The Colonel
Copyright© 2026 by happyhugo
Chapter 11
“Jim, don’t be gone too long. One other thing: I’ll never doubt you again about what you and Amelia have together. I thought you said last night that you had destroyed something wonderful you had with her and never would get it back. I awoke this morning and could hear you cracking up and laughing together out here. What a wonderful sound to wake up to.”
Amelia put my pancakes onto a plate for me and did the same for the Colonel. For the last pancake, I had Amelia put a fried egg, sunny side up, on top and poured syrup around it. The Colonel watched me eat this and asked if there was more batter. Amelia grinned, for she had been frying the same for the Colonel, and gave him one fixed the same way. “Sweetheart, that’s damned tasty. Make it again for me sometime.”
I left and drove to the construction company that had built my home to speak to Bill Nobel. I walked in, and he was in his office. “Hey Jim, I promised I’d be there on Tuesday. I’m all set to go. I’ll have everything you requested finished in about two weeks.”
“Bill, I’m not here about that. Do you know anything about that empty convenience grocery store over on the edge of town?”
“I do if it is the one rented to that woman minister named Mims. I read that she was doing the funeral of Bradley Kendal, who worked for you.”
“Yes, we had the funeral at the house. It was the colonel’s idea. Bradley worked for him off and on for years when he wasn’t drinking. He sobered up in the last two years of his life.”
“Bradley told me that one day, when we talked after I started to build your house. He also told me you had something to do with him quitting drinking.”
“He always said I did. He got drunk one night, and I put him up and bought him breakfast. I needed a laborer, and he had the experience to do what I planned. We talked, and I hired him. He was an excellent worker, and I know I will never be able to replace him. He was like a brother to me.”
“What do you want to know about that empty store?”
“I’ve been thinking about Mrs. Mims and her having to preach in a dump like that empty store.”
“Bill, I know what you mean. It is a shame she has to. How much is the property worth, and what is the purchase price? Additionally, what would be the cost of transforming it into something resembling a church? I don’t need to know today, but if you look at it and give the figures to Amelia, the Colonel’s wife, she will be working on finding a suitable site for a church at my direction.
“Bill, one other item: Amelia will be trying to sell that bus that the Colonel, his wife, and I lived in for two years. I’m leaving town for a few weeks, and Amelia owns half of the bus. We bought the thing together because she didn’t want me to pay more than half when we purchased it. She has the authority to sell.”
“I saw you had the wheels off the ground, so the tires must still be good. How many miles have you put on it?
“Seventeen, there are fewer than 2800 miles on it in total. It is a 2017 model, and we haven’t abused it.”
“How come you are taking off now?”
“I’ve hung right in here putting the horse farm back together, and you’re building my house. I’m going up to Vermont to see my mother. There are Army Buddies I want to look up. I’m only taking a break, and, as I said, I’ll be back. Do you have any idea why that store closed up?”
“Yeah, that is in a poor section of town, and the store owners thought they would get rich. They probably could have, but they were charging too much for their goods, and few people would trade there. They lasted five years, but left with significantly less money than when they arrived. They still own it, I guess, and the bank doesn’t want it. I imagine the bank may have written it off by this time.
“They even tried to get some money from the kids who practice their music in that old barn out back, but they don’t have money either, so the kids are squatting in it. The preacher has a rental agreement that states she can use all the space on the property, except for the front of the building. Mims spoke with a lawyer, and the lawyer reviewed the agreement, stating that the building out back wasn’t identified in the deed. Neither she nor the owners have enough money to sue, so it sits there.
“Jim, I’ll get over there and look at the property this weekend, and we can discuss what it would take to make it habitable for a home or a decent-looking church.”
“Bill, call me next week if you will. I’ll be on the road somewhere, but get in touch with me anyway.”
“Sure, I will.”
I drove by the store. It was damned desolate-looking and needed paint. I could see a parking lot through the alleyway. There was a faded sign that read ‘Entrance, Parking.’ I slowed down and went slowly by, and I didn’t stop. I went around the corner, and a trailer park came into view. I drove up and down the streets. The mobile homes appeared occupied, and most occupants took pride in their homes. The owners planted flowers. The only clutter I could see was children’s toys.
I called Gertrude Mims and asked if she was busy. I want to talk with her, and it shouldn’t take more than an hour. “Jim, come see me any time today. I’m working on this week’s message, but I have two words left to finish. The winding-up keeps me stuck, so I may not return to it until I’ve had a chance to sleep on it. I will offer you a cup of coffee.”
“Thank you. I’ll be there in fifteen minutes.” I stopped at a nearby convenience store and bought jelly donuts. Gertrude met me at the door, and I handed her the donuts, and her eyes lit up.
“Oh, my, a donut is what I need. You are a Gem, Jimmy. Let’s enjoy these before we get into why you are here. Coffee is in the kitchen.”
