Chapter 29: Third Part of the Prophecy

Monday, May 24, 1971

After my run and a quick shower, I headed for the Dining Hall. For some reason, I was starved!

The Star family, along with Catherine and Grace were already eating. Bypassing the serving line, I went straight to Dawn, pulled her to her feet, and kissed her passionately. Then, greeting Rose and Eve with a quick kiss, I pulled Grace to her feet and kissed her with equal passion, and went for my breakfast tray. They planned to hit the road as soon as they could, a full day looming on their schedules.

“Oh, Michael, I can’t wait! I don’t know how I’ll be able to survive until you return!” Eve gushed.

“Me too! I can’t wait to see you again. And I’m already excited about going to Tennessee. Grace told us all about it last night,” Rose added.

“Yeah! Will we get to go to your school with you?” asked Eve.

“Do you know where we will live ... I mean since your home was destroyed by fire last week?” asked Rose.

“We don’t have much. And we’re used to living in a small space,” Eve added.

“I can’t wait to see everything. I think I would like to see a football game. Grace said that over 60,000* people come to your college’s campus every week just to watch! I can’t even imagine that many people in one place,” Rose exclaimed.

“Girls! Don’t worry about the details,” I told them. Then I added, “That’s what Grace is for.”

Grace just smiled at me as she clutched my forearm with both hands. Thank goodness it wasn’t the arm I was eating with.

“I’ll see you in four weeks,” I reminded the girls as we walked them to the cart that would take them to their RV. “And remember what we discussed. If you agree to come with me, there is much work to be done!”

“What must they do?” asked Mary.

“They’ll fill you in on the details, but they must first decide, and then commit themselves to me and the task before us.”

“I think that committing to you is a foregone conclusion, judging by their conversation last night,” Grace told me.

“Well then, in that case, I have some special projects you can begin work on,” I told them.

“What are they?” Eve asked.

“Eve, I want you to begin to study ways we can utilize greater resources to fight poverty long term. In other words, if the money is there, how would it be best spent,” I told them. “And Rose, I want you to focus on how to get rid of illiteracy. It should be quick, but needs to be long term. If we can make it so anyone that wants to, can go to college, how can we get them to want it? And how can we prepare them to succeed when they get there?”

“Those are great tasks indeed,” their grandmother said with pride as she looked at her twin granddaughters. Then they each kissed my cheek before boarding the electric cart.

“By-the-way, if either of you have any spare time, you might want to focus on the third part of the prophecy,” I added casually as the cart began to move.

“The THIRD part?” the twins asked at the same time.

Grace and I just waved as they pulled away.

As Grace and I made our way back to the Lodge, we passed Sandy. She was upset, so I quickly scanned her and saw that she was overwhelmed with her workload because her Mom and Dad and Anna were all still out.

“I wonder if there’s anything I can do to help her?” I thought to myself.

Most of the family was sitting around the big room debating their options for the day. As I queried them individually, I noticed a distinct lack of motivation to really do anything. “We’re supposed to be on vacation!” was the summation from Julie.

“Hey everybody! I’ve got an idea!” I told them, immediately gaining their attention. “There’s a situation here at the ranch which has just come to light. Anybody here ever run a nude guest ranch?”

“Run a nude guest ranch?” Julie and Jenny asked at the same time.

“Anna, Jaye, and Buddy had something come up and they needed to leave. That leaves Sandy all by herself. I think we should see if she could use our help. That’s all.”

“Oh. Good! For a minute there, I thought you liked it here so much, you were thinking of buying the place!” Catherine laughed. I was busy scanning the area, looking for Sandy’s emotional signature. She was in the direction of the main Dining Hall.

“Hold that thought!” I told her as I ran out the door towards the Dining Hall.

I heard Catherine’s “Uh ... oh!” as I left.

I ran down the hill to the Dining Hall. Sandy was getting on one of the little golf carts, and she was frazzled. I startled her when I jumped on the cart beside her.

“What do you want?” she snapped. Then immediately, “I’m sorry, Michael. I meant, what can I do for you?” she asked nicely.

