The 3rd Early Rideout of West Grand

Late September is great time of the year over in Piscataquis County. The leaves are really starting to burst out in color with the peak coming a couple weeks into October. Years ago father and I came over here to visit some relatives of ours and we stayed at this grand old hotel in the middle of town. The old Blethen House is long gone now and nothing like it took its place. The old town looked pretty much like it did 10 years earlier when I was doing the tractor work and living over in Guilford.

Sue had invited me to stay with her rather than get a room at the Dexter motel and considering how friendly she offered, I took her up on the opportunity. Aside from being a great looking lady she is about the best cook I've ever enjoyed. I know the way to a man's heart is through his belly and when you acknowledge that with the truth that the way to my undying affections is through the head of my dick, well, Sue delivered on both accounts. She was terrific.

Now, sometimes I'm a bit slow with understanding women. Sue was no different. Before I left to drive up to Dover she sat down in my lap on the couch.

"Early, do you know if you still love Roberta or not?" She asked

I looked at her and kind of shrugged.

"Sue, I don't really know but I do know I don't trust her for a second. I'd like to but I just can't."

"OK, then, Early, after you go up there and do what you are going to do, I'd like you to come back by here so that I can know what I'm going to do. OK?" She asked.

Sue just planted a kiss on my lips, gave me hug and told me to close the door on the way out as she hopped up and headed toward the shower.

The ride to Dover was short and when I arrived at the house where she was staying her stepmother told me they took her to the hospital because she had gone into labor. She didn't tell me with any sense of a friendly face. It was like 'What the fuck are you doing here?" I headed toward the hospital and walked into admitting after I parked. Roberta was in the maternity section which doubled for the kids ward when business was light.

I noticed some of Roberta's numerous siblings gathered around the glass viewing display but I don't think they noticed me coming up behind them. It looked like the baby had already arrived. There he was all bundled up in a blue blanket looking like he had just been bathed and presented for viewing. The tag only said 'baby Rideout'. I stared long at the kid not paying attention to the quiet observations of Roberta's clan. Like I have always said, I wouldn't shirk my responsibilities. Since there were people in Roberta's room with her, I didn't that was the right time to make my presence known to her.

Instead, I dropped off an envelope for Roberta at the nurse's station and silently walked back to my truck. I think I sat there for ten minutes or so pondering what it felt like to be a father. My dad threw away his cigarettes for two weeks after I was born. I wasn't going to throw away my rum or my pot.

The ignition turned over and my truck headed south on Rt. 7 toward Dexter. Sue was waiting for me when I arrived quite a bit earlier than expected. I gave her the details and she took it pretty well. In fact, she was all giddy about it. Like I said, I'm slow about women, particular women and babies. In this case, she was happy for Roberta and happy for me. She seemed just as happy for herself.

A couple days later, Sue hopped into the passenger seat of my truck heading back to the West Grand with me. She left a key to her place with her friend and neighbor telling her she would be back in a couple of weeks to settle everything up.

I didn't think Roberta would mind having Sue take her place at the store. She was going to be too busy raising that beautiful little baby and hopefully she'd have some help from that fucking bastard who planted it in her belly in the first place. The poor thing looked just like him; just as black as a baby can be.

Epilogue

Roberta signed the divorce papers contained in the envelop I left at the nurses station and included a short letter telling me how sorry she was for everything she did. I heard later that she eventually hooked up with Tommy Thorne, the baby's daddy but it didn't last. The last report I had was that Roberta and Lisa were living in a trailer over in Guilford along with the black kid and Lisa's two kids. I think about her once in a while but I'm quick to flush.

Sue and I didn't get married right away. In fact, we didn't get married for over five years. Neither of us was in a hurry and since both of us had been burned before, we were gun shy. Of course it eventually happened and we had a lake side ceremony in the month of May followed by a honeymoon in Key West.

The kids never came for two reasons. She didn't want to have kids and I couldn't father them. It turns out I was sterile, shooting blanks. It didn't cut back on the efforts though. There have been a few life changes since getting married. Since I made her help with the wood chopping chores, she went out and bought a log splitter. I'm also not allowed to hog Darrell's special homegrown.

MFH