Andrea Millhouse Pt. 08

"I'll bet it doesn't seem that long ago, either, Hans." I said, feeling a bit more composed now since I had washed my face in the lavatory.

"No ...not really, it doesn't, Tim" Hans replied, shaking his head.

"Bonnie and Clyde always chose to steal Ford cars with the flathead V-8 because they could out-run the police. I've actually seen the car they were killed in, that car still runs, by the way." I said evenly.

"I don't think I'll be robbing any banks with it" Andrea replied, rolling her eyes at me.

"No but it's nice to have the option" Hans interjected as we all laughed.

"Mom always thought that car was so cute..." I said looking out the window and reflecting.

"It's adorable and I'm so excited about driving it!" Andrea exclaimed, smiling gleefully.

"I remember when Tim used to drive that thing around Anchorage, Andrea, doesn't seem like it's been thirty years." Hans said.

"No and it doesn't seem like it's been very long since Mom was busy choosing the color while Ricky and I were prepping it for paint." I replied, thinking of Mom's eyes again.

"She chose the perfect color, that emerald green is beautiful" Andrea concurred.

"We'll touch-up the paint when we fix the fender and then put a buffer wheel on the rest of the car and she'll really look sharp, honey" I said to Andrea.

Andrea and Hans then began their own conversation, talking about antique cars as we continued eating. I glanced briefly again at the table beside us now and noticed that the young family had now left and that the table had been cleared and wiped clean. The young man and his family had obviously left the restaurant, without me realizing it, while Andrea and I had been talking with Hans.

In thinking of the young man and his family, I reflected again of what it would have been like to have spent a carefree day with Mom and Rick Sheffield, Ricky and me calling him "Dad." What would it have been like to have watched Rick swoop-up my mother in his arms and kiss her? What would it have been like to have seen him holding her around the waist, with her head above his and have watched them move in a slow circle with love in their eyes?

My beautiful, gentle mother had been so horribly cheated within this life. The only true love she had ever known had been but a moment's time... as fleeting as an evening shadow or wisp of smoke and then it was gone forever. All at once I felt a deep and bitter sadness because of this. I looked up from the floor now and stared at Andrea while she continued talking and laughing with Hans. I abruptly made my mind up right then and there that I was going to cherish her each and every day -- even when we were at odds about something.

An hour later we had back tracked the mile or so to the garage sale that Andrea had spotted earlier and began looking at all the stuff laid out along long plastic tables that was for sale. There were a few other people milling about and looking at the same stuff we were.

There were clothes, kid's toys, old cassette tapes and kitchen appliances along with a multitude of other things. There really wasn't anything spectacular to look at; one garage sale is about the same as any other but Andrea seemed to be enjoying herself and that was reason enough for me.

After several minutes of looking through a large box of prosaic vinyl records I moseyed over to where Hans was standing as he half heartedly picked through some inexpensive hand tools. Putting my hands inside the pockets of my windbreaker then, I stood silently and continued to watch Andrea as she mingled with some of the other folks that were present, occasionally laughing as they rummaged through old computer games, antique glassware and various other knick-knacks while talking about the current weather and a few specific items for sale.

"You better hang on to that one, Tim" Hans said quietly and nodding his head toward Andrea.

"I plan to, sir" I replied, as I continued watching Andrea from a distance of thirty feet.

We left the garage sale a few minutes later. Andrea had made one single purchase, a small, three inch tall, replica of the "Tin Man" from the film Wizard of Oz. The piece was very old and crafted from actual tin with an exact likeness to the movie character, complete with a small red heart painted on the indentation of his upper left chest. Andrea then excitedly told Hans and I that she had only paid three dollars for the antique figurine as she proudly held it up for us to see. ...Andrea reminded me of a little girl during show and tell; she looked beautiful in her childish glee.

"Oh yes, very nice, Andrea" Hans replied as I nodded my head with approval.

...I again thought of seeing the young family that had been at the restaurant and Mom's eyes once more "...The Tin Man wanted a heart, son" Mom had once said to me when I was a small child. Mom had also repeated this very phrase to me many times as a young man seeking love ...In looking at Andrea Millhouse standing before me now; I abruptly began to comprehend the wisdom and significance of my mother's words, now many years later...

