The Girls Next Door

Earlier that week, I ran into Paul at the market, hoping that I would not get into trouble. I invited them over for dinner if you can make it. It'll be at two o'clock. I had invited Steve, my boss his wife, Troy, Carl, Jimmy and Eric and their wives. Di invited Tracy, Gina and Kaylee and their husbands and boyfriend. We were in our little groups sitting around talking having a good time.

I looked up and saw Paul and Bee standing at the corner of the house, I started over to meet them. The talk tapered off. I shook Paul's hand and Bee and I stood staring at each other, "Glad you made it." I hope this works out. Bee looked at her mother. Then at Di, looking back at me, and said, "I see, she's knocked up. I told her, don't go there. We want a real good afternoon. She said she was sorry, and had tears in her eyes. I said, "Let bygones be bygones. No hard feelings. Your the only one to notice that she is pregnant." Bee wasn't sure what to do next. Di had been watching along with everyone else. I motioned for her to come over; the sisters looked at each other for a few seconds and then were hugging and crying. I told Paul to come on over and join the crowd. Stopping in front of Carrie and mom and said, "It's time." Mom got up, looked at Carrie and said, "Come on." they went over. It took a while, but finally there were some hugs. A short time later, there were all kinds of noise and commotion going on. Mom and Carrie were on both sides of Di, helping her over to her chair, dad wanted to know what was going on, "I don't know grandpa." It took a minute for it to sink in.

After dinner we broke out the instruments. It was a great afternoon. Things worked out real well.

The guys gave their sweethearts and wives, the presents they had brought. Bee gave her mother, a brooch and was about ready to go home. Di and myself were getting a couple looks from our moms. We smiled back at them. I pulled two bandannas from my pocket, a red and a blue one. I made blindfolds out of them and put them over their eyes, at this time everyone was looking at us wondering what was going on. I motioned for everyone to be quiet. Di and I went out to the shop and brought the Tucson's up and parked behind them. It wasn't quiet anymore. We came up and told them to take their blindfolds off. We told them happy Mother's Day. It was quite a sight watching them, Carrie did not have a car and mom's old clunker was on its last legs. After everyone looked the cars over. They all started going home. Dad and Jim called me over and said they wanted to talk to me. We went into the study. They looked a little awkward at first, finally saying, we know you've been spending a lot of money helping people and buying things. Now that you are starting a family and we know you haven't been working for a while. We are worried about how you're going to take care of them.

I said, "No problem we're doing all right." Going over to the desk. I pulled out the checkbook with the balance of $63,000. Dad said that's not a lot. I showed them the bank balance $673,000 that got their attention. Jim just shook his head.

"If you're still worried, and keep your mouths shut, not telling anyone not even Carrie or mom. They do talk at times we don't want anyone to know about this." I then took them down to the basement and opened the cupboard with the secret door behind it. This is my special room. Against one wall, set my big safe. I looked at them again and said no one is to know about this. They promised and I open the safe. There set, 380 pounds of gold. I never saw them speechless before; Jim was trying to say how much. I told them at today's price over 7 million.

Later that evening we were watching TV, making out some and headed off to bed. Another night like that, and we may have to buy a new bed.

About seven o'clock the next morning, trucks and equipment started rolling into the backyard. Di asks what going on, Troy and his crew and Carl, who works for Troy, Jimmy and Eric was starting to work in the backyard. Troy and Carl are master carpenters, Troy, a general contractor. Jimmy is master electrician and Eric a master plumber; the five of us all went vocational at the start of high school.

I put my arms around her gave her a special kiss. "Even though you're not a mother yet happy Mother's Day. Hope you enjoy your new swimming pool."

About nine o'clock Steve called me said he would like to talk to me. Having not been at work for almost a year, except for some part-time. Maybe he was going to fire me. I drove down to the shop and went into the office. He said he had been at this for a long time and he had decided to close or sell the shop. His wife wanted to be closer to their daughter who lived in South Carolina.

The shop was special to me and I didn't want to see it close. Asking Steve what he wanted for the place we came to an agreement. And I said I would buy it. We called the other four employees in and filled them in on what was going on. I asked them if they had any objections about working for me. Everything was okay. So it looks like I bought myself a shop. I called home and filled her in on what had just happen.

