Chapter 51

The weekend was mostly spent relaxing with the Littlebuck family and visiting old friends. Kent and Karen were glad to see me, and they even told me they were closing the restaurant the next month. Apparently, the food business had been rough, but they were making a good income from the store part. In fact, they were going to open a game store just a few blocks away.

“When we did the taxes for last year, the game part actually grossed more once the expenses were removed. So we started looking, and the old Ben Franklin store is a perfect location. We take possession on the first of the month, and Karen will run that while I shut everything down here. Plus that will let us expand the selection, and can get us more income I hope.”

I gave them several suggestions for games to sell, and wrote out a drawing of how Skip had his store set up. They liked the idea of game tables, but asked why they should be 6 foot by 6 foot.

“Well, start looking into lead miniatures. There are a lot of systems, including ancient armies, modern tanks and infantry, they all mostly use that size of table. Cut up felt for hills, forests, and roads. That way you can use them for RPGs, board games, or miniatures. Make them high enough so you can use them standing, or sitting on stools. I will send Kim a contact I have in LA, they do a lot of business in lead miniature armies. Both historical and fantasy, and we are talking about hundreds of figures on each side. Imagine the money you can make from selling 500 Roman Centurions to one guy, and 500 Gaulish Barbarians to another.”

Keith nodded, and I had made a mental note to send to him not only Skip’s information, but also Mike. He was still into that kind of thing, and might have an idea on how to get him started in that area.

I went ahead and signed all of the adventures I had written that he had for sale. “You know, we could only do this because of you. We saw a huge increase after those news stories, and have had one or two a year since. Now almost any time somebody proposes to the city council that we be shut down, they do another story with our point of view. Mrs. Dodge also appears each time, she is a supporter now. She does not play, but she now knows that we only play it the good way. We still see her once a month or so.”

I smiled, and Kim said she was now running the Friday night game. “Kent and Karen still do Friday and Saturday night games. Saturday is the serious night, Friday is more the fun night. Beginners, and more light and silly adventures. I run a new campaign every three months, basically when they hit level 8 or so they all retire and we start again with new players. The serious ones move to Saturday night mostly, but a few stick with Friday to help teach the next group.”

“Wow, I’m impressed. You never told me that. And how about Jeff?”

“Oh, he is one of the permanent Friday nighters. We took what you told us about Mandy, and he runs any NPCs I attach to the group. There are always one or two, and he has a blast with it. His minor is in English Literature, and he really gets into character doing it.”

After we left I drove over to the old hardware store. I looked in the window, and it seemed to be around 1,500 square feet. A rather respectable size, and I hoped they could make it work. We then drove around town for a while, We had lunch at Dead Steer, and of course I had finger steaks. I actually finished two orders, it had been over a year since I had any.

We drove over to the park, and were walking hand in hand and Kim had her head on my shoulder when I noticed an older gal looking daggers at us. “Kim, who’s that?” I asked.

“Oh, that’s Mrs. Amos. She goes to our church, I bet she thinks you’re my secret lover! Oh, oh no, Peter!”

I smiled, and guided Kim over to the playground where about six kids were playing, as four mothers watched. She stiffened as we walked up in front of her. Thankfully, Kim took the lead.

“Hello Mrs. Amos, do you remember Peter Culver? His mom worked for Mr. Flushing, and he was like my brother growing up. He and his dad moved after his mom died, and he’s here on leave from the Marines. I’ve been showing him around and catching up, since he is staying with my parents while he is here.”

I saw the hostility leave her face rather quickly, and a little embarrassment take its place. We exchanged pleasantries for about five minutes before Kim and I moved on. “God, I hate to say it but I don’t like her. She is such a gossip, but I bet that will shut her down.”

“Well, if she tries now and anybody she talks to knows me, they will surely set her straight. I don’t remember her at all, but surely my mom’s name still means something here.”

“Oh goodness yes, as does Barbara. She has her finger on the gossip line in town, and if she hears of this, there will be hell to pay. I will give her a call in a day or so and ask her to keep an ear out. But I bet it will not take her long to realize that all we are is friends.”

