Michael or Mac Ep. 06

"What's that?" Miley asks.

"They want to listen to the CD," Emma says. "Is that okay?"

"Sure, but it doesn't go outside this room. No recording it Donna, this has to remain a secret until I take it to the film company."

"That's a point; what's happened to your live feed Donna?" I ask.

"I figure that this weekend was just for us; the world doesn't need to know everything." We all sit there staring at her for a moment. "What, oh come on, I'm not that fame hungry." That was it; we just burst out laughing. Even Donna couldn't help joining in.

Once things settled down, Miley came over and took the CD from Emma. She walked over to a wall-mounted music system and loaded the CD. The room goes quiet as the sound of my guitar surrounds us. The room has built-in speakers everywhere, and the quality is incredible as my soul is laid bare. It is as though I am playing it as it enters my body and takes me to another place. This time there is an added dimension, I have Emma in my arms, and the connection between us seems to magnify as the music plays.

I am brought back to earth as the last couple of cords are played, and I look from person to person to see what their eyes are saying. There is no dry eye in the room as I look into Emma's eyes. She smiles through her tears and gently kisses my lips.

"I can see why she moans so much during sex now. You lucky bitch," Donna says, totally destroying the moment.

******

It's Sunday, and we've just pulled up outside Donna's house after dropping Emma off at her place. We get out of the taxi, and I follow Donna to her front door.

"Hello, darlin. Did yu have a good time?" Terri says. "Hello Mac, to what do I owe this pleasure?"

"Hi Terri, I was wondering if you wanted to join us for thanksgiving seems you will be on your own."

"Oh, that's so sweet," Terri says. Then her smile drops, and she glares at me. "Susan, didn't put you up to this, did she?"

"Not spoken with Susan since I saw her in class on Friday."

"Oh, so do I just come over to yours or what?"

"So Susan hasn't told you about thanksgiving this year then?"

"Only that everyone is around yours."

"It's a little more complicated than that. You will need to pack for at least three nights."

"Mac, I can't afford to go away at the moment. Money is a bit tight for tickets and a hotel." She whispers so Donna can't hear.

"There are no plane tickets to buy, and you'll be staying in a house, so no hotel. All we need is you and what clothes you need. If you have any questions, ask Susan." I walk away before Terri can change her mind. "Wednesday after school is done, okay, Terri?" I call back.

"Umm, okay, Mac." She looks at Donna, who is coming back out to see where she is. "do you know anything about this?"

"Ummm, yep."

"But you're not going to tell me."

"Uhhhmmm, nope." Donna smiles and walks back into the house.

"Okay, but at least you can tell me about your weekend."

With that, I hear the door shut as I get to my front door. "Hi, Paps, I'm home."

"Hi Mac, good weekend?"

"Fantastic Paps." I smile, park my case against the banister at the bottom of the stairs and get my phone out. "Hey, Olivia, can we add one more to the guest list?"

"No problem, boss, but you realize I won't be able to meet you at the airport."

"Yeah, Sorry, Olivia, it can't be helped."

"So who's the seventh, Terri?"

"Nah, a date for Paps."

"Aye, I heard that," Paps shouts from the kitchen.

Olivia is laughing at the other end of the phone. "So, what have you organized for Buck?"

"Mac, I would love to tell you, but do you mind if you find out when Buck does?"

"Well, I don't think I have much of a choice now, do I?"

"I guess not, but I will say that this. Organizing this is one of the many reasons I love my job and where I live."

"Wow, this looks good."

"Oh, and Mac. About that thing we spoke about last night?" I rang Bob, and if half what he has said is true, then we have a large boil to lance."

"Okay, Olivia, I will see you Wednesday?"

"Yep, if my calculations are right, you should be at the ranch around seven."

"Okay, see you then."

******

Monday morning, I am in Susan's class at my usual time. I hear the door open and a loud thud as she drops some books on her desk. I don't look up deliberately; it's not until I hear the door being closed that I glance up from my notes to see a smiling Susan walking towards me.

"Good morning Mac," she says. Still, I stay quiet; I've known her way too long, not too. "I hear you've invited Terri." She pulls a seat closer to me and sits with her arm around me. "Have I ever told you that you have grown into the most incredible young man?"

I smile and shake my head, "on more than one occasion."

