Reply With QuoteGoin to see John Wilson huh? He's the baseball coach here at Caledonia. Guess I'll get to meet Mr. Baker. He'll prolly want me to buy lunch though.
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Before I post this, I want ya'll to know I'm posting this not out of joy, but shear fear. Heck, I was starting to get hate mail PMs. LOL. Calm down people. Before somebody gets hurt. Especially me.
Chapter 14
The trip home was pretty much silent for Mr. and Mrs. Baker. William was bone tired from all the waiting and testing and waiting some more. Ann knew he didn’t want to talk and as much as she wanted to say the words to encourage him, she knew when he wanted to just sit and she let him. They made it home and William turned in to bed without so much as a bite to eat.
It was 10 O’clock and Billy had been sitting on his porch since he got up waiting on that garage door to open. Just as he was about to give up and find something else to do, he heard the motor on that door crank up. He closed the distance between him and the door before it made it 1/3 of the way up and leaned over at the corner to see Mr. Baker’s legs. As soon as it made it up enough, Billy ran in. “Mr. Baker, you should have been there!” Billy blurted out the whole story just as he’d promised without letting Mr. Baker get much of a word in edge wise. Mr. Baker just smiled and listened, but got in an “Atta boy” or “You’re kidding me” at the appropriate time. He was thinking as Billy recounted almost each cast that this was possibly the best promise he’d ever made someone give him. Billy finished up and just beamed a smile ear to ear. “Billy that’s a heck of a good start.” “Tell me, why do you think that those fish liked it to be sitting still like that”. He asked in such a way that Billy thought he knew the answer already and was making him think about the reasons why. The conversation went on for a bit with William asking questions and Billy struggling for the answers but learning as he answered.
When the conversation trailed off a bit, Billy looked down and kicked the ground as if there was something to kick. After a short pause, Billy put his hands in his pockets. “Mr. Baker……..how did it go yesterday?” Mr. Baker put his hands in his pockets and kicked the same imaginary rock Billy was trying to see. He looked over his shoulder to the door and back down to his feet again, then up at Billy. “Well, I really don’t know yet. They poked and prodded me, scanned me, x-rayed me, then poked and prodded me again all day long. When it was all said and done, I finally got to see the doctor. He spent about 6 minutes with me saying they wouldn’t have all the results for another week to 10 days and then we’d decide what to do.” “Oh, well that’s that then”, Billy said not really knowing anything else to say. Mr. Baker chuckled to himself under his breath. “Yep, that’s that.”
“Billy, I’ve got to go run some errands today while I’m feeling up to it. Why don’t you take back off to the lake and this time try a little deeper. It’s going to be a blue bird day today and hot, so I’m betting those fish are going to hunker down and try to get out of the sun. Start in the same place you were yesterday and try to find the deepest part of that hole, but don’t be afraid to try some new places too. Just look for that deepest part you can get to. Mrs. Ann is going to talk with you Mom when she gets home and see if it’s OK if you go somewhere with me tomorrow if you want to and on the way there you can tell me about how you did. If that’s OK with you.” “Sure Mr. Baker.” Can I help you with the errands?” “Naw, you just head out fishing and I’ll see you in the morning about 8.” “Sure, where are we going.” “Well, we’re going to see a man I used to work with, John Wilson, but everybody calls him Mr. Make Do.” “Mr. Make Do? Never heard a name like that.” “Yeah, I’ll tell you all about it on the way there and you can tell me about the fishing today” “OK, see you in the morning” “If you Mom says it’s OK.” “Yes sir.”
Mr. Billy went to get his fishing stuff and Mr. Baker jumped into the truck for another run to the hardware store. He’d made a list after Billy’s Mom had called to thank him almost in tears when she’d come home to find the air conditioner was fixed. In the conversation, Mr. Baker came to understand that money was tight for them and was able to get permission to do a few other things he noticed that needed doing. Carol had started to get embarrassed that Mr. Baker wanted to do all those things, but William insisted saying that maintenance was nothing to do and would cost more not to do it. Carol finally relented after asking Mr. Baker to get Billy to help him so he didn’t over do it and so that Billy could learn how to do some of them. That was fine with Mr. Baker.
Ann had listened in to his side of the conversation. When he hung up, she kissed him on the cheek, smiled and walked out of the room. Ann realized that just like that, Mr. Baker had adopted another family. Of course, he would never admit it, just like he wouldn’t admit it with the other families he’d adopted over the years that needed some help. He probably even thought that she’d adopted them. William watched as she walked out of the room and thought to himself “Now what in the world was that for? After all these years, I still don’t know what makes that woman tick”.
Wannabe...
Wannabe...v2.0
A lot like the old Wannabe... except with fewer bad words. And Karate chop action. But, yes, still purtier than you.
Banned
Goin to see John Wilson huh? He's the baseball coach here at Caledonia. Guess I'll get to meet Mr. Baker. He'll prolly want me to buy lunch though.
Crappie Wall Hanger II
Good job WB, now don't wait so long before the next chapter. :D
And no one will get hurt.
It's CRAPPIE season!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Crappie Wall Hanger II
thanks wb,,can't wait for the next chapter!
