Goerke's Corner Pt. 02

I smiled as she clicked the camera on her phone, threw me a kiss and drove off.

I was at the station just after 5am Monday morning. By 8 o'clock I had both tanks and the piping exposed for the crew coming to open the tanks and remove the pipes. They weren't supposed to arrive before 9 so I scooted home for scrambled eggs and a glass of milk. I was doing things inside the station when they arrived. By noon they had both tanks open and the pipes to the old pumps removed. When they broke for lunch one of the younger guys approached and asked if he could buy the old gas pumps for $50 each.

That got me thinking. *why would he want those pumps when they weren't worth more than scrap. Or were they?* I told him I'd let him know later in the day. The more I looked at them the more I wondered why he would want them. Then I saw it. Not only were they old, they had the Texaco Fire Chief label on both sides, and, only two digits before the decimal. No one would have believed gas would be above a buck a gallon in 1953. One pump was grey, the other was red, or should I say a faded version of both. Those babies were worth a lot more than fifty bucks. Nope, I would hold onto those. When I told the young man he was visibly disappointed. He started to walk away when I asked.

"Why so down in the dumps? I'm sure you see all kinds of different pumps for sale in your profession."

"Yeah, yeah I do. But not in this condition and I've only been two other places that had the Texaco Fire Chief decals. These are great finds. I was hoping to get them cheap. My dad and I have a shed full of old pumps but nothing like these. They're hard to come by."

I needed to know, "So what are they really worth?"

Walking in a circle around them one more time he shrugged, "Mmm, probably between 800 and a grand at an auction of gas station memorabilia. These and porcelain signs are hot items. Got any of those?"

I didn't answer as I thought about the half dozen or more different signs in the shed behind. I would have to do some research online and find out what sort of value those were worth.

"I'm not sure young man. I have the business number off your trucks. I'll call."

With the tanks open I was able to dig around and extract them by days end. What I needed next was an inspection by the state people to determine if there was ground contamination. Andy and I worked inside the building each day removing junk and cleaning the place enough to work. The state inspector arrived early Thursday. Following his inspection I was informed that there was minor contamination in one of the holes and none in the other.

What he told me next was intriguing. I could dig deeper on the one and add fill once it was determined there was no more contamination. OR. He knew of an outfit who 'burned' the existing soil. The contaminated soil would be run through a machine that burned away the oil and gas contaminates so the existing soil could be returned to the original hole. Within a day I had the information I needed. Burning the existing soil would not only be cheaper, but it also made more sense on an ecological scale. Why add more contaminated soil to a ground fill somewhere when I could reuse the existing soil. Since they had their own equipment I could avoid having to rent an excavator.

Over the next ten days Andy and I were able to gut the old store area to the studs. On the eleventh day the contractor to burn the soil arrived. I was told he would be done in three days which would work perfectly because the new fiberglass tanks were due to be delivered the following week. I also learned that I could set the tanks, but the contractor would have to take care of the rest. When I did the math it was cheaper to have them set the tanks instead of me renting the excavator another week.

I decided that I was willing to sell the pumps and three of the signs. None of the signs were rusted nor was the porcelain chipped. I gave the kid I had talked with a call and ask if he was interested. The best he was willing to do was $200 each on the pumps and a hundred bucks each for the signs. That wasn't going to work.

I let him know I wasn't interested, "You know, if you're going to try and rape me the least you could do is kiss me. You're way off base, I have two antique dealers ready to take them off my hands at an honest price."

He was telling me that I was making a mistake as I hung up and called both antique dealers. I told both, first come, first served, whoever showed up first had first pick of the merchandise. The first guy was waiting for me at 7 in the morning when I went to the station. He bought everything I had for sale at more than triple the price the kid had given me. It was enough to pay for one of the newer electronic pumps that would be installed.

I hadn't heard from Hilda during that time nor had I received any phone calls from overseas. I chalked it up as Greta not liking what she saw in my picture and wasn't interested. That ended late on a Friday afternoon when Hilda texted.

Hilda: Hi Rob. I have the weekend off. Do you need any help? The girls will be out of town with Constance, Theodore's sister. I could come up and give you a hand with simple things.

