Chapter 56

Pentwater is a village ... in the winter.

Everybody knows everybody and their sister ... aunts, uncles, nephews, nieces, parents, grandparents ... even unto the tenth generation. “Who are your people?” is a commonly asked question.

It means who are you as defined by your ancestors.

“Ginny Jo Jean Beckwith,” would mean ... your ... I don’t know how many times removed ... grandma (Alice Jo Jean Beckwith) and my grandma (the aforesaid Ginny Jo Jean) were sisters in 1779 ... and you are family. It don’t make a damn if they hated each other ... it doesn’t even matter that the same boy knocked ‘em up ... way back in 1781. It makes no never mind that he didn’t marry either of them. One out of four babies were illegitimate before and after the Revolution. (George Washington wasn’t the father of our country ... Ben Franklin was ... randy old fucker.)

And here I was, Surprise Me Flintkote ... from ... of ALL places ... Virginia ... Home of the Confederacy ... a REBEL.

“And it makes no never mind that JoeBob beat his wife and children with a switch ... He was a ‘Good old Boy’ and from here. And a damn rebel shot him ‘cause he shoved her. Didn’t die and court didn’t work out like the judge and the chief planed... ‘cause that down state lawyer got the judge, a relative, dismissed and the Chief arrested, tampering with evidence. And Cousin Cecil, the deputy, couldn’t keep his hands to himself and it all showed up on the DVD. And the bitch cost the county 26 million dollars ... which she used to bribe the Immigration folks to keep her Hiss - panics, can’t call ‘em Spicks or Wetbacks... ‘cause they’ll sue and the town lawyer got disbarred for ‘collusion’ with the Chief ... whatever that is ... illegal is what.

“And the onliest folks in town working is that crew she hired when ICE forgot about ‘em. That’s why we’re moving back to Alabama. Ain’t no work for white folks.

“That was the rant down at the Antler from Grandpa just before Frank and Ernie pitched him out the front door,” said JimiJac as they were packing the pickup and U Haul to move.

So ... you know what was the result from the shooting ... I won’t bore you with the particulars. David marched into the two cell jail and posted bond ... all Fifty thousand dollars. One thing about it ... they get to keep the posted bail if you’re guilty.

I wasn’t and the village had to sell the new snowplow/garbage truck to pay me back.

The park and lot was full of semi wrecked vehicles and genuine antiques.

My crew was raising a dust and Maria was sorting the ‘yes,’ ‘no’ ‘maybe’ junk while Edgar ... by seniority ... was directing the job of hauling it to her. There seemed to be a lot more ‘no’ than ‘yes’ and hardly any ‘maybe.’

Every time a new area was started, Cat invaded and had a ball killing rodents ... some of them awful big.

When ever there was a rare silence I could hear female chatter from the top of the stairwell.

Well ... of course I had to look.

It was wives and maybe girlfriends cleaning up and hanging curtains ... dividing curtains ... little bunk rooms. Quarters for the crew ... and wives ... or girlfriends.

The cleanup took two weeks.

When I saw what I had to work with I ordered custom marine plywood... 4 mil and and knot free straight grained 1/4 sawn lumber. Enough for a hundred boats ... and tools.

I was as surprised as anybody that the basement floor was painted blood red.

October was two weeks away. I recruited a ‘volunteer’ crew and took the poor seasick bunch to Ludington. Three and four foot swells. It wasn’t even rough.

I loaded two Farr 3.7’s ... mine and Tyche’s ... explained that this was what they were building. We sailed into Pentwater just in time to miss the first squall of the Season.

I ordered lumber for my cabinets. It should arrive about the time I knew what kind of a crew I’d have.

I asked Edgar to pick a couple of men to learn inspection and I asked Maria if she’d like to run the office.

“Señorita, Patrón. I should be honored to work for you in your office.”

“No, Maria. I want you to be the office BOSS.”

“But ... Patrón ... what shall you do?”

“Me? I’m going to build cabinets.”