Chapter 19

Fred Boyd his brother.
Alice Boyd his sister in law.
Nephew John 15
Niece Gabby 13
Jo Anne Wall old girl friend
Windy Wall her ex husband.
Lewis and Ellie Keith’s in laws.
Sarah Marsh retro hippie
General Briggs rd
Doris owner of the consignment shop.
Jo Anne Joyner Wall : Keith’s first girlfriend. Three girls 16 13 10

oldest daughter ginger
Mr Jessup buyer of Keith’s scooter.
Rebecca Avondale deacon and keith’s client.
Marsha stylist to Rebecca
Gulfcrest hotel/casino
Elanor, Mark and Simon family being stalked
Sylvia Amos sheriff’s detective.
Willow goth chick. Computer nerd
Abdi arab family victim of arson.
Ginger Moss Willow’s mother
Mr Serpico client in motel.
Liam Amos hunter.
Jasper Amos Liam’s son
Jerry Geyser first separated man to stay in cabin/tent.
Lou Anne Mason justice dept
Jill one of the federal cops.
Ashley Marcy’s friend.
Nurse Jane at hospital in grenada
Rodney Markham and Marcus Wilbert Deacon’s attackers
Sylvia Simmons (Marcy’s client) aka sonya
Mark Wilson sheriffs detective.
Lisa Preston mother of delinquent cook
Mike preston catfisherman and cook
Agent Rogers Doj
Marsha Edwards the girl who had a drug reaction in one of Keith’s cabin.
Debbie Schultz my first trailer rental not in danger.
Barbara Matros photography community college instructor.

The call came from Alice the next day. My brother was on his front porch threatening to kill her, according to her. That usually didn’t mean shit, but I couldn’t count on that either. I got on the lightweight trike and rode to his house. I was there within fifteen minutes.

“Fred, what the hell are you doing?” I asked.

“Alice pulled my fucking bass boat out of the drive and into a muddy field,” he said. “She didn’t have to do that. She’s just being a bitch.”

“Fred imagine what a shock your leaving was, not just to her but she is also dealing with the kids,” I said.

“So, after all I’ve done for you, you are turning on me,” he said looking away.

“Fred, just don’t go there. I made sure you got everything mom and dad left. I didn’t want or need it, but I could have turned it into a pissing match. I chose not to do that,” I walked away before I really let him have it. I didn’t go in the house. I didn’t figure I needed any more grief.

I drove straight back to the house and plopped my ass in front of the computer terminal. I had a wide choice of entertainment there, so I took advantage of it. It was very late when I fell asleep that night. I had watched a couple of things before I succumb to the song of Morpheus.

I awoke next morning to a phone ringing. Yes I still used a ringing phone as a ring tone. “What is it?” I asked without looking up the instigator of the phone call’s name.

“What are you planning for the day,” Mr Brother Fred asked,

“Nothing at all, what do you need?” I asked.

“I need someone to help me move furniture,” Fred Said.

“Come get me, and then let’s go pick up breakfast. After that I will work all day for you,” I said.

That was exactly what happened. Not only did I move furniture from mom and dad’s house to Fred’s new town house, but I also helped a man from his plant build furniture. We couldn’t build a sofa and chair, but we could build at least parts of everything else. We called it hobo revival. Some of it would be good enough to sell. Some of it would be ready for the scrap heap within two weeks I was sure.

At the end of the day, the apartment was livable. John and Gabby, his kids, showed up just before the whole family drove me home. I was extremely glad to see my house again. I was so happy I even cooked dinner for myself.

I enjoyed the pinto beans and wild boar sausage. That and a huge portion of rice with left over vegetables. I also managed to find some frozen french bread, which I broiled with garlic salt and butter. Since I still wasn’t tired of the dry iced tea mix, I had a glass of that.

I was working on my computer when the phone rang. It was Fred, “Keith, I wonder if I could get you to do me a favor tomorrow?” he asked.

