I must thank the virus and the governor of our state for giving me all the time in the world to stand still and do nothing. Thanks to the governor of our state, I had in the walk of life and honor of being just another piece of cellophane. The powers that be could look right through me, walk right by me, and never know I’m there.
I could not open the doors of my business even though I owned the building it was in. So, what if I was going broke, they did not care. I was to be like everybody else, I had to stay at home, do as I was told, and be a good boy.
All my staff had been laid off for so long that they were no longer getting any unemployment. Some had started making the rounds weekly to get as much government assistance as possible.
As for getting a helping hand from the government as a small business, do not laugh but most of the stimulus in our state had been picked up by those who contributed the most to both political parties thanks to the advance warning, they had everything needed ready to apply once it was announced. After all, looking after your biggest contributors is every politician’s first and only important responsibility if they ever plan on being reelected.
With my wife being so unhappy that she had to work at home I soon learned she was taking it out on me because I had nowhere to go and nothing to do. In her eyes, I had become nothing but a fly flying around her face. An irritant that she could not get rid of. It seemed that the virus was bringing out the worst in everybody.
After three months of dealing with the stay-at-home bull shit, her growing bitchiness, and getting nothing but the cold shoulder with a sex life to match. It had reached the point that we were sleeping in different bedrooms. In her eyes, it was all my fault.
Having spent my twenty-eighth birthday watching reruns on tv I had reached the boiling point. I was fed up with putting up with the bullshit of the constant stay-at-home orders. Yet I could freely go riot and loot on the streets because it was the only thing some level of government had not made illegal.
I knew something had to give. I knew that it was not going to be the powers that be sitting in their glass houses laughing at the rest of us. It looked like the governor was imitating China.
In the middle of the night, after the wife had gone to sleep, I decided it was time to make a move. I packed up some of my clothing into a couple of suitcases I had borrowed from Erin’s large set. I slipped out of the house in search of some of the freedom that we all had seemed to have lost.
Slipping into my four-year-old ford truck and starting it, I knew I had broken the governor’s stay-at-home orders and could be arrested. I could no longer live under a dictatorship. I am a law and order man but if it continued this way, I was going to hit someone. With just the wife and me in the house, we all know who would bear the cost. I guess I was running to protect my wife.
Erin’s job was secure since she is a fed employee who worked for the social security administration and thanks to federal laws could not be fired even if she were incompetent. They were super busy because of the slowdown caused by the political decisions made by mini dictators which had brought major job losses because they had done things to deliberately destroy the economy.
A lot of elderly housewives were starting their retirement early. I thought why not those jobs would never be coming back thanks to social engineering. Was the government deliberately doing this to punish us? Or else their employers were so glad to get them out of the door that when there were recalls they would be on the bottom of the totem pole because the norms of our society were gone. What was, no longer mattered as the power of the position they held had gone to their head.
All she had to do was sit at her home computer and answer the phone when a call was transferred to her and remain linked to the department's system with her computer. It took her three days to realize I was gone. Another day to see the note that I had left on the message board that we used to check daily. All it said was, Going stir crazy, gone fishing.
Based on what I later learned I think she was more upset about me breaking the stay-at-home order than me being gone. Yes, that was how bad it had gotten. Two people who claimed to love each other were taking out their frustrations against each other.
I would learn later that it was not our current situation that upset her, it was that it had turned her everyday routine upside down. The thing eating at her the most was that she missed the art of the dance she was in with another businessperson who worked downtown near her. It had not reached the point that they were sleeping together but if the virus would not have come, they would have been.
As soon as I had left the state, I started seeing my situation in a different light. I had taken my favorite movie to heart because I was the running man. I quit shaving and let my hair go wild, two things I had not done in years. It was not long until I had lost a civilized look.
The further I was away from home the more different I saw how things were. Not all states were like the one I lived in. Some were allowing their citizens to get on with their lives. Sad that none of these truths was being seen in our local media.
********
It was in the middle of nowhere about five days later in a town whose name did not matter that I had to acknowledge that I was in part was to blame. I had like so many had allowed the powers that be control me. That was the day I took my life back. I realized that even in the state, we lived in I was nothing but a piece of cellophane.
I turned on my cellphone to find I only had one text message from Erin which read you could have told me in person you needed time for yourself. Having gotten my humor back I sent one back. No need, you would not have heard me anyway.
I went to my contact list and found Krack Parson’s name and called him. Krack was Jeff Parson but to all who knew him from back in the day, they understood why he earned that nickname. He answered on the first ring.
“Shit head what in the hell do you want,” Krack said with a laugh.
“The same thing I always do, your balls on a platter,” I responded with right back. “Seriously I need to give you some work.”
Krack’s voice changed instantly, and he got serious with the real estate market half dead he needed any business he could get because so many were unable to pay their rent.
“Seven percent I won’t go any lower not even for one of my best friends. What are you putting up for sale?” Jeff said.
“The business and the building my business is in,” I said.
“Jesus, Cameron if things are that tight, I can float you fifty thousand until you get back on your feet,” Jeff said in sincerity.
“Jeff I’m leaving the state like so many others I’m done not being able to live. I cannot take being a dead fish in a sardine can. I need to breathe. I have had enough of the bull shit,” I said. “I want my freedom back.”
I knew Jeff would know what I was saying because back in the day our favorite television movie was ‘ Easy Rider ‘and our theme song was “Born to be wild.” That was before we took on life and got serious about doing something with it.
“What about Erin?” Krack asked. He always had said that if the situation were different, he would have been interested in getting a crack at her. She had been one of the packs of girls that always hung around with the guys as we were all growing up.
“I’ll let you answer that for yourself,” I said. “Ask your wife, Lissy, to ask about Mr. Cellophane when they're out grocery shopping at Wally World Friday night.”
Jeff and I talked about getting an appraisal on the building because I had a bunch of tenants. He warned me to be prepared for some bad news because real estate values were dropping.
As soon as we were done chatting, I went to the nearest Notary and had a restricted power of attorney drawn up so Jeff could act on my behalf. I had them email him a copy and send the original directly to him. That way things could legally be done without my signature.
With that done it was back on the road looking for an opportunity that caught my eye. The only thing it had to be something different. I was in no rush I had no place I needed to be and no place I had to go. I just knew that I could not go back to the box I had allowed myself to be put in.
I had left behind the stale and wanted the excitement. Somehow five days later, on a Monday I found myself driving through some of the prettiest country I had ever seen. The Cumberland Plateau in Kentucky which has so many of the historic coal mines that were no longer in production had a true beauty that could not be captured on any screen.
********
I had stopped at a town called Jasper for lunch at a dinner on the main street and picked up the local rag that someone had left on the counter. Browsing through it while waiting for my order I discovered a piece of property that looked interesting as I sipped on my coffee.
