Chapter 5

Ann and I had our wedding planed for us by my mother and Anita. Danica was right in there pitching. I mean she was the one who brought us together and she was walking on air to think her father and mother were getting married within two weeks. This was to be the Saturday before Thanksgiving. Ann and I had a small ceremony with a justice of the peace. We worked the Monday and Tuesday and had the rest of the week off. Everyone wanted a big to do, but I knew Ann just wanted to be married as unceremoniously as possible. We had Thanksgiving with Patty and Matt.

Dad was taking the late day on the following Monday. Danica had a late afternoon class and wouldd pick him up when the store closed at 8:00. Danica stopped a few minutes to talk with a classmate before going to the back parking lot back of the store where she knew Dad would be waiting for her.

She drove into the parking lot and here was no light on except the one alongside the building coming in. She swung the Subaru around so the car lights would light the rear entrance. Gramp was standing there and waved. Danica drove up close and Gramp started for the car, crossing in front of the vehicle.

Suddenly a man grabbed Gamp and threw him to the ground. Danica’s door was wrenched open and she was dragged from the car by a different person. Always she had been told if attacked, to start screaming as loud as she could. The one holding Danica slapped her. “Shut up, bitch. You’re going back inside and get the money from the store safe. We knew you were coming to pick the old man up and we have you to make sure he does. Danica struggled, and was slapped again.

The first man got Gramp on his feet. He was searching Gramp for his keys. “Where’s your keys old man?”

“In my jacket pocket. Jesus man, I’m bleeding where I hit my head. I see my granddaughter has a nose bleed. I’ll get you for this.”

“Fat chance old man. Gimme the keys.”

“They must have fallen out, they’re gone.”

“Well find them. Get down and feel around for them.”

Gramp got down and felt around. “I can’t see anything and I can’t feel them.”

“Bitch, you got a flashlight in the car?” Danica didn’t answer. “Bitch, I’ll slap you again if you don’t get it.”

“In the glove box.”

“Get it and don’t try anything. We should have been gone by now.” He stopped suddenly as if listening. “Joe, do you hear anything?” Danica heard footsteps coming closer and began struggling.

“Nope, get that light and let’s find those damn keys. Old man, you better find them or your woman is going to get more than slapped. That’s why we waited for her just so if you got difficult we’d have a way to change your mind.”

The man that had Danica, pushed her in through the open driver’s door where she had to reach across to the seat to the glove box. Just then he grabbed his neck, screaming, “Ow, ow, I’ve been stung! He pulled away from the car holding onto his head. Danica pulled the rest of herself inside and slammed the car door, locking it. Suddenly the guy who had yelled was hit in the head with something. And fell to the ground, apparently unconscious.

Joe, the one that had Gramp, looked at what happened and took off running. Danica started the car and backed up. Her headlights picked up Joe and she put the car into forward gear and took after him with the car. She caught him before he got to the alley leading to the street. He cut for the other side of the parking lot. She fully intended to run him down.

The person who had hit the first man was waiting for him and Joe ran right into his arms. He duck-walked Joe up to Danica’s car window. “If you have a phone, would you call 911 and the police? Better have them bring an ambulance and have the old man looked at. You got slapped around some too.”

“Who are you?”

“Me, I’m your neighbor from the other side of the fence. Let’s go see to your old man.” By the time Danica had driven over to the store entrance, Gramp had gone inside and turned some lights on. He brought out a couple of portable lights and plugged them into an outside fixture. Just then a black and white police car pulled in slowly. They were confused about what was going on. They started asking questions. Everyone was talking at once.

“Shut up, one at a time. One of you tell me what’s going on?”

“Danica, you tell it.”

Danica laid it out just the way it happened. “This guy here rescued us. That man on the ground needs an ambulance. This guy clobbered him and he hasn’t moved yet.”

The cop observed, “You and Mr. Pierson are both bleeding.”

“Bloody nose. I got slapped a couple of times. Gramp, how bad are you?”

“Okay, I think. Scraped my face when I was knocked down. At least they didn’t get to rob us.”

