Life In A Small Town

"William, I would like to give you a try. Can you work for three hundred a week? That's about the best I can offer right now," Molly told me. "I'll also feed you breakfast and lunch."

"Mrs. Swanson, I mean Molly, that's top hand wages. I'll work hard for you, but I'm not a top hand. You or Uncle Lewis will probably have to teach me a lot. Let's give it a try at $250 a week until I can earn top hand wages." I really didn't need much money; I had no bills and was staying with Lewis and Mary. They wouldn't let me pay room and board so I could put most of the money away.

I had a job and Molly had a new hand to help with the farm. Molly said, "You will probably teach me as much as I can teach you. I'm a city girl, or was until I landed here. I'll see you around 6:00 tomorrow morning William. We'll put in a couple of hours and then have breakfast." Molly said good bye to Mary and went back to the house.

Aunt Mary had to poke me in the ribs to get my attention. I was watching Molly walk away in those tight jeans she wore. "None of that William, you're over here to work. Who taught you how to make deals anyway, the Easter Bunny? You gave away $50 a week. Remind me never to let you buy a horse for me. Let's go, I want to ride that motor sickle some more." I definitely had Mary hooked.

We really took the long road home because Aunt Mary wanted to go into town. She wanted to show off to her friends that she was on a bike and I picked up some jeans, work shirts, and a pair of work boots. We got back to the farm in time for the evening chores and for Mary to make supper.

While eating dinner Uncle Lewis said, "Boy, if Mary makes me buy her a motorcycle, I'm going to beat you with a board. That bike is all she's talked about since y'all got back." He started laughing.

I called it a night pretty early, big day tomorrow. My alarm woke me at 4:00 and my day started. I went down, grabbed some day old coffee and went to the barn. The stalls had to mucked out and new straw put down. Uncle Lewis had three horses and two mules that were more pets than work animals, but their stalls still needed cleaning. By 4:45 I was on my way to Molly's.

Around 5:30, Molly came into the barn where I was mucking out more stalls. "I thought I told you 6:00, William?"

"Yes' em you did, but I cleaned the stalls at Uncle Lewis and couldn't see the sense of sitting around till 6:00. Thought I would get a jump on the chores around here."

So the days went by, I would do some chores at Uncle Lewis' and go to Molly's and start work early. If things were in hand at home, I would just show up earlier at Molly's. For the first time since I lost my family, I felt like I had purpose and direction to my life. I was just a hired farm hand, but someone depended on me.

Two months rolled past and Molly and I became comfortable with each other. There was some doubt as to who was the boss because I knew more than she did about running a farm. But we were more than employer and employee, we became friends and there were little kidding comments back and forth.

I think Molly was just a kid at heart. One day I was complaining about how hot the job was and Molly poured a bucket of water on me. She was laughing so hard she fell down next to me in the mud. Very quickly a mud fight arose and we both were covered head to foot by the time we stopped.

A few days later I was repairing a hole in a stock watering tank and was bent over the side reaching down into the tank. The water had been partially drained so I could get to the hole. As I stretched down over the edge of the tank to find the hole, Molly grabbed my leg, lifted up and I fell into the water, clothes and all. She laughed so hard; I thought she would hurt herself.

Molly was a prankster and a joker. She would throw an egg at me as I went from one job to another or squirt me with the hose, and a lot of other pranks. But if I was doing something extra hard or a little dangerous she was right there with me. It wasn't like I worked for her; it was more that we worked together.

One thing that Molly always did endeared her to me. If the bike got mud on it or was dusty, she would take a soft cloth and wipe off the bike before I left for the day. I told her that it would just get dusty on the way back to Uncle Lewis' but she said at least it would start out clean. Nice lady and I began to wonder if the difference in our ages was that big of a deal.

During those two plus months, I learned a lot more about Molly. She had still been living with her parents until about four years ago. At 26 maybe she was a little old to still be at home, but there was nowhere else she wanted to be. Her folks were well to do, not rich but comfortable. She wasn't a drain on them because Molly worked as a fashion consultant to a large department store chain and made her own money.

She met Gerald Swanson at a fund raiser for a charity that her father was involved with. Gerald was charming, a little older, and seemed to be genuinely interested in Molly. Gerald took her to all the fancy restaurants, the fashionable clubs, and correct social events. He didn't sweep her off her feet but she did enjoy his attentions and his company.