Just then the server brought me my order a club sandwich, fries, with a brown-gray on the side. She saw the picture I was looking at and said, “Oh that’s the park we used to spend part of summers at when we were kids. I loved the place. It went broke because of the feds shutting down and destroying the coal industry. It’s been for sale for years.”
“What’s wrong with it?” I asked.
“Nothing but with the high unemployment in the area there is not much that can be done with it unless you have got an idea that would make it profitable or planned to retire.” The waitress said. “What caught your attention?”
“The one hundred and fifty acres, the shoreline access to the lake, and the low price,” I replied.
“Off the record,” the waitress said. “My sister holds the listing and believes that the owner would accept less. By the way, my name Bryanna but everyone calls me Brie.”
“Nice to meet you,” I said holding out my hand. “My name is Cameron, but you can call me Cam. Two quick questions. Where’s the closest hotel and what's the best way to contact your sister?”
“She’s most likely at her office. It's three blocks down and on the left side of the street,” Brie said. “The Hampton Suites have the best rates and you passed it on your way in.”
The club sandwich was nothing to write home about, better than most but not spectacular, the fries were perfect once I applied the side of brown gravy on them and added some salt and pepper.
When she returned to refill my coffee cup she asked, “Do you always eat fries in restaurants with brown gravy?”
“Every time it is available. Half the time I will even add ketchup and malt vinegar. Unless they are made traditionally like they are in Britain,” I said. “You can’t slaughter it if it is already dead.
Brie got a smile on her face and responded, “Dad will get a kick out of that remark because we are always teasing him because he does the same thing.”
“Sounds like he is a man that has good tastes,” I said in humor. Thankfully, she caught my jest.
From behind me, I heard a voice over my shoulder say, “Okay Sis I’m here what's up.”
“Brandy this is Cam, Cam this is my older sister. I called her for you,” Brie said. “Brandy, Cam’s interested in the old ‘havesumfun campground park.”
My first impression of Brie’s sister Brandy was that she was professional. A brunette who dressed to impress with a genuinely nice shape. She had the nicest hazel eyes I had ever seen. Appeared to be in her mid-twenties and was not wearing a wedding ring. I still was.
I stood up to offer her my hand and learned that she at the most two to three inches shorter than me. Her shoulder-length hair was pinned back so that it allowed one an unrestricted view of the softness of her face. I smiled because she had a pair of hiking boots on her feet.
I am five foot eleven, I weigh about one-eighty with dark brown hair with traces of red. I had a thirty-six-inch waist with little to no body fat. With my current state of appearance, I must have looked like a man fresh out of the wilderness. She sat down beside me and had a hot tea while I finished my meal.
As soon as I had finished, off we went. Brandy explained that being off the highway it was hard to sell the place. I asked her about the water and sewage. She said both were available from the road and were supplied by the county.
The land had the typical rolling hills covered in a lot of marketable timber. A few small buildings were no longer livable but still had running water. Traces of the former campsites could still be seen. The only flat area was near the lake. Thanks to Brandy I learned about a few of the memories her family had of the place.
“What about the lake? Are motorized boats allowed on it? Can it be fished?” I asked.
“It’s a manmade lake that has been around for the last fifty to sixty years,” Brandy said. “My dad still fishes it for trout. Not sure about boats but there is a lot of canoers who use them a lot. I know that the water is deep enough to handle big boats.”
“Has the area ever been hit by a tornado,” I asked?
“We have lived here all our lives and I’ve never seen one?” Brandy replied.
“One final question any restrictions on land use?” I asked.
“We still have time to get to the country registry to find that fact out,” Brandy said.
As we drove to the county office Brandy told me about their family's story. Her father had been a coal miner most of his life who had to reinvent himself when the coal mines in the area were forced to close down thanks to the fed’s interference and their new regulations. It had been a few rough years for everybody that lived in the area.
For them, it ended up with a divorce where no one won and bitter feelings that were left all around. The lack of money and no way to make it was the root of most of their problems.
“We were not the only family that went through a living hell because of the politics at the time and we won’t be the last,” Brandy said. “But it’s always the average Joe that pay’s the price for those who have an agenda. What was done to this area of the country was so bad that we still have not recovered from it. Can I ask what brought you here?”
‘In my state, they shut my business down but let the international corporate stores continue operating. Tells me that the powers that be do not believe that we the average citizen have the common sense to keep our establishments virus-free. When they issued another stay-at-home order for the umpteenth time I ran because I valued my freedom,” I said. “I guess that makes me a militant in their eyes because I want my independence back.”
After finding out that there were no restrictions on the land I put in an offer for full price.
“You could most likely get it for at least ten to twenty percent less,” Brandy said. “The owners are desperate to sell.”
“No give him full price,” I said. “That way if I need information down the road that they may know they will be open to it answering my questions.”
Little did I know that when Brandy went and told the seller what I had said that my reputation of being a fair and decent man was established. Thanks to his word of mouth offers would come in that would change the direction of my whole life.
I tried to call my wife to give her an update on what was going on but kept getting a busy signal, so I sent her a text to give me a call when she was free.
********
“I was just signing into the Hampton Inn when I saw Brandy and Brie walking through the door both wearing huge smiles on their faces. They waited until I was done.
“Your offer has been accepted,” Brandy said. “They are willing to speed up the closing date if you want to.”
“Is there a land title office that can get a title search done so we can finish it up Wednesday morning,” I asked?
“Let me make a quick phone call to see if I can get that worked out.” Brandy said with a huge smile as she walked off.
I asked the bellhop to have my luggage delivered to the room and handed him a twenty. Brie and I went over and sat on one of the lobby’s couches.
“I wanted to thank you,” Brie said. “You have given my sister another couple of months of breathing space before she might have had to close the doors. Yours the first sale her office has had in four months.”
I was amazed because when you drive through a place all you see is smoke and mirrors. It reminded me that that it was not so easy for us as humans to see beyond what is right in front of us. I was also surprised that Brandy who was in desperate need had not acted out of greed. To me, it said a lot about the kind of person she was.
“What her story if you don’t mind me asking,” I said?
“Divorced, raising two children both girls,” Brie explained. “Her husband left her while she was carrying her second and she is still bitter from it. He’s the mayor who had been doing her former best friend.”
“So, it’s complicated because it’s his office that she has to deal with when straightening out local legal problems on property dealing with zoning and other things that she’s trying to sell for her clients,” I said.
Brie paused after I said it then said, “I never saw it, both are seeing the other as an ongoing aggravation of their former relationship. That is why there no getting beyond it. Each time they face each other it gets magnified again. They have no separation from what they have gone through.”
“Title search is being done, and I told them that you were buying title protection,” Brandy said as soon as she joined us. “Meet me at the office Wednesday morning and we will go together to get the paperwork done.”
“Is there a nice restaurant nearby where I can treat you both for dinner,” I asked?
“There are lots, but I have been dying to try the new Pastels that has opened up. Perhaps you can take Brie because I must go home and feed my daughters,” Brandy said.
