The Colonel
Copyright© 2026 by happyhugo
Chapter 14
We drove into the yard with Jeffery right behind us. I helped Amelia out of the car with Maggie and Bonny beside me. Jeffery, Molly, and Wendy got out, and Wendy headed for the house. The door opened, and Robbie was the first one out. Slowly, Edith and Father came out and down the steps off the porch.
Father looked closely at Molly, the child he had practically disowned, before turning to Maggie. “Maggie, you have aged well. I’m pleased to meet you again.”
“James, you look a hell of a lot better than you did 20 years ago.”
“I expect I do. I was a troubled person back then. Tessie and I couldn’t get along. My old man was always on my case, and it was time for me to leave.”
“Yes, you left it for me to clean up your mess. You left me with a young child and a sick wife, and walked away from your father, who was trying to teach you about his business, which was an excellent money making venture. I understand that you tracked down Sarah, your first wife, and attempted to reunite with her. How did that work out?”
“It didn’t work at all. Seeing as Jim is here, you must have been in touch with Sarah?”
“Yes, she visits occasionally. We are here, and you should meet Amelia, your stepmother. The Colonel couldn’t have chosen a better wife. They are both delighted to be together. So that you know, your father had given up on life and only existed by living off me and sitting in my restaurant, waiting for a friend to stop by and say hello. It was after the house burned down, and his business went to ruin.
“The woman; Molly, standing by your daughter, Wendy, you should recognize her as a daughter of yours just by seeing them standing together. I’m here so she can tell you she is the child you were the meanest father when she only wanted the love that you never showed her.”
“There is no proof that she is my daughter. I never bedded Tessie until we were married. This baby was born seven months after Tessie, and I married. I didn’t even know Tessie was pregnant. At least I got rid of Sarah before I met Tessie. Maggie, why are you bringing this up now in front of my wife and children? Who is the man standing near Molly, anyway?”
“That, James, is your soon-to-be son-in-law. How does that grab you?”
“I guess I don’t give a shit, who he is.”
Edith took over and admonished James. “James, I said we would put these people up for the next five days, and Jimmy thanked me for that. You calm down. Maggie, with whom you are arguing, must have proof that Molly is your daughter. You have claimed for years that Molly isn’t, but the likeness between Molly and Wendy is way too much to ignore. Please, everyone, come in and refresh yourselves. Wendy, help me set the table, and we will get food on. I’m hoping the food will put us all in a better mood.
“Molly, introduce your fiancé to me. That will be an excellent place to begin. I know all about James’s past. I understand he made many mistakes before I met him, but he has been a good husband to me and cherishes Robbie and Wendy.”
“Okay, Edith, Jeffery hasn’t been dating me very long. There is a reason for that. His father bought the horse farm next door to the Colonel’s property. His father looked it over, and since it was on the market, he purchased it. He plans to create a challenging golf course. They have begun installing traps in ponds and sand traps. There will be long fairways and spots of full-grown trees that a golfer has to look out for when hitting. The workers haven’t reached where the greens will be yet. It is coming right along, though.
“Jeffery walked through the woods and was amazed to see me training a couple of racehorses. Before that day was over, he asked me for a date. After Walter Kingston left dating me, I hadn’t gone out at all. I told you he is my fiancé, but we are only at the stage of talking about it. I gave Jeffery a tour of the house, and Jeffery brought his Father, George, over to take the tour two days later.
“When George learned that only five or six people lived in it, he couldn’t understand why there weren’t more people. I told him that the house had replaced the original one that had burned. Grandpa Thorpe was a horse farmer specializing in racehorses, and Jimmy built this in his honor. Three years ago, the Colonel was the only Thorpe left in town. The harness racing was gone. Jimmy and I were given the property to do with as we pleased, expecting it to be sold.
“Jimmy Thorpe arrived with a pocket full of money. The first thing that Jimmy did was to hire me to help him begin a restoration of both the racing business and to replace the burned-out shell of the original building. I had nothing to do with the house except when he left to look for his father. Jimmy left me to complete the restoration. Why he did this, I am not sure. I’m guessing it was a way for me to have equal credit for the total restoration.
