Yakima Ch. 13-14

"Where are you going to be working?"

"The antique place where I bought the rocker. They were looking for a sales person. I think I can make a difference there, especially on the weekends. I'll be on a base salary plus commissions, just like the car salesmen. I'm pretty confident that I can do well there."

I was silent for a while. This was quite a surprise. Reese was going back to school at age thirty-eight and working toward a business management degree. Not only that, she was moving out of Yakima. Not far away, but away from her hometown. What struck me was how confident she sounded. I hoped her confidence was not misplaced.

"Good luck to you, Reese. Make sure you stay close to Jess and Matt. They'll want to know how you are doing."

"I expect to find Matt at Central the year after next, Graham. I'm told they've got a pretty darn good baseball program."

"I'm sure he'll think carefully about that, Reese. It would be great if he were that close to home. I'll let you tell him all about the campus."

"Too bad they don't have co-ed dorms, Graham. He could bunk in with me and I could keep him on the straight and narrow," she laughed.

"I doubt that would sit very well with him," I chuckled in return. "One thing about leaving home and heading to college is that you get away from your parents, not share a room with them."

"Well, I wouldn't do that to him anyway," she said, before falling silent for a moment.

I was about to say something when Reese spoke.

"I'm happy for you, Graham. Allison is a good woman and will make you a very good wife. I know you'll be happy. I'm sorry for all the grief and misery I've caused you, but I guess we've gone over that enough already. I'll stay in touch with you and the children. I'll talk to Allison later today and let her know my plans.

"Good luck, Reese. I wish the best for you," I said sincerely.

Chapter 14 Loose Ends

I'd missed quite a bit of work thanks to my injuries and then my post-recuperative visits to Seattle. I had to press hard to catch up with the budgeting process that fall. Luckily, the city manager had allowed Frank to give me a hand and walk me through my first budget. I thought it would be a numbers exercise, but I learned quickly that politics was a big factor as well. What did the public want to know and what would they support. The opposite of that, of course, was politically dangerous and had to be "massaged." I had a lot to learn.

The budgeting was completed in late-November and presented to the city manager for his endorsement. It would then be move up the political chain to city council and, among other budget items, would be debated and hopefully passed. If it failed to gain council approval, it would be bounced back to me and we would go over it to see what we could do to make it more acceptable. I wondered what the chances of it getting through council might be. I was keeping my fingers crossed.

Ali was quite disappointed in Reese tendering her resignation for the end of the year. It wasn't a make-work position any more. Reese had proven her worth by organizing and cataloging all the cars and trucks in the used inventory and noting how long they had been on the lot. At some point, the units that didn't sell within a reasonable period of time would be moved off to wholesalers. It would mean a loss in profit potential, but money tied up on the lot was a cost all on its own. As a rule in business, the first loss is the best loss. Now Ali was faced with replacing my ex-wife and hoping to find someone as thorough and as dedicated.

"She didn't even stay a year," Ali complained one evening.

"I know. But, I can understand how she would be uncomfortable with working for you now. You are her replacement in her home. I'm sure that would have a psychological effect on her. It's best to look for someone to replace her in enough time to have Reese train them. She invented the system, so who's best to teach it?"

"I know you're right, Grime, but I wish she would stay. She's saved us a lot of cash with her management. She could go to school at night, or on the Internet. We'd even look after her tuition."

"Sweetheart, if you feel this strongly about it, talk to her. Tell her how you feel. Make sure she understands that we would never do anything to make her life difficult. Hell, haven't you and Kim and Miles proven that?"

Ali was nodding. "I've got to give it a go. I'll sit her down and give her my best sales pitch. You couldn't resist it, so maybe she won't either," she smiled.

"I'll leave it in your capable hands," I replied.

~*~

"Are you ready for this?" I asked my bride.

"I've been ready for this for years, my love. I know it's old hat for you, but this is a first time for me. Even if it's a civil ceremony, it's a big knee-knocker for this old girl," Ali said with a nervous smile.

