One September Night, Chapter 4 See David Sing and Dance…

I had a little time to clean this chapter up a bit.  Wow!  Lots of typos and confusing sentences.  I must have been in a hurry to get it all down. I know I make lots of mistakes just from reading my blog postings.   Ah well,  It’s all good. 

By the way,  this plays back to the “playful” banter that I would often witness while visiting my  friends house.   He had been married several years while I was still single with no one to “hang out with”.  It’s tough being the fifth wheel as a single person visiting married people.  Because you  usually get roped into babysitting the kids while they have a romantic getaway.   Oh!  And funny coincidence!   His name is David Noorman.  He also has a wife named Tracy….Another coincidence!  As all of my characters are purely fictitious. David and I have had many adventures before I introduced him to his wife, but none of them were (very)  illegal.   This story is pure fiction.    So…try not to read to much into it….

So let’s press on, shall we?   Chapter 4….My interpretation of how married people with children talk to each other.

 

 

Chapter 4
    Tracy sipped her coffee  as she brooded in the kitchen.   She was force to use one of the goliath shovels to dig her small hole and plant her bulbs.   The afternoon of fun soon became a chore as she wrestled with the huge tool for make the smallest incision in the earth.   Like cracking a peanut with a sledgehammer.  
    The cat purred and brushed back and forth as Tracy absentmindedly reached out and stroked its soft fur.   The medicinal qualities of a cat were invaluable and greatly unappreciated.  She took another sip of her coffee and let her mind plan out the next phase of questioning  for David.  What she knew at this point was that David was digging a hole in Yankee springs with her favorite shovel.   And,  as could probably be expected,  he had left it there.  Most likely he had simply forgotten it.  She knew he didn’t like it, but doubted if his act was a malicious one.   Regardless,  He had some more questions to answer and at the very least, some retribution was called for.  
    Tracy glanced up at the clock.  The kids were due back soon and David would probably be getting up too.   The Grade school let out first  so Whitney and Daniel would be the first home.   Samantha would come home about an hour later, unless she could get a ride home from a friend that could drive.   The fact that Sam was growing up so fast and had entered the “rebellious teen” years was unsettling for Tracy.   She thought back to when she was that age   and all the trouble she used to get into.   Luckily, her Father was almost as militant as David was with Sam.  Even though she hated it growing up,  She was thankful years later when she looked back as an adult. 
     The roar of the school bus announced that the first wave of kids were about to come home.   She   sat up in her chair and looked out the window to see Whitney and Daniel emerge from the bus and wave back at their friends as the bus drove off.   They then ran to the house racing each other like two floppy eared basset hounds.
    The door creaked open and the cat, frightened by the sudden break in the peaceful silence, jumped off the table and ran into the living room to hide from the commotion.
    “Hi Mom!”  Whitney greeted
    “Hi Mom!” Daniel echoed.
    The duo ran past her into the living room and punched on the television before Tracy had a chance to return the greeting.  The noise of cartoons filled the once silent atmosphere.  Tracy picked up her coffee and walked into the living room.  
    Both kids were sprawled out on the floor flipping thru several cartoon channels trying to decide which one they wanted to settle on.  Daniel had the control while Whitney impatiently waited for her turn at '”the power.”  Tracy cleared her throat.
    “Turn it down!”  She commanded affirmatively .
    Daniel fumbled with the control  to find the right level on noise that would still be obnoxious enough for a  child, but quiet enough for a parents acceptance.   The small green bars on the television appeared and flashed in relation as the volume was increased, then decreased.  Daniel struggled for the right level clicking the mute button by mistake.  Whitney could hardly contain herself.  
    “Let me!  You have the mute on!”   She reached for the controller and grabbed it.   The channel changed several times and the volume popped back on, this time to an ear piercing level.
    “Mom!”  Daniel whined as he wrestled with his sister to once again gain control.  The Television clicked off .  Then back on.   Then the channel changed once again. 
    Tracy was not in the mood. “ All right,  you two!  That is enough! “  She reached down and grabbed the controller from both of them.  She aimed it at the television and clicked it off.  Both kids looked up in confusion.   Then at each other as if to assign blame.  “You can either watch the television in the basement  or play your video game.  Or play outside;  You know  it is a nice day  out.   Don’t you guy have any friends anymore? 
     The two children looked down as if the number of options were staggering and yet paralyzing.  They looked up in confusion.
    “Or you can both help me with dinner.”  Tracy offered an additional option.  Both children jumped up and ran out of the room Whitney ran outside and Daniel ran toward his room.  Tracy could almost see a cloud of dust where they had once stood.   “Works every time”  she thought aloud.  Then sipped her coffee and headed back into the kitchen. 
    David opened the door of his bedroom and almost stepped on Daniel as he raced past. 
    “Whoa! there Tiger.   Where you going so fast? “  David walked out  pulling his shirt on. 
    “To play my game.”   Daniel offered.
    “Where’s your mom?
    “Kitchen.” He answered, paused a moment, then sped off to his room.
    David followed the scent of fresh coffee toward  the kitchen.  
    “Morning.”   David greeted Tracy as she sat by the table. “Or afternoon depending on how you look at it . Hey!   If that is coffee, I’ll take some 
    “Help yourself.”  Tracy motioned with her cup.   “Just made it a few minutes ago.”
    David opened the cupboard and found a cup.   He then walked over to the coffee maker and  filled it with the steaming beverage.  He walked over to the table and sat down,  taking a long deliberate sip.  Tracy Watched him intently.
    “So,  what you do last night?” Tracy broke the ice. 
    David paused in mid sip.  Then thought carefully about his next words.
    “Nothing much.”   Came his vague response.
    “Why were you digging in Yankee springs?”  Tracy casually took another sip of coffee.
    “What makes you think I was digging in Yankee springs?”   David took a deliberate sip, pretending to not be phased.
    “Well,  You have a mound of very dirty clothes down stairs; my specialty shovel is missing; you came to bed  very late last night; and to top it all off,  you TOLD me this morning! “  Tracy finished with grandiose effect.   “So come on now Noorman, spill the beans.” 
    David paused wondering how it had come to this.  Was this why people did not like being married?   He didn’t know if it was her snooping to gather evidence, His inability to hide any of it,  or her knowing him  so well.  15 years of marriage did seem to give them a certain predictability that the other could rely on.  It probably wasn’t so much his getting caught that bothered him, rather it was the fact that he could not keep a secret from her for any longer than eight  hours!  It was like keeping secrets from a psychic.   David sighed in defeat.   His only question now was  how much to tell her.   Should he come clean and tell her everything? Or should he tell her the minimum and hope she would be  satisfied.  Secretly he cursed himself, positive that she would not have noticed if he had not left the stupid useless shovel.
    “Ok fine,  Me and a bunch of the guys went to a strip club!”  David began.
    “Nope!  Try again.”  Tracy was unflinching.
    “Ok fine!  Ethan called last night” 
    “Ethan!  Ethan Allen?”   Tracey’s reaction was as predicted.  “I liked the strip club story better.   We have not seen nor heard from him in almost 5 years!  What did he want?”  She eyed David skeptically.
    “Nothing much,  just to catch up a little.”
    “Just to catch up? In Yankee springs?  In the middle of the night?  Digging a hole?   I think you are leaving a few things out here David.”
    “Well if you would just let me explain before thinking the worse.”
    “Worse?  You mean it gets better?  Ok I’m all ears. I cant wait to hear this one.  I mean,  this is Ethan.  The Great Ethan Allen.   They guy who got you into more trouble than any other friend.  The kids still want to hear all those stories about him.  I always thought I would have to compete with another woman for my husbands time,  not with some childhood friend.”
    “Now wait a second,  remember he was the one who introduced us.   I would never have gotten married to you had he not invited me to that party.”  David defended,  
    “Ok, he does have ONE endearing quality.  I thought we were rid of him when he finally got married.   In fact we hardly heard anything from him after that.  I thought he had finally found someone other than you to do things with.   I finally got my husband back.” 
    “I wasn’t that bad was I?  Come on,   We went on trips together  just me you and the kids.”  David was looking for some acknowledgement of his love for his family.
    “Ok ok,   so  we have not seen him in a while.   So  what is up with him?”   Tracy asked trying to move the story along.  “Start from the beginning. “
    “Well, he called me up just as I got home.”  David started.
    “Wait?  How did he know you were home?”
    “I don’t know,  lucky, I guess.” 
    “Lucky?   You usually get home around 1 am?  Who is up at that time of night?  Besides Fireman like you that is.”
    “I don’t know, lots of people.  Hey! McDonalds is open 24 hours now.”
    “McDonalds? What does that have to do with anything?”
    “You asked who else would be up at 1 am in the morning.”   David explained
    “You are getting sidetracked,   Stick to the story"! 
    “You keep sidetracking me with all your questions!  Now can I just explain what happened? Without interruptions?”   David pleaded.
    “I can’t guarantee that,  but go on.  I will try to control myself.”  Tracy took a sip of her coffee.  It was almost gone.   He motioned with her hand  and got up for another cup.   Mysteries like this usually forced her to down coffee or any other beverage quickly.  As the plot thickened, she would read and drink faster.   She poured herself a fresh cup, adding some creamer and sweetener to taste.  Then hurried back to the table.   “Continue.” 
    David looked her over, annoyed that she would continue to interrupt his grand story telling.  He began again.
    “Ok, so he calls over and catches me just as I come in.  He was in the neighborhood  and wants to do some catching up.  He  also wants some help  dropping something off and need the help of another person ..  I ‘m awake,  so I figure what the heck.  He asks me to grab a shovel but didn’t tell me what it was for.”    David paused, raising his hand as Tracy was about to ask another question.  “please save your questions ‘till after the story.”   He began again.
    “ So he comes in his truck and it has some huge thing in the back covered with a tarp.  I figure the shovel was for prying not digging  so I grab your little small strong shovel, so I wont break the handle of one of the longer ones.”  Of coarse this was not true,  but David felt a little embellishment was required here and sounded better than him saying he just randomly picking her shovel over the five other ones.  He continued.
    “So the next think I know,  we are heading to Yankee springs and down on state land  where we used to hunt as kids.  He wants to bury this thing on state land. “
    “What was it? “   Tracy blurted before thinking.
    “A refrigerator!”  David exclaimed.
    “A refrigerator?”
    “Yeah! And a big one,  Old!  and stank to high heaven.”
    “What was in it?”
    “I don’t know,  it was duct taped shut.  But what ever it had in it.   It smelled horrible.” 
    “You didn’t ask?” 
    “What?”
    “What was inside?”
    David thought for a second. “No I guess I didn’t.   I asked why it was taped shut and he said to keep it closed as we moved it.”
    “You didn’t ask what was inside?”
    “No  I guess it didn’t occur to me.” 
    “Didn’t occur to you ?  Are you out of your mind?  You weren’t the least bit curious?”   Tracy stared in disbelief.
    “Honey,  it was late!  And I wanted to get home and the thing was HUGE!  And I obviously chose the wrong shovel for the job  what else could I do?”
    “You could have asked what was in the stupid thing.”
    “Well I didn’t, Ok! I was concerned that we get the thing in the ground and buried before sun up.  Besides, I think that it might be slightly illegal  to bury junk like that on state property.”
    “Slightly Illegal!  What if there was something inside that thing?  Like a body! “  Tracy covered her mouth in shock.  “You don’t think he could have killed someone do you?” 
    “What?  No!  I’m sure the thing was empty.”
    “How can you be sure?   You didn’t open it.”
    “It didn’t feel like it had anything in it.” 
    “Wasn’t  it heavy?”
    “Of course it was heavy.  It was a very large very old fridge.”