“In one way, there is no possible way that what Jimmy and I did could come out equal. Grandpa intended for Jimmy to have title to 80% of the land’s value and for me to have 20%. I worry about this. I’m using 60 acres of the land, and Jimmy built the house on 15 acres. I even went to the attorneys, Macain and Macain, to see what they had to say. They had no answer for Jimmy either.”
“There is one other thing I should mention. Jimmy paid me more than a living wage until I won my first race with one of my horses. That’s when he told me I was on my own. There is more. In the new building, the first apartment constructed, is intended for me to use, allowing me to watch and care for my horses, as it is closest, to the barn where they are located. He is giving me a break on my rent, even with all the other things he has done for me.
“Molly spoke, Jimmy is attractive, and I was highly attracted to him. We went to the first dance held after he arrived, I was so damned proud to be his date. Then Bonny showed up with her husband, Bradley. Brad was a former boyfriend of mine, and I had thrown him out of my life because of his drinking. Bonny could not seem to control Brad’s abuse of alcohol the same way I could not. She wouldn’t take him home that night with her, so she asked us to give her a ride. She loved him more than I ever had, and she came looking for Bradley the following day.
“Bonny found Brad in Jimmy’s room, and he had sobered him up. Jimmy spoke with him and somehow convinced Brad to promise to stop drinking. From that point on, Bradley worked for the Colonel and did things we asked of him, and Bradley never took a drop after Jimmy hired him. Bradley’s life appeared wasted, for he died in an auto accident two years later. I should say it was not wasted but shortened. The marriage to Bonny turned out wonderfully. Ask Bonny how happy they were during that time before his death.”
Father asked. “Molly, why am I hearing about this, Bradley, and Bonny? She is here with Jim. Another thing I want to know is why you and Jim hook up together?”
“Why didn’t I? I dreamed about it at first until Maggie told me it wouldn’t be a good idea. Maggie claimed I was your daughter, and I would be screwing a man who was my brother. I shut Jimmy down and said I would always be his friend, but I couldn’t take our friendship any further because of my suspicions about my father. I am here for a few days to learn the truth. It is too late in a couple of ways for Jimmy and me. First, because Jimmy and Bonny have connected, and second, I believe I have found the man I dreamed about in Jeffery.”
James declared. “I haven’t seen any proof that I am your father. It would be best if you had hooked up with Jimmy when you had the chance. I don’t remember bedding Tessie, and I can swear to that.”
Edith now spoke with authority, “Listen up, everyone, from now on, I’m never going to serve a cold dinner again. You people dig in even though it has cooled. We can finish whatever needs talking later about; your lives and how you all came together. Don’t think I don’t care because I do. I’m a major part of this because of my husband, whom I thought didn’t have children besides Wendy and Robbie. I agree that Jimmy is his son and the oldest of his offspring. Maggie, Molly’s aunt, claims to have proof that Molly is his daughter. We can talk about this after we eat.”
Dishes done and put away and the beds made up in two empty rooms. Bonny and Amelia were sleeping together in one, and Maggie and Molly were sleeping in the other. Edith and Wendy slept in Edith’s bed while James went out with Jimmy and Jeffery to the seed storage room, which had four bunk beds, singles stacked one above the other. Robbie and Jeffery took the top bunks, while Father and I had the lower ones.
I was almost asleep when Father spoke softly from the other bunk. “Jim, do you believe in your heart that Molly is my daughter and Maggie has proof?”
“Father, I believe it, or I wouldn’t have left Molly alone. I was in love with her, and I gave up chasing her when she kept telling me she was almost like a sister to me. She wouldn’t entertain getting any closer to me. I had to be satisfied with that. I knew she had the same feeling for me, for we kissed a few times, and then she stopped suddenly with the, ‘I am your almost sister.’ I wouldn’t press for more; it is up in the air as it is and has worked for both of us.
“I am as proud of her being my sister as of what she accomplished. She has the business she built herself. Even the Colonel recognizes that she is better in the business than he ever was. I understand he was good in his day, but she is better.”
