Date: Wed, 29 Apr 2009 21:18:30 -0700 (PDT) From: John Colorado Subject: Logging camp chapter 7 Logging Camp by John of Colorado clrdjhn@yahoo.com Chapter 7 If you are not of age or man/man sex bothers you, then I suggest you leave NOW! Why are you still here, I told you to leave! The names have been changed but the story itself is basically based upon facts. However, some of it is fiction. "Grandpa, Your life was certainly different. It sounds like you really enjoyed it. I must ask, Do you have any regrets or would you have done anything differently?' "Jim, I am not ashamed of anything that I did in my life. I know many people would condemn me and many preachers would say that I am going to rot in hell. Our God is a just one and one of love. I know that I will have a mansion in that beautiful place for all eternity. I keep his commandants and have lived a good clean life." "When my Dad committed suicide, I felt that it was my fault. It took Scotty a long time to convenience me that I didn't make him do anything. What he did was his own choosing. I shouldn't blame myself and that I should forgive him. I finally came to terms with myself and was able to forgive and forget. I was then able to move forward and lead a good life." "I am just sorry that I didn't try to find my family after they moved to Texas. I know that my mother has probably passed away but I should still have brothers and sisters still living. I think that I would like to try to located them. I know where they would have gone in Texas and probably could drive to the old home place even now." "Grandpa, I know my Mother doesn't have long to live and will be gone in two or three months. I would like to go with you and Dad to Texas. They are my family, too. I know you raised him but he still considers you his father. Are you going to tell me the story about my Dad? I know we both would certainly like to know." "Jim, Thank you. I would welcome both of you to accompany me to Texas. Yes, to your last question. I am almost to that point in my life. I just have a few chapters left. I want to have all of this published and bound into a leather back book and I want to organize all my pictures, have copies mad and put them in an identical bound album. I would like to give a copy of each to your Dad but he is not to know about this project until it is finished and presented to him. I am making a copy for you also and one copy is going to my family in Texas. "Grandpa, do you realized what this is going to do to him?" "Yes, I know, but he will have something to keep. If I told him, it would soon be forgotten. And he would have nothing." "Grandpa, let's get back to work. I can't wait to get this finished!" " Turn on that blasted machine and let's do it." "We had arrived back in New York and caught our train to St. Louis. All of the bachelors were there waiting for us. One of the them was sick and told the rest he would come home later. What a joyous reunion. We all tried to talk at once but we decided that we could tell our stories on the way home." "Finally, we made it Portland and took the Grayhound Bus home to Bend. It was good to be home but we will always remember this trip." "Life went on. The bachelor, who did not return with us from St. Louis, took a turn for the worse and died from complications to his illness. He made me his sole heir and left a substantial sum of money, stocks, and bonds." Days passed in to weeks and weeks into months, soon we celebrated my 25th birthday! However, there was only Scotty and one other bachelor left. Each bachelor when he died added a little more to my `nest egg'. I slowly had lots of money. With Scotty's help and good investments, my future looked very bright. Two weeks later, an event happened that would change my life forever." "One evening, a young woman with a 1 year old son showed up and asked Scottie for a job. Of course, Scotty and I `had gone out of business'. Scotty had a soft heart and told her that we were looking for a house keeper and she could have it if she wanted and she accepted." " We put her up in one of the cabins and she could clean and cook for us. I took over the job of baby-sitting for her while she worked. The little boy's name was Samuel but we called him Sammy for short." Yes, Jim that is your father and now the for the rest of the story. "Scotty and I found out that the young woman had gotten pregnant and had married the father. He turned out to be a loser, never working, in trouble with law and a wife abuser. She was severely beaten on the daily basis. Finally, she couldn't take it any more and left him. She had Sammy after she had left her husband and never knew that he had a son. That was when she showed up on our door with no money and no place to go." " We did not know her name or where she came from. She wanted it to remain that way. This way her husband would have no way of tracing her. She asked us if anything happen to her, would we take her son and not let her husband