By one thirty in the afternoon we pulled off the pavement and drove onto a dirt road on the outskirts of town. We then proceeded under a large archway, embellished at its top were two hearts pierced by an arrow through them. "Two Hearts Connected" was obviously the family brand and the name of the ranch. Driving onward we came to a clearing and pulled up to an adobe ranch house surrounded by Joshua trees.

The spread wasn't a real ranch per-say but rather a home that mimicked a ranch, the correct term might be "Hobby Ranch" as some might call it today. The house was located on a five acre lot and boasted a large fenced-in yard with a hefty barn out back and several bales of hay; it was obvious that horses were present which immediately sparked Andrea's interest, I noticed. Suddenly the screen door of the house flew open with a bang when a four year old girl emerged and quickly ran toward the passenger door of the BMW as Hans stepped out of the car.

"There's my girl!" Hans said scooping up the child and smiling widely.

"Oh my, who's this, Hans?" Andrea asked smiling widely as she got out of the car.

"This is my Great Grandbaby, Kathy!" Hans replied smiling widely as the child rested her head on Hans's shoulder.

"Hi Kathy, I'm Andrea!" Andrea said brightly.

"I'm nodda baby, Grey Grandda!" the girl said defiantly and looking up at Hans.

"No, you're a big girl now but I remember when you were a little baby, - a really long time ago" Hans said, winking at Andrea.

"She's a doll, Hans" I said, looking over the roof of the car and smiling.

"She'll supervise everything during this project, Tim, to make sure we do it right!" Hans nodded with affirmation.

The young girl nodded her own head in confirmation as she rested her cheek on Hans's shoulder. Obviously she didn't understand what the word "supervise" meant but the tone in Hans's voice indicated that Kathy would be present during whatever her "Grey" Granddad and the other grown-up people were planning to do today and that was good enough for her. Other people and a Golden Retriever now poured out of the house and made their way over to the car.

"Tim, Andrea, I'd like you to meet my son-in-law, Dean, my daughter / his wife, Raven, ...This is my grandson, Owen, and his wife, Tamika and their daughter, Kathy, who you've already met" Hans said proudly.

"And Goldie!" Kathy exclaimed loudly.

"Yes, the dog's name is Goldie" Hans nodded and looking at Kathy.

After introductions were made, all the way around, we went inside for coffee along with Goldie, the dog.

The house was a charming old ranch style with various antiques and family photos adorning every possible space available, the walls included. A large plaque with the family brand hung above the mantle along with dozens of figurines of horses and cowboys completing the décor of the house, the window sills being no exception. "Clutter" might have been too harsh a word for description but the house was clean and had a warm feel to it. There was also a strong aroma of coffee which was quite eminent and very inviting upon our entering the living room.

"Sit down please, everyone" Tamika said, waving to the living room table while her and Owen set out coffee cups.

Soon I held a steaming mug of hazelnut coffee as Andrea and I began to peer at the photographs of Owens proposed project amongst the din of voices and occasional laughter within the living room, so typical of a large family.

As always, Andrea fit-in anywhere and since she loved horses, was soon engaged in conversation and talking "Horse" with Tamika and Raven. Personally, I spoke "Truck" not "Horse" but was delighted that the ladies seemed to have struck up a common rapport with each other so quickly. From outside appearances, Andrea was already enjoying herself it seemed and this made me happy. I decided to sit back with my cup of coffee and just admire Andrea while she was having fun. Andrea was the most beautiful when she was smiling and truly inspired by something, as she was now.

"What exactly are your plans for this piece, Owen?" I asked, looking at the photograph of the fifty one Chevy again after my second cup of coffee had been poured.

"I'd like to replicate the old school hot rod look, Tim" Owen replied.

"How were you planning to do this?" I enquired.

"Grandpa said that you've built a lot of old school hot rods and I thought we'd go any route you feel is best." Owen replied, sipping his coffee.

"Hans mentioned that you have a yard, where is that?" I asked.

"Just a few minutes from here, want to go take a look at the stuff now, Tim?" Owen asked looking at his watch.

"Sure, is it alright for Andrea to make a YouTube video of the project?" I asked Owen.

"Yeah, that'd be great!" Owen said enthusiastically.

"What, honey?" Andrea asked looking up at me from the floor where she and Kathy were now playing with dolls.

"We're going to go look at Owen's project now, want to start filming or stay here with the ladies?" I asked.

The women all had a quick huddle and then announced that they would like to go with us, provided that we weren't there too long.

