Chapter 3

Sunday morning before we got out of bed, Nora was extremely nervous. "What should I cook for the boys and John for dinner on Sunday?"

"Keep it simple. You have that shoulder roast. Roast it in a pot. There is a large cast iron kettle way in the back of the cabinet on the bottom. You can cook all the veggies in it the last three-quarter hour."

"Good, I just couldn't think that is all. Of course if you would stop fooling around and keep your hands away from where they are, I could think better. Leave me be or you'll be in trouble and you'll never get over to the yard and the roast will never get on the stove." I looked at the time. Nora was right, it was getting late. "What time do you think they will get here?"

I knew we were putting off being intimate, but it wouldn't be too many nights before we were. It was going to be a big change for both of us because I needed to put the woman I had loved behind me. Nora needed to find trust in a man again. It would be just that much sweeter for the two of us when it happened.

"Nine, nine-thirty I would think. I'm going to meet them at the wrecking yard. We'll be back to the house just before noon. We'll eat and then we'll spend some time together before they head home."

"I wish they could stay. I'm going to hate to see them go back."

"Keep the faith that they won't always have to go. Hey, are we going to spend all morning in bed? I need coffee."

John Roberts pulled into my wrecking yard just a little after nine. He did have a full pickup load of boxes. There was enough weight from the thirty-four boxes in the truck that it sagged the springs. I had purchased a garden shed and put it on some level gravel next to my office. The boys helped unload the boxes. They seemed anxious to please and really hustled. All the boxes were marked with the year the catalogs covered. It didn't take very long to unload.

"Let's walk around and I'll show you my operation. My father set this up forty years ago. I bought the business ten years ago. It looks damned disorganized, but it really isn't. I have an area for stripping the cars as they come in. I keep three men busy doing various chores. If the windshield on a vehicle is good, I have a man that pulls it. I don't crush every day. Usually when I get ten junks ready, I hire one extra part-timer to help me.

"There is a mountain of paperwork. I never buy any vehicle without checking the VIN number. I have some standing orders for parts, so if I get a car in that matches what a customer wants, I check it out the best I can. I always sell with a money-back guarantee. I have a list of things that are desired by shops that rebuild parts too. Starters, alternators and sometimes water pumps are rebuilt. Transmissions and rear ends too.

"These buildings you see scattered around next to the fence are full of fenders, bumpers, glass, hoods, engine parts, and whatever. That building over there has frames stacked five high. I think there are ten piles of them in there."

"Who would want a frame?"

"Peter, good question. Hot rodders mostly, but occasionally someone wants to customize his favorite jalopy. You can't believe how many people start on something and screw it up. By that time they have too much money into the project so they come in looking for a replacement. That big building down on the end is the one my father built and put the oldest items in that he thought were too good to throw away."

"Such as?"

"Come on, Paul, I'll show you most of a 1934 Pierce Arrow. Everything ahead of the cowl is missing. It was bombed by a gang of crooks trying to move into a different territory. The whole front end including the engine is gone and the frame was chopped off as not salvageable. Some day someone will come along and want it."

I opened the door and we walked in. Pa had built bins down the length of one side for the smaller items. On the other side were fenders, doors and even spare tire carriers that graced many of the old cars on their rear seventy or eighty years ago.

Paul spoke to his twin, "Look at the different dashboards. Look at some of them are made out of wood. They are beautiful."

When we came out of the building I asked if they had ever seen a car crusher work. They hadn't so as I had a rusty old '70 Chevy ready, and knowing they would be interested, I ran it through. How the boys laughed when it came out ready to be transferred along with several others onto a flatbed and transported to a smelter.

"John and you boys, there is a small cottage out back of this building. We can sit on the porch for a few minutes. I have a proposition for you."

We went around a corner, through a gate in the ten foot high board fence, and a couple of hundred yards away a neat little cottage came into view. I had mowed the lawn Friday evening. It did need paint, but it hadn't been too many years since some had been applied. Off to one side there was room for a garden and behind it were some mature trees. Further back still there were woods with trails throughout.

"This has a kitchen, a living room, two bedrooms, and a nice bathroom. John, here's the deal. You bought those catalogs and you know what's in them as you have probably used most of them. You've seen the spare parts I have stored here. I need someone to match things up and put it together and make an inventory list. I need someone who can handle selling as well. In other words when someone comes in looking for a part I want to be able to say 'go see John.' Is that a job you would be interested in?" John was definitely looking interested.

