Chapter 22

While they ate a simple burger and fry, John saw Gunny pull up outside Brian’s office. He ate one more fry and took a final drink of his tea and handed the waitress a hundred, “The bill and tip.”

He stepped out across the street and into Brian’s office. Alba, Gunny, and the two kids were standing there facing Brian. John spoke up “How are you, Gunny?”

She turned to him with a frown, “Not well, the bastards killed Cecile and her mother. I should have listened” she said as a tear came to her eyes and Alba’s.

John never knew what to say to things like that.

Gunny quickly changed subjects “I’m Patricia Ravenclaw now though. How’s it feel being my father-in-law?”

“Strange, Gunny. Where and when did you do the deed?”

“We flew out to San Fran the day we got back to OKC. It took us two days from then to get it done. I suppose you’ve heard about the adoption. Billy, Morning Dove, say hello to your new grandpa” she said with a smirk.

“Good afternoon, Grandpa.”

John saw the glint in Gunny’s eye and knew she’d pre-planned that one. Brian was trying to choke back the laughter and failing.

“How are y’all set on money? I still owe you a few days and expenses.”

“We’re OK on that, but we wouldn’t turn some extra down about now, there is a lot work to do to your old place to make it livable” Alba broke in with.

John looked at Gunny and asked “Your account information still good?”

She nodded, then John asked “Brian, can I use your office computer for a moment?”

Brian walked into his office followed by everyone else, logged into his computer, and then said “Have at it.”

Pixy and crew came through the front door and started a gabfest with Alba and the kids.

After logging into his account, he saw the latest deposit was there. He transferred the lions share of his portion into his market account, then tagged one million for Gunny. Calling her over he asked if that was acceptable.

Her eyes bugged out “What the fuck Ravenclaw, that’s way too much.”

John made a point of looking at Alba and the kids, and then said “I hear raising children isn’t cheap.”

She looked back at them, then stiffened her shoulders. “If it’s for them, then go ahead.”

After verifying her account information, he clicked send. John then logged out.

Turning to Gunny he asked “So what will you do now?”

“I have a job offer at the High School to teach Votech metal working with a side of *MCJROTC.”

John replied “That program is what got me in the Corps to start with. Having a real live Gunnery Sergeant there should give the little snowflakes a taste of what’s to come.”

She snickered and said “We don’t want to scare the little darlings off before they sign, do we?”

John laughed at that “No, but if you can scare them off, they didn’t need to be in our beloved Corps to start with.”

“Oorah!!” She barked in reply drawing the attention of the others.

Pixy didn’t look fazed, she just giggled, but the rest looked at them oddly. John just chuckled at their expressions.

It was then that Gunny noted Marty. “Another one Ravenclaw? I think your way over your bag limit Marine.”

John replied “I know I am, but I’m not backing away from the challenge.”

Gunny just laughed at that.

John said “We are set up by the lake, you want to drag the family down for a visit?”

Gunny choked on that one while John smirked. She gave John a soul burning evil eye and said “I’m still not used to that one. A wife and kids, me??”

John replied “How’s that go again ... Adapt and overcome” while he laughed.

“Keep it up funny guy, I can still kick your ass.”

John bent over slightly being a smart ass. Gunny whipped out a hacky sack side kick hitting him square in the ass. Both of them were laughing like children at that point.

Gunny sobered up and said, “We can use some help finishing the roof on the place if you have time.”

John nodded then rounded everyone up for the ride to his old home. When they arrived, John saw Gunny already had the felt laid down on the roof with a pallet of shingles sitting on the roof. He was puzzled at the latter. “How did you get the pallet up there?

“Delivery guy used his forklift.” She grabbed her massive tits and said “All I had to do was lean up against the drivers window and flash some cleavage. I think he’d have nailed them down for me if I’d flashed him”, then she laughed “Most guys will bend over backwards to help for that.”

John just shook his head.

She went inside and came out with two roofing electric nail guns. Tess walked up to her and took one of them out of her hands. “Let’s get it done” and climbed the ladder. John crawled up behind her and started shifting the packs of shingles to the top clearing the edge of the pallet.

A few minutes later, Tess punched in the first shingle. Pixy and Mei were feeding her the nails and shingles and soon had an assembly line going. On the other side, Marty was feeding Gunny shingles so he joined in their effort.

Looking at his girl’s efficiency, he wondered where the experience came from. Gunny seeing his look said “They had a life before you, be glad they aren’t lazy. Now are you going to get with it, or are you going to let some civies beat a couple of Marines?”

He nodded and started laying out the packs where he estimated each would end and begin. With everyone chipping in, they soon had the job done except for the crown vent. He saw Gunny had left a gap in the crown and he started looking for the crown vent. Gunny went down the ladder and opened the shed. She brought out some aluminum extrusions for solar cell mounting. After transferring them up to John, she took some panels out the shed and passed them up, along with the rest of the wires, and mounting hardware. John asked “How do you want them laid out.”