My RA Ch. 04

Thank you Tigerssman for helping with the editing of my story.

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It was almost spring thaw. Preparations were chaotic. Early on it was discovered that many of the plants would not flower for two or three years. Priorities have altered, the children's park had to be shifted from SHU's prevue. Another school was added just to oversee what changes, additions and modifications that would be needed.

Thank goodness for the children of Meadowbrooke. Not only did they cover the supplies end of the project, but manpower as well.

Special plans were being made for them. Both Sarah and Joy called the principals of both schools. All the children knew there was to be a field trip early on 'Day One'. Everyone was excited to meet their new friends.

The children did not realize that this was to be an unprecedented field trip. Miss Joy was to set up the field trip on 'Day One'. Miss Sarah had to find out how many wanted to stay for the ranch field trip on 'Day Two', all of them who wanted to get up at sunrise, of course.

Having some at the ranch and some in town made it easier to house the children. Even knowing the extra benefits of staying over at the ranch overnight, only about one quarter of them decided they were not willing to get up at sunrise. Some thought Noon was early.

It was not disclosed what was going to happen at the ranch at the end of 'Day One'. Sleeping bags were to be scattered everywhere in the house and the bunkhouse. Molly's bed was taken out to make more room. A campfire was required for everyone to burn their marshmallows. Graham crackers and chocolate would be available.

Molly was having fun learning fun campfire songs on her guitar.

After everyone brushed their teeth, there was to be a mass meeting in Molly's room. Miss Sarah would allow two hours of fun time before she would announce it was time for prayers. Molly would lead off and anyone else could join in. Then everyone would scatter to their sleeping bags. Sunrise would come soon.

Breakfast would be interesting; buffet style seemed the easiest, a double row of food would get everyone through in a hurry. The menu had yet to be decided.

The adults would scatter so everyone could meet and talk to a real cowboy.

Everyone would see what went on at a ranch. The children who stayed in town would arrive around 9:30 AM.

'Angel' stole the hearts of the children. April was worried how so many children would affect 'Angel'. They stole her heart just as she stole their hearts.

At 1:00 PM many of the children were helping Molly with her chores. It was a slow go and Molly was getting frustrated. Molly grabbed her two friends plus 'Peaceful', 'Courage' and 'Spirit' and then charged off to the field to check the wire fence. Normally, Molly did this much later in the day, but she needed a break.

After all the children left Miss Sarah confronted Molly, "Where did you go today?"

"My friends and I went to check the fence, it was on our list."

"Molly . . . I am very disappointed in you. I thought you said you would never lie to me."

"Miss Sarah, things were going slow and they were getting in the way of what I was doing. I just had to get away for a while."

"So, Molly, am I to expect this sort of thing every time you get frustrated? You had special guests who were to stay just one day. All every single one of them wanted to do was to help you. They were so disappointed because you were not there we had to send them home early.

"Because they were not as fast as you are used to, you go off for over an hour with your friends. I don't blame them. This was your plan."

Molly, almost in tears, "I am sorry Miss Sarah, I was not thinking."

"Molly, I am not the one you should be apologizing to. You will go up to your room and think about this and what you plan to do about it. No guitar playing for two days."

"I will let you figure out what to say to Daisy as to why you can't talk to her for two days. She will not be happy nor understand why you can't! You are her first and best friend!"

"You will not eat with us; a plate will be sent up. If you didn't have to keep your strength up, I would have sent you to bed with no supper! I expect to hear your plan in the morning!"

Molly never heard Miss Sarah so mad.

This telephone call will be bad, Miss Sarah was right, Molly had no excuses.

Once Daisy was on the line Molly said, "I am just calling to tell you Miss Sarah does not me to talk to you for two days because I treated our guests rudely. I ran away when I did not like what was happening. I lied to Miss Sarah too."

"Molly, how could you? They came all the way from Meadowbrooke to have some special times. They may never come back. They may even drop out of the project.

"You know how Miss Sarah feels about people who lie to her. What will happen to 'Spirit' if she fires you?"

"I thought you were my friend, my best friend."

This went on for five more minutes, Daisy making point after point and getting more upset with each one. Friendship was a big theme.

