A New Beginning Pt. 03

The women came pulling up as I was walking down. I paused and looked the yard over. It had been set up around wagons and buggies. I needed to reorganize it to be better suited to motor cars.

I headed on down to the the barn when I heard the door slam. I looked back and saw Elsie coming my way.

Well shit. Here we go. I went and sat down where I could see the camp down by the lake. Elsie came up to me, just staring.

"Well, either sit down or say what's on your mind."

"What do you want me to say?"

"What I just said. Whatever's on your mind."

"What can I say? I find out you're fucking your own mother, how am I supposed to feel about that?"

"Elsie, it ain't my place to tell you how to feel about anything."

"I don't know if I can do this."

"Ok."

"Just Ok? You have nothing else to say?"

"Look, I'm not going to apologize for what I do."

"Well this certainly changes things"

I nodded "Alright. If you think that."

"Damn it. Say something!"

"Well, the way I see it is everything was one way before you found out. The only thing that changed is you. Everything else is the way it was before before that. So, I reckon I don't know what to say. You're the one with her tail twisted here, so why don't you just say whatever it is you got to say. I'm not apologizing for it. It ain't changing. Life is gonna keep plugging right along no matter what we say or do. The way I see it, you're the one pissed off. That's your choice to be that way. So, you're the one with the choice to make concerning what you do about it. So, make your decision. Then, if you're of a mind to, tell me what it is."

"Do you love me?"

"Yep, I reckon so."

"Do you want me to stay?"

"If you want to, yes."

"What if I want you to stop that?"

"I'd listen to you. But, I'm not going to stop."

"You can be so infuriating."

"I reckon I can be. That doesn't change the fact that you have a choice to make here. I haven't tried to change you none. I've held up my end of the situation. It's up to you whether you do the same or not. Everything was fine until you found out about it. The only thing that's changed is that you now know about it. So, I'm not doing anything different than what I was before. Only you are."

I stood up and walked back up to the house. I saw JT and Maggie sitting on the porch. I went and sat with them.

"Y'all work it out?"

"Yep. She's gonna invest for a royalty return. She'll draw a check as long as they're pumping oil. Probably about a two, maybe three percent return every month. Unless you and Joe want to bring her in as a full partner and she shares in the workload."

"I figure we should bring her in as a full partner. She can put up her money as a buy in, then she can work with me. I'm responsible for land. You and Joe for drilling. She can be of use on my end."

"Ok, I'll go get Joe and bring him up here."

"Hang on a second."

I looked to Tommy, "You ready to go to work?"

He perked up at that. "Yes sir!"

"Well, I need you perform an awful important task. May mean the success or failure of this entire operation. You figure you're up to it?"

"Oh, yes sir!"

"Now, listen carefully. This is important business. We're all depending on you. Down in that camp is a man named Joe Jernnigan. I need you to locate him and bring him up here. I need you to stay with him after you find him and deliver him to me safe and sound."

"Yes sir!" He was off in a flash.

Everybody chuckled at that.

At some point, Elsie had slipped back up. In some way or other, I could feel her presence before seeing her. It was like we were connected in some way.

"Will he be safe down there? That's an awful rough bunch of men."

" I reckon he will be. Most of them are family men themselves. Most likely with young'uns like him back at home. If somebody threatened his well being, I reckon he would find hisself awful unwelcome real quick."

She nodded at that. "Can I see you inside a moment?"

I stood up and went in. JT was watching me awful close. I knew he was judging me by how I would react to whatever she had in mind. I sat down at the table. Mama and Callie were there. Sophie was playing with some little blocks of wood. They were colored up with bright paint and had letters on them. Mama was showing her how to make words with them. When she saw me, she slid off mama's lap and came running over to me. Her arms out. I picked her up.

She looked at me, "Nana got me some toys!"

She wasn't but four years old, but she knew her way around talking right. The way her little face lit up just melted my heart.

Elsie sat down next to me. "I talked to your mama about it. She said she'd stop if I wanted her to. Well, I'm gonna say this. Y'all were doing this before I came along. You brought me in and cared for us when nobody else would. I reckon I owe you a debt for that."

"But, that has nothing to do with what I'm saying here. I can see you love your mama. If y'all choose to do that, I don't guess it's my place to interfere. All I ask as your woman, as your wife, is you don't do it in front of our children, or expect me to participate."

