Life after the Lottery Ch. 82

I waited to gauge her reaction.

"Wow..."

"I didn't have a choice. He was shooting into the house, and when I told him to drop his weapon...he started shooting at me."

"Was everyone okay after that?"

"I took part of a shotgun blast to my ribs. They had to remove some bullet fragments, but everyone else was safe because they followed the rules."

"Oh my..."

"That is the other type of situation that we hope never occurs again...except for maybe the occasional zombie attacks. We'll show you how all the alarms and cameras work. There are cameras and alarms outside so we can watch if someone comes onto the property. If you are ever here alone and you feel unsafe, you go to the safe room and call us or the Sheriff. The Sheriff knows us well and will come immediately. That is the only problem we have had like that, and hope it never happens again, but we thought you needed to know. There was a tornado close once. We were out of town, and the girls went to the safe room."

"I hate you had to do that...but I am happy everyone was okay."

"Sylvia, if you have questions, you know you can ask anything," Dawn told her.

"There are other places in the house where weapons are stored for emergencies. Once you are comfortable handling a firearm, I will show you how to get to them...if you ever need to do that."

"Okay. I look forward to learning some martial arts. Are you two good?"

"Sylvia, we are very good," Dawn said. "We are also expert-level instructors. We will be happy to teach you."

"Wow."

"Let me show you one thing hidden here in the den," Dawn said and got up and went to the fireplace.

Dawn pushed the hidden buttons on the bottom of the mantle, and the bottom dropped down slowly with her sword in it.

"What is that?"

"It is my katana. I have trained in sword fighting for years."

Dawn took the sword from the shelf and slid it out of the scabbard.

"Only James and I know how to open this secret compartment. This is not a practice sword. It is a very rare katana that James bought me. If you ever see me with it, you must remember it is incredibly sharp. Never, ever, touch it."

"Would you actually use it if someone broke into the house?" Sylvia asked.

"I would use anything at my disposal. The type of Martial Arts we practice teaches people to use anything they have."

"I don't think I could stab someone."

"Sylvia, she wouldn't stab anyone either. She would cut them in half!" I said and laughed.

"Could you poke some guy's eyes out if he was trying to rape you?" Dawn asked.

"Yuk! No!"

"You have a lot to learn then," I told her.

"I just wanted you to see it so you understand there are more than guns in this house to defend with," Dawn explained.

Dawn slid the sword back into the scabbard and let Sylvia look at it.

"It is so pretty."

"And deadly. This is a real antique Japanese sword. It is several hundred years old."

"Oh my."

"When we were in Hawaii this Summer, James took us to Japan after that. He had set up a visit for me to a very famous katana maker. I thought it was just to meet him, but James is having him make me my own personal katana. That is a very high honor, and he would only make one for me after I showed him I knew what I was doing. This man only makes one or two a year, but he has apprentices he is teaching the old methods. The one he is making me is very special and made just for me. It will be passed down for hundreds of years."

"That will be special to have."

"Very, very special. It will be nearly a year before I get it."

"How was Hawaii?"

"We stayed for the month of July," I said. "We also bought a very nice house when we were there. We split it with Linda. I have some photos."

"That would be nice."

"We will probably go there once a year or so and stay several weeks or longer. You will be with us," Dawn said.

"Oh wow! I hear Hawaii is beautiful."

"It is. The house is on a big piece of land on Maui. We got a good deal on it because the market is down. We have plenty of photos."

The three of us talked and ate lunch after I went and got the photos from Hawaii. Sylvia couldn't believe the house.

The trucks were back by 1:30. We went outside to watch. They drove back down near the hangar, and we helped or watched as they unloaded the other equipment for over an hour. Dawn was looking over the riding mower after they drove it off the trailer.

"That is everything. You can show us where to put the buckets of fluids and the pump so you don't have to move them again."

"Follow me. I'll open the big door."

I walked to the hangar, went in, and hit the switch to open the rollup door. Once it was up, they drove into the hangar.

"Damn, this is nicer than my house!" The old guy said.

I showed them where to put everything.

"Dr. Smith, I went ahead and added some tools that will make things easier to assemble and break down."