“Gramp, where were the keys?”

“I slid them under the front of the car with my foot when that guy was slapping you the first time.” Gramp looked at his rescuer. Who’er you?”

“Name’s Jake Higgins. You two are crazy. You should have given them the money.”

“Danica, girl, did you want to give up the money?”

“Nope, Gramp, did you? Say, Jack how come you to take a hand?”

“Jake, not Jack. I was out looking at the moon and saw one parking light over here go out and pretty soon another one went out. When the last one went dark, I figured kids or someone was using a pellet gun, cause I couldn’t hear anything. I got here after the lady was pulled from the car. I hung around for a bit to watch the fun.”

“It wasn’t much fun.”

“Well, I had to find the air rifle to even things up. I’m not brave like you two.”

“We didn’t have that much choice, but I was working on something.”

“Like what something?”

“I keep a stun gun in my glove box. You saved that guy they’re loading into the ambulance from getting zapped. How is he, anyway?”

The EMT answered, “He’s got a pellet stuck in his neck and he may have a concussion. He’s breathing okay though. I’ve checked over the store owner and he just has a scrape. Little Miss red head here got slapped, causing the nose bleed, but she is okay. Both of you will be able to go home.”

A police detective drove in and Danica explained it all again. “And who are you, young man?”

“Jake Higgins of Higgins Kiln Dry. I own the lot the other side of the fence.”

“You live there?”

“If you can call sleeping on a couch in an unheated office, that’s where I’m living.”

“Look, it’s late. You people must want to get home. Come down to the Police office tomorrow and we’ll write it up. Have a good night.”

“Jake, are you hungry, I’m starved.”

Before he answered. Dan and her grandmother pulled in. Somebody had called Grace after hearing it on the police scanner. “Are you alright, George?”

“Yeah, great. Supper still warm? We’re all hungry. Dan, can you open up in the morning? I’m going to sleep until noon.”

“Pop, has Mom got enough supper for Jake? He’s hungry too.”

“Yeah Danica, we’ll feed him.” Dan realized his daughter and father had been rescued by this man and he wanted to know more about what happened. This wasn’t the place to ask questions. “Dad and you had better talk to him tomorrow and have him tell you all about the kiln drying business.”

Jake answered that, “Not much of a business and its down. I’m almost broke.”

“Well, Dad and Danica will figure out something to help you.” Dan drove his father and mother home. Jake got into the car with Danica.

“Where are you from when you aren’t there?”

“Michigan. My parents and two brothers have a business up there. Not room enough for me so Dad sent me down here to see if I could salvage anything of my grandfather’s estate. It’s mine to do what with. If I can’t I’ll have to go home and work for wages.”

“How old are you?”

“Twenty-six. I’ve been out of college three years. How old are you?”

“Just turned nineteen. My father has got me into the community college here taking business courses. I just found him and didn’t want to leave and go away to school.”

“What do you mean, you just found him?”

“My mother was a war bride and my father and mother got separated. My mother died and my Aunt raised me. My father searched for my mother, but he couldn’t find her. I had better luck and found him back in June of this year. He and my aunt just got married so I have two parents for the first time ever. I love them both. That was my grandfather with me tonight. I love him to pieces. He’s always doing good things for me.”

Danica slowed down and Jake asked, “This your home here?”

“Yeah, Pop, Mom and me. My other grandmother just moved out. She was living here, but she found a man and has moved in with him. We all work in the store except her. She is a shift operator at the truck stop and works the afternoon shift.”

The two went inside and Dan was telling Ann about what had happened when Danica came to pick up Gramp. “Mom, this is Jake Higgins. His family lives in Michigan and he is down here settling his grandfather’s estate. If he can salvage anything it’s his. Jake, you can call my mom, Ann. We are pretty informal around here. I hope you like pot roast. Mom is a good cook.”

“Hi, it has been a long time since I’ve had a home cooked meal. I’ve been shacking up in the office with a microwave.”

Ann asked, “I understand you saved Danica’s and her grandfather’s life.”

