tooth marks on the pan sides. Milo, Teddy and Mark were down for a nap and Wayne had gone somewhere so Clora had a few minutes to herself.
She collected the skillet, the ax from the woodshed, and looked into the dismal mess that had been her home. The fire had been hot enough to burn the legs off the Monarch range and it was tipped on it's corner in the basement. Clora's super secret hiding spot had been destroyed. There had been a floor cut out under the range. It was a place that Walt's ancestors had created in the early 1900's when everyone distrusted banks.
Clora had thought it an ingenious place for items, it wasn't likely to ever be found as the heat from the stove kept people from poking around under there. The first home invaders had missed that hidey hole, but Grandma Evie had insisted that to be safe from fire that treasures be buried outside. Clora had lost Evie's journal to the fire, but the treasure was safe.
Clora was so thankful that she had followed Evie's instructions, a deep relief that something had gone right. She cast her eye over the place she had secreted the diamonds and it was undisturbed. That was worth a big smile.
Lainey came walking up, noticing what Clora had collected. "You did save Grandma's skillet," she exclaimed happily, "Ben was beside himself last night thinking it had probably burned."
"That's what almost killed Mark," Clora said morosely. "He went back for it, for me. I shouldn't have been so insistent and silly about a piece of metal."
"Well it resolved itself," Lainey consoled her friend, "it's a powerful symbol for this family, there is no money that can buy this kind of remembrance from your past. You just keep using it Clora, food tastes better from this skillet," Lainey put her arm around Clora and they stood together watching the hot spots in the basement burn the last of the house.
"The baby moved today," Clora shared her delicious secret, "this morning."
"Oh, congratulations. That is so exciting; you must be around 3 months. Are you getting the right kind of vitamins and such?"
"I was," Clora said ruefully, thinking that they were another thing gone missing.
"Our baby moved last week, so we must be pretty close together. I have a bottle you can use, they are really important the first several months. Clora," Lainey said softly, "Clora I'm so sorry this happened. My heart hurts for you and your family."
Clora drew a deep breath, "Nobody was seriously hurt, nobody died and we can regroup and rebuild. God never promised life would be fair and always full of good things, but I have to admit it took a while to think of anything positive about this fire."
"And what might that be," Lainey said seriously.
"I don't have much to move," Clora said with a laugh. "we are like Grandma's way back ancestors, I grab the skillet and a kid and Mark grabs his rifle and a kid, and we are good to go."
"Now that makes me envious," Lainey laughed also. "You'll be able to help me and Cheryl."
"Always," Clora assured her friend, "what ever we can do."
"Umn, Clora what about the diamonds?"
"I lost Grandma's journal, but the diamonds are OK, they weren't in the house." Clora looked up sharply. Wayne had Milo and Teddy on the loose and they were headed for the burned house. "Oh he didn't," she snapped. He did.
PacNorWest
Veteran Member
#44c
"Wayne don't you dare let those kids loose near the fire," Clora shouted her displeasure. "It's not safe and we have no water to clean them up."
"I've gottum," he hollered back, "don't worry."
"Oh that's not comforting ," Clora muttered as she walked toward the youngsters as they were pulling on the Wayne's arms. The kids were wrapped in blankets with rope belts, to use as coats.
"Boy's," she said sharply, "behave." Milo gave her a very angelic look but his eyes were sparkling with mischief, and his mouth had a chocolate ring around it with dribbles on his chin. His head was barely sticking out of the makeshift coat, but he was happy.
"Humm, that is suspicious," she said with a more friendly attitude, "I think Uncle Wayne had some candy? Huh?"
"It was good," Milo assured her seriously. "Some of the bestest."
"I believe you are right, however I want you to stay away from the fire," Clora issued orders. "Having Uncle Mark under the weather is enough of a problem without having hurt kids."
Clora took charge of the boys and Wayne went poking around in the ruins of the house. "Hey Wayne, be careful there were some strange explosions in there yesterday." Clora warned.
"I know, I heard them," his voice echoed as he eased down into the basement under the space where the pantry had been. "Do you want your Dutch oven" he yelled up.
"Oh my gracious yes, any thing you can find of value," Clora got excited; "is it cracked?"
"Can't tell, go get a rope and you can pull it up. Ben has some in his woodshed," came up from the hole."
"I'll get it," Lainey offered, "don't let go of those two."
It was a motley assortment of items that came up from the ruins. The dutch oven, the cast iron apple peeler, a shovel and a hammer head. The rest of the remains were too hot to handle.
Clora and Lainey had been talking in low voices about Wayne being willing to be so close to the fire, and in fact down in the hole with the smoking ruins. "I would never have believed he would go down there," Clora whispered to Lainey, "I hope he's Ok."
Clora was so thankful to have her Dutch back she dropped Milo's hand to take a quick swipe around the inside to see if it was cracked. It appeared intact, even the lid was alright. Milo was leaning over the Dutch with his nose so close that he was about to topple head first into the oven. "That's cool, Auntie C.," he was real interested in the way the bail was attached to the base.
There was the 'wap wap' of a low flying helicopter as the machine made a low and slow pass over the farm. The uniformed figure in the doorway waved and Clora and Lainey waved back. They weren't giving any distress signs, so the copter moved on.
Ben was down working on the locker generators, he had checked every connection and methodically filled the gas tanks. The weather was in their favor, the wind and snow a chilling insulation. He had checked the interior of the plant and it was still -15, so they were good for a while. He had carted two loads of meat out to each house, and counted the empty jars available. It was going to be a close situation, they needed to do some jerky to use some of the slicing meat, while they canned the lesser pieces.
That night at Ev and Cheryl's the clan discussed the fact that Will hadn't been home, and they worried about him.
"I expect he would go to check on Willie first; but from what Mark said, the bridges from the city are probably down, so if he was in the city he has the river to cross to get here." Ben observed as he finished his coffee.
Cheryl's stew and Christy's biscuits had been tasty, The pan of apple cobbler finished the meal off proud. The two oil lamps lit the darkness with light, but they weren't enough to really see well. Mark was happy, the soft yellow light was easy on his eyes and headache he couldn't shake.
The ladies did the dishes, chattering happily about the state of the two expectant mothers and solutions for clothes for Mark, Clora and the kids.
The farm bedded down in the quiet of the January night, stoves stoked with wood and doors locked against the blackness.
"Wayne don't you dare let those kids loose near the fire," Clora shouted her displeasure. "It's not safe and we have no water to clean them up."
"I've gottum," he hollered back, "don't worry."
"Oh that's not comforting ," Clora muttered as she walked toward the youngsters as they were pulling on the Wayne's arms. The kids were wrapped in blankets with rope belts, to use as coats.
"Boy's," she said sharply, "behave." Milo gave her a very angelic look but his eyes were sparkling with mischief, and his mouth had a chocolate ring around it with dribbles on his chin. His head was barely sticking out of the makeshift coat, but he was happy.
"Humm, that is suspicious," she said with a more friendly attitude, "I think Uncle Wayne had some candy? Huh?"
"It was good," Milo assured her seriously. "Some of the bestest."
"I believe you are right, however I want you to stay away from the fire," Clora issued orders. "Having Uncle Mark under the weather is enough of a problem without having hurt kids."
Clora took charge of the boys and Wayne went poking around in the ruins of the house. "Hey Wayne, be careful there were some strange explosions in there yesterday." Clora warned.
"I know, I heard them," his voice echoed as he eased down into the basement under the space where the pantry had been. "Do you want your Dutch oven" he yelled up.