She pauses for a moment trying to gauge my mood. "Do you know how long I have waited to be able to show you how much I love you?"

"Do you know that I already know how much you love me?" There's a moment's silence, and I take a deep breath. "The real question is, Susan, do you know how much I love you. You have been there for me from the day my Grammy was diagnosed. You have never tried to fill either my Mother's or Grammy's shoes and respected my space. You have given yourself unconditionally to making sure I have someone there if I need it, or no one if I need space. Do you realize that I see you as my surrogate mother? I love and respect you as I would have my mother. I believe it's you, Susan, that has made me the person I am today, and if I haven't truly said it to you.....thank you, Susan."

Susan's bottom lip is quivering as I lean forward to place a kiss on each cheek, then a single tear escapes the corner of her eye. She stops it before it gets too far, "you bugger, just before I have to teach a class." She gets up and leaves the classroom.

******

Wednesday, school has let out early, and we are just loading all our suitcases into a taxi to take us to Charlotte International Airport. The minivan taxi has already picked Emma, Susan, Kim, and Ron up. We are waiting on Terri, who is fussing around Donna, who doesn't leave until the morning. Little does Terri know that Donna has invited Mitch over for a night of passion. They have been going for some time now and according to Emma, tonight is the night.

The concert today went very well, and Emma was incredible. We got through our song without any noticeable mistakes and managed not to get too much attention from our performance.

I finally get everything stacked in the back and sit down next to Emma. I lean forward, "so Susan, how much have you told Terri about this trip?"

"Just what sort of clothing to take," she answers with a smile.

My phone vibrates in my pocket, "Hello?"

"Hi boss, it's Lance; I've just landed and am ready when you are."

"Hi Lance, get yourself a coffee. We should be with you in half an hour. We are just about to leave mine."

"Okay, boss, see you soon."

A cheer goes up as Terri gets into the van. She gives an apologetic smile and sits next to Susan. Paps is seated up front and instructs the driver where to go.

We settle into the short drive to the airport. We all have to show our identification at the security gate, and then we are let onto the airfield.

Terri is busy talking to Susan to notice where we are going. The plane is parked in the private area, and we all pile out to Terri's confusion.

"Mac, I thought we weren't going by plane," she says.

"No, I said you didn't need a plane ticket, Terri."

We grab our suitcases and wheel them into a small terminal building. Lance is sitting waiting with a large paper cup of coffee.

He stands when he sees me, "hi, Boss. Hello Emma." Emma waves from the back.

I introduce everyone, and we go through the second check of our identification. Once the airport employee is happy with the passenger list, we follow Lance out to the plane.

"Holy shit," Terri says. "Are we going in this?"

"Yes, Terri, this is Mac's company jet," Emma says as if it was normal.

"I see this isn't the first time you've been on this then," she says, eyeing Emma.

"Nope, this will be my second trip. The first was the weekend we went to the beach house. We had to make a quick stop off at the ranch before flying home the same day."

"Is that where we're going, the ranch?"

"Yes, Terri," Susan says. "Mac hosts a large dinner each year. This year we have been invited."

We all get onto the plane, and it takes a while for us to get the baggage stowed. Also, everyone seems to want to look around the aircraft before we take off.

"Guys, can you take your seats? We can't afford to miss our slot. You will have plenty of time to explore when we are in the air."

Emma sits where she sat before and buckles up. Terri and Susan sit on the other side with Paps. Kim and Ron sit opposite Emma, so I sit next to Emma. I watch Lance do his checks and then disappear into the cockpit. The engine's startup, and it's not long before Lance is on the intercom telling us to buckle up for takeoff.

As usual, Emma and I have our heads leaning together during the flight, talking. It's not the smoothest of flights, but soon we are descending into Raleigh County Memorial Airport. As the plane taxis to its stand, I see a guy on a small cart waiting for us. Christ, Olivia has thought of everything.

We unload the luggage onto the waiting cart. Just as we are about to leave, Lance calls me over. "Mr. Carter, before you go, could I have a word?"

"Sorry, Lance, of course. By the way, thanks for the ride."

He hands me a folder, "Olivia asked me to photocopy my logbook. The thing is, I have two. One for the eyes of your uncle and the other for the CAA just to cover my back."

I smile at him, and he shakes my hand. "Thanks, Lance; I'm sure she will make good use of it."

