Date: Wed, 11 May 2016 10:56:39 -0400 From: Eff Del Subject: The Oak and the Ash Chapter 15 *The Oak and the Ash- Chapter 15* *By Eff Del* Nolitimere156@gmail.com *When you have lost our way and all that you can recognize is despondency and fear, you must begin to work on yourself.* *It is essential that you find tranquility to immure you from this mindset.* *You need to get your heart, soul and mind back into unity in order to protect you from the dread and horror that are ultimately not so very real.* As I awakened, Sean was out like a light and I carefully slid out of bed and jumped into the shower. I pulled on some shorts and a polo shirt and walked down stairs. As I walked into the room, I realized that it was filled with chatter and laughter. Gathered in the kitchen were Julia, a handsome and well-built man and two absolutely gorgeous young boys. "Good morning you all. Sean is still sleeping and so is Doctor Mohamad. This gives us time to get to know each other," Julia smiled and said; "Mister Eric, this is my husband Henry." I took his firm handshake. "I'm very glad to meet you Henry." "I'm sorry that they're here but I had to bring these little terrors along so, please meet Todd he's eleven and Luke here is nine." The boys looked at me with glistening brown faces and devilish grins and shook my hand as they were introduced. "I'm glad to meet you boys. I suspect that your parents are going to ensure that you grow to be fine young men. I'm already impressed. So, my son is being a slug a bed. Why don't you go get him and drag him out to the pool? You can all have your breakfast later." I led the two adults to the chairs in the dining area and Henry and I had cups of coffee. "As of last night Mr. Perkins no longer works for me and has no relationship with this house. I need people that I can trust to maintain this property honestly and professionally I'd like to think that's you. I want the both of you to work for me here." They both looked at me shocked. I didn't give them much time, I simply handed them the proposals I'd prepared and printed last night. These were offers to Julia and Henry and they were shocked as they read them. Individually, they each represented considerably more than they'd ever earned, together, they amounted to a mind-blowing income and I hadn't finished discussing the proposals yet. I paid my important employees extravagantly. That was a fact greatly appreciated by them and earned me great loyalty as well as extraordinary job performance. In a few instances (such as the now dismissed Lynn Perkins), rather than being appreciated, these compensation packages were taken as a sign of lassitude and weakness. Such employees were dismissed as soon as this attitude was discovered. "Mister Tucker is this for real?" "You bet Julia. I take care of my important people. You'll also move into the caretaker's house. It has three bedrooms which will handle your wonderful family. Mr. Perkins was supposed to be living there but it seems he felt the need to occupy the big cottage as well as the master suite. By the way, you'll live in the Caretaker's house rent-free so you can add your current rent into your compensation package as well. If you agree, I'd like for you to start moving in tomorrow." I like to know that my properties are well cared for, and I trust that you and Henry will do that. Henry, your salary should be more than sufficient to allow you to spend most of your time here on the property with your family, but if you receive an offer for outside jobs, feel free to accept them just so long as they don't interfere with the care of my cottage and grounds. We also need to think about the boys so; I'm going to have them enrolled in Frederica Academy on St. Simons Island. It's a wonderful private school that goes right through High School so, they won't have to change schools and friends that I know they're going to make. This way, they won't have to be bussed to Brunswick every day and the small classroom sizes will allow them personal and expert attention from the staff. We need to ensure that they both receive an excellent education." Henry stared at me and asked; "Mister Eric, why are you doing this for us?" I smiled (because it felt so good); "Henry, I'm doing it because it's the right thing to do: Nothing more and nothing less. >From the moment I met Julia yesterday, I had a hunch, and this morning I met you and your two boys and I was convinced. Your family will treat this property with love and respect. You would not use it to inflate your perceived position. You would never goof off, put on airs or disrespect this wonderful cottage or this property. I allow many people to use this cottage over the course of the year. You'll never be surprised by the arrival of such people...except by me of course." I grinned at them. "You'll always have lots of warning before someone shows up. At those times Julia, I expect you to be prepared to provide meals for them unless they choose to dine elsewhere; which I'm certain will be often by the way. Henry you will drive them and usually pick them up at the airport and offer any other aide and assistance that they require. If they are here, it's because they are important to me