"Thanks. I guess I should explain a few things. My wife and I hit the lottery big several years ago. That pays for the house, the helicopter, and anything else we want. We are both retired now, but still work for the university some. We also own a few other new businesses in town. Dawn, my wife who was taking photos, was recently elevated to Medicine Woman on the Cherokee reservation, and now she has more responsibilities there. That was why she decided on a helicopter. I can fly it also, and one of my other wives can too. Once the babies are old enough, she will return to flying between here and the reservation a few times a month. She got the idea of flying from two friends who are Ms. Williams' private pilots. Linda will be keeping her big helicopter at her house also."

"Must be nice."

"We have been very fortunate. We have invested well, and that pays for everything. For Ms. Williams, time is money. She not only has her own helicopter, but she has a large private jet. Don't worry, that is at the airport! We are hopefully not like what you may think of as typical rich people. My family is giving back to the community, and so does Ms. Williams. She supports the university very well, and we do too. She is a very nice person, and so is her wife. I'll see if she will come over when you return Friday."

"I hear she is very wealthy?"

"Linda is probably the richest woman in North America and maybe the world. We met her some time back, and we have all become good friends. She bought the 500 acres next door so she could get out of the old mansion she lives in downtown."

"Is that everything?" I heard Amy ask.

We looked, and she was walking into the hangar with Sylvia.

"That is all for now. You two meet one of my other wives, Amy. The redhead. Sylvia is our nanny."

"Hello..."

"Are you going to come back and show him how to use it all!" Amy exclaimed and laughed.

"Oh yes. We'll come back tomorrow."

"Great! We don't want him digging up the entire place!"

"As you can see, we have babies due very soon," I told them.

"Have you got any more wives!" The older guy asked and laughed.

"Just one more." That stopped him from laughing.

"Since you will have kids around one day, you shouldn't use the bush hog or the finishing mower if people are nearby. They can throw a rock or piece of tree limb 50 feet or more," Dale told me.

"That is good to know. Thanks, Dale. I'm not going to touch any of it until you show me how to use it tomorrow. The first thing we need to go over is turning over the ground for the garden. Looks like that is up to more than two acres."

"I can help you do that tomorrow. How about 9:00?"

"I'll be looking for you."

They got in the trucks, hooked the trailers back up, and drove away.

"He is funny," Dawn said.

"Do you all have a problem when people tease you about...having more wives?" Sylvia asked.

"We stopped worrying about. If anyone asks you, it is okay to tell them we are all married," Amy said.

We looked over things for a bit. Dawn got on the riding mower and looked it over. Later, they headed back to the house.

Samantha came in after 8:00. We sat with her after warming up her dinner.

"Did you get your tractor delivered?"

"I sure did. Everything but the big reel mower."

*****

We were all up early Friday morning. After we ate, I went down with Samantha to look at everything.

"It looks like you have everything!"

"If I don't, we'll get it!"

"The tractor is a little bigger than the one I used to help the guy with the farm down the road from us. It wasn't enclosed or air-conditioned. I like the little dump trailer."

"How old were you when you drove that one?"

"I started the Summer I was thirteen. He paid me a few dollars to help him plow and bush hog. He would also give us vegetables."

"You'll know more about it than I do!"

"It's not hard. Just don't ever get in a hurry."

The two of us looked over everything. Samantha explained some things about the tractor. At 9:00, one of the trucks was pulling down. Dale got out as we walked to him.

"Hi, Dale."

"Hello, Dr. Smith."

"Dale, this is Samantha, my other wife you didn't meet yesterday."

"Hello, Samantha."

"Hi."

"She used to drive a tractor to help a neighbor when she was younger."

"Good. You have a great tractor here."

Dale went over a lot of things for a while as the two of us watched and listened. Then, we hooked up the plow and drove to the garden area. He stayed in the cab of the tractor with me and walked me through using the plow. I drove slowly as we turned over the ground. We worked on that for about 45 minutes and made some progress, then stopped.

"You did well. Just don't get in a hurry," Dale said. "Keep an eye out for hanging up a rock and be ready to stop. You'll have to clear out any rocks you turn over so the disc won't hit them. Once you get everything you want turned over, you can let it stay that way all Winter. The freezes will help kill the weeds and grass in the dirt."

"Do I just turn it over once?"