   “Ok then, How do you know that there wasn’t a body in it?  Perhaps  someone that was small, light, and hardly added any weight.”  Tracy reasoned. 
    “Well, I don’t know about that,  but I do know Ethan and I doubt he would or could do anything like that. “  David clenched his jaw.   This was getting a little crazy,  “You should know too.  He was  your friend too.”  
    Tracy calmed down a little. “True!  and Yes, I doubt he could have killed anyone and buried their body somewhere in Yankee springs,   But what I’m getting at is that he has not called or anything in years and comes out of the wood work to get you tied up in God knows what kind of conspiracy and you just go along with it   with out even asking some important questions!   What if this is some government conspiracy?  He worked for the Army for a couple years didn’t he?”
    “He was IN the army,  he enlisted then got out.  I don’t think he was any covert special operations kind of guy.   I think he was just a regular Joe.”
    “Maybe that is what we are suppose to think.  Maybe he is secretly a counter intelligence operative or double agent and you helped him bury the evidence that could have pinned him to the Russians, or Chinese, or some Muslim terrorist group!”
    David sat back in his chair.  “You have been reading too many of those spy books again.  Nothing ever happens like that.  What the hell can an intelligence agent learn here in Michigan?  This is hardly any pentagon or other government stronghold where secrets are kept.”
    “Well, in some of my books , there are places that look like normal places but are really cover fronts.   They look like stores but are really CIA offices. “  Tracy trailed off knowing how that sounded,  “I’m not saying that he is working for the CIA but you never know. “
     “Well, if he was some counter agent, then he screwed up leaving me as the only witness to his plot of deception.”  David smiled  playing the cloak and dagger card was kind of fun. 
    Just then a sound could be heard from the hallway.   Whispers and shuffling feet. Tracy’s head snapped to attention, facing the direction.  Even David was startled by the sound and reacted similarly. 
    The cat was standing in the entrance way to the hall looking at something or someone  in the hallway.   Tracy looked on as did David.  Their conversation stopping abruptly.  The silence was deafening.
    The cat’s tail twitched back and forth as it continued to look longingly at the unknown person or persons in the hallway.  More whispers then some shuffling that sounded oddly like one of their kids.   David called out to the unseen eavesdropper.  “Ok  come out.  what do you want. “
    Daniel emerged from the living room hall way clutching his pillow.  He looked down at the ground knowing he had been caught.  The cats eyes followed him as he drew closer then walked over and brushed his leg.  Begging for pets.
    “Danny what are you doing?”   David asked
    “I was thirsty, “ Daniel replied. “are you guys fighting?”
    “No Daniel,  we are just talking about last night.  Aren’t you suppose to be playing your game?”  Tracy asked.
    “I already beat it like a million times and I got bored,  are you guys sure you’re not fighting?” 
    “We are not fighting,  We are going to make dinner soon.   Now get your drink and either go play your game or you can set the table and help out.” 
    Daniel walked over to the sink and filled a glass with water and walked back into the living room.   The cat followed him. 
    Tracy looked up at the clock. Samantha was due home any second now. “We better get started on dinner before Sam gets here."   She is always starving and will want something immediately or she will start snacking then not eat dinner.”  Tracy knew the routine well.   Sam would eat the sugary snacks that were readily available then pick at her food all through dinner.  Her example would be mimicked by the other two kids and in the end, no one would finish their dinner. 
    David nodded in agreement.   He downed the last bit of his coffee that was now cold and looked for ways to help Tracy out.   “What we having tonight?  Something out of a box?”
    “Spaghetti sounds good, I’ll warm the sauce if you make the pasta.   We have some garlic toast in the freezer.”  Tracy pulled out a couple of pots and pans.  
    “Sounds good.  I’m a master at the pasta.  Perfect pasta every time.”  David motioned with his hand like he was an Italian baker.