“Text me the directions, grab your girls and bring them with you,” I said. “Let set seven-thirty as the time to meet.”
They agreed. Meeting her daughters that night answered a lot of questions I might have asked later.
********
I went upstairs to shower and change. After having seen my image in the mirror I did a major cleanup of my face and decided to keep the good start of the goatee and mustache. When I was done, I liked the new image I had left myself with.
Having always been clean-shaven I found that this new image gave me a look with a bit more maturity. After having completed that task, I called my wife Erin. She answered after the fourth ring.
“Just thought I would touch base,” I said. “I found a new location to start over again but it’s in a different state.”
“That might be a good idea,” Erin said. “The governor has expanded the shut down again. Any idea of when you might be home? Oh, be warned when you come back from out of state you now must quarantine yourself for two weeks.”
“Right now, I am tied up here,” I said. “At least for the time being getting things organized.”
“Leave the phone on so I can call you,” Erin said.
That struck me as strange because with her making her living by talking on the phone right now the last thing she had been wanting to do was talk on the phone. We talked briefly for a couple of minutes before ending the call.
I found it strange that she did not ask me where the new location was. Afterward, as I was reviewing our chat, I assumed that she most likely believed I was opening a second location of what I had been doing. I remembered that I had heard voices talking in the background.
My next call was to Krack who when he answered said, “Hang on let me change rooms.”
That was strange because Jeff never hid anything. Lissy his wife of six years knew everything. That led me to perceive that whatever he was going to disclose to me if heard would create problems at home.
A few minutes later he said, “I’m in my car in the garage now we can talk. Dammit Cam how long have you known that Erin has had a love interest on the side.”
“I had a suspicion,” I said not wanting him to know that I had no clue. “But had no proof. How did you learn about it?”
“I took your advice and asked the wife to enquire about you on Friday night,” Krack said. “She got a look on her face that told me she had something to say but couldn’t because our young children were around.”
“Later that night I learned from her that Erin’s romantic interest is a man named Leonard Jones a State Farm Agent whose office is about two blocks away from where she normally works,” Jeff explained. “When she answered how long it was going on, we ended up in a big fight because it was going on long before the virus hit. I thought you had the right to know, and she made it clear that it was none of our business.”
‘Fair enough, any word on how the appraisal went,” I asked?
“Surprisingly better than I thought since your business tenants are still paying their bills,” Krack said with the sound of a smile in his voice. “It gave me an idea, so I want to talk to the bank but until I have gotten an answer from them, I don’t want to list it.”
“Why,” I asked figuring that he was trying to buy it.
“If they approve, I want to buy it at the appraised value less my commission fees,” Jeff said. “That saves me money on the tax I would pay if I had to declare it as income. Also, I got a fellow businessman interested in buying your nightclub at your asking price if you are interested. Once he saw the year-end statements, he figures he will recover his investments in less than two years.”
“I am. Got me one more favor,” I said. “Look up the phone number of Susan Walker and text it to me. She’s the neighbor the lives across the street from Erin and me.”
“Shall do. What are you up to? Jeff asked?
“I bought a hundred and fifty acres on the side of a lake,” I said. “I plan to develop it as a getaway for the middle-upper class and up, like you and me who would use it for a week at a time.”
“Timeline and price,” Krack asked?
“Fourteen months maybe sooner until the first house would be listed for sale. Four to six hundred thousand on the low end going up from there. A joint listing with a local agent here and you. If you are interested,” I said.
“You must have got the land at a hell of a price, to consider doing something like this,” Jeff said. “Building a subdivision is a big commercial endeavor.”
“Less than a thousand an acre,” I answered. “Each house will come with five acres of land. The only negative is the location. It’s in the Cumberland Plateau in Kentucky near Jasper. ”
“Cam looks like I am going to owe you one because I’m in,” Jeff said. “I know about twenty former clients who live in New York City that would be interested in it. These people are slightly older. They have reached the age in their lives that they want to be away from anyone or anything political. They can sell what they currently have and come out way ahead.”
“Jeff got to go, got a dinner date with two ladies I want to get to know better,” I said with enthusiasm.
“You Dawg,” Krack said with a laugh. “Hope you end up with more than just a sniff. Remember the fifty is still available if you need it.”
“Jeff, I am still married,” I said with a laugh.”
“Do they know that?” He asked.
“No,” I said.
“Good hunting, I look forward to hearing how it ends,” Jeff said sarcastically.
“Smart Ass,” I replied.
“Always!” Jeff said before he hung up.
With what I had just learned the ongoing situation between my wife Erin, and I began to make sense. The virus had given her a tool that she could use to her advantage. If I had not run, I would never have figured out what she was trying to do.
It now appeared that by her conduct that Erin was deliberately trying to force me to take my anger and frustration out on her face by using my fists. The bitch had been using a long deliberate mental game against me, because of my family’s history. No wonder she was encouraging me to drink more heavily. That way she could take me to the cleaners in the divorce for abuse, nonsupport, and abandonment.
I was not the one that had run out on her because she had abandoned our relationship and marriage a long time ago. Once she started the romance with him our marriage was dead in her eyes. Her long-term relationship with him proved it.
I sat there amazed because by sheer luck I had not reacted the way Erin wanted me to. She was setting me up to take a deep fall, yet she could never admit it. With my business forcing me to work Friday and Saturday evenings she had plenty of time to play footies with another. It also explained why we had not started a family.
Having clued into what she was doing I had no remorse about leaving the state but knew I would have to wait till the anger in me for her died down before resolving it in a way that would take her down and protect my assets. For now, I would have to keep transferring money into the household accounts.
Jeff using his local address directory had the number texted to me in less than five minutes. After adding it to my contact list I gave her a call. Our neighbor Susan had met her husband when the firm he worked for hired her to work one summer as an intern while she was putting herself through law school.
It had taken them two years of courtship to walk down the aisle. Now she was home on pregnancy leave after the birth of their first child.
“Hello,” Susan said. “May I know who is calling?”
“Susan, it's Cameron Hughes. I live across the street,” I said to remind her.
“Cam, I saw you sneak out over a week ago when I was up walking the young one who was suffering from a bad case of colic. Is everything all right?”
“Had to get away for a while. I was afraid with the mood, I was in I was going to hit my wife,” I said. “I just recently had it confirmed that she’s been in a romantic relationship with another man.”
“Dam how long has it being going on,” Susan asked.
“Longer than the state has been dealing with the virus,” I said.
“What's your game plan,” Susan asked?
“Stay away long enough for one of them to make a move,” I said. “With the stay-at-home orders, I figure it won’t be long until they figure things out so that they can get together.”
“Where are you,” Susan asked?
“Jasper, Kentucky,” I said. “I just got here today.”
“I’m originally from there. I got two younger sisters named Brandy and Brie who refused to move with mom and me when our parents got divorced.” Susan said.
