Chapter 3

I woke up with a hot mouth on my cock and in no time at all I was pounding Marla's pussy and she had her hands on my ass trying to pull me deeper in to her. Once I'd gotten the both of us off she noticed the beside clock and exclaimed:

"Oh shit! I've got to get home and get dressed for work. I don't dare be late again."

She jumped out of bed and dressed as I got my pants and shirt on. Driving her back to her place I probably looked like I was concentrating on my driving and Marla asked:

"Why so quiet sweetie?"

I probably could have gotten away with saying I was paying attention to my driving, but I decided that it would be best to be upfront and honest.

"I'm thinking about what happened last night. You told me that you needed several dates with a guy before you would even think of going all the way with him so last night came as a complete surprise."

"The simple answer is that I needed to lock you up before someone else got to you."

"What? That doesn't even make sense to me."

"Maybe not to you, but it makes perfect sense to me. I needed to get to you before it got to where I was going to have to fight for you."

"Fight for me? You can't be serious."

"I most assuredly am. First there was that girl at the dance who caught you coming out of the bathroom. She wants you and you know it. You told me as much when I asked you about her and you told me the story behind it. Then there are my two roommates. They made no bones about the fact that they both intended to take a shot at you. I decided that I had to get there first so here we are."

"It still doesn't make sense to me. I'm nothing special. Certainly nothing special enough that I worth fighting over."

"That is how you see yourself sweetie; not the way others see you. You had the admiration of almost the entire student body at Piedmont for the way you took down the three assholes. Most everyone I know is ashamed now of the way they behaved toward you when you were having troubles with the administration. You stood up to the assholes even though they were bigger and older and you didn't back down. You took the fight to them. You didn't whine, wring your hands and cry "Oh woe is me.'

"When the cops hassled you you didn't moan and groan about how unfair it was. You took the position "Fuck with me? Well back atcha!" You never, as far as any one knows, were mean or nasty to anyone who didn't ask for it or have it coming. That puts you head and shoulders above most of the other guys I know. There has to be something there sweetie if so many others want it. We may not end up being right for each other, but ten years from now I don't want to be looking back and saying to myself that I should have taken the chance."

By the time she was finished were at her place so I never had a chance to reply to what she'd said. As she got out of the car she asked, "Will I see you tonight?"

"What time."

"Make it six-thirty. That will give me time enough to get home and change out of my work clothes."

As I drove away from Marla's place I had a smile on my face. Why wouldn't I? I'd just been told by good looking woman that I was worth fighting for. I didn't believe it, but it still felt good to think that someone else did.

I stopped at the B&B Cafe for breakfast and at ten I met with Mercer and discussed my idea for starting a business.

I found out what permits and licenses I would have to have and got one bit of bad news. I wouldn't be able to work out of the garage at the house because the area was zoned residential. I would need to set up shop in an area zoned for commercial or light industrial. I would still get the garage wire for 220 and buy a welder I could use to 'get my touch' back.

I left Mercer's office and then visited with several of the construction firms in the area. I told the people I talked to what I had in mind and asked if it was something they would be interested in having available to them. All three told me that they would love having a welding and repair facility that wasn't a hundred miles away. Just loading the equipment on a trailer and having to haul it to Florisville, drop it off and then go back and get it in a day or two was a royal pain and a huge cost in time lost.

When I left the last of the three it was close to five and so I headed home to get ready for my date with Marla. When I picked her up I asked her what she would like to do. She said she didn't care so I took her to Tricocci's for dinner and then we went and played miniature golf. After an hour or so of that we went to Toby's Bar and Grill, found a quiet table and then nursed drinks as we talked and got to know each other better.

I told her about all the places I'd been and what my plans for the future were. She told me about her life and family. Her mom was a stay at home and take care of the children and home type and that her dad was a cop and when she told me that I couldn't help but wonder if he was one of the ones who had hassled me back in the day.

She had an older brother and sister who were both married and living in different states. Her brother was in Texas and her sister was in Michigan. She had been to both places to visit them, but that was the extent of her traveling. Other than that she had never been more than a hundred miles from home. She, Tina and Shirley had been best friends since the third grade and the three of them shared the rented three bedroom house they lived in.

Around nine we left Toby's and went to my place where we reenacted the previous evening only this time we set the alarm to wake us early enough that we didn't have to rush to get her home. When the alarm went off at five-thirty Marla wanted to start the day the way we ended the night and I was going to say no?

Not a chance in hell of that!

When I dropped her at her place she gave me a passionate kiss and asked, "Tonight?"

I smiled and said, "Of course. Same time as last night?"

"I'll be ready."