“I don’t know, maybe. I saw it happening and I certainly didn’t want it go any further so I stepped in. I didn’t do it all. Danica chased the other guy with the car and cornered him until I got there. She’s pretty damned brave, I know that.”

“He did more than that. He shot one guy with a pellet gun and then clobbered him with it. The police took it for evidence. I didn’t see the gun, but they may have bought it in our store. Jake’s the brave one.”

“The young are foolishly brave sometimes.”

“Mom!”

“I’m just glad everything turned out okay. We’ll have supper and then I’ll make the bed upstairs I used before moving down with Dan.”

Danica said, “Mom and Dad have only been married since last week and she wants everyone to know her new status.”

Dan asked Jake a question, “So where do you stand with the kiln drying business and property? You said you were without funds.”

“Just about. There are some heavy back taxes on the property. I have enough to pay them, but no money to resurrect the business. It doesn’t look too profitable in this day and age here in the middle of farm land. It looks like I’ll have to sell the property, but I hate to, seeing as it was my Grandfather’s. I’ll just take the money and start something smaller somewhere else.”

Dan asked, “Jake, do you have to go to the police station with Dad and Danica in the morning?”

“Yes.”

“Alright, why don’t you come back with Dad and Danica and tell us your story. You can use my office. I’d like to sit in on it. Danica and Dad were talking about expanding. Maybe we can come up with something that will be beneficial to all of us.”

Ann spoke up, “I want in on this too. That way Dan won’t have to repeat it to me.”

“Of course, sweetheart.”

Danica said to Jake. “My parents are in love. Can you tell?”

Jake didn’t want to stay and objected, “Jesus, I saved two people’s lives and then they kidnap me.” He said this with a smile, so his words didn’t mean anything.

Jake and Danica went up the stairs together. They stood in the hall together between her room and the one he would sleep in. “Jake, can I hug you for saving my life?”

“I’d be pleased.” He didn’t hold it over long, backing away saying, “Goodnight Danica, see you in the morning.”

“Goodnight, Jake.” She turned and went into her room.

The minute he heard someone moving in the morning, Jake went down. It was Ann who was making coffee. “Ma’am, you folks are treating me the best. I thank you.”

“Ann, please, I don’t answer to Ma’am. It is me that wants to thank you for watching out for Danica. I raised her as my daughter you know, when I’m really her aunt. Her mother was my sister married to Dan. They got separated and she had to come home when he was shipped out. Her mother died when she was two and I’ve been her mother ever since.”

“How did you and Dan get together?”

“Danica searched for him and finally tracked him down last June. Dan and I fell in love almost immediately after I arrived here. Danica now has two parents with her the first time in her life.”

“That’s wonderful. A real love story.”

“It is. Coffee is ready. I’ll pour you a cup.”

Danica drove her car with Gramp and Jake riding with her. They went right to the Police Precinct, not stopping at the store. They came back and were met with cheers when they came through the doors two hours later. The local news had picked up the story at the precinct and someone heard it and told everyone about it when they came to work.

My office was the largest and there was five us sitting soon talking. I asked, “How did it go? What did you find out about the two men?”

Danica answered, “They are two homeless men and have been in trouble before. Joe Fenner is the one who knocked Grampa down. The one who slapped me is named Richard Gold. They were in the store, two days ago and that’s when they got the pellet rifle. They said it was lying on the counter and they were really there to shoplift anything they could get a few bucks for. They slipped it off the counter and into an opening in Joe’s pants. Then they decided what to use it for.

“They decided to rob Gramp and me when they heard me promising to pick him up that night. They didn’t want to use the gun in a robbery in case they got caught. The only way they decided to make use of it was to shoot out the lights. Jake saw them kill the last one and they dropped it right there on the ground. Jake picked it up and brought it with him when he ran into the parking lot.”

Are you going to be charged with anything for shooting this RichardGold?”

“No, because he was slapping Danica at the time. Danica was the one who almost got into trouble.”

“How come?”

