Sophia Pt. 01

I continued down to the kitchen and loaded one entire cake, plates, napkins, knife, forks, and three glasses of milk onto a tray; then rushed back to the room. The next story was the Green Ghost of Petticoat Lane.

.........................................................................................................

After dropping off Maria, I returned to my room to get properly dressed. I was already second guessing myself. I loved to solve problems like this. Give me something broken and I've just got to try and fix it. Eighty or ninety percent of the time, I make things better. But, sometimes I screw things up and make things worse. And this could be, one of those situations. But, I can't help myself. It's liking having an itch, I've just got to scratch it.

Once I was dressed, I stopped in Maria's bedroom to inspect things. Damn, I wasn't sure if it was one big limb or the top of a tree, but it was big. I better hustle outside and see how much weight is leaning against the house. I ran down to the garage, put my mud boots and rain gear on, grabbed my spotlight and went outside.

I had to walk clear around the house, to get to the back side and see what was going on. Maria's house had a walk out basement on the rear. So the broken window was close to forty feet from the ground. A large oak tree had been toppled against the house, with the crown of the tree breaking through the window.

Did I really want to do this? Hell yes, I'm a manly man and they called me submissive. But could I do it, without further damage to Maria's house is the question? I would hate to make myself look like an idiot to her. I am an idiot, I just don't want her to know. Well, I've got to see what kind of tools Carl has. Without the right gear, I might as well forget it.

Carl had a good assortment of chains, ropes and towing straps. There was a good quality chain saw with a 24" bar. He had not one, but two come-a-longs, with a four ton rating. I just hoped they were strong enough. There was also a tractor in the garage, but he had the engine in pieces, so that was a no go.

So I had the tools for the job. Did I have the materials to patch the window?

Well, there was rack full of two by fours, but I couldn't find any plywood. I also found a supply of tarps, but they were either canvas or the cheap blue kind. But I had a silver, heavy duty, 12' x 12' tarp in the back of my SUV, that I kept for emergencies. I could build a frame out of the two by fours, cover it with my tarp and fit it into the existing window frame from inside the house. Probably not the best solution, but I'm an idiot. There was no way, I was going to climb forty feet up a ladder, on the outside of the house, even without a storm.

Got the tools, check. Got the materials, check. Got the stupidity, double check.

I couldn't measure the window upstairs for the patch, accurately, with the tree in the way. So I was going to have to remove the tree, then measure things. That would leave the room, exposed to the full force of the storm. I could only hope, that things wouldn't get to wet in Maria's room.

I went back upstairs to attach a chain to the crown of the tree. I took a pair of loppers and a hand saw with me. Probably the chain saw would have been better, but I didn't want to scare the girls with the noise. Who am I kidding. I didn't want Maria to run down the hall asking me. "What the hell are you doing?" She would probably stop me.

Getting that chain attached was a pain in the ass and took me almost forty-five minutes. Damn that chain was heavy. I left enough wood chips and sawdust in her bedroom to mulch a pretty good size garden. I was well on my way to making myself look like a complete numbskull. Time to complete my buffoonery. I wonder if Maria, has insurance protecting her from the dumb.

I went back outside pushing a wheelbarrow. Loaded with more chain, straps, ropes, come-a-longs and the chain saw. I prepared the base of the tree with the chain saw, cutting out a wedge shape. This was so, when I pulled the tree away from the house, it could more easily fall in the direction I wanted.

I then attached the two come-a-longs, to the bases of two different, very large, trees that were on a slope a short distance from the house. I hooked more chain onto what I had dropping down from the top of the tree, and then I attached that chain to the cable of the come-a-long. I then had to wait for a lull in the wind. It took nearly a half an hour for that lull to show up. While I was waiting, I entertained myself by singing Monty Pythons', "I'm a Lumber Jack and I'm Okay", repeatedly at my loudest volume. It seemed appropriate, what with the task at hand, the weather and me being a complete fool.

I also got into fits of maniacal laughter, imagining the girls being able to see and hear me. Megan and Robin would disavow knowing me. Maria would probably call the sheriff.

