Better Days

"Yessir!" Calvin smiled and took off running for home. Jim didn't see or hear from him the rest of the week. He didn't even see him around his house the two times he ran past it. In fact, by Saturday evening he had completely forgotten his talk with Calvin. He had continued to work on his place and was thinking almost exclusively about it.

Jim was on his patio looking over the stream when he heard a car drive up and voices coming from the front of his home. He heard the doorbell and walked around the side of the house to see Calvin, Sarah and their Mother looking in the front window for him. "Can I help you," he asked.

"Oh," Cheryl said as she turned toward Jim. "I'm sorry to bother you but Calvin said you wanted to talk to me about something. I'm sorry I am so late tonight but today, this evening, is the first time I have had free to see you. Is there some problem or something I can help you with Mr. Ross?"

Jim looked at Calvin and he was blushing. He refused to look Jim in the eye. Jim said, "Well, I don't know how to answer that question Mrs. Dotson. What has Calvin told you I said? Maybe we should start from there?"

"Why nothing. He just said you wanted to talk to me about his trouble with Pete..." Cheryl turned to look at Calvin and continued, "Calvin what's going on here? I thought you said Mr. Ross wanted to see me?"

"He does Mom. I just...well I, uhhh. I asked him if he would teach me how to fight and he said he wouldn't unless you and he talked and you told him it was OK. I know how you feel about fighting but...MOM I NEED to know something about it. What if he hadn't been here to help me that time? Those guys might have really hurt Sarah and I need to be able to help her."

Cheryl turned to look at Jim and she said, "Mr. Ross, I'm sorry we bothered you. I thought you wanted to see me about something important. We'll go now and I'm sorry we bothered you this evening."

Cheryl and two dejected children turned to walk back to their car. Calvin gave Jim a hurt look over his shoulder as they turned. Jim didn't even know he had spoken until he heard the words coming from his mouth. He said, "Wait Mrs. Dotson. I think I'm almost as upset with Calvin as you must be but he does have a point. Would you and the children like to sit on my patio with me for a few minutes while we see what we can do about this?"

Cheryl said, "Thank you, but NO. I don't think that's a good idea."

"But Mom. Think about it. You know Dad was getting ready to teach me to box before he..."

Cheryl and the children had several minutes of conversation then she turned to Jim and said, "Well, I suppose I can stay and visit a few minutes." She looked at Calvin and continued, "But you haven't heard the last of this young man."

Jim and the Dotson family visited for almost an hour and a half before they came to an understanding. Cheryl agreed to let Jim teach Calvin some basic self defense moves but insisted he not be taught anything more. She had agreed that he needed to be in better physical condition so agreed he could run and exercise with Jim occasionally too. Jim refused to take any pay for his help but did say he would let Calvin do odd jobs for him occasionally as recompense. They outlined a schedule for the first month and all understood if Calvin did not adhere to the schedule Jim would stop helping him.

Jim made it a habit to run from his home to Calvin's where they met to begin Calvin's run. Jim did most of his run before getting to Calvin's home so he could exercise with him after they ran together. Calvin was supposed to do his stretches and warm ups before Jim arrived so they could go immediately to the run. Calvin ran with Jim until he could go no farther then they turned around and ran back to his house at the best pace they could make. Jim didn't like the fact he had to run slower than he normally would when Calvin was with him but that was what it took.

After arriving back at Calvin's home they walked a short distance to cool down then did their stretching exercises once more before doing their exercises. After they had been running together for two weeks Jim noticed Calvin running faster. In fact, coming at the end of his run like it did there were days when Jim was pushing to keep up with Calvin. They began to run a circular route instead of out and back.

During cool down in the middle of the third week of running Jim said, "Calvin you're picking up the pace and running much better than I expected. I'm surprised you are doing so well. I keep increasing the distance and you stick right with me. How much time do you have for our exercises? Do I need to stop increasing your distance or how do we handle that?"