“Oh no, we are more than friends. You are my sister, and the gal I love the most in the world Kim. Always will be, only to be matched in my heart but never exceeded. The only girl I think that could ever replace you in my heart would be if I had a daughter.”

Kim turned and hugged me, and kissed my cheek. I saw tears in her eyes, and I gently reached up and brushed them away. “Oh, I hope you are so blessed Pete. Any chances that might happen in the future?”

We resumed walking, and I told her about Becky. But made sure she did not jump to any conclusions, we had only just started dating after all. “So I gotta ask, and be honest. How far have you gotten?”

I grinned, and said that while I had slept with her, we had done nothing more than she and I had during our first month of dating. She just shook her head. “You and Jeff both. This is just between us, but we never made love until our wedding night. Oh, we did almost everything else but, but not that. I think now that you are two of the last gentlemen on the planet. And you are both so much alike in that respect. I hope for the best for the both of you, but what will be will be.”

I mostly relaxed the rest of the weekend, and on Monday morning I loaded up the truck again. And with hugs and kisses from the Littlebuck family I headed west on I-80. I made a stop at the Air Force base in Mountain Home to get a haircut, then a little over an hour later was pulling into Boise. I bought a map and drove to the headquarters to the Simplot company, then got a room at a motel on State Street and settled in for the night.

Tuesday morning I followed George’s advice, and put on slacks, a button-up long-sleeve business shirt, tie, Marine Corps tie bar, and dress shoes. I arrived at 10 at the headquarters. I had the binders in hand, and a few minutes after telling the receptionist at the front why I was there I was meeting Mr. Sauer. I tried to hand them to him, and he smiled and shook his head no. “Oh no, I am only presenting you, any business you have with Mr. Simplot is between the two of you. Here, we’ll take my car.”

I raised my eyebrow. “He’s not here?”

“Oh no!” Mr, Sauer said with a chuckle. “Mr. Simplot retired over a decade ago. But he is still the Chairman of the Board, and if he says jump, they only ask ‘how high’ on the way back down. No, he’s at home, that’s where we are going. I am delivering him some paperwork to sign, he does not even know you are coming. And I will warn you, I bet he will listen. But if he is in a bad mood, he might also just tell you to leave. If he does that, just go wait by the car.”

I nodded, and we were soon driving through the North End of Boise, one of the oldest and richest neighborhoods in town. Then after driving into the foothills we were arriving at “Fort Simplot”. And it did indeed look like a fort.

We walked up to the front door, and a kindly looking lady answered it. “Oh Pete, you’re here. Please come on in.”

I jerked, and Mr. Sauer laughed. “Thank you Esther, I think you startled Mr. Culver here. Pete, my name is Pete also, she was addressing me. Is John in?”

She laughed, a wide grin on her face. “Yes, he’s in the office. Go on in, he’s expecting you.” And palms sweating I shook her hand, and followed Pete into the office of the Master.

JR Simplot smiled when we walked in, and looked at me with a question on his face. Mr. Sauer handed him a folder, and said it was the report he had asked for. “Oh, and this is off the record, but Mr. Culver here has a proposal I think you should at least listen to.”

“Oh? And could this not go through the usual channels?”

“No Sir, he tried and was refused without even a fair hearing. You know Mr. George Flushing in Pocatello, he is the one that recommended me to him. I agree with George, and I believe that Mr. Culver deserves at least a fair hearing before he is refused.”

He looked up and down at me, and I was standing upright. And I saw him notice how I was dressed, including the Marine Corps tie bar, the only thing other than my haircut that showed I was in the military. “OK son, give it to me straight.”

I then spoke for almost 15 minutes, explaining about my family ranch. The fact that my great-great grandfather had founded it, that five generations of us had lived there, then how my father and I sold it after my mother died and we had to relocate to try and rebuild our lives after we lost her. Then what had happened once we sold it, and the state it was in when the company bought it.

“Sir, I already had Mr. Flushing submit a proposal to buy the five acres at the bottom of the hill, which is the original homestead. The offer was over value, but that is the portion that means the most to us. In the binders are two proposals, one with an access road along the western portion of the lot, and a second with a permanent easement through the property. I make no demands, my only request is that this is listened to fairly.