I didn’t sit, only walking around the room and looking out the window over the sink. A sizable plot for a beautiful garden shows.
“Yes, we grow a lot of our food—some of the excess we give our parishioners. The parishioners help us out. They all give as much as they can in the collection. Last Sunday, it was terrific. Two new people were in the congregation, and I had enough money to pay the month’s rent.
“I was going to ask you about your rent, and I am interested in what the store is worth and who owns it.”
“Jim, I’ll explain a little about that. The bank owns it, and I made a deal with a bank manager named Delbert Fellows. He made a deal with the town, which had the property listed as a church. He will continue to do so as long as another preacher or I hold services in it. The bank has written it off, but they charged me the interest that accrued when I took over the property and converted it into a church. The church has received some money left by deceased individuals.
“I put that into an annuity and use the monthly interest to pay the rent. It isn’t enough, and it will be a struggle if I have fewer than twenty parishioners in the church. This month will be one of the better months since I started renting. I don’t have to pay taxes because the town doesn’t tax churches, and the bank has written it off. What little I pay for rent, I give a few pennies back to the bank to write off. It will be many years before they are ever even.
“It is worth it, though. The kids using the barn are nice to have around, and they help out if I’m short. They don’t use any money if they get some from playing at a party or something and donate it to me for rent. I don’t charge them; they enjoy playing in their little band. It is good training and helps keep them out of trouble. Jenny will leave the band for the summer and attend community college as soon as high school lets out. She also works several hours a week in a store. Next year, Mike will be doing the same.”
“That’s something.”
“Jim, what did you want to ask me about?”
“Gertrude, I’m at a crossroads in my life. It all came to a head Monday evening. I inadvertently said something in front of Bonny, Amelia, and the Colonel about the injury to my foot. The Colonel said something and told me that I hurt Amelia’s feelings. He complained that he had a new, wonderful wife, and I shouldn’t make her unhappy. He wanted to be with her for as many years as he could, and me hurting her wasn’t anything he was going to let happen.
“Bonny stepped in and blasted me, commenting that I was just a rich guy and shouldn’t be going around hurting people. Amelia hadn’t said anything, just walking out. I walked out myself. I thought a lot that night, but I wasn’t worried about hurting Amelia.
“We had resolved that long before the property came to me, and I brought Amelia down to meet the Colonel. I knew I was all right with her, and I knew it when I went into the Colonel’s for breakfast. She and I were laughing, and the Colonel heard us before he came into the kitchen, so he was okay with it, realizing Amelia and I have a special friendship.”
“So what problem do you want to talk to me about? Is it Bonny?”
“Not mainly, but what she said is somewhat correct. I thought about my life during the night. Bonny intimated that I had lived my life in the Army, and now that I was out, I had no one to tell me what to do, and I couldn’t handle it. I think I’ve done reasonably well since arriving. I came here knowing no one. I recognized right off that I needed help and hired Molly, who knew everyone and what needed to rejuvenate the horse farm.
“I wanted to make the Colonel happy, and I thought I did. He seemed to approve of what I was doing in building that monstrous home and showplace for him. I gave Bradley and Bonny some advice, and they put it together and had a happy couple of years. No one knows how much I miss Bradley. He was a person who gave back more than he received. That happens a lot in the service. He and I had the same hidden thoughts, but they suddenly came to the fore. Some of the beauty that I created on the farm was his work and suggestions, and I’m not going to try to take that credit.
“In a way, I’m treating Molly the same way. If I leave the farm and Molly with a list of the work to finish, everything planned, she will receive credit for much of it, as it will be a showplace.
“Of course, when I came here and found out what was needed, Molly directed everything. I spent a considerable amount of money, but we completed it in under less than two years. Even Molly hurt me a little until she explained why she didn’t want to date me. Again, she was correct, and going in that direction would have been a mistake.”
“What do you want from me, Jim? What would make you happy?”
“Gertrude, want a nice woman to love me, and I want some work I can do that is interesting and some that will be more of being in the service and coming out, not knowing how to handle the rest of my life. I did have women whom I loved off and on over the years. They were fine, and I would have married, but the women wanted me to leave the service and couldn’t accept me otherwise, and I could be killed in the next hotspot our country is involved in. I could see their point and would walk away. I’m doing the same, and I guess, right now. I’m certainly following that path right now.”
“Take a few months away, then. Where are you headed on Friday?”
“I’m going to Vermont to say hi to my mother. Then, I’m headed to Cheyenne to face my father, who left my mother when I was four. I understand that he must have been a lot like Bradley. I’m hoping he has changed as much as Bradley did. I want to return and be able to tell Molly that he has changed since she last knew him as her father. She loved him even though he had so little to do with her.”
“Explain some of what you are saying.”
