Paul spoke up, "But grandpa Folander, is always drinking beer and passing gas, and Grandma Folander is so fat and always has a cigarette in her mouth. JP bit his lip and said, "Yes they are different but they are your grandparents also and you should try to love them."

Jean spoke up, "But dad their house is so filthy and they have sixteen cats there all over everything. Don't they ever clean it up?" JP had noticed Jaylene's parents housing cleaning habits and etiquette, but he had fallen for Jaylene, not her parents.

Again JP bit his tongue. "Yes honey, they re different, and that was part of the problem with your mother. She wanted to rise above what she was and where and how she had been raised." he thought, "It is normal for parents to want more for their children, than what he had when he or she was growing up, for we all wanted the moon, and it cannot be attained except for a very small few. One of the problems today is my mom and dads parents wanted more for them than they had, and my mom and dad wanted more for me than they had and your mom and I wanted more for you two than we had."

" Dad, grandma Lane's house is nice, not as nice as ours, but it is nice, I thought you said she didn't even have lights and you had to go out back to the bathroom?" Paul asked. JP thought oh from the mouths of babes.

"Yes grandma has made a lot of improvements in the house since I left home, but when I left years ago, we had oil lamps, and the water was out front in a tap, and yes we had a one holer out back for a bathroom." he thought, how has she done all of these improvements, where did she get enough money to get the old place fixed up like that?

"Dad, I like Grandma Lane, can we go back and visit her more often?" Jean asked.

"Yes dad me too, I like her and think it would be fun to pal around with her while you are working." Paul added.

And JP thought about what his mom had said about his financial woes being over, what did she know? It really puzzled him, and he wondered how could his poor near destitute mother afford to fix up her house, buy land and she was dressing a lot better than she had in the past. That old bum with the yellow pickup could not afford to do all that for her? And she had made a lot of trips to the bank lately and she even had a cell phone!

When Jaylene was brought to trial, she had a court appointed attorney and the charges were such that families on both sides of the tracks were outraged for she had really done it up right. She told her attorney, "I will plead not guilty, and use the defense, my husband abandoned me, and I became deranged, they will send me to a mental hospital for six months and I will get JP back." The lawyer, asked the judge to be relieved from the case.

When all of the charges were prepared, the maximum possible sentence added up to 237 years. The Prosecuting Attorney took each under age boy, and each time and filed charges. She was found guilty and sentenced to 10-15 years in the state prison.

JP could not and would not forgive her for she had done most of this in his house with her own children locked in their rooms. But he would give her one point, she had been ultra discrete. Heck he had no idea, and thought she was spending all of her time at the country club or in the beauty parlor.

Within a month, JP and the two children were back in the old house and JP found a middle aged widowed black lady to be his live in cook, housekeeper and to help take care of Jean and Paul. The lady was in her late forties or early fifties. Mrs. Wilbaster's son Theotis and JP had gone to school together and he remembered what a nice boy and well behaved boy Theotis was, and how his children today reflected well on his mother.

The new house was sold and after all the real estate stuff was done, JP and the children had their old house back and $27,210 left over. Aggie sat down with her son and told him a little of her new financial state. "Son, I Own the company which bought 51% of your business, and I also bought and own the buildings and land where your shop is. I also held the mortgage on your big fancy house. Now I own over half the business, but for ten thousand, I will sell you one percent and we will be partners. You have some money for expanding the business, correct?"

JP's jaw dropped and all he could say was, "Huh?"

"Your grandpa Lane's wild early days caught up with him and I inherited a little bit. And I have been investing it." she hoped he did not ask any more questions.

"Mom, will you tell me one day?" JP was flabbergasted but happy for his hard working mother.

But to Aggie it was a business meeting. "Bart Kaminsky is in over his head and his wife's health is not good, so we will buy him out, and keep his business under it present name, and the Shakey Motors job will be moved back to the shop." Aggie was very solemn and had a tablet before her with some numbers on it. "Let Bob be manager of Bart's shop and put him on a commission."

"Mom, I never thought you, . . . . . .never," JP shook his head in awe, for his mother the old crazy widder Lane had a great business acumen. "Son you or we will pay the double rent because it is a fair price." JP looked a little indignant at his mother. "That is just another business. You will pay me for half of what it takes to buy out Kaminski, and we will own his garage, his land and his equipment. OK?"

"Uhhhhhhhhhh, yes maam." JP could not believe his good fortune.

"We will fire your office staff for they have been cheating you, and we will hire Ledda Mae Bauer as your book keeper and Office manager, and Josh Whitfield will become our accountant." Aggie had spoken. "Now tell me what you think and how are we going to increase business?" She and JP sat for four hours discussing ideas and laying out plans, and in the end Aggie felt she had a worthwhile partner. And finally Aggie, said, "When I die the business is yours plus a little land I have acquired."