I spent a good part of the morning on the Internet looking for the things I would need to set up a welding and repair business. The electrician arrived at noon and by four the garage was wired for 220 volts. Once that was done I called Alex and made a date to meet him for lunch the next day. I looked in the Yellow Pages for a realtor who specialized in commercial properties and when I found one I called to make an appointment to see him on Friday. I figured by then I would have made up my mind to either go into business or not.

I picked Marla up at six-thirty and asked her what she would like to do and she said she wanted me to take her to the Safeway on Jerry Street. She saw the look on my face and laughed.

"I want to buy what I'll need to fix dinner for you tonight. I think you will like my idea of dessert."

I found out that Marla was a fine cook and did I like my dessert? I did. I did indeed."

Wednesday I met Alex for lunch and told him what I was thinking of doing.

"Can you weld aluminum?" he wanted to know and I said that I could. "There are a lot of farmers and ranchers who have aluminum horse and stock trailers that need work. Leon Chasman over at Hilton Reservoir has six or eight aluminum pontoon boats that he rents out. He has three that are beached because of cracks in the pontoons, but he is too busy to load them on trailers and truck them over to Florisville. If you are any good as a welder you should be able to make a go of it. That brings up something. You are probably going to have a mobile unit. I told him that I had already thought of that and he said:

"It will probably take a while for the word to get around, but yes, I do think what you have in mind will do okay."

I left the restaurant and drove over to the reservoir and talked to Leon Chasman and he told me he always had a need for aluminum repairs and that he would love to have someone local he could call. My talk with Chasman made up my mind. I was going to do it.

I called Mercer and told him to get started on the paperwork for Piedmont Welding and Repair LLC and then I went home to get ready for my date with Marla.

The date was another one where Marla wanted to stay in so we went back to my place and I fixed us some dinner. After we ate I asked her what she would like to do and she told me anything except watch TV so I broke out the cards and we payed cribbage. Around eight-thirty she threw her cards down and said, "Enough of this silly shit" and she got up and headed for the bedroom. We made love until I was exhausted and couldn't respond anymore and then we fell asleep cuddled up next to each other. When I woke up in the morning Marla was tucked up against me and once again I had the thought that I could very easily get used to waking up that way.

After taking Marla home I went online and looked for what I was going to need to start my business. I found that Douglas Welding Supplies had what I wanted. I called them and told them what I wanted and they said that they had one in stock. I asked him if they were set up to install the units on a truck and I was told that it was part of the service. I gave the man a credit card number to hold the unit and told him I would be over to see him as soon as I got the truck and he asked me what I was looking for. I told him that I wanted something heavy duty that would survive trips to remote construction sites and he told me that his brother was the manager of the local Ford dealership and that he could probably get me a good deal on a Ford F-350 Super Duty complete with flatbed. I told him to go ahead and see what he could do for me and that I'd get back to him.

I drove over to Bailey Brothers Ford and looked at what they had. I got the price on an F-350 and then called Triple T Sales in Franktown and got their price on a flatbed with underbody boxes and then I called Walt at Douglas Welding and asked what his brother could do for me. He gave me a price on an F-350 with a flatbed mounted that was almost three grand cheaper than the prices I got from Triple T and Bailey Brothers. I told Walt to get things going and that I'd wire him the money to do the deal. I told him that I also wanted a Miller 251 with a dual tank set up for my garage and asked when things would be ready. He told me to give him two days and he should have it ready. I wired him the money and then for the next day and a half I had a dozen forms faxed to me for me to fill out, sign and then return.

Next order of business was to find a place to set up shop. I met the man I'd made the appointment with, told him what I was planning and gave him some idea of what I would need and he told me that he had just the thing I needed. He drove me to the south end of town and showed me a lumber yard that had gone out of business.

The warehouse was drive- though and had large double doors at both ends. It was situated on an acre and a half fenced lot. As a bonus it was already wired with 220 and the large office space had a couple of desks and chairs that the previous occupants had left behind. He was right. It was exactly what I needed. I asked him how much for a quick cash sale and he looked at me like I was from Mars or some other place in outer space (don't forget that I was only twenty-two and just out of the Army and my hair was still 'high and tight' as it was called) and he obviously thought he was dealing with a fruitcake of some kind.

"No joke Mr. Maule. Give me a price and if I like it you can go with me to the bank and get the money today. He gave me a price and I liked it and we shook on the deal. I told him I would give him half down and the rest at closing and then I called Mercer and had him release the funds to the bank. Mr. Maule told me he would have the gas and lights turned on, but that I would have to take care of the phone. He handed me the keys and wished me luck.