    Daniel opened the door to his room and set the glass of water down on his desk.  The cat followed him in mere inches from his heels.  Whitney sat on his bed, holding a controller to the video game waiting for his return. 
    “So  what are they fighting about?”  She asked earnestly.
    “They say they are not fighting.”  Daniel replied.  “ I had to say I was getting a drink so they would not think I was listening.  I think I fooled them.” He nodded with a determined confidence in his stealth capability.
    “Not fighting are you kidding?  We could hear them over the game.  What were they yelling about then.” 
    “I couldn’t hear everything,  All I know is that Mom is mad at Dad ‘cause he killed someone and buried their body in a refrigerator.”

One September Night…..Chapter 3 The Plot thickens

Hopefully I managed to keep people’s  attention for two chapters so now we can begin the fun part.   And ( Hopefully)  I will have cleaned up some of the grammar problems.   But this is a “clean as you go” kind of thing.   Meaning I probably still miss some of the subtle stuff.   Anyway,  Chapter three….Enjoy!

 

Chapter 3

     Tracy got up with a groan and stretched.   She turned off the alarm before the second snooze went off.   She was awake!   And there was not much  sense in trying to fall back asleep now.   Besides, she wanted to get into  the shower before the kids stole all the hot water.  David was already sleeping.   His booming snores were a testament to his fatigue.   He only snored if he was extremely exhausted,  otherwise  he was a rather light sleeper  who rarely uttered a decibel above breathing. 
    She showered quickly  as the hot water abruptly ended before she could completely rinse her hair.   The kids might have to wait for the water to heat up as  they took theirs.  She toweled off and dresses in the warm glow of morning as the sun now shone brightly through the bedroom window.  The ritual had been repeated many times before.   She would get breakfast going before waking the kids and getting them ready for school.   Sam, the oldest one, would be heading off to high school and could eat in the cafeteria.   Even though she constantly complained about the food being  too fattening and full of dangerous additives,   Tracy knew that she secretly wanted more money so she could eat at McDonalds or some other fast food joint with her friends.
    The younger two, Whitney and Daniel, would need lunches.   Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches with a little Debbie Swiss roll and a banana was usually all they would need.  The school supplied the milk.   Tracy fed the cat and poured herself a  steaming cup of coffee before heading to the bedrooms to announce to the kids  that they had to get up soon.   Groans could be heard from behind each door. 
    “Hurry up,   breakfast is getting cold.”  She called  as she walked back to the kitchen.   Sam was the first to get up  as she had to make herself presentable for the boys  she always talked about.    David was like a bear when it came to her “boyfriends” .   Most likely he did not want to think of her as grown up yet.  
    Tracy heard the shower pop on  and the bathroom door close.   She had thought to warn Sam of the eminent doom that was about to befall her,  then decided that her morning solitude and coffee  were just too important to disturb.
    “Mom!  The Hot water’s GONE! “ Samantha Screamed as if she had just seen a spider.  “Aaaaaaaa!”
    Tracy grinned at the vengeful thought.   Sam never had a problem using ever drop of the hot water and leaving the entire family to suffer with cold showers.   Giving her a taste of her own medicine was poetic justice and even thought it was early in the morning, the thought  gave Tracy a wonderful shot of satisfaction.  She took another sip of her warm beverage and glanced over at the paper.
    The press only delivered the paper in the morning on the weekends.  For this reason, Tracy saved the paper from the day before so she could enjoy it for the first time at breakfast. She did not like listening or watching morning shows on radio or the television.   She would much rather enjoy reading the events,  even if they were a 24 hours old, in the paper.   She flipped thru the headlines scanning for an article that interested her. 
    The other two kids came slowly into the kitchen and sat at the table.   They both looked like they had just rolled out of bed and put on yesterdays clothes. 
    “My,  aren’t you both dressed to kill.” Tracy observed.   They were still young and dressing up to a high standard was not high on their priorities yet.  A couple more years and Tracy would not have to bother them about how they dressed.   The high standard of high school would dictate their fashion choices.   Sam was a testament that.
    “Aren’t you two even going to take a shower? “ Pushing down the hair that stood on Daniel’s head. 
    “Sam says all the hot water is gone.” Whitney observed. “ I’m not going to freeze my butt off  this morning.   Besides  I took one last night.   And I’ll wear a hat. “
    Daniel batted his mother’s hand away and matted down his own hair.  It bounced back to attention, sticking straight up.  Tracy sighed.  There was no use in trying to talk them out of it.  Besides, the bus would be here soon and Sam would most likely monopolize the bathroom for the remainder of the morning. 
    “Who wants some eggs?”  Tracy motioned as she picked up the frying pan and moved to the stove.   Daniel raised his hand in acceptance.  Whitney smiled waved as she took a gulp of her orange juice. 
    Tracy cracked several eggs and beat them in a bowl as she let the heat of the burner spread through out the frying pan.   Tracy only knew how to make one type of egg.  Scrambled.  Why change something you are good at was her motto.  The kids accepted this  and Daniel thought that this was the only way eggs could be cooked.  A few minutes later,  the kids were gobbling down the steaming light and fluffy gold.  Along with their toast and cereal.
      Tracy sat down and began to skim her paper again.   The paper was filled with all the death and destruction that the news and radio always reported.   The difference was that Tracy could filter out the bad news and scan for something less depressing.  The headlines were everywhere this morning. Everywhere from a drug bust by the border,  to a flood out in the west.   Numerous murders and robberies all over the state.   From the sounds of it, they lived in the most dangerous state in America.  Tracy flipped back to the local gardening section and upcoming event page.  At least she could escape the violence there. They only topic of murderous genocide was when the Japanese beetle had invaded the local flower shops and gardens. 
    Sam entered the kitchen with her hair still slightly damp and he face glamorously made up as if she were going to a model shoot.  She wore the latest jeans that rode dangerously low on her hips.  David hated them.
    “School pictures today?”  Tracy asked  not looking up from her paper. 
    “No!  why? “  Sam reached over and poured herself a glass of juice. 
    “No reason. “  Tracy responded   still reading her paper.  “ you have some eggs in the frying pan  help yourself.” 
    “She’s trying to impress Andy Jaltima. “ Whitney giggled
    “Shut up!  We are just friends.”  She glared at Whitney. “Mom tell her to stop.”   
    “Quiet both of you  “ Tracy shushed, “ Your dad  had a late night and is sleeping.   Hurry and eat your breakfast or you’ll miss the bus.”
    “I’ll say,  you can hear dad snoring from my room. “ Sam scooped out a bite size potion of scrambled egg onto her plate.  She loaded the toaster with one single slice and set the timer. 
    “Well,  If you don’t want him grumpy tonight,  you better keep it down.  And you better either introduce this Andy what’s-his-name to your Dad before he gets suspicious. “ 
    “Mom,   Dad will go all psycho on  him and he will never talk to me again.   Everyone in school already has me blacklisted from all the parties because of him.  My reputation is the girl with the psycho Dad.  All the boys already avoid me.”
   “That’s the idea.  Tracy smiled as she sipped her coffee.   Aren’t you going to eat anything else?”  She noted Sam taking out the single slice of toast.  “You’re going to be famished before lunch time.” 
    “You’re right, I should get a couple more dollars for lunch then.”   Sam picked at her eggs   as she positioned them on the toast.
    “So you can go to Macs.  No! You have enough for lunch.  And the cafeteria food is just fine.”  
    Sam grunted.   The exchange went on like this every morning  with neither of her parents giving in. 
    The remainder of the morning continued in its usual way.   The kids finished breakfast and gathered up their books, binders and backpacks.  The school buses came and they ran out to greet them.  Tracy at last had the house to herself.  Well,  herself and the cat. David would most likely sleep  until the kids came home  and even then, judging from the way he was snoring, he might continue to sleep ‘till dinner time.  Tracy poured herself another cup of coffee and glanced at her paper once more.  Stroking the cat as it sat on the table eating the remaining morsels of food the kids had abandoned. 