"Oh my gracious yes, any thing you can find of value," Clora got excited; "is it cracked?"
"Can't tell, go get a rope and you can pull it up. Ben has some in his woodshed," came up from the hole."
"I'll get it," Lainey offered, "don't let go of those two."
It was a motley assortment of items that came up from the ruins. The dutch oven, the cast iron apple peeler, a shovel and a hammer head. The rest of the remains were too hot to handle.
Clora and Lainey had been talking in low voices about Wayne being willing to be so close to the fire, and in fact down in the hole with the smoking ruins. "I would never have believed he would go down there," Clora whispered to Lainey, "I hope he's Ok."
Clora was so thankful to have her Dutch back she dropped Milo's hand to take a quick swipe around the inside to see if it was cracked. It appeared intact, even the lid was alright. Milo was leaning over the Dutch with his nose so close that he was about to topple head first into the oven. "That's cool, Auntie C.," he was real interested in the way the bail was attached to the base.
There was the 'wap wap' of a low flying helicopter as the machine made a low and slow pass over the farm. The uniformed figure in the doorway waved and Clora and Lainey waved back. They weren't giving any distress signs, so the copter moved on.
Ben was down working on the locker generators, he had checked every connection and methodically filled the gas tanks. The weather was in their favor, the wind and snow a chilling insulation. He had checked the interior of the plant and it was still -15, so they were good for a while. He had carted two loads of meat out to each house, and counted the empty jars available. It was going to be a close situation, they needed to do some jerky to use some of the slicing meat, while they canned the lesser pieces.
That night at Ev and Cheryl's the clan discussed the fact that Will hadn't been home, and they worried about him.
"I expect he would go to check on Willie first; but from what Mark said, the bridges from the city are probably down, so if he was in the city he has the river to cross to get here." Ben observed as he finished his coffee.
Cheryl's stew and Christy's biscuits had been tasty, The pan of apple cobbler finished the meal off proud. The two oil lamps lit the darkness with light, but they weren't enough to really see well. Mark was happy, the soft yellow light was easy on his eyes and headache he couldn't shake.
The ladies did the dishes, chattering happily about the state of the two expectant mothers and solutions for clothes for Mark, Clora and the kids.
The farm bedded down in the quiet of the January night, stoves stoked with wood and doors locked against the blackness.
What a lovely note to go to bed on tonight. Glad I stayed up late enough to read. Thank you so much for posting. Your chapters each pull us in to worry over, laugh with, or groan about our friends. Looks like all is well for the night, except for Will who we don't know about but the family members are not going to worrry so neither shall I.
I've been worried since Will hasn't been around. Sure hope he isn't part of what's been happening...
sssarawolf
Has No Life - Lives on TB
Very nice thank you.
stjwelding
Veteran Member
I also hope Will and Willie are alright and just doing what has to be done to survive while separated form the family. I suppose it is possible that some can be bought for a price, but I believe Will is not one of them, just my take of him. Pac grate chapters thanks.
Wayne
Wayne
PacNorWest
Veteran Member
#45
Four legs padded up the driveway to the farm. The sensitive nose sniffed the hundred different scents and those that were necessary were remembered, those that were not were discarded. The warm hole had the scent of burned meat, and he circled the abyss licking his chops, hungry as only a lone animal could be.
He went to each house, circling the buildings looking for food, warmth anything that might be used for gain. At the last house, he felt the warmth seeping from under the front door and curled up on the mat, waiting for daylight and a source of food.
When Cheryl got up the next morning she looked out the kitchen window to sunlight on the fresh snow. There were tracks that circled the house, and she wondered if it were wolf or coyote that had come by during the night. Opening the front door to go get wood, she stumbled over Danny and he obliged her by stepping aside and going back into the house to lay down by the fire.
Cheryl was shouting and yelling, and that confused Danny. He had moved out of her way, what more did she want. Well, what she wanted was to not have a wet dirty dog in her clean kitchen. OK, he could fix that, and he proceeded to start licking himself clean.
The man wheeled into the kitchen and began speaking to Danny like it was the most natural thing in the world to have a strange dog in the house. Danny had decided they were going to be his people and that was final. He stiffly stood up and walked over to the man and licked his hand.
With Cheryl out of the kitchen, Ev slipped the dog a couple of pancakes. Danny was starving, otherwise he wouldn't have been crazy about eating them, but it was food. They would soon get accustomed to his requirements, he had the patience to train them.
"Dad, it's a dog," another human showed up, petting his head and twisting his collar to read his name. "It says his name is Danny," and he thumped his tail to show them that he was pretty smart for a Golden.
Four legs padded up the driveway to the farm. The sensitive nose sniffed the hundred different scents and those that were necessary were remembered, those that were not were discarded. The warm hole had the scent of burned meat, and he circled the abyss licking his chops, hungry as only a lone animal could be.
He went to each house, circling the buildings looking for food, warmth anything that might be used for gain. At the last house, he felt the warmth seeping from under the front door and curled up on the mat, waiting for daylight and a source of food.
When Cheryl got up the next morning she looked out the kitchen window to sunlight on the fresh snow. There were tracks that circled the house, and she wondered if it were wolf or coyote that had come by during the night. Opening the front door to go get wood, she stumbled over Danny and he obliged her by stepping aside and going back into the house to lay down by the fire.
Cheryl was shouting and yelling, and that confused Danny. He had moved out of her way, what more did she want. Well, what she wanted was to not have a wet dirty dog in her clean kitchen. OK, he could fix that, and he proceeded to start licking himself clean.
The man wheeled into the kitchen and began speaking to Danny like it was the most natural thing in the world to have a strange dog in the house. Danny had decided they were going to be his people and that was final. He stiffly stood up and walked over to the man and licked his hand.
With Cheryl out of the kitchen, Ev slipped the dog a couple of pancakes. Danny was starving, otherwise he wouldn't have been crazy about eating them, but it was food. They would soon get accustomed to his requirements, he had the patience to train them.
"Dad, it's a dog," another human showed up, petting his head and twisting his collar to read his name. "It says his name is Danny," and he thumped his tail to show them that he was pretty smart for a Golden.
sssarawolf
Has No Life - Lives on TB
LOl sweetttttttt just what EV needs.
PacNorWest
Veteran Member
#45b
Being that he was above average smart, Danny sat as close to the man as possible. Ev wasn't paying attention to what he was doing, but Christy went busting out side, "Mom! come look at Dad!"
Cheryl about had a heart attack thinking the dog had attacked and was eating Ev, she dropped the wood she was carrying and her hand went to her pocket for her gun. Racing for the front door, she threw it open and it crashed against the side of the house.
Inside, the dog and Ev looked up at her like she was crazy acting. Ev was standing and using his left hand to stroke the dog. Ev was saying sit...and Danny sat. Then it was shake..and Danny shook hands. Ev went through all the commands he could think of, and Danny sat anticipating his every wish.
Finally it was sit down or fall down for Ev and he sat back heavily in his chair. A flash of inspiration came upon him and he threw a pancake across the kitchen..."fetch," he said...and Danny so gently brought the cake back and put it in Ev's hand. As a reward, Danny got to eat his fetch toy.
"Good dog," Ev approved, and Danny smiled. Life was good, this one was going to be a pushover for sure.
Cheryl stood propped against the door frame, letting her adrenalin drain away. "Christy, don't do that, I'm a old woman and probably have a weak heart between you and your Dad's shenanigans."
