Blue Collar Town

"It won't be if it will be when."

"You still see something more there than I do."

"I'm a woman too, in case you haven't noticed and I can see it."

I took her hand in mine and reminded her, "Either way it doesn't change anything." The subject was changed then and after dinner she took me home and then went home herself.

After dinner Thursday evening I took my time cleaning up the kitchen. Until Mel and I started to build our first house life was going to get boring again. I had said that would be great but now I knew better than that. I didn't want to settle for boring anymore. I stood there for a second before reaching for a bottle of wine and then stopped. I didn't want to open a bottle of wine just for myself and coffee just didn't sound good so I poured iced tea and decided to sit on my back porch. I made it as far as the backdoor when Nicole called. "Are you going to be home? I'd like to say goodbye if I could."

"Of course I'll be waiting for you." After hanging up the phone I reached for the wine again and pulled the cork because now I would have somebody to share it with.

I watched her come up my walk again. She looked every bit as stunning as that first time when Mel and I had seen her on television. I stood there in the foyer and she came in and walked into my arms. We stood there holding each other in silence for a minute and then I kissed her cheek and said, "I have wine breathing, care to join me?"

"I'd love to." With the wine poured she took my hand and led the way to the couch. We sat close together and had a sip of wine before she kissed me lightly and looking into my eyes said, "I have to have a few of those before I leave you."

"Is it back to New York?"

"Yes. I have so much to do, so much that has been neglected or has to change." I took another drink and set my glass down before saying, "I'm going to miss you so much."

Her glass joined mine and we fell into an embrace and she held me tightly as she said, "I'll miss you too Russ. I wish I could take you with me."

"I wouldn't do well in the big city I'm afraid."

"I know. I don't plan to stay there either but for now it's where I have to be."

I eased my hold on her and asked, "How is Dak doing?"

"Okay I guess, he's out of the hospital now."

"Have you seen him?"

"No he's on his own now. No more daddy to patch things up for him and give him money. Are you and Mel still going to build houses?"

"I quit my job so I guess I have to now."

"Here in Portsmouth?"

"Maybe some but the market here is really depressed so we're looking toward the north and the west. We'll keep our base here for the time being though."

"Do you have a name for your new company yet?"

"Mid America Construction."

"I hope you two do great things."

"We do too."

"You and Alana getting married?"

"Not for some time at least. I'm going to be putting a lot of my time and energy into the company so Mel and I don't go broke."

"I predict you will do very well. Do you have a slogan or a business model?"

"We just have our core rule. Whatever we do has to be legal, safe efficient and honorable."

"What about profitable?"

"If we follow the first four things and work hard profits should follow."

She put her hand on my leg and said, "I'm not going to stay."

"I hate to see you go." She stood up and I joined her.

Our arms went around each other again and as she held me close she said, "I remember feeling your arms around me after I was shot. I remember you talking softly to me and caressing me. That meant so much to me then and even more to me now. I love you so much." Alana was right after all. I didn't know what to say to that and as I hesitated she continued. "That's why I have to leave. I can't be in the same room with you and not hold you and be close to you and want you."

I kissed her and said, "You have changed me forever. I never dreamed I'd ever meet somebody like you. I didn't even think anybody like you existed. That plane crash was such a tragedy and yet in the end it was one of the best things that has ever happened to me." We kissed again and we walked to the door. She stopped and said, "Be safe and be happy. Even if it means with Alana."

"Thank you. I hope you find every happiness. You deserve that and so much more." She had tears in her eyes and when I noticed that I realized I did too. For one last time I walked her to her car and then watched her drive out of my life. I suddenly felt very empty and incomplete.

Chapter Seventeen

I could still smell Nicole's fragrance in the air when Mel called. "Russ I've been doing a lot of research. By the way I'm taking a couple of weeks off from the shop. I think we can build two or three modest homes here but we need to be looking beyond our local borders like we'd talked about."

I cleared my throat and said, "I agree." "I've even found two lots that we should think about."

"Great I'll be over in the morning and we can get started. We have to go apply for our licenses and such anyway."