“Pop, I found out if you try to hit someone with a car, the car becomes a deadly weapon. Luckily I didn’t hit him although I did chase him. Anyway we will have to testify at their trial. They haven’t been charged yet. The cops warned Gramp he had better keep better track of the guns at that counter.”

“So you’re good until the trial?

“Yeah.”

“Okay, we’ll tighten up our security all over the store. A pellet rifle isn’t too dangerous, but it shouldn’t be left out where someone could snatch it. If anything is taken out of a locked cabinet they are to return it before they turn away. Now, Jake would you explain where you are at with your property next door. We might be able to help you.”

“Thanks. A little background about me and my family. I have a father and two brothers. I’m the youngest son. Granfather left a will of sorts. He did own a lot of property. All the will said, was his assets were to be divided equally between the four of us and he left descriptions of what he thought were about equal. Pa owns the saw mills in Michigan. My oldest brother got the hard wood lots. My other brother chose the lots that are nearly all softwood trees, and that left the property here to me.

“We are a pretty competitive family. Ma was upset about the way my family has treated me because they figured the kiln dry business wasn’t as much as the other properties, but I said I would accept what came to me. When I got here, I found out Grandfather hadn’t paid the taxes the last year he was alive and the two years they were in his estate. I am to have the money attributed to the business, but that will use up all of it when I pay the taxes. Most of the equipment here isn’t of much value, but the land is worth considerable. I suppose the drying sheds can be used for something different. Stacks of lumber were loaded into them with a forklift.

“Dry heat was pumped in when the doors were closed and the pallets of lumber stayed until they dried to a certain moisture level. They then could come out and lumber will be stable at that moisture level if covered adequately. I can’t think of another application for the equipment that generates the heat except for this one. So I’m back to the land value again.”

I asked, “Why don’t you start up the operation again? I’m sure the bank would lend you money on the land or does that have a lien another on it?”

“The only lien is the taxes. I can give a warrantee deed if I sell after I pay the taxes. If you want to look at the property, I’d be pleased to have you take a look around.”

“Dad and Danica can go over anytime. I have the store to look after. I could come over at 4:00 this afternoon.”

“That’s good, Pop, I have a class at 1:00 and I’ll wait until we can go together. Gramp can go anytime. Jake, what are you doing this evening? I’m still taking dance lessons with Pop’s ex-wife. She’s a lot of fun.”

“I’m not much on dancing.”

“You come with me and I’ll teach you. I’m getting pretty good.”

Ann spoke up, “Jake, when you get done showing Dan around, come for supper with him. You might as well bring a change of clothes and stay at the house until you decide what you are going to do.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

Dad and Jake went out, heading for the next door property. Danica got her books out and went into Ann’s office to study. Ann stayed behind. She commented, “I like Jake, don’t you, Honey, do you have any ideas how to help him?”

“Ann, we’ll see. I think he is an honest young man.”

“Dan, it strikes me he is.”

Danica was back from school at 3:30. Jake hadn’t returned to the store. Gramp had told Dan about what he thought of Jakes business.”

“Do you think any of it could be used in a new business?”

“Certainly. Do remember when we thought about expanding into carrying building materials? All those sheds can be converted to lumber sheds. They are tight enough to house sheet rock and bags of cement. They are perfect. The whole area is paved. I think we should do a market study to see how big an operation we should go for.”

“What about Jake. Are we going to buy him out?”

“Dan, I’m thinking no. The land would be too expensive. Jake is young and smart. Make him the manager for this operation. Let him keep the land in his name but have him use what money he has now to pay the taxes and keep the land which would be his fall-back position. We’ll figure out how much the buildings and equipment is worth. We’ll match that as our part of the business for stocking inventory. That would be our initial outlay. From then on, we could use a line of credit using the hardware store and his land as collateral to buy the rest of what we stock. Jake would be in position to sign the credit line with us.”

“Have you said anything to Jake about this?”

“No, not yet. I want us all on board when we approach him with our thoughts.”

I answered, “You and Danica are going to be the ones in the day-to-day management. Ann and I are going to be having a baby in July. We can take over total management of the store here. We know this is a profitable business and that has to be protected at all cost, especially since I’m starting a family.”