Eventually the lull came and I started cranking the first come-a-long like mad. It took a while for any progress to be made, but eventually it started to move. I nearly had the tree nearly up right, when I reached that particular come-a-long's limit of travel. Which was what I had feared and known would happen. Now I had to connect the second come-a-long to the chain to finish pulling the tree over. And I had to do it quick, because I didn't want the tree to fall side ways, and maybe twist into the house.

God must have been smiling down upon me, because everything worked exactly as I had planned. I didn't even have to run that fast or far, when the tree started to topple over. It was a pain digging out the chain and the buried come-a-longs from the trees branches, but it was expected. Paul Bunyan, eat your heart out. "I cut down trees, I wear high heels, suspendies and a bra!"

As quickly as I could, I rushed back into the house to measure the size of the bedroom picture window. It was a perfect 6' x 6' square, which made things a bit easier, I measured twice of course.

I prepared the frame in the garage, and attached the tarp using some fender washers and screws. I lugged the whole thing upstairs. I first attached some scrap wood to the outside edge of the existing window frame, to act as stop when I slid my patch into place. I didn't want the whole thing to fall out of the window before I secured it. Then I used some four inch galvanized deck screws to attach my frame to the stops and pre-existing window frame.

Damn I was good. It was at that point, that the lights went out. Seeing as how every thing had gone as close to perfect with my hair brained plan, as humanly possible, losing power was a necessity. Life can only give you so much good luck.

While outside, I had spotted a whole house generator and I patiently waited for it to switch over, but it wasn't happening. There was a wet/dry shop vacuum in the garage, which I had been hoping to use for clean up. Bending down I felt the carpeting and it was really soaked. Maybe I would checked into what was wrong with the generator.

There was a file cabinet, next to Carl's work bench. He had everything neatly organized and sure enough there was a manual for the generator inside. First thing that occurs to me, when an engine doesn't start, is that the battery might be dead. I rigged up a 12 volt tester, using a light of the tractor and some wire. Sure enough the battery was dead on the generator. Following the instructions in the manual, for these conditions. I swapped in the battery from the dismantled tractor and had the generator working in less than twenty minutes. When I was done, I carefully looked over my shoulder and made sure I had no witnesses. Time to do the happy dance.

I cleaned up the tools, Maria's bedroom and then went to bed. It only took me about five hours, I was impressed. As a reward, before I left Maria's room, I had grabbed one of her pillows and clutched it to my face, breathing in her scent. Everyone should have the right to dream a little bit.

..........................................................................................................

We ate too much cake and then we all climbed into one bed to tell ghost stories. I was surprised, it was Robin that knew the scariest stories. We all conked out after about two hours.

When I woke up the next morning the light on the bed side clock was flashing. I guess we must have lost power during the night. Listening carefully, I could hear the sound of the generator. Normally, when we lose power it takes at least three days to get it back. I would have to check the level on the propane tanks. That was something Carl would normally do. If the level was too low, I'd have to give the gas people a call.

I slowly sat up in bed. This was a bit harder to do, since I had someone else's leg laying across my waist. I looked down at Robin's sleeping face. She looked like she could sleep forever. Megan was at the very edge of the bed and looked like she was about to roll out. I carefully extricated myself from Robin and got out of the bed. I walked quickly to the other side and rolled Megan away from the edge. Man, these girls could sleep.

I looked around the room with a grin. This was a wonderful way to christen it. I was so happy.

I left the room quietly and walked back to my own bedroom. Time to see the damage in the light of day and change my clothes. When I opened the door I was shocked. The tree was gone! The room was clean! There was a big silver tarp where the window used to be. From adjoining windows there was bright sunlight streaming in. The silver tarp was flexing a bit in the wind, but it seemed pretty secure. I walked slowly across the carpeting. When I got close to the window, my bare feet felt a bit of wetness. All the broken glass was gone. How long had Don worked?

I moved over to an adjoining window to look outside. I had expected the limb to be from the tree closest to my bedroom. But I had not expected the entire tree to be down. Carl had warned me about that old oak. But it had looked so healthy, that I had refused him permission to cut it down.

