Chapter 2

Joni and Rich, the unmarried couple, showed up on Memorial Day weekend. Joni was a woman of twenty-eight. Rich might be a little older. Of the two Joni was by far the more outgoing. They reached here at three that afternoon. Brenda and Selma set about preparing dinner, while I showed them around. Joni was thrilled to find a farmhouse in almost the original state that it was when built except for the new changes I had just made.

Rich was interested in the way the buildings were constructed with treenails, mortise and tendon. After he inspected some of the hand-hewn timbers, he said they spanned the length of the ell, which made them forty feet long. He seemed to know all about this type of construction.

He worked in an architectural firm as a draftsman. He had the summer off, but would still have some work he brought with him. Post and beam had come back into vogue for house construction, so he was out in the field a lot to design houses for a specific lot he said.

Next he wanted to know where the fireplace was, knowing there must have been one. Had it been removed? I assured him that it was still here. It had been boarded up to prevent loss of heat up the chimney. He said he would like to get a look at it if possible.

I introduced Ho Lee to them at dinner. Ho again asked to say grace. Joni and Rich reached out to join hands, so they must be as familiar with the ritual as we were. Brenda had made a pot roast with vegetables cooked in the same pot. Selma put hot rolls on the table and we dug in.

Rich said he had never tasted anything better. Ho was a small eater. Joni observed this and then commented on how he could eat so little when it was so good. He said in Vietnam food was not as plentiful. The French influence had dictated more taste sensations than quantity. That is why they used more spices and flavorings. After this was said, I noticed that we all took smaller portions.

After dinner, Ho went back to his garden. We had decided that it was time to plant the bulk of the garden now. He already had peas in and up. Joni wanted to know if Ho was our only hired help. I set her straight on the fact that he came as a guest just like them.

Ho just might make this his home from now on and we would be glad to have him living with us. He was so anxious to get back to farming that we worked out an arrangement. Now he worked as our gardener on shares and was anxious to help with any chore.

Sarah and Bob arrived the next day. They were both in their twenties. Bob had rough, craggy features. You might be put off by this until he started speaking. He had a gentle, warm voice and you could wish he would keep speaking forever. Sarah was taller than him by an inch, even in the flats she wore. Bob worked as a financial advisor.

It was a cool day and Sarah was wearing sweats. Her hair was brown, short and curly. I did not think it was a perm, but natural. She kept it well cared for and neat. Her eyes were dark brown and flashed when she smiled, which she seemed to do often. Sarah was a published novelist.

We needed one more guest to fill the room that Ho Lee had vacated. I went through the list of people who had replied to our original advertisement. Brenda and I chose a woman, Judy Comstock, who mentioned she was interested in forests and how they were developed and managed. She was curious if there were woods here.

I talked to her by phone. I assured her we did have more than fifty acres of softwood and about twenty-five acres of mixed hardwood. There were enough maple trees on it so we at one time could set four hundred taps to get sap out of the trees to boil down for maple syrup.

Three days later Judy arrived by bus and Brenda picked her up after being called from the station. It was quiet in the kitchen when I arrived from work that afternoon. Everyone was sitting at the table for supper, waiting for me to wash and sit.

I thought there was to be just one woman guest who had reserved the room. Nothing was said to me about the man who was sitting beside her when we talked on the phone. Brenda introduced the new arrivals. "Jonathan, this is Judy Comstock and her brother Charlie. Charlie was injured in an auto accident almost two years ago and Judy cares for him. We will talk after we eat. Please say grace."

After Grace, I cut the roast and gave out the portions as the plates were passed to me. I kept my eye on Charlie. He seemed to function to some degree, but he also did not seem aware what was going on around him. I heard Judy tell her brother to start now and he commenced to eat. I saw no problem with how he was acting except he was a little slow and his motions were clearly automatic.

