The Colonel
Copyright© 2026 by happyhugo
Chapter 3
The Colonel gazed out at the countryside, delighted to take in the scenery from the car. I guess he had been sitting at the little table in the back of the restaurant for years. It wasn’t long until we saw the sign that said, “RVs and buses, new and used for sale.”
I pulled in and began wandering around. The new vehicles are sticker-priced, so their cost is easily visible. I wasn’t that interested in new buses. I wanted to find a used, low-mileage RV advertised as being only two or three years old. I was keeping ahead of Grandpa and Molly. I glanced back once and saw that a sales person had caught up to them. He led them to a new RV. I found the one I was looking for in the back row of the used vehicles.
I walked around it several times and couldn’t see anything wrong. After a while, the three approached, “Do you see anything you like?”
“This one, maybe; I saw you had it listed on your website.”
“Yeah, but it has some bad history behind it, so most people who had a little interest turned it down. Do you want to see the inside?”
“I’m here, so I might as well. It is to be sold as is I take it?”
“Almost; We’ll pay to remove the living room carpet, and you can replace it at your cost. You do the same as the main bedroom queen-sized mattress. That’s about it.”
We did a walk-through. I suspected that someone had died here, and the owners had sold it at a steep discount to the RV place, so maybe they were purchasing it for this purpose. I could see some minor damage, mainly scrapes, on the woodwork. There was a lot of Chrome and Glass for appointments. The two bathrooms were clean, with both a tub and a shower. It had a twenty cubic refrigerator with a freezer on the bottom. It looked almost as modern as the one Grandpa and Molly had.
“Let’s dicker.”
“What’s the price? I’m guessing it is much lower than what you had the unit listed. You had that price at $129,500.00.”
“That’s correct. We will knock off $10,000.00 and take care of the rug and the mattress.”
“Which bed are we talking about here? How do I know you are removing the mattress where the person died?”
“That bed is the one in the room at the end.”
“I don’t know. Tell us the story of why you have the unit for sale?”
“We sold the unit in 2017 to a band of musicians. They had just had their third single reach the charts. They bought it and started touring. The 17,127 miles on the odometer are correct. At the time, a major record label contacted to sign them. They were all happy because they would be playing with the majors. The lead singer, who leads the band, got some bad stuff and overdosed that night.
“The vehicle then became the bank’s property when the band broke up. There isn’t anything wrong with it.”
“Who owns it now, you or the bank?”
“We do. Why don’t you make us an offer?”
“Will it start?”
“Of course, I have a key.” The salesperson swung into the seat and started the vehicle. I had been around enough military equipment to see that some RVs had sat for a long time. This bus, had been occasionally started, because it would start at any time.
“I’ll make a one-time cash offer of $89,000.00 and pick it up on Wednesday if you remove the mattress. The rug can stay. I will want the water tanks flushed, and the diesel tank topped off. The outside needs washing before I pick it up. I’ll need it delivered to some property I own. I’m not having it registered at present.”
“I’ll have to get the okay from the manager. I don’t think he will do it, but we’ll see.” We all walked to the office and offered coffee. We could see the two talking through the window from where we sat.
The salesperson opened the door, looked in, and said. “We have a deal. Come in, and we’ll finish this. We will need some money down today, though.”
“I have a credit card with a high enough limit to pay that today. I’ll pay the balance with a check from a local bank on Wednesday when you deliver it. I’ll ride along to show you where I want it parked.” It didn’t take long, and Molly, Grandpa, and I were returning to town.
“That’s my new home until we get a house built. What do you think, Molly?”
“It’s nice. Is that where your girlfriend is going to stay?”
“Yes, she is going to own it with me. I told her I would find one, and she said she had up to $50,000.00 if I would match it. I think she will love it. She wants to live where the action is, which will do us well for now.”
“When is she arriving?”
“Molly, I’ll call her this evening. The last I knew, she would hire a U-Haul, load her belongings in it, and hire someone to drive her. I wanted her to fly down and send her stuff by a moving company, but she thought riding was fun.”