"If you get it well turned, that is all you need to start. Maybe in January or February, if we have had several hard freezes, you can turn it all over again. About early April, you will use the disc to break it all up and make it smooth and manageable. Run the disc over it until it looks well broken up without a lot of clods. If you have areas you want the dirt in better shape, use the tiller on that. Wait until it is dry."

"I may need you to come back."

"I can help you with that," Samantha said.

"A few weeks before you are ready to put your seeds in the ground, call me, and I will come and show you how to use the piece of equipment that will make the rows for you."

"Thanks, Dale."

We stopped, and Dale ate with all of us. We spent the afternoon learning how to hook the bush hog up and use it. I drove it around a little and cut down some tall grass and little trees. Dale had me take it to an area with bigger trees to show me it would cut them down and grind them up. After that, we went over connecting the pieces of the finishing mower. That was a lot of work. By 4:30, we had gone over everything. Dale told me to call him if I had any questions.

He left me with a big pile of instruction books for everything. I carried them all into the house.

"Are you going to have to read all that?" Amy asked.

"I guess. They are mostly about maintenance on the equipment."

"You can get started...after you cook dinner," Samantha added.

*****

I spent the weekend playing with my tractor and experimenting with some of the implements. The girls came out occasionally to watch. Dawn took some photos on and off. By Sunday afternoon, I was getting the hang of things. The bush hog I figured out and cut down a lot of thick grass and small trees. That made a lot of it look better. I would be able to turn the garden over as soon as they decided how big it had grown.

*****

Tuesday morning, after the girls had left for school, Dawn and I were sitting in the den. Sylvia had gone to the store to pick up some things she needed.

"You want to run into town with me to get a pickup truck?" I asked Dawn.

"Sure. Are you taking the Escalade?"

"You're driving back, so yes, unless you want to take your Benz?"

"Let's go in my Benz."

"Okay. Let me get my checkbook!"

We went out and got into Dawn's Benz.

"What brand are you going to get?" She asked as she pulled out of the drive.

"I'm not sure yet. If we are just going to use it to haul things around, it doesn't make much difference. If we want something big enough for a few people and babies to go in, I guess a nicer crew cab. It would hold two of us and two car seats in the back easily."

"That might be a good idea for running around and picking up things for the house and garden."

"May as well get a 4 X 4 in case we need it. Chevy has a nice crew cab."

"I'll get off at the car dealer exit."

"One other thing," I said. "Sylvia has a small car. What will she drive for taking babies places?"

"She can use the Escalade unless you are out in it. She can drive my Benz unless we are both out. That would leave the pickup truck."

"Do we need to get a bigger car for her?" I asked.

"Let's wait until that is a problem after Christmas. I don't think she would ever go out with more than two without some help."

"Okay."

Dawn drove up the interstate and got off where all the car dealers were located. She pulled into the Chevy dealer. I got out and went around and helped her out.

"Dr. Smith!" I heard.

I looked, and it was the guy I bought my Corvette from.

"Hey."

"I like your wife's Benz. That is the big one."

"That is what she got to haul babies around in. All my wives are pregnant and due Christmas day."

"You will have your hands full! Are you in the market for something today?"

"We need a pickup truck for hauling things around."

"We have a few! Anything in mind?"

"A crew cab 4 X 4. I'll be using it mostly for hauling things for our garden and other things like that."

"I have some used ones if that is what you will be using it for."

"Let's just look at new ones."

We walked across the lot to the truck section. There were about a dozen new crew cabs. Most of them were outfitted nicely.

"Most of these are luxury models. They may have more on them than you need."

"Let me just look."

I looked over a few really nice ones and some basic models for about half an hour.

"I like that red one," Dawn said.

"It is pretty loaded."

"So? Get something nice."

"It is just for hauling stuff."

"The basic ones are pretty stripped," Dawn said.

"I like that red one."

"You like it because it is jacked up with big wheels already!"

"Hey, Mathew?"

"Yes, sir."

"Do they come from the factory jacked up with the big wheels?"

"No, not like that one. We have a custom truck shop in town that sets them up with the lift kits, lights, bars, and bigger wheels. You like that one?"

"The extra ground clearance would be nice. And it is not jacked up real high like some of the ones I see around town."