Me: Sure. It's time to start drilling holes in studs for new wiring, you could do that. I want your input on some stuff anyway. That will work out perfectly. You're free to stay overnight if you like.

Hilda: Thanks for the offer but I'm close enough I'll just come home. I'm partial to my own bed and bathroom. If you know what I mean.

Me: I sure do. I'll toss a roast in the crock pot for supper. You can at least stay long enough to eat can't you?

Hilda: Absolutely. What time tomorrow?

Me: I'll be there by seven, any time after that. Oh, and wear old clothes.

My answer from her was a smiley face. I would have to find out from her how to do that. The county I lived in was one of those where the owner of a structure could still do their own electrical with inspections. I knew the basics and Andy had a close friend who was what he called "a spark". I guess that stood for electrician. Andy told me anything I wasn't sure of his friend would help with.

Hilda arrived just after seven the next morning with a bag of donuts. I hadn't indulged in donuts for ages and enjoyed the bit of decadence they provided. We drilled holes and pulled wire until just before noon. I drove us to the house where we both relieved our bladders before enjoying a grilled cheese sandwich. I remembered from our night of pizza with the girls that she had ordered diet Coke and made sure I had some on hand.

After lunch and a short break we returned to the station but never made it back inside to work. We looked at the almost crumbling overhang and wondered what should be done. Reaching the decision that we wanted to retain as much of the nostalgia aspect as possible, we decided to remove the old overhang and build a larger replica. One big enough to accommodate four gas pumps instead of two. It would look as it did 50 years earlier, but larger.

Next we ventured into the shed behind the building. It took a bit of prying to finally get the door open and when we did we were greeted by a mountain of cobwebs and layers of dust. I grabbed an old broom leaning against the wall and began knocking down cobwebs. Ten minutes later we were oooing and ahhhing about the gold mine we had discovered.

Under all the dust and debris were over 10 porcelain signs. I was rummaging through old unopened oil cans and other gas station paraphernalia when I heard an excited shriek from across the room. I hustled to where Hilda was standing and immediately knew what she was so excited about. A round stain glass Texaco window. On the front of the building was what would have been about a 20" hole covered with a board cut the same diameter. I didn't remember it as a boy, but then there were lots of things I didn't remember as a boy. The epiphany hit me like a rock, the stained glass sign had once filled that hole.

It was well after three before we walked into the main building. Sitting on a pair of folding chairs we discussed what should go where, deciding to use what had once been the very tiny postal area for an office. Tossing ideas back and forth we came up with a design as to where we wanted coolers and shelves for the store as well as an initial inventory.

By 4:30 it was time for food, real food, not just a sandwich. She hit the head right away while I washed in the kitchen sink. When she emerged she looked fresh as a daisy. The roast was done, the potatoes and carrots were in bowls and I was making gravy as she set the table. I knew her favorite dessert had at one time been cheesecake so I bought one without her knowing it. I told her to sit while I cleared the table.

When I put an open can of cherry pie filling on the table she gave me an inquisitive look.

"For the cheesecake." I said.

With a soft smile she said, "You remembered."

"That's what friends do isn't it? Remember things about the other."

She insisted on helping wash dishes. When they were dry and put away she slowly made her way to the bathroom. I was on the couch when she came out and sat next to me.

"Greta wants to know why you don't answer calls. Are you not interested?"

"I haven't gotten any calls." I said in protest.

"I happen to know firsthand that she's called you three times."

Now I was perplexed, "The phone never rang."

Lowering her brow while staring me down she said, "Give me your phone." Which I did.

Thirty seconds later I listened as she scolded, "You had the ringer off, Dufus. How did you know if someone called?"

"It vibrates. If I feel it, I answer."

Then another scolding, "And you didn't set up your mailbox. No wonder her calls failed. Geez Rob didn't they teach you anything when you bought the phone?"

It was time to fess up. "You know, they told me all kinds of stuff that I didn't remember or even understand. In the end all I wanted to know was how to call and write a text. Sorry."

"You're set up now and the ringer is turned on. I need to go before it gets too dark."