As soon as the table was cleared, the food put away, and the dishes done, Selma, Brenda and I excused everyone except Judy and Charlie. I said, "Let's talk. Judy, we don't have a separate room here for your brother."

"Mr. Rivers, Charlie will be sleeping in my room and in my bed. He is harmless. I will tell you why he is like he is. He had a family consisting of a wife and two children. A truck ran into their car and only he survived. He is brain damaged, but can function to some extent. He is physically fit except for that. He does not talk except to ask for his wife Carol. The doctors say there is only a three percent chance he will ever return to normal and ninety-seven percent he will be like this forever.

"What I mean, he takes care of his own personal needs, but needs me to tell him what to do and when. There was an insurance settlement that is large enough to pay me to care for him the rest of his life. I have now made this my full-time job. Living in the city holds nothing for us, as the noise tends to bother Charlie. I thought if we came to a rural area where it is quiet, he would be happier.

"Please let us stay for the summer as we agreed when you thought it would be just me. If we get along, and there is little trouble, I might conceivably lease the room for a longer period of time."

"People will talk if they find out you are sleeping in the same room with your brother."

"I know that, but people seem to understand when I explain our situation."

"What do you think Mother, and you Brenda?"

Both did not see a problem. "What about you Judy, you are young, don't you have a man in your life?"

"I had one and we planned on getting married. However, I felt I had the duty to care for my brother and my fiancé did not approve of me using my time this way, even though Charlie is not that much care. I'm glad of that now, because I found out just what kind of small-minded man he was."

"Okay, I guess we can handle it. We will put you in the downstairs bedroom. You will have a bath to use as your own and for Charlie. If there is any trouble, I reserve the right to ask you to leave and expect you to comply without question."

"Fair enough, I accept these conditions. To show you how little a burden I intend to be, what can I do to help around here?"

"Would you be willing to keep your bathroom clean?"

"I'll do more than that, I'll keep them all clean."

"Great. The other guests help with the food preparation. You might find something to do in Ho's garden too. We try to make it as homelike as we can here."

As we stood, Charlie looked at Brenda and asked, "Carol?"

"No Charlie, I'm not Carol." Charlie didn't say anything and followed Judy through the house to the room they would be sharing.

"You know, I feel sorry for Judy. I have a feeling we will either enjoy having both here, or something is going to happen where we wish we had never met them. Maybe I should go tell Judy she can't stay before we become friendly with them."

"No Jonathan, please don't do that. She has enough troubles just caring for her brother. We can afford to do something nice for her. If you were brain dead, I would care for you. I will admit sleeping with your brother is weird, but apparently they aren't intimate, so I guess it is okay. Don't you agree Mother Rivers?"

"I agree. It is something we can do for our fellow-man."

"Okay then, we are in agreement."

All of our guests wanted to help around the farm. The farmer brought the dry cows to put in the pasture and the animals had more attention from being patted than they got at home. I thought to myself that the animals would hate to leave here after they dropped their calves.

When strawberries were ripe, Bob, Sarah and Joni went to a pick-your-own farm and came home with more berries than I thought we would ever use before they spoiled. Mom filled the jelly cupboard and even though we groaned when strawberries were put on the table for another dessert, not many went to waste.

I had the biggest pile of wood split, stacked, and in the shed, I could ever remember having this early in the season. We uncovered the fireplace and had it checked to make sure it was safe. This was the first time in several years we had contemplated using it at all. It would be fun this winter to sit in front of it. We cut wood for the sugarhouse even though we hadn't tapped out for the last five years and did not expect to next spring.

Ho Lee was going to be here and also Judy and Charlie if they got along with us. The other two couples looked envious as we discussed it. I was working every day. I was a shift supervisor in a factory with most of my crew being women. After supper, I would see what had happened during the day and if I decided there was chores needed doing on the morrow, I would give Brenda direction and orders.