I called the phone company and made arrangements to have the phone installed. Luck was with me. The lady I talked to told me that I was just in time to get an ad in the new Yellow Pages that would be coming out in a month. I told her I would work on designing an ad and get it to her the next day. She told me that I could give it to the technician when he hooked up the phone. We set a time for the next day and when we ended the call I stood there looking at the phone in my hand. It was happening. It was really happening. I was going to have my own business. Providing of course that I could get customers. I stopped by Office Depot and got an answering machine and some office supplies and then headed home.

Two days later Walt called and told me that my unit was ready to go. I talked Marla into taking a day off work to ride with me over to Douglas and to drive the car back while I drove the new truck. As I was driving back from Douglas I received a call from Mercer telling me that I needed to come in and complete the paperwork necessary to make Piedmont Welding and Repair a going concern. I told him I would stop in when I got back from Douglas. I was in his office by four-thirty and by four fifty-five I had a fully legal business. I called Leon Chasman out at the reservoir and asked him if it would be convenient for me to come out and fix his boats in the morning. He said it would be and I told him that I would be there at eight.

Marla was at the house waiting for me when I got there. I told her she could hang with me if she wanted, but that until bedtime I would be in the garage getting acquainted with my new stuff. She mumbled "Boys and their toys" but she was smiling when she said it. She told me to go play and she would whip us some supper. She came and got me at a quarter to seven and after I ate I went back out to the garage. When I stopped for the night and went into the house it was with the knowledge that I could still handle a torch.

Another night of slow and easy love making and cuddling and another morning of waking up snuggled up to a soft warm body.

I drove Marla home and then headed for the reservoir and by eleven-thirty I had the pontoon boats repaired and as Mr. Chasman handed me the check for the work I'd done he told me that he would let every he knew know about me.

"I got to try and get you enough business to keep you doing what you do. You have no idea how much time and money you saved me by what you did this morning."

When I left the reservoir I stopped by the construction companies to let them know I was up and running. The yard foreman at RMC told me that he had something for me right away if I could handle it. He walked me over to a front-end loader and pointed out a broken cylinder lug. The cylinder was one of the ones that controlled the bucket and with the lug broken the bucket wouldn't work right. The man asked me if it was something I could fix and I told him "No problem." I pulled the truck up next to the loader, fired up the Hobart and in twenty minutes I had it fixed. I handed the man the hand-written invoice and he told me that payment would come from the home office and I should see it in two or three days.

"Don't sweat it Mr. Bragg. We are going to want to take very good care of you."

I drove over to my new shop and spent some time learning the 'ins and outs' of the place while I waited for the man from the phone company to show up. He was right on time and after he had me hooked up I gave him the ad I'd designed for the Yellow Pages. After he left I used my new phone to call Alex to let him know I was in business.

"I know. Leon called me and thanked me for sending you to him. I think you are going to do alright Ty. By the time Leon gets done praising you to everyone he knows and I get done spreading the word to the farmers and ranchers out my way I think you will have as much business as you can handle."

By then it was time for me to pick up Marla so I headed for her place. On the way my cell rang and it was Jake, the yard foreman at RMC. He had another end-loader that needed some work. It was out on a job site and he wondered if I could take a look at it. I told him I could and he gave me all the necessary information. When I got to Marla's she took one look at me and said:

"We need to hurry to your place and get you cleaned up a bit. We are going out to dinner tonight."

"Where?"

"My parent's house. They want to meet the man who is taking up all my time."

We got to the house and I showered, changed clothes and then we headed for her parent's place. Her mother greeted me warmly and told me to make myself at home. I'd often heard if you want a picture of what your wife was going to be like in twenty years or so just take a god look at her mother. If the saying had any truth to it Marla was going to a stone fox in her forties. Her mom looked damned good.

We sat in the living room and got to know each other and about a half an hour after I got there we heard the front door close and a male voice holler out "Honey; I'm home."

"We are in the living room sweetie. Come and meet your daughter's new man."

Her father walked into the room and as I rose to meet him and put out my hand to shake his I thought to myself, "Oh fuck me!" Marla's father was one of the cops that had hassled me at the 7-11 way back when. He looked at my out-stretched had, ignored it and said, "I'll go change for dinner" and he turned and left the room.

"Well! I never" Marla's mom said. "I don't know what has gotten into that man, but that was just plain rude."

"Your husband and I have a history" I said, and then of course I had to explain it.

"That is just so unfair" Marla's mom said and I just shrugged and stood up as I said, "I'd best be going."

"Nonsense! I invited you over for dinner and I will not let Hank's rude behavior interfere."