"Sorry Mom, I was so excited to see Dad moving and talking that I forgot how it must have looked and sounded to you." Christy was laughing and Cheryl thought it had been a long time since Christy had sounded so carefree.
In short, Danny was welcomed into the family, just as he had planned. Danny had a secret, he was a trained service dog that had been let go because his owner couldn't feed him. He knew precisely what to do for Ev, Danny had a job.
Mark woke up feeling some better than the day before. His headache was easing and being cared for by Clora and the kids was a boost to his well being. Milo was there to be his personal servant, bring drinks of water and Teddy brought in a cookie with only one bite taken out of the circle.
The youngest boy had a cookie in each hand, but the only one he would give Mark was the already tasted one. Mark smiled and said "thank you Teddy," and the boy smiled back. Teddy had been a bit standoffish, and Mark figured that was because of his size, but they slowly were making progress getting acquainted.
Wayne looked the boys up and down, asking "where's my cookie?" Now both Milo and Teddy had at least one cookie in hand, and Milo had two, but he was waiting for Teddy to give his up first.
Clora called from the kitchen, "Milo, will you come get a cookie for Uncle Mark," and then both boys stampeded in to be first in line to help. Mark was amused, thinking they were great kids and today was to have been the day he was going in to get the paperwork from Pastor Tom to start legal adoption, do the banking and bring in another load of food from Borg's house.
Too bad he hadn't been better on the ball, now Portland was as far away as the moon, unless you had a handy boat. Whatever had been in Borg's house, was most likely lost to the masses, as looting was going to be a problem as soon as the dust settled. An empty house might as well have a blinking neon sign on top, "come break in, nobody's home."
What they had in hand, was what they owned. Because both he and Clora were on the larger size, clothes and shoes were going to be a problem. So far, Clora had been rinsing their duds every night and letting them dry next to the stove overnight. Of all the things he missed, he really felt the loss of his service boots the most. They were well broken in and comfortable. Oh well, better luck next time, he thought.
Clora worked with the cookies, she sure wasn't a fan of the Mighty Maid brand of stove in Wayne's house. This one was a hot and quick temperamental hunk of cast iron, difficult to regulate and work with. It gave her a bit of a temper, and she was glad when the cookies had all been made.
Wayne's pantry was in terrible shape containing some rice and beans, and Clora had them cooking for supper. Lainey had sent over a gallon of flour and one of cornmeal and Clora had a sponge raising for bread. The kids would have preferred different food, but they needed to eat what they had. Of course that included 14 cans of baby corn, a flat of caviar jars and tiny pickled asparagus. Yummy, Clora thought dryly, just what every body needs for supper. It sounded gross, and would probably taste gross, as far as she was concerned.
Clora, while she cleaned the kitchen with water pumped while Ben had the generators on, thought about Gertie and wondered how the valley had fared during the quake. There was nothing she could do about it now, but she couldn't help but be disturbed by all the possibilities that might have happened, and might happen to their search, and might have to return the money to the old man, and might have to stay here, under the gun, so to speak.
Being that he was above average smart, Danny sat as close to the man as possible. Ev wasn't paying attention to what he was doing, but Christy went busting out side, "Mom! come look at Dad!"
Cheryl about had a heart attack thinking the dog had attacked and was eating Ev, she dropped the wood she was carrying and her hand went to her pocket for her gun. Racing for the front door, she threw it open and it crashed against the side of the house.
Inside, the dog and Ev looked up at her like she was crazy acting. Ev was standing and using his left hand to stroke the dog. Ev was saying sit...and Danny sat. Then it was shake..and Danny shook hands. Ev went through all the commands he could think of, and Danny sat anticipating his every wish.
Finally it was sit down or fall down for Ev and he sat back heavily in his chair. A flash of inspiration came upon him and he threw a pancake across the kitchen..."fetch," he said...and Danny so gently brought the cake back and put it in Ev's hand. As a reward, Danny got to eat his fetch toy.
"Good dog," Ev approved, and Danny smiled. Life was good, this one was going to be a pushover for sure.
Cheryl stood propped against the door frame, letting her adrenalin drain away. "Christy, don't do that, I'm a old woman and probably have a weak heart between you and your Dad's shenanigans."
"Sorry Mom, I was so excited to see Dad moving and talking that I forgot how it must have looked and sounded to you." Christy was laughing and Cheryl thought it had been a long time since Christy had sounded so carefree.
In short, Danny was welcomed into the family, just as he had planned. Danny had a secret, he was a trained service dog that had been let go because his owner couldn't feed him. He knew precisely what to do for Ev, Danny had a job.
Mark woke up feeling some better than the day before. His headache was easing and being cared for by Clora and the kids was a boost to his well being. Milo was there to be his personal servant, bring drinks of water and Teddy brought in a cookie with only one bite taken out of the circle.
The youngest boy had a cookie in each hand, but the only one he would give Mark was the already tasted one. Mark smiled and said "thank you Teddy," and the boy smiled back. Teddy had been a bit standoffish, and Mark figured that was because of his size, but they slowly were making progress getting acquainted.
Wayne looked the boys up and down, asking "where's my cookie?" Now both Milo and Teddy had at least one cookie in hand, and Milo had two, but he was waiting for Teddy to give his up first.
Clora called from the kitchen, "Milo, will you come get a cookie for Uncle Mark," and then both boys stampeded in to be first in line to help. Mark was amused, thinking they were great kids and today was to have been the day he was going in to get the paperwork from Pastor Tom to start legal adoption, do the banking and bring in another load of food from Borg's house.
Too bad he hadn't been better on the ball, now Portland was as far away as the moon, unless you had a handy boat. Whatever had been in Borg's house, was most likely lost to the masses, as looting was going to be a problem as soon as the dust settled. An empty house might as well have a blinking neon sign on top, "come break in, nobody's home."
What they had in hand, was what they owned. Because both he and Clora were on the larger size, clothes and shoes were going to be a problem. So far, Clora had been rinsing their duds every night and letting them dry next to the stove overnight. Of all the things he missed, he really felt the loss of his service boots the most. They were well broken in and comfortable. Oh well, better luck next time, he thought.
Clora worked with the cookies, she sure wasn't a fan of the Mighty Maid brand of stove in Wayne's house. This one was a hot and quick temperamental hunk of cast iron, difficult to regulate and work with. It gave her a bit of a temper, and she was glad when the cookies had all been made.
Wayne's pantry was in terrible shape containing some rice and beans, and Clora had them cooking for supper. Lainey had sent over a gallon of flour and one of cornmeal and Clora had a sponge raising for bread. The kids would have preferred different food, but they needed to eat what they had. Of course that included 14 cans of baby corn, a flat of caviar jars and tiny pickled asparagus. Yummy, Clora thought dryly, just what every body needs for supper. It sounded gross, and would probably taste gross, as far as she was concerned.
Clora, while she cleaned the kitchen with water pumped while Ben had the generators on, thought about Gertie and wondered how the valley had fared during the quake. There was nothing she could do about it now, but she couldn't help but be disturbed by all the possibilities that might have happened, and might happen to their search, and might have to return the money to the old man, and might have to stay here, under the gun, so to speak.
sssarawolf
Has No Life - Lives on TB
Hope the can still find a place to move to where its safe.
stjwelding
Veteran Member
Thanks for the chapter Pac it looks like Ev has a new friend and therapist all in one.
Wayne
Wayne
PacNorWest
Veteran Member
#45c
Ben helped Lainey do a throughly inventory of their pantry and long term storage foods, they had rice and beans, yeast, dried milk and flour to donate to Mark and Clora. The food was received with hugs and tears, as Clora's emotions threatened to spill over big time.