Frank stood up for me, while Sharon Tremaine acted as witness for Ali. The two women had become quite good friends as they got to know each other during my recovery period. Kim, Miles, my parents, and all three children were present for the simple ceremony. We held it at Kim's house, and the reception would be there as well. The justice performing the ceremony was a friend and associate of Miles. It was over in a few short minutes and Ali and I were now officially man and wife.

I didn't feel anywhere near as nervous as Ali had. Perhaps because I'd once been through a formal wedding, or perhaps because we had been living together with our children for a few weeks. There were almost twenty friends and associates at both the ceremony and the reception afterwards. My new boss Soren and his wife Edith, Frank and Janet Martinez, Sharon and Don Tremaine, as well as a couple of friends of my parents and Kim and Miles. It was the perfect size group for the occasion.

Our honeymoon would be postponed for a few weeks until the budget was passed, but I already had plans for both Ali and the children. I had discussed it with Ali and I was pretty sure our three offspring would be both surprised and delighted with our choice. They would be going with us on a Caribbean cruise in early January. Matt and Jack would bunk together, Jess would have a separate cabin, while Ali and I would have our cabin. All the cabins would have an ocean view. A further surprise would be that Jess could invite Mindy to come with her. Mindy was an only child and had been friends with Jess since grade school. I had already cleared it with Mindy's parents, asking them to keep it a secret until Jess could invite her.

Miles had helped arrange the transfer of ownership on our house from joint to my name. I had an appraisal done independent of the one Reese was given when she put the house up for sale and it was close enough that I suggested we take the higher one and I would buy Reese's share at fifty-percent of that number. She quickly agreed. It still left me with a very nice sum in my investment accounts and, with both my salary and Ali's, we would have a substantial income for the household.

Kim, never the one to steal anyone's special day, quietly told us that she and Miles would be getting married in the spring. They had not set a firm date, but said it would be May of next year and both Ali and I were delighted and congratulated them. It would be made public at a future date, but was just between the four of us for now. I thought there was a perfect symmetry to the events of that special day. I felt good about my new family and I know they felt the same way about me.

It was two weeks later that Sharon announced a visitor to our office.

"Graham, there's a Mr. Graves to see you," she said over the intercom.

"Uh ... okay ... send him in," I said after some thought.

Sharon would never normally announce someone who didn't have an appointment and whom I'd never met. There must have been a reason. She opened my office door as I stood and ushered a young man in, closing the door behind him.

"Yes, what can I do for you?" I asked as I extended my hand to him in greeting.

"Uhhm, Sir, I'm Mark Graves. It was my truck that you hit when I backed out onto the street. I came to apologize."

I was completely taken aback. I had not recognized the name until he put a frame of reference around it. I looked at the young man. Tall, thin, some acne still visible, dressed reasonably well in slacks and a dress shirt, open at the neck. It took me a couple of moments until I could regain my wits.

"Have a seat, Mark," I said, wondering what I could say to the young guy.

"Sir ... I wasn't supposed to do this, but I felt really bad about the accident I caused. I wasn't paying attention and you got hurt really bad. The insurance guy said I shouldn't talk to you, but ... I needed to. I didn't mean for it to happen, but it did and I caused it."

I was still trying to collect my thoughts, but a feeling of relief was coming over me. Was this what I had been waiting for? I thought it was.

"Mark, I understand. I can tell you that afterwards I was quite angry that no one had apologized for what happened. I knew that either your lawyer or the insurance company ... or both ... wouldn't want you to say anything. They were trying to keep from having to pay out a lot of money. Well, that's over with now. The settlement is done and there isn't any more risk to you or them.

"So ... I guess what I want to say is ... thank you. Thank you for having the courage to come here and apologize. That took guts. If it's any consolation, I forgive you. I was never angry about you making a mistake, only that I couldn't get anyone to apologize for the pain and the other things that went along with it. Luckily, I have a great family and they really helped me with my recovery. I'm good now."

I saw tears trickling down the face of the young guy. I'm not sure if they were tears of relief or sorrow or ... what.

"Thank you, Mr. Rideout. I really appreciate that. I won't forget this ... and I won't make the same mistake again," he said, standing and extending his hand to me.