"It has 4-inch lifts, bigger tires, and a heavier suspension. We don't jack them up real high because the insurance companies don't like those. Mostly, kids doing that. The red one is gas, not diesel."

"I don't need the turbo diesel for pulling things."

"The gas one has a V8. It has plenty of power."

Dawn and I went back to the red one and looked it over. I did like the light bars and other extras.

"Can you get in it?" I asked Dawn.

"Sure. It has running boards."

"Show me."

Dawn smiled, opened the door, and climbed up in it easily. I stood in the door and looked.

"That big backseat would hold three car seats easily," Dawn said as she looked.

The inside was nicely outfitted with a lot of options.

"You want me to get the keys?" Mathew asked.

"Please."

Dawn and I looked things over until Mathew came back.

"Here, let me get out," Dawn said.

"You drive," I told her.

I got in the other side. Dawn started it, and we drove off.

"See how it handles with the bigger tires."

She drove around for a bit.

"It handles fine and has plenty of power. Go ahead and get something nice."

"Put it in four-wheel drive."

At the next red light, she put it in four-wheel drive then drove a few miles.

"Handling gets a little stiff."

"The 4 X 4 will be good if we ever get snowed in again. Head back."

Dawn drove it hard and fast when she could as we headed back. We pulled into the lot, and she parked next to her Benz. Mathew was waiting.

"What did you think?" He asked as I helped Dawn out.

"Write it up."

"I need to stop at the store on the way back," Dawn said.

"I got it from here."

I went inside with Mathew.

"Have you seen the new Corvette?" He asked as he stopped at one in the showroom.

"I read about the new model. I don't think there is enough difference for me to get a new one yet. I also just bought a used Lamborghini."

"Not many of those in town."

"It was Linda Williams'. She got a new one after hers was shot up."

"I heard about that. Did she make you a deal on the shot-up one!?"

"Oh, yes. It's in Atlanta being repaired. I won't have it until January or later."

"Are you going to keep your Vette?"

"I haven't decided yet. With three babies due Christmas, more practical cars are needed. That was why Dawn bought the big Benz."

"That is supposed to be a really nice car."

"Oh, it is. She had to order it back in the Summer."

"Just the truck today, then?"

"I guess. I just bought a tractor and all the goodies to go with it. I guess I'll become a homebody now with babies on the way. I look forward to being able to take care of the land around the house. Linda Williams bought the 500 acres next to us and is building a new house. I'll help her take care of that land."

"You are going to be busy, Dr. Smith."

We walked back to his office to write up the truck. That took about 30 minutes as we talked. I wrote him a check and headed back to the house. The truck did handle well and had a great stereo. When I pulled in, Sylvia was getting something out of her car.

"Is that the truck you got for hauling things around!" She exclaimed and laughed.

"May as well look good playing farmer!"

I helped her with another bag. and we went in.

"Dawn said she had to make some stops before returning."

"James, what will Amy and Samantha's schedules be at school after Christmas?"

"We talked Samantha into taking only a few classes, so she is taking the second semester of Chemistry and Anatomy. Amy's schedule is lighter anyway. I think she has some internships starting."

"What about Dawn?"

"She is working on her Ph.D., so her schedule is more flexible. She will still have work to do as the Dean of the program."

"It will be good for all of them to keep as much of their regular schedule as possible."

"I think that will depend on how much they are willing to turn over to you. Three babies will be a lot for you, too, Sylvia."

"I worked as a nanny in England for five years before coming here. This last year, I was caring for two babies. I can handle all of yours!"

"If you need help, let us know. We are going to see about some part-time relief help for you and Linda's nanny."

"Let's wait and see first."

"Okay. Dawn said I need to take you to a furniture store and get a dresser with drawers for your room."

"Let's wait on that. The huge closet has cabinets, drawers...everything I need. But we need to see about getting a rocker or two for the nursery. They will want a nice rocker to use while feeding."

"Hadn't thought about that. Talk to Dawn and the girls. The girls may want one for their bedrooms."

"I think I'll swim some."

"The pool heater is on now that it has gotten cold. Let me know if it is warm enough."

Sylvia went to her room.

*****

Dawn came in just after noon.