"I'm pregnant with our child. So, I have to make choices on what's best for the kids. I promised you I'd never get in the way of your extra needs. I just didn't know that involved your mother, too. I don't guess it hurts anything. You're both adults. I just won't have the kids knowing about it. Anyhow, that's all I got to say on it."

I looked at her a moment. "Fair enough."

Mama spoke up, "I agree. What he and I have is between us. Well, Callie is involved, too, but, it sits between us and that's as far as it goes."

I heard the sound of little feet on the porch. Then the door opened. Tommy stepped in.

"Pa. Sir. I got him just like you said! I hope it ain't too late for us. I hurried as best I could!"

"Well, son, I reckon it was nip and tuck there for a spell, but you saved us."

I held out my hand to him. He took it with a serious look. His little face just lit up with pride of accomplishment.

"If you ladies will excuse me." I put Sophie down, got up and went back out. JT was telling Joe about our situation. When he finished, Joe just shrugged.

"I guess what we are situated to make here is strong enough to stand a four way split. So I'm good with it."

I looked at them, "When we start drilling?"

Joe said, "I've already got crews rigging up where y'all marked."

I nodded, then went in and got the five thousand and took it out to JT. He tucked it inside his suit coat. Then I looked at everyody and continued,

"Good. Me and Maggie are heading into town today to see how many more acres we can sign up."

At that, she went in and got her purse. We went to her motor car and headed to town. I told her to go to the store. She pulled up to the gas pump. We went in. I was met by Mrs Johnson with a hug, and after a quick glance around, a kiss that didn't lack a prodigious use of her tongue.

"Well, am I glad to see you! Why, after I put out the word you were hunting land, I've been overrun with people coming in here wanting to talk to you about leasing to you. Several are wanting to sell out to you. You're to leave notice with me and set up a meeting here."

"Ok. Lets set it up for day after tomorrow out at my place. It's turning off warm. I've been noticing everything budding out. I'll go get a couple of hogs and put them on the pit. We'll have a BBQ."

"Well, I better be invited, too!"

"Of course you are, beautiful. How could I ever leave you out in the cold?"

She chuckled at that. "I've got some more business to discuss with you. After you introduce me to that raving beauty you came in with."

I took her by the arm and we went to the counter.

"Mrs Johnson, meet Ms Florence."

Mrs Johnson held out her hand. "Ms Florence, I am delighted to make your acquaintance!"

Maggie took her hand, sizing the woman up, "Likewise. Such a lovely place you have here."

"I'll leave you ladies to talk. I need to gather a few things. She parked at the pump. I reckon she needs gasoline."

"Garrett! You're needed at the gasoline pump!"

Her husband appeared out of the stock room. He looked at Maggie with no small amount of interest.Then cast a disdainful glance at me. He never did like me none.

Maggie told him to fill it up and check the oil.

I followed him out to the pump and watched him work. He made it a point to ignore me, which I figured was just fine.

A little while later, it was done. He started in. Then stopped. He turned back to me,

"I'll have a word with you, young man." He said. His eyes filled with something unpleasant at best.

"Ok, state your business." I replied.

"I'll have you know, I saw what you did to my wife the other day. I'll tell you right now, I won't stand for it!"

I just stood there waiting, saying nothing.

"I confronted her about it while she was cleaning herself up where you had soiled her private parts. She just laughed at me. Did you hear me? Just laughed. After you used her like a common whore!"

"Well, Mr Johnson. I reckon she used me as much as I used her. She's been hankering for it some few years now. I just kinda figured to not make her wait any longer."

"But, she's my wife! Isn't anything sacred to you?!"

"I never thought much about what was sacred, Mr Johnson. I've been typically too busy working every day to give it much thought. While I'm sure that I might find something worthy of note to consider as sacred, I just haven't yet."

"I want satisfaction here! I won't allow you to use my wife in that fashion, humiliating me in the process.!"

"Ok then. I'm not certain what you mean by that satisfaction business, but, I suppose you're free to do whatever you've of a mind to in order to get it."

"I think it's about time somebody put you in your place!"

I just nodded and waited.

He balled up his fists and stood there working up a sweat.

