Codger Tale

"And just how long do you think it will be until your money runs out?" I don't think Bob was happy with the first answer.

"Bear Valley has everything planned out. I will use up all my money just before my one hundred and thirteenth birthday. I was hoping that you guys could pick up the slack after that."

Denise made some sort of growling sound as she shook her head and looked at her feet. Bob just glared at me.

"How? How are you managing this? You can hardly take care of yourself. How are you going to keep things running?"

"Bob, your good friend Tom Trench set everything up. He is a professional, you know. That's why I went to him. I figured if he was good enough to handle your affairs, than he was good enough to handle mine. Don't you agree?"

Denise felt the urge to barge in. "He should not have done anything like that without talking to us first. This leaves him wide open for a law suit."

"I think you should talk to him, before you do anything. Tom is pretty sharp. He doesn't make mistakes."

They didn't look happy. Both of them sat there and I believe they were watching half of their own retirement plan fly out of the window. I guess they were loving children and had my welfare at heart, but there was no doubt in my mind, that they were more attached to my money than they were to me.

"Hey! Do you guys want to see my room? It is pretty cool. I got my own little kitchenette and this weekend I am getting an HDTV. Cable is included in the fee." I couldn't help it. I had to rub it in a little. Janet was watching from across the room, but I decided that this was not the right time for an introduction. Bob and Denise left without looking at my new place. My feelings were hurt: sort of.

My new female friend looked slightly dejected when I approached.

"I am sorry, Janet. I didn't feel that it was a good time to introduce you to them. That was my son, Robert, and my daughter Denise. They are a little upset with me at the moment. After things settle down, we should pay them a visit."

"John, parents should not fight with their children. You should be ashamed of yourself. I am not exactly sure what you did, but it doesn't seem right."

"You're right, it was all my fault. I was feeling sorry for myself and took it out on them. I'll think of some way to make it up to them." It was sort of a little white lie, but I didn't want her to be mad at me. Maybe after a while, some remorse will set in, but for the moment, none of what I did bothered me.

"Okay. I can accept that. I did want to let you know that we are going to have supper with my son, Charles, and his wife on Friday. He is very anxious to see you again."

"Again? What do you mean? Have I met him before?"

"He is an engineer at Gilbert Enterprises, John. He used to work for you."

I had to think for a moment. "Simons? Charlie Simons! Yes, I remember him. He was good engineer. Came out of Penn State, if I remember correctly. He did work for me. What a small world."

"Friday is tomorrow, John. Be ready at five o'clock, please. Wear one of those new shirts."

"Damn woman, you are starting to sound like my mother." I took her hand as we walked in for lunch. She gave it a little squeeze and to me, a coy smile.

That night, we watched a movie on the big screen TV in the community room. Afterwards, we walked back to my room where Janet surprised me with a big kiss. The kiss led to some teenage petting and eventually we ended up in bed together. I was pleasantly surprised when I discovered that the little blue pill would not be necessary, at least not the first time. The next morning, I walked Janet to her room and gave her a quick peck on the cheek. An hour later we met for breakfast as if nothing had happened. From the smiles we were getting, I don't think we fooled anyone.

Charlie Simons was more than happy to see me. I was concerned about meeting Janet's children, because of the usual reactions that are depicted on television and in the movies. Any man who moves in on a widowed woman is suspect. Initially, I hadn't considered myself as making moves on Janet, but now in the light of things, it seemed to be heading that way.

The dinner conversation was light and airy. Charlie and I avoided any shop-talk, to avoid boring the ladies and two teenagers at the table. Charlie's wife, Rhonda, was pleasant and cute, and their two daughters were well behaved, and as pretty as their mother.

After the meal, the men were dismissed to have coffee in the family room, while the ladies cleaned up.

There is an old saying that when a person retires from a job it is like pulling your hand out of a bucket of water. The empty hole that remains is indicative of how much the retiree will be missed. A lot of old fools seem to think that once they are gone, the whole place will collapse without them. I followed the first theory. I always felt that my exit would not even be noticed. According to Charlie, I was wrong. For a moment, I thought he was just blowing smoke up my ass to make me feel good, but the longer he talked, the more I began to feel that there was something to what he was saying.