"You would do the same," Lainey said stubbornly, "so don't mess with family dynamics, we have it to give, next time it might be us on the needy side."
"Thank you so much," Clora sniffed several times, hugging Lainey and advancing on Ben to give him a hug. As a family they didn't show a lot of affection but the ties were strong and deep, so he allowed it for the one time. Mark and Ben shook hands and concluded their thanks with a clap on the back. Wayne was brought into the circle and suffered hugs and handshakes for his bravery in rescuing Mark.
"What a bunch of touchy feely critters we are," Wayne sputtered, "I can't remember getting that close to Clora" he referred to her hug, "since she thumped me for sassing Grandma. I learned to walk way around her," he told Mark. "That's one mean and vicious woman you've got there." he was rubbing his arm in remembrance.
"If you think that was bad, let me tell you about the time I tried to threaten one of her boyfriends," Ben laughed, but quickly stepped out of Clora's reach. "She looked me up the next day and I was informed to keep my opinions to myself if I wanted to see tomorrow. At the time, I told her I believed I would, if she just wouldn't hit me again."
The family laughed, as Clora scowled darkly at her brothers. "Would you knock it off, I've tried to hoodwink Mark into believing that I'm meek and mild." Everybody laughed at that remark, knowing it was a far cry from the truth.
Mark pretended to look at his wife in alarm, "I can't believe it, surely not." he gasped.
"Oh surely yes," Clora purred as she flexed her fingers like claws. Milo peeked at her in fright and she winked at him, easing his fears.
"Hey, did you guy's know about Ev being adopted by a dog. He just waltzed right in and made himself at home and Ev is perking up and working hard on his exercises so he can be out and around. Just couldn't be better therapy," Ben announced as he reached for Anne, and she cooed in happiness.
There was a wail of wind as a gust shook the windows of the stout bungalow, and ice pellets pinged against the panes. "That's the signal for us to get to home," Lainey looked at Ben, and they gathered themselves up and were gone in a manner of seconds.
"Work the door for me," Wayne requested, "I need to get extra wood in, sounds like a hum dingier of a night."
Night chores were finished, and the lamp turned low to conserve fuel. Milo and Teddy were tucked in and asleep soon after. The adults sat discussing the state of the food supply, and where they might find other supplies. Wayne talked about a thrift shop near the county yard that was run by a woman out of her garage.
"I think we can get there by going around the back way, so as to avoid any bridges that might be bad, do you want to check it out tomorrow?" Wayne asked, thinking that his knowledge of the road system was finally put to good use.
Clora looked at Mark and nodded; and he agreed that tomorrow would be fine.
It snowed during the night, piling up another couple of inches. Christy agreed to go for the Wilson family, Ben went as did all the Linderman's and Wayne. As they drove over the buckled and pitted roads past the county shop, a figure darted out and stopped the caravan.
"Wayne, are you OK? I..I mean we have been worried about you as there was so much smoke over your way" Paula Penderman stammered her quick question. Clora raised her eyebrow at the eager expression on Paula's face, and then looked at the formidable figure coming from the shop and advancing toward the pickup.
"Holy crap," Mark breathed under his breath, "who is that under sail and coming this way. I think we need to take shelter."
"Mark," Clora hissed, "stop that."
As the advancing Valkyrie got closer, Paula seemed to shrink and fade away, yielding her place to the charging woman.
"Oh, I bet that's what's been keeping Wayne busy these past weeks," Clora said quietly, just for him to hear. Wayne whipped around with a panicky look on his face and then jerked around in time for the bossy woman to shoot orders into his ear.
"You get out here and let me see your alright, you hear me?" the woman demanded as she opened the pickup door and dragged the frightened man out of the cab.
The woman pushed Wayne up against the cab and almost frisked the scared, quaking man.
By now, Clora was snickering uncontrollably, about to burst into laughter. Hiding her face against Mark's shoulder, she tried to keep her bad manners from showing.
"Who's that?" Milo demanded, leaning over the back of seat and staring past Wayne's ear into the surprised woman's face. " You leave my Uncle Wayne alone, he don't like roughhousing with girls. He told my Aunt Clora so."
The bossy lady drew back and squinted aggressively at Wayne, "That's so?" her mean voice barked at him.
"Back off please, I need breathing room," Wayne demanded as the family was there to back him up. The woman took a step or two back and pursed her lips, like she was considering not doing as she had been requested. Wayne thought she might backhand him, but the steel in his eyes must have convinced her to accept the request.
Paula was standing off to the side watching the episode unfold. She was so busy sending moon eyes at Wayne that she wasn't paying attention to the others watching her.
"This is as good as a soap opera," Christy breathed behind her hand, aiming her comments at Clora and Mark, giggling a little when Wayne sent a 'look' her way.
Wayne straightened up and got back into the pickup, closing the door as a physical barrier between him and the bossy woman. "We have to be going, I'm OK, the family is alright, but my sister and husband lost their house and we're on our way over to the second hand place. We got to be going," he started Ev's old crew cab and went to pull out. The bossy woman had a flare of temper and stomped off, leaving Paula to wave tentatively as she watched them leave.
"Wayne," Clora said in a small sing song voice, "who was that?" she asked pleasantly, being very kind but darn well expecting an answer.
"Just a lady I work with," he dismissed the overt connections Clora was trying to put on him. "The other woman was Paula, I work with her also."
"Hum huh," Clora said, holding her hand over her mouth to stop her mirth. The second hand store was empty, the lady acting suspicious until the ladies got out with the children.
"You make us acceptable?" Wayne snorted his disbelief at Clora. "Boy is she confused."
The clothing prices were reasonable, but not many were in Mark and Clora's sizes. She bought two of every thing she could, for remodeling into what they needed. There was a household area and Clora found a large sized camp percolator, and a very old National pressure canner and some toy cars that she put back in the clothes until checkout. There were shoes Mark could wear, but the only pair in Clora's size was a pair of men's lace up sportsman type boots. She put them in the pile with a thankful prayer.
Clora worked her way to the back of the store and there in a dusty corner, forgotten and forlorn was a ancient White treadle sewing machine. She held her breath as she casually circled the dusty treasure looking for a price tag. Catching Mark's eye, she made a 'look at this' sign and pointed behind her. The tag said $45.00, and Clora wanted it. Mark nodded and went to deal with the lady in charge.
Clora picked up armload's of kids clothes and shoes, coats and belts. She also placed baby clothes and several yards of baby type material in a pile. She found a man's Buffalo red and black checkered wool coat that fit, and decided she had all she needed.
Mark paid and was amused as Clora kept a sharp eye on the woman as she counted out the small amount of change that was returned to him.
Christy was happy to find several dresses for her self and her Mom, and boots in Ev's size and a dog leash. There was material for Cheryl and a dainty, small white lace edged pale pink hanky for herself.
Wayne found several pairs of bib overalls in his long, tall, skinny size and boots. Ben took the next size larger, material and clothes for Lainey and Anne and a frothy pink something had he stuffed in the boot top before anyone could see.
Clora remembered to check the list in her pocket and went back in for scissors, any sewing supplies she could find, a hand operated hair cutting tool and oil lamps and oil. "As soon as people shake off the panic of the quakes, they will strip this place," she mentioned to Mark and he agreed.