Finally, her Mom took the receiver from Daisy.

She said, "Molly, Daisy has never yelled at anyone, ever. It looks like she has a lot more to say to you, but it will only upset her more."

"I don't know what happened, but this has been very hard on her. It will take time for her to work through this, she must do it at her own speed."

"I will not permit her getting upset! Please don't call until after she calls you back and you are friends again. I don't want her to get upset all over again. Let's hope she has a forgiving heart and she will call you again."

Molly hung up the phone, rushed up to her room and locked the door. Her supper plate was left outside her door, untouched; Molly didn't come down for breakfast either.

Sarah was beside herself with worry. Something was said last night on the phone call with Daisy. It had to be something about Daisy and Molly's friendship with her.

Right now, it was something Molly had to work through. It was none of Sarah's business, she would not allow the problem to fester. She would have to make it her business soon.

The project came to a screeching halt. If the kids did not know what was happening with Molly, they lost interest in everything else. There was little the adults could do.

Joy had to act fast, she walked over to the club with 'Buddy' in tow. "Children, Molly is going through a very hard time right now. We can only suggest things for her, we do not have the answers."

"Only God has the answers, she will need to talk to Him a lot, ask Him many questions and then start all over again. She considers all of you her friend, I hope all of you want to be her friend. Please pray for her and all her problems, God will respect that."

'Spirit' arrived late to church that Sunday, the music was almost over. The usher opened the roped off balcony, Molly was the sole person there. Miss Noel craved to be with Molly, but knew she was expected to be on the dais. Molly noticed many children were not there, only fifty percent of the dollies and bears were present. Daisy was not present.

Miss Sarah finally had a talk with Molly, it was mainly a fruitless endeavor. Molly did agree to feed the horses, but would not check the DIY area.

Molly agreed to come down for meals. However, she did not talk, only took half of what she normally took and asked to be excused when she cleaned her plate and finished her milk.

Miss Joy had to risk losing the trust of Molly; she sent messages to all her friends in Orlando, Miss Gail and Mr. Jerry. Joy knew Molly was in a fragile state. The shop manager opened an hour late that day, they had a prayer vigil for Molly they had to do first.

Anna came to the stables early, she was not scheduled today. She only put a bridle on 'Orlando' not a saddle. She took 'Orlando' for a walk, all she talked about was Molly. Once they were gone for an hour the cowpoke called the owner and informed him of the situation. The owner was there a few minutes later.

When they were gone two hours, the owner was getting restless. When they finally got back, Anna was an emotional wreck. The owner forbade her to drive until she had her emotions were under control. Anna went into 'Orlando's' stall and just talked and hugged him. From time to time she called 'Orlando', 'Apache'. It took quite some time before she could go home.

After Anna left, the stable owner called the Disney manager to pass along a message to Elsa. He mentioned the incident and Anna's emotional state.

That night Elsa had Chinese take-in with Anna and they were going to watch some lame movies (non-Disney.) Anna was her best friend and she wanted to be there for her if Anna needed her. Anna was seeming like her old self. Elsa, being Anna's best friend, thought she had the right to ask Anna about her well-being.

Anna, Elsa slowly asked, "What happened today?"

"Elsa, it is about Molly. She did something wrong with her new friends at Meadowbrooke, thus she has open defiance against her. Several children don't attend church now and of those that do, only fifty percent bring their toys."

"Worst of all, she may lose Daisy as a friend. That can't happen. Daisy's Mom doesn't want Molly to call her again until Daisy works through some things; they hope Daisy will call Molly back. Elsa, Molly was Daisy's one and only friend. It will break her Elsa. So, I talked to 'Orlando' for over two hours on our walk, all about Molly."

"Elsa, Molly slipped into the balcony of the church, so she got a bird's eye view of everything. She is not going back to church until everything is settled, it is too upsetting to her. So, no one is talking to anyone else, I feel so helpless."

Molly remembered what Miss Sarah said to her once, "Whenever you feel too much pressure talk to Miss Joy or her." Molly had only two people she knew she could trust, she called and asked for a meeting at Miss Joy's house.