“Dan, my thoughts exactly. It would be nice if we brought Jake into living with either me or you. That way we wouldn’t have to be making appointments to get together. We could do the planning in the evening.”

“I’ll talk it over with Ann. In fact he could use our cellar that used to be the rec-room when Sis and I were growing up. It wouldn’t take much to make it comfortable.”

“Okay, I’ll leave that up to you.”

Danica and Ann were with me when we drove over to see Jake that afternoon. We toured Jake’s property. It got dark before we had seen it all, but it was just as my father said. “Jake, come along home. My mother will have supper for everyone.”

“I can’t do that. I don’t impose on people.”

“You do however get them out of trouble. Actually, Dad and I want to discuss something about us going into business with you. It would be something like Home Depot. What scale it would become, is predicated on a market survey that we would need done to determine the size. The nearest one that I know of is more than twenty-five miles from here. If we can find out if home building will increase in this section, we think it would be profitable. Are you interested?”

“Yes, of course. I’ve been racking my brain to think of something that would at least save my inheritance. This means I would be selling the property to you, I take it?”

“Not necessarily. Dad was thinking you might keep that and there would be less risk for you if what we plan doesn’t pan out. You would, however, pay the back taxes before we went in together. What we would do is have the buildings and equipment appraised and we would put up that much cash to make going into the business equal.

“That should put a lot of stock into the business and from there on we would be working with a line of credit to finish filling the inventory and to pay you for being manager until the day we have some profit. This way you would have a paid position, reserve the major part of your inheritance, and become an up and coming business owner. Now, will you come for supper?”

There was a happy grin on Jake’s face, “Yeah, I’d be foolish if I didn’t.”

Jake came for supper. Jake and Danica talked with one of her professors in the next few days asking how to go about taking a market survey. She decided she wasn’t up to doing it, but she did work with the company hired to finish her work. The market survey said this was a good prospect to build a profitable company and we set it up the way which was close to Dan and Gramp’s first thoughts. Work was done on the buildings during the winter.

There was a determination to be made about what to stock. Much of the tools and small equipment generally found in such a Home Store was sold in the Hardware store already. If one was out of an item the other store supplied it. Mainly what was stocked was construction material and bulk supplies.

Jake and Gramp aimed for opening day in June. Stock was being brought in all through May. Still there were many things that were undone, and the inventory was lacking in some areas. We were in contact with different suppliers and they said they would deliver on a few days notice. It seemed as if every segment of the country wanted to have a banner year and every business wanted to help another.

Jake had made a flying trip to Michigan, but Danica wasn’t able to go with him. Jake was putting in his order for a few hundred tons of pellets with his father who manufactured these. This was something that came up in the survey that pellets were cheaper to heat with than oil, gas, coal and electricity. Not as convenient as oil or electricity, but more so than wood or coal. The home center carried two different lines of pellet stoves. They did carry wood heaters, but here there wasn’t that many outfits close by that sold firewood.

Jake also made a deal to purchase dimension construction timbers and kiln dried lumber from his father’s mills as long as the price was right. When his father had passed on, Jake’s father had installed kilns of his own and was now selling finished wood products. The kilns here never would have been able to go back into business again.

When Jake came back after being there a week, he said, “My father and brothers tell me I’m being taken in by a crooked outfit when I started to tell them about what I was up to. It made me mad, so I kept a lot of the facts to myself that I was still sole owner of Gramp’s land, just not the business. I did tell my mother though. I didn’t tell them that I had a large stake in the business. How Mother laughed and told me to continue on and show them all up. It’s nice to have someone on their side that has faith in a person.”

“I have faith in you, Jake.” Danica opened her arms and hugged him. I thought for a minute that he was going to kiss her. Is it odd when someone with red hair has her face turn as red as her hair? Reflecting, I would have been okay if Jake had kissed her.