“Okay, James, the Third, is my Grandpa. He had one child, James the Fourth. James the Fourth is my Father, who was married to my mother, Sarah. I’m James, the fifth. James, the Fourth, also married Tessie Burns, who already had a child, Molly, after divorcing Mother. He wouldn’t adopt Molly, leaving her without a father figure. Maggie Burns is Tessie’s sister, who didn’t live very long. Maggie brought up Molly with the Colonel’s help, and both returned his love.
“I was in much the same situation, when the Colonel paid for my education until I graduated from Norwich University and joined the military as a second lieutenant. The years passed, and I was a diligent officer, rising to the rank of Major before leaving the service. I had almost decided to retire, and that was when Amelia backed her car over my foot.
“The Colonel was going to lose the horse farm for taxes. The house had burned, and the fields grown to weeds, so Grandpa willed the land to Molly and me. She owns 20% of the land, and I own 80%, all of which is undivided. It is still undivided. Grandfather, the Colonel, lived in the house where Maggie lived and spent much of his time in her restaurant, watching people as a pastime. I had money from winning a sizable lottery ticket twenty years ago.
“I went into Maggie’s restaurant and observed Grandfather, and I knew he wouldn’t recognize me. I was sad for the old man. I think it was the next day that I met Molly at what remained of the Colonel’s horse farm. I asked her what would make my grandfather happy. She said I should walk into the restaurant, approach him, wearing my service uniform, and salute him. Mother, and I, forced to leave. I, at four years old, saluted him when we left. Molly, taught to salute him as I had been, we walked up and saluted him, standing side by side.
“It made his day. I never thought about doing anything that would ever pull him from me. It almost did when I mentioned my injured foot. I had arranged to come here right after arriving, and Amelia was soon his wife. She and I are close friends, and neither of us feels we can lose, so I made sure that we are still together.”
“Jim, I have seen how close you are to Amelia and your Grandfather, so what you tell me doesn’t surprise me. It also seems you are the same as Molly.”
“I am. I can tell you that I believe my Father is alive and lives out in Cheyenne. I have the horse farm back on its feet and a home for the remainder of my family, a place to live. Now is the time to find and face Father. Molly would have been my step-sister if Father had done what he should have done and adopted her. She has used that as an excuse for not becoming close to me, and she is correct. I care nothing about horses and working with them; Molly realized it long before I did. She is a strong and wise person.
“Gertrude, putting this all together, I have been telling you that I will go back two years and find a way to transition from my life in the service to one where I work at a civilian job like normal people do. You wouldn’t happen to know how to do that, would you?”
“How long before you are returning here from Cheyenne?”
“I should be ready to settle into something in a few months. I will be searching for that something while away and should be able to start right in.”
“Jim, there is always selling real estate. Bonny works as the manager in an insurance office. There are all kinds of sales jobs; you could become a sales representative selling stocks and bonds. I’m sure you must have some knowledge of handling money. Many people who win the lottery would have frittered it away. That tells me you are quite sensible, and I don’t think you will have too much trouble finding a good line of work.”
“Gertrude, you give me a lot of hope that I’ll find a path to happiness for all that Bonny, accused me of being just a rich person.”
“What she said bothers you, doesn’t it?”
“I suppose so. Anyway, I’ll push it to the back of my mind and concentrate on one thing at a time.”
“You will be okay, Jim. Find your father and settle the matter with him before you return. I suspect it is more about how he treated your mother than how he has treated you. Think about it that way, and thank your grandfather again for what he did for you in your father’s place.”
“Thank you, Gertrude, for listening to me. Do you have my cell number? I’d like to have it if anything happens at the horse ranch. Could you not consider it a duty? I enjoyed speaking with you and would like to continue our conversation, again.”
“Yes, and I’d like to hear about you finding your Father and how meeting him turned out.”
I called Mother and talked to her, telling her that I was flying into Burlington International Airport. “Jimmy, do you want me to pick you up?”
“No, Mom, I’ll rent a car and drive across the state. I’ll stay with you for a while and then fly out of Burlington. I’m going to track down Father if I can. That is, if still alive. It has been five years since I tracked him down when I came through there before I got out of the Army.”
“I guess you should, but I wouldn’t after how he treated us. Yes, and the way he treated Molly the same way, as well.”
“Okay, Mom, I can understand. I’m at loose ends for a bit. Molly is finishing the building, and I thought it was a good time I could get away.”
“Is everything okay down south?”
“It is. The people down South don’t know that Father is alive unless Amelia says something. I think I once told her, but she didn’t mention his name. What I plan to do when I return is to start exploring opportunities for the rest of my life. I have had two significant projects during my lifetime: one, achieving success in the service, and two, completing the restoration of the horse farm. I can’t sit around doing nothing.”
To read the complete story you need to be logged in:
Log In or
Register for a Free account
(Why register?)
* Allows you 3 stories to read in 24 hours.