Rich offered to paint the house. I was surprised, everyone pitched in, and a week later it was scraped and just a few days after that it had paint on it. Ho Lee was busy planning where to put various fruit trees he said we should plant for the future. He wanted pears, plums and peaches. Four kinds of grapevines would be nice to have. Two kinds to eat and two for wine. The trees, the cuttings and the berries would be started just as soon as it cooled off in the early fall.

I think I gained the most from having paying guests. I not only did not have any money worries, but I would come home and there wasn't anything pressing that needed doing on any particular evening. I could relax and sometimes some of us would go downtown to the theater and watch a movie.

I should also mention that Brenda and I could plan to have intimate get-togethers more often than we had been. This was just from the fact we were not as tired all the time. Brenda seemed to initiate these encounters more often. This pleased me because before we started this project it was often days or even weeks before one of us suggested having sex.

The first crack that came in my perfect summer showed up one morning about three o'clock. I had to get up to relieve myself and as it was warm, I stepped outdoors onto the porch. It was dark, of course, with just a sliver of moon. I heard the horsebarn door open and close, which made me think Ho Lee was stepping out the same as I.

Instead, it was Mom coming across the yard from the barn where Ho Lee slept. She only had on a nightgown. She was almost up to me before she realized there was anyone outside. "Mom, what are you doing?"

"I'm going to bed, Jonathan."

"What were you doing in the barn?"

"If you can't guess, I can tell you I was getting seen to. I knew I would be found out some day, but I don't care. Son, I have not been with a man since your father passed. I seduced Ho and what is the expression--oh yes, we have been getting it on for the last month. He isn't a very big man in stature, but he fills my needs just fine. I'm surprised you haven't got onto me before this."

"What happened to your worry about Ho Lee coming from a violent country and he would be murdering us all as we slept? Those were your words when he first came here. Another question is how far are you going with Ho Lee?"

"You mean are we going to get married? The answer is no. Ho has had two families and lost them. Neither one of us are considering something like that. As long as you are aware of what we are doing, I'm going to be moving into his bed permanently."

"What about Brenda and the other guests? Won't you be ashamed to have them know what you are doing?"

"Brenda already knows about us. As far as the others, they have made their own arrangements and what Ho and I do wouldn't concern them if they did know."

"You better explain that remark."

"Well, occasionally Bob and Sarah sleep in the room they rented. Joni and Rich do the same in their own room. More often than not it is Joni in Bob's bed and Sarah in Rich's."

"That's convenient. What happens when one woman gets upset or jealous with the other?"

"Not our problem, except we would be losing two guests or maybe all four. Brenda has already told them that will happen if there is trouble. She hasn't said much, but I think she is somewhat envious. I suspect you have reaped the benefits of her talking with Joni and Sarah. Think about it."

"Is Judy involved in this arrangement?"

"No. She is planning to live here the rest of her life or as long as Charlie is alive. She is so sweet, but she is dedicated to making her brother as happy as she can and he is happy here. It is sad as she was engaged to be married, but then she made this choice on her own. What a price she is paying. She told Brenda and me that she had been planning a family as soon as she was married. Now it is impossible. Don't you feel sorry for her?"

"I do, but I suppose it can't be helped. It is a waste, for she is so sweet and beautiful. I guess I'll go wake Brenda and ask her why I haven't been informed of what has been going on."

"You'd do better, son, to make love to her if you feel you have to wake her up at all. A wife is like a garden and needs tending to." Mom turned and went back across the yard and I heard the barn door open and then close. A light showed for about five minutes in the new window we had installed and then it went out. I waited another five minutes and decided Mom had found herself a bed, maybe as long as she was alive.

I didn't wake Brenda and I didn't go to sleep for quite some time. It was not Brenda or Mom, and it was not Charlie in my thoughts. Judy filled my mind. She was still short of thirty years and had so far been denied a chance to live a life that brought happiness. It was so sad and I felt sorry for her.