"Get what ever you think we might need for the future," he directed, as he went to talk to Ben and Wayne, Clora spoke with Christy and they doubled what they had collected. The shop was half cleaned out by the time they left and Mark dropped 5 big ones in the woman's hand.
Once again they drove up to the county shop and stopped. Wayne hopped down and disappeared inside for a talk with his boss. Whatever it was, it must not have been cordial because Wayne came out scowling and tight lipped. He didn't speak a word on the way home and then left for the tree farm as soon as his boots hit the ground.
The family got to meet Danny when they stopped at Ev's to unload their part of the stash. Danny inspected them and the unusual smelling piles of clothes and things, and then went to stand close to Ev.
Next place and Lainey was astonished at what Ben brought home. It was the pair of toddler sized black patent leather shoes for Anne that won her over. Their pile was dumped on the porch for them to deal with.
Mark and Clora looked at each other and the fleeing figure of Wayne as he hastened toward the tree farm. They had a huge job ahead of themselves, and sure could have used his help. Clora gave the boy's milk and cookies and the new to them toy cars with orders to play nicely in the kitchen.
By the time they had the pickup unloaded, there wasn't much room in the house that wasn't packed with stuff. "We either need to remodel the cafe into a house, or store this stuff up there," Clora said after a long look at the pile.
"That's not a bad idea," Mark approved. "Let's think on that."
Another day was finished and some real and tangible steps toward survival had been accomplished.
Ben helped Lainey do a throughly inventory of their pantry and long term storage foods, they had rice and beans, yeast, dried milk and flour to donate to Mark and Clora. The food was received with hugs and tears, as Clora's emotions threatened to spill over big time.
"You would do the same," Lainey said stubbornly, "so don't mess with family dynamics, we have it to give, next time it might be us on the needy side."
"Thank you so much," Clora sniffed several times, hugging Lainey and advancing on Ben to give him a hug. As a family they didn't show a lot of affection but the ties were strong and deep, so he allowed it for the one time. Mark and Ben shook hands and concluded their thanks with a clap on the back. Wayne was brought into the circle and suffered hugs and handshakes for his bravery in rescuing Mark.
"What a bunch of touchy feely critters we are," Wayne sputtered, "I can't remember getting that close to Clora" he referred to her hug, "since she thumped me for sassing Grandma. I learned to walk way around her," he told Mark. "That's one mean and vicious woman you've got there." he was rubbing his arm in remembrance.
"If you think that was bad, let me tell you about the time I tried to threaten one of her boyfriends," Ben laughed, but quickly stepped out of Clora's reach. "She looked me up the next day and I was informed to keep my opinions to myself if I wanted to see tomorrow. At the time, I told her I believed I would, if she just wouldn't hit me again."
The family laughed, as Clora scowled darkly at her brothers. "Would you knock it off, I've tried to hoodwink Mark into believing that I'm meek and mild." Everybody laughed at that remark, knowing it was a far cry from the truth.
Mark pretended to look at his wife in alarm, "I can't believe it, surely not." he gasped.
"Oh surely yes," Clora purred as she flexed her fingers like claws. Milo peeked at her in fright and she winked at him, easing his fears.
"Hey, did you guy's know about Ev being adopted by a dog. He just waltzed right in and made himself at home and Ev is perking up and working hard on his exercises so he can be out and around. Just couldn't be better therapy," Ben announced as he reached for Anne, and she cooed in happiness.
There was a wail of wind as a gust shook the windows of the stout bungalow, and ice pellets pinged against the panes. "That's the signal for us to get to home," Lainey looked at Ben, and they gathered themselves up and were gone in a manner of seconds.
"Work the door for me," Wayne requested, "I need to get extra wood in, sounds like a hum dingier of a night."
Night chores were finished, and the lamp turned low to conserve fuel. Milo and Teddy were tucked in and asleep soon after. The adults sat discussing the state of the food supply, and where they might find other supplies. Wayne talked about a thrift shop near the county yard that was run by a woman out of her garage.
"I think we can get there by going around the back way, so as to avoid any bridges that might be bad, do you want to check it out tomorrow?" Wayne asked, thinking that his knowledge of the road system was finally put to good use.
Clora looked at Mark and nodded; and he agreed that tomorrow would be fine.
It snowed during the night, piling up another couple of inches. Christy agreed to go for the Wilson family, Ben went as did all the Linderman's and Wayne. As they drove over the buckled and pitted roads past the county shop, a figure darted out and stopped the caravan.
"Wayne, are you OK? I..I mean we have been worried about you as there was so much smoke over your way" Paula Penderman stammered her quick question. Clora raised her eyebrow at the eager expression on Paula's face, and then looked at the formidable figure coming from the shop and advancing toward the pickup.
"Holy crap," Mark breathed under his breath, "who is that under sail and coming this way. I think we need to take shelter."
"Mark," Clora hissed, "stop that."
As the advancing Valkyrie got closer, Paula seemed to shrink and fade away, yielding her place to the charging woman.
"Oh, I bet that's what's been keeping Wayne busy these past weeks," Clora said quietly, just for him to hear. Wayne whipped around with a panicky look on his face and then jerked around in time for the bossy woman to shoot orders into his ear.
"You get out here and let me see your alright, you hear me?" the woman demanded as she opened the pickup door and dragged the frightened man out of the cab.
The woman pushed Wayne up against the cab and almost frisked the scared, quaking man.
By now, Clora was snickering uncontrollably, about to burst into laughter. Hiding her face against Mark's shoulder, she tried to keep her bad manners from showing.
"Who's that?" Milo demanded, leaning over the back of seat and staring past Wayne's ear into the surprised woman's face. " You leave my Uncle Wayne alone, he don't like roughhousing with girls. He told my Aunt Clora so."
The bossy lady drew back and squinted aggressively at Wayne, "That's so?" her mean voice barked at him.
"Back off please, I need breathing room," Wayne demanded as the family was there to back him up. The woman took a step or two back and pursed her lips, like she was considering not doing as she had been requested. Wayne thought she might backhand him, but the steel in his eyes must have convinced her to accept the request.
Paula was standing off to the side watching the episode unfold. She was so busy sending moon eyes at Wayne that she wasn't paying attention to the others watching her.
"This is as good as a soap opera," Christy breathed behind her hand, aiming her comments at Clora and Mark, giggling a little when Wayne sent a 'look' her way.
Wayne straightened up and got back into the pickup, closing the door as a physical barrier between him and the bossy woman. "We have to be going, I'm OK, the family is alright, but my sister and husband lost their house and we're on our way over to the second hand place. We got to be going," he started Ev's old crew cab and went to pull out. The bossy woman had a flare of temper and stomped off, leaving Paula to wave tentatively as she watched them leave.
"Wayne," Clora said in a small sing song voice, "who was that?" she asked pleasantly, being very kind but darn well expecting an answer.
"Just a lady I work with," he dismissed the overt connections Clora was trying to put on him. "The other woman was Paula, I work with her also."
"Hum huh," Clora said, holding her hand over her mouth to stop her mirth. The second hand store was empty, the lady acting suspicious until the ladies got out with the children.
"You make us acceptable?" Wayne snorted his disbelief at Clora. "Boy is she confused."
The clothing prices were reasonable, but not many were in Mark and Clora's sizes. She bought two of every thing she could, for remodeling into what they needed. There was a household area and Clora found a large sized camp percolator, and a very old National pressure canner and some toy cars that she put back in the clothes until checkout. There were shoes Mark could wear, but the only pair in Clora's size was a pair of men's lace up sportsman type boots. She put them in the pile with a thankful prayer.