“It sounds as if she is quite independent.”
“She is such a lovely woman. Do you know how to get to the Louisville Airport? Maybe I’ll send you to pick her up if I can convince her to fly. You can learn about each other on the way back.”
“Whatever, you’re the boss. How will she like me? Won’t she be jealous? I would be if I were her.”
The colonel had something to say, “I don’t think you should have Molly pick the woman up. Your mother and Molly’s mother certainly didn’t get along. Two women and one man, whom they both think they love, doesn’t work.”
“Grandpa, this is different. I don’t know Jimmy well enough to love him and wouldn’t steal his woman. I’m not that kind.”
“Hey, don’t get upset about this. None of us knows each other that well. I can almost guarantee that you will both come to love Amelia. Molly is to work on updating a piece of property that she co-owns. I need her to do this. I haven’t been in civilian life long and know nothing about running a horse farm. We should all keep calm about this.
“In two years, I envision horses grazing in a beautiful pasture. Molly will use the exercise ring to train horses to keep their gait. Grandpa can help by giving her advice. We’ll all have a lovely home, just like the one that burned down.
“Maggie may want to have a small, intimate restaurant in the home we build and may live here with us. She could still keep the restaurant in town, have a manager for that, and still enjoy life with plenty of money.”
“All this building and stuff will add up to over a million dollars, it seems.”
“That’s possible, Grandfather, and maybe more, and I’m okay with that. I served my country for many years and was fortunate enough to accumulate a substantial amount of money, which allowed me to live life as I desired. You’re family, and I want to make you happy.”
“Jimmy, I’m not related to you, don’t forget that.”
“I haven’t, but don’t forget we are partners. That makes you almost like family. It’s close enough for me, anyway. It has been a busy day, and I promised to take you out. How about tomorrow night instead; You must know someplace we can eat, dance, and howl at the moon if we want to.”
“That would be better. What are we doing tomorrow?”
“I’ll work to get a place to park the RV. You have a five-day workweek, so you’re free. We’ll hit it hard on Monday.”
“That doesn’t seem right, does it, Grandpa? I am an owner.”
“No, it doesn’t. I want to be out there tomorrow myself.”
“I was counting on having you there. I assume there is a septic system with a leach field for the house, right?”
“Yeah, and it’s not very old. I installed it not long before the house burned. I had it put in eight years ago.”
“Good, I was worried about that item. I want to open it up and check the distribution box. If Amelia and I are using the RV, it is senseless to drive it to a dumping station to empty it.”
“That makes sense. I can show you where the cover and distribution box are. Maybe you should call and have the electricity to the barn turned on. You will need that to run the water pump. I also have all the tools we need stored in the garage of a friend who is on the way out where we are going.”
“Those will certainly come in handy. I was going to buy tools as needed. I’ll meet you at the restaurant for breakfast in the morning.” The Colonel nodded. He looked happy to be involved.
Molly spoke, “I’m going to be with him, and he’s not paying me either. I’m doing this for the home that I’m going to have. I’ll want the afternoon free if you take me out for dinner.”
“Okay, Molly, and I am taking you out for dinner. You know where a decent place to go is. I’ll leave it up to you.”
“I’ll plan the evening, and you can pick up the tab. I should pay now that I have enough extra from this week’s pay.” I shook my head at her, not even thinking about her paying.
I went to the Motel to get a burger and some fries to go. After eating, I dialed Amelia. “Hi, I bought us a big RV to live in today. It will be at the farm on Wednesday.”
“Tell me about it?”
“It’s a used vehicle and looks like a bus. The driver sits in front. There is one room with queen-sized beds. Another room features a full-sized bed, and a third has space for one or two bunk beds. The history of its origin is about a band that purchased the RV to use as a tour bus. The trouble was they got ahead of themselves. The lead person whose band it was overdosed. I had that mattress removed.”
“Hey, we’ve all slept in beds that had someone die in them over our lifetime. How new is it?”
“About two years old and has only been on the road for a month. It has fewer than twenty thousand miles. I think I got a good deal on it. I paid $89,000 for it, about half the cost of a new one. What do you think?”