So I stayed and we talked. I told the two of them about my time in the Army and the places that it sent me. Marla's mom got up to go check on dinner and Marla leaned over and gave me a quick kiss.

"Relax" she said, "Mom likes you and that's over half the battle."

Marla's mom came back and told us dinner was ready. Her dad joined us at the dinner table, but he didn't join in the conversation as Marla and her mom asked me questions about the places I'd seen while in the service. Her dad finished eating and left the table without having said one word.

Marla's mom said, "I'll be having a long talk with that man tonight."

"Just great!" I thought. "He has no use for me as it is for me now and it will just get worse if she does get on him about me. One more thing to hold against me."

After a dessert of homemade peach pie, I told Mrs. Ames that I had to get an early start in the morning and needed to be going. I thanked her for the invitation and the wonderful dinner and then Marla and I left. I knew one thing for sure when I left and that was it would be a cold day in hell before I would accept another dinner invitation to that house. As we drove away from the house Marla asked me what I was thinking. I lied and said I was thinking about the best way to handle the job that RMC wanted me to do in the morning. I think she knew that it was bullshit, but she didn't say anything.

She spent the night and we made love and fell asleep cuddled up next to each other.

The next day I took care of the cracks in the dump bed of one of RMC's dump trucks and by the time I finished the job Joe had another one for me. I ended up spending the entire day driving to three different RMC job sites and fixing equipment. I was feeling pretty good by the end of the day. If the first couple of days were any indication Piedmont Welding and Repair was going to do alright.

I wouldn't be seeing Marla that night because she had a baby shower to go to and she expected it to run late. I dug some leftovers out of the fridge and had a bite to eat. I did the dishes and then popped the top on a can of PBR and was headed for the couch and an evening of TV watching when the doorbell rang. When I opened the door I found Angie standing there.

"May I come in" she asked.

"Of course" I said and stepped aside to let her in. As we headed for the living room I asked her if she would like something to drink and she pointed at my PBR and said:

"I could use one of those."

"Have a seat on the couch and I'll get you one."

When I got back with the beer I handed it to her and asked, "What brings you over here tonight?"

She took a swallow of her beer and then said, "I've been waiting for you to give me a call since you got back. Why haven't you called me Ty?"

I decided to be up front and honest with her and I said, "I didn't call Angie, because I didn't see any point to it. You made your position crystal clear. You are hanging on to your virginity until you graduate. I told you at the Spur I've had sex all over the world, I like it and I want all I can get. I can't get it from you so I haven't called. But there is more to it than that. When you do graduate and give it up you are going to be expecting a ring out of it and that isn't going to happen with me. I do not intend to get married and settle down until I'm in my thirties. Given all that I saw no reason to call you."

"But I've waited for you."

"That was a silly thing to do Angie because I never planned on coming back here except to visit Aunt Cora from time to time. In fact I was getting ready to reenlist when Aunt Cora got sick and the only reason I came back was to take care of her, but she passed before I could get here. There is no future for us Angie and that is why I haven't called."

She started crying and jumped up and ran for the door. As she opened it she turned and yelled, "I hate you Ty" and she ran from the house. I felt bad about what I'd done, but it had to be done. I liked Angie. I really did, but I didn't love her and I never had. There was no sense in Angie hanging on and waiting for something that was never going to happen. Also, it was not lost on me that I had just hurt one of the few really good friends that I'd ever had. Sometimes being honest and up front hurts. Hurts both parties.

The next month was a busy time for me. I had three construction companies keeping me busy and as word of mouth advertising went around I was getting more and more business from farmers and ranchers with equipment that needed welding repairs. I was even getting some residential business. I was making window well covers and wrought iron fences and installing them. Business was getting so good that I decided to hire another welder. I put an ad in the paper, but I wasn't getting any responses. I also decided that I needed someone in the office to answer phones and take care of paperwork. I mentioned it to Marla and she told me that she knew someone who would be perfect for the job and when I asked her who she said:

"My mother. She is a retired CPA and would love to have something to do.:

"I don't know Mar. Given the way your dad feels about me I can just imagine how he will take it if your mom comes to work for me."

"Mom will handle daddy so don't you worry about that. She will be perfect for you. She can take care of your office and take care of your books and taxes too. Hang on for a sec" she said as she pulled out her cell phone and hit a speed dial number.

"Hi mom. Are you free right now?"

"Good. Can you meet with me and Ty at Denny's?"

"Half an hour is good. See you there."

We met at Denny's, I told her what I needed and all she said was,

"When can I start?"

"Tomorrow if you are sure that you want to do this."

"I'll be there. What time?"

"Eight. Let me give you the address."

