Distribution Ch. 14

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Epilogue.
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Part 14 of the 14 part series

Updated 10/31/2022
Created 12/14/2009
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REGade
REGade
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Chapter 14: Epilog A Happy Man

October 2009

Amanda had everything worked out, she thought. She'd done a good job of convincing everyone that sacrifice was necessary, but she had not foreseen the pitfalls that presented themselves. No one could have.

We were married in December, 2008. Mona and Patrick changed schools after Christmas vacation. Paige's parents came for the wedding, but after deciding that they would prefer to live next door, where my office was located, they returned home to Boston, temporarily, they said.

My parents, my sister and her boyfriend came for the wedding. They agreed that they liked Paige, but my mother was opposed to my taking on the responsibility of raising two more children that I had not sired. She adored Phillip, her blood relative and Amanda eventually won her over.

Everything was too small for three adults and four children. We bought a new, larger car, but we were cramped in the house. The boys argued about which one would take the upper bunk, and the girls squabbled over closet space.

Paige didn't fit in well in my businesses. She was great at problem solving, but she complained that I was too set in my ways. She missed her job as a paralegal.

It was after the birthday party in March that we begin discussing the living conditions. What we needed was a new home, designed to accommodate our growing family. Building elsewhere would defeat the purpose of Page's parents taking over my office next door.

We decided to add two rooms to the existing house, a large family room with another bedroom and bath above it. But before the addition was started, Paige became pregnant. Was it too late to add a nursery to the plan? We reconsidered building exactly what was needed, a large home that would accommodate a wing for her parents.

Somehow, we made it through the school year without anyone being seriously injured in the daily battles over use of the upstairs bathroom.

What kept us sane was the knowledge that we would soon be in our new home. Paige revealed that she had some money. We found a suitable acreage, and held nightly meetings to plan the house. Once that was settled, she stopped talking about missing work and became content to be a stay-at-home mom.

We took two trips in the new car. First, in June, we attended Ginny's marriage to Randy. We took the kids. Mary preferred to stay home. Randy's grandparents opened their home to us. My parents stayed in a motel.

Everyone was especially attentive to Paige, wishing her good luck with the birth of our child. My mother said that she was glad she had witnessed our marriage. "At least this one will not be a bastard," she said, patting Paige's tummy.

The second trip was to Boston. Paige and I went to bring her parents back with us. They expected to move into the little house next door, but when we told them about our plans to build a custom home, they participated in the design of their wing. Mary flatly refused a separate wing for her own use, saying that she wanted to be close to her family.

Paige brought us to our senses one night when we had six different ideas about the color of tile to be used in one of the bathrooms. "If we don't stop designing and start building, the baby will be here, I'll be pregnant again, and we'll have to start the design process over."

We came to terms with a contractor the next morning. I told him to surprise us with the color of the tile.

I'm a happy man. My daughter taught me that.

Amanda came to see me one afternoon. Paige waved at me as she pulled away from the curb. I blew her a kiss, knowing that she'd brought Amanda to the store. She wanted to talk.

"I like your hair," I said.

"Paige braided it. She said you would like it."

"You look cute."

She became serious, like she hadn't heard my compliment.

She guided me to my desk, which afforded a limited amount of privacy. "We're out of money, Dad."

"We can't be. Who told you that?"

"You know I don't talk to anyone else about what's in the safe. It's empty."

"Oh, is that all?" I asked, relieved. It was obvious that she had not been introduced to the concept of a bank account. "I'll get you some cash," I said, already thinking of how I could skim a few hundred dollars off the top of the daily receipts before I gave it to John for deposit. I'd have to be careful. Mrs. Nixon was no dummy. If she caught me stealing from myself, it would be hard to explain about the safe and our secret stash.

"Good," Amanda said, and I could see that there was something more that she wanted to talk about. "Do you love me, Dad?"

What kind of question was that? "Turn that question around, Honey. Ask if I would grieve if something bad happened to you. You know I would. It's my job to see that nothing bad happens to you. I sacrifice for you, the same as you sacrifice for me. Isn't that love?"

She was thoughtful for a few seconds. "Are you happy?"