From the remains of the splintered trunk, I could easily tell that it was the whole tree that had come down on the house, and broke through my window. I could also see saw cuts. I thought I heard a chain saw last night but it was only for a short time, and I thought it was just noise from the storm. There had been longer noise too, that woke me briefly. But I had ignored it too. There was no way someone would be vacuuming at four in the morning.

I marched down to Don's room to get an explanation. I knocked on his door and there was no answer. Cautiously I opened his door, and peeked at the bed. He was laying there spread eagled in just his boxer shorts. His hands and feet were still swollen or swollen again. He rolled over, making a groaning noise as he did. I quietly left the room and closed the door.

I went back to my room, to clean up and change. Once that was done, I needed to get some coffee and get my thinking in order. Over my second cup, I thought about my current situation. Two strange girls sleeping in my home, and one exhausted man. I had a good time with Megan and Robin, but they were almost complete strangers. But I did want to get to know them better. I guess I'm looking for an outlet for my maternal instincts.

Only problem, they came with their father. Who I wasn't too sure about. Did I like him? Could I like him or was he just a door stop. It was awfully presumptuous of him, to have done so much work like that, with out getting my permission. I know in one way, it was nice and he worked hard. But this is my home, mine! Nothing is done here without my okay. On the other hand, I was pretty upset when he left me, maybe this was something that he had to do, for the safety of my house.

Don't get me wrong, having the clean up done, so I don't have to worry is great. But he still should have cleared a job this big with me. I'd shelve my thoughts about the repairs, until I had more information.

Megan and Robin had come up here to go horse back riding. I owed them for my rescue. Don would probably be tired and sore for the rest of the day. And I owned four horses, stabled at the lodge. Even though I had flunked calculus, this kind of math was easy for me. Time to see if the girls were awake.

Robin was snoring and had her feet on top of Megan's chest, it was so cute.

"Megan, Robin time to get up, if you want to go riding." No answer.

"GOOD MORNING YOU TWO." Maybe a bit too loud. Robin did a sort of back flip off the bed, landed on her feet and collapsed onto her butt. Megan rolled off the bed, nearly hitting her head on the night stand and hit the floor with a thump. I even heard a surprised yell from Don's room.

Groans filled the room and I think the room next door too. Megan sat up on the floor rubbing her eyes. Robin jumped up, to run to me and give me a good morning hug. Ooh, that was nice.

"Morning Maria." Nice hug, but her breath. I should have made them brush their teeth after the chocolate cake, last night.

"Good morning, Maria." Megan slowly stood up, looking at me while scratching her butt. She definitely was not a morning person.

"I figured, I would use more of your father's food to make us breakfast. What would you like?"

"We always have either pancakes and sausage, or French toast and sausage on Saturdays with Daddy." Robin replied.

"Okay pancakes and sausage, it is."

"Be sure to use Daddy's special syrup."

I winced at the double meaning that statement could have, I don't even know if I like him. "Don't tell me, it's homemade right?" Megan wandered off to the bathroom.

"No, Daddy just mixes regular syrup and real maple syrup together, it makes it extra good."

There were groans coming from the bathroom. Megan definitely was not a morning person. But there were still sounds of pain, coming from next door too.

"Robin, your daddy is making some funny noises let's go check on him."

"Okay," Robin led the way out of the room. She didn't knock on his door, but just burst right in.

"Daddy are you okay?"

He was laying flat on his back, but he was covered up. Before Robin had opened the door, I could hear him groaning. Now that we were inside the room, he had shut up.

"Good morning, Baby. I'm just a little sore." He looked over at me. "Good morning, Maria."

"Good morning, Don. Sorry for invading your privacy, but I heard your groans. You did an awful lot of work last night, you're probably very sore. He looked a little embarrassed at my comment.

"Robin, could you get me a couple of Motrin out of my bag, and a glass of water from the bathroom, please? After that, I'm going to teach you how to grovel properly when you make a mistake."

"Sure Daddy. Did you make a mistake."

"You better believe it, Honey."

"Maria I apologize for not making clear to you how much work I intended. This is your home and property, and I never should have done anything so drastic, without getting your permission. I sincerely apologize, things could have gone wrong very easily. I had no right to do those things, without your full understanding and okay."

