Chapter 30: Sexual Frustration

Molly had noticed all the drinking glasses around the living room and kept breakfast simple. Cleo and I slept in. When we finally did roll over the Sun was well up and the day had started. Molly's breakfast was simple fruit cut up into chunks. We served ourselves. Molly was busy cleaning up the living room like we'd been teenagers. She fluffed pillows and picked up glasses. Then she polished the rings on the tables from our wet glasses until they disappeared. All without saying a word. Somehow it made us feel guilty.

"Damn Molly it was only Eddie and Dean over." Cleo complained, leaving Billy out. "Not a freaking party."

Molly polished the tables where our drinks had sat and now fluffed all the pillows on the sofa. The vacuum sat at the ready like a solider at attention.

"Didn't say you did." Molly dusted even the mantle as if we may have hidden finger prints there.

Cleo and I exchanged looks and ate silently when the vac came to life.

"Err Molly, is there something wrong?" I ventured as soon as the noise ended, placing my bowl in the sink.

"Wrong? What could possibly be wrong with me?" Molly waived her dusting rag to the ceiling and bent to fluff the pillows, again.

"It's only that you've fluffed those pillows so many times I'm thinking of getting you a boxers bag." I said matter of flatly dabbing a napkin to my lips.

Molly paused and looked at the pillows. She shook her head and pulled the cord from the wall for the vacum. She picked the machine up with one hand and proceed up the stairs, her back ram rod straight.

I looked at Cleo. She shrugged back.

"Plans for today?" I asked Cleo.

"Nothing!" she replied with a huge grin. "I was going to go to the pool, but I think I'll read here. There is a hammock on the side of the cabin, shady there but still close to home you know?"

I nodded. I knew. She was afraid to venture too far, not that I blamed her in the least. At the same time she was putting on a brave front, pretending it was all her idea.

"You?"

"I am going to go get dressed and begin working. I've got my first inspector arriving. Then this afternoon I need to meet with my first historian then I'll have to call on the truck ... which reminds me ... Can I use your car today?"

Cleo nodded and retrieved her keys from her purse, she tossed these to me on her way upstairs. "I'm going to put on shorts and not much else."

I followed, heading to my own room. I slipped into Jeans, a cool cotton top, and my new boots, feeling official. I pulled my hair back in a pony tail and added a touch of eye makeup. No sooner had I done that when Cleo was calling that a delivery was here.

Sure enough, a delivery man was dropping off the new order, things I'd forgotten. I had him place them in the office and he left. It was a great way to get into the grove this morning. The phone rang. The first inspector was asking where to meet me. I explained I'd meet him at the entrance of Jake's main drive and headed out the door, Cleo's keys in hand a skip in my step.

I was in shock. I had met the inspector and he was following me in his own car. Ahead of me, the big house. To the side, a new fence was well on it's way to being completed. An old fashioned split rail. The wood was fresh cut and yellow. I knew over time it would weather to a dull gray. Gus and Jim, the stable hands I'd met briefly, when Billy and I came down from the storm on the mountain side, were working away at now. Their shirts off in the morning sun. Two other men, I didn't know had joined them. I parked at the drive and walked the inspector into the house. Leaving him to his work I trotted over to Gus and Jim.

"Jim? Gus?" I looked from their faces which sported wide grins to the fence.

"Billy had us begin." Gus rocked back on his heels.

"You've gotten so far already? It's only been ... what 3 days?? Since I even had the idea!" I was amazed at how far they'd come.

"Well Billy was in quit a mood and had us start the very day you had the idea. He was here showing us how it was to done most of the weekend. We've been splitting our chores between the stable and here. Nick taking most of the stable work himself. Us two spending most of our time here. Billy said you didn't have no idea what we were doing and it'd be a surprise to ya."

"It is a surprise! And a good one." I assured him. "Billy's been working on it?"

"Yeah. He was in some temper and hes been doing most of it. It took Jim boy and me a bit longer to get the hang of it." Gus scratched his head and replaced his hat. "Billy was none to happy bout that. He said it didn't take much sense to split a few trees into rails. So mostly he was doing the splitin and we were doing the settin."

"He's doing the entire thing? From fresh trees?"

Gus rocked on his heels again, proud of his boss. "Sure did."

I looked some 100 yards back towards the house. A small pile of split rails were piled, awaiting placement.

"Billy heard your car and said we were to have that pile gone by the time he got back, and rode off." Gus said seeing me look at the pile. "Sorry we're aint so quick."

"No no, you're doing a fine job. I thought it would be weeks before we even started, and here you are almost done!"

They weren't almost done, they still had maybe 300 yards to go before the big bend in the drive but I didn't point that out. I looked up. A rider was coming. Billy? Gus and Jim had the same thought and went back to work with their heads down and a rushed pace. Was Billy riding them that hard to complete the job? I watched the rider. It wasn't Billy. I wasn't sure how I knew, the slumped shoulders maybe? The body silhouette?

"Earl?" I said when the rider dismounted.

"Yes ma'am." Earl tipped his own, new looking hat.

"I didn't know you rode." I said stupidly once again impressed by his body.

"Of course ma'am."