"See you in the morning." My new life was beginning. No more boredom and no more going to work for somebody else. Then it hit me again. No more Nicole. It was a couple of hours later before I called Alana and told her Nicole had stopped by to say goodbye. I could hear the relief in her voice. I just hoped she couldn't hear the sadness in mine.

Mel soon had a manager for his body shop. For the next six months, weather permitting, Mel and I worked on building our first house twelve hours a day six days a week. . The four of us would get together late Saturday evening for dinner as a rule and Sunday was the one day that Alana and I would be together.

Well before we reached the finishing stages of the house we had another building site and were ready to start the process all over again. We had made a very nice profit on the first one so we hired Ray, a carpenter for the second one and the three of us stayed at the six day work week until the second one was done. The third one was on a piece of property south of Portsmouth on Dixon Street in the small town of Ashland. Again it was the three of us with the women bringing lunch so the five of us could eat together and take a break. Ray was becoming a friend to all of us and a real part of the team. I had to remind myself that he wasn't a partner. He blended in that well.

Sandy had moved in with Mel and that was a help to their relationship. The long and tiring hours were hard for everybody and we knew we couldn't and wouldn't keep up that pace indefinitely but we needed to get our feet under us and get our reputation as hard working contractors established. We were well into our fourth year and had added two more carpenters and moved Ray up to foreman. I was spending most of my time out there with them but the office demands were increasing and Mel was spending more of his time with suppliers and locating potential building sites.

I was in the office finishing up the invoices when Linda our nearly indispensable part time secretary told me there was a gentleman that wanted to talk to me. I went out and he stood up and handing me his card said, "I'm Mark

Carsten from Cincinnati. I represent a company that is interested in building a group of homes." I was looking at his card as he talked and I saw Valley American Development emblazoned across the top. My heart skipped a beat

when I realized I had heard him make reference to a group of homes. This was where our little company could make some real money. "Of course Mister Carsten come in." I tried to act calm, like this sort of thing happened every day when in truth I had to hide my hands so he wouldn't see them shaking.

We were just nicely seated when he said, "We have something over thirty acres set aside for this project and we want to put in eight or nine upscale homes, something in the seven to eight hundred thousand range. Of course that means infrastructure, road and cul de sac and so forth. Naturally our designers and engineers have it all laid out and drawn up. Is this something you might have time to consider?"

"We'd very much like the opportunity to work with you."

"Excellent. I'll have the drawings forwarded to you by express. Then we can get together in say...three weeks?"

"That would be fine. What is your time frame for this project?"

"Well as you well know time is money but that said we're more interested in quality. We can work out those details when the time comes." He stood up and I went around my desk to join him. We shook hands and he left. I stood there in front of Linda staring at the closed door. Did all of that really happen or was I going to wake up and curse at the disappointment?

"Russ are you okay?" Her voice brought me back to reality and I smiled.

"Linda I'm fantastic. If this pans out would you be interested in a full time job?

"Sure I would."

"Somewhere near Cincinnati?"

"I...I'd have to let you know but maybe."

"I'll let you know as soon as I can and then you can decide."

I dashed back to my office and closed the door before calling Mel. "Where are you right now?"

"At the constructions site talking to Ray why?"

"Can you get back to the office I have something to tell you."

"Now?"

"Lights and siren."

"Is this going to be bad?"

"No, let's assume it's a good thing for now and you can tell me what you think later."

"On my way." My mind was spinning with the details that would be involved with a project that size. We'd have to find a company to put in the infrastructure before anything else could happen. Then we'd have to find more tradesmen. Quite a few more in fact. Finishers, framers the whole thing. Then I stopped. What was Alana going to say about this. I would have to spend a lot of time in Cincinnati. But then I realized nothing would change. In fact I'd be home weekends sometimes and that would be an improvement from our lifestyle at the present. I presented the new opportunity to Mel and he was even more excited than I was. The next month was a series of meetings with Mister Carsten and his people and a lot of late nights were spent developing our offer. We still had one more home to build that we were already committed to but we decided that Ray could handle that in our absence if this panned out. Linda would go with us and Alana offered to help Ray with the office functions whenever she could. If we didn't blow this opportunity we would succeed far beyond our expectations.