“Does Brandy own and run a real estate office? Is she divorced and raising her two daughters alone?” I asked.
“Yes,” Susan said. “How do you know her?”
“She sold me a place called ‘havesumfun park,” I said.
“Oh my god, the three of us used to skinny dip there once it had closed down,” Susan said. “Give them my love and what can I do for you?”
“The next time I call Erin I am going to tell her that I am tied up indefinitely setting things up,” I explained. “Can I call you once a week to see if there anything going on at my place that might give me an edge? I need to catch them together.”
“I’ll add you to my contact list and keep you updated,” Susan said. “If you agree to my request that I am your lawyer for the divorce.”
“That is easy to agree to,” I said. “ Do I get a family discount because I am taking your sisters and your nieces out for supper tonight?”
Susan laughed. I told her that her sisters appeared to be two nice ladies that seemed to have things together.
I must admit the two sisters seemed impressed with how I looked cleaned up. I was wearing clean blue jeans a white shirt and a sports jacket when I walked into the restaurant.
Brandy said, “I was right, there is a nice looking man that was hiding behind all that facial hair.”
I called my wife on Wednesday afternoon to inform her that I had bought the land to start my next business on and that until I had it ready for building that I would not be home. Surprisingly, she did not ask anything about my new venture because she always had.
I was not surprised by her disinterest now that I knew. I kind of expected it. For now, I just had to act like I suspected nothing and do the things I would normally do. Keep on being Mr. Cellophane.
*******
It had been six weeks since I had completed the deal and the clearing of the land was moving ahead. All marketable timber was being slowly taken out. The land surveyors had marked the property's boundaries but would be coming in again to survey and set the boundaries of the streets and each lot when the lay of the land had been worked on.
I had hired a firm to design the blueprints and layout the plan to give me an idea where we had to remove soil or add to it to maximize marketable land. We had permission and the permits needed to blow out rock where we needed to. Once that was done, I would have to present it to the county for their approval before moving ahead.
We had found that motorized boats were allowed on the lake up to a certain tonnage and with the amount of frontage along the water and were designing a huge boating dock and a swimming area.
Brandy and Bree had helped me to find a two-bedroom one floor home to rent. With their help, I learned where to pick things up cheaply, so it did not cost much for furniture since all four appliances were included. Both of the sisters and I were developing a friendship with each other.
I learned that Susan and her sisters had drifted apart because of things from the past that none of them were able to let go of. With me, in communication with all three of them, there was thawing in their strained relationship.
When their parents' divorce had happened each of the three girls was old enough to decide which parent to live with. Susan had moved out of state with their mother. Brandy and Brie had been devastated by it at the time because Susan being the oldest had been the go-to person for support.
If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.
********
I was sitting at the counter waiting for my order where I first met Brie when my phone rang. It was Susan who had to explain that my wife’s boyfriend was moving his stuff in.
“It’s a good thing I am your lawyer,” Susan said. “The video I just recorded explains a lot. It will be a big plus when you start the divorce. I will be filing it on the grounds of adultery since we can prove they are living together.”
Just as I said goodbye Brie brought me my lunch.
Brie had caught my attention she had gone to culinary school out of grade ten to train to be a cook and then had come home to open this restaurant on a shoestring. She had gone from renting to paying it off by a mortgage. During those few years, it had become the place where the local businesspeople came for lunch.
“That was your sister,” I said. “My wife’s boyfriend has moved in.”
“So, are you going back to confront them,” Brie asked?
“Can’t, I would be in a two-week quarantine if I did,” I said. “They know that so are not worried that I will show up.”
“That didn’t stop you from leaving,” Brie noted.
“And it won’t stop me from going back when the time is right,” I said with a smile.
“Why wait, why not just get it done,” Brie asked?
“I want them to hang themselves in a loose so tight there will be no way they can squeeze out of it,” I said. “That means they need time to feel secure in their situation. Besides, it gives me the time to move some of my assets around so that my future ex-wife will not be able to go after them in the divorce.”
“What will she end up getting,” Brie asked out of curiosity?
“A house that she will own but will not be able to afford,” I said. “That loses value every day because of the virus.”
“Boss Dillard the man who co-owns the property to the right of yours has passed away,” Brie said “Although it does not have lake access it might be something worth looking at. Word has it that the widow wants to sell and move to town once the funeral is over.”
“If she does, I think Brandy is sharp enough to approach me about it,” I said. “After all she’s my go-to person when I got a question.”
“About that,” Brie said. “You’ve been a breath of fresh air for my sister. Having sold you the park has spiked a lot of new business coming in her direction because she is being seen as having done the impossible. Every time she talks about you it puts her in a good mood. ”
“That’s nice to hear,” I said. “I’m happy for her. She deserves a break.”
“So, do you, Cam, from what we have seen you’re a good man,” Brie said. “Time to get your divorce and start dating again.”
“No rush, I said. “The longer it takes the more I heal. I’m not one to carry the baggage of the past into a new relationship.”
“Most men in your situation would be on the prowl again,” Brie said. “The more my sister and I get to know you the more you surprise us.”
Brie leaned over the counter and gave me a kiss on the cheek saying, “That’s a little appreciation for giving my sister something to smile about. Your lunch is on me.”
The teasing started immediately because the regulars said, “Wow Brie got herself a boyfriend.”
I silenced the restaurant by standing up and saying as I held my left hand up so everyone could see the ring, “Enough, I’m a married man and Brie is not that type of lady.”
After eating my meal, I left disgusted with the bullshit. What I had said spoke volumes. What I did not know was that my simple straightforward statement of fact put a smile on Brie’s face for the rest of the day.
********
I was not surprised to learn that Susan, Brandy, and Brie were now in regular communication with each other. My coming into their lives seemed to give them something in common that was not family to discuss.
During that time Susan freely disclosed everything she knew and could learn about me and my soon-to-be ex’s relationship. They learned it was me they had called when they had a main water line burst in the middle of the night because I had built my own business from scratch before opening it.
“He’s a good honest man,” Susan told her sisters, “Who is being screwed by everybody, the state, the city, and his wife. His bar before the virus was a gold mine. It was located in the downtown core and was one of the hottest places to be. Now it is as if he doesn’t exist. Every year he is one of the biggest boosters for the United Way. That man doesn’t have a mean bone in his body.”
“It’s the political situation that is driving the good out of our state and many others. They fail to understand those good persons will only put up with their crap for so long,” Susan said. “Even my husband who was born and raised here is saying maybe it’s time we got out.”
********
It was about ten weeks later, on a Friday when things started to break. One of the county inspectors and I were walking through the project resolving a few things. They had budgeted for putting in a new sewage line but thought that with the number of homes they had approved that they best make it larger. The cost was going to be about thirty thousand more in the material.
They decided that because of their added costs the country was going to stick me with the cost of putting all the water and sewage lines in for the new development. That was when I noticed the strange car pulling in.