We were in the kitchen starting supper when mom called and asked to bring Di over to the house. They had something to tell us, when we went in. Jim and Carrie were there and looked upset. Dad said since the government was shutting down most of our domestic oil and coal supply and that Jim had been let go at work. He worked for one of the oil companies.

We sat around and hashed things out for a while. When I came up with an idea to put on the table. Jim was a welder and fabricator and a good one. I asked him if he could do mufflers and tailpipes, trailer hitches and tow bars. He said he probably could, it shouldn't be that hard. Dad seen where I was going and said, "It might work." There was an empty warehouse between dad's shop and the machine shop. All we need to start work is a couple of hoist, mig welder, plasma cutter, cutting torch and a tube bender.

We could add a mobile unit to pick up farm equipment in the surrounding area. Everyone liked the idea so it looks like we now have a welding shop.

Within two weeks the shop was set up and operational. We bought Jim's welding truck that he used when he worked, for the Oil Company. He was putting it to good use on the surrounding farms repairing equipment. He was getting plenty of work.

Diana and I were back up to the claim worked until the end of July. At six months I didn't want her working anymore. We shut down the claim and came home.

After a long day of setting up a nursery in an adjoining bedroom, we went for a swim and later we were lying in the hammock. I was playing with her nipples and breasts. I thought of Proverbs. 5-19. "Let her breasts satisfy thee at all times; and be ravished always with her love." I told her you know these are going to go to D or maybe double D's she hit me in the ribs. "You know you're awful." "I know it and think how much I'm going to play with them, when they're full of milk." With her prettiest smile she hit me again.

Paul and Bee came by for a visit. Paul had been laid off and was looking for work. He said he hated working in an office and his major had been a waste of time. I ask him, if he wanted to work for me. The work would be long and hard. He said he was willing to try it.

We worked the claim weekdays and were home on the weekends. Paul turned out to be a real good worker, he found out he liked working with his hands more than setting in an office. The next two months we worked another 400 feet of the lava flow, leaving only 200 to go.

Di was now eight months along; I stayed home for the next three months.

When Divina came. I took lots of pictures and recorded her birth. It took some getting used to having a baby around the house, but we were very happy.

Sitting on the couch holding Divina with Di, snuggled up next to me. What more could a man want. The baby is the crowning achievement of our marriage.

We finished with the lava flow and the creek and where the old waterfall used to be. There was a bit of a glory hole, after finishing up we now had 1180 pounds of gold in the safe. That's over 25 million at today price. I rented a D6 cat and leveled out the Valley, pushing dirt over-the-top and planting grass. We now had almost a block of level Valley with the stream running on the south side. While I had the Cat I made a new road all the way up to camp. We put in a picnic area with a canopy and four spots where you could park an RV and a playground for the kids.

I pay Paul six hundred a week and I gave him a bonus of $250,000. They bought a house, a couple blocks down the street from us.

It's been seven months since Divina was born. We were in bed making love. When I rolled on my side and started rubbing her stomach. Once again she asked what was I doing, "Andrew Williams Travis." "Do you think so?" "Yes, I know so."

Expanding our business again. We started building custom hot rods and restoring old cars. This business has been real good for us. One thing about restoring cars from the 40s to the 60s is the chrome, so we put in a chrome plating plant along with upholstery shop, expanded the engine shop to include transmissions and rear ends. Our business is really growing and doing quite well. Paul now runs the chrome shop.

Di handles all of the bookwork, invoices and billings from home. She has an office setup there, which ties in with all of the computers at work.

During the summers we spend a lot of time at the claim. It's a great place for the kids to play. Sometimes on special occasions, we leave the kids with their grandmothers and redo our honeymoon. I kind of miss the old trailer but the new RV has all the comforts of home.

It's been eight years since we were married; the kids have grown a lot. Di still runs the office from home and home schools the kids. We are a co-op, which has about 20 kids. Bee and Paul have three kids. The business is doing very well and has an excellent reputation across the country for the work that we do.