Gerald proposed to her after a year of dating. She agreed and after a short engagement they got married. About a year after they married, Molly's parents were killed in a boating accident on Lake Michigan.

Molly and Gerald had been married a little over two years when they made a visit to the Van Buren area. Never did find out why they came to our area. Molly fell in love with the area and Gerald purchased the Bailey farm and gave it to Molly as a belated wedding present. Once Molly had lived at the farm for a few months you couldn't have moved her out with a bulldozer. Gerald wasn't happy, left her and then divorced her.

There was a barn dance at one of the farms close by and as we were cleaning up one evening, I asked Molly who she was going with. I hadn't seen any indication of a man in her life, but I didn't think she would miss the dance. This type of thing was about the only social life in the area.

"I'm not going to the dance, Will. I would have to go alone. Few of the men here want to date a divorced woman and the one's that do are just trying to get me into bed," she answered with some bitterness.

"Sorry, didn't mean to rub a sore spot. I just thought someone as pretty as you would have guys all over the place. Oops, sorry."

"You're sorry that you think I'm pretty Will?" Molly was teasing me.

I shook my head and went back to the tractor I was working on. You dummy now you've made her sad about not going to the dance, I thought to myself.

That evening after dinner, I told Uncle Lewis I needed to talk to him. He and I walked out to the barn and had a smoke together; him with his pipe and me with the one cigar a day that I smoke.

"Uncle Lewis, I want to ask Molly to go to the barn dance this Saturday. I know she wants to go but she's not real fond of the men around here. Do you think it would be okay?"

"Why are you asking me boy?"

"I don't want to do anything that would embarrass you or Aunt Mary. I may be young but I'm not stupid. Molly is divorced and almost 5 years older than me. If I took her to the dance, it might cause talk. Hell...with the busy bodies that live around here it will cause talk."

"William age is just a number. Mary is seven years older than me, did you know that? Molly is a nice woman that has been dealt a bad hand in life. You are a good man and being young don't change that. Were me, I'd do just what I want and let those that will talk piss up a rope." Uncle Lewis was laughing as he finished.

"Thanks Uncle Lewis. It's only 7:00, I'm going to ride back to Molly's and ask her. If she says no, well it's still a nice night for a ride."

When I got to Molly's place, I gunned the bike so she would hear me drive up. It's hard to miss the Harley's pipes but I didn't want to surprise her. She came to the door, saw that it was me, and came out onto her porch.

"What are you doing back Will, did you forget something?"

"Yeah, Molly. I forgot to ask you to go to the barn dance with me. I should have done it when you told me you weren't going. I can borrow Lewis' truck if you don't want to ride there on my bike." Now I held my breath waiting for her answer.

"I'm too old for you Will and I'm divorced. Around here that's a deadly combination. It would cause a lot of talk. I don't know if it's a good idea."

"Molly, the smartest man I know, Uncle Lewis, says that age is just a number and I think he's right. As far as talk, they don't like you anyway because you're divorced so you've got nothing to lose there. Yeah, I have heard the gossip and rumors in town. As for me, I only care what my friends or family think. So let's go have a good time and rub their noses in the fact that we don't care what they think. It will really piss them off."

See, told you I was a silver tongued devil. What a smooth way to talk a lady into going out with me.

Molly was giggling at my speech. "Okay William, let's go just to piss off the busybodies and if we have a good time it's even better. And I would love to ride that hog to the dance."

Saturday evening as I walked to the bike, Aunt Mary called to me and then joined me. "William, be a gentlemen. Molly doesn't need a jerk in her life."

"Aunt Mary, it's just a couple of friends going to a dance. You helped raise me so you know I will behave myself. Good night, don't wait up.," I kissed her cheek before leaving.

Once again, I racked the pipes off so Molly would know it was me. Before I could get to her door, she came out to meet me. WOW, was all I could say. Molly had on a tight pair of jeans, a shirt tied under her breasts showing her smooth stomach, and cowboy boots. Her hair was in a pony tail and it made her look years younger.