“That is the widow Dillard.” Dobb Gibeon said. “I wonder what she wants?”
I walked over to her, and we talked outside of her car for a few moments. Brie had been right. I told her to go through Brandy, get it appraised, and that I would seriously make an offer after getting a closer look at the property. The original owner of the park had told her to come to me.
“That is one happy lady,” Dobb said when I had come back. “Her husband and she were next-door neighbors who fell in love after their spouses died and got married. Their joint spread is about three hundred acres. Some farmable land. some timber, and a perfect spot for a golf course.”
“Dobb, I had already budgeted for the cost of the sewage and water lines and the cost of the road,” I said. “But I will expect some cooperation when I start developing the Dillard place.”
“What are you going to do with it,” Dobb asked?
“If I get it, half will be developed as this is now the other half will be the golf course you suggested which will sit between the two residential developments,” I said.
“You don’t realize Cam what you are doing for the people in this area,” Dobb said. “With your vision, you have brought jobs and enthusiasm to the area. It’s addictive because some of those who could have done something years ago to help the local economy is starting to.”
“Dobb, back in my former state I was shut down stuck at home twiddling my thumbs not allowed to do anything. The powers that be were taking away our freedom,” I said. “Coming here brought the feeling of freedom back.”
“I spent three years in a Vietnam prison camp,” Dobb said. “The day I was released I felt like the caged canary that had been set free that could not stop singing. There is nothing more important in life than the freedom we have.”
It was that informal chat about the freedom that made me face what I was hiding from. I did not like or deal well with confrontation when there was going to anger involved. It was time for me to get it all done. The decision was easy to reach once I admitted to myself where my heart was leading me.
After Dobb left, I made a few decisions. I took my wedding band off my finger for good. It, along with my marriage was now firmly my past. I could go back to face Erin without hate and anger.
I had a new bright future before me with someone who loved me and not my money. If she would have me. It was time to find out if we had a future. With my personal life resolved I called Krack.
“How’re your balls hanging?” Jeff asked as soon as he answered the phone.
“The same way you left them,” I answered back.
After laughing, he said, “You got me. What do you want?”
“Hey, how soon can you finalize the deal on my place,” I asked?”
“The three-point two million should be in your business account by Friday,” Jeff said. “The purchasing of your bar will take another sixty days. Why so urgent?”
“Looks like I might be buying the three hundred acres right beside my place,” I said. “If I get it, I will put in a golf course and another subdivision. That turns the whole project into a hundred residences.”
“Dammit Cam,” Jeff said. “You are going to be driving the real estate values up in this area before you’re done. I want the name and phone number of your real estate agent. I need to find out what’s available down there to see if there is anything, I would be interested in.”
I gave it to him then asked, “Does your wife know that Erin’s boyfriend has moved into my house?”
“Don’t know about that,” Jeff said. “But I’m going to find out tonight. I am beginning to believe that both of our wives married us because we would be good providers and not because they loved us.”
I told my site manager I was out for the day and headed into town. It was time to get rid of my truck and purchase something thing different. Besides, when I went back, I did not want Erin to know before I was ready because of what I was driving. I ended up trading it in for a new dark blue six-seater four-door ford explorer.
I had just finished working out the deal with the dealership and was at the local insurance office after having gotten the plates while applying for a new driver’s license. Brandy called to invite me out for dinner. I agreed and asked her if I could pick up her and the kids.
“Cam your truck only has the front seat,” Brandy pointed out. “When you get here, we will take my car, but you can drive it.”
I stopped at a baby store to get some advice on children’s car seats. I bought one and a bumper seat that was good up to sixty pounds, both the best in the market. One of the staff took the time to help me install them properly.
At six-thirty I pulled into Brandy’s driveway to be greeted by a set of eyes that were sparkling bright when I knocked on the front door. Her four-year-old daughter had opened the door ready to go.
“Mom’s getting Fern ready, she will be right out,” Francie said.
When Brandy came out holding the littlest one, she was surprised when she saw it and said, “You got a new vehicle.”
“All four doors are unlocked, with two children’s car seats in the back,” I said.
Brandy was still in shock as she strapped Fern in. Francie after she had climbed in helped me to make sure I strapped her in right. Her little mouth talking a mile a minute.
“Why the car seats,” Brandy asked?
“I thought the four of us could go back to Portland Maine to visit Susan and her husband. During that time, I can confront my wife and her lover to start our divorce,” I said. “The truck couldn’t be equipped properly and leave us room for all the stuff you will need.”
After batting in the kids, we climbed in. I looked over at Brandy who had tears in her eyes, “You’re not wearing your wedding ring. Norma Dillard, Jeff Parson, and now this,” Brandy said, “I wasn’t looking for a relationship.”
“Neither was I,” I said. “Hell, I still have to get my divorce.”
“Then what in the hell happened,” Brandy said.
“Life and time allowed us to grow into it,” I said.
Brandy leaned towards me. I met her halfway so we could share our first tender kiss. As soon as we had pulled out of the driveway, she slid over to sit right beside me.
Since she had not booked a reservation, we went to Red Lobsters. While we were waiting for a seat, I asked the hostess if they had such a thing as a baby bowl?
“What’s that?” the lady asked.
“It’s an average-sized soup bowl made up of the day's chosen vegetables if they are acceptable for a two-year-old baby’s stomach,” I said.
“I will find out if we can do that?” She spoke.
When we were led to our seats, they already had the highchair and booster seat set up for us. I was informed that they could do what I requested but it would cost four dollars and ninety-nine cents.
After ordering our meals and our before-dinner drinks were served, we started discussing when would be a good time to head north. We both agreed we would wait until the Dillard deal was behind us before planning the trip.
Just then the hostess brought some other people to their table.
“Dad I can’t believe it,” A voice we both recognized said. “Look at this loving couple out for dinner with their two kids.”
I watched as Brandy blushed. I stood up to greet the man I had heard so much about.
“Cameron Hughes, this my father Delbert Peterson,” Brie stated. “Dad, Cam’s the man responsible for putting that glowing smile on my sister’s face.”
“Would you like to join our table,” I said as I offered him my hand.
“Sounds good to us,” Del said. “We will just sit on the other side of my grandchildren so that we can help you with them.”
It was nice that the restaurant held our orders so that we could all eat together. I fed the eighteen-month-old her vegetables which were garlic mashed potatoes, corn, peas with brown gravy. When she appeared to be getting full, I made a game out of it to see if I could get her to eat a few more bites.
I admit feeding an eighteen-month-old requires your attention. I did not realize that as I was doing that both Del’s daughters had tears in their eyes. I heard Del say to his daughters he going to be a great dad. Brie thought the baby bowl was a great idea and decided to work it in at her restaurant.
I guess Brandy and my looks when we looked at each other while eating gave what we were thinking away because Brie said, “I guess dad and I interrupted your first date.”