"I own this cottage. It isn't very elegant, but it is solid and comfortable and it would be cheap to live in. I'd rent it pretty reasonable. What I'm getting at is that Nora would have her boys and you and Trudy would still be in their lives. I have a big house and room for the boys. I'd ask that you live with me, but it isn't big enough for two families.

"One other thing, as long as you work for me you would have hospital and doctor's insurance. I provide that for the men who work for me. I have to carry workman's comp too. I'll open the door and you look it over. I want to talk to Peter and Paul while you do."

John hadn't said a word ... maybe because I hadn't given him a chance. I opened the door and John went in. "Peter and Paul, I want you to know my intentions for your mother. Right now she is keeping house for me. You need to know a little more about me. My wife died two years ago from cancer. I'm pretty lonely. Your mother is too. She has been terribly hurt over the divorce from your father and is now single just like I am. She'll feel much better if John takes my offer of a job and you can move down here."

I waited to see if the boys had anything to say. The boys looked at each other. It was Peter who said, "You said you and Mom were both lonely. That tells me you two are pretty friendly. I guess if you treat her better than my father did, I'm okay with it. Paul and I talked about it when we heard Mom giggle at home the other day and decided you might be sleeping together. We are okay with it if it will keep on making her laugh."

I shook their hands as John came through the door. "Considering everything, I think Trudy would live here. I'll have to talk to her before we decide. You said Nora was coming up next weekend. I'll let you know for sure then."

"Good enough. Let's go see Nora. Dinner will be on the table at noon."

Nora was more relaxed today than she had been on Thursday. The house shined, as she had worked on it without stopping. There was still one room upstairs that needed doing, and the mud room at the back entrance hadn't been straightened up as of yet. I directed the boys to where they could wash their hands upstairs. John and I used the other one off the living room. "You have a beautiful home here."

"You wouldn't have thought so if you had seen it before I hired Nora. There are still a few corners she hasn't got to yet, but it won't be long."

John shared with me that Trudy wasn't Nora's biggest booster and never had been. "They never seemed to hit it off. Nora was always working and she left the boys for us to raise. I'm not saying she neglected them, but it seemed they were always with us."

"Nora said that and she told me why. She said at first George was in law school and she put him through seven years of education. After he got a job he demanded she continue because he needed money for a front until he was established. That was why she went back to work so soon after the twins arrived. Weeks ago I found her sitting in a piece of junk that she had spent her last dollar on. I couldn't believe she hadn't made out better in the divorce from your son than she did.

"Her story was that she never had any money of her own because she deposited her wages into George's account as directed. When her troubles started, she had no money to hire a competent attorney. She sold what personal items she had to pay him although he wasn't able do much in court for her."

John was silent before saying, "George and Nora never discussed their living arrangements with us. I'm beginning to get the idea that George has always been just for himself. I guess you know he has never paid us the support he is supposed to. I didn't know Nora was left without anything either. I supposed she was getting alimony."

"I don't think so. I have never seen any evidence of it. I believe Nora has been totally honest with me."

"You like her, I take it?"

"Very much so, and I'm going to continue. Some day I hope for more."

"I had the idea you were already getting more."

I grinned at him just saying, "Let's go eat."

John was quiet and not saying much. I could tell he was thinking about my job offer. I took it he had always worked and being laid off was bothering him. The meal was delicious and filling. Nora brought pop for the boys and coffee for us before dessert. John looked at me. "Have you told Nora about offering me a job?"

"No."

"Would you tell her now? I want to hear it all again." Nora looked at me expectantly.

"Nora, you know I jumped on buying those catalogs that John and the boys delivered this morning. You also screamed at me for keeping parts piled up in boxes. I offered John the job of putting together an inventory of everything. Most of the engine parts have numbers and he can match the parts and numbers together. I'll know what I have and can begin to sell a lot of it. I'm fast running out of room.

"I bought the lot behind the yard a few years ago, thinking I would expand. It has a small cottage on it. John thinks Trudy might agree to live there. The rent would be cheap. His wages would match what he has been making and he would have health insurance. The boys could live here with you and see their grandparents whenever they wanted too. He is going to let me know when you go up to see Trudy next Sunday."

"The boys would live here with me?"

"That seems logical, but with Trudy having equal custody with you, something can be worked out even if you chose to disagree. At least you wouldn't be living more than two miles apart."

