Chapter 30

‎I hadn’t been involved in the homeless issue for a while. Not since we had gotten so much grief from the existing shelter proponents. Gerome and Lucinda stayed at it along with Tommy even after I gave up. Tommy did as well but only because his grandson was a big deal in the world of Utube videos and didn’t want to quit.

‎The packing cases began showing up in the back yards of suburban houses as camp out spots for kids. They replaced the pop up tents of my youth. After the kids out grew them they became a mobile storage unit at the rear of the driveway or under the carport.

‎It was one more failure in my list of things I had tried after retirement. The next to go was the daycare gig. Even though we had never left the daycare unprotected, the Sheriff decided he needed to find the money for a paid officer to guard the ‘at risk’ daycare. That came, not surprisingly, after a candidate made it it an issue in some local election. We didn’t even get an advanced notice. We knew it was coming, but we didn’t ever get an official notification. The deputy was just there one day.

‎Since the state of Mississippi has a sensible gun law, nothing the county did prevented me from doing what I was already doing. Namely protecting what I considered mine.

‎I did break bad and buy a landscape type trailer. I did that so that I could deliver worm storage boxes to larger convenience stores by the river. I also had a couple placed with municipalities which had city reservoirs used for fishing.

‎I converted my packing cases to extensions of the worm farm. At the end of that year I had six large beds for worms, and two different style boats for cruising up and down the river.

‎My second spring arrived with me involved in a reasonably profitable worm business. Fortunately it was a business which required just a little time and no hard work. Unfortunately it was boring as hell. That was always the bane of my existence, boredom that is.

‎I remember that it was the tenth day of January when I got the call on my cell phone. I was in the SUV, so I pulled over to take it.

‎”Well hello Lucinda,” I said. It wasn’t a huge surprise, since the five of us stayed in touch, but I wasn’t expecting it that day either. “What can I do for you.”

‎”I have a job to do for a friend. I was hoping I could con you into helping me out.” She asked it as though there was some question as to my interest.

‎”You fucking know I will,” I said.

‎”I knew you would be willing, I just didn’t know if you would be available,” she stated with a laugh.

‎”Just tell me what you need done and when you need it?” I asked.

‎”My friend is married to a Jackson City Councilman,” she informed me.

‎”That just sucks from the jump,” I said. “But there is nothing we can do about that, unless you want his ass to disappear?” I did laugh when I said it.