    A missing persons add caught Tracy’s eye.   Normally she would skip over it  but this one caught her attention.   The person had lived only a few blocks away from them.  No one she knew but  still nothing ever really happened around here.   She read on.   The story was vague, noting that the person was missing and the police did not know if it was a run away or an abduction.    
     Tracy glanced over to another section.   An armed robbery of a armored car had police baffled.   The event happened down by the Indiana/Michigan border.  Both state law officials  along with the FBI were investigating.   How exciting it would be to unravel a mystery like that.   Tracy’s life as a home maker could get rather dull at times.   Luckily the kids and a husband with a dangerous job  had their moments of adrenaline.   In her off time  Tracy liked to read books.  Books were better than Opra and mid day soaps.  She could really immerse herself in the mystery or romance  as the words stimulated her imagination.  She loved mysteries  but often found that she could solve them before the book was half over.    She often fantasizes of being a Scotland yard investigator in a previous life.
    Her cup empty and the paper failing to offer any other interesting stories,  Tracy folded it up and set it aside as she cleaned up the morning mess.   The cat brushed up against her ankles as she washed the dishes and put everything back the way it was. She glanced out the window noticing it was turning out to be a nice day.  The sun felt warm and the air was cool but not chill.   Perhaps she would work out in the yard this morning, planting the spring tulips and crocuses that needed planting in the fall.   She finished up in the kitchen and went downstairs to put on her work clothes for gardening.  
     Tracy grabbed her gloves, hat and overalls along with her special garden shoes.  It was like getting ready for a date, only the date was the sun and sky  and the dance was her own little garden.   She turned to climb back up the stairs when she noticed the pile of dirty clothes on the floor.   David no doubt.  Obviously he was trying to “help “ her by throwing his clothes down the stairs to the basement  where the washer and dryer were located.   Unfortunately  for him.   The washer and dryer were located  on the far end of the basement  around one corner.   His little attempt at help had fallen about 30 feet short of their intended target.    “My hero. “ she sighed.  She bent down to pick them up and noticed that it was his fireman duty uniform and it was covered with sand and dirt.  She shook it  slightly and sand fell to the floor as if she were sifting sugar.  She held it briefly to her nose  and gave it a smell.    Whew!   David had been working hard  she guessed.   He usually didn’t smell this bad after working at the department.  She trotted over to the washer and dropped them in the dirty clothes basket to be added with the other clothes later. 
    She climbed back up the stairs and burst out into the sunlight greeting the warm air and fresh smell or autumn.  Tracy surveyed the yard with a critical eye  and mapped out in her mind where the tulips should be planted to maximize their spring entrance.  The birds  chirped wildly and the sounds of traffic  filled the air with noise and sounds of activity.   There were not going to be many days like this left this year and she wanted to drink in all that she could. 
    After several minutes of planning, she decided that the tulips should be planted along the driveway evenly spaced.   And far away from the sidewalk so no one would accidentally park or step on them.   She opened each back and placed the precious bulb next to its eventual destination, careful to keep them as accurately spaced as possible.   Now  all she had to do was bury them approximately 6 inches below the ground and water them heavily.  Not many leaves had fallen  but she planned on raking up what she could to use as insulation.       
    She walked back to the house and let the cat out figuring that it was just too nice a day to enjoy it alone.   The cat trotted out and began to roll around in the cement of the sidewalk as if rolling in catnip.   Tracy smiled at the sight.   Leave it to a cat to display exactly how she felt.  
    She moved over  to the partially covered shed that protected the yard tools from the rain.   The cat followed her, eager for the next adventure.  Tracy had the perfect tool for the job of digging the holes for the tulips .  Her favorite shovel.   A short square tip shovel that was small enough for her to handle.   The blade was thin and narrow  and she could easily control the depth of the slice with a step of her foot.  She used it often, choosing it over the numerous long handled, round shovels that littered her shed.   Those shovels were too heavy and unwieldy for any delicate or precision work.  
     Tracy looked over at the shovel rack.  Five shovels neatly hung along the wall of the house.  With one conspicuous slot vacant.  Tracy glanced at the ground making sure that the choice tool had not fallen.   Nothing.  She moved and jostled the remaining shovels to ensure that they were not covering the smaller shovel. 
    “hmpff!”  Tracy noted in that there were few places the shovel could hide.   She began looking around the usual spots  were she might have left it.   Even though she thought she distinctly remembered putting it back on the hanger just the other day.  She looked in the garden. The back of the truck.  Even along side the rest of the house.  The shovel was no where to be found.   She headed for the basement. 
    She looked where she usually kept her outside work clothes and moved several items  to make sure it was not there.  Then she saw the small pile of dirt and sand that marked the place David had thrown his work clothes. 
    David would never use that shovel.   In all the years they had been married,   he had used it only once to dig a hole for a birdfeeder.   He hated that shovel.   Why would he suddenly use it now?  And for what purpose? 
    If David had used the shovel, that would explain it’s absence.   He rarely put things back where he found them.  The alternative was that someone else, perhaps one of the kids,  had used it and failed to put it back.  Since David was the only suspect home at this time and with Tracy eager to get he precisely placed bulbs into the ground, she chose to ask him if he knew the shovels whereabouts.
    She climbed the steps and followed the sounds of the loud snored emanating from their bedroom.   She would quickly ask him if he knew and hopefully solve the mystery.   She didn’t want to wake him up completely or keep him awake any longer than required.  David could be downright hostile if his sleep was interrupted.  And grumpy the rest of the day.   This was a delicate matter. 
    Tracy cracked open the door quietly and creaked into the bedroom.   David was laying on his back with his arms and legs draped over each side. He breathed in with a hissing snort then billowed out with an  earsplitting rasp.  Tracy shook the bed gently
    “David,  can I ask you something?” 
    David jerked up suddenly!  “I want chicken!”  David blurted. Answering an anticipated question
    Tracy waved her hand to get his attention.  He was obviously not awake fully  yet. “David,  do you know where my shovel is?”
    David rubbed his eye and paused a moment.  “Under the shed probably.”  He looked around in confusion.  Gathering this bearings.
    “No  it’s not there,  I looked already   I looked all over.”
    “Oh  that  one,  I used it  last night.”  He flopped back down on the bed  grabbing a pillow  and folding it under his head.
    “Where is it ?”  She pressed
    “I don’t know I think I left it.” 
    “Left it where?”
    “Yankee springs some where.”
    “Yankee springs?”  Tracy exclaimed “What were you doing there?”
    “Digging.”
    “Digging what?”
    “Digging a hole.  Oh! And by the way  that shovel is crap!   I should have used one of the other ones.  It would have gone faster.”  David responded groggily.
    Tracy sat back not knowing what he was talking about but was now pretty sure he had something to do with the shovel’s disappearance. 
    “Why were you digging a hole in Yankee springs last night David?” 
    “Why all these questions?  Trace?”  David whined, “ Why don’t you use one of the other shovels.  We’ve got like, 5 others.”
    “Those shovels are too big for me,  That little one was just right, not too big or long or heavy.” 
    “Well, I don’t have it now and I need to sleep. Ask me when I’m awake.”  David picked up the pillow and covered his head in protest.
    “Fine, but this is not finished.”  Tracy sat up and stormed out choosing to engage David later when the battle field favored her.   David waved his hand as if signaling a flag, willing to pick up the war later.

