Chapter 8

You have to observe, we all were more than family. I guess you could say we were a clan. We were all involved in the Fortier complex, but not exclusively. Neil had his law firm. Elizabeth had her realty agency. Pam and Shelly did work with the complex as needed. Ronnie was in charge of keeping our homes in repair.

Molly was the head, but it was I who hammered out the policy. I was often asked for advice about many different things and dealt with them as they came up. We had our own personal lives to lead. Once in awhile I was asked to mediate a dispute between Neil and Elizabeth or Pam and Ronnie and even Molly and the rest of us. Why? Don't ask me.

My three older kids were still adamant about all wanting to go to college together. Kathy, the oldest, was working for a year. "Dad, I want to take over your management position at the pig feed operation for a year while I'm waiting for Sandy and Jimmy to finish school. I will be taking business management courses when I get to college. It will be a good experience."

"Okay. Do you think you can handle the truck drivers that come in delivering grain and the bread from the bakeries? They get pretty bold."

"I can handle them. Aunt Molly has been giving me lessons. I can swear and I can flirt and if that doesn't work, I'll kick 'em in the balls. Seriously, I think I can do the job just fine."

"Okay, but don't wait to tell me if you have any trouble." Kathy was the biggest of the three kids. She was slightly over Jimmy's 5 feet 10.5 inches. She was also full figured. I never doubted she could handle her own in most instances.

Kathy had been dating since she was sixteen and had always had a boyfriend around. She often double-dated with Jimmy. That is until we let Sandy start to date. Jimmy had his license, so he usually drove Sandy and her boyfriend while he had a girl of his own.

Sandy excelled in drama and led the debating team. She went to state when she was a senior and won the contest. Jimmy played shortstop and was clean-up batter. He broke the school record for runs batted in two years in a row. I would guess the record that he made as a junior and broke himself in his senior year would stand for years. He wasn't interested in making a career as a sports figure. He didn't say why.

Sandy was valedictorian when she graduated. Jimmy had an average in the top seven percent and we were satisfied with that. Elizabeth was damned proud, letting everyone know how well her son and stepchildren did in high school. Shelly and I knew that the three would pick their own college. They would have little trouble getting into any school of their choice with the marks they had nailed down in high school.

They ended up choosing a smaller business school in the state system about three hundred miles from home. The main curriculum was focused on entering the business world. They felt they had gained a lot of experience already. They understood that management and the bigger problems in business would take a more formal education.

They made the trip to the college early in the summer before the year started to look over the housing situation. They did not want to live on campus so were looking to find an apartment that they all could live in by themselves. When they returned Shelly asked what they had found.

"We bought a small cottage. It has three bedrooms. Two rooms up and one down. It has a small kitchen and a huge living room where we are going to set up cubicles so we won't bother each other studying. Even with the taxes, water and sewer rent, it will be much cheaper than renting or living on campus. We can sell it when we graduate.

"We have enough money to make a down payment and we would like to borrow the remainder from you and Papa. We have put a binder down already, so basically it is a done deal."

"Sandy, what happens if your mom and I don't think this is a good idea and don't lend you the money?"

"Come on Papa, Aunt Elizabeth would buy the house and give it to us if we asked her. My Daddy is well enough off now, so he would lend it to us. And too, there is Aunt Molly. I could claim credit for finding her sister and her mother. She wants to do everything for me. She has offered many times."

"Okay, I get the point. You get the loan. I was just checking to see if you had thought this through. The point you made is, it is not what you know, but who you know, although I guess both would apply in this case. You seem to have a handle on everything. How about house rules and dating and all of those things?"

Jimmy replied, "Kathy just has to have a man around so she gets the back bedroom upstairs. Sandy and I will still be going on double dates and we do not expect to be entertaining at home very much. In the house we are all going to be doing chores together, although I get to take out the garbage and trash." He grinned as he said this.

Elizabeth was the one paying for the schooling. I couldn't persuade her that Shelly and I should be the ones to do this. "No, I promised to pay for all three. It isn't just the way you have brought them up either. For God's sake, look what you have done for me. My life has purpose now and I have a family that loves me. I don't think I had that the last years we were married and I'm not blaming you at all. It was me that was too shallow to recognize what I was missing."

Kathy had done a great job the year she was waiting for her siblings to finish high school. All the truck drivers asked about her, telling me how much they missed her when they came to deliver supplies. In the production process, she had full control as well. It was declared I was going to have to go some to beat her being the boss and manager when I resumed managing the operation.