It took several months to get the new help up to speed and the inventory to where we weren’t always in a crisis mode. Danica and Gramp were the ones who concentrated in this area of the business. Gramp had been through this many years before when he set up the hardware store that Ann and I were now managing. Danica wasn’t bashful about asking her teachers at the community college to help solve some of the problems that invariably arose. They in turn used this as practical experience in some of their classes.

Our son, Kendall, arrived one unbearably hot day in August. He was two days early. Ann called me up to the office and told me her water had broken. I had Sarah, my secretary call Mom, Anita at home, and Danica over at the Home Store. I worried some because the birth seemed to take a long time, but the nurse said Ann was doing fine and the baby was almost ready to meet the world. I was there holding Ann’s hand when she struggled hard and then relaxed and said “Our baby just arrived. Tell me what we have?”

The Doctor answered, “It is a fine healthy boy. The nurse will clean and weigh him. Six pounds, I would guess.” The nurse came back and handed my son to me and I put him down beside Ann.

“Dan, you came through this very well.” And then she giggled.

Danica and Anita went in while I told Mom about how everything appeared okay. It wasn’t but a few minutes before Anita came out so Mom could go in. I went in and kissed Ann and she said to me. “Go back to work, Dan, women have been having babies for eons. I think he will have brown hair like yours. I don’t see any red, but it might be too early to tell. Kiss me and then go.”

On the way out, I said, “I’m so blessed.” Ann smiled, remembering that this was her sister, Cilla’s, most common saying.

Ann and Baby Kendal went home the next day. Mom was over with Ann most of every day. Sometimes she would just stare at Kendal with a little happy smile on her face. If asked by Ann she would give advice, but she could see Ann was a competent mother, so never interfered.

During the second week of October, Danica and Jake asked to be away before the stores got busy with the coming Christmas season. Jake wanted to have his family meet Danica. We decided that the last week of the month would be a good time. They would have nine days including the two weekends.

“Dad and Mom, we’ve been right out straight getting the home center organized. I’ll share with you this is for Jake to take me home to meet the mother visit. Jake and I have started a relationship. It is too late to ask you for permission, but I know you will approve.”

“Yeah, we approve.”

“Jake’s family hasn’t given him very much support. Well, his father and brothers anyway. I guess he tells his mother everything.”

“That’ll be good to meet them. I don’t know any man except Jake who has done as well as he has at his age.”

“I agree Pop, and we’ve given him a lot more than his own family has. Me, I’ve given him my all.”

“Yeah, you’ve put in some long hours along with keeping your classes up.”

“That too, Pop. And I’ve got so much help at the college. I’m glad I went this route and able to be here with the ones I love. Jake will be moving upstairs into the larger bedroom if it is okay with you guys. That way we can use the bathroom without travelling up two flights of stairs from the rec-room. We’ll double what Jake has been paying for the room down stairs. We don’t need to live on your dime.”

“Nice of you to think that way, but when you move together, your mother and I will consider Jake our son.”

“I don’t want to move out, because I want to see my little brother grow up. We will though if us being here creates any friction.”

“Good enough.”

Danica and Jake took off for Michigan early on Saturday morning. They didn’t plan to go the whole distance. They had made reservations to stop in the middle of the afternoon. Danica was laughing. “I’ll bet Mom and Pop think we are going to go to bed as soon as we stop. It couldn’t be further than the truth. We’ll wait until after dinner with your college buddy and his wife. Jake, I love you so. Do you think you’ll be laughed at for robbing the cradle?”

“Danica, you are twenty. That’s not young. Also when I tell them all about what you have done since finding your father, they’ll think I’ve got a prize. You so amaze me. You never get tired after working at the Home Center and then you grab your books and study for another hour or two.”

“I work no harder than you and Gramp. I wish he would slow down. Pop says he is in better shape than when I first arrived here, though. Is that possible?”

“In his case, I would say so. Everyone thinks it proves you two have the same genes.”

“I guess. I know one thing, I’m very sick of riding. I remember asking my mom a question when I was little?”

“What was that?”

“Mommy, are we almost there yet? She would tell me were, but it never came soon enough.”

“Only a few more miles and then I can kiss you. Not too many, we are going out tonight.