One September Night Chapter 2

Wouldn’t it have been better if i had had a better computer when I wrote this?   This Chapter has a lot of dialog and I did not have the patience to put in all those quotes!    I figured I would put them in later, but alas, my computer at the time did not even have a reliable word processing program. (I actually DID  Edit and fix most of the grammatical errors the several months that followed, but , as mentioned previously,  could not find the finished final draft. ) I saved the entire thing in WORDPAD.   A Fairly USELESS program, but it still allowed me to type what I had to say.   So  without further adieu…..Chapter 2….and thank you for your understanding .   I will try to clean things up more as  I post the next few chapters.  We shall see if I have the time or the patience. 

 

Chapter 2

    David nearly sprayed his beer all over the cat.   He swallowed hard forcing himself to swallow what he had gulped still feeling the acidic sting of  beverage in his nasal cavity.  Before he could reply Ethan had hung up.   He must be close now.    David mind raced as to the significance of the last know phrase of their conversation.   Shovel?   Why?   What for?   Were we going to dig up something?  David thoughts wandered to the different scenarios that could take place.  Other than digging, what was a shovel good for? 
    The lights flashed in the driveway as David hung up the phone.  Ethan had arrived.  David downed the last of his beer, grabbed his jacket and opened the door. 
    “Hey !  That was quick  David said as  he approached.  
    Ethan turned off his lights and set the parking brake while keeping his engine running .   “told you I would be fast.   He grinned.
    David looked around,  “I see you still have that old jeep eh?   He admired.  Ethan had a jeep Comanche pickup for well over a decade.   It had seen more than its share of action and it showed.  The truck was peppered with rust spots and holes as if it had seen combat.   David remembered Ethan telling stories of how he got it up a mountain where there was no track or trail to speak of.   And then having the 4 wheel drive malfunction so as to have to go back down the mountain in reverse.  “ I thought you would have buried this thing by now.   He confessed.
    “ Are you kidding ?  Ole Smokey here still has plenty of life in her.   She might be a little unsightly but she still has what it takes.  Ethan patted the door.   “come on   get in   we are burning midnight. 
    David moved to the passenger side to get in
    “Wait?   You get that shovel I mentioned?  Ethan pressed. 
    David ran over to the side of the house where the yard tools were hung neatly under an open tin roof shed.  He fumbled in the dark and grabbed the first shovel he could find.  A square pointed pole shovel.   David gripped it confidently and tossed it into the back of the pickup.  Careful to avoid hitting the large item that filled the box already.  A blue tarp concealed it from site. 
    “What is in the back?   David asked
    “That is what we are delivering.   Ethan explained. 
    David opened the passenger door and entered the vehicle stil glancing over his shoulder to size up the item.  “kind of big isn’t it ?   David asked rhetorically
    “Kind of.  Ethan affirmed shifting the truck in reverse and flicking on the lights. 
    “Looks almost too big for two people.  David speculated  then the thought hit him.   “ is that what the shovels are for?   Leverage or some type of pry bar?
    “Uh,  Yeah!  Ethan confirmed   we can use them for that.   Don’t worry   I got the thing in here  solo.  Though it was not very easy.   Together two of us can handle it trust me.  Ethan explained as it trying to calm David’s fears.
    David turned around finally to face the front of the vehicle.   “So what’s in the back?  Eth.
    “Well I’m fine   thanks for asking   and how are you and the kids?   Ethan inserted
    David grinned “ok ok   so   what you been up to for the last five years? David asked  remembering his manners   “ Gees   when was the last time we got together?  Has it been five years?  I remember catching up at your moms funeral.  That was the last time I remember seeing you.  Was that five years ago. 
    “ Yeah  gees  hard to believe mom’s been gone that long  Ethan replied.
    “How’s your dad doing without her?   David asked
    “Actually   not too bad.    He actually talks more now than I ever remember.   Now that Mom isn’t yelling at him or interrupting him.  You remember how she was.
    David remembered all to well.   If there was one thing that Ethan’s mom could be remembered for  it was that she loved to talk … scratch that.   Yell.   She had only one volume and that was loud!    The entire neighborhood seemed to grow quieter after the Allen’s moved out. 
    I remember fishing with Your brother and being able to hear your mom yelling for him all the way down at the park. David laughed.  “ Well I’m glad to hear that he is doing well.   I imagine he has lots of free time on his hands now.
    “Yeah   but he is getting old too now..   Cant walk much  anymore and he is getting senile.   I think it is more apparent now that he is not under moms shadow.  Ethan glanced down at his watch and pulled onto the highway. 
    “So where we going?   David asked .  Where is this delivery?
    “Oh Yankee springs  by where we used to hunt when we were teenagers.   Ethan answered.  “You still hunt there?
    “No  not for a long time.  David paused.   Yankee springs ?  That is kind of out of the way isn’t it?  David tried to gather his thoughts
    “Well not too far.  As I remember it  we used to make it there in less than 30 minutes during bow season.   And besides  there are no cars on the road at this time of night   we should be there and back in no time flat.   Ethan speculated. 
    “I hope so  I still have to sleep  tonight  and Tracy and the kids are going to be up in about 5 hours.   Lucky for both of us   I don’t have to work tomorrow  Or else I would have not joined you on this little adventure.  David explained.
    “Don’t worry,  This won’t take long . Ethan assured.   We will be done and back in no time  and your wife and kids will never be the wiser.
    The miles rolled on  and David and Ethan exchanged stories both old and new.   It was like the good old days when they would explore new hunting or fishing spots.   Ethan was right,  The lack of traffic along  with the excellent conversation made the miles go by faster.  It seemed as if only moments had passed when they were pulling off the highway and onto Yankee springs state game area.  Ethan slowed on the two lane unlit roads that wound thru the state land.   David looked around at the shoulder in the pale moon light scanning for deer or any other animal that might be crossing the road at this time of night. 
    “Hey   this is where I got my first deer Ethan said   pointing off the road at an unseen pull off.   
    David scowled.  No its not   we were off Shelby road  David corrected.   At the old abandoned apple orchard. 
    “No  that was Eric   he got his in the apple orchard   I got mine in the swamp  remember?   . 
    David looked up as if trying to sort out his memory.  “No   really?  I thought…  he paused   hmmm    well I guess you should know   it was your deer.  I got my first one  up north on our property in big rapids  I never got a clean shot at anything here in Yankee.   .   Funny   I thought it was here. 
    “ nope in the swamp  Ethan reinforced.  I remember losing it for three hours  and having to find Dad to help me track it ..    And we had to pull it thru the mud.   I was so  damn exhausted  and happy at the same time .   Ethan grinned. 
    David glanced around.   “Hey   where is this place  we are going to deliver this thing anyway?  David turned in his seat. 
    “Oh  right here.  Ethan turned the truck and pulled off into one of the pull outs and down a two track.  
    David glanced around  hastily  “Ok ok   What exactly are we doing  Eth.   We are pulling down a two track on a long forgotten area of state land in the middle of the night .   I need to be filled in a little bit.
    Ethan Sighed.  Ok   here is the deal.   We are making a delivery.   But we have to do it under cover of darkness.
    “Why?  David eyed Ethan skeptically.   You in some kind of trouble?  Are we making a drug exchange  or something. 
    Ethan laughed.  The kind of laugh one makes when someone misses the target by a mile.  “  no no   we just have to drop something  off  where no one will find it .   I just need you to trust me  Dave.   This wont take very long.   Ethan looked around  .  In fact  this place is as good as any .   He pulled to truck off the road and started plowing over small saplings and brush.   The engine whined and revved up as the tires dug into the sandy soil.   David bounced in his seat and gripped his seat belt.  
    “Hang on  Ethan warned  as they took another bump that pushed David’s head into the roof. 
    “What the hell!  David grunted out between bounces.
    “This should do nicely   the last of the small trees flopped down before the jeep revealing an open field .  The Moon illuminated the weeds and dead grass, providing almost enough light to see   “ We are here.    The moon should give us enough light. 
    David unbuckled his seat belt and rubbed his head as he opened the door.  Ethan turned off the engine and joined David by the back of the truck. 
    David stretched.  “Now what?
    Ethan Grabbed a shovel from out of the back.   “Now we dig.
    “What?!
    “Yeah  dig   you know   take small scoops of dirt with a shovel to form a hole in the ground.  Ethan stepped on the shovel head and took out a small bit of earth and tossed it aside.
    “I know what dig means  I mean  what are we digging for? 
    “Well we have to make a hole that is deep enough to bury the thing in the back   and we don’t have much time to get it done.  It’s almost 3am now. 
    David looked over at the blue tarp “This thing is HUGE!  We are going to have to make it at least 3 feet deep and what ? 6 feet long? 
    “Actually   6.5 feet  to make it have a comfortable margin and  probably 4 feet deep.   And we are not going to get it done  if you keep whining.  
    You said this was wasn’t going to take very long.
    “It wont!   I remember us digging something this deep when we were kids  Now common.  There are no tree roots that will mess with us out in this field . I want to get this dug and buried before first light.    Ethan continued to slice and pry up chunks of earth and toss them aside. 
    David looked on in confusion as Ethan  trudged forth.  He glanced up at the moon and then at his watch.   If this was going to get done  and he was going to get home before the kids woke up ,  he had better help.   Wearily he picked up his shovel and stepped it into the soft soil.