When Molly opened the door to Miss Joy's house, "Mommy, Mommy", was all Molly could say. For thirty minutes the only thing her Mom could do was to cradle her daughter's body in her arms.

Molly said, "I guess you were right Miss Joy. You said, "God may only want to be here long enough to meet people and then take me in another direction."

"You have been teaching us how to be responsible for what we do and say."

"I lied straight to Miss Sarah's face and we all know how she feels about any of her workers lying to her. I want Daisy to have 'Spirit', she will look after her."

Molly was right. Sarah's policy was a blanket with a no exceptions rule that you will be fired if you were caught lying to her. Sarah had to fire Molly.

Molly wanted Mommy and Miss Joy to be there when she got the news.

This had to be the worst day of Sarah's life, besides the days when her parents died, and the day was not finished yet.

Sarah came armed with all the paperwork that she needed for Molly, plus a new contract in hopes she could do a fire and hire for Molly.

Molly declined.

"Miss Sarah, I think God wants me to be with my family now. There are so many memories at the ranch, I don't think I could go back."

"I wrote a note to Daisy's Mom how to take care of 'Spirit'. Daddy, put the rest of the feed onto 'Spirit's' saddle and my brother will take her over to Daisy's house for her to take care of 'Spirit'. You may want to talk to them about 'Spirit'."

Molly giving up 'Spirit' was a death blow to Sarah. Molly would never give up 'Spirit' without deep thought. It was like Molly was giving away her baby.

Sarah got back late, Zoe was waiting for her. Tearfully Sarah said, "Zoe, she does not want to come back to the ranch and she gave 'Spirit' to Daisy."

"She what?! 'Spirit' was her baby."

Sarah commented, "I can't eat. I am going to bed before this day gets any worse. We are going to keep 'Spirit' here until we can build a stable in town for the students and 'Spirit'."

The kids were in chaos. Molly just came to the club and resigned at being their leader. Molly said, "I do not know if I am doing the right thing, only God knows that. You have respected my judgment in the past, so I ask you to do so now, even though you may not like it."

The ranch was somewhat insulated from the problems of the town. Daisy's Mom asked if Daisy could stay at the ranch.

The next day, Sarah brought Daisy up to the ranch with 'Spirit'. Sarah made a large schedule so Daisy knew when to do what.

Molly knew exactly what she was doing by giving 'Spirit' to Daisy. It was the ultimate way for Daisy to show everyone how mature and responsible she was; to this end, Daisy was asking Miss Sarah for more small jobs to do around the house. She was not ready to do more farm jobs, but everyone noticed her progress and she was proud of her accomplishments..

Daisy even took control of the DIY area, there were not many horses there. Daisy fed the horses just like Miss April showed her. She could not lift a heavy water bucket, so the cowpokes connected a foot pump on a hose. Daisy just had to count the number of pumps for each horse. She had a big stepstool to brush the horses down.

April allowed Daisy to take 'Angel' for walks. 'Angel' was her comforter both outside and in her bedroom.

It would take longer for Daisy to mature than Molly, as she did not possess the leadership skills that Molly had.

Daisy's Mom came over to Molly's house, only to attack Molly. Dad was enraged, his face beet red. He pointed to the door and said, "Don't let the door hit you on your butt on the way out! Don't come back!"

There were so many rifts in town, they were making new rifts. The once vibrant club now remained locked and darkened. The grand project lasted one day. The 'Gardening Team' was a memory.

Then there was a bad storm, the 'Christmas Tree' got hit twice by lightning, each knocking down about one-third of the tree. The damage was so extensive, either the insects or disease would finish the job. Both brought life to a town without hope. Crystal littered the roadway. The towns 'Beacon of Hope' and 'Tree of Hope' were gone.

Joy confided in David, "I don't want to bring Joshua up in a town like this. Can we rent or sell this house and find a better area to live?"

David already had his misgivings, only to be confirmed by Joy.

David said, "I have been thinking the same thing. I am in favor of selling."

One of Joy's last Facebook posts read: "Sold NFU house, living at Lily's until David picks out a hospital." People from Paris to Orlando to parts unknown were in shock.

Disney called the mayor to see how things were going.

