Chapter 7

Well, if you're wonderin' how it all turned out, I'll tell you. Beth n' me, we stayed together forever. When I was in twelfth grade, Mama died from a bad case of pneumonia. Well I was just a mess for a while after that. Beth insisted that I come and live at the farm full time until I went off to college. She helped me sell the house and property and open a savings account at the bank to use for my education.

Nobody said anything about me livin' at Beth's place 'cause they all knew I worked for her and that we were good friends. I took two weeks off from school but then I went back and graduated when I was supposed to.

All that spring 'til graduation I was thinkin' about what I really wanted to do with my life and finally come to a decision. I can tell you Beth wasn't any to happy about it, neither. I decided I wanted to farm. Well, she stomped around, rantin' n' ravin' for the longest time but I wasn't gonna change my mind. She finally accepted it.

That spring, we went to the John Deere dealer in Watonga and made a deal on some used farm machinery and I spent the weekends plowin' Beth's fields, puttin' in corn and beans. After I graduated, farmin' was my full time job.

Beth didn't pout about it or nothin'. Once she figured I wasn't gonna budge, she pitched in and made sure I done the job right. She learned about farmin' and marketing crops n' all that stuff.

That first year was a good one n' we actually made a profit. Beth n' I were both surprised by that. Then the folks at the next farm over finally went bust and we were able to buy their place for a good price. Beth had enough money in her savings to buy it outright so she didn't have to take out no mortgage. That more than doubled the size of the farm.

In '51, the Korean thing broke out n' I signed up for the army. I thought Beth was gonna skin me alive when I told her what I done. When I look back on it now, I can see it was just plain dumb but I guess I was still green enough that goin' to war was all about heroes and glory. When will we ever learn? Anyhow, three months after I got to Korea, I stepped on a mine and lost my left leg up to the knee. Of course, that ended my career as a hero.

When I got back home, I was pretty miserable and feelin' awful sorry for myself. Well, Beth wouldn't have it. She wasn't about to let me sit around on my butt whinin' about how life had mistreated me. She drove me back n' forth to the V. A. hospital 'til I got my prosthesis fitted and then she drove me to get back on my feet (foot) n' make the farm profitable. The fields only lay fallow for one growing season.

Another thing she done; once I was full-time farmin' again, she dragged my sorry ass to the courthouse and married me. I sure didn't fight her on that, I can tell you. I never loved anyone or anything in my life like I loved that fine woman. Hell, by that time, everyone around just accepted us as a couple anyways. Oh, I suppose we might have stirred up a little gossip but so what? People need something to talk about, don't they?

Beth 'n I never regretted how our lives turned out. By the early seventies we had one of the biggest privately owned farms in the county and three kids, two boys n' a girl.

She never taught at any other school than Watonga High. They made her retire in 1990 and she died in 2001, the day before 9/11. I guess I was thankful she didn't have to see that. It would've broke her heart.

I still miss her somethin' awful. And you can believe this or not but I never once cheated my Beth. She was the only woman I ever made love with. Why would I want someone else when I already had the best?

The oldest boy runs the farm now but I still keep my hand in. I'm eighty-two but there ain't no way in hell I'll sit around on my butt waitin' for the undertaker to come for me. Beth wouldn't stand for that.