Jack pulled up behind the shop and looked around for Cal. He
finally
spied him standing under an old oak tree with the twins Bryson and Cap.
He
had to duck his head to hide the grin at the sight of Cal trying
desperately
to nail 2 boards together with a boy wrapped around each leg. Cal might
have
been a bit wild in his day but no one with a set of eyes could deny how
much
he loved those two boys. And both, sometimes unfortunately, were just
like
him. He had never met Cal's wife Shae but he had seen the worn picture
Cal
carried with him. He knew Cal blamed himself for her death, and he also
knew
there was nothing he could say to make him change his mind.
Cal had come back home to raise his boys. When he bought the shop
he also
bought the farm next to it so he could keep an eye on Bryson and Cap.
The old
farmhouse was roomy enough for him and the boys to be comfortable and
the
fenced in yard was plenty big enough for the boys to run and play.
There was
an old barn out back and Cal had hinted at maybe getting the boys a
pony but
he never seemed to find the time. Now he was about to learn a hard
lesson.
You can't build a tree house in one day.
"Looks like you need an extra pair of hands OLD man" Jack barked.
Cal
stopped dead still and slowly turned his head. Jack stood with his feet
in
the old "I am a police officer" stance and then grinned from ear to
ear.
"Boys" Cal roared. Both boys stopped and looked up. "Uncle Jack is
here." Cal
said sweetly. Both boys turned and made a dive for Jack. With both arms
full
Jack took a few moments to play grandpa to the boys.
When the boys took off to play, Cal and Jack found seats on the
wide back
porch. They both loved it here. Far enough from the main road to be
peaceful
and quiet but not so far off to be hard to find. Since Cal had bought
close
to a hundred acres there were no neighbors close by. No prying,
accusing
eyes. The Shop was close enough to walk to and Jack could hear the low
rumble
of the bikes. It looked like an old barn with a tin roof. Only the
small sign
gave any indication as to what was inside. Jack decided not to beat
around
the bush. With Cal it was always better to come right out and say what
was on
your mind.
"So, you still need some help in the office?" Jack asked as
nonchalantly
as possible. Cal KNEW he was up to something now. "Yep, I still do" Cal
said.
"Well, I've got someone in mind that I think would do a good job for
you.
She's good with the computer. Knows her way around book keeping. She'd
be
quiet. Not the type to come running out screaming every few minutes.
She'd be
good with the boys too. She'd keep an eye on the two when you need
her." Jack
glanced at his old friend and was greeted with no expression. He
decided to
let things ride until Cal decided to take the ball. "One of Bridges
huh?" Cal
drawled. Taking a deep breath Jack figured he might as well jump in.
He'd
either sink or swim.
"Do you remember a girl named Jessie? She was a friend of Renee's."
Jack
asked. "Sure" Cal replied, "I remember her from high school. Why?"
"Well,"
Jack said slowly, "That's who I have in mind. A shadow crossed Cal's
face
when he remembered the last time he had seen Jessie. It was at Renee's
funeral. She has scarcely looked like the Jessie he remembered. She was
almost skin and bones with black bruises under her eyes. He had noticed
she
now walked with a limp and winced at a simple hug from friends. But his
main
concern had been for Jack, so Cal had dismissed the thought. He figured
she
had been in an accident or maybe had been sick. Now, he wondered if
there was
more to it.
"You see, after Renee left for collage Jessie got married. I lost
track
of her after that. I didn't see her again until the day we buried
Renee. Even
then she was a blur. When I started going through Renee's things, I
found
some keepsakes I thought Jessie might like so I started trying to find
her. I
finally found an address but when I went there the house had burned
down. I
talked to a few of the neighbors and some old friends at the station. I
can't
tell you everything but I can tell you a little. I must have had my
head
buried in the sand to have not heard what had happened." Jack took a
long
breath and closed his eyes. When he opened them he could see had Cal's
full
attention.
"Jessie married Roy Theson. At first they seemed like a perfect
pair.
Jessie lost both her parent in an accident and Roy seemed to the
perfect one
to take care of her. It wasn't long after that people started noticing
she
hardly ever came around any more. Of course, everybody just thought it
was
because she was a newlywed. Then they noticed the bruises. But if you
remember, Jessie was always the tomboy so no one thought much of that
either.
Then she came up pregnant and all seemed to all right. After the babies
were
born it all started again. Roy got started drinking. He was caught with
drugs
once but they let him go on probation.
When Renee died, it got worse. Jessie was in the hospital more than
once.
Always had an excuse for what happened. Then one night the neighbors
heard
Jessie and Roy having a fight. It went on for hours. Sometime in the
night it
got quiet. Then about 3:00 am the house blew up. Firemen found Jessie
in the
yard; she had been blown clear out the window. Both the babies were
dead. It
was clear Jessie had been almost beaten to death. From the reports and
the
testimony, Roy beat Jessie until he thought he'd killed her. Then he
lined up
10 cans of gasoline by the furnace, lit a fire and walked away. He
managed to
get to Jessie two times in the hospital before they caught him.
Jessie was released from the hospital long enough to testify at the
trial. But when she was released for good though, she had nothing.
Nowhere to
go, no family, no home, no job and no money. Bills were beyond anything
she
could hope to reach. So she lived on the streets.
About 5 months ago, I saw outside the window at Bridges. I almost
didn't
recognize her. She's not the same Jessie that we knew. She's changed
Cal.
She's been helping me for months now and still I can barely reach her.
You
know I wouldn't ask if it didn't mean an awful lot to me but she
deserves a
chance. And I honestly think she'd do you a good job here. I turned my
back
on her once I can't do that again!" Jack sat almost shaking. Tears
welling up
in his eyes. For the first time afraid to look at his friend. He knew
Cal
would be justified in saying no. After all, he had the boys to think of
too
and having Jessie around would be difficult at best.
When Jack finally looked up, Cal looked him straight in the eye
with only
one question.