I shook it firmly and clapped him on the shoulder. I opened the door to my office and as he stepped through, he turned back to me.

"Congratulations on your marriage, Sir. I saw it in the paper and I knew I had to do this."

"Thank you, Mark. You made my day," I smiled. He had indeed made my day.

~*~

"He really did that?" Ali said in surprise. "He came to your office and apologized?"

"Yes he did. And it wasn't some half-hearted apology, either. I was impressed. I felt really good when he left. It was one of those anger things that I could finally put away for good."

"I'm so glad, Grime. I can see it had a big effect on you. I'm happy for you ... and me too. It's another thing that's gone right since the accident."

I was curious. "So how did your meeting with Reese go? Were you able to change her mind?"

"No. She's set her mind to leaving. It's an emotional decision, Grime. I'm sure she's disappointed that you and she didn't get back together again. I know you told her that it wouldn't happen, but I'm sure she held out hope that you'd change your mind. She hasn't changed her mind to go back to school and get a business degree."

"Well, if she's that determined, I guess she'll probably make it. Knowing Reese, once she makes her mind up, it's pretty well set in concrete."

Ali giggled at my unintentional pun. "Your son wants to talk to you as well when you get a chance," she told me.

"Our son, Ali. Our son," I said with emphasis.

That brought another smile and a kiss. "Of course, Grime. Our son."

"Okay, do you know what it's about?"

"No, but it was something that happened at school today. I don't think it's a problem," she said, showing no sign of concern.

I made contact with Matt just before dinner. He was studying in his room.

"What's up, Matt?" I asked as I approached him.

"Coach Wilson from our high school baseball team came to see me today. He wants Donny and me to play for the team next spring. He said he really needed some better players and that we wouldn't be contending for the division title this year, but maybe next year. He said I'd be playing regularly if I played like I did in Babe Ruth."

"So he saw you play last spring?"

"Yeah. He said someone had contacted him about my play in Babe Ruth ball. Donny says he talked to him too."

"Huh! How about that," I smiled. "Looks like you and Donny have been attracting attention. So, how do you feel about playing for him?"

"That would be okay, Dad. It's not a great team, but the competition would be a lot tougher. I'd find out pretty quick if I'm any good or not."

"What happens next?" I asked.

"They're having some tryouts in late February if there's no snow on the ground. After that, a couple of exhibition games outside the division, then the season starts near the end of March. We play sixteen games until the end of May."

"Sounds like you've made up your mind to play for the school team," I smiled. "In the meantime, if you and Donny were to do some practicing on your own, that wouldn't hurt."

"Yeah ... sure, but it's going to get cold soon. Maybe we can use the tennis place. It's got a cover. I'll go ask them."

"Why don't you talk to Coach Wilson? He may have some ideas about drills or other ways you can work out."

"Good idea, Dad. Thanks! Thanks a lot," he said with a big smile, heading for the dining table.

~*~

We had a great Christmas. All the family was together for both Christmas Eve and the following day. The main dinner was held at our house and luckily our table extended long enough for all nine of us, although it was tight quarters. I don't think we went overboard, but we did give some nice presents to all the family. The special gift of the cruise in the Caribbean went over the best with the youngsters. Less than five minutes after we passed out the copies of the tickets, all three were on the Internet, looking up the name of the cruise ship and the locations we would visit.

Ali plopped down in my lap Sunday evening after we had cleaned up the kitchen.

"We've got one happy young trio in our midst," she said, wrapping her arms around my neck.

"Their old man is pretty happy too," I smiled as I kissed her. "I've got the most beautiful wife in creation, a lovely young daughter, and two great sons. I don't know what more I could ask for."

"Perfect weather for our honeymoon cruise," she said immediately.

"Are you sure you're okay with combining that with the youngsters? After all, a honeymoon is supposed to be just for the two of us."

"We've got our own cabin, and I'm told they are soundproof. We can test that, of course," she grinned, poking me in the chest.

"I'm going to hold you to that. I'm ready for a vacation. Getting that budget through council was no fun at all. They looked at every line item and picked them apart. I wish I felt they were just as money conscious when they come up with some of their hare-brained schemes for spending money we don't have in the budget."