I told her how good she looked, she smiled, and I think she blushed. She climbed up behind me and off we went to face the lions in their den. When we got to the dance I think we were the item of the evening. I saw a lot of talking behind their hands going on. Piss up a rope people, I thought.

Standing at the bar waiting for two lemonades one of the macho guys from a neighboring farm just had to make a snide remark. "You sure got a young looking mama, boy. Is bringing your mama to the dance the only way you can stay out this late?"

Who is this asshole I thought. I didn't respond to him and that made him mad. He grabbed my arm and turned me to face him. My eyes bore into him like a laser; he dropped my arm and backed off. I've been told that my eyes go from blue to steel gray and have a wild look in them when I'm mad.

"You're an ass, buddy. I work for Mrs. Swanson and we are friends. I'm going to tell one time, you won't get another warning. Our relationship is none of your business. Don't bother Molly or me anymore; believe me you won't like the outcome if you do." I turned my back on him and took the lemonade to Molly.

"What did the missing link want?" Molly seemed a little concerned.

"He just wanted to say hello and ask if he could dance with you. I told him your dance card was full," I smiled a little as I said that. "Who is he anyway?"

Molly smiled at my remark and said, "His name is Jody Chilton. Sam Chilton, his father asked me out in front of a bunch of his friends one time. He was playing it up for them and showing off. I told him, not only no, but hell no and it embarrassed him. I don't think I'm one of the favorites around the Chilton house. Never mind that, I heard someone say something about dancing, I believe this is your dance, at least according to my dance card."

"Yes ma'am, I think it is," I replied. With my arm around her shoulders, I led her to the dance floor. I forgot about everyone else there as Molly and I danced. She was very good dancer and helped me over a couple of rough spots. It's a good thing I had built up my stamina working on the farm because Molly just about wore me out dancing. I don't think we missed more than one or two dances all evening.

We decided to leave a little early as there was work to be done on both farms tomorrow. Farmers don't have weekends off; it's a 24/7 type of life. I had a couple of projects at Uncle Lewis' that I hadn't gotten to and wanted to take care of them the next morning.

The ride back to Molly's was very nice. She was holding me tight around my waist with her head resting on my shoulder. I could feel her body touching mine and the age difference was becoming less and less of a factor in my mind. It took us a while longer to get back to her place than it did going to the dance. We got to Molly's place and I walked her to the door.

"I really had a nice time, thank you for taking me, William. See you Monday, Good night." Molly leaned in and kissed me on the cheek. She sort of waved and went into her house.

On the way home, I must admit there were a few fantasies running around in my head. I saw Uncle Lewis out front as I pulled up. It was a little late for him; I hope nothing is wrong I thought. When I came onto the porch Uncle Lewis handed me a jug just like the ones you have seen on T.V. and in the movies. I knew it had home brew, moonshine, white lightning, shine in it. I had seen Lewis and the other farmers taking drinks out of a jug like this one when I was a kid. This was the first time he had ever offered it to me. I took a big drink and thought I had burned my throat out.

He laughed at me a little, "Smooth ain't it? Your home a little early, I thought you'd be out till midnight at least." How'd it go? Have a good time?"

"We both have things to do tomorrow and left early. I had a good time and I think Molly did too. At least she said she did," I answered him.

Lewis took a drink and passed the jug back to me. This time the drink didn't burn as much, in fact it was pretty good. Guess I was getting used to it. Uncle Lewis laughed and said, "Give me the jug, before you start thinking you can fly. Good night, Will."

The next morning I worked on some of the fences that needed repair. After lunch, as I worked on the tractor the sheriff drove into the yard. I crawled from under the tractor to greet him. Uncle Lewis came over to greet him too. Lewis knew Sheriff Steele very well. When they were young Steele and Lewis' boy, Joseph, were best friends.

Jackson Steele had been the county sheriff for about 20 years. He was so popular that no one even bothered running against him in the elections. He was a good man to have on your side and a really bad one to have against you. When I had stayed all those summers on the farm, he had been sort of a hero to me.

There is a stereotype of a short, big bellied and loud mouth southern sheriff. Jackson Steele was almost the exact opposite. He was taller than me and about 50 pounds heavier with very broad shoulders. When he spoke it was with a quiet southern drawl unless he was upset. Then his voice had steel in it, no pun intended. There had been a couple of times that he had to settle me down a little when I was young. When he looked at me with those cold eyes I got the chills. After our first little run in, a look from those eyes would make me straighten up and fly right.