"Before you start, Mr Johnson. I'll say this. Ever since I started coming here, you always turned your nose up at me. I never understood why you never liked me none. I never did anything to you. I think I understand it all now. Your wife doesn't respect you. Not that I'm saying a man isn't deserving of respect from his woman."

"No, I think the problem here runs a mite deeper. She doesn't respect you because you've never done much of anything but ride her skirt tails. You came into town, flashing around with all your banty rooster bullshit. Won her over on empty promises. Then let her carry your weight."

"Mr Johnson, you're just not man enough for her. You never were. I don't say that meaning you any disrepect. Just as a point of fact. Nothing more. What we did wasn't anything more or less than she wanted herself. I can understand how you might not see that."

"Now, before you go off half cocked here and do something you'll most certainly regret. Might I suggest that you man up a little and try to earn back her respect. Because, sir, I promise you this, I'm trying to be reasonable. I figure I don't like you much none either, but I didn't fuck your wife as an insult to you. I did it because she offered herself to me. If she hadn't of, well, I wouldn't have. So, how about we just let things ride and go about our business?"

For a moment, I thought I was going to get by without violence. But he just wouldn't have it. He'd got hisself worked up into a frenzy, so he set into me.

Right off, I could tell he wasn't a fighter. He ran up to me swinging wildly. I just sidestepped and he went right on by. His swing hitting nothing but empty air. He swung around, located me and had another go at me. I stepped past him, causing him to stumble and fall.

I saw the women out of the corner of my eye. I looked down at him.

"Ok, Mr Johnson. You've had your two free chances. From her on out, I'm swinging back. I suggest we call a truce here and settle this like civilized folks."

I reached down, offering a hand up. He slapped my hand away and scrambled to his feet. He stood there, breathing hard, glaring at me.

"I'll kill you! So help me, I'll kill you!"

"Now why'd you go and say that for. I thought we were making progress."

"I'll show you, you sonofabitch!"

With that he ran inside. I eased up to the door and waited just off to the side. I heard his heavy footfalls as he ran back out. He had an old double barrel shotgun in hand. As he drew even with me, I reach out and snatched it out of his hands. I broke it open and unloaded it. Pulled the forend off and broke it down. I set it on the ground.

That took less than five seconds. It finally registered in his brain what had happened. He came at me again with a rage filled creening whine. I let him have a couple of swings. His blows were weak and ineffective.

Mrs Johnson spoke up finally.

"Garrett, please stop before you get hurt."

He turned on her, "So, you take his side? You fuck him in front of me. Now you take his side to protect him."

"I'm not trying to protect him. I'm trying to protect you. If you keep this up, he's going to hurt you."

He turned and walked off.I picked up the shotgun, put it back together, loaded it. I held it out to Mrs Johnson.

She shook her head, "You keep it. Think of it as payment for not killing him. I have no need for it. I took it in as trade to settle an outstanding account. The thing was only worth fifteen dollars. The account was about thirty." She laughed.

"Anyway, I did say i had business to discuss. Let's sit down."

I went and put the shotgun in Maggies car, then headed inside. They were seated at the table by the stove. I went over and sat where I could keep an eye on all the doors.

I started it off by taking out my money clip and sliding off fifteen dollars and handing it to her.

"What's this for?"

"You said the gun was worth fifteen. The bill was thirty. That's the difference."

She turned to Maggie. "See what I mean. Now that's a man right there. Never asks for a damned thing he don't earn, and always willing to take up the slack for those less fortunate."

"Anyway, honey, I'm not wanting that. It was settled a long time ago. That family brought me eggs and produce to settle the rest of the bill."

"Well, Mrs Richards, I'll be needing shotgun shells for it."

"There's a couple of cases of Remington 12 guage over behind the counter. I'll let you have them all for that and another ten. I've had them here for way too long."

I slid off another ten dollar bill and gave it to her.