Mom was making breakfast as per usual in the morning when I got up. She flicked a glance at me, but didn't mention last night. Brenda finished her shower and came in to help Mom. The two couples from upstairs in the front rooms came down. I could not see where they acted any different than they ever did toward each other. Must be they were sleeping with their own mate last night.

Judy and Charlie sat down, with Judy right beside her brother as always. Ho came in and sat waiting to say grace. Mom served.

I had a half hour before I had to leave for work. Over the last coffee, I said, "Let's talk. Ho, you have indicated you want to stay here after the summer is over. I am fine with that and I'd like to have you stay. You've done so much for us and the farm, I'm inviting you to make this your home and us as family permanently."

Tears immediately came to Ho's eyes. One long glance only went to Mom before he said, "I accept. I will be here where there is little danger and I won't lose another family. You have allowed me to do so much and I want to do more. Thank you."

"Judy, and of course Charlie, what are your plans for the future?"

"Thank you for mentioning and including Charlie. People do forget that Charlie is still a person because of the way he is. I wish you could have known him before the accident. He was a brother to be proud of. That is why I am doing for him now. As far as what our plans are, I want to lease the room we live in on a permanent basis. We can afford it and it is really quite reasonable, all things considered."

"That's fine. Sometimes Brenda has mentioned finding some part-time work. If she does, then I think we can reduce what you have been paying if you stay and maybe help Mom out in the house. Ho wants to plant more trees and some decorative shrubs before cold weather. You might help him outside with some of these. I also notice Charlie can help a little."

Joni spoke up, "Jonathan, Rich has asked me to be his bride. Could all of you and us put together a decent wedding for the weekend of Labor Day? That is just five weeks away. Also he and I would like to reserve the room we have now the last week of every month through the winter."

"Joni isn't the only one wanting to reserve a room during the cold months. Bob and I do too and we would want the same week as Rich and Joni. When you find and make friends with someone, you can't lose or forget them. We want to be together as much as possible."

"This is great Sarah. Brenda and I did not plan on guests during the winter, but this will give us some income and I hope you will consider us as friends as well. She might not have to find part-time work outside because of that."

"We do." I happened to glance at Brenda. She was staring at Bob and Rich. They both had a secretive smile on their face. I looked at Mom. For some reason, she did not look as happy. I laid it to fact that Mom would have more work for the winter and she might just want to get away from having guests all the time. I guess I would ask Brenda and Judy to lighten Mom's duties as much as possible.

"What about our wedding on Labor Day?"

"With all of us working together, I promise we will see that you have the finest of weddings." I looked around the table and could see only happy faces. "I have to leave for work now. I do miss a lot when I'm not here don't I?" This was a subtle reminder to Mom to keep me in the loop from now on.

There was a flurry of wedding planning. There were going to be more than fifty people in attendance. I suggested a pig roast. One of my coworkers did this as a sideline, and I called him immediately. He had Labor Day open and I signed him up to do the porker.

Bob and Sarah rented a tent in case it rained. They also signed for the chairs and what dishes and utensils that would be needed. All of this was to be delivered and the tent raised by the rental company. They would come the next day and remove it all.

Just as soon as the guest list was approved, calls were made to the local motels and the one hotel in town for reservations. When food other than the pig was discussed, I was a little concerned about the cost. Rich said, "Don't worry about it, Jonathan. Joni's dad handed me a credit card and its limit is higher than one we will ever have."

The day of the wedding was full of excitement brought on by warm sunshine and happiness was the order of the day. Charlie was nervous and Judy kept him as much in the background as much as possible. The wedding itself went well. Sarah and Bob of course were their friend's witnesses. As they say, the wine flowed freely and the party got wilder and noisier. This came after the pig was reduced to just a few bones and scraps.

The wedding party was ready to leave. Not surprising Bob and Sarah had reservations at the same hotel where the honeymooners were staying. I think this was going to be a wedding night to remember--not just for the bride and groom either.