We hugged at the door, said we would talk again soon and parted.

Sunday was a lazy day. I had no desire to start anything physical. I spent the morning messing around in the shop getting tools operational, sanding and waxing cast iron surfaces and generally tidying up.

Lunch was a leftover roast beef sandwich, a cookie and glass of milk. Feeling bored I drove to the gas station. Something I hadn't seen rummaging around the day before was the old Fordson Major tractor and sprayer. It wasn't in the shed, the more I thought about it the more I realized I hadn't seen it anywhere in the orchard either. Surely the old owners hadn't sold them. They were essentials. I hustled on back home and called Andy wondering if he knew the whereabouts of said equipment.

"Oh yeah. Old man Semrow's got um over at his place. He don't own um like he does the bee hives. The city folks stored um there in the winter. He'll be home today, you should go talk to him about the tractor and sprayer. While you're there see about buyin' them hives."

I remembered where Claude Semrow lived. I had delivered cabinets to his place with my dad many, many years ago. I laughed when I pulled into the pot holed driveway wondering, *how hard is it to put down a layer of gravel for cryin out loud?* The farm looked as run down as it had 25 years ago. By the time I got to the house he was on the front porch in bibs without a shirt and a wad of chew in his mouth.

He grinned as he extended his hand to shake mine, "How you doin there young feller? Aint seen you in a coons age. You still in the Marines?"

I was impressed by the grip on that old man, "No sir. Got out a few months ago."

"You here about the tractor and sprayer?" I nodded. "Good cuz I want um outa my shed. They're in the way. You owe me $75 storage. Andy called and said you was on the way. You want them hives too?"

I laughed. Of course I owed storage fees, the Carrols were to fuckin' cheap to have paid them in advance.

"Where are the hives, Claude?" I asked.

"Over yonder here. Round the corner under the lean-to. Give ya a good price if you want 'em."

After twenty minutes of haggling and dodging spit we reached an agreement on price. I put cash in his hand as he grinned and told him I would be back to get the hives. For those I would need the trailer. I figured I could get Andy to take me back to Semrow's so I could get the tractor and sprayer. With fruit beginning to develop I needed to get them sprayed with insecticide before they were worm infested. I had Andy take me to the farm the first thing Monday morning for the tractor and sprayer. When I got them to the house I went back with a trailer to get the hives.

By midafternoon I had the hives unloaded and positioned within the orchard where I remembered they had always been. I would have to do some research about where to buy bees. I worked on the sprayer that evening determining what parts I would need to have it operational right away. Thankfully everything I would need was in stock at a hardware store in Two Rivers.

I was up bright and early the next day, got in my morning run, had a quick bite of breakfast and was on the road by 7:15 which would put me at the store when they opened. While there I picked up insecticide right away. By noon I had the sprayer working again, which I then pulled to the orchard and spent an hour spraying the trees. Driving the tractor through the orchard I noticed that the grass and weeds were getting high. I would need to mow them soon. Another thought raced through my head. I had nothing to mow those 3.7 acres with. Hmmm, I would need to correct that soon. I was beginning to wonder if I had purchased a money pit.

Realizing it was late in the afternoon I hustled to the hardware store in Clairemont and rented four sections of scaffolding. It was my intention for Andy and me to begin removing the existing overhang starting the next day. I originally thought that I might be able to salvage some of the lumber from the overhang, that idea quickly went out the window. Instead of filling the dumpster with rotted wood we piled it in an open area to the left of the station and decided we'd burn it later on.

Pushing hard we had the old overhang completely removed by late Wednesday afternoon. After four long days I was ready for a break. I cleaned up and headed to the Cat's meow for supper. I had just gotten in my truck to go home after supper when my phone rang. It was number I didn't recognize and was about to delete it when it dawned on me that the number wasn't like ours in the states.

"Hello, this is Rob."

After a few second delay I heard a female voice. "Hi Rob, this is Greta. Hilda told me why you hadn't answered before. Glad you got that straightened out. She told me you bought both the station and the orchard. Is that right?"