Clora worked her way to the back of the store and there in a dusty corner, forgotten and forlorn was a ancient White treadle sewing machine. She held her breath as she casually circled the dusty treasure looking for a price tag. Catching Mark's eye, she made a 'look at this' sign and pointed behind her. The tag said $45.00, and Clora wanted it. Mark nodded and went to deal with the lady in charge.
Clora picked up armload's of kids clothes and shoes, coats and belts. She also placed baby clothes and several yards of baby type material in a pile. She found a man's Buffalo red and black checkered wool coat that fit, and decided she had all she needed.
Mark paid and was amused as Clora kept a sharp eye on the woman as she counted out the small amount of change that was returned to him.
Christy was happy to find several dresses for her self and her Mom, and boots in Ev's size and a dog leash. There was material for Cheryl and a dainty, small white lace edged pale pink hanky for herself.
Wayne found several pairs of bib overalls in his long, tall, skinny size and boots. Ben took the next size larger, material and clothes for Lainey and Anne and a frothy pink something had he stuffed in the boot top before anyone could see.
Clora remembered to check the list in her pocket and went back in for scissors, any sewing supplies she could find, a hand operated hair cutting tool and oil lamps and oil. "As soon as people shake off the panic of the quakes, they will strip this place," she mentioned to Mark and he agreed.
"Get what ever you think we might need for the future," he directed, as he went to talk to Ben and Wayne, Clora spoke with Christy and they doubled what they had collected. The shop was half cleaned out by the time they left and Mark dropped 5 big ones in the woman's hand.
Once again they drove up to the county shop and stopped. Wayne hopped down and disappeared inside for a talk with his boss. Whatever it was, it must not have been cordial because Wayne came out scowling and tight lipped. He didn't speak a word on the way home and then left for the tree farm as soon as his boots hit the ground.
The family got to meet Danny when they stopped at Ev's to unload their part of the stash. Danny inspected them and the unusual smelling piles of clothes and things, and then went to stand close to Ev.
Next place and Lainey was astonished at what Ben brought home. It was the pair of toddler sized black patent leather shoes for Anne that won her over. Their pile was dumped on the porch for them to deal with.
Mark and Clora looked at each other and the fleeing figure of Wayne as he hastened toward the tree farm. They had a huge job ahead of themselves, and sure could have used his help. Clora gave the boy's milk and cookies and the new to them toy cars with orders to play nicely in the kitchen.
By the time they had the pickup unloaded, there wasn't much room in the house that wasn't packed with stuff. "We either need to remodel the cafe into a house, or store this stuff up there," Clora said after a long look at the pile.
"That's not a bad idea," Mark approved. "Let's think on that."
Another day was finished and some real and tangible steps toward survival had been accomplished.
stjwelding
Veteran Member
Thanks Pac it seems that the family has survived another ordeal and are on the way to dealing with life as it comes to them. It looks like Wayne was terminated by his reaction or had a blow up with one of the femails that he spent time with, not good for him in his state of mind, that was one of the stable parts of his life that kept him grounded.
Thanks for the story and your time Wayne
Thanks for the story and your time Wayne
sssarawolf
Has No Life - Lives on TB
Thank you kind lady.
PacNorWest
Veteran Member
#46
"I've been thinking," Mark prefaced his thoughts with a grin and a warning. "Working the cafe over isn't a bad idea. I am sensing that we are stressing Wayne. I know we don't mean too," Mark held up his hand forestalling Clora's intended interruption, "but he is no where near being able to handle all our noise and confusion."
"Let me take Ben up there and we'll have a look at what it's gonna take to set up living quarters, I'll see if he is available this morning. If nothing else, we can store the piles of extras in one of the rooms and ease the congestion in the houses."
Clora looked at the pile they had thrown in the living room, and the fact she constantly had to shoo the boy's away from investigating and thought what a wonderful idea.
Wayne hadn't come back during the night, but at one or two night's out, Clora wasn't worried about the flighty brother. That was pretty common behavior when he needed to walk and then out run his stress and demons. His job must be a problem and after the way that she shark tried to barracuda him, Clora thought he must be petrified. The other one, she was in deep by her cow eyed expression, but wasn't high enough on the food chain to push her way in.
Mark and Ben headed up to the cafe building taking Milo and Teddy with them for a romp inside the cold but dry building. While the boys ran in circles in the empty dining room, hollering and listening to the echo, the men looked at putting up temporary bulkheads and false walls to enclose a smaller living space.
"It's some work, but not bad," Mark conceded. "I guess I'm puzzled as what to do? Ben, what's your take on moving up to Gertie's, trying to spend the time to fix this up, return the money, or what?"
Ben stroked his beard and seriously pondered Mark's request. "Let me work backward,....we have real reservations about moving up to Gertie's. I sure wish Clora hadn't committed us to buying so soon, there is something there I don't understand."
Mark sat on a bar stool and knew it was time to come clean about Clora and Gertie. "Ben, there is something about that situation that Clora needs to explain to you, Lainey and Wayne. She owns it, she needs to explain it, how about now so we can start moving forward?"
In short order they were in Lainey's kitchen. Clora was real uncomfortable about exposing Gertie's past, and hesitated, but Mark took her hand and the Hanson's and the Linderman's learned more about their past.
"I've been thinking," Mark prefaced his thoughts with a grin and a warning. "Working the cafe over isn't a bad idea. I am sensing that we are stressing Wayne. I know we don't mean too," Mark held up his hand forestalling Clora's intended interruption, "but he is no where near being able to handle all our noise and confusion."
"Let me take Ben up there and we'll have a look at what it's gonna take to set up living quarters, I'll see if he is available this morning. If nothing else, we can store the piles of extras in one of the rooms and ease the congestion in the houses."
Clora looked at the pile they had thrown in the living room, and the fact she constantly had to shoo the boy's away from investigating and thought what a wonderful idea.
Wayne hadn't come back during the night, but at one or two night's out, Clora wasn't worried about the flighty brother. That was pretty common behavior when he needed to walk and then out run his stress and demons. His job must be a problem and after the way that she shark tried to barracuda him, Clora thought he must be petrified. The other one, she was in deep by her cow eyed expression, but wasn't high enough on the food chain to push her way in.
Mark and Ben headed up to the cafe building taking Milo and Teddy with them for a romp inside the cold but dry building. While the boys ran in circles in the empty dining room, hollering and listening to the echo, the men looked at putting up temporary bulkheads and false walls to enclose a smaller living space.
"It's some work, but not bad," Mark conceded. "I guess I'm puzzled as what to do? Ben, what's your take on moving up to Gertie's, trying to spend the time to fix this up, return the money, or what?"
Ben stroked his beard and seriously pondered Mark's request. "Let me work backward,....we have real reservations about moving up to Gertie's. I sure wish Clora hadn't committed us to buying so soon, there is something there I don't understand."
Mark sat on a bar stool and knew it was time to come clean about Clora and Gertie. "Ben, there is something about that situation that Clora needs to explain to you, Lainey and Wayne. She owns it, she needs to explain it, how about now so we can start moving forward?"
In short order they were in Lainey's kitchen. Clora was real uncomfortable about exposing Gertie's past, and hesitated, but Mark took her hand and the Hanson's and the Linderman's learned more about their past.
sssarawolf
Has No Life - Lives on TB
Aww yeah coming clean on it will help everyone 
. Thanks pac.
. Thanks pac.PacNorWest
Veteran Member
#46b
"Gertie should be here to give her permission, but here goes." Clora looked at her family and gathered strength from their presence.