“Well, I’ll reserve judgment until I see what Maggie has for us. Jim, I can make excuses for my actions back then. Maybe I was making them up out of nothing. The Colonel was pushing me to train his horses, and I would get so damned angry when I couldn’t get them to stay in the gait the way they were supposed to.”
“What about me? How did you feel about me?”
“Oh, I guess I wasn’t into playing with babies. Sarah wanted me to get involved. I started drinking and running around, Sarah found out. I began to like you, but I guess you never saw your mother so mad as she was. She could be, and Sarah was a bitch. I will say she was better than Tessie was for me.”
“Father, I’ve learned a lot about life in the service, having to babysit recruits and advise others who had the same troubles with their home life as you. You certainly have settled down with Edith and have a wonderful family.”
“Thanks, Jim, but Edith is a much stronger woman than my first two wives. Some of my memories are of having a lot of fun. I feel guilty remembering, hoping that Edith knows nothing about those days. I was an asshole, and I’m glad I changed, Oh well, go to sleep and forget this talk.” I heard Father roll over. I lay there thinking of Father. As he said, he was an asshole when he was younger. At least he admitted it. I think I cared more about family and friends than he ever would. It wouldn’t matter much now if he stayed under Edith’s guidance.
“What were you guys mumbling about last night after getting into your bunks?”
“Jeffery, Catching up on the past about our lives is all that matters. Remember, I hadn’t seen my father since I was four. That is when the Colonel told Mother and me to leave. Molly was eight before Father took off, leaving her with Maggie to care for.”
“Oh, I didn’t know that. I’m not one for poking around in one’s past. Molly is quite a woman, and I hope to have a future with her. If she gets things straightened out as she hoped, we can start a life together as I wish. You know I’m fairly wealthy; if we marry, she can have more than she has now.”
“Jeffery, you won’t get her away from her horses. I could have been her partner, but I’m not interested. I have to find something to do, and I don’t know what that will be yet. I spent 15 years in the military, but then I had an accident.”
“Hey, Jim, I’ll talk to my old man, and we can find you something to do. You could head up the grounds crew. We may need 15 or more men. I was supposed to ask if you are interested in leasing your property. You’ll be set for life if you lease the house to us. Dad has already talked to Maggie Burns about running a high-class restaurant on the first floor. He thinks the place needs a Bistro in the cellar. Many affluent individuals will be playing on the golf course. I tell you, everyone connected to us will make a fortune. What do you say?”
“It will be a while before there is a need for something like that. I’ll consider it. I don’t believe the Colonel would like it. I built the house in his honor so that you can approach him about it. I own it, but I won’t do anything to make him unhappy. He was the one who paid for my education, and he provided maintenance for my mother until she found a new husband in Bill Craig.
“Let me tell you how much I honor the old man. The day I returned after 20-some-odd years, I met Molly, and she was thrilled to see me. The Colonel taught me to salute him as a child as if he were an Army Colonel. I saluted him when I left at the age of four. The Colonel also taught Molly the salute when she was a toddler. Molly suggested that we enter Maggie’s, walk up to his table, and salute him. I was to wear my uniform to make me stand out as a grandson who had made good in the life he knew little about, although he had paid for it.
“The Colonel had lost everything he had gained and was now relegated to sitting in the corner at Maggie’s, just waiting for his time to die. Molly and I rejuvenated our Grandfather’s; he is much better now than he was three years ago. Can you understand how much I love and honor him?”
“Yes, I suppose, but let’s forget that now and talk about leasing the building for a clubhouse for the golf course.”
“I said I would look at that as an option. Remember that Molly owns a 20% undivided interest in the property. You can discuss this with her as well as with me. For now, we should enjoy our time with my father, his wife, and his new family. I intend to stay until Tuesday next week and maybe longer.”
We walked into the house. Edith sure set a good table. Jeffery told Molly that he wanted to talk to her later. Edith, Father, and Wendy were going to church this morning. Robbie; was to show us the extensive fields of crops that they had planted. It seemed like we drove for miles. We did, for the fields weren’t that close altogether. The ones that planted to wheat this year were the ones that were the most distant, from the original farmland.
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