“Sure what do you need?” I asked.

“The cable TV company is coming at 10AM. Would you come over to let them in. I’ve got it written down what I expect him to do,” Fred said.

“Sure I can handle that,” I said.

“Good I’ll leave you a key in the mail box outside. Just put it on your key ring,” he suggested.

I went to bed when I finally got exhausted. I fell into bed, then slept like the dead until 8AM. When I awoke, I dressed for the cold, then took the scooter out. I was at Fred’s townhouse at quarter till ten. It was in plenty of time since the cable man came at a little after ten.

“So let me ask you, did you do everything on his list,” I said showing it to him.

He checked the item off the list right in front of me. “Nothing to it. Everything stays wired up here. It’s just a matter of turned it all on.” the tall skinny black man said.

“Good, I’m sure my brother will be pleased,”I said.

Once the man left I checked to be sure the stove was off before I closed it all up. Instead of going home I drove into Greenville for lunch. There was a pretty good grill which served a wicked chicken friend cube steak. I had to admit it was one of the best things I had eaten recently.

Not only was the steak and gravy good, but Willow walked in as I finished it. I started on the chocolate pie just as she sat down.

“So what you been up to lately, she asked.

“Helping my brother move,” I suggested. Then I realized it wasn’t my place to make that announcement. “So how about you?” I asked.

“Same old shit. You know how it is. Nothing every changes around here,” she informed me.

“Yeah, I know,” I agreed although something had changed for me, Fred, and Alice. I was going to have to walk a balanced beam for a while. Friendship is one thing, but family is a whole different kettle of catfish.

“I was having breakfast earlier with one of the deputy sheriffs when he got a call. They found a floater in the Yazoo,” Willow said. “You do a lot of fishing there don’t you.”

“I did till a couple of weeks ago. Do they know who it is?” I asked.

“No idea yet, the whole county should know by Dinner time,” Willow said.

“They better hurry then they don’t usually release that information till the next day,” I observed.

“You just don’t know how to ask,” Willow observed.

“Well if I have to hold detective Amos’s hand, I’ll just wait till it makes the papers,” I informed her.

“When I hear I’ll give you a call,” Willow informed me. “You gonna buy me lunch?”

“Sure, I’ll just take it off the next job you do for me,” I said.

When we finished lunch, I rode the scooter back home. It was a serious hour on it just to make to my drive. Since I wasn’t keeping to any schedule, I enjoyed the ride as I always seemed to do.

Alice called me later on that evening. “Did you get Fred moved into his swinger’s condo?” she asked.

“It doesn’t look like a swingers pad to me, but then I never lived in one of those places,” I said.

“That’s how their brochure describe it,” Alice said with a laugh.

“Then it must be one,” I agreed. “So what are you doing tonight?”

“I have absolutely no plans. So do you want to come over?” she asked.

“Not a good idea. No matter how harmless it turns out to be, Fred would never believe it. We don’t want one of those family feuds the river is famous for to come about.” I said to her.

“Okay, but you can’t keep it strictly business forever,” she said.

“I can try,” I said. Then I said good night and ended the call.

The next morning I was bored at home, so I waited until the batteries were charged, then drove off to the community center. They were selling hot dogs for the young sports program. They might be to benefit the youth sports, but the hot dogs were mostly bought by the seniors of the community.

The sale took place every Saturday morning from 10AM until 3PM. Not only were the hot dogs good, the customers all seemed to know each other. I had to be reacquainted with the other diners. Even so it was great fun.

After I had my two hot dogs and diet coke, I began to walk around. As usual there were a couple of politicians hanging out there. Seniors vote more than young citizen, I was informed by a man in a straw had. He was billed as the champion of the farmers. I let him shake my hand though I didn’t plan to vote. I hadn’t been eligible to vote in over twenty years. Since I just didn’t care who ran the government, I didn’t plan to register. The government would never be run the way I wanted it to be even if I voted ten times for the same man.