"Gertie says she is my Grandmother," Clora said softly. "My mother was her daughter. I have no proof and I don't know how she can say for sure. That's why my DNA is slightly different than yours. Now the big puzzlement that I didn't understand, was Pete my Grandfather or my Father?" Clora walked up and down the kitchen. "And the birthmark, comes from Gertie's side of the family...not Hap's and Pete's."
Clora let that information sink in while she got a drink of water from the jug on the counter. "So, that old man that was here; that's another mystery, he couldn't possibly be my Grandfather, I don't think," she said lamely. "If anyone has a clue, help me please."
"So you guy's thought you were Pete's kids because of the birthmark, and now you have been told the birthmark comes from Gertie's daughter and sisters," Lainey stopped talking while she wrote down what they thought they knew. "Do you know for sure that Pete did or did not have a birthmark? Has anyone actually seem him without a shirt on?"
"No," Clora shook her head. "Only that Grandma said so," Clora stopped talking and looked stricken. "This doesn't make sense," she muttered as she sat and thought back to Grandma Evie and the time they had been inspected for the birthmark.
"Sandy didn't have but a faint shadow of a mark, and Brett's was found to be a tattoo, so why....; and the babies had very faint prints. Myself and you" and she motioned to Ben and Wayne out in the hinterland, "are the only ones with recognizable, similar imprints.
So under that theory, the three of us are core related in some way, and the problem is...through whom. Gertie? we only have her word for that. The old man, the same thing. And you know something, I don't think Patty had a real mark either. I was normally so scared of her, I never looked." Clora confessed.
Ben laughed, "boy do I know what you mean; she was one tough cookie. She scared me also."
"Who's Patty?" Mark asked as he held a sleeping Teddy. Everyone turned around to stare at Clora's husband, they had forgotten he didn't know the wayward half sister.
"We thought she was Brett's sister, now, I don't know," Ben said as he asked Milo if he wanted up. Milo didn't, he still had a wary view of Ben.
"This is giving me a headache," Mark complained, bringing laughter. "but the problem is, what do we do now. This thing with Gertie may not be the correct decision, nor selling to the old man either. Anyone have another solution?"
"Gertie should be here to give her permission, but here goes." Clora looked at her family and gathered strength from their presence.
"Gertie says she is my Grandmother," Clora said softly. "My mother was her daughter. I have no proof and I don't know how she can say for sure. That's why my DNA is slightly different than yours. Now the big puzzlement that I didn't understand, was Pete my Grandfather or my Father?" Clora walked up and down the kitchen. "And the birthmark, comes from Gertie's side of the family...not Hap's and Pete's."
Clora let that information sink in while she got a drink of water from the jug on the counter. "So, that old man that was here; that's another mystery, he couldn't possibly be my Grandfather, I don't think," she said lamely. "If anyone has a clue, help me please."
"So you guy's thought you were Pete's kids because of the birthmark, and now you have been told the birthmark comes from Gertie's daughter and sisters," Lainey stopped talking while she wrote down what they thought they knew. "Do you know for sure that Pete did or did not have a birthmark? Has anyone actually seem him without a shirt on?"
"No," Clora shook her head. "Only that Grandma said so," Clora stopped talking and looked stricken. "This doesn't make sense," she muttered as she sat and thought back to Grandma Evie and the time they had been inspected for the birthmark.
"Sandy didn't have but a faint shadow of a mark, and Brett's was found to be a tattoo, so why....; and the babies had very faint prints. Myself and you" and she motioned to Ben and Wayne out in the hinterland, "are the only ones with recognizable, similar imprints.
So under that theory, the three of us are core related in some way, and the problem is...through whom. Gertie? we only have her word for that. The old man, the same thing. And you know something, I don't think Patty had a real mark either. I was normally so scared of her, I never looked." Clora confessed.
Ben laughed, "boy do I know what you mean; she was one tough cookie. She scared me also."
"Who's Patty?" Mark asked as he held a sleeping Teddy. Everyone turned around to stare at Clora's husband, they had forgotten he didn't know the wayward half sister.
"We thought she was Brett's sister, now, I don't know," Ben said as he asked Milo if he wanted up. Milo didn't, he still had a wary view of Ben.
"This is giving me a headache," Mark complained, bringing laughter. "but the problem is, what do we do now. This thing with Gertie may not be the correct decision, nor selling to the old man either. Anyone have another solution?"
sssarawolf
Has No Life - Lives on TB
Thank you.
PacNorWest
Veteran Member
#46c
"I wish Wayne were here," Ben was irritated that whenever they needed his input, their brother was off running the hills. "After that scene yesterday, I would think he would want to move. That big lady was plumb scary, she was really manhandling him pretty rough."
Lainey had been well briefed about the episode, and chuckled, "well what do you want me to write down, family tree or bowl of spaghetti?"
"This earthquake has really changed a lot of plans, ours included. The world has come unglued and by the way, does anyone know if there was a tsunami? We didn't hear the roaring like we did before," Clora looked at Lainey and she confirmed with a nod. "So tell me this, if we went ahead with moving up to Gertie's, can we realistically get there? I can't remember how many bridges we crossed , nor how much water was under them, so how do we physically get there?"
"Three big ones," Mark unpocketed and flipped open his notebook in a swift move, "two majors and one minor amount of water crossings, 16 overpasses and 4 areas of possible rock slide activity that could close the road."
Now Clora was used to Mark's obsession with details, but the others stared with wonder at his response.
"OooKaay," Ben agreed, "That sounds like a bunch of major obstacles, I'm guessing that we need to send a scouting party before we set out with the dry goods and groceries in the wagons." It was a joke from the normally dour Ben and it took a moment for the family to 'get it'.
"Good one," Clora approved with a hand clap. "Excellent point, and what do we do with the buyer of this place? Maybe we should send him to live with Gertie and leave us alone."
"We always have the money to give back," Mark interjected. "It's a thought, and I agree with Clora that the quake has changed everything. How can we reasonably project what the future might hold?"
"We need to wait for Wayne and see what he expects, I hope he shows up pretty quick," Ben said impatiently. "As for Gertie and our so called father; we are probably never really going to know the truth. Are we of her family, I'd say so, in keeping with those pictures on her wall. I've got to tell ya, it was pretty interesting looking at pictures of myself back then, Wayne also. When we do see her however, we need to find out her daughter's name, and Pete's relationship with her? Right? Right!
Clora and Mark agreed, and Lainey and Ben agreed. "Hey," Mark said as an afterthought, "I think Clora and I are going to remodel the cafe for a house, unless you want to set out for Gertie's tomorrow."
"Not tomorrow," Ben said firmly, "go for it," he stood up and stretched. "Anybody heard from Will?"
No one had heard from the family friend, but under the circumstances nobody was worried, yet.
Clora and Mark walked back up to Wayne's house to start supper, discussing what it would take to make a home out of the former business building. Milo and Teddy ran through the snow, tumbling and laughing, playing with all the energy they had.
"They're growing so fast, I'm sure glad we got those clothes," Clora talked as she walked in the door, "com'on boys, let's get ready for supper. They had macaroni and cheese made out of rice and cheese, doctored up dry milk and baby corn.
"What's that?" Milo was suspicious about the tiny ears, he didn't look like he was going to be coaxed to try one.
"Corn," Mark said as he put one tiny ear on each of the boy's plates. A helping of rice and cheese and a glass of milk finished the meal. Not great gourmet food, but food for life and food for the belly. Clora and Mark ate without saying a word about the boy's eating, and when the meal was finished, Clora took the plates off the table and put them in the cupboard.