He smiles at me pats me on the back as I turn to catch the others as they get ready to board the helicopter. All I can hear is Terri going on about it being her first time in a helicopter. I smile at how much Donna takes after her mother.

The helicopter pilot comes over and shakes my hand. "A pleasure to meet you, Mr. Carter; we will need one of you to sit next to me, please. I can only get six in the back."

"No problem, are we almost ready to go?"

"Yes, Sir, just as soon as we are all buckled in."

We take off ten minutes later and make our way over the hills towards the ranch. The sun is setting as we circle around the ranch giving everyone a birds-eye view. The chatter in the back is louder than the engines as we come into land.

Olivia is standing next to Buck, waiting to welcome us. The helicopter touches down, and the pilot kills the engines before getting out.

Emma is the first to hug Olivia, followed by all the women. Ron shakes first her hand and then Bucks when I introduce him. I am last to hug Olivia and thank her for the smooth journey. There's quite a cold breeze, so we get into the two waiting SUVs. As we drive off the helicopters, blades start to rotate, and he's gone.

We drive up to the front of the house, and Violet is waiting on the front steps to greet us. As soon as we are in, Buck makes his excuses and leaves. I get the feeling that he's none too happy with being kept out of the loop on the Parker ranch.

Violet and Olivia busy themselves showing everyone to their rooms. Emma and I sneak off to our room. We don't need to be shown the way.

I hear a knock on the door. "Come in, Olivia."

"How did you know it was me?"

"I know your knock anywhere."

"Oh, okay. Anyway, dinner will be ready in about half an hour." She disappears back downstairs, leaving us to shower after our day.

Dinner goes well, and everyone seems happy and settled into their new surroundings. The girls can't sit still and have to help Olivia and Violet in the kitchen. The laughter when we came back down is good to hear, and as Buck walks back in, he gives me a 'what the fuck' look.

"Boss, can I have a word a minute?"

"Sure, Buck, what's on your mind," I say as we walk into the main office.

"It's just that I would like to know more about what we are doing with the Parker place. I'm not even sure if we have bought the place yet."

"I'm sorry, we have kept you in the dark over the Parker place, Buck. The whole negotiation always hinged on Old Man parker. Me coming up a couple of weeks ago was instrumental in us even being at the table and being in a position to put an offer in." I am trying to waffle through and deflect from what I can't tell him yet. "Needless to say, your relationship with the Parker family has never been good and threatened to derail the whole process if you let slip anything that we were planning."

"I understand that, boss, but Violet has been keeping something from me and spending a lot of hours away from the house when the kids are at school."

"That I'm afraid was my fault. I asked her not to tell you how things were progressing, and I assure you that Violet hated keeping this from you. She understood the importance and has been instrumental in what we have achieved. I ask you one favor, could you please be patient for one more day, and everything will be laid out in front of you and fully explained."

"Tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow," I confirm. A smile creeps across Buck's face.

He walks out past Olivia, "until tomorrow," he says as he passes.

"What was that about?"

"He wanted answers, so I told him that we will lay it all out on the table tomorrow."

"Okay, that will play into my hands. Just before we all disappear, you will need to keep him occupied, and that should give us time to set everything in motion."

"What time and How long do you need?"

"Oh, around six and only half hour. We need to keep him occupied just before as well."

"Okay, I'm sure we will come up with something."

That night Emma is a bit worried about doing too much in bed because her parents are just across the hall. We still make love, but it's a close, passionate night as we slowly show each other our hearts.

******

Thanksgiving dawns cold and bright. I wake still entangled with Emma from the night before. We often fall asleep in a full embrace and wake up in the same position.

The family are already up, and luckily Buck has been out at first sun up. Everyone else is still around the grand dining table chatting away when Emma and myself walk in.

Violet jumps straight up, "ready for your usual?" I give her a grateful smile, and we sit, still feeling a bit groggy from the night's sleep.

"You two sleep okay?" Kim asks

"Like a log," Emma replies with a smile. "I always sleep well in the arms of my baby," she adds, looking at her Dad waiting for his grimace. When he scrunches his face up at the information overload, she lets out a triumphant laugh.

Violet comes back in with two plates full of bacon, eggs, sausages, beans and her version of a hash brown, delicious.