"Don't need it. I use to do their books until old man Fisher died and his kids put the place up for sale."

Marla's mom (call me Maggie or Mags) came in the next morning and checked out the place. "If we are going to do this right" she said, "There are a few things I'm going to need." She told me what they were and I handed her a credit card and told her to get whatever she thought she needed. In two days she had the place organized and looking like a business. She had contacted a printing shop and had ordered invoices, stationary and business cards. I decided that the wise thing for me to do was just stay out of the way, but be available if she had questions.

Having Maggie running the office also speeded things up work wise. Instead of having to go back to the shop and check the answering machine for messages and then returning the call to set up an appointment for the next day Maggie took the message and called me. I was able to get back to the customer the same day and if it was early enough I could even take care of him that day instead of the next. In a business where machine down time could critically effect a project my quick response time was greatly appreciated.

I was getting more and more shop work and I really needed another welder. When I received no response from my newspaper ad I decided to try a long shot. I called Mr. House at the reformatory and told him who I was. He remembered me and asked how I was doing and I told him. I told him my problem and then I asked him if he could steer me to someone who had completed the welding program and was now out. He said:

"I'm glad you called. I think I have just what you need. He's a good kid. He was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. He went out drinking with a couple of buddies, overdid it and passed out on the backseat of their car. While he was out of it his buddies robbed a liquor store. They were caught a half hour later and since Roy was in the car with them he got arrested too. He has finished the welding program and has been approved for early release if he has a job to go to."

And that is how Roy Batley came to work for me.

It was a little over three weeks since my talk with Angie and I was sitting in a booth at the B & B Café waiting for Marla to join me for lunch when Cindy came in, saw me and came over and joined me.

"How have you been Ty? Haven't seen much of you since you came back."

"I'm doing okay Cindy. I've been really really busy setting up my business and trying to make it work. How are you doing?"

"Same old same old. Working part time at dad's real estate office and trying to finish school."

She looked good. In fact she looked damned good and I remembered how much I had wanted her back before I got sent away. As I sat there looking at her I could tell that she wanted to say something and she just might have if Marla hadn't chosen just that time to join us. I introduced her to Cindy and then she said:

"Sorry I'm late, but the boss caught me just as I was going out the door and he had a couple of questions for me. You ordered yet?"

"Nope. Waiting on you."

"I need to be going" Cindy said as she stood up to go. "Nice seeing you Ty" and she left.

"Am I going to have to hurt her?"

"Why would you ask me a question like that?"

"She wants you so the question is do I have to hurt her to keep her away from you."

"She doesn't want me. She and my friend Jack have been a couple since the sixth grade."

"Don't care. She wants you and I can tell."

"Yeah! That's me all right. Mr. Super Stud. All the girls want me."

"Laugh all you want lover, but a girl knows these things."

I changed the subject and we ate our lunch.

After lunch I drove out to the Bar K Ranch to repair a couple of aluminum stock trailers and as I drove home I thought about Cindy and how I had always wanted her. She had never shown any interest in me so I completely discounted what Marla said. I found out two weeks later that Marla had known what she was talking about.

It was a Tuesday and I had a ton of work lined up. Monday night when I took Marla home after having dinner at my place and several helpings of dessert in the bedroom I told her that I was going to have a very busy day on Tuesday and that if she didn't hear from me by six to figure out we wouldn't be getting together that night.

The next day I finished up around six forty-five and as I was driving home I decided that I didn't want to mess around making myself something to eat so I stopped at the Denny's on Colfax. When I walked in I saw Cindy sitting in a booth with two other girls and she saw me and waved me over to join them. She introduced me to the two girls and then after I ordered we made small talk until the two girls said they had to be going. As soon as they were gone Cindy said:

"It doesn't look like you are ever going to do it so I guess it is up to me. Would you like to take me out this Friday?"

That of course caught me flatfooted and it was several seconds before I said, "But you are Jack's girl."

"Jack was my second choice Ty. You were my first choice. You are the one I wanted since the day you moved in with your aunt. Yes, I was dating Jack when you moved here, but that was in the eighth grade Ty and we were just kids so there wasn't anything permanent about it. The problem was that Angie was my best friend and had been since the first grade and she flat out told me that she was going to marry you when you were both old enough so I had to stay away from you. It used to kill me when you, Angie, Jack and I used to double date. I wanted to be the one with you. A couple of times I almost said to hell with Jack and Angie and let you know how I felt, but at the last minute I chickened out. What if you would have said, "Sorry, but I'm not interested." I would have trashed my friendship with Angie for nothing. By the time I got the nerve to say to hell with it and let the chips fall where they may you were taken away. Now you are back and I'm making my play."