Got crappie?:D
Crappie.com 1K Star General
WTG Wb another good'n
A gun, like any other source of power, is a force for either good or evil, being neither in itself, but dependent upon those who possess it
From an old movie I saw
Crappie.com Legend
Another great addition!!!! it's about STINKING time!Keep 'em coming, sir!
Crappie.com Legend
If you're on the naughty list, stop at the _______ line below. You may come back and revisit this thread at 4PM on Wednesday.
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You're on the honor system, but Minner will be taking names.
__________________________________________________ _____________
Chapter 15
Mr. Baker got the things he thought he’d need for the Brannon’s house and did a walk around on the outside of the house that afternoon making mental notes of what needed doing. He fixed the latch on the fence to the back yard and mended a down spout on the gutter, but most of the doings needed doing from the inside. Billy spent the afternoon at the lake and fished till dark, this time though, with only 3 fish to show for it and all of them on the small side. The summer had gotten in full swing now and as much sweat as he offered with his efforts, he just couldn’t reach the deep water where Mr. Baker had suggested the fish would be. The creek only came close to the banks in 2 places on that lake and it was a fight to get to the second one with all the brush and briars. Billy wouldn’t tell this part of the story the next day, but he’d spent the first 2 hours of his trip in the same spot doing the same thing he’d done yesterday before he decided that Mr. Baker just might be right. All 3 of his fish came from the deepest water though. He’d decided then to take Mr. Baker’s suggestions as commandments from then on.
Ann had made all the arrangements that night and had gotten Carol’s permission for the short trip for the boys and had packed the cardboard box with the jars. William had made the phone call to John around lunch and had it all worked out. Ann had even thrown in a couple extra just in case William needed a bargaining chip.
The next morning when the garage door started up, Billy didn’t wait for the full 1/3 opening and ducked down and in to greet Mr. Baker. “Well, you’re ready to go aren’t you?” “Yes sir, still don’t know where we’re going, but I’m ready to get there”. “Open that door for me on the truck and let me put this box in the back seat and jump in and I’ll tell you all about it.”
They loaded up and Mr. Baker hit the key to let the glow plug heat up. “Well, how’d you do yesterday?” Billy started in with the story careful to leave out the 2 hours in “his” spot while Mr. Baker navigated the streets to the highway. They were fully out of town before Billy had finished up. “Never been this way before Mr. Baker.”
“Well, I might as well tell you where we’re headed then. We’re going to see Mr. Make Do. We’ve got some business to tend to, but before we get there Billy, I need to tell you a little bit about him. John is probably going to be the meanest old guy you’ll ever meet. He’s gonna cuss you and me up one side and down the other, then he’ll spit and cuss some more. He’s not gonna like us being there and he’s gonna tell us about it. We’ll either be early or late and he ain’t going to like that either and he’ll cuss us for it. You’ve got to promise me to stand your ground though, don’t back down and don’t let him get to you and especially don’t pick up any of the words you hear. You’re Mom would skin me alive.”
“Sounds plain awful Mr. Baker. Why in the world would be going there?”
“Because it’s all an act Billy. He’s a good man with a broken heart is all. He needs folks more than he’ll let on and he’s just grown this way to keep folks at arms length. John and I used to work together. He was the finest machinist I’ve ever known. He could build a 351 Windsor out of a bar of soap and a box of paperclips. He could fix anything that ever was made assuming it ever worked in the first place and some that never did. Well, along the way, he lost his only son in some gosh awful place this country sends our soldiers these days. He took it hard too. They were awful close since he was John’s only son. We all called the boy “Shadow” at work because anytime you saw John outside of work, there was his “Shadow” right beside him. Anyway, after John got the news about John Jr., he just shut down. Not much anyone could do for him. It wasn’t long after, he just dropped out of everything. He wouldn’t hardly speak for the first year or so. After a while, he lost his wife, his home and his job over it. Just like always though, he just sort of made do with what he had. He ended up on his old family place out here that his Mom and Dad had left him. Now he just gets by doing odd jobs, making things for people or fixing this and that.”
“Well, how should I act around him Mr. Baker?”
“Billy, you act the same around him as you would anyone else. You act the way you are. Don’t ever pretend to be someone you’re not or act a way because you think that’s the way they want you to act. You just be you and let everyone else be themselves”.
“Yes sir.”
Billy thought about that for a bit as they drove on down the 2 lane highway. They’d gotten far enough out now that the houses weren’t close together any more. When Mr. Baker hit the brakes and turned onto the gravel drive, Billy noticed the mailbox wasn’t really a mailbox. It was a blue Igloo cooler turned on it’s side about the size for a 12 pack of cokes with the word “WILSON” scribbled on the side in yellow paint. It even still had the carry handle on it just turned to the side.
Wannabe...
Wannabe...v2.0
A lot like the old Wannabe... except with fewer bad words. And Karate chop action. But, yes, still purtier than you.
Crappie Wall Hanger
WooHooo- 2 in 2 days. Keep 'em coming! It's a good read, WB.
[SIGPIC] [/SIGPIC]
Crappie.com Legend
Ataboy WB. Good stuff.
PROUD MEMBER OF TEAM GEEZER
Crappie.com 1K Star General
great job wb. I had a 351 Windsor once dang good motor. back when I raced there was a guy who was eaten chevy big block for breakfast with 408 windsor that was a full roller motor. it would jump off the line like a rocket in that 77 bright yellow bronco.
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