"So Mac, what is the plan today?" Susan asks as I push my plate away.

"Sorry, Susan, you are asking the wrong person. If you want, we can go into town for a couple of hours. I know Emma wanted to explore more when we were here last."

"That sounds like a plan, and what usually happens tonight?"

"Normally, we head out to whoever is doing this year's dinner and have a great time. There's always plenty of food and drink, then later in the night, we dance."

"Normally?"

"Yes, normally, but this year it is a bit different. Olivia has planned something, and I will find out when Buck does. She will most probably come round and fill you in."

"That I have, and that is what I'm about to do," Olivia says from the door.

"I'm just pleased it's Thanksgiving. I don't think I could have gone another day keeping this secret," Violet says.

"Okay, Boss, make yourself scarce."

"Fine, I will go out and see Farrow. Got any carrots, Violet?"

We head into town for some lunch and a look round. The girls are happy in the back chatting, and Ron is driving a second truck with Terri and Paps. The town is always a little busy today. Not many shops are open, but there's an open market and a holiday atmosphere. We spend a couple of hours walking around talking to people and having a great time.

We stop at Rose's diner and have her famous pancakes with blueberry jam. We get a special welcome when we walk in, and I get an extra special hug.

We get home just after four as instructed and all headed straight upstairs to get ready. I get dressed quickly and head downstairs. Emma has told me that one of the neighbors will phone up telling us that the bottom fence has been broken and some of the cows have gotten loose. Luckily what I am wearing to the dance is what I go out on the ranch in.

At four-thirty precisely, the phone rings. "Buck, phone," Violet shouts out of the front door.

Buck comes in, cursing the timing. "Hello?........Oh, hello, Mr. Palmer........You've got to be joking.....Okay, Sir, I'll drive down and sort it out before leaving. Thank you, Mr. Palmer, for letting me know......yes Sir, you too and I'll see you at the dance......Bye for now."

"Something wrong?" I say as I come down the stairs.

"Yeah, one of the steers has busted through the south fence. I need to go patch it up, or we'll be herding cattle for the next month."

"Do you want a hand?"

"Does a bear shit in the woods?"

We head out south in the truck. I know that the fence will be an easy fix so that we can get Buck out of the house. We get down to where the fence has been broken. It's been shored up, so no cattle could escape.

"Remind me to thank the Palmer boys for keeping our cattle on the right side of the fence," Buck says as we set about making sure it's safe.

Around forty-five minutes later, I feel my phone buzz in my pocket. So I look at my watch, "Hey Buck, that should hold it for now. We can get the tractor down tomorrow to drive the second post in to give it a little extra strength."

Buck looks at his watch, "Christ, I promised Violet I wouldn't be late this year. Come on, Boss."

We get in the truck with the row of spot lights showing us the way. As we get closer to the ranch, we can see all the lights are off. "Shit, has the power gone off?" I say, wondering myself what Olivia has cooked up.

"I would put money on something like that happening today, Buck says, not suspecting a thing."

We pull up outside the front door, but the place is deserted. We look at each other confused. "Well, where the heck is everyone," Buck says as we get out. "Violet?" He shouts as he opens the front door. "What the fuck is happening," he says when he gets no answer.

He runs into a couple of rooms in the house before slowly walking out. Then we hear a shotgun go off outside. My reaction is genuine because I don't know what's happening.

A voice then calls, "we ask the host of tonight's feast to come forth and honor his pledge to the community." I open the front door, and Buck and I walk out onto the front porch. In front of us are six men from the town's council holding torches standing in front of an old wagon.

"What's happening?" I ask Buck.

"Looks like and the traditional way to start Thanksgiving." He looks at me, "Boss, you need to step forward and welcome your guests."

"Actually, Buck, you need to step forward and welcome your guests."

"What? I don't understand." He says, a little confused.

"Then welcome them and see."

Buck steps forward. "Friends, welcome to my Feast." There is another gunshot in the air.

"Then step forward and show us the way."

Buck looks at me, and I shrug but nudge him towards the horse-drawn wagon. The guys help him up and shout, "light the way." With that, a torch is lit at the edge of the paddock, and then a second burst into flames opposite it. Further along a third, then a fourth. The wagon starts to move, and as we near the first two torches, we see that it's the Palmers. As we pass the Palmers, they follow us with torches held high.