"That's not your worry, Grime. You've done your job. Now all you have to do is make sure your people carry it out. Simple, eh?" she chuckled.

"Maybe I should have gone into the car business. I'm sure it's much easier than running a city works department," I moaned.

"Oh, sure it is," she said with a look of disdain. "I'll tell Mum you said so."

"Okay, I take it back." I quickly surrendered, not because of her threat, but because I didn't want to get into an argument with Ali. I was feeling too good to do that.

~*~

There had to be some privileges for being the honeymoon couple on this trip. I had put the four young people in regular class, while Ali and I sat up front in first class. We both made visits to the kids on the nearly five hour flight, but said nothing about the extra service we got up front. It didn't really matter. They were delighted with their seats and excited about the trip. Matt made sure Jack got the window seat in his row and, with mostly clear weather once we left the northwest, he got quite a view. Mindy and Jess were across the aisle and busy plotting their ten days together.

As with my personal vacation, I had planned a day in Miami before we boarded the ship and three days to take in Washington, D.C., on our return. I hadn't told the kids about that little detour yet. It was a bonus with some education thrown in as well. I had booked a tour of George Washington's home in Mount Vernon. I knew the Smithsonian would blow them away, so I saved that for last. Ali, of course, was in on all the planning and was delighted with it.

If we were worried about our privacy on the cruise, we should not have bothered. From the moment we boarded, the kids couldn't wait to explore the ship and disappeared as soon as they had found their rooms. The luggage would be delivered a little later and, since Ali and I had keys to their rooms, we could see to the unpacking and putting things away. I was sure it would be the last time we would see a neat, orderly cabin from any of them.

If there was one constant, it was the children finding us and asking for more money. There were souvenirs to be bought along with clothing from the arcade on the boat as well as the shops in the towns we visited. Mindy had been well supplied with cash, Ali discovered, and was very frugal with her spending. Jess ... not so much.

I really enjoyed having Jack with us. He was wide-eyed and enthusiastic about everything we did and saw. This was better than Disneyland, in his book. More than one pool to swim in. Games to play, other kids to meet and play with, places on the boat to explore. It was ten days of pure fun for him. More interestingly, he was just as happy to spend time with Ali and me as he was with the other three youngsters. He was soaking up the strange new worlds he was being exposed to with delight.

Aside from the bars, the Casino and the Lido Stage, our ship really catered to the young. Matt, Jess and Mindy were constantly seen with other young people, exchanging experiences and having a great time. I couldn't have arranged a better vacation for them under any circumstances.

That's not to say that Ali and I didn't have plenty of privacy for our own enjoyment. We slept in most mornings and stayed up late in the evening. We had developed a habit of moving to the upper deck after dinner and relaxing with a drink as we watched the ship's progress. We danced in the lounge below and attended a couple of the stage shows that were meant for adults only. All that did was put us in the mood for romance when we retired to our cabin.

I think the young people were somewhat down when we docked in Miami after ten days at sea. I nudged Ali in the ribs as we prepared to debark.

"When should I tell them about Washington?" I asked her quietly.

"We're a few minutes at least before we get off. Why don't you tell them now?"

"Okay. Kids ... gather around. I have some news for you."

I saw the looks of surprise and wondering on their faces.

"We're not going right home. We're going to the capital ... Washington, D.C. We're going to spend some time seeing the sights of famous places and people. I hope you aren't disappointed."

"Do my mom and dad know about this?" Mindy asked.

"Yes, they do, Mindy," I assured her. "We made sure they knew before we invited you to come along."

"Will we see the White House?" Jess asked.

"Absolutely. On top of that, we're going to visit Mount Vernon, George Washington's home, and the Smithsonian too," I said enthusiastically.

"Yay!" was Jack's quick vocal response.

Now that surprised me. "What makes it so good for you, Jack?"

"We read about Washington in school," he explained. "I want to see it. I'll be able to tell all the kids in my class that I've been there."

"Yes, you will," I agreed, delighted that Jack was so enthusiastic. I looked at the other three and they were just as happy. I had made a good choice to include this addition to our trip.