"I think we need a cookie," Milo said hopefully, leaning back in his chair and acting like a miniature adult.
"No," Clora refused gently, "no supper, no cookies."
While she was cleaning the kitchen, Milo and Teddy were whispering together, looking sad and resigned. "Is it too late to eat supper?" Milo was the spokesman for the duo.
"I have your plates right here, do you want to try?" Clora slid the dishes back on the table. "Yes please," Milo was using his very correct manners. Clora sat next to Teddy to help him and supper was finished with out anymore complications. And then there were cookies.
Wayne was on his way home through the tree farm. Slipping quietly between the rows of conifers he almost stumbled over the fox hole recently dug. The fire power stacked inside was a wonderful discovery. Wayne didn't stop to see what he collected, he just scooped up the three rifles and double timed for home. The peculiar lingering smell of acrid tobacco was the only clue that people had been there.
Wayne whistled to let Clora and Mark know he was incoming, tapping at the door with a rifle barrel. Mark about pulled him through the hole when the first thing he encountered was a rifle pointed inward.
They were nice, 223's with scopes, slings and mags full of ammo. The men examined their bounty carefully for identifying marks, anything that would let them know who they were dealing with. They were fairly new, clean without serial numbers.
"We need to make a sweep tomorrow, first thing, come in from the upper end of the tree farm and see what we can see," Mark set out a plan. "I'm gonna tell Ben to be ready."
Plans were refined and ready to be implemented at first light.
"I wish Wayne were here," Ben was irritated that whenever they needed his input, their brother was off running the hills. "After that scene yesterday, I would think he would want to move. That big lady was plumb scary, she was really manhandling him pretty rough."
Lainey had been well briefed about the episode, and chuckled, "well what do you want me to write down, family tree or bowl of spaghetti?"
"This earthquake has really changed a lot of plans, ours included. The world has come unglued and by the way, does anyone know if there was a tsunami? We didn't hear the roaring like we did before," Clora looked at Lainey and she confirmed with a nod. "So tell me this, if we went ahead with moving up to Gertie's, can we realistically get there? I can't remember how many bridges we crossed , nor how much water was under them, so how do we physically get there?"
"Three big ones," Mark unpocketed and flipped open his notebook in a swift move, "two majors and one minor amount of water crossings, 16 overpasses and 4 areas of possible rock slide activity that could close the road."
Now Clora was used to Mark's obsession with details, but the others stared with wonder at his response.
"OooKaay," Ben agreed, "That sounds like a bunch of major obstacles, I'm guessing that we need to send a scouting party before we set out with the dry goods and groceries in the wagons." It was a joke from the normally dour Ben and it took a moment for the family to 'get it'.
"Good one," Clora approved with a hand clap. "Excellent point, and what do we do with the buyer of this place? Maybe we should send him to live with Gertie and leave us alone."
"We always have the money to give back," Mark interjected. "It's a thought, and I agree with Clora that the quake has changed everything. How can we reasonably project what the future might hold?"
"We need to wait for Wayne and see what he expects, I hope he shows up pretty quick," Ben said impatiently. "As for Gertie and our so called father; we are probably never really going to know the truth. Are we of her family, I'd say so, in keeping with those pictures on her wall. I've got to tell ya, it was pretty interesting looking at pictures of myself back then, Wayne also. When we do see her however, we need to find out her daughter's name, and Pete's relationship with her? Right? Right!
Clora and Mark agreed, and Lainey and Ben agreed. "Hey," Mark said as an afterthought, "I think Clora and I are going to remodel the cafe for a house, unless you want to set out for Gertie's tomorrow."
"Not tomorrow," Ben said firmly, "go for it," he stood up and stretched. "Anybody heard from Will?"
No one had heard from the family friend, but under the circumstances nobody was worried, yet.
Clora and Mark walked back up to Wayne's house to start supper, discussing what it would take to make a home out of the former business building. Milo and Teddy ran through the snow, tumbling and laughing, playing with all the energy they had.
"They're growing so fast, I'm sure glad we got those clothes," Clora talked as she walked in the door, "com'on boys, let's get ready for supper. They had macaroni and cheese made out of rice and cheese, doctored up dry milk and baby corn.
"What's that?" Milo was suspicious about the tiny ears, he didn't look like he was going to be coaxed to try one.
"Corn," Mark said as he put one tiny ear on each of the boy's plates. A helping of rice and cheese and a glass of milk finished the meal. Not great gourmet food, but food for life and food for the belly. Clora and Mark ate without saying a word about the boy's eating, and when the meal was finished, Clora took the plates off the table and put them in the cupboard.
"I think we need a cookie," Milo said hopefully, leaning back in his chair and acting like a miniature adult.
"No," Clora refused gently, "no supper, no cookies."
While she was cleaning the kitchen, Milo and Teddy were whispering together, looking sad and resigned. "Is it too late to eat supper?" Milo was the spokesman for the duo.
"I have your plates right here, do you want to try?" Clora slid the dishes back on the table. "Yes please," Milo was using his very correct manners. Clora sat next to Teddy to help him and supper was finished with out anymore complications. And then there were cookies.
Wayne was on his way home through the tree farm. Slipping quietly between the rows of conifers he almost stumbled over the fox hole recently dug. The fire power stacked inside was a wonderful discovery. Wayne didn't stop to see what he collected, he just scooped up the three rifles and double timed for home. The peculiar lingering smell of acrid tobacco was the only clue that people had been there.
Wayne whistled to let Clora and Mark know he was incoming, tapping at the door with a rifle barrel. Mark about pulled him through the hole when the first thing he encountered was a rifle pointed inward.
They were nice, 223's with scopes, slings and mags full of ammo. The men examined their bounty carefully for identifying marks, anything that would let them know who they were dealing with. They were fairly new, clean without serial numbers.
"We need to make a sweep tomorrow, first thing, come in from the upper end of the tree farm and see what we can see," Mark set out a plan. "I'm gonna tell Ben to be ready."
Plans were refined and ready to be implemented at first light.
bad_karma00
Underachiever
Aw. The rifle fairy visited! I wish he'd come see me!
Great as always Pac. I really got into the quake scene. Heck I was scared too!
Bad
Great as always Pac. I really got into the quake scene. Heck I was scared too!
Bad
Bad -- I like "the rifle fairy"; wish one would also come and visit me. -- Grizhicks
PacNorWest
Veteran Member
The rifle fairy didn't leave a AR because I don't know anything about them. The family shoots hunting type weapons cause that's what I do.
But,.................bad guys don't leave their weapons just lying around, they had to have been very close....or very stupid.
But,.................bad guys don't leave their weapons just lying around, they had to have been very close....or very stupid.
Sammy55
Veteran Member
hmmmmmmmmm........
it gets curiouser and curiouser...........
Thanks for the story and the new chapter, Pac! I'd really like to have this one (and all the previous stories) in paper on my bookshelf!
edited to add: I wish the "rifle fairy" would visit us, too! I'd like a couple more! I'd really like a visit from the "lead fairy", too!!
it gets curiouser and curiouser...........
Thanks for the story and the new chapter, Pac! I'd really like to have this one (and all the previous stories) in paper on my bookshelf!
edited to add: I wish the "rifle fairy" would visit us, too! I'd like a couple more! I'd really like a visit from the "lead fairy", too!!
I'm wondering if the rifles were left on purpose for them...