“We will not officially be dating until Cam starts his divorce,” Brandy said with a smile. “But he picked me up in his new ford explorer and it already had two children’s car seats installed.”
Brie looked at me with a huge smile and tears of joy in her eyes as she asked, “When are you planning to go start it?”
“As soon as we can arrange it with Susan,” Brandy said. “Cam, the kids, and I will stay with her while Cam gets the proof he wants.”
Del laughed and asked, “Was it your idea or Cam’s?”
“Mine,” I said.
“Can you make room for one more passenger,” Del asked? “I have only seen Susan once since her mother and she moved out of state. That was her wedding. It’s time to put the past in the past.”
It’s a six-seater, if you can handle the kids dealing with having to sit for the drive which will be done in two nine-hour days you are more than welcome,” I said.
“Let’s make it a family affair,” Brie said. “If Susan doesn’t have enough room, we can figure something out.”
Later after Brandy got Francie and Fern settled down for the night, she made us both a drink of sour mash and coke before joining me.
“I started falling in love with you during our first dinner at Pastels. But I knew it was going nowhere,” Brandy said. “That night during the meal you made sure that Fern got as much out the meal as we did. It saved me from coming home to make her something to eat. Tonight, you stepped up and made sure there was something that she could eat.”
“That I owe to how we were raised,” I said. “There was always someone with babies around so we all chipped in to help when we could.”
“From that first day, my life has done a three-sixty. Not only did the selling of the park help me but it brought new clients because most believed it would never sell,” Brandy said. “I had to take on a few more agents who came from other firms. This quarter according to the board my office is leading all others for total volume sold.”
“How is your relationship with your ex,” I asked.
“Getting better,” Brandy said. “Following your suggestion, I told him that the two of us needed him to appoint someone on his staff to deal with me directly instead of involving himself. Even his wife my former friend phoned me at the office to thank me for creating distance.”
That night I held her in my arms for the first time. I discussed my growing up, my relationship with Jeff through the years, and the journey of my life since high school.
It was almost eleven pm when Brandy’s cellphone rang. It was her sister Brie so as soon as she answered it, she threw the speaker on.
“Hi sis,” Brandy said.”
“I can’t sleep because I’m too excited. I can’t believe it,” Brie said. “You and Cam it is finally happening. How did you do it?”
Brandy looked at me to see me holding a chuckle in and responded by saying, “ I didn’t, neither of us would admit to ourselves that because of the time we were spending together that we were falling in love.”
“You’re saying that neither of you has talked about a relationship with each other,” Brie said. “It doesn’t make sense.”
“It does because time was giving us both what we needed.” Brandy said “The time to put what happened in the past behind us. Today the widow Dillard came to talk to me. She had talked to Cam, and he told her to come to me for her protection. Then Cam’s best friend contacted me. I sent him details about sixteen properties. When I invited Cam for dinner, he showed up with his new car not wearing his wedding ring.”
“Wow, you were forced into seeing it,” Brie said. “Did it happen to Cam in the same way?’
Brandy looked at me, so I answered, “Yes but not in the same manner. It took a brief discussion about freedom for me to admit my feelings. How does your dad feel about us being us?”
“I told dad what you had done in my diner,” Brie said. “He saw it as a man who protected his daughter’s reputation and honor. I ended up having to explain how we all met and how our lives had intertwined since then. During dinner tonight any questions about you he had were answered. He now thinks you walk on water.”
“My dad did not like my first husband,” Brandy said. “Always said he was a horse’s ass that was always looking for an advantage and he still believes it. He says he is using his new wife and will end up leaving her.”
“Dad sees you as a man who walks tall but always carries a small stick,” Brie said. “ A man like Abe Lincoln. You may screw up, but you will always keep heading towards doing what's right.”
I shook my head kind of because I was in a state of disbelieve. The only thing I saw of value in me was that I would not quit.
The very next morning Brandy called her older sister Susan and the two started to make plans.
********
Susan and John Walker were excited because Susan’s family and Cam were coming for Thanksgiving dinner and staying for the weekend. Susan was running around like a chicken with its head cut off into a total panic. The state was saying no more than ten and that they had to do social distancing.
To her, it was big because they all had not been together as a family since the divorce. The two-week quarantine had been lifted because the panic all had was subsiding. She had the paperwork prepared for Cam to start the divorce on the grounds of adultery. With just over two weeks to go, she still had a lot to do but with her, it should all have been done yesterday.
When Brandy had called Saturday morning to explain what Cam wanted to do, she was all for it. It was while the two of them were talking that it came out how her younger sisters had thought at the time of their parents’ divorce.
To them not only were they losing their mom but their big sister too. It had taken a long talk with her husband for her to utterly understand what they must have believed no matter what was said to them.
The biggest news was not even that. Cam who Susan felt the world of, and her sister had fallen in love. For over two hours Brandy and she had discussed everything. Susan now believed that fate had brought them together. Susan now believed that it was Cam that was bringing her family back together and making it whole again.
“What would you think if we sold out here, and moved back to start our own law office back in Jasper?” John asked. “We are like Cam was, we are existing but don’t have a life because we have lost all our freedom.”
“Are you serious,” Susan asked?
“We would have to apply to the Kentucky Bar association for approval to practice but I think we could get that done and have their approval before they arrive.”
“We will have to downsize until we establish ourselves,” Susan said. “To ensure that we have enough to live on. Are you willing to do that because if you are, I’m all in?”
“I guess we will be drawing up the paperwork this weekend,” John said. “On Monday I will tell the firm that we are leaving the limited partnership at the end of the partnerships year.”
“I’m looking forward to sharing a blue Kentucky moon with you,” Susan said as her tears of joy started to flow.
********
Brandy and Brie that Sunday morning was on their way to the Evansville regional airport. Their father had agreed to babysit on short notice. Brandy was going to meet an important client who had called her at three am to say he was coming. Krack was a friend of Cam’s who was coming for a closer look at the properties she had suggested.
They all had been commercial properties because that was what he was primarily interested in. Cam explained that he primarily worked for investors who focused on that side of the industry. He was a wheeler-dealer that seemed to put the impossible together.
When he came to look at properties in a new area it was because he saw the good possibility that land values would be rising. That meant a profit in two ways if he was involved in them. Higher rents because of the higher land value and equity gained because of the market.
During the hour drive, Brandy told her of the plans to go to Susan’s for Thanksgiving. It led her to discuss what Susan and she had talked about. It took them just over an hour to get to the Evansville Airport which allowed them to have a fresh cup of coffee.
Jeff Parson walked into the airport to see two females waiting. Thankfully, Brandy had sent him her picture, so he knew who she was right away. As he approached them, he thought about Cam’s friendship with these two ladies and thought that if one of them became his girlfriend he definitely would have traded up big time.
“You must be Brandy,” Jeff said as he held out his hand.