Apparently the ladies all wanted to take advantage of the exceptional weather and go horseback riding later that afternoon, the weather forecast predicted rain the following day. A time frame for the visit to the yard was agreed upon; we then proceeded to lock the house and, taking two vehicles, began the short journey to the salvage yard which I was told, had been in the family since its founding in nineteen forty seven.

The yard had been closed to the public for over thirty years now, Owen explained to me as we drove along a winding Desert dirt road now. The ladies were all travelling in a small white minivan ahead of us and we soon came upon an old battered gate which was locked with a chain and padlock. The same archway, with the connecting hearts above it, stood guard over this gate as well.

Dean jumped out of the pick-up bed, where he and Hans were riding with Goldie and promptly opened the gate for us. After he had climbed back into the cargo bed we proceeded up a narrow road and soon came to a dilapidated old yellow house with a rickety grey boarded fence surrounding it and the property. We pulled alongside the ladies in their minivan and got out. Owen dug out some keys and led us into the old dwelling that had probably been built before the Great Depression, Andrea began filming immediately.

The old house had been someone's dream home, I suddenly thought nostalgically as we entered. I suddenly envisioned a young man with his new bride residing in the house when it was new. Vintage car parts were now scattered all atop the kitchen table and counter tops along with transmissions and engine blocks along the rickety floor.

"Andea, come quick, we have two kitty cats living here, Smokey and DD, come quick Andea!" Kathy now exclaimed as she ran through the house and out the back door.

"Don't try to pet them, Kathy!" Tamika called out.

"No I won't, Mommy. Andea, come quick and see!" Kathy called back excitedly.

"OK, I'm coming, Kathy" Andrea replied smiling widely.

"They're feral, we don't have a watch dog here, we have guard cats instead" Owen said over his shoulder.

"Now I know why she brought sandwich meat with her" Andrea replied as she walked by us, holding her camera up and filming as she went out the rear door behind Goldie.

"Place used to belong to a guy named Tyrone Stills, him and his wife, Elaine, raised seven kids in this house. Tyrone built this house himself around nineteen hundred and ran cattle for a few years, there's an artisan well on the property. I knew him, as a kid, when he was an old, old man." Hans said offhandedly and looking around at the walls as we all trooped behind the ladies and out the back door.

Although the wrecking yard was technically closed now, I speculated that the vintage car parts still generated a fair amount of pocket money for Owen and his family simply by word of mouth. There were Pontiac and Buick straight eight cars from the forties and fifties which were lined up in neat rows, old farm trucks were also scattered about and a there were also a few vintage semi tractors as well. There were also dozens of other miscellaneous cars and trucks from a bygone era; the place was a literal time capsule. While the ladies made a fuss over the two cats, Owen, Dean and Hans led me on a tour of the yard. After forty five minutes of inspecting the vehicles I had formulated a plan for building Owen's truck into a hot rod.

"I want the transmission, flywheel, clutch and pressure plate, transmission cross member, foot pedals, drive shaft and bell housing out of the green nineteen seventies Chevy pick-up, Owen. I suggest we put your truck body over onto that blue Chevy S-Ten frame, over there; I can stretch it to the right wheelbase, that way you'll have A-frame suspension and a modern brake system. I also want the brake booster and fuel cell out of the grey Impala. I need the top steering sector out of the wrecked Freightliner, I'll also need the steering wheel hub so don't discard the steering wheel. I'll give you some part numbers for yokes and U-joints for the steering column that I'll need to build. We'll build our own wiring harness and use the fifty one style radiator that the truck already has, I suggest you have a new one built from the core you have in the truck. You want to use the engine out of the white suburban?" I then asked.

"For now, yes" Owen replied.

"OK, In the morning we'll start by disassembling the fifty one, that way we'll have the correct frame measurements for wheel base, cab mounts and so-on as we begin to fabricate the brackets onto the S-Ten frame. You have tools, a welder and torch?" I asked.

"Oh yes, we're in good shape there" Dean suddenly replied, interjecting himself into the conversation.

"What about that CCKW with the boom, does it run?" I asked.

"Yes, it's a good runner and we use it all the time" Owen replied.

"OK good ...I think the ladies are getting restless now" I said, looking in their direction.

"They just don't get it, do they Tim? All this vintage iron and they'd rather go to Nordstrom" Hans said smiling.