so...beds will be made, towels changed...you know the drill; hospitality will be your first concern. If nobody is staying here...me cassa su cassa. You and the boys use the pool and every other amenity on the property." I took a sip of my coffee and smiled at them; "So, do we have a deal guys?" Julia got up and hugged Henry then she turned to me with a smile; "How do you want your eggs boss?" I grinned. "Three over easy with wheat toast if we have wheat bread. If we don't, remember that I like it next time I'm here." Things were interrupted by the raucous laughter of three boys as Sean entered the room with Todd and Luke. They were all naked and giggling like lifelong friends. "Boys! What are you doing with no clothes on?" "Momma, Sean told us that's how he swims back home an we wanted to try it." "I don't pretty much care how you swim Luke but I certainly do care how you stand before your Momma and I certainly care how you stand before guests. Now the three of you go get on some pants and then hurry on down for breakfast!" I glanced over and Henry was giggling. "Boys...aren't nothing like them. They are the joy of my life. The best thing that a man can do is to guide his young boys into this old world properly Mister Eric." "I agree with that my friend." I accepted my plate from Julia and dove into my breakfast. Shortly, the apple of my eye came into the room. "Dad, Todd and Luke say that they're going to take me seining for shrimp and harvesting oysters...won't that make for a great supper?" I glanced at Henry who just nodded quietly. "OK boys. We're counting on you to produce a wonderful meal. Henry, you and I will spend a morning changing credentials for you guys confirming your rights to live on and maintain the property and access to get on and off the causeway. Then we'll register Todd and Luke in the Academy. Julia, please look around the Caretaker's House and let me know what needs attention and don't be embarrassed to suggest any improvements or changes. It's going to become your home." "You're gonna make me cry Mister Eric." "No Julia, you two are going to make me happy. I'll feel so much better about this cottage. Henry, let's get to it." It took until two o'clock before we'd gotten everything done. I had Lynn Perkins' codes and credentials canceled and the Tarlton's established with codes and all requirements. Enrolling Todd and Luke into Frederica Academy turned out to be relatively simple. My name was recognized and the paperwork moved smoothly. The boys were scheduled for testing tomorrow. "I don't know how much those scamps are going to like that." Henry laughed as we walked back to the car. "Oh, they'll probably hate it but once they're established in the school, I suspect they will be happy to have gone through this. So Henry, there will be times that you'll need to represent me personally so, we need to improve your wardrobe." I directed him to an old and well-respected haberdasher located in an upscale little mall; `the shops at Sea Island'... the best choice in the area. I had him fitted for three suits, two blazers and six pairs of slacks (three grey and three tan). We also picked up a dozen oxford-cloth dress shirts (six white and six light blue) and I helped him select a dozen neckties. I paid the substantial bill and Henry just looked on bewildered "They'll be ready in a week so, make certain you pick them up Henry. I'm going to instruct Julia to go shopping for some up-scale clothing for herself. I'll talk to her tonight." "You're blowing my mind Mister Eric." "No, Henry, you and Julia blow my mind and I'm happy to have you on my team. By the way, if you work for me, I'm `Eric' not; `Mister Eric'. Let's go have lunch where should we go?" He grinned over at me. "Does it have to be fancy or just good?" "Just good Henry." "Then, we're going to Willy's Weenie Wagon" on the mainland. He smiled as we drove down the causeway to Brunswick. "Have you ever had a pork chop sandwich Eric?" "No, I don't think I've even heard of a pork chop sandwich Henry." He smiled over at me and said; "Then you're in for a real treat. I hope you don't mind sitting at a wooden picnic table and eating out of a paper bag. I promise that your tongue will thank you. Oh, I should tell you that you'll be drinking sweet tea because they don't serve beer there. You still ok with that?" I smiled at him as we reached the end of the causeway. "That all sounds great to me Henry and the idea of a pork chop sandwich is fascinating." Willy's Weenie Wagon turned out to be an essentially cinder block building standing alone on the very busy Altama Road in Brunswick, Georgia. It was after two o'clock so it wasn't terribly busy though it was still a bit of a problem to find a parking space. This unimposing little joint was quite popular. Smiling broadly, Henry said; "Trust me on this Eric. This place serves great hot dogs but there are great hot dogs available all over the world. When I was in the Marines, I got moved all over the place and every town claimed to have some little joint that served the best hot dogs in the world and they're all usually excellent but trust me on this...this place claims to serve the best pork chop sandwich in the world and I believe