He looked briefly through each binder and nodded. “Pete, what is your take on this? You are one of my legal eagles.”

“John, Mr. Culver is right. George Flushing made the request, and it was shut down immediately, without even a proper review. They sold the land in 1981, the next owners owned it until early 1983 when they lost it to foreclosure. The company bought it that year at auction, primarily for the water rights. That property is adjacent to a 400 acre plot we own that runs to the North of it. That land has been unused since we purchased it. We already transferred the water rights, and those five acres are of no real value. In fact, we make no use of any of that land, we have yet to even remove the remains of the failed winery.”

Mr. Simplot looked through the binders again, and looked at me. “OK, these seem fair to me. What is the other binder, a third proposal?”

“No sir,” I said, handing it over. “Mr. Flushing prepared this for me. It includes my family’s original deed, and other records to show what it means to my family. That was the home I grew up in, and where my mother died. I simply would like to get the homestead back.”

“And will you be living there?”

“Sorry, but no. At least not yet. I am in the military, and am being transferred to Arizona after three years in Japan. But I already have my, I guess God-Sister, who will live there if I can reclaim it. Her mom was my mom’s best friend, and we are as close as family. My father and I would use it as a vacation home until one of us retires there. I am still young, but I do want to return here to retire. I do computers in the Marines, and there is not enough work in that area for me to make a living at it. But this is not any kind of investment, I have no intention on the property ever leaving the family ever again.”

He smiled and nodded. “OK, that sounds fair enough. Pete, what is your recommendation? Give it to me straight.”

He smiled and handed over a folder. “John, here is my proposal. This should never should have even been brought up to you in the first place. The offer Mr. Culver submitted is actually well over the value of the land, the only real value was in the water rights. Which he does not want. As you see in the last binder, the house the last owners built has largely been destroyed. While we were in full possession of the property, I must add. And the land needs to be rehabilitated. That will actually cost more than what Mr. Culver has offered for just the bottom five acres.”

He looked through the last binder, and raised his eyebrows. “And they let this property sit in this condition for how long?”

“Since 1983. The house was abandoned with minor vandalism at that time, in the four years since it has been extensively vandalized. And it is only a matter of time before we are ordered to remediate the land, and rip out the dead vineyard. That alone will cost around $15,000, including rerouting the road. According to the survey included is a report that it is dumping sediment onto the highway, it is only a matter of time that the Idaho Department of Transportation will demand that be fixed.”

“OK, that is enough of the sell and explanations. Now give it to me straight, what is your recommendation?”

“John, in the back is my recommendation. In short, the water rights have been transferred to us for over four years now. That we accept his proposed offer, and transfer back the original property that his father sold in 1981. That in the transfer we put in clauses to him as the new owner for remediating the property within one year of taking possession, and that he addresses all repairs required. That will get us off the hook, and give him time to make the corrections before the state or feds get involved. That should keep them off his back, so long as he follows through. Oh, and allow him to access fair use water rights for the stock pond, at the going rates, to be adjusted every three years. Our water easement is for much more than that, as what we got was the rights for the original 640 acre ranch, before Mr. Culver’s grandfather subdivided it. We own the rest of the original property, a single stock pond will not affect our rights in the slightest.”

Mr. Simplot smiled. “Pete, next time somebody in the land department leaves, you come talk to me. This is the kind of thing I like to know about. And yes, you are completely correct. This should never have come to me in the first place. Those idiots should have just nodded their heads and taken the offer. Heck, his proposal covers the taxes for the last four years, and saves us a bundle on repair and maintenance. Mr. Culver, do you have a check for me?”

I pulled the check out of the shirt pocket, and stunned handed it to him. “Yes sir, Mr. Flushing made it out, and told me to pay him if it is accepted.”

He took it out of my hand, and smiled. “It’s accepted. And while I appreciate the work you both have done in these proposals, I am rejecting both of them. Mr. Sauer’s is what I am accepting, that the entire property is being returned to your family.”