Kathy had grown into a tall full-figured woman and exhibited a zest for life. It didn't seem to matter whether it was the little old ladies and men or young couples starting out, who were leasing the apartments. Or even the rough truck drivers and people on the first floor making pig feed. She would shout and cajole, flirt and swear. She was always in control and was respected and liked. She treated them all with deference unless they crossed her. I sometimes wondered if she didn't have as good a vocabulary as her Aunt Molly. It rarely was displayed, but it was there to use if it was warranted.

Jimmy and Sandy with Kathy still held Saturday morning office hours at the apartments. It wasn't often that Jimmy and Sandy overruled Kathy as manager, but it did happen on a few occasions. Here again it was Sandy who determined the fairness of any decision Kathy made as the manager and ultimately it proved correct.

Kathy had been given a vehicle when she graduated high school. Jimmy said he needed one as well so he received the same, but Sandy said she would use one of the others, although she did have her license. The others shared without stint. I don't think I have ever known of sisters and brothers being as tight as these three were. Shelly and I often remarked on it.

Molly was always looking for an excuse to have a blowout. She gave the three kids a backyard party before they went off to college. Madie and Will came of course. All three children treated these two older former servants of Elizabeth's as grandparents. They were not neglected either, for the kids made a point of visiting them on their way to the apartment house every Saturday morning.

When they all returned home from the blowout, Kathy said, "We received enough going away gifts to furnish our house. Actually Aunt Elizabeth gave us enough all by herself. Daddy gave us a liberal amount too. He said it was for not being able to provide for us when we were smaller."

Shelly overheard this. "I could have used the money back then and sometimes I needed it desperately, but I don't think I pushed too hard for it. Well except for when I garnished his wages. It was somewhat tight for us even after John and I married. Connecting up with your Aunt Molly has made a big difference for all of us."

"Mom, I think it was more like when Aunt Elizabeth came here to live near Jimmy. I remember at the time, Jimmy wasn't too happy about it, but he said she had lots of money. He suggested we suck up to her and give her lots of love and she would give us every thing we wanted."

"Jimmy, did you actually say this?"

"I did Pop. When she first came here, I didn't know if I loved her or not. You were divorced because you felt she took all of your self-respect and she did. We all knew that, but she changed and I think the girls and I helped change her. It was mostly you, though, and you got your self-respect back. She finally realized how important it is. Then you made her your friend instead of your ex-wife. Sandy, Kathy and I followed your example and she returned it to all of us. Now we love her as a Mom. Please don't tell her this because we all love her now."

"I disagree, I think sometime you should tell her how you feel. She would like to hear what you just said. For myself and Shelly, I don't think we realized you had discussed her and acted as you have."

"Papa, we aren't dumb you know. We three have always been close and we talk about things and how we feel about everything. She does know how we feel about her and some of why."

I shook my head. Did I ever think things through as these children of mine have done? No. No, because I never had anyone as close to me as these three were to each other...

Ronnie and I took one of our trucks loaded with enough things to furnish the kid's house. Pam and Shelly rode up in Kathy's car, Shelly driving. This was when they decided they would use only one vehicle at school. There was only one parking space at the house and if company came, they would have to park on the street.

Kathy slept most of the way. She had a date the night before and I guess she had partied hard. Jimmy drove his own car and Pam and Shelly would drive it home. Halfway there at the second stop, Sandy transferred to Jimmy's car so Kathy could stretch out on the back seat.

I mentioned to Kathy that she was going to be on her own in college and would have to be careful about her excesses. "I know, but I won't be seeing this guy until Thanksgiving. I did not drink that much. I'm just tired."

"That may be, but I didn't say anything about drinking. That isn't the only kind of excess I was talking about."

"Oh, you mean like when you have to go away for a few days and Sandy and I can't get Mom out of bed the next morning? You mean that kind of excess?"

I shook my head. "You've got a point." I still worried.

The first few weeks we had telephone conversations from our college kids frequently. It dropped off before they came home for Thanksgiving. They had made it home for one weekend, the four of us had driven up one weekend, and Elizabeth had gone with us another time when she learned we were visiting them.

Kathy said she had been on a couple of dates, but Jimmy and Sandy had not found anyone yet to date. That did not mean they stayed at the house all the time, they just went out together or with Kathy as the three of them still enjoyed being together.

