Chapter 27

We were pretty much fucked for something to do without lights at the house, and I damned sure didn't intend to go flying in this weather. It wasn't a gentle rain - it was good old North East Texas tornado warning weather. I told Jan, Sharon, and Jenny if they wanted to take off for a couple of days to go ahead, and after packing their bags they beat feet in the limo that now stayed parked outside. At least we'd been able to send the driver away after a day or so.

After the rain slacked off a little the girls dragged me back out into the barn and we fooled around and fucked with camping equipment out there. The rain came and went all day, but the lights never came back on. We went to bed about nine that night, but the only thing we had for light was a few candles.

The lights were back on when we woke about six AM. The girls beat me out of bed and into the shower and then left me to wash, dry, and dress myself. Jackie was on the computer and the phone at the same time when I made it to the kitchen while the rest of them were cooking up a storm. She didn't even take a break until the food was on the table.

"What have you been up to this morning," I asked her, when she sat down.

"Doing what a good wife is supposed to do - spending your money, or trying to anyway. I called the construction company and asked them about the auxiliary power generation situation for the fueling pumps. It caught them short and they told me there weren't any provisions.

"I asked them what we'd have done yesterday if we'd needed fuel while the power was out. After a bit of mealy-mouthing they bumped me up to a higher authority and I was able to point out their poor planning to him right away.

"They'll be installing plenty of diesel powered generating equipment for us now to cover the fueling system and the house and barn and it will be strictly underground service," she said.

Just two days ago I'd have thought it was more useless overkill, but I hadn't liked the lights being out any more than the girls had. It wasn't only the lights either. The water was off without electricity for the well pump and when I flushed a toilet I wanted everything in it to leave, right away.

After we finished eating we headed out to the barn again. I could see the construction crew was here already, but it seemed all but a few of them were leaving again. Jackie dragged me along with her to speak to the foreman.

I should have known what was going on myself, but I hadn't even bothered to think about it. All the men who were involved with the digging and earth moving were taking another day off, maybe two more. You just can't do any good moving dirt with all the water around. I even learned most of what they'd already done would have to be re-done. The ones staying were just a few carpenters who could keep building the forms.

No matter to us right now anyway. We had all the trucks in front of the barn now and we finished up loading nearly everything out of the barn into the trucks. The girls seemed determined to take everything, and I finally asked Jerrilyn about it while we were taking a break.

"You know damned well, Tommy, the first thing we'll end up needing will be something we left at home. We'll be camping for two weeks, at least, and we're afraid we'll leave something important if we leave anything. It would be a big pain in the ass to have to call Jan, Sharon, and Jenny to get in the helicopter, fly down to pick us up and fly us on a shopping trip or even back home to pick up something we forgot," Jerrilyn said.

"Besides, the biggest reason for not taking everything along with you is usually because you don't have room for it. Hell, we've got room left over, and plenty of it," Christine said.

And so it was settled. We were taking everything that wasn't nailed down. They'd even planned it so we'd take all the stock, plenty of feed and hay for them and at some time they'd had a bumper hitch added to the back of one of the show horse/mule/shower trailers so they could hitch my custom built wagon to it. They had it piled full of sacks of whole oats.

I was happy enough when we were all packed and the girls knocked off for a late lunch. I noticed we stuck with the usual lighter portions we usually had for lunch if we were planning on being mobile for the rest of the day. I was surprised again when they told me we were taking a fuck break and a nap in the afternoon and they were going to get me up just before sunset to load the stock and then we'd be taking off.

Well what the hell did I care. I concentrated on the fuck break part and after it was over I paid close attention to the nap. Of course this time of year sunset came late and sunrise came early. No matter, I plowed every furrow available and then dropped off to sleep. They'd wake me when it was time to do something again.

Wake me they did, and they showered me this time too. They were about to get their noses out of joint about the formerly large shower which had now become too small to fit us all in at once.

"As soon as we get back I'm calling someone to come out and cure this. Besides, I want a big hot tub to go with this shower. I want one you can put soap in too. When we want bubbles we want plenty of them," Selene said,

Hell, I wondered why they hadn't done it before now. There was plenty of room in the bedroom they'd transposed into a closet. We could have the bathroom made into more of our bedroom and then have the spare bedroom/closet made into a bathroom/closet. I just couldn't see the problem.

Anyway, we bathed and dried and dressed and headed to the kitchen. The girls said we were having and early breakfast, and since it was just around one AM I guessed they were right. They also made plenty of coffee to fill even plentier of coffee thermoses.

After eating we locked up the house and boarded our separate trucks. They let me take the lead and I threw them a curve right off the bat. They'd expected me to turn right at the end of the driveway and head north on Texas Highway 43, but instead I turned south. At least I made my opportunity to have my first actual CB radio communication.

"Tommy, why are you turning south? We planned to go north to Texarkana and then go west on I-30," Jerrilyn said, and I noticed they'd forgotten all about the handle they'd given me earlier and I decided I liked being Tommy better than being Armadildo anyway.

"You're not getting me started on my first real trip with your Big Road trucker ways. We're headed for Kerrville right? I'm taking 43 down around Marshal and then US 80 west to Hallsville. There I'll turn left onto South Central Street which will take us to I-20.

"On I-20 west we'll go to Owentown and get off on US-155 and take it to Tyler. We'll take the loop around Tyler and pick up US 31 West and it'll take us to Waco," I said.