Chapter 3: Math Problems

Robert---I buried Sue the first week of October. It was pretty sad but the kids were too young to really know what was going on. I did not grieve for her. Actually I did not have the time. I was very busy.

Minnie, my housekeeper, took care of them while I got busy harvesting my beans. That is what brings me here to the Waffle House. The same one where I proposed to Sue. I have just come from the brokerage where I sold my beans.

I have a notebook in front of me and I am trying to figure out if I made any money on the beans. Like I have said I am horrible at math. I could never figure out where the decimal goes or what to do with the zeros. After my third try I lay my pencil down in disgust and take a sip of coffee.

“What’ya working on so hard Bobby?”

“Math, what else?”

“Let me see if I can help.”

She picked up my pencil and turned the notebook towards her. Who is she? Well this is Amy. I have known her my whole life. She always helped me with my homework. Probably the reason I graduated high school.

“Ok Bobby, Tell me the problem.”

“I planted 1250 acres of soybeans this year. I averaged 90 bushels of beans per acre. The broker is paying me 20 dollars a bushel. I want to know if I made money or not.”

“Well do you know your seed and fertilizer costs?”

“Including diesel I figure it was about 75,000 dollars total.”

“That seems low. How much was your labor costs?”

“I did all the work myself. Sometimes I planted in the dark using lights on the tractor. Same with the harvesting and hauling I did everything myself.”

“That was a lot of work.”

“I got it done.”

“Bobby you better be glad I am a CPA. I am going to have to find a lot more costs or you are going to owe the government a ton of money.”

“Thanks Amy I know I can count of you. You always had my back.”

“If that is the truth why did you not listen to me when I told you about Sue? I was at Southern Miss. with her. I saw what she was doing and I told you the day after you proposed to her. You knew Bobby. You knew who she was and what she was yet you married her anyway.”

“You of all people should remember how big a crush I had on her. When she started telling me about how she was raped resulting in her being pregnant, I saw an opportunity and I took it.”

“That little girl is so cute and she is a daddy’s girl that’s for sure.”

“The boys are mine. I am sure of it. I was the one who fooled around with her birth control and got her pregnant.”

“Speaking of those boys we better get home. Momma will need help getting them ready for bed.

THE END

Epilog---Robert (Bobby) Barnes---I think I left a few things un-explained when I ended the story. By now some of you have figured out that Amy (Minnie’s daughter) is black. You got that. Right? Well something I left out was that Linda, Amy’s sister, is the school secretary, she answered all calls that came into the school. She also made sure when teachers (like Sue) took off early, their classes were covered. She called her Momma (Minnie, try to keep up) and told her where Sue was going. Like when she went to lunch with the book salesman. Of course Minnie got in touch with me to tell me what was going on. I tracked her to the restaurant then to the motel. The very next day when Linda transferred his call to Sue she kept the line open and listened in as Sue made a date for that afternoon.

I had no idea about the first meeting with the Ford engineer. How could I? But a month later he called the school to tell her where to meet him. Again Minnie alerted me after Linda called her.