Calvin smiled and replied, "Mom says I can have all the time I need as long as I get all my chores done. We will either have to start earlier or cut down pretty quickly though because I am running close on getting ready for school now. I guess I could run alone in the evenings and we could just do the exercises in the mornings if you wanted to. I'm glad I'm picking up the running this fast. I guess I hadn't lost as much wind and muscle as we thought."

"What do you mean Calvin?"

"Oh, I used to run cross country but stopped when Dad died. It's only been a little over a year so I guess I kept some of my capability. I never did much exercise though and the pushups, sit ups and so forth are still hurting quite a lot. Wish I could do more of the exercises but I guess that will come with time and practice."

Jim and Calvin decided they would just exercise in the mornings together and Calvin would run evenings alone. He was going to try for the cross country team again at school and that would take care of the running when the team started practicing. They would run together weekends but that was all. Many times when Jim and Calvin were exercising at Jim's home Calvin's Sister Sarah would come with him. Jim had no problem with that and soon found he was helping her exercise and use his weight machines also. For some reason he felt good about helping the children and missed them the few days they didn't come over.

In early December Jim and Calvin had made their run and were back at Calvin's home doing their stretches and cool down when Pete and his three friends drove up. They jumped out of the car and the four boys surrounded Jim and Calvin. They began pushing and were trying to catch and hold the two friends. Jim was able to resist the two who were after him and was getting in some good punches but Calvin was held by the third boy. Pete walked up to Jim and snarled, "Damn you, you old Bastard. I owned this town until you showed up and I'm going to own it again. We have our court date next week and I'm tired of fucking with you. You need to go do whatever you have to old man because I want those charges dismissed. If this shit keeps up someone's going to get hurt. Understand me?"

"How would you like it if little Callie boy here or maybe Sarah had an accident? You get us off old man or that is sure going to happen." By this time the two boys had managed to grab Jim's arms and were holding him. Pete walked up in front of him and hit Jim in the stomach with his fist. Jim managed to clench his muscles enough to absorb some of the blow. He folded partly over and Pete stepped back grinning.

"That hurt old man? Well you better get used to it because we're going to give you a little taste this morning so you know what's waiting on you and these damn Dotson's if you don't make things right for us."

Pete stepped toward Jim once more and Jim acted. He lunged back and bent at the waist slightly kicking his right foot upward. His foot connected with Pete's chin and Pete's head slammed back. Pete fell like a pole axed steer and Jim's momentum caused the boys holding him to fall backward. As they fell they lost hold on Jim. As they were falling they heard the sound of sirens drawing up beside the yard. The two boys on the street were rising when the one holding Calvin let him go and said, "Quick guys get up and let's get out of here!" They turned to Pete and he was still lying where he had fallen.

Jim looked toward the siren and saw Sam getting out of the city patrol car. Sam said, "All right. Everyone stay still. What's going on here anyway?"

The boy that had been holding Calvin saw Pete laying still and turned to Jim. He said, "You Bastard. He's going to beat your ass to a pulp when he wakes up." He looked at his friends and said, "Come on let's get Pete in the car and get out of here."

Sam yelled out again, "I said don't move. You three get on the ground on your stomach and stretch your arms and legs out. MOVE NOW!"

Once again the boy who had been holding Calvin spoke. He said, "Fuck You Sam. We're out of here and you damn well better not try to stop us if you know what's good for you."

About that time another patrol car came from the opposite direction and a deputy sheriff got out of it. By that time Sam had his weapon pulled and said, "This is your last warning. Now GET ON YOUR STOMACH AND SPREAD THEM!"

About that time the two boys trying to move Pete dropped him and stood back. One of them looked frightened and said, "I think Pete's dead." He turned to Jim and said, "You asshole. You killed Pete. There aint a hole deep enough for you to hide in and be safe now fuckhead." He started for Jim and the deputy caught him and threw him to the ground. Before he could resist he found himself handcuffed. The deputy and Sam quickly subdued the other two young men before turning to Jim and Calvin.

By this time Cheryl and Sarah had exited the house and were hugging Calvin. After she had determined Calvin was OK Cheryl moved to Jim and hugged him. She looked at him and asked, "I saw them holding and hitting you so I called the police. Are you OK Mr. Ross? I have to thank you again for helping Calvin don't I?"