    Ethan glanced up. “what kind of shovel is that?   He looked over at David’s shovel incredulously.
    “it’s a fence pole shovel
    “Good lord!  Why didn’t you just bring a spoon?  Ethan was breathing hard now.
    “Look you want me to help or not? seeing as I’m in a position where my options are limited. 
    “are you mad?   Ethan asked
    “No!
    “You sound mad.
    “No,  well yes   ok I’m a little surprised  and disappointed that I was not as informed  as I feel I should have been before agreeing to this little adventure.
    “Adventure!  Yeah!  That’s the spirit! Ethan grinned and continued to excavate clumps of sod.  He began to hum softly
    David glanced up with a bothered expression.    “lets just get this done and get out of here. 
They trudged along  removing more and more  dirt till they had mined out a fairly large crater .   Ethan jumped out of the hole  and retrieved a measuring tape from the truck.   David grabbed the other end and held it to the far end of the hole. 
    “7 feet ! not bad for less than two hours. He retrieved the tape and extended it again to the bottom of the hole.  “ 3 feet 9 inches!  Good enough.   Lets bury this thing and go.
    David climbed up and walked over to the truck.   Sore  and tired,  yet driven ever so slightly by curiosity as to what was under the tarp.
    Ethan picked up one end of the plastic.   “Ready?” as if he were a magician about to pull a rabbit out of his hat.
    A quick flick and the tarp flew away revealing an old refrigerator. 
    David’s eyes barely widened.  “A refrigerator?  He puffed out not really knowing what else to expect.  All this to bury an old fridge.
    Ethan looked up somewhat disappointed.  “well,, yeah.  What?   Not the ark of the covenant or king Tut’s golden sarcophagus that you were expecting?
    Dave looked up complacent.  “let’s just bury it and go.  He said wearily. He pulled the rest of the tarp clear when the smell hit him.
    “Whoa!  He ripped away from the back of the truck
    “ Yeah  it smells  pretty bad Ethan acknowledged.   Try not to breath  as we move it .
    David noticed the duck tape surrounding and sealing the door of the fridge shut. The stench filtered thru in spite of the barrier. What is the duck tape for?
    “To keep the door shut.   Imagine what it would smell like it the door flew open.  Not to mention it would be tough to handle.  Ethan tugged on one end of the large object.  “ look   we don’t have to be gentle with this thing,   just pull it out  and drop it to the ground   then we will roll it into the hole.  Luckily  it  is so big it shouldn’t take too long to bury it.   Ethan pulled his shirt over his nose to shield him from the fumes.
    “You know  I don’t even want to ask what is in the thing that is causing it to stink so bad.  Lets just get this over with.  David pulled up his shirt in a similar fashion.  He grabbed the end opposite Ethan.  “On three!  One , two , THREE!
    The two men gave a quick heave and pulled the monstrosity out of the box.  Once to the ground  they tipped and rolled it to its final resting place.   With the hard part out of the way  Ethan picked up his shovel and began tossing scoops of dirt back over the refridge.   David picked up his and wearily helped  choosing to use his shovel as a plow to push  rather than toss. 
Finally   they last glimmer of rust and dull white were covered and the mound of unused earth was flattened to hide any hint of crime scene.  David leaned his shovel against the back of the truck and began to jump up and down on the small mound  of dirt to pack it down  Ethan tossed his shovel into the back and opened his door.  
    “Let’s go Dave! Ethan yelled  climbing into the drivers side.
    David picked up the blue tarp and bunched it into a ball before tossing it into the back and climbing in on the passenger side.
    “See  that was not so bad  and we still have a couple hours before sun light.  Ethan grinned
    David glared at Ethan wearily. “what ever.   Lets just go home.   David glanced at his hands noting  two small blisters and a sore spot.   “ I should have brought gloves”  he noted in passing.
    “Well Dave  I have to hand it to ya.  I actually thought that you would not go through with it.  I’m impressed.
    “I probably wouldn’t have if I had know what was all involved.  You sure have a interesting idea of the meaning of ’catching up!”
    Ethan started the truck and slipped it in 4 wheel drive.   “hold on again”  he warned. 
    David gripped the seat  tightly   paying special attention to his head this time.   “Just don’t get stuck now.” 
    “Are you kidding?  We’re in a Jeep!   Ethan proclaimed proudly, “And not just any jeep,   we are in the world famous ghost bear!   He let off on the clutch and revved the engine.
    “The truck that traveled the AlCan Twice,! The truck lurched forward with a sharp grown.
    “Traveled the Dalton highway 4 times!  The truck jerked forward pushing and uprooting more small trees as the engine whined at over 4000 rpms.
     “And climbed many unnamed mountains off delta junction” 
    The last trees crushed as the truck dropped once again onto the two track.  Ethan let off on the gas and shifted the 4 wheel drive off “   Yeah baby! Yeah!”  He glanced over to David proudly. 
    David was still gripping the seat with one hand and protecting his head from further damage with the other.  “Didn’t you drop your transmission on the Dalton Highway?  Blow a alternator in Canada, and get stuck on a mountain because your 4 wheel would not engage? “
    “Well yeah,  but those were hard roads man.   Any lesser truck would have not made it either. 
    “That’s my point. 
    “What?  What you mean by that?   Ethan glanced down at the dashboard stroking it gently. “ Don’t listen to him baby   I know you were pushed beyond normal limits.   
    In no time they were back on the road heading back to the highway.  First light was upon them at last  and the darkness of the night gave way to blotches of varying shades of gray.   The sun still had several minutes before making it’s grand emergence over the horizon line  to announce the coming of dawn. 
    “Ok then I promised you breakfast.   Ethan motioned at the passing McDonald’s sign. “what do you say?
    David groaned.  “No thanks.  I’m too tired to enjoy it anyway, and besides  I have to get home   Tracy will be waking soon and I don’t want to have to explain this.  It would be better if we just go right home and I am in bed before she wakes up.   He glanced over to Ethan.  “Know what I mean?
    “Absolutely!   Ethan beamed. “Ill just get a quick value meal from the drive through.
    “I mean we are not going to stop for any drive through.  We have got to get home now 
    “I was just kidding   fine!  Fine!  Lets get you home then.  Even though my stomach is growling  I guess I can get something later after I drop you off.     “Good !  David seemed indifferent concerning Ethan’s starvation issues.
    Ethan frowned,  “If you had dug a little faster  we would not be in such a hurry  ya know. 
    “I’m warning you ,  don’t go there !  David motioned with his hand
    “I’m not necessarily complaining about your digging ,  just that little play shovel you brought.  Did you think we were going to build sand castles?
    “I didn’t know what to think since you didn’t tell me anything.
    “Yeah, yeah but common.   Some where you have a real shovel at home   a Man shovel?
    “Yes I do  I just couldn’t see it in the dark.   Now lay off the shovel thing  and   get your breakfast later, I’m sure you’ll survive until then.
    The miles passed by with traffic levels picking up slightly as the morning rush began.  The sun was up a full inch above the horizon now and colors replaced the different shades of gray.  David began to look at his watch more nervously now.   They were mere minutes from his house but he was still anxious to get there not a second later than necessary.  At last they pulled into the driveway.
    David unbuckled the seatbelt and opened the door wearily.  He climbed out and closed the door  being careful not to slam it. He searched for his missing shovel under the blue tarp.  He lifted the tarp completely before the harsh reality hit him.   His Puny specialty shovel was missing!
    “Son-Of-a “   David trailed off
    “What?
    “Left my shovel.  David fumed.  His voice raised slightly but he was too weary at this point to care.
    “Ha,  No big deal.  You’re probably better off without that little garden trowel anyway.  It’s not like it was one of your best ones.   Ethan tried to wave it away. 
    Realizing there was nothing  to be done and being too tired to do anything about it anyway,  David conceded the loss of the shovel.  He never really used it much anyway.  He grabbed his jacket off the front seat and walked toward the house. 
    “By the way Eth,   You now  owe me big time!  David turned slowly with a large evil grin.   Next time I need to paint my house, move any furniture or build on an addition and need an extra hand.   I will be expecting you to ready, willing and able.  And free of complaints.  Got it?
    “Absolutely!  Ethan confirmed without hesitation. “  In fact!  I’ll even bring the beer.”
    David began to turn around to head back to the house.
    “Oh  one last thing Dave. 
    David stopped and looked back
    “Ok  I know that  any lesser friend would have never gotten out of bed, let alone actually help me do the thing we just did.  So let me start off by saying  thank you from the bottom of my heart.   And yes  I do owe you   and I promise  I won’t so much as whimper at any task you call me up on. 
    David nodded in agreement
    “But there is one last thing concerning this little thing we just did.   This should be just between us.   You and me man.  Our little secret. 
    “Why’s that?  David asked reflexively
    “Well,  I worked for the DNR and I know that although people dump sofas and tables and garbage on state land all the time,  That does not make it very legal.    So the fewer people who can rat us out,  the better  if you catch my drift.
    David paused for a moment  thinking of how he could possibly explain this all to Tracy or anyone else for that matter.   Tracy would most likely be more upset that he spent the entire night out with Ethan without telling her.  The guys at the fire station probably wouldn’t care either   so there was no sense in mentioning it to them.  In either case he doubted anyone would report  him  to the DNR but there was no need to take any chances.  He was happy knowing that he would have a slave to help him next spring with all the home improvements he had planned.
    “Sounds good to me” David proclaimed.    
    With a nod, Ethan rolled up his window and pulled out of the driveway.   With a wave  he drove off into the distance, and was gone.  Nothing left of his presents  except some sandy pants, a pair of sore hands and a missing shovel.
  

