Chapter 7

Paul’s prediction about his parents wanting to visit was in the money. His parents did come up with him the next weekend. They said they had visited this area a few times in the past. As they were approaching the house Paul saw a large truck pulling away. Vic greeted Paul and said that with the painting being completed Friday he had the consignment store deliver the furniture this morning and remove the old furniture.

Paul and his parents thought the furniture and the painting complemented each other. There were things his parents wanted to do after they looked at the house but Paul resisted their efforts to do them and told them just to relax. He did tell them they were free to visit whenever they wanted to and gave them a set of keys. Dad when Paul talked to him said he was considering if he should bring his boat here. Paul asked him to decide because if he doesn’t bring it here Paul will purchase a boat.

It turned out that his parents came back two days later without Paul after the weekend was over. They did many things to make Paul’s house a home. Paul’s telling them to relax and just enjoy themselves fell on deaf ears. They said they enjoyed working on his new house both inside and outside. They even planted flowers and a small garden.

The following weekend Paul was by himself at his getaway home. He was patting himself on his back for having this large flat-screen television installed over the fireplace. Hearing his doorbell he opened the front door to see Stacie standing there holding a bottle of champagne.

Presenting him with the bottle she said, “Thank you for mentioning my name in your column. A few people wanted me to be their realtor because of it. That column is now framed and hangs on my office wall. How are you doing?”

Stacie coming inside looked at the new furnishings and the newly painted walls making favorable comments on how nice and bright the inside now looked. Pointing at the television she commented that all boys liked their toys. She accepted his offer of a drink.

There was some small talk about the neighborhood and the area. He asked her to let him know if she sees a certain type of fishing boat advertised for sale.

She said she couldn’t stay long and said she just stopped to thank him for mentioning her in his column. She came right up to him and kissed him on his cheek. He was stunned when she did that.

The commentaries and the newspaper columns were being done or written by Paul without him having any major problems. Coming up with a subject to discuss or write about at times was a little bit of a challenge. That he solved by surfing the net and by going to various web pages he was able to get ideas on topics to talk about and write about.

There were times that he saw things happening that just pissed him off. His attitude was reflected in the columns he wrote. He commented on the open southern border saying it should be closed which the present administration says it is that he said was a downright lie. Drugs and illegal aliens are just pouring into the country unchecked. With this open southern border, one political party wants a wall to protect it while the other political party is silent on having a wall. Both political parties are advocating “immigration reform” as a solution. One political party, however, wants the border to be secured first before that happens.

Paul asked, “What in the hell does the term “immigration reform” mean?” To his knowledge, no one had ever explained its meaning. His finishing comment was, “We should take in these hard-working immigrants who are looking for a better life and ship out crooks and criminals along with people who are constantly complaining about this country. Let them have the way of life they say they want elsewhere and good luck to them if they can find it. And that is my two cents.”

Another column blasted the politicians and others who were against the election integrity laws that were being passed in certain States. Vote harvesting Paul said equated with election fraud since there were many ways votes could properly be submitted. He said if it was voter ID that was causing these people to get apoplectic, who in today’s society doesn’t have some form of an acceptable voter ID? If they don’t, then they aren’t qualified to vote since they have no idea what is going on in this country. He did say his uncle always voted a straight ticket for one political party but now that he is dead he votes a straight ticket for the other political party.

One column that received mixed responses was in comments he made about corporations who spoke out against laws that States enacted. Some people were saying the corporation’s right to free speech was being infringed when a State government enacts laws affecting those corporations who have spoken out. It was Paul’s opinion that these advocates have it backward. These corporations are speaking out against the citizens themselves who have elected their representatives in the State legislature to pass these hot-button laws.

“Everyone has a right to free speech in this country.” he said, “but don’t let what you say bite you in the butt. If corporations and organizations are going to speak out about what they say are abuses in this country, they need to speak out about all the significant human rights abuses occurring in other countries. These corporations along with organizations such as the NBA, and the PGA are doing business in those countries. They are making a good buck there but they are silent on these abuses. It can be said therefore that they are hypocrites and that is my two cents.”

Normally Paul doesn’t look at all the responses he receives to his columns or commentaries. Sometimes he will scan a few of them and one caught his eye. It simply said, “You need to lighten up a little.”

Paul thought about that and in looking at his most recent columns agreed with this sender. The next columns he wrote were on the lighter side. One was about how retiring from work didn’t mean you were retiring from life. He mentioned Vic and his retiree painting crew along with some of the activities that were available to seniors for giving back like volunteering at hospitals.

Another column was on recommending young people take the time to talk and listen to the older people who are relatives or maybe friends. While these older people may have difficulty learning to use a smartphone or a computer, they have a wealth of knowledge about life that would be beneficial if they were listened to.