The deputy sheriff checked on Pete and stood, turning to look at Jim as he did so. "The Kid's right. This one's dead. What happened here?"

Sam spoke up and said, "When I arrived two of the boys were holding Jim here and Pete was beating him. As Pete stepped toward Jim, Jim kicked upward and got him under the chin with his foot. Pete collapsed and Jim and the two guys holding him fell backward. They were just getting up when you arrived."

By now there was quite a crowd standing around. Sam and the deputy were asking the onlookers to step back when an ambulance and Highway Patrol car arrived. It was two hours before all the statements were taken and Pete and his friends had been transported. Jim was allowed to return home but was told, naturally, not to leave the area. The autopsy done on Pete showed he died instantly of a broken neck.

Jim and Calvin continued to run and exercise. Calvin was beginning to put on muscle and his running had improved so Jim was hard pressed to keep up with him. They were now running five miles a day and loving it. Surprisingly, somehow, Sarah had managed to insinuate herself into the daily routine too. She did not run as far as did Calvin but each day she did more. She tried hard and followed Jim's instructions minutely both during the warm up and cool off as well as during the run. She exercised and did the weights correctly also and was showing vast improvement.

After his sessions with the children during the day Jim continued working on his property. From time to time he would grind some flour or meal for neighbors. As people discovered the mill working they would stop to watch. From time to time they asked if they could purchase some of the stone ground flour and meal. On non school days or sometimes in the evenings he would look up and see either Calvin or Sarah or both. Many times they were working, doing odd jobs for him without his requesting they do so. He would chide them about that but they would just look embarrassed and blow off his comments or suggestions they go play or study. One day Sarah said, "But Mr. Ross, we LIKE to be with you and help you. It is sooo cool to watch the mill working and to package the corn meal or flour. Besides, you need the help. You take a lot of your time to exercise with us we feel like we need to do something to help you."

Jim decided since he was grinding grain for his neighbors from time to time he would take a page out of the old miller's book and do it for a share. He went back to the accepted share of years past and kept half of what he ground as compensation for his work. After the meal and flour was ground he bagged it as he did the grain he purchased and ground. All the meal and flour was placed in one pound or five pound bags and set out for resale.

Jim had built shelves for the front room of the mill side of the building for display of his meal and flour. This had been the retail store part of the building during its time as a feed mill and farm store. He didn't sell much at first but as the weeks went by that winter more and more product was sold. He began having phone calls wanting to know if he shipped.

Jim was talking to a few of his friends that came down for coffee with him one morning when he began complaining about how much time it took him to grind and sell the meal and flour. One of the men said, "Are you making any money out of the deal Jim?"

"Yeah, I'm not getting rich but I do make something. I sure as hell wouldn't do it for free!"

"Well, I know you sort have adopted the Dotson kids. I've seen them helping ya some and I know you let them exercise with you. Why don't you see if maybe Cheryl wants a little part time job helping with things? I know she wants to find a job but so far all she can find is full time work in Centerton. She told my wife she didn't want to be away from her kids that long. She'd have to leave here about six in the morning and wouldn't get home until nearly 630 at night. She doesn't feel they are old enough to be alone that long before and after school. Paying someone to watch them then buying the gas and so forth to get to work would take a big chunk of her pay."

"Maybe if you could pay her just a little to help you it would be a good thing for both of you. The price of gas and child care now days I bet she would spend half of her pay just to be able to work. This could be just what she needs to make things a little easier for her. I know she has to pinch pennies to get by on just her and the kids Social Security."

"Huh. I hadn't thought of anything like that. I don't need much help most days. You really think she'd be interested in something like that?"

"Hell, I don't know. All ya can do is ask."