Apparently, the engineer that I recommended to replace me as the shop supervisor was not up to the task. I had never evaluated his skills as a leader or manager, but looked only at his technical ability. He knew his job, but sucked when it came to everything else that was needed to run the show. Three of the junior engineers quit, rather than work for him. The quality and quantity of the shop dropped so bad, that the whole section lost their yearly bonuses. My replacement explained to management that the problem was because I had left things in shambles. His documentation indicated that my mismanagement left him with a mess that would take years to clean up. He claimed that I had spent the last year covering things up so that I would look good.

Charlie was looking for another job.

The evening was bittersweet. As far as my relationship with Janet, everything was great, but the news of the mess that my retirement had left at work was not so good. I left the company right after Mary's death and never gave it another thought. That appeared to be a mistake and my men all suffered for it. If I didn't do something to fix it now, it would eat at me forever.

I was very careful when I retired, not to burn any bridges behind me. I felt it was important that people remembered you in a good way. That made it a lot easier for me when I decided to pay a visit to the old grind mill.

Rather than just drop in, I called ahead for an appointment, which turned out to be a meeting. My old boss invited several other company managers to join us, and left me with the impression that he had planned for this before my call. My replacement was not there.

To make a long story short: they were fully aware of the problem and were also fully aware that I was not the cause of it. They were hoping to find ways to straighten themselves out. They were going to call me, but I beat them to the punch.

It took less than an hour to come up with a plan to correct the problems. I recommended that Charlie take over the department and there were no objections. Personnel would contact all the engineers who departed and try to get them back with bonuses, if necessary. My replacement would be gone by the end of the week.

We had a great lunch at one of the local favorite spots. It was nice to be with old friends again, but the best part was that I knew my opinions and experience were still of value. Living with my children had sapped me of my self-respect. I didn't know if they did that to me or if I had brought it on myself, but in any event it was now over. I had a big grin on my face all the way back to Bear Valley.

Janet couldn't wait to tell me the good news, about Charlie's promotion at supper that evening. She was so proud of her son. She was aware of my recommendation and promised to thank me properly that evening.

Bob and Denise continued their attacks on my move towards independence, but struck out at every turn. They finally quit.

Wendy and Jason came to see me every chance she got. I offered her money on several occasions, but she always turned it down. I seldom saw my children and never saw my other grandchildren.

As far as my personal life was concerned, Janet and I were growing closer. We spent a lot of time with Charlie and his family, and occasionally Wendy and Jason, joined us.

Rhonda casually made a few coy remarks about old people having sex. It was discrete and not done in a crude fashion. It seemed as if she was fishing. Janet smiled at me and we both did our best to ignore her innuendos.

Things pretty much settled down until one day Wendy, and Jason showed up with a tall, good-looking fellow. He was Wendy's age but the most notable characteristic was an artificial, left leg. He didn't seem despondent or depressed about the lost limb, which I found to be refreshing.

"Grand-pop, I would like you to meet Larry Weeks. Larry is Jason's father."

I held out my hand. "John. John Terrell."

"Glad to meet you." Things were a little awkward as we sat down, until Jason saw Janet across the room and ran over to see her.

"I didn't know about Jason until yesterday. I just got back from Afghanistan and a long stay at Walter Reed."

"Wendy didn't tell you that she was pregnant?"

"It's my fault Gramps. I didn't know it when he left, and then I felt that it would not be fair to drop that on him while he was away. I should have told him. I know that now." Wendy reached over and took his hand.

I was wondering about who's name was on the birth certificate, but decided to keep my mouth shut, just in case. "Didn't you know how to contact him?"

"Not really. I guess I could have gotten the address from his parents but I was afraid to see them in my condition. Also, I didn't want to get him in trouble. I should have tried harder."

Janet and Jason joined us, and after introductions, we all had a Bear Valley lunch. They stayed the rest of the afternoon. Jason got to see all of his special lady friends, and really loved the attention.

Two weeks later, Wendy and Larry were married at Bear Valley. It was an unusual event for a retirement home, but we had no trouble getting it arranged. By the way, Larry's name was on Jason's birth certificate. I gave the newlyweds my Honda Civic for a wedding present. Janet and I both agreed that we could get around very well with the Bear Valley van, or with taxicabs, when necessary. I could still drive, but an accident at my age could wipe out all of my assets. It didn't seem worth it. Bob and Denise did not attend Wendy's wedding.

Charlie got Larry a job at Gilbert. It was an entry-level position as a parts puller, but there was a lot of room for advancement. Things were looking good.

A week later, with Charlie and Rhonda's blessings, Janet and I moved in together. I sure was glad that our relationship was no longer platonic.

No. We are not expecting an addition to the family, but Wendy and Larry are.