it to be true." Henry walked up to the outside ordering window and ordered four pork chop sandwiches a large order or fries and two sweet teas. He reached for his wallet and I pushed him aside. "When I dine with my important staff Henry, it's always on the company." He grinned and said; "I like that idea a lot Eric." We sat on benches at one of the outdoor picnic tables waiting for our number to be called, we made small talk, and I asked him about his service. He gave me a funny look and softly replied; "Eric I was just a grunt when Desert Storm broke out and I was proud and determined to serve with honor even though we heard that Saddam had the most exquisite army in the Middle East. That turned out not to be true and we kind of ate them up but I'm not proud of some of the things we did and the way some of our troops behaved. Even though I'd enlisted in the Marines, I'd never thought that I'd kill anybody and before the experience was over, I'd killed people...some of them I don't think needed killing. I must have pleased my superiors because when they brought me back stateside, they brought me to Pendleton in California and knocked me up the ladder and suddenly I was training recruits. I loved it out there in San Diego. The weather was the best I've ever experienced. The only problem was that off-base, there wasn't much of a black community and while there was never any animosity; anytime you went in the local towns, you always got the impression that they wished you'd go someplace else. Well, I knew I wasn't inferior to any of them. I could have gone to college...I'd had a scholarship offer from the University of Tennessee but I'd gotten caught up in the patriotic frenzy after the 9-11 toppling of the Twin Towers and I'd joined the Marines. Eventually, I got bumped up to E6. One fine day, I was looking at my group of enthusiastic young white, black and brown boys doing calisthenics out on the field and it somehow struck me that the world had changed. Instead of being the major manufacturing nation in the world, overnight we'd become the world's policemen. Instead of providing steel and machinery, we were producing young men to fight and die in other nation's fights...to bleed into the ground of strange countries where the locals had no interest in fighting for themselves. Every fucking day...they ran away and our boys died. Not a day passed without a coffin containing some brave American being shipped back stateside. I don't know where that insight came from...it just struck me like an epiphany. It seemed to me that our major national product had become the blood and the flesh of our greatest treasure...our children. It was too much for me and when it came time to re-up, I declined. I took my money and bought me some tools and a nice van and kinda `handy-maned' my way `cross the country. I somehow wound up in Brunswick and soon my eye caught this pretty little girl in church. Over time even though all I had goin' was regular handy-man work, she agreed to marry me. God blessed us with two wonderful little boys. I'm older than her but by God, we love each other a lot." Just at that point, our number was called and Henry got up and went to the tall window. He returned with two bulging paper bags and then went back and retrieved two large foam cups with straws. He passed me my bag and smiled. "This ain't elegant Eric but it's delicious." I grinned at him. "Henry, believe it or not, this isn't very different from how I eat when I'm in town back home except that it's a little Mexican joint. If I bring you out for a meeting one day, we'll have lunch there." I pulled one of my sandwiches out of the white bag. It was a long soft roll and I peeked inside...a flat slab of boneless pork covered with onions and obvious seasoning that I couldn't identify if my life depended upon it. There was also seasoned mustard. I raised it to my mouth and my taste buds danced. I smiled across the table at Henry and as he bit down into his own sandwich, he winked at me. "Jeeze Henry! How damned good is this?" "I told you Eric." He chuckled. "I'd never heard of such a thing before I first came here. This little joint has been here forever though. I was working a construction job and a co-worker brought me here. I was hooked forever. After a few days of their wonderful hot dogs, I tried the pork chop sandwich and it was love at first taste. Julia thinks I'm nuts. I guess it's a guy thing. There really was a `Willy' he died several years ago and `Mrs. Willy' passed on recently but the quality of the food hasn't deteriorated." We were driving back along the causeway and I was gazing out the window at the brown/green marshland when he spoke softly; "You didn't expect that kind of a story from a black man did you?" I snapped to attention and replied; "Henry, you can believe this or not but I've not for one second considered your color. I'm very rich and yes, I've always had staff waiting on me but their race and color has never been of any importance...only their skill and value. I've learned to value people based upon their significance and worth as human beings. Your story is very interesting but it has nothing to do with my decision to turn over management of the