Mel and I went north and presented our estimates to Mister Carsten. We almost held our breath until we were out of the meeting and then Mel asked me, "So what do you think our chances are?"

"When he saw the numbers he didn't even flinch so I'm guessing we have an excellent chance."

"We'll know next week at the latest."

"If we get this we'll have to rent an apartment up here along with an office."

"We'll have a hell of a lot to do even before the first shovel of dirt is turned."

Chapter Eighteen

The day we learned we would be the contractors for Valley American's project we both left the meeting and were soon in the nearest bar toasting our amazing good fortune. Then the reality of the situation set in. "Mel what the hell have we just done? What do we know about a project that size?"

"It's one home at a time is all. We do what we've been doing for the four plus years only we'll do it eight times in rapid succession."

"You're not scared by this?"

"Hell yes, I'm scared to death."

"Then what was that speech?"

"I'm trying to convince myself as much as you. But damn it we can do it. As soon as the cement crew is done with the first one they move to the next one while the framers start the first one and so on."

"I know but that's eight times the materials challenges and problems and so forth. We're going to be so damn busy."

"We better start tomorrow. We can line up suppliers and start looking for tradesmen here in Cincy."

"And look for a place to live and an office."

We started the next morning and found a furnished apartment and then rented office space. Then after placing ads for help we headed home to share the good news and to create our plan of action. Mel and I made a production of it taking Alana and Sandy out for the nicest dinner little Portsmouth had to offer. Sandy was quick to say, "It's a safe guess that you two managed to get the project."

"We sure did honey" Mel said as he smiled. We told them of the apartment and office and all that we had to do before we could even start building.

The four of us talked non stop for the next half hour and then Alana asked us, "What about Ray? There isn't another job lined up for when the house is finished that he's working on now."

"Well he can come help us up there or maybe we'll get something going down here in the meantime. He won't lack for work."

"But I don't think he wants to go to Cincinnati."

"We'll work something out if at all possible."

"I hope so he's really a part of the team now."

I had said I didn't want to lead a boring life and I certainly wasn't. When Mel and I went back north I said, "Do you realize we've replaced that seed money plus a whole lot more?"

"I know. I have a buyer for the body shop so I'm going to tell him it's a deal. I don't have time to even think about that anymore."

"How is Sandy taking the changes?"

"Pretty good. We're talking about getting married in fact."

"Congratulations."

"What about Alana?"

"She doesn't know what to think I guess. She can't argue with our success but she doesn't like us never having time together."

"Once we get this project flowing we have to find a way to take a day away once in awhile."

"That's gonna be many months away but I think so too."

"Maybe we could promote Ray and bring him up."

"I'd be willing but it sounds like he wants to stay in Portsmouth."

"Why? The only reason I was staying there was I'd found a place to make a living."

"Same with me. It wouldn't break my heart to leave there."

Mel smiled and said, "Something else I've decided."

"What's that?" "I like having extra cash in my billfold."

"I agree that is a great feeling." And so it went. Once again Mel worked with the suppliers and I hired two new crews of carpenters. When we weren't running around we were in the office looking at the blueprints or I was paying bills. Linda had moved up to Cincy and found a small one bedroom apartment that we agreed to help her with as part of the enticement to get her to stay with us. We didn't need the stress of finding a new office person and hope they were up to the task.

As the months passed the first house went up and then the second. The progress was on schedule for the most part but we were somewhat affected by frequent rainstorms. Sandy and Alana had spent the weekend with us a couple of times but for the most part Alana at least preferred to stay home in Portsmouth. We picked up another house to build there and Ray was running that show for us. When things are going that smoothly look out because something will go wrong. That isn't negative thinking it's just the way it is it seems. I was in my office and Linda had brought me a stack of mail from the Portsmouth office. It was mostly invoices or other predictable things but then I saw an envelope addressed not to the company but to me personally. I opened it and there were only two lines on the plain paper. It simply said your girlfriend is seeing somebody else. Just like that. No signature and no details. Who would know that, or for that matter who would even care?

