Chapter 2

Pat waited until a knock sounded on the steel door and shined a flashlight through the window. A guy in lightweight clothing was out there. He shouted "Can I come in please, I am freezing out here." Pat let him in, the guy saw them put their pistols in the pockets of their sweats. He said he had slid off the pavement into the median in front of the shop. He said he was stuck there and the heater in the car had kept him and his wife and two children warm until the car ran out of gas. Pat put more coal in the fire and the stranger backed close to it. He asked if he could bring his wife and children from the car to here.

Pat could not refuse, they would probably die out there if he did not let them in. He told the guy to go get them. He brought back a boy about ten years old, a girl near fourteen and a woman probably in her mid-thirtys. They were very cold. All of them crowded around the fireplace.

The guy introduced him self as Ed Page, his wife as Linda, the girl as Sherry and the boy as Terry. As soon as they were warm each expressed a need to use the bathroom. Pat pointed it out and told them to help themselves. One by one they used the comode. Crystal had water boiling for tea or coffee. Pat poured four small glasses of cheep cooking brandy and gave each of his guests one. He opened the couch out and Crystal got sheets and blankefs for it.

Pat told them it was time to go to bed and he and Crystal got back in theirs. The Paiges made their bed and got in it.

Pat woke at near five and started coffee. Crystal went to the potty and combed her hair. The Paiges woke and got out of bed. Pat asked Ed Paige where he and his family had been going. Paige said they were within ten miles of their destination. They were going to his mother and father's for a visit. Ed Paige said that they were as well prepaired for a winter storm as Pat and Crystal were there. Pat told Ed that after breakfast he would see how the roads were. Pat said that he might be able to take Ed and his family to where they wanted to go. Pat said he had tire chains for both front and rear tires and that his æ ton four wheel drive truck could probably make it now, later with more snow building up probably not.

Pat and Crystal served eggs bacon and toast for the morning meal.

The Paiges would like to have stayed where they were, safe and warm but Pat was thinking that four more people to feed might strain their food supplies. He felt crowded with them in the houseboat with him and Crystal. Pat installed the tire chains and drove a mile on the road toward where the Paiges wanted to go.

When Pat was back he told them he had gotten half way to town and thought he could deliver them the rest of the way.

Crystal begged Pat not to try it she was frightened for Pat. Pat assured her if it got too bad he would turn around and come back. He told them that a few more hours of snow would make it impossible.

Pat made it, he had to use the winch on the front of the truck one place.

When he was back Crystal cried. Pat told her he had taken the chance so they could be alone together.

The snow quit falling the next day, there was a total of twelve inches. Pat and Crystal were snow bound for ten days. Those were wonderful days and nights.

When the Power came on Pat and Crystal went to the office to see if there was any damage. A pipe had frozen and burst in the shop and Pat cut off the valve to it. The shop and offices were heated by propane space heaters. Pat lit those in the offices and those rooms were warm soon. Crystal plugged the computer in and finished the general ledger in an hour. She saved her work to a CD disk and started a parts inventory list. She and Pat would spend about an hour in the freezing parts room and she would put that information in the computer with current prices for replacement. That took them two days.

Ellis the lead man in the shop was the first to return to work, he had an old four wheel drive Jeep that he used for a hunting and fishing car. He said he thought several times he would not make it. Pat and he repaired the frozen pipe and the place was ready for the others to return to work.

Crystal was ready to bill for the month. She had picked up twenty eight thousand dollars worth of charges that had not been billed since the first of the year.

Crystal was still legally Carl's wife, he did not know that she still lived. She could not get a divorce from him, he would know then she was still alive. Her problem was solved when a few days before Christmas Carl had gotten drunk, run off the road and rammed a tree. He was killed instantly.

Crystal was a widow.

Pat showed her the article in the paper, the picture showed a destroyed truck wrapped partly around a tree.

Crystal wanted a tree and to decorate with lights. She had bought the Christmas decorations in November. Pat and she spent the morning Saturday two weeks before Christmas decorating the houseboat and the office and shop. Pat wanted to have a party in the office, he was going to set up a Bar and invite the employees and their familys. Crystal wanted to do the foods but Pat told her that would be catered. Friday afternoon before Christmas the now six employees knocked off at noon and returned before three with their families or dates.

Pat and Crystal had gone home and changed clothes. Crystal had a new bilfold and key case for each enployee under a tiny tree. Pat had an envelope with a check for five hundred dollars for each employee under that tree. When everyone was there and most were sipping drinks from the bar Pat anounced that the shop would be closed until Monday after New Years day. Every one would be paid their salary through the holidays.

Pat told them that Crystal and he were going to visit his parents and loaf on a warm beach. Crystal had not known that before, she was surprised.

When the party was over she and Pat cleaned up and took the left over booze and food to the houseboat. Pat called his parents and asked if he and a lady might come visit for Christmas eve and spend four or five days afterward. Of course they were welcome.

Saturday morning Pat had his Lincoln Navigator serviced and filled with gas. Crystal packed them a suitcase and boxed food and bowls for Rob. Crystal was told that they would be in Sarasota before Monday and they would open their gifts then on Christmas morning. She put the gifts fron under the tree into boxes and loaded them in the big car. Before noon they were on their way. Pat drove until he was tired, Christal drove until she was sleepy and then she woke Pat. He had his seat in the full recline position and had slept. Crystal slept until time to relieve Pat. It was a twenty hour drive for them but they arrived rested and relaxed. Long before dark Sunday they were at Pat's mother and father's home. Rob had been no trouble and slept most of the way.

Pat's sister and her husband were there with the two children, a boy four years old and a girl three.