"Mom, Jean and Paul said you took them for a walk in the old Oak forest, and across the road, and up at the farm. They said it was all cleaned up and you indicated or inferred it was yours?"

"Yes son, I now own a little land. But you forget about everything except the children first and the business and we will do OK?" She was done she said, "Oh I forgot, there are three trust funds set up for you, Jean and Paul, Bill Pearson knows about them. And yes if you really need to get hold of me, my cell phone number is 1234567, but no one else should know it." And with that Aggie, went out, climbed on her gas powered three wheeled bicycle and went home to do some work.

Joe's Baked Apples

Joe never claimed to be the world's best cook, but sometimes his ego or his daring got the best of him and this reflects one of Joe's candlelit dinners that turned sour, very sour.

On the farms were lots of fruit trees, fruit trees of all types, some of which had been taken care of and others that had been left, untrimmed to their own fate. But since Joe owned them all he would as he drove around see a fruit tree and sample their fruit. One day he was over at the Tilden place and out down near the run off from the feedlot, Joe noticed a big magnificent apple tree, a large tree, which had not been cared for because it's limbs, had not been trimmed. But its locale was ideal for it received much and many nutrients and lots of water, so it did grown.

Joe saw the tree, and he stopped off at the farm house but no one was home so he walked down to the huge apple tree and he could not believe the large red apples hanging from its boughs, so he took a stick and knocked down about a dozen, put them in a plastic bag and took them home. Joe had invited Aggie over for dinner and he had a beautiful pork loin roast, which had been slow baking all day. Of course a pork roast you pour a can of beer over it so the beer takes the pork taste away. Joe had used a can of beer plus a can of apple juice, and just a little cinnamon and a slight sprinkle of all spice. He put this in a small stainless pan, sealed it with Aluminum foil and about thirty minutes before he took it out, he would remove the foil, and broil the meat so the top was a light brown.

For tonight's meal he had the pork some candied yams, green beans and broccoli florets with a dip for the salad. So when he saw the apples he thought of baked apples, ala Joe. He took the largest and reddest of the two apples, washed them, cored them and he put some brown sugar and cinnamon, he baked them and when they came out he just before serving would sprinkle the top with some graded extra sharp New York Cheddar cheese. Joe put the cored apples in the fridge because it only took four or five minutes to cook them in the microwave.

The doorbell rang and Joe immediately opened the door to find Aggie standing there, with a bottle of wine in her hand and three or four sweet peas she had found growing as she walked over. They kissed and Joe put the sweet peas in a small jar and Aggie opened the wine. "What a day, what a day, Billy decided today was his play day so he proceeded to get over the fence and into my roses, and when I saw him he was casually eating those large pink roses, the ones which look like a carnation."

Joe laughed, "You need a man around the house to control things like that," he laughed for Billy had butted Joe three or four different times. The goat would be all so nice and rub against Joe so he would pet him, a few minutes later when Joe was not looking Billy would butt him, usually hard enough to knock Joe on his face.

"Yes, mighty Joe to do battle with Billy the goat." Aggie laughed as she handed Joe a glass of wine and they just stood and looked at each other, all-star struck. Finally after nearly a bottle of wine supper was ready and they slowly ate by candlelight and listened to romantic music. Finally when they had finished, Joe took the plates and went to the kitchen to finish the apples, which he had precooked about 3/4 way.

"Aggie, you are going to love the dessert, one of my favorites, he said to Aggie who was still sitting at the table. Joe took the apples, found he did not have any brown sugar so he used regular sugar, and of course hastily for he hoped tonight would be his night. Cinnamon and cook, and finally the grated cheese.

"Oh they do look scrumptious," Aggie said as Joe brought in the dessert, went back to get the coffee.

Joe sat down and was so proud for the apples with the spice and the grated cheese did look appetizing. "Well what are you waiting for?"

Aggie took her spoon, studied the apple and daintily took apple, and cheese and put it in her mouth. "Throooopsfhhhhhhsassssshhhhhh," she said as she put her napkin to her mouth an egested the apple, she immediately took a sip of the hot coffee, she put it down and drank her whole glass of wine.

Well as Aggie had taken a bite Joe had taken a full sized heaping spoon full and when he tasted it he just swallowed, drank hot coffee and jumped up and ran into the kitchen. Aggie followed and immediately got a big glass of water and gulped it down.