“I need you! It should only take a few minutes. I think I’ve got a way to help you,” I said nicely as well.

“What do you mean?”

“Well, if you can spare five minutes, there are about a dozen willing volunteers, waiting to talk to you.”

“I don’t know what this is about, but I sure won’t turn down free help!” Sandy said with a laugh as she headed the cart up the rise to the Lodge. When we entered, everyone was there except the four parents. I again explained the situation, then turned to Sandy. “So we thought we’d volunteer to help,” I told her. “At least until your folks return.”

“Well, I’m not sure what you can do...” she hesitated.

“Why don’t you just tell us what you need,” said Liz with a sparkle in her eyes. I could sense that she was thrilled about being useful again.

“Well, the vet is due any time now, and I usually assist her. It’s not hard. I mostly end up driving her around the ranch, or fetching for her if she needs something,” Sandy explained.

I didn’t need to read them, but I did to make sure. “Natalie. Randi. Front and center. You got the vet. Can you handle it?”

Randi gave me a mock salute as she said, “Aye, sir. Should we dress?”

“That would probably be a good idea,” Sandy told them.

“What else?” Liz asked.

“We’ve got a large group of ladies coming in for the ‘Garden Art’ workshop this week. I could really use you, and Catherine as well, to welcome them, get them registered and headed in the right direction.”

“That sounds like fun!” said Liz. “Come on Catherine, let’s go get dressed.”

Catherine stood and put her arm to her forehead saying, “All this company and I don’t have a thing to wear!” She had everyone cracking up as she left.

“Next?” I asked.

“Well, the dirty linens all have to be picked up, and there’s two deliveries due in about an hour at the receiving docks that have to be checked in. Oh ... and I almost forgot. Stacy couldn’t make it in today so Mable needs some help for lunch.”

“Right,” I said, turning to Candy.

“Take Mandy and go find your dad. Tell him what’s happened and ask if he’d help you check in the deliveries, okay?” Then I added, “ ... and no flirting with the cute delivery truck drivers!”

They were off like a shot!

“Nicky, why don’t you and Grace help Mable. She wants to marry me, so I’d only be a distraction. Julie and I will get the dirty linens then join you in the kitchen. Okay?”

“Is there anything else?” Jenny asked.

Sandy looked at her and smiled, “I could sure use an assistant today, but it may be the hardest work of all. There’s a mountain of details to be taken care of.”

“Well, that sounds like the perfect job for Jenny!” I said as I smiled at her. I could see that she was excited to be working like an adult. We worked out the remaining details and transportation, and then we went to work. I’m not sure I’d really call it work. I know I had a blast.

Julie and I ended up racing the laundry carts. They were golf carts that had been lengthened and had wooden sideboards. We drove to each group of cabins, raced to the porch grabbed the bundled dirty linen and threw it in the carts.

Julie took the first cabin, and I took the next one. We competed with each other most of the way. As we neared the end, I noticed my cart was fuller, and thought I was faster because I was a guy. I was coming from the next group, carrying all of the bundles in one trip, when I saw Julie, race onto a porch and grabbing a bundle, run a short way and fling it in my cart.

The little minx! She was loading me up to slow me down.

I had the Lodge as my last stop, so by the time I reached the laundry building behind the big barn, she was standing there with her arms crossed, leaning against her empty cart.

“What kept you?” she asked with a grin.

I stopped my cart next to her, then picked her up and threw her on top of my load.

“You don’t fight fair!” she said playfully as she slid down.

“Don’t give me fair! I wasn’t putting my loads on your cart!”

“Can I help it if you’re slow?” she sassed.

I unloaded my cart with Julie’s help. Well, she helped by harassing me and once knocking me over into a big pile of linens. She took every opportunity to touch me, tickle me, and jump on my back. Finally, I rode her piggyback outside to the now empty carts.

“Race ya!” she yelled as she jumped in her cart and took off.

I went after her, but at only a couple of miles an hour, I didn’t make much progress.

She was laughing as we parked the Linen Trucks in their shed and plugged them in.