“I’d say you did well. How is your foot?”
“It’s getting better every day. I may be dancing tomorrow night, just the slow ones.”
“Who are you getting to cuddle up to you with?”b
“Possibly my partner; who owns this property, with me. She’s attractive and four years younger than I am. I accidentally saw her changing her clothes. I apologized, and she accepted it, which was the mature thing for her to do. I have hired her to oversee what I want done, and she is right on the ball. I’m paying her more than the pay level around here, and I believe she is worth every penny.
“I told you the property was a mess. Molly had someone out cleaning it up today. She also has another person plowing the fields to bring them back. Sweet, when are you planning on getting here?”
“I’ve been busy on this end. I hired a moving company to pack up and transport my items to a warehouse in your town. I decided not to get the U-Haul and ride. I’m flying out of here Tuesday morning and landing in Louisville at two something. Can you pick me up?”
“I sure can. I’m so anxious to see you. I may even bring my partner with me.” I chuckled.
“What’s funny?”
“Well, I’ve hinted you were near my age, and we were a couple. We would be if we were forty years closer in age, right?”
Amelia thought this over and said, “Jimmy, that won’t do at all. You’ll make her mad, and she won’t ever come to look at you as a mate. You’re trying to make her jealous, and when she finds out you are playing with her, she’ll turn away from you. Remember, you are partners, which won’t do at all.”
“You’re sure?”
“I’m positive. You and I have been close because I ran over your foot, and you want to take the blame for walking back to my car when I should have been sure it was safe to back up. We are fast friends and as close as we will ever be. So, we had a little fantasy going because we hit it off so well. You explain to her as soon as possible. How would you feel if she said she had a lover and it was all a fantasy to make you jealous? Think about it.”
“I guess you may be right. I was looking forward to seeing the expression on Molly’s face when she met you. You know, it isn’t too late. I may go hunt her up.”
“You do that. Call tomorrow sometime. I’ll just be sitting around putting my suitcase together, anyway. I wish I could hug you. I’m going to be so glad to be near you.”
“We’ll be living together. Amelia, I might have someone in mind with whom you could be friendly. He is a lot more your age than I am.”
“Oh, lord, don’t do that to me. I can’t go from being a lonely old widow to having two men.”
“You can, just be your sweet self. There is a lot of action going on around here. The Colonel has lived here all his life on the property he gave me. I’m putting it back together like when the old man was the happiest. He is excited about it. He is going out tomorrow to find a suitable place to park the RV so we can hook up the sewer, water, and electricity. By next weekend, we will be living in it. Maybe Grandfather would like to live with us. It’ll be up to you to decide. All I have are a few very early memories of him. I do love him now when I should have hated him at one time.”
“I’d like to meet him. Good night, Jimmy.” I could tell Amelia wanted to avoid discussing meeting my grandfather by hanging up so quickly. Was she interested in meeting someone who might enter her life and bring her happiness? We all had dreams, and I had mine. Amelia was making me comfortable as her friend. What about Molly, though? I went looking for Molly.
Molly had left the diner and had gone home to her room. I knocked on Grandfather’s door. The colonel answered. “Sir, do you think it would be all right if I came in to speak to Molly?”
“I guess, What about?”
“I thought I should explain my relationship with my friend.”
“This Amelia, you speak about?”
“Yeah, I just got off the phone with her. She will be here on Tuesday. I may want Molly to pick her up at the airport.”
Grandpa grinned. “Good luck. She’s in her room. Better knock first and not go barging in on her.”
“You can be sure of that after what happened earlier.”
I knocked on Molly’s door. “Molly, can I speak to you?”
“You do know how to knock on doors, don’t you? Come in.” She pointed to a chair.
I stuttered a little before saying, “I just finished speaking to Amelia. She told me I had better clarify something with you about her so you don’t have the wrong impression of us before you meet.”
“And what would that be?”
“Well, her age, mostly.”
“What are you doing, robbing the cradle?”
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