“Yes, I am, welcome to Kentucky,” Brandy replied. “Is this the first time to our part of the state?”
“Yes, but please call me Krack,” Jeff replied. “Who’s this nice-looking lady with you.”
“This is Brie, my sister, the one who first introduced me to Cam,” she said. “Cam does not know that you’re here I thought we could surprise him at lunch.”
“Sounds good let me get my suitcase,” Jeff said.
As he walked over to get his suitcase that had just come in after being unloaded Brie said, “He’s solid, got broad shoulders, carries a bit too much weight, but he’s a charmer that’s for sure.”
“Cam said that when they were teenagers, it was Jeff that the girls all fawned over,” Brandy explained. “He was a linebacker on the high school football team. Cam was the quarterback and through it they became friends. Both their wives were cheerleaders at the same school at that time.”
It took them about an hour and ten minutes to get back to Jasper with Brie driving. He sat in the front on an angle so he could see both ladies. Jeff could not help noticing that every time he mentioned Cam’s name Brandy’s eyes lit up.
Just as they entered the town limits Jeff said, “Does Cam feel the same way about you as you do him?”
“A week ago, I would have said I honestly don’t know,” Brandy said. “It was your phone call that helped Cam to come to the point where he admitted a few things. Like that his marriage was over and it was time to get the divorce. That freed up his mind which allowed him to admit that he knew where his heart was leading him. When he picked us up for dinner that night it all fell together.”
“Cam does not like confrontation when anger is present,” Jeff explained. “His temperament over the years has kept me out of a lot of trouble. He will wait for his anger to have worked itself out before doing anything. At times it can be very frustrating.”
“Why is that” Brie asked?
Cam’s father until he quit drinking was an angry drunk that liked to use his fists a lot,” Jeff said, “I don’t know how many times Cam stepped in to protect his mother.”
“So how did you get the nickname of Krack,” Brandy asked?
“In post-season football games in his preamble game talk, our coach would always say go out and break a few bones. In the last three years of high school, we won the championship every year,” Jeff explained. “My hits were so effective that they were always carrying someone off the field. The opposing teams started calling me that and it stuck.”
“Have you ever seen Cam drunk,” Brie asked out of curiosity?”
“No, and you never will,” Jeff said. “He will never allow him to be in a position where there is a good possibility that he could end up acting like his father.”
“Brie drop me off at my house before taking Jeff to get checked in,” Brandy said. “That way I can get the kids ready before Cam picks us for lunch.”
“How old are Brandy’s children,” Jeff asked as they watched her walk into her house.
“Four years old and twenty-two months. Fern was born after her marriage break up because her husband left her for another woman during her pregnancy,” Brie explained. “When Cam picked her up for dinner last Friday, he had bought a new ford explorer and put the two kids' car seats in already. Until then neither of them had admitted anything to the other.”
“It’s hard for Cam to admit anything. Erin had to push him into marriage,” Jeff said. “That tells me that he loves your sister very much and has come to peace with everything in his past before he made his move.”
“Just so you know I made the mistake of kissing him on the cheek in my restaurant to thank him for what he had done for our family,” Brie explained. “The regulars in fun started teasing me. Cam took it personally and took steps to protect my honor.”
Brie learned that Jeff had just learned that he was going to be dealing with a lot of the problems that Cam had just worked out. Not because of an affair but because Lissy finally admitted to herself that she was a lesbian and wanted a divorce.
“Lissy wanted two children,” Jeff said. “Lived her lies to ensure she got them. Now that they are in grade school, she wants her freedom to be what she has always known she was. I went to see Erin Cam’s soon-to-be-ex and she told me that she had known about Lissy’s sexual preferences all along. ”
Brie sat and waited for Jeff to return. She thought about what she had learned and reflected on her own parents’ divorce. Her dad was doing all he could just to survive working where he could find work while selling cords of wood on the side just to keep food on the table.
Mom had spent too much time surfing the web and had gotten involved with a man who played games with her on pogo.com. She was beginning to see that in most cases it was the woman that destroyed the relationships for their reasons whether it be their marriage or someone else’s.
********
We were walking into Golden Corral Francie was running ahead of us, I held Fern in my arms.
A voice said, “Dam Dawg, you been neutered and domesticated.”
I turned and saw Krack behind me wearing a huge smile with Brie standing beside him.
Seeing my new image, he added, “Shit you grew yourself a shock-absorbent for a cock sucker.”
I handed Fern to her mother as I said, “You have always been a son of bitch, asshole, Man, it’s good to see you.”
Brandy and Brie were shaking their heads while laughing as Krack and I gave each other a friendly bear hug.
“You think this is funny,” Jeff said. “The last time he called me I asked him how his balls were hanging. He responded the same way you left them. I was just getting even.”
As we went through the cashier after we picked our drinks the ladies explained they had gone to pick him up.
We were sitting at our table. Jeff was getting a kick out of me and Fern. The little tike had started developing her response to the game I played with her to eat a bit more.
“That one’s going to be a challenge when she grows up,” Jeff said. “Dawg you going to have your hands full.”
I laughed and responded, “No doubt, my mom will laugh aloud when she sees me with her. I can hear her saying you got what you deserved.”
We were pretty much finishing our drinks before getting to go. I could tell because of our years of friendship that there was something else weighing heavy in Jeff’s mind.
“Besides the commercial property,” I asked. “Why are you here?”
Everybody got quiet.
“Erin and Leonard Jones’s relationship started because his sister needed a shield when she was meeting Lissy just in case her husband found out. Lissy and she met at a school event. Some of those groceries Friday nights were date nights where Erin and Leonard were left alone by the two of them,” Jeff said. “From what I have been told by Lissy, my wife caused the breakup of your marriage. Lissy and Leonard Jones’s sister are shacking up together, Lissy is moving her and the kids out today,”
I knew what Jeff had told me was tearing him apart. I had to respond in such a way that he knew I did not hold him accountable.
“Krack, remind me to thank her,” I said. “Because without her interference I would never have known what pure unconditional love was.”
Well, I did not expect the response I got because both Brandy and Brie started crying even the meathead Jeff teared up.
“Dam,” sad Brie as the tears rolled down her cheeks. “It’s now clear that I am going to have me one hell of a brother-in-law.”
“I came down to tell you the truth,” Jeff said. “Figuring I was losing my best friend.”
“Cam exchange keys with Brie. Brie the kids are yours to look after for the next few hours,” Brandy said with a huge smile. “Take Jeff out to see the park and the property that we are buying. I will call the widow Dillard to let her know you’re coming.”
“And just what are you going to be doing during that time,” Brie said with a knowing look.
“I’m going home to make love to my future husband for the first time.” Brandy said.
Lesson learned there is nothing sacred between sisters.
*********
Jeff put in offers on the sixteen properties Brandy had presented him to. He thought that property values would go up to fifteen percent plus over the next two years. If accepted, it would be the biggest deal Brandy had ever achieved.