even know that he existed.. She wanted us to give him a good home and raise him as our own. Without even discussing it we agreed." "Sammy became my son and Scotties' grandson. We were walking on cloud nine. Our bonds were growing stronger as the days went by. Sammy's mother was delighted that we had `adopted' him. She was at peace now. She told us everyday, how lucky she was to find us. She maintained that some mysterious power had led her to us and we agreed. This was her home now forever." Sammy's mother had a birth certificate for him. He had been born at home in Idaho. She had left the father's name blank She wanted to have it to have it changed so that I would be listed as the father. If anything happen to her, Sammy would become my son. We had our lawyer prepare the paper work and Sammy was listed as my son. "She had been with us for about six months and we had told every one that she was my wife, Kate. I had gotten Kate pregnant and Sammy was my son and we had the paper work to prove it. Everyone was happy for us and we were happy for ourselves." This was one lie that I didn't mind telling. Sammy became my son. Scotty was just as proud as I was and we both took turns spoiling him. "One day, Kate was sweeping off the front porch and came screaming into the house. "Take Sammy and go hide him. His father is coming up the walk. I did not hesitate and took Sammy out the back door and took him to the bachelor's cabin. I was barely inside and heard three gun shots." "Keep Sammy and don't let anyone take him!" "I ran back to the house as fast as I could. I wasn't prepared for what I found. Scotty and Kate lay on the floor hugging each other. There was a bullet hole in each of their heads. I knew they dead. Not far away lay the stranger. He had killed Scottie and Kate and then turned the gun on himself. " "By this time the bachelor was there. He had left Sammy at his cabin. "Call the police!" and I passed out." "I don't know how long I was out but when I came around, the police and ambulance were there. The bachelor was standing there holding little Sammy and he handed him to me. They were loading Scottie into the ambulance. By some kind of miracle he had survived, the bullet didn't penetrate his skull and had just glanced him, knocking him unconscious. Kate wasn't so lucky and neither was her shooter-husband." "Scottie spent three weeks in the hospital and finally came home. I was glad to see him and Sammy even more-so. Scottie lived for two more weeks and then he was gone. "The Police ruled this as a murder and suicide. They were never able to identify the shooter. His fingerprints were on file but he had used several different aliases. They were not able to find any marriages or any clue to his true identification. They could not find any thing for Kate, even in the town where Sammy was born." "They bought my story about finding Kate on the streets of Portland, working as a hooker. I moved her in with me and we had Sammie. I told them that she went to her mother's to have him. They could find absolutely no birth records. For some reason, they bought my story and allowed me to keep him. Jim, So that is how I became the father of your father! To this day, I have absolutely no idea who his mother really was. I tried many times with no luck. I guess it will always remain a mystery." "Grandpa, as I said before, In my Dad's heart, you are his father and my Grandfather. You are the only grandfather that I will ever have or want. I love you, Grandpa." "I love you to Jim!" Grandpa said through all the tears. " I will be right back. I have something I want to show you." He returned carrying a small brown envelope and handed it to me. "Open it Jim. These are the only pictures I have of your Grandmother." My hands were shaking so badly, that I could barely open the envelope. "Oh, Grandpa, she is beautiful." I was crying so bad, that I though I was going to faint but didn't. "Has my dad seen these pictures?" "No, I made a promise to Kate that I would never tell Sammy about his mother and that included the pictures. I promised not to tell until the time is right. Now the time is right. For some reason, which we will never know, she wanted her past kept a secret. I have told you all that I know about her." "Grandpa, I think we need a break. I don't think I can take any more emotional stress right Now." "Good Idea! Let's go swimming." Grandpa said through his tears. We had a good swim and then decided just to take it easy and go into Bend and have dinner and maybe take in a movie. Grandpa asked where I would like to eat and immediately I said `Chinese'. "Jim, I thought that would be you reply. You really like that Jon, don't you?" "You bet! He is the best. I think I am in love!" "Would you like to have him all to yourself? There are a couple of others that I can spend the night with." "That would be great! Are sure you are ok with that?" "Sure thing, I have already called and told Jon that we were coming!"