property to you and Julia. The love in your family was the trigger and Henry...some white families love each other just as much." We grinned at each other almost simultaneously. I realized that I truly liked Henry and we were sitting out on the old brick patio sipping on glasses of scotch when Julia almost charged onto the patio. "Now you two...let's talk about this stuff! The caretaker's cottage is gigantic but our furniture is too little. The boys will have their own rooms but we've only got bunk beds..." "Wait Julia! Aren't there beds in all of the rooms? Isn't the cottage fully furnished?" "Yes Mister Eric." "Well, all of the furniture in the cottage is yours so what's the problem?" She stood almost stunned. "Just bring over those things that are special and precious to you and give away or sell the rest. I expect you guys will be my caretakers forever. And I want you to be my caretakers by tomorrow." Henry got up and laughed and poured a glass about a quarter full of scotch. "Here Baby, drink this and calm yourself down." She looked at him with fire in her dark eyes; "Henry Tarlton! You know that I'm a staunch Baptist! Why are you tryin' to tempt me?" With that, she took the glass from him and drained it in one long pull. They both laughed loud and lovingly and he pulled her into his arms. When they'd calmed down, I looked at them and seriously said; "Until you mentioned religion Julia, it never occurred to me that I needed to tell you that I'm gay. Where I live most of the time that's no big deal but I know this is the so-called `Bible Belt'. I'm suddenly hoping that's not a deal breaker between us." They both looked at me for almost a minute before they broke out grinning. "Mister Eric, even in the `Bible Belt' there are REAL Christians. We don't care who the hell you love just so long as you LOVE. You've already shown us the love and kindness in your heart." I felt tears were close in my eyes. "Thank you Julia." "Now that I know that we're movin' into the house fully furnished, I could make a quick trip back to Brunswick and pack up some clothes and shampoo, tooth brushes and paste and stuff like that and we could move in tonight. I want the boys to be dressed nice for their evaluations tomorrow. We can do the rest of the moving slowly because our rent in Brunswick is paid through the end of the month. My only concern now is that the boys might be unsuccessful in providing supper." Henry ran a hand down her arm. "Baby, when have those boys been unsuccessful catching shrimp and harvesting oysters? You just worry about a salad and maybe some mac and cheese." No sooner had he spoken than Sean and Todd climbed up the grassy banks carrying a burgeoning sack of what was apparently oysters and they were followed by a grinning little Todd toting a huge sack of what was obviously shrimp. Henry broke into a grin. "See Mistah Tucker, us po' black folk knows how to live off de land." I grinned and replied; "Yes and us rich white folk are happy to pay through the nose for stuff like this." The boys had brought so much that we decided to just shuck the oysters and boil the shrimp and Julia made a quick salad. Sean loved learning how to shuck oysters and typically, he learned quickly. We were soon pigging out as we all sat on the patio overlooking the tranquil ocean. As things slowed down, we gently let the boys know that they were moving into the caretaker's cottage and that they were moving to a new school. "Tomorrow your Dad is taking you for an evaluation. That's not a test...there are no wrong or right answers. You can't fail it's just a chance for the school to get an idea how to place you and properly proceed with your education. You guys will do great." "OK Mr. Eric" Luke said. "I expect great things from you two. I know that you won't disappoint me." I reached over and grabbed my little love bug and whispered in his ear; "Tomorrow, we're going to climb the lighthouse and then we're going to kayak through the marsh. Just us and it will be fun my son." We went into the house and up to our room and we giggled as we undressed and showered. As we dried off, I stroked his thick black hair and paused shortly just to remember how much I loved him. He looked up at me with a quizzical look on his face. "Dad is somethin' wrong?" I smiled down at him and brushed his cheeks with my fingers. "Only if loving you is somehow wrong sweet child of mine." We walked out onto the balcony and across the property we could see Henry, Julia and the boys carrying their bags into the caretaker's house getting ready to spend their first night there. Sean leaned over the railing. "Good night all you Tarltons! See ya in the morning!" They turned and smiled up at us. "Goodnight you Tuckers. Sleep good!" Henry called back. At that, we all moved happily to bed. ***************************************** Just want to sincerely thank those of you who have taken the time to write and provide feedback. I'll no longer rant about those of you who don't. I'm writing, you're reading...who gets the most pleasure? I wonder. You the reader however need to realize that your pleasure is provided to you for free because of contributions. It costs money to keep this site up reach into your