We had stopped in for a beer before meeting the ladies for dinner.
“There’s something about this area that has changed you,” Jeff said. “ I saw it the first time I saw you with Brandy but couldn’t put a finger on it.”
“That is easy to explain,” I said. “I’ve got my sense of what it’s like to be free back. I see my achievements every day in front of me. I have a purpose, a goal, a future that I now can see.”
“And the love of a good woman, who will work with you my friend,” Jeff said. “I wish we both could have found one like her the first time around.”
“I’ve got two things for you to do,” I said. “When you go back get a copy of the property deed on my house and then call Susan Walker. I need you to give her a declaration of facts about what Lissy told you.”
“Why what’s your plan,” Jeff asked?
“Erin will be going to her mother’s in Boston for Thanksgiving,” I said, “and will not be coming home on Sunday. Friday night I will enter my house hoping to catch him there.”
“Why would you do that?” Jeff asked.”
“I will not have any identification on me, and I won’t be revealing who I am until I am officially arrested,” I said. “Erin’s boyfriend’s brother is a cop, so I am hoping he’s the one that arrests me. I will lawyer up immediately.”
“You’re going to destroy his credibility, his reputation, and his relationship with his family,” Jeff said. “That may destroy their relationship.”
“Don’t care. I want Erin to be forced to come back and identify me,” I said. “That way I will be in the driver's seat because it’s her love interest that tried to throw me in jail.”
“So, you won’t be staying at the Walker place,” Jeff said, “Because they’re too close. It will be like our good old day when we shared a university dorm.”
“Just no crazy things,” I said. “Remember you almost got both of us expelled when you tried to sneak those two hookers into the room.”
********
When we stopped for the first night from driving, we found an old McDonald’s that still had a kid playroom. We used it so Francie could spend some of her built-up energy. For the first time Brandy, the kids, and I spent the whole night together.
It was dusk when the six of us pulled into the Walker residence. There were quite a few minutes where I’m sorry was heard. For John and me it was nice to see the family complete the circle. John and I hauled the luggage to the rooms they had picked out for us. I told him about my plans.
Susan and John both decided that there was no way I was going to be able to go stay with Jeff because in their eyes I was already family. I called Jeff and informed him he was expected to spend the day with us.
On Thursday night at ten pm in the cover of darkness, I left the Walker residence. I had left my identification behind and the only possession I took with me was a key that opened both the front and back door of my former residence.
I unlocked the back door and had gone into the kitchen where I grabbed a cold beer out of the fridge. Heading into the living room once I had turned the lights on, I noticed that all pictures of Erin and I had been removed.
That is when I heard a voice say, “I’ve got a loaded shotgun on you. Do not move the police are on their way.”
I turned towards the voice and got my first look at the man who had replaced me in my bed and took a sip of my beer. He took it as a total act of contempt and rammed the butt of the gun into my gut then whacked me on my temple causing me to start bleeding.
“How did you get in here?” He asked. “All the doors were locked, and the newly installed alarm was turned on.”
I said nothing because I could hear the sirens in the background.
My wife’s boyfriend directed me to unlock the front door and walk out to the lawn so that the police officers could cuff me. With him holding the shotgun I gladly complied. The police pulled in just as I came through the front door.
As soon as one of the police officers had cuffed me, I was asked, “What's your name?”
“Mr. Cellophane,” I replied.
They searched my body looking for identification only finding nothing but a key. One officer asked, “What's the key for?”
“The front and back door stupid,” I replied knowing it was going to make the police officer become pissed off.
“It really can’t be that simple. Can it,” as he went and tried the key to discover it worked.
“Leonard, do you know where Erin's husband is,” the same officer said.
“He must be Leonard’s brother. This is getting better and better,” I said as the other officer put in the back seat and closed the door.
John and Jeff watched the police car drive away both wearing smiles on their faces.
“It is going according to plan,” Jeff said. “We have to give them half an hour for the booking and fingerprinting to be done.”
“Why?” asked Brandy. “Cams got the public proof.”
“Because one of the first things the officer will have to do is run the serial number on the shotgun only to find that Leonard Jones is not the registered owner. Technically he has a stolen gun, is living in a house that is not his who had the owner of both arrested for breaking into his own house.”
“Once we have proven who Cam is, I will raise the claim that this is an entrapment set up by the police officer and his brother,” John said.
It took about an hour before I was allowed to call my lawyer John Walker. I had been booked and charged under the name of Mr. Cellophane. That is when things got interesting. John came in to talk to me for a few minutes and captured a picture of the gash and dried blood on my face.
Then John insisted that two detectives who had been interviewing me join us in the interview room. When they did following John’s orders, I used John’s cellphone to call Erin. She answered on the third ring.
“I got myself in a bit of a pickle,” I explained. “I’ve been arrested. I am going to put the speaker on because I need you to identify yourself to the detective and explain who I am.”
“Is it serious?” she asked.
“Yes, it is, I got caught without my identification,” I said as I turned the speaker on.
“To whom it may concern,” Erin said. “My name is Erin Hughes and the man I was just talking to is my husband, Cameron. We have been married for six years. We live at 467 East Cherry Lane in Portland Maine. What is he being charged with? ”
It was interesting seeing the look on the two detectives' faces as my wife explained who I was.
“Breaking and entering into a house,” the one detective said. “Which we just learned was his own home. So, who was the man that called the police, after making the citizen’s arrest?”
“Oh God,” Erin said just before the connection went dead.
“The brother of one of the officers that brought me in,” I said. “I believe in their report they noted that it had been Leonard Jones who assaulted me with my shotgun.”
“I want him arrested and charged,” John said. “And his brother suspended pending an investigation. I will be going to court to get a court order for the release of all the paperwork and reports released for the suit that is coming.”
It was a hoot watching Leonard Jones being arrested and escorted out of my house from across the street by the same two detectives who had to interview me.
“Your divorce is going to be a walk in the park,” Susan said. “Well done. I will personally serve her when she returns after I file the paperwork tomorrow.”
“How long until it is done?” Brandy asked.
“Under the circumstance and with what Cam is offering her if she accepts within sixty days,” Susan said. “Is that fast enough for you?”
“Only if you agree to be our maid of honor,” Brandy said.
“Glady, it will give us a chance to start looking for a home,” Susan said. “We received permission from the board to practice law in Kentucky. We are coming home. With or without the government’s approval were taking our freedom back.”
********
With what Susan videoed and the police report which was now public knowledge. Erin agreed to all my terms and conditions. She got the house but nothing else. Lissy lost just as badly because everything was exposed in the local rags who saw the story as a circulation booster.
The whole family and Jeff celebrated Christmas at Del’s house with his second wife. It was after opening all the gifts that I got down on one knee to ask Brandy for her hand in marriage. Del was as proud as peacock in full bloom when his daughter said yes.
Finished