I walked by a cardboard Coke box with a blanket spilling out of it. Also emanating from the box were a multitude of squeaks and squeals. I was curious of course, so I looked inside. Inside the box were three tiny fur balls.

“How old are they?” I asked the older woman standing near the box.

“About five week. If you want one I’ll save you one,” She said.

“Let me give it some thought,” I said. I went back to trade my iced tea for a coffee cup. Since I was running wild, I also picked up a huge brownie. There were tons of cons and almost no pros at all in taking the pup, so I made my decision.”

“Give me the last one,” I said to the woman. “The one nobody else wants.”

Suddenly there was a twinkle in the old lady’s eye. “They are always the best ones,” she said.

“I’m going to hold you to that,” I said with a smile.

“You do that Mr. Boyle,” she said.

“How did you know I’m Fred’s brother?” I asked.

“I heard a lot about you. It’s just lucky you showed up here today. God’s looking over you son,” she said.

“I hope you are right,” I said.

When I got home, I went back to researching my next adventure. I didn’t really need the extra income, I just needed to stay busy so I didn’t lay down and die. I guess the puppy was to help pass the time. Hondo hadn’t been really sociable, but taking care of him had been a responsibility. It kept me focused in those early days.

At the point I was at that moment, I wanted to try something totally new. Since I had the simply retarded phone, rather than the dumb as a brick phone I had when I first got home, I had learned to love photography.

I learned that the Mississippi Delta community college offered a course in digital photography. It was an online course, so it came with it’s own set of challenges. For one thing I doubted I was smart enough to follow along with the kids of today. They knew all about everything digital, I knew very little about the digital world.

Yes I could follow root directions, like how to download TV Shows and Movies. How would I be with complicated directions was a huge question mark. The Mississippi Delta community college offered a short introductory course in digital photography. It was designed for people like me who had a fifty fifty chance of giving up on the course. People like us had no background in photography and not a lot of computer experience were in a class by ourselves and needed to be babied along.

Since I had no idea how long I would last, I didn’t mention my new project to anyone. I began studying off and on for hours at a time. Most of the things I learned were that there were no hard and fast rule in photography. I learn a lot of rules about composition, just before I learned that even the basics were flexible.

After two weeks I decided that I needed a better camera even it if was only to fail. A failure with a cellphone camera would teach me nothing. If I failed, I needed to give it my best shot.

I bought a camera to teach myself digital photography. It came from Walmart and was just under five hundred bucks. It had high ratings from experts and housewives alike, so I expected to be able to figure it out. I began the first night by reading the directions and then doing the things it suggested over and over until I understood what I was doing.

I also read the rules of composition and then practiced them over an over. During the next months I almost finished the introduction to the digital photography course at the college. As I continued, it became mostly interactions with the instructor and others in the group.

The instructor, according to her, was a forty two year old woman. Her claim to fame was that she was an experienced faculty member of The Mississippi Delta Community College. I had the school bill my debit card for the course tuition and fees. I settled into the college course after finishing the short introduction course.

I signed up on line on the same day, I picked up the ugliest puppy I had every seen. Okay maybe not ugliest just most homely. His fur was sort of tiger striped design. According to the internet it was called Brindle.

On the way to get him, I stopped to get all the things I needing. When he got to be big enough he could have Hondo’s hand me downs. Meantime I bought a couple of things designed for his size.

He needed a name, but I had no idea. I had arranged for the puppy before I informed Alice I was getting another dog. Her reply was to show up at my gate.

“Alice it’s getting late,” I said as I opened the gate for her from my cellphone.

“I want to see the new man in our lives. John has got a date and Gabby is spending the night with a girlfriend. At least I hope it’s a girlfriend.” Alice said.

“Well come on in you can play with the pupster,” I said.

“I see you haven’t named the puppy yet,” she said.

“Well I’m thinking,” I said.