I shook my head, wake up Kat, I told myself. "What are you doing here?"

"Billy sent me from the other fence line, he said to get over here and help tote rails." He answered and promptly went to fetch one.

"Other fence line?" I repeated like a trained parrot.

Gus, only too pleased to have an excuse to stop working again, answered. "Yes, See Billy said we needed two fences. He's putting in one closer to the stables, on the other side of that pasture." Gus pointed. "Chain linked that one is." Gus nodded.

Earl carried over a rail and dropped it by Jim's feet.

"Thanks Earl." Jim said. He picked it up and placed it in the top position on the X, which already held up rails from the last section. This rail rested on the ground, waiting for the next divider.

"Earl." I stopped him with a hand on his arm. "When you get off tonight, come by my Cabin? I want to talk to you about a few things?" I smiled at him.

Earl simply nodded and went back for another. The two men I didn't know were placing smaller rails in an X formation, to hold up the next section of rails, continuing the line.

"Is this where Billy was the afternoon you were sent to get him for Eddie?" I asked Gus.

Jim answered. "Yeah. We knew he was here. But when we showed up he was mad, said we took too much time at the mucking out of the stalls and we needed to get some work done here. He was holding an ax and said he didn't wanna hear what we had to say. It wasn't until much later he would hear any of us talk."

Gus spread his hands wide. "Then we got chewed out for not telling him right away. I tell you ma'am he's been in a fierce temper this weekend."

"Ok then. I'll let you work." I said softly to everyone and walked back to the house. I felt guilty. Billy had been mad at me and was taking it out on them. I didn't need to slow them down anymore. At the pace they were working now they'd been finished in less than a week! They'd already done from the back edge of the woods at the rear of the house to here!

The inspector was far from done. I walked into the ball room and began to open a few boxes. Most held children's clothes. A few held Christmas decor. One held a mouse which sent me half way to the ceiling with a screech! I blushed even though I was alone. I had no more desire to look in another box. I moved to another room, the library. This I had to unlock from Cleo's key ring. I must remind her to give me my own keys.

Why in the world would Jake want this room kept here? I mean if this was his treasure, why not have it moved to his current house? Why leave it here? The hip to ceiling book shelves amazed me. There was a ladder that was attached to the shelves and it rolled along a track. From the hip down were cabinets. I opened one now. The first had more books. Surprise! I smiled. These were more modern children books. I pulled one and flipped through it. "Good Night Moon." I replaced it and opened the next cabinet. This held old oil hurricane lamps, sets of candles and candle holders. A modern flash light or two. I closed the cabinet and opened the next.

Modern magazines. I pulled one out and had to laugh out loud. It looked absurdly out of place, the modern girly magazine I held in my hands. So a child had his choice, Good Night Moon or Hello Pussy? I flipped it open and the center fold gave me a sultry look. Her jewelry placed just so over her erect nipples. She was laid back on satin sheets, these artfully arranged to reflect light and shimmer in the photo. No tan lines, her body glowed. She held open her own pussy. There is no pussy in the world that pink! With that, I couldn't help but wonder how much of it was real and how much more of it was done with a computer. I smiled and put the magazine back.

The next cabinet held photo albums. I'd come back to those another day. I opened the next cabinet. It had been cleaned out, empty. I opened the next cabinet. Small white boxes stacked neatly in rows. I pulled out one box and opened it. Keys! Tiny toy like keys. I rolled my eyes. These I closed and put back. I opened the last cabinet. I blinked. Trophies. They were tossed on the shelf with disregard. I pulled one out, Jake's name was written on the gold plaque and the date. It was silver and shinny, a miniature of an opened book captured in silver at the top. Hmm. Odd. I was about to reach for another when I heard my name being called. The inspector. I returned the trophy to it's home and left the library.

"Right here." I paused to lock the door.

"Let me show you a few things." he said coming from the back of the house.

We walked the same path he had just completed. There were many things that needed attention, but very few serious. The foundation was in great shape. It showed signs of repairs about 60 years ago, which had held up wonderfully. The inspector said you just don't see work like that anymore. The roof needed attention. I told him it may be redone anyway, as it wasn't historical currently. Most of what he said needed attention was things on my own list to be removed or repaired anyway. I was pleased. We had a good solid starting point.

I drove out with him following seeing him off. I headed home for lunch. Cleo was indeed swinging contently from her hammock.

"Lunch is already ready."

I waved and headed in for Molly's lunch.

Molly was quiet, more so than normal. She'd fried up chicken and made potato salad for lunch. I rattled on about the house. She nodded when I paused but really stayed quiet.

"Molly, what's wrong?" I ventured.

"I'm only listening."

"Maybe it's time you did the talking and I did the listening?" I said biting into my lunch. I made a point of staying quiet. Letting the silence go on.

"It's just hard here, sometimes." She shrugged and went quiet. Putting away the potato salad after covering it. When I didn't speak, she continued. "You youngsters have sex all the time."

I blinked. The image of Eddie on the bed while I was on top of him Molly handing him water flashed through my mind. I blushed but stayed quiet.

"I may be old, but not that old." Molly wiped off a counter that didn't need it.