They all came home the next May. Their house was rented out to a couple of professors, man and wife, who were teaching summer courses. Leave it to the kids not to let the prospect of money slip away. "We learned all of this from you Pop."

Kathy took back the job of managing the pig feed process for the summer, and of course all three resumed managing their tenants. This gave Shelly and me a break from this for the summer months. Jimmy went into his mother's real estate management office and Sandy worked with Shelly on the personal accounting she did for the families.

Shelly handled all of the personal accounting for Ronnie and Pam, Elizabeth and Neil, our own and for Gram Johnson now. Shelly did Molly's and Ted's accounts. This was almost a full-time job, as Molly kept getting richer and richer.

When the kids headed back to school, all were adults, as Sandy had turned eighteen. Molly again had a big backyard party. We were all so proud of these college kids of ours. Now it was time for them to decide what they wanted to do with their lives in the future. Jimmy planned to become a Real Estate Broker and Sandy said she wanted to become a Certified Public Accountant.

Kathy wouldn't say what she had planned for her future at this time. "I'm going to be working. Maybe harder than my sister and brother, and it may not pay as much, but I will be happy." We did not pressure her to share her goals with us.

Sandy was Molly's darling now that it was she who had discovered her mother. Gram Johnson felt the same way about Sandy finding her daughter. It was odd, but Molly and Mrs. Johnson as mother and daughter did not draw that much closer together. It was as if each had filled in the gap in their lives and that was all that was needed to fulfill them. Nice to know, but Mrs. Johnson had given her baby up and still felt some guilt. Molly had a rough start to life and couldn't totally forgive her mother for her many years of unhappiness.

Mrs. Johnson of course resented this. It was left to Pam to bridge the gap. Molly did make sure her mother had everything now, as she certainly could well afford it. It was left to Pam to administer the largess from Molly to her mother. It was hoped by the rest of the family this would change as both aged. This didn't take away any of the feelings they had for Sandy.

Shelly and I saw Sandy draw Molly away from the rest of the crowd at the party. She had her on the far side of the lawn and looked as if she was trying to explain something. A few minutes later Jimmy drifted over and entered into the conversation. I could see that Molly didn't wholly agree with them about what was being said. It broke up when Molly kissed Sandy on the cheek and hugged Jimmy.

"What was all of that about Molly?"

"John, I can't say. Sandy was looking for advice about something. She came to me, because she is related to everyone by blood or as a stepchild. Jimmy is her protector as always and suggested she talk it over with me. You will find out eventually and I have no idea how everyone will accept it. That's all I'm going to say."

"Sandy isn't pregnant is she?"

"God no John, Sandy is smarter than that. There is nothing illegal about it either. I would forget it for the time being if I was you. I wish she had come to me without the family around and where everyone could see her talk to me. She will tell you someday and you may be disappointed in what she has done, but then again maybe not. She is a sweet child. No, let me amend that. She is an adult now and well able to make her own decisions. She'll accept the consequences if there are any."

It was Pam, Shelly and Elizabeth who escorted the kids back for their second year of college. What I called the second baby crop were old enough to be left with their fathers so Ronnie, I, and Neil could look after them while our women were away for two days.

I received a call from Jimmy at 11:15. "Pop, ask Mom if she ever drinks too much. Mother took us out to a lounge after dinner and all three older women got pretty loud. We kids weren't drinking of course, but Mom, mother and Aunt Pam were letting their hair down. I had to call a taxi when we were asked to leave. We followed them back to the house. I do not think they will be coming home tomorrow. They will be staying over one more day."

Shelly looked pretty sheepish when she came home. I asked her if she had a good time. "We did. It was like being back in college again. Elizabeth sure knows how to party." This was all that was said and then she grinned at me.

When it came time to take the kids back to college for their third year, Neil, Ronnie, and I, drove them up to the school. This was at Shelly's suggestion.

It was I who made a discovery two months into their third year. It was something that rocked everyone's boat. It shocked some of us, disturbed others and could have upset the balance between us all.

One Wednesday I was traveling in the upper part of the state. I was only 45 miles from the college where the kids were attending. Rather than stay in a motel, I decided I would drop in on the kids. It was nearly 7 o'clock in the evening when I arrived. There was a light on in the living room. I knocked on the door, leaving my car on the street. Kathy came to the door with a textbook in her hand.