"Yep. That's right. Most of my efforts are going into the station right now. I was able to spray the fruit so other than mowing the weeds the orchard is taking care of itself."

"Tell me about everything. I want to know every detail."

"Wow Greta, that will take a while. Won't the long-distance charges cost a lot?"

She laughed, "No. I have unlimited overseas long distance and texting. So no more stalling, tell me everything you've been doing."

Exactly 84 minutes later we said goodbye with a promise to talk again soon. Two minutes later the text alert on my phone sounded. Damn it was nice having that phone since Hilda set it up for me. What met my eyes brought a huge smile to my face. It was Greta with her little girls in one and another of just her in a simple pose.

The flat chested, no butt girl with braces no longer existed. No siree. She looked well proportioned physically and as far as beauty was concerned, she was a knockout. Then there were the little girls, man oh man were they cute. Big toothy smiles, the older one with a few front teeth missing. I sighed, yeah, if they were as sweet as they looked, I could fall in love with them. If Greta was as luscious as she looked, and had an inner beauty to match those gorgeous looks, I could definitely fall in love with her.

Yup. This previously confirmed bachelor was ready for the next chapter in his life. One where he wasn't alone. In a way I felt like I was comparing my life with the same way I saw Goerke's Corner. Taking something outdated and making it new again. I went to sleep that night staring at the photos she'd sent and wondering, *could this be real? Was I finally going to have a family to love and be loved by?*

By the end of the week we had the store and station areas rewired with a rough in inspection scheduled for the following Monday. I was sweeping floors after Andy had left when a tractor trailer with a flat bed hauling two huge fiberglass tanks pulled up. I pointed to the side of the building where he parked. As he was exiting the cab a pickup pulled in behind him. During a short conversation they let me know they would return Monday with the rest of the equipment and a crew. The guy in the pickup assured me they would be done by next Friday at quitting time. Things were moving along nicely, it was time to let the guy with the used gas pumps know I was ready for delivery. I felt that I had gotten a good deal considering they were only three years old and half the price of new.

At the home place, (my place now) was an old riding mower ready to give up the ghost. I initially thought about using that to knock down the weeds in the orchard, until reality set in. Not only would it take me forever to do that, it would be the death of the old mower. Which was still sufficient for mowing the grass at home. Doing a bit of research I came to the conclusion that a large zero turn mower would work best as long as I kept the weeds mowed on a regular basis. Considering I was neck deep in remodeling the station/store I would need to hire someone to do that. My estimation was at least every three weeks.

Knowing I wasn't going to find what I wanted in Clairemont I headed for Two Rivers Saturday morning. Along the way I called Hilda and explained the situation. She mentioned something in our very brief conversation that had me intrigued.

"I'll text my address. Come by the house before you do anything, I think I have a solution."

I pulled over at a C-store when the text came through. I had no idea how to make the map feature work. After topping off my fuel I went inside. Spotting a cute redheaded teen girl behind the counter I sauntered over.

"Hi. Will you do me a favor?" I asked.

She smiled, "Sure. What do you need?"

"Can you show me how to do the map thing on my phone? I don't have a clue."

After handing her my phone she had it programmed for the address in less than a minute. Handing it back she smiled again, "Just follow the instructions. It will tell you where to go, when to turn, and when you reach your destination."

As I drove away I thought to myself, *someone willing to help, maybe the world isn't going to hell in a hand basket after all.*

As I got closer to her house I noticed the size and quality of the housing seemed to steadily increase. Big well-manicured yards, bigger houses, newer vehicles in driveways. I was definitely in the better part of town for lack of a different description. When I heard 'your destination is on the right' I slowed to a crawl. When I heard 'you have arrived at your destination' I stopped. On my right stood a majestic-looking house. It wasn't huge or ostentatious, it simply looked comfy and inviting.

As I pulled in the driveway the front door opened and out poured two girls full of smiles and energy. I also noticed they were dressed in what was probably a team uniform. Hmm, it must be soccer day. I was no more than out of the truck when the youngest launched herself into my arms for a hug. The older stood her ground saying 'hi' with a sweet smile. Taking my hand the younger (Elizabeth) said with a loud excited voice.