Jim thought about his predicament for a couple of days and couldn't decide what he wanted to do. On one hand, he needed something to keep himself busy after he finished getting his building and the dam up to snuff. On the other hand, did he really want to become a miller? He liked most of the people in the small town and his place was rapidly becoming a local hang out. Hell, he had to start accepting donations for coffee because it got so expensive to furnish it for everyone who dropped in to visit. He had bought a couple of small dinette sets at a rummage sale to set up in the mill store for guests to use. He had even brought an older easy chair out to the store for himself and had installed a small TV.

Now people who came down started suggesting he get some soft drinks and snacks so they could have them available when they dropped by. If he was gone for some reason the next day he heard about how disappointed his neighbors were that they had no place to loaf. Finally he decided to talk to Cheryl and see what she thought about things.

The next morning after exercising with Calvin Jim asked if he might come in for a drink of water. Cheryl was in the kitchen preparing the breakfast for the children and drinking her morning coffee. After Jim had his water she offered him a cup of coffee. He smiled and took it. He made sure to drink it slowly as he and Cheryl exchanged small talk and watched the children eat their breakfast. Finally the children finished breakfast and ran outside to catch the school bus. Cheryl was watching Jim with a thoughtful look on her face. He could tell she was wondering why he was hanging around. It wasn't like him to do that. In fact, he rarely even came into the house at all.

Finally Jim finished the last swallow of his coffee and leaned back in his chair. His army experience tended to make him gruff, businesslike and to the point. He looked at Cheryl and began speaking. He said, "Cheryl I can see you are wondering why I am hanging around like I am this morning. I've been thinking about some things for the last several days and I need to talk to you about some of them."

Jim noticed a worried look come over Cheryl's face and he slightly raised his hand in a halting motion. He continued talking. He said, "Oh, don't worry. It's nothing bad I don't think. Well, at least I don't think it's anything you have to worry about anyway."

Jim explained how his milling was taking off and how he was having several locals drop in to drink coffee. He talked about how he was getting orders for his goods requesting he ship them and about how people were starting to come to town just to visit his mill. He explained how he was almost busy enough he would not be able to do everything that needed to be done.

Jim looked at Cheryl as she sat listening to him and continued, "Joel was drinking coffee with me the other day when I told him about my problem. He almost immediately came up with a suggestion that might help me. He told me you had been looking for part time work and couldn't find anything that would work for you and your kids. He suggested I ask you if you would like to work for me part time at the mill. I can't afford to pay much more than minimum wage and I don't know how many hours we could find you but I guess it would be at least 20 hours a week. If the business grows it could even be more. Would you be interested in something like that?"

Cheryl sat in shock. She had been afraid Jim was going to ask her out or something and she had no idea how to handle that. It had only been eighteen months since her husband, the love of her life, had died and she wasn't ready for another man to come into her life. She had been worrying how to let Jim down easily and now she didn't know what to say. She was having trouble even making her mouth say anything much less anything that would even sound sensible.

Finally Cheryl forced herself to speak. She said, "I don't know what to say Jim. I just never thought about finding a job here in town. Joel is right. I have been looking for work but...I just never thought about something like this. What would I have to do? What would the hours be?"

Jim and Cheryl discussed the job for several minutes trying to work out just what he needed and what she would be able and willing to do. He told her he would want help shipping and packing his product, help around the mill in general, and perhaps even a gofer from time to time. He promised her he would never ask her to do something too heavy or dangerous for her. Finally they agreed to think about the offer more and then talk again. Maybe by then he would know more what he really needed and she would know whether or not she wanted to try something like that.

The Saturday after Jim had asked Cheryl about working for him he was working as fast as he could go. Water mills necessarily run slower than do the modern commercial mills so even with his large wheels he didn't put out too much product per hour. He was getting a reputation for providing good product and his orders were increasing rapidly. This morning he had three hundred pounds of corn meal and a hundred pounds of flour to grind, package and ship. This was a small order for a large modern mill but for him it was a large one. Jim also wanted to produce a little extra of each product to put on his store shelves. He had decided to give Cheryl a week to decide what she wanted to do about helping him and now was sorry he had done so. He really needed some help here today. Oh, well, if it all worked out he would have Cheryl's answer next Tuesday.