"Now, where were we? Ah yes. I have a proposal for you. Hank Richards told me about the deal he was making with you. That's a sad business about him. As you know, I inherited this store from my parents when they died. They left me this store along with their life savings. I've done well with this place. I've saved money over the years. I've got more than enough to retire on comfortably. I've also bought a home down in Galveston. I paid it off about five years ago. So, I'm sitting pretty. What most people don't know is that I also own another five sections of land I inherited from my grandparents and an uncle who died off twenty odd years ago. It's that land surrounding the two sections I leased to you. What I'm proposing is, I'll sign a purchase contract with you for everything. Those seven sections, and this store, including my home next door, which is on the same deed to the store. I'll suspend any payment obligations until such time as you are able to pay me in cash. I want thirty an acre for the seven sections, that's $134,400. I'll add in this store and house for an additional $10,000 and that includes everything in it. So, $144,400. Are you interested?"

"Well, yes m'am Mrs Richards, I most certainly am! What about your husband, though? Won't he have something to say about it?"

"Well, there's nothing he can say. When we married, my daddy made him sign a prenuptual agreement."

"A what?"

"That's an agreement that states you only own what you bring into a marriage. If you divorce, the other party leaves with what they brought in. So, he has no stake in anything I own other than two rent houses we bought together."

She went behind the counter and opened the old safe and extracted a few files and came back.

She started off with, "To begin with, quit calling me Mrs Johnson. My name is Mercedes Hamilton. You call me Mercedes. You bent me over this very table a few days ago and gave me a fucking that would lead most women to their demise. I've never been bred like that in my 65 years on this earth. Hell, I'd be tempted to just give you the whole nine yards for another one. I just don't know if I'd survive it. I swear, you liked to have fucked me to death. My old pussy is still quivering and twitching."

"Anyway, back to business. I've had my lawyer write everything up. Here's the deeds to the land. This one is for this place. This is the purchase agreement. It will remain separate and removed from the deeds. In other words, you own it all as soon as I sign it over to you. Which I'm doing right now. With Maggie as a witness. The purchase agreement states that I will be carrying a personal loan to you for the amount of $150,000, included in that amount is any and all interest charges. There is no maturity date, so it can't ever go into default. Sign there, and it's legal."

"This is my divorce from my husband. I've finally had it with him. He's been trying to drain me dry since we got married. I paid off his debts when we got married. Apparently he squandered off a rather sizeable inheritance left him by his parents and ran up a sizeable gambling debt. Including some ridiculous debts from some scheming investments. I won't risk my comfortable retirement on the Gulf due to his bullshit anymore. I'm leaving him with his Ford car and the rental property. I figure between that and the twenty odd thousand of debt I paid off will be sufficient compensation for sucking on my old tit for a living around here."

We signed everything. She put her copies up. Gave me the keys. I went and got the shotgun shells and put them in the car. Having a sudden epiphany, I turned back to go inside. I'm glad I did. Through the window, I saw him standing there with a pistol.

I spun around and grabbed that shotgun out of the car and ran up into the store. He spun around lifting the pistol,

I shouldered that shotgun and leveled the muzzles at his face.

"You go ahead, mister. Finish that move. As God is my witness, I swear I will kill you where you stand."

He froze up. Gawking at the muzzles of that shotgun.

"Put that pistol down right carefully."

He stepped over to the counter and sat it down.

"Now, outside."

"Look here! I'm due a share of this and she's taking it all from me!"

"I said outside! I won't say it again."

He slowly started toward the door. Never taking his eyes off the gaping muzzles. He went through the door and down the steps.

I handed the shotgun to Maggie. Mercedes came out. Her face was pale.

"Mercedes, go stand by Maggie."

I walked up to Mr Johnson.

"Ok, sir, here's your options. Option One. You and me can go at it toe to toe. Only one of us walks away. Option Two. We go get your stuff and you pile up in that motor car and you leave here. And you don't ever come back. Now get to choosing. I hope you go with the first one. I'd like nothing more than to beat you plumb to pieces."

"Ok, I'll leave. I need some cash for expenses."

"Let's go get your gear. I'll give you travelling money."

Mercedes led the way. We went in and she gathered up his stuff and packed it in boxes, making short work of it. I took a hundred dollars and gave it to him.

"Now beat it. I mean what I said, too. You come back here, I swear before everything holy, I'll kill you."

He left. In something of a hurry.

"Thank you, honey. I owe you for that. He was threatening to kill me if I divorced him. You put the fear of God in him, though. He was gonna kill me, I just know it. I'm signing over those rent houses to you. I have the deeds in the safe. Let me have that purchase agreement."