"If they weren't wired differently than us, we wouldn't love them, Hans" I replied holding up my empty palm.

"Grey Grandda, look what Andea gave me!" Kathy said running up to Hans and proudly showing him the little tin man.

"Oh yes, that's very nice, Kathy! Did you thank Andrea for the little man?" Hans asked as he swooped up the child.

"Yes she did, Hans" Andrea said as she began filming Hans and Kathy together.

"Owen, let's go, Honey. You guys can come back and do this tomorrow; we've got horses to tend to now and the ladies and I want to get a ride in this afternoon." Raven said firmly.

"OK Mom. Thank you for being patient, ladies" Owen called out to the women, as we all began to head in the general direction of the old house and its back door.

"Did you feed Smokey and DD kitty cats, Kathy?" Owen asked his daughter.

"Yes and Andea filmed it, Daddy. I'm going to be a movie star on YouToo!" the child exclaimed excitedly.

"You're already are a movie star, Honey" Owen replied smiling.

"Baby, did you water the kitties?" Owen asked Tamika.

"Cats have been refueled and water levels checked, Captain" Tamika said, mocking a salute and rolling her eyes up at him as she walked closely passed him in a slightly flirtatious manner, a manner which wasn't lost on the rest of us.

"They're so adorable" Andrea whispered to Raven, with a smile.

"I wish they'd get busy and present us with another grandbaby" Raven replied evenly.

"They're working on it, be patient, Honey" Hans replied quietly, looking onward at Owen and Tamika.

"She's gorgeous and it's obvious they're as thick as thieves" Andrea concluded as we entered the old house.

Within a few minutes the old house was locked again and we were back inside the vehicles and headed enroute to Owen and Tamika's ranch house with Kathy riding in the arms of Hans inside the cargo bed. When we arrived back at the house the ladies immediately went in the direction of the large barn to saddle horses and get ready for a short ride. Several minutes later they could be seen in the distance, heading northward with Kathy riding double, in front with Andrea.

Owen started the Bar-B-Q grill and threw on several steaks while all of us men folk talked about the ladies and discussed the project which we were soon to begin with the fifty one Chevy truck. I was already becoming fond of Hans's family and now understood his long absences from the Laughlin condo. During conversation I discovered that Owen had a small fiberglass shop located in Lake Havasu that catered to people with boats within the area.

The local economy was good and boating was a popular passion within the community. Owen expressed that he had wanted to build a vintage truck for many years now and that he was excited about starting in on the new project. I assured him that the truck would be something he'd always enjoy with the family once it was completed.

The table was set and the steaks almost ready when the ladies returned from their ride, Andrea was beaming happily, I noticed. She loved horses and children and our adventure today was something that she would remember fondly for many years to come I knew. Andrea leaned up and kissed me with a return greeting.

"Have fun?" I asked smiling down at her.

"I ,AM, having fun, yes" she replied, smiling widely.

All of us then sat down for supper together at the outside picnic table with Hans at the head of the table and Kathy beside him. Hans then gave thanks and we began to eat. The weather was good, the food was excellent and the comradery at the table warm and friendly. Conversation alternated between the ladies' afternoon horseback ride, horses and the proposed restoration project of Owen's fifty one Chevy truck, a daunting task as seen by Owen and all present but I assured them that this was not the case.

I explained that there were actual retro kits available for the anticipated project. I then elaborated that by creating the necessary components ourselves, we would save a few bucks, have more options for the build and that the parts we fabricated would be stronger than the commercial ones which could be purchased within a kit. Tamika and Owen then began pondering what color they would like to paint the truck once it was completed as I looked at my phone which had alerted me of an in-coming text message.

"Honey, what's wrong?" Andrea suddenly asked as I looked at a text message on my phone while we sat eating.

I handed Andrea my phone without answering, this was a touchy subject for us. I openly allowed Andrea to view my call and text logs whenever she wished. Andrea trusted me and my allowing her to look into my call and text activities reassured her of my devotion to her. This was somewhat dysfunctional, I knew, but since I had nothing to hide, I was willing to allow her the liberty of seeing for herself. Andrea's marriage had been fraught with infidelity on the part of her ex-husband and as a result, Andrea still dealt with bouts of insecurities, I understood this. I loved Andrea and knew that she would eventually outgrow these insecurities if we worked together and I remained patient with her.