Sheriff Steele got out of his patrol car and joined Lewis and I. He nodded at Uncle Lewis and said, "Hello Strawberry. Nice to see you boy. It's been a long time; you've grown into a man." He smiled at me. "How long you gonna visit with us this time?"

"Nice to see you too, Sheriff Steele. If Uncle Lewis and Aunt Mary don't get tired of me and run me off, I plan to be here for a long time. Could be permanent."

"I was real sorry to hear about your folks, William. Your dad and mom were the finest kind," Steele said to me. "You doing okay?"

"Thanks. I still haven't quite got my head around it all, but I'm dealing with it now. It helps being here."

"Heard you're working for Mrs. Swanson on her farm, that right?" Sheriff Steele asked and then didn't wait for an answer. "Damn shame the way people act toward her. She seems like a fine woman."

"What's everyone's problem with her?" I thought she was a nice lady, but I may have been a little prejudiced.

The sheriff and Uncle Lewis filled me in on her history, at least since she moved here. She and her husband moved here from some big city in the northeast. Mr. Swanson was a bit of a big mouth and rubbed the people in town the wrong way. He was abrasive, bragged a lot about his life in the city, and sort of looked down on the people here.

Molly was always friendly and open to the people in town, but she was guilty by association. Swanson and Molly were in the general store one day and he said he couldn't live with all these hicks anymore. He said this in front of everyone in the store. He told Molly that they were going to leave and go back to civilization. Molly replied that she didn't want to move and liked it here. Two weeks later he just ran off and left her. Three weeks after that she was served with divorce papers.

Uncle Lewis took over the story here; Swanson offered her the farm in the settlement so Molly signed the papers for the divorce and stayed on the farm. Now the gossips and holier than thou faction around here had three reasons to dislike her. She's a stranger, she had been married to that asshole Swanson, and now she's divorced. That's why she couldn't get anybody to work for her, he explained.

"Come on, people can't really hold it against someone because they are divorced can they?" I said in disbelief.

"It may be the twenty-first century in the rest of the country, but not down here. There are some old fashion ideas around here," Steele told me.

"They probably don't like me either because I'm a stranger," I commented.

"That doesn't apply to you. A lot of them remember you from all those summers you spent here and everybody knows Lewis and Mary. Y'all are family so that makes you one of us," Steel explained. "Got to go. Good to see you Will, come by the office when you get into town and I'll buy the coffee. Talk to you later Strawberry. Say hello to Mary for me. Bye y'all." Sheriff Steele shook our hands and left.

The next two weeks set a routine for me. I would do a few chores early in the morning at Uncle Lewis' and then go to Molly's and work until almost dark. On the weekends, I would work around the home place. There is always plenty to do around a farm, even if it is a hobby farm.

Uncle Lewis had three vehicles on the farm. A big Ford sedan for going to church and such, his "new" truck a ten year old Ford F250 that was his work truck, and an old 55 Ford pickup that had seen better days. The tractor and its farm implements were stored in the barn behind the house. The garage housed the car and his work truck. The older truck was parked beside the garage.

I came home from Molly's one Tuesday evening and noticed that the old truck was gone. I asked Uncle Lewis about the truck at dinner that evening. Lewis said that he had sent it to a neighbor that worked on cars on the side to have a couple of things fixed on the old truck. He had a newer truck but I didn't think that having work done on the truck was strange because Lewis really liked that old Ford. If he had to run somewhere on the farm, most of the time he would take that old truck.

It was the end of my third month that I got a surprise. I came home from Molly's, tired as usual and saw that the old Ford truck was again parked by the garage. The dents had been taken out of the body, it had been painted a candy apple red, and the interior had been redone. Uncle Lewis came out to meet me as I looked at the truck.

"Man, you had the truck completely redone, didn't you Uncle Lewis?"

"Yeah, not just the body either. I had the engine and transmission rebuilt, but I did change the tranny to a four speed instead of the three speed on the column," Lewis continued to described the work done to the truck for another five minutes. "Do you like it Will?"