"Yes, I'm happy. What makes you ask about that?"

"Sometimes...sometimes you don't look happy. I want you to be happy."

"I have a lot of things on my mind, Honey. There's the new house, and the business, and the baby coming."

She studied me. "You need to talk to Henrietta," she said, already dialing her cell phone. "Mom, I'm ready to go. Can you pick me up?"

I watched Amanda speak to the dealers while she was waiting for Paige to pick her up. It wasn't long before she stopped the car in front of the store. She must have been waiting around the corner.

I thought about what Amanda had said, deciding that she wanted me to look like I was happy. It didn't work. I took her advice and went to see Henrietta. She took me into her office.

"Has Amanda been talking to you about me?"

"We talk from time to time. She calls me; I call her, but don't let your ego explode. We talk about more than you."

"She first asked if I loved her, and then she wanted to know if I'm happy."

"She'll soon be twelve years old, Brian. She's becoming a woman. We need to know that we're loved. We want our men to be happy. What did you tell her?"

"I tried to make her understand that I love her more than anything and that I'm happy. I'm not sure she was convinced that I'm happy. She told me to talk to you."

"Are you happy?"

"Yes, I think so. I told her that I have a lot on my mind with the new house, my businesses and the baby on the way. There's always a small war going on at the house. I guess I let it boil over sometimes."

"We all have to make adjustments, Brian. I was heartbroken when you took up with that white woman, but look at me now. I've adjusted."

"You're shitting me!"

"Yes, but I made you think, didn't I?"

"Are you happy?"

She grinned, showing a mouthful of teeth. "Adjustments Honey. Constant adjustments, that's the secret."

I had John take over and went home early. Amanda winked at me as I handed her an envelope, bulging with cash.

"You're happy," she said.

"I'm a happy man."

Paige came to me, pressed her swelling tummy against me, and asked, "Did I just hear you say you're happy?"

"I'm a happy man," I repeated. Mary and the kids watched us, grinning from ear to ear.

Here ends Distribution

Some resolved and unresolved issues: We never heard what happened to the Leach brothers. Henrietta announced her engagement to a man I'd introduced her to, a pig farmer who picks up discarded items from my produce stand and Henrietta's restaurant. Paige never learned the truth about why Patrick was in the neighborhood where he met his death. Marian left town soon after Paige and her family moved in with us. Some people claim she eloped with a bank teller, who disappeared at the same time. We're talking to the kids about adoption, but they say it's not important, being loved by us is enough. The girls are hoping the baby will be a girl. The boys want a brother. Me, I'm just hoping HE will be born healthy.

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14 Comments
AnAncientAnAncientabout 1 year ago

Hmm... This the 3rd time I've read this.

I think you should write a story from Amanda's perspective!

AnonymousAnonymousover 2 years ago

I find it hard to believe that a devoted single father would spend so much time away from his children in order to help his parents who don’t care about him or his children.

SAV12SAV12almost 4 years ago
IS THE AUTHOR STILL WITH US?

I DON'T KNOW. THE WIDOW SERIES IS A GREAT STORY. THIS IS THE SECOND TIME AROUND AND I LIKED IT EVEN MORE. I HOPE, IF THE AUTHOR IS STILL WITH US, THAT ONE DAY HE COULD PICK UP WHERE HE LEFT OFF BY GIVING US ALL UPDATES INTO THEIR LIVES.

SAV12SAV12over 4 years ago
A GREAT SERIES THE WIDOWS STORY IS

BUT I CAN'T HELP BUT FEEL THAT YOU RUSHED THE ENDING HERE. YOU SEEMED TO BE TRYING TO BRING TOGETHER AS MANY OPEN ENDS AS POSSIBLE IN THE FEWEST AMOUNT OF WORDS. I THINK IT COULD HAVE GONE FURTHER WITH THE LEACH BROTHERS, MARIAN, PAIGE, AND AMANDA. THE SECOND PART, "ELECTIVES", WAS VERY, VERY, GOOD.

EXursusRhereEXursusRhereabout 7 years ago
This one was a bit of a disappointment

Save yourself a modicum of boredom and skip up to CH 11.

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