I didn't know what to do or even think. I knew we weren't spending enough time together but Mel and I had worked out a way for us to take turns taking an extra day off each week. I had to find out if it was true but how? Just ask her? Maybe accuse her and then show her the anonymous note. What if she admits it's true? What should I do? What if she denies it? I had no proof that the note was accurate so I couldn't very well act on that note then. Could I even blame her. Granted our business was thriving beyond all hope and I could easily see the day when I would work a normal five day week at least most of the time. But that didn't address the crisis at hand. Mel came back to the office late in the afternoon and after we went through the day's business I showed him the note. He looked at it and then at me. "What the hell is this?"

"I wish I knew. Can you think of anybody that would be the author of that?"

"Hell no. Do you think it's true?"

"I don't know. I'd like to think it's so much bull shit but I just don't know right now."

"This is only Wednesday, you aren't going to wait until the weekend to find out are you?"

"What do you think I should do?"

"I don't know. What if you left here this afternoon and checked it out for yourself."

"I might be gone until Monday."

"Okay so the bills wait a day or two or you cancel an appointment. Those things happen in the business world." I knew he was right. Until I did something about this I wasn't going to have my mind on business anyway.

"Okay I think I'll do that."

"Take my new car. That way if you want to watch her she won't know it's you."

"I hate to spy on her but maybe I should."

"It can't hurt. If you see nothing you say nothing." I traded keys with him, told Linda I'd be out until Monday and headed south. I'd be home in less than two hours so I'd have time to do some thinking before going to park near her place. I really didn't expect to see anything even if something was going on. It's amazing how long two hours is when you're haunted with thoughts that you'd rather not dwell on. To avoid that I started to think about my days in the Army and all that I'd done and seen. That reminded me of the times that Mel and Layton would join me as we made the rounds off the bars on Saturday night. That line of thinking reminded me of the field exercises which led me to our field medic training which then made me remember the plane crash. The instant Nicole entered my mind I knew I didn't want to go there either. That was the past and I needed to find more positive things to think about.

Chapter Nineteen

It was after three when I hit Portsmouth so I went home first and got a coke from the fridge and thought about what I should do. I had over two hours before Alana would be home from work so I decided to drive by the house that we were building and see how that was going and maybe stop and talk to the carpenters while I was there. Portsmouth isn't all that big and I was approaching the house within fifteen minutes. I slowed down and noticed the progress seemed to be about where it should be so I went on by deciding not to stop. I wasn't exactly in a chatting frame of mind. I went back home then and just tried to relax. It didn't work so I gave that up and headed toward Alana's house. I could wait there just as well as anyplace else.

As I came down her street I saw a pickup truck in her driveway. Alana drove a Ford Escape so I knew it couldn't be hers. Was she home or was somebody there that didn't belong there? I had my key to her front door so I parked on the street and went to the door. I couldn't hear anything so I unlocked the door and let myself in. Everything seemed to be in order so I eased through the house until I could hear voices. I followed them hoping to surprise Alana but it was me that got the surprise. I pushed the bedroom door wide open letting it bang against the wall and stood there staring at them. "Hello Ray, Alana." I sounded calm and in control but nothing could have been farther from the truth. I didn't know whether to beat the crap out of Ray or what to do. I managed to control my hurt and rage and turned on my heel. As I went back down the hall to the front door I could hear Alana calling to me but I kept going slamming the front door behind me. I had the answer I had come for. Not the one I wanted but it was a truthful answer nonetheless. I almost laughed at myself as I pulled away because I realized she should have been at work and Ray should have been at the construction site. It was a good thing I had until Monday to sort this out before facing Mel and Linda. Alana called and I let the machine answer it as I listened to her try to explain her behavior. She was crying hard and talked in halting phrases. It was breaking my heart but I wasn't the one that was bouncing Ray's bones. I did want to talk to her but I needed time to think about everything first.