wallet, pull out your card and make a small donation. If you all did it then you'd never be surprised by one day logging in and finding this wonderful site was gone. "Now you two...let's talk about this stuff! The caretaker's cottage is gigantic but our furniture is too little. The boys will have their own rooms but we've only got bunk beds..." "Wait Julia! Aren't there beds in all of the rooms? Isn't the cottage fully furnished?" "Yes Mister Eric." "Well, all of the furniture in the cottage is yours so what's the problem?" She stood almost stunned. "Just bring over those things that are special and precious to you and give away or sell the rest. I expect you guys will be my caretakers forever. And I want you to be my caretakers by tomorrow." Henry got up and laughed and poured a glass about a quarter full of scotch. "Here Baby, drink this and calm yourself down." She looked at him with fire in her dark eyes; "Henry Tarlton! You know that I'm a staunch Baptist! Why are you tryin' to tempt me?" With that, she took the glass from him and drained it in one long pull. They both laughed loud and lovingly and he pulled her into his arms. When they'd calmed down, I looked at them and seriously said; "Until you mentioned religion Julia, it never occurred to me that I needed to tell you that I'm gay. Where I live most of the time that's no big deal but I know this is the so-called `Bible Belt'. I'm suddenly hoping that's not a deal breaker between us." They both looked at me for almost a minute before they broke out grinning. "Mister Eric, even in the `Bible Belt' there are REAL Christians. We don't care who the hell you love just so long as you LOVE. You've already shown us the love and kindness in your heart." I felt tears were close in my eyes. "Thank you Julia." "Now that I know that we're movin' into the house fully furnished, I could make a quick trip back to Brunswick and pack up some clothes and shampoo, tooth brushes and paste and stuff like that and we could move in tonight. I want the boys to be dressed nice for their evaluations tomorrow. We can do the rest of the moving slowly because our rent in Brunswick is paid through the end of the month. My only concern now is that the boys might be unsuccessful in providing supper." Henry ran a hand down her arm. "Baby, when have those boys been unsuccessful catching shrimp and harvesting oysters? You just worry about a salad and maybe some mac and cheese." No sooner had he spoken than Sean and Todd climbed up the grassy banks carrying a burgeoning sack of what was apparently oysters and they were followed by a grinning little Todd toting a huge sack of what was obviously shrimp. Henry broke into a grin. "See Mistah Tucker, us po' black folk knows how to live off de land." I grinned and replied; "Yes and us rich white folk are happy to pay through the nose for stuff like this." The boys had brought so much that we decided to just shuck the oysters and boil the shrimp and Julia made a quick salad. Sean loved learning how to shuck oysters and typically, he learned quickly. We were soon pigging out as we all sat on the patio overlooking the tranquil ocean. As things slowed down, we gently let the boys know that they were moving into the caretaker's cottage and that they were moving to a new school. "Tomorrow your Dad is taking you for an evaluation. That's not a test...there are no wrong or right answers. You can't fail it's just a chance for the school to get an idea how to place you and properly proceed with your education. You guys will do great." "OK Mr. Eric" Luke said. "I expect great things from you two. I know that you won't disappoint me." I reached over and grabbed my little love bug and whispered in his ear; "Tomorrow, we're going to climb the lighthouse and then we're going to kayak through the marsh. Just us and it will be fun my son." We went into the house and up to our room and we giggled as we undressed and showered. As we dried off, I stroked his thick black hair and paused shortly just to remember how much I loved him. He looked up at me with a quizzical look on his face. "Dad is somethin' wrong?" I smiled down at him and brushed his cheeks with my fingers. "Only if loving you is somehow wrong sweet child of mine." We walked out onto the balcony and across the property we could see Henry, Julia and the boys carrying their bags into the caretaker's house getting ready to spend their first night there. Sean leaned over the railing. "Good night all you Tarltons! See ya in the morning!" They turned and smiled up at us. "Goodnight you Tuckers. Sleep good!" Henry called back. At that, we all moved happily to bed. ***************************************** Just want to sincerely thank those of you who have taken the time to write and provide feedback. I'll no longer rant about those of you who don't. I'm writing, you're reading...who gets the most pleasure? I wonder. You the reader however need to realize that your pleasure is provided to you for free because of contributions. It costs money to keep this site up reach into your wallet, pull out your card and make a small donation. If you all did it then you'd never be surprised by one day logging in and finding this wonderful site was gone.