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David climbed the steps and opened his door.  He was home once again.   He was ready for a shower and then sleep.   He crept in and kicked off his dirty boots, spilling sand and small clumps of dirt all around the kitchen.  He paused.  
    “Perhaps I should undress here before tracking sand and mud all over the house.”  he thought. 
     He quietly undressed to his underwear and tossed the soiled clothes down the  basement steps toward the washer.  He glanced down to see the cat batting around  one of many suspicious clumps of dirt scattered all around the kitchen floor.  Grabbing a broom, he swept up all he could find. batting the cat gently  after he had finished.  The cat ran out playfully.
    With all the evidence  of the dirty affair removed,  David ran into the shower and quickly rinsed off.   He was not in the mood for a long soaker.  Just enough to remove the grime and sweat and allow his hair to smell like coconuts and vanilla.  A few moments later and he was out and dry wrapping the towel around his waist he headed for the bedroom and hoped Tracy was still sleeping. 
    He opened the door quietly and entered.   Floorboards creaked with a loud revealing alarm of his presents.  Tracy was still in bed and facing the other way.   He removed the towel and slid  under the covers in one swift motion.  His head hit the pillow and the weight of the world  at last seemed to give way.
    “You home late.  Tracy’s groggy voice came from the reclining form
    “Hmm?  Oh  yeah  kinda late  yeah   David’s voice trailed off  bordering on the abyss.
    “Why so late?  Or should I say early?  Tracy pressed,   still half asleep herself.  She must have hit the snooze and was waiting for the next alarm before she got up.
    ‘Something came up with a friend at work.  I was awake  so I helped him out.  Since I don’t have to work tomorrow.  Now he owes me a favor. 
    Tracy moved a little.  David and the other firemen were always switching days  with each other so they could add to their vacation time or make three day weekends.  It was a standard practice.   She seemed satisfied with the explanation.  
    “I’m getting up soon if you want some breakfast,  She offered “the kids will be up.   You can say goodbye before they go to school.
    Normally this was a generous offer.   David loved the kids and loved breakfast.  But right now,  sleep trumped all.
    “No thanks hon.,   Wanna sleep.   The darkness was almost on him.

One September Night, Chapter 1

A story I wrote oh so long ago.   There are only 3 people who might find this entertaining, but I have had this story tucked deep  in a dark corner of our storage for some time.  I figured I would dust it off and post it on the blog.  Perhaps someone might find it humorous enough to get a chuckle.   We shall see.   Oh!  And I’m aware that there are numerous grammatical errors and missing punctuation.  This is a first round draft that I cleaned up several times…but lost that copy.  Go figure!  Anyway, Just thought I would post it….probably no one will ever read it anyway. 

 

Chapter 1.