The mayor said glumly, "Let's see:

"Miss Joy and Mr. David sold their house.

"Molly resigned as leader and does not want to go back to the ranch.

"The Christmas Tree and the star were destroyed.

"The children stay at home, never playing with their friends, and that is how the parents want it.

"None of the toys are played with.

"Our grand plan lasted one day.

"Mr. Jacob's flock is one third the size it was, hardly any kids go.

"No one talks to another unless it is absolutely necessary.

"This town will be a ghost town soon, as well as the schools.

NFU will become a two-year school and will consolidate its curriculum; South Hill will start to do the same as NFU closes."

The Disney contact was dumbfounded. He realized that the Mayor's town was broken, divided and too weak to repair itself. The ranch was the only thing left untouched.

The Disney contact called a meeting for all that went to Northfield as well as some others. He went into detail about his conversation with the Mayor. Things were degrading by the day. Many tears were shed.

Sarah got a brilliant plan, "Mr. Mayor, I understand that both schools are shutting down, but each school had plenty of greenspace, not to mention housing. I have more than enough land for my horses, but the town just has a few flowers here and there. Gardens and selected areas for trees would help the town. We could buy three ten-year-old conifer trees so each town had a Christmas tree.

"I know there are many people who don't get along. We could make three towns and they could grow anything they wanted to. Like to a mix of Victory gardens and flower gardens.

"The dorms will have to be modified into two and three bedroom suites, and perhaps some could be torn down to make typical type houses. It would create areas for apartments and areas for houses."

"Maybe you could get grants and other forms of monies to start the process before the schools close down. With less students and a smaller curriculum, not as many buildings would be used."

"I know a two or three town solution is a drastic measure, but this town is so divided we have to separate each family into towns where people can get along. Just like children."

"Hopefully, the merchants can act like adults and buy things in bulk to save money, I have some experience in that area."

"Sir, not only would it save jobs, it would create them long term, not to mention all the construction jobs."

Mr. Mayor said, "That is a novel idea Sarah, we can't go on like it is now. I can submit an initial proposal to the board, details would have to be worked out, compromises made."

Two weeks later, after Mr. Mayor got the proposal finished and worked out some of the bugs in it, he called for a board meeting.

While the board members grumbled as they came into the meeting they knew Mr. Mayor always put the town and its people first.

Mr. Mayor said, "First I need to give credit to Miss Sarah for this novel idea. As you already know SHU and NFU have a limited remaining life span. You also know that many of the people don't get along very well. Her idea is to use some of the green space for a mixture of Victory gardens and flower gardens."

"Some of the dorms can be modified into two and three bedroom suites. To help with firewalls they probably should be in different dorms. Elevators could be installed. In certain areas, some of the dorms could be imploded for typical type housing. Classrooms we can figure out later, perhaps market places, and the cafeteria could have a restaurant with other shops."

"Some younger folk who move in may not have the money for a house, but could afford a three-bedroom suite."

"We would wind up with two or three towns, and people who get along with each other can buy a block of properties in the same areas. It's the children that are suffering most."

"It is a shame we can't get along with each other, I am open to other ideas. If we don't do something soon, we will not have a town, period."

"All the jobs and revenue are fine, this will give our towns life. We are a dead town now."

With that Mr. Mayor took a seat, ready to answer questions if he could. It was too early of a concept to ask questions, but the members spoke to each other at length.

Mr. Mayor rose again to speak, "We don't need dorms to have a fine college. A two-year college would bring in young people here and having one year leases for the suites could suit a college like that; we have the classrooms already, as well as the teachers."

This sparked off even more debate. Then one of the board members spoke up, "It is a shame most of NFU and SHU should be torn down only to put up new colleges. It is a sad commentary on how divided this town is. Right now, I am not sure if the forty-year old are acting better than the ten-year old's."

"Miss Joy and Mr. David left town because they did not want to subject baby Joshua to this environment."

"Remember how united we were for Miss Joy's rescue and rebuilding after the flood? You can't blame Molly for this disunity, she was just one of a whole string of events that went against us. She is just ten, the adults could have stepped in to resolve the dispute, instead everything got worse because of the adults. What kind of example are we showing our children?"