"I wouldn't disagree as long as I can see and be with them every day."

"Mom, are Paul and me going to be able to hang out at the junkyard? That would be over the top for us."

"You'd have to abide by whatever rules Jack sets, but I would say you could."

"I don't see why not. I might even find some work for you. You couldn't be around machinery, but maybe sorting stuff with your grandfather."

John spoke up, "Jack, can I use your phone? I want to call Trudy and tell her what is going on. The more I think about this, this is what I want to do and this is where I want to be."

"Why don't you call the judge first and make sure it can happen legally. I was going to call him later, but he can tell you and I won't have to repeat it."

"I'll pay some of your moving costs if that is what it takes to have the boys with me."

John went into the other room and dialed the judge. He talked with him and then we heard him call Trudy. He stuck his head back in the kitchen. "The judge says we could move here, but the boys would have to live with us until the custody is changed."

"Okay, we'll make room here in the house for all of you for a short time. There are bedrooms enough. The bathrooms might be a little crowded. Tell Trudy she is welcome."

"Thanks Jack, We would move out to the cottage as soon as we could. It may take a while to get organized so we might not even have to move in if the judge has his way. I was just making sure." He went back to the phone. We heard him laugh once, so we guessed Trudy was okay with John working for me.

He soon came out and asked if Nora would talk to Trudy. "She wants to know about the house you are living in. I told her all about the cottage, but she wonders if there really is room enough here until it is ready for us. Jack, I'm going to be heading home shortly. I have to plan my move. I think I'll put our house on the market. Trudy and I don't have any retirement savings. We don't owe much, but we have been going backwards financially, so it would be a good change for us."

"Good thinking." John hung around until Nora got off the phone. The boys clung to their mother saying they hated leaving her. Nora hugged John. I suspected there hadn't been much demonstrative association between the two before this. We waved as the pickup pulled away.

Nora was crying when she turned to me. "They'll be back and if the judge has his way it won't be long. You can stop crying."

"I'm not crying because they are leaving. I'm crying because you are making me so happy." We went into the living room and sat on the couch ... well actually we laid on it. I stretched out and Nora got on top of me. "Jack, I'm so far in your debt I don't know how to thank you. Tell me how I can pay you."

"I'll tell you the same way Peter and Paul said. They said it had been so long since you were happy enough to giggle I must be doing something right. They told me they thought it was because we were sleeping together. They didn't seem to mind at all. John asked me the same. I didn't say we were to either, but I didn't deny it. It didn't seem to bother him or the boys.

"So I'm going to do everything to make you happy and that includes sleeping with you. Remember I'm not only doing this for you alone since there is a lot of this for myself. Peter and Paul need to be happy too. They need their mother. A mother they can be proud of ... and they will be. How about John and Trudy? Haven't they suffered through all of this and then on top of it all John lost his job. This has left him no way to take care of his responsibilities toward the boys."

"You said you were sleeping with me again tonight."

"Yes and looking forward to it."

"Would you carry me across the threshold to your room? This will be more fun than last night for you, I promise." We both were keeping it light, knowing this might be the beginning of something solid.

Just before I picked Nora up I took her in my arms and kissed her. She clung to me and when I looked at her there were tears in her eyes. I then raised her off the floor and carried her in, laying her down on the bed. I lay down beside her. It was awkward and difficult to remove a person's clothes when the person was kissing you continually. We made a game of undressing each other. I did persevere and made it as difficult for her when she was trying to get me out of my clothes.

Clothes were scattered all over the room. I had just given her underwear a fling. Nora started laughing really hard. I looked to where she was pointing. Her panties were draped over the ceiling light. Our foreplay was long and loving, and so was the final act.

John called Nora on Tuesday about noon. She waited to tell me when I got home what he said. "John said George had come to the house and tried to borrow money from them. He claimed he and Phyllis Burbank were setting up a law firm of their own and he needed another twenty-five thousand dollars so they could be equal partners.

"John told him he didn't have it. It had cost him too much to take care of his boys and he hadn't worked for more than two months. He then asked George to pay his child support. George left in a huff. He also left without even speaking to Peter and Paul. Why am I'm not surprised at that?"

"Did John tell George he had a new job and would be moving?"

"No, he said George would hound him for money if he found out he was selling the house. He said George didn't mention me at all and he didn't ask if I had tried to see the boys."