    It was a cool night  for early  September and David rolled down the windows of his car to bask in the last days of summer.  He was heading home after a rather boring night at the fire department and was looking forward to some down time.  He glanced at his watch casually as he drove the familiar roads  and noted that it was just after 1A.M.  The wife and kids would most likely be asleep and only the cat would be awake as he would quietly trek in.   The plan was traditional.  Come in, kick off your shoes, pet the cat,  Open a beer, sit down and relax.   No noise, no TV, no talking, Nothing… David would just sit and unwind and lose the stress of the day .   Sometimes he would take a shower or make a sandwich or other snack as he sat and enjoyed his alone time.   Sometimes Tracy would still be awake and tell her how her day went.   But she usually was in bed by 11 P.M.  since she  had to wake up earlier. 
    David pulled into the driveway and turned off the car and pulled out his keys.   He grabbed  his coat off the front seat and gently shut the car door .  The air smelled crisp and full of autumn.  The Moon light was fairly bright  in the clear skies. Summer was on its way out  and this was his favorite time of year.   Hunting season  started this month  and October  and harvest festivals were coming soon.   Fresh apples, cider, beer, and pumpkins would soon be everywhere one traveled as one would travel the Michigan countryside.  Cider and doughnuts hmmmm.   The thought made Dave’s mouth water. 
    He fumbled with his key as he stepped up to the door and inserted it quietly into the lock.   One quick turn and a brisk push opened the door and he stepped over the threshold and into the dark house.   Without looking he put his keys into an invisible bowl and fumbled for the kitchen light switch he knew was there.   The light flickered on with a warm glow and stung his eyes as they adjusted to the new brightness.  The Cat had leapt up on the table to greet him and await pets which David gave readily. He tossed his coat over one of the kitchen chairs and moved to the fridge for his  long awaited reward when the phone rang!
    David nearly jumped out of his skin  startled by the sudden intrusion  of noise into his silence.  Who could be calling at this hour  he thought.  Without checking the caller Id or allowing the phone to ring again   he picked it up.
    “hello ?   David answered.
    “Dave? Came an unknown voice.
    “yea?  Who is this?   David replied.
    “Hey Hey! Dave! Your up!  Came the voice bubbling with excitement and..   Something else.   Relief? “this is Ethan!  
    “Ethan?   David only knew one Ethan.  A childhood friend , he had been best friends for the better part of thirty years.  Ethan?    I Haven’t heard from you in a while.   What you up to at this time of night?  David responded as  he opened the fridge and grabbed  a cold adult beverage. 
    “Not much ,  I was just in the neighbor hood and was wondering if we could catch up one some old times . Ethan said.
    “yea yeah  sure   when you want to get together?   David glanced over at the calendar looking for day with no plans.
    “How about tonight?   Ethan Asked.
    “tonight?  David asked bewildered.   ‘Eth, Its 1:30  in the morning.
    “so?   What better time?  Your up ?  Right?
    “Tracy and the kids are sleeping! David said
    “ Don’t worry.   We’ll go out .  Ethan explained
    “Out where?   Nothing is open this late.  David shushed. Trying to keep his voice down.
    “McDonalds is open 24 hours now in Eastman Ville.  Ethan responded.
    “Eastman Ville?   Where is that ?   David asked
    ‘Along the highway on the way to Grand haven. Ethan explained
    “Isn’t that a little far for some all night coffee?  David asked.   The cat was brushing up against him begging for more pets as David twisted off the cap of his beer. 
    “Not at all  actually it will be on the way.  We can stop back there when we get done doing this little errand I have to do.   I’ll even buy you a big Mac .  Ethan explained.
    “Errand?  David asked incredulously.  Ethan had never offered to buy David lunch before, or any meal for that matter.  “What errand is that?”  David mused at the thought that he could be bought off so cheaply
    “Oh!   Yeah  I forgot to mention I have this little something to do and,  well,  it’s kind of a two man job.   It wont take long  and since you’re the only one I know around here that might still be up  I figured I pick you up and we can catch up while you help me.   It wont take long  I promise.   Ethan replied casually.
    “What  kind of job is this?  David asked cautiously.  The cat was now batting the phone cord as it dangled along side the table
    “Oh  nothing much.  A delivery if you will.   But it will take two people to lift it.   It’s kind of heavy. 
    David had heard that Ethan has a furniture mover once.  And he had not seen nor heard of him for several years, Last he knew Ethan was working for the Department of Natural Resources until he lost his job  due to budget cuts.  Perhaps he had signed on with the movers again .  Ethan had helped David and Tracy move before when they were just starting out .   The thought of moving a hide-a-bed sofa alone was burned in his memory.  Dropping the sofa down a flight of stairs after throwing out his back.
    “How big is this thing?   David asked. Pushing the cat away from the phone  with his beer.
    “It’s not a sofa, Ethan responded as if reading David’s mind. “ Its nothing two people cant handle   trust me.  I could do it myself but we both know what happens when  some one doesn’t follow the buddy system.   Ethan’s voice was laced with sarcasm..
    “Yeah Yeah.  David acknowledged the hint.  Ok fine   I’m still awake  and I ‘m still dressed and have not taken a shower yet.  Five minutes later and I would have been in bed and you would not have been able to blast me out of there
    “Looks like it was my lucky day!  Ethan acknowledged
    “when will you get here?  I don’t want to wait all night.
    ‘About 10 minutes Ethan replied
    “10 minutes!   Where are you now?  I thought you were calling from home.  David was surprised.
    “I told you I was in the neighborhood.   I just crossed the bridge  so I should be there shortly.   Go ahead and  finish your beer or whatever. 
    David picked up his beer and studied it for a moment.  “how did you know I was having a beer?   David asked before looking out the kitchen window
    ‘Lucky guess.
    “Very lucky guess
    “Dave,   You’re a fireman,  You’re coming home after a long day at work, you’re German and I’ve known you got over 30 years! Ethan explained.  “not to mention that is something I would probably do.
    David smiled to himself,  30 years of friendship does create a strong bond even though there might be several years of separation.  There was a time when Ethan and David  did everything together.  Funny how time, priorities  and distance can change things.  After David had gotten married  It seemed that there simply was never time for the duo to get back together. David Had not realized it but he was actually looking forward to seeing him again …alone without Tracy or the kids.   Just two friends doing some male bonding over coffee and maybe a bacon egg and cheese biscuit. 
    “ok then  I’ll see you in a few  David said   Tipping his beer up for a long swallow .
    “Right!  Oh  and before I forget,  Ethan paused,  Bring a shovel. 

Origami Hornbill and Golden Retriever

Finally got a nice day for picture taking. The Hornbill deserves much better than me holding him out by the floor and snapping a shot.   Luckily I was able to enlist Cheryl's help for the picture taking and we got some really cool pics to post on the Etsy site.  We shall see how many people find it interesting. 

Other than that, I folded up a Golden retriever  today.  A request from one of my regular customers on Etsy. I tried to make it out of the 12 inch cardstock, however   I ran out of time/ mojo before I could see what it would look like in the larger 20 inch paper.   Perhaps we can do that at a later day.  In the mean time,  enjoy the pics of the finished Hornbill. 

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Origami Hit and Miss….

So  just when you think you may be “good” at something, you have one of those weeks or days where everything is going well, but in the end, you drop the ball on the one yard line.    Snatch defeat from the hands of victory,   Lose the game in the last 30 seconds…  Take this Elephant model designed by David Brill.   Things look good, and then,  BLA!  Well I was almost too embarrassed to show it on the blog, but this is where we talk out our problems, Right?   It is not like I have never done the David Brill version of the elephant.  I thought it would be a relaxing trip down memory lane, instead I became unhinged in the final shaping. The paper was drying too fast and the shape was not holding where I wanted it to.  

And that was not all….I won’t even show the Rabbits I had been working on.  DISASTER!  Well,  perhaps I’m a little too harsh on myself,  but I had folded better!  

But then I fold the Greater Horn Bill.   A wonderful design from one of the Viet Nam boys ( wish I had the name, but I’m to lazy to go in the next room to look it up) From the 50 hours of Origami Book I got this Christmas.   Anyway, the design is SUPER simple and yet has a great artistic potential.   I folded it thee times before I attempted it with better larger paper.  I’m happy  with this one.   Every now and then things go right.   

Other than Origami,  Cheryl has been breaking in the Kitchen before she throws away the remaining unused baking supplies.   She decides to make COOKIES!   Pure EVIL!   We talked about how we don’t even LIKE cookies anymore and yet, I find myself eating them one right after the other.   KRYPTONITE! 

Well, Besides the obvious attempt to sabotage my health, weight loss and cholesterol levels, She said that the new table was a dream come true for setting the cookies up and having a place to put the finished ones.    It has been fun being in the kitchen and actually eating in the “dinning center”  for a change.   We usually end up eating in the living room coffee table. 

  It has been nice for the last two days….and then the cold came in this morning.  IT is back down in the 30’s   With a cold strong wind to throw a chill on everything.  I’ll be happy for 60 degree days as the normal next week.   However, I doubt it will stay nice and moderate for long.  Here in Iowa the weather is whatever nature throws at us and it tends to be erratic.  From Serious cold to serious hot!   How about moderate cool with a light cloud cover with gentle breeze to calm?  Is that too much to ask?   Ah well,   we will survive I’m sure.   And maybe I’ll get the folding to come out a little less erratic as well.  We shall see.