I was taken aback. I thought he was going to go all alpha male on me. "I know what is better than you do little girl," kind of attitude. I've never taken that crap from anyone. Maybe I was bit flustered last night, but give me a few minutes and we could have discussed things. But he recognized his mistake and was sincerely apologizing.

"I've got a problem, Maria. When something is broken, I've just got to try and fix it. It's a compulsion." He looked at me with pleading eyes. "I carry tools with me, wherever I go, just to be ready. I just couldn't go to sleep last night, with the thought of that multi-ton tree leaning against your house."

Multi-ton, multi-ton? Was it that big? I began to have some unease about last night's situation.

"The wind was making it shift around in your window frame. I was worried about structural damage or maybe the tree would break loose from the window, slide down and take out the whole exterior wall. I'm really sorry. I should have expressed my concerns to you. I didn't want to disturb you last night, but only an idiot wouldn't wake a homeowner for such a job.

Boy, he was good at groveling.

"Daddy always has to fix things, and he's good at it too." Robin spoke, looking at me with such a sad face.

I thought about Don's apology. He knew, he had screwed up in not talking to me. I also thought about his compulsion excuse. Maybe this compulsion thing, is what causes a man to search a drainage ditch on a dark and stormy night. Maybe this compulsion of his, saved my life. It was time to be gracious.

"Don, I thank you for your work and your apology. You didn't wait for me to bring it up either, that means to me that it is more sincere. Please if you do any more work around here, consult with me first, okay?" He started to look very sheepish, oh, oh.

"Well I'm sorry Maria, but last night as I was almost done, we lost electricity."

I gave him a gimlet eyed stare. "Yeah, and I've got a back up generator, that starts automatically."

"Well, it didn't start. So, I took a quick look at it and the battery was dead. It was real easy to fix. I just swapped the battery from your tractor and it started right away. I'm sorry." He said that all in a rush.

I thought about the lights, heat, and well pump. That wouldn't be working right now, if he hadn't fixed things. There are times to stand on principle and there are times not to be a damn fool. And I hated to admit, it is nice to be taken care of, too.

"Well Robin, what do you think we should do to him?"

She seemed to go deep in thought. "I would say no breakfast, but he looks hungry. Tell you what, I won't give him any kisses for two days. Is that enough?"

"Sounds fair. Okay Don, you are forgiven. Don't do it again."

"Yes, Ma'am. I won't do it again."

"How come I don't believe that? You're a complete fix-it addict, aren't you?"

"Yes, Ma'am. I'm sorry Ma'am."

"You need mental therapy, but that can wait until after breakfast. The girls want pancakes and sausage. I'll have it ready in about forty minutes. You groan your way out of bed and come down, okay?"

"Okay and thanks for accepting my apology."

"You're welcome Don. Thank you for fixing my house." I turned and left the room.

As I was leaving, I heard Don say. "No kisses for two days, two whole days, you're a mean woman, Robin."

Oh damn, I forgot to talk about taking the girls riding. Oh well, I'll do that at breakfast.

.........................................................................................................

I was happy, that Maria had accepted my apology and wasn't too ticked at me. Maybe I should have made it in private, so she could have really yelled at me. But I don't like to hide things from my kids. They can learn from my mistakes too and how I handle them.

Robin helped me to get out of bed, and then she pushed me into the bathroom. She told me that I was stinky and to shower. Then she went back to her own room to get dressed.

I showered, dressed, left my room, and walked slowly down the stairs. I could smell the sausage, cooking. It was wonderful, another a meal I didn't have to prepare. I consider myself a pretty decent cook, I had to be, especially since I consider most restaurant food to be overpriced and generally lousy. But the big secret about me is that I hate to cook, but I love eating good food. I don't mind baking, I just hate to cook regular meals.

I walked into the kitchen. "Smells wonderful, is there any coffee?"

"It ought to smell good since it is your homemade breakfast sausage." Maria put extra emphasis on the word "homemade".

"Yep, I've got a back lot, where I raise some pigs. That meat there comes from Emily. She won me a prize at the county fair. Should be mighty fine eating."