Pat and Crystal were showed to a bedroom and told to rest and change into summer wear. Pat's family had not known about Crystal until Pat introduced them. No one was the least bit awkward with her. When Pat and Crystal had changed to shorts and shirts the women went to the kitchen to get aquainted. Mom was cooking for Christmas dinner. She was prepairing to make giblet gravy, Chrystal asked to help, and Mom let her cut up the turkey gizzard and heart while she hard-boiled eggs. Chrystal diced up the liver and pan-fried the tiny cubes of the liver. Mom asked her what she was doing to the liver. Chrystal said she was frying the liver so it would not soften and come apart in the gravy. Mom said she had never done it that way but to go ahead. When the liver was browned Crystal put it and the diced heart and gizzard in the boiling chicken stock. Mom gave her a dozen hard-boiled eggs to dice up. Christal put the hard egg white chips in the pot and began breaking the yellows up. Mom said she always threw the yellows away. Chrystal said she used them to thicken the broth. Mom told her to go ahead then. Chrystal asked Mom if she used onion in her giblet gravy. Mom said "Not until now, honey but the onions are under the sink." Crystal was told to include them if she wanted. Choped onion was put with water in the microwave for ten minutes. The water was drained and clear chopped onion went into the pot. Crystal said "Now the only thing lacking is celery." Mom said "In the drawer of the fridge honey." Crystal chopped that and added parsley flakes, salt, pepper and thyme. After stiring for a few minutes she dipped out a sample bowl. She asked Mom to taste and see if it needed any thing. Mom tasted and said it was perfect. Pat's sister Ellen tasted and asked Chrystal to write down how she had made that gravy, she wanted her's to taste that good. There was another whole bunch of celery left, Crystal asked if she could use it to make finger food. Mom said "Do your thing honey." Chrystal removed the strings and made two stuffings, one from cheese heated and then chopped pimentos, tiny chips of hot peppers and chopped black olives added. The other was cream cheese and chopped mushrooms and chives added. She had two large plates with finger food.

Mom was readying the turkey for the oven the next morning. She said she wished she could cook her turkey so that it would not be so dry. Chrystal suggested she inject hot butter into it. Mom found a syringe and large needle and asked Crystal to show her how. Crystal melted a pound of butter and injected it all in the turkey.

Ellen had been mixing the dressing, she was crumbling corn bread and filling a pan with the crumbs. Crystal asked what was next. Mom told her that the water was next and the dressing would be ready to bake. Chrystal suggested they use celery and onion soup as a mosturiser. Mom said "Do it honey." Everything was ready to be finished the next morning.

The ladies joined their men in the living room, Crystal sat on the floor hugging one of Pat's legs. Pat asked if they were finished in the kitchen. Mom said "We are for now, we will finish in the morning." Ellen's husband Tom asked her what she had in the kitchen for the kids and him for a before bed snack. Mom said Pat and Crystal had brought sandwich makins and they could have that. Everyone went to the kitchen and the ladies took orders. The deli things Crystal and Pat had brought were used up making sandwiches. Rob was in the house, he got a few scraps. Mom had never had a dog in her house, she fed Rob part of her sandwich. After sandwiches Ellen's children were ready for bed, She made them out of small sleeping bags on the couch in the living room.

The adults sat at the kitchen table and talked. Pat had bought his houseboat since they had last been together. He told about it. Crystal said "It is so comfortable, even tho it is not big." Pat's father asked how long they had been living together. Pat told them they had been together since the middle of October. Crystal said "I hope he keeps me for ever, I love Pat and I hope he becomes in love with me." Pat grinned.

Pat's mother said Pat needed to settle down and have children. She said that she knew Pat loved kids. Ellen said "Sometimes I would give him our two but he would bring them back in two days."

Pat's father asked how the business he and his brother had given him was doing. Pat said he was keeping six shop mecanics busy and Crystal was doing the bookwork. He told of buying the building he had moved to and that he was going to have to expand it. Pat said he was doing ten times the business the old shop was doing when it was given to him. Pat told them that without Crystal and her computer he could not do as much business as he was. He told his father he was not using Burtram' s billing service now, Crystal was doing that.

Pat's mother said she was going to bed, she would set her alarm for five AM and start cooking the turkey then. Crystal said she and Pat got up at that time at home and she would help.

Every one went to bed.

The next morning Ann, Pats mother found Crystal and Pat in the kitchen finishing their breakfast. Crystal had done an omlet and had zapped bacon in the microwave. There was buttered toast and part of the omlet left, Crystal asked Ann if she could serve her a breakfast. Ann said she usually ate only toast and coffee for her morning meal. Crystal poured her a cup of the French roast coffee she and Pat had brought. They had brought pear preserves and strawberry jam, Crystal put that in front of Ann. Ann tried a bite of the omlet and asked if they were through, if so she would finish that. Crystal buttered more toast, she and Pat had brought Texas Bar B Q bread and real butter. Before that was in the oven Pat's father Eric and Ellen and her husband were in the kitchen. Crystal buttered the rest of the loaf. Crystal asked if anyone was ready for breakfast. Ann told them she had just finished off a few bites of an omlet Crystal had done and recommended they try it. Crystal put the rest of the two-pound pack of thick cut bacon on a microwave dish and started a huge omlet. She put the toast in the oven, and added diced ham, mushrooms, and glazed onions to her omlet and sprinkled a liberal amount of a seasioning from a fruit jar over that. Ellen asked what was in the jar, Crystal told her it was a Porta Rican seasoning called adoba.

The omlet was finished when the toast and bacon was and Crystal and Ellen put it on the table. Ann had set the table and poured coffee for those that wanted.