They both started to laugh, Aggie because it tasted so bad and Joe because Aggie had laughed and finally Joe, walked over to his sugar bowl and alas, it was fully of salt, and they tasted one of the apples and did you ever see a pound and a half size crab apple?

Thaddeus P. Walker

Aggie was sitting at the kitchen table drinking a cup of coffee and just thinking when she looked up at the light above the kitchen table and she laughed, laughed really long and hard, for she thought of how she had learned a lesson, a lesson that had paid dividends. Her laughing must have been more than normal for both dogs came running to see what was going one. As she petted them she said, "Go lie down, Aggie was only thinking of some fool thing from the past."

It was nearly three years later, after it happened, that she finally could walk into town and walk past the Walker place without fuming or becoming so riled her face would get red and her heart would race, for she wanted so much to just go get a gun and shoot that no account, good for nothing, lying, thieving, finagling bastard! That was what Aggie thought of Thaddeus P. Walker the town's supposedly top carpenter and small contractor.

And by the fourth year Aggie could laugh at it and by the fifth year she just laughed for she was surely put in her place, under her place and treated like plain old pig poop.

What happened was just after she had lost her home and had to move to the shack, she was trying to figure how to make ends meet, should she get a job, at fifty cents an hour or maybe a dollar, and try to survive or what? For she had a young son and about nothing else, and Paul had provided a good living and nice home form them. For she quickly found that after graduating form high school, getting married and having two kids did not prepare her to wend her own way through life, and make a living for herself and a young son.

She had started to do sewing for that she was good at and with the old singer treadle she was quick and efficient, plus there were a lot of ladies in town who could not or would not sew a button on, so they would pay her to do it for them. And a dime or quarter here and there and a dollar more so, did add up and allow her time with her son.

She found that there were many single men, single businessmen who liked to have their laundry done by a person not by a laundry; so she had started taking in washing. Washing, alterations and sewing had seen her through the very worst of times and she had found that people in town loved homegrown produce and would pay her more for it than they paid at the store.

So the second year after she moved to the country, she called it instead of the shack as most did, she had amassed a whole $750 and wanted to get the shack, her home fixed up a little, and she did not really know how much fixing up seven hundred fifty dollars would do. So she had asked around and had contacted Mr. Thaddeus P. Walker. He was a man of about 40, trim and nice looking. He had come out and they had talked, and he had said he would put her lights in for that amount and he could put her a septic system and a bathroom for another thousand, and she could work it off and pay him as she got the money. She remembered their meeting, "Mr. Walker, I have $750 dollars and I want to get lights and a bathroom in my house, what can I get for that amount of money?" And she still could see him cock his head, look around, put his finger to his mouth, smile and look her up and down. Now Aggie was never what you would call a pretty woman but she was trim, had a nice full body and her teeth were straight.

"Mrs. Lane for seven hundred fifty dollars I can put electricity in the place." he had looked around. "And for another thousand I can install a septic system and a bathroom, with a kitchen sink."

"But Mr. Walker I only have the seven fifty." Aggie could remember it verbatim.

"Mrs. Lane I can do it and you can work off, er pay me as you get the money. You can do some laundry and tailor work for me and the wife's sewing." And he has smiled. It has sounded good to Aggie and she said OK and had given him the seven hundred fifty dollars.

"Don't we need a contract, and shouldn't you give me a receipt for my money?" Yes she remembered that.

"Why Mrs. Lane on jobs like this we just shake hands and the money is used, the job done and it doesn't get taxed."

Aggie remembered she thought, I should talk to someone else, but I have no one else to ask, so she had accepted, "When can you get it done Mr. Walker?"

"Why I have to check my schedule, but it should be by the first of the month." And it was the third. "Just don't tell anybody for they will want this deal and I can't make it to anybody." And with that Thaddeus P. Walker had taken her money and left.

The following Friday night he had come out and brought some clothes and had grabbed he and fondled her and she had pushed him away. he came back and picked up his laundry and this time he grabbed her and tore her dress and underclothes off her and she had gotten loose and grabbed the old cast iron tea kettle and thrown it at him and the hot water had scalded his chest. He screamed, picked up a shoe and had beaten her severely, left. She was too ashamed to go to the Sheriff. And she never heard another word from Thaddeus P. Walker.

Later she went to the Sheriff, and told him what had happened and the Sheriff said unless she had a receipt, or had a witness who heard the agreement and saw the money change hands he could do nothing, but he would talk with Mr. Walker who was remodeling his kitchen. Of course Walker denied it, and Aggie was out of her hard earned money. But she had learned a lesson a lesson that had served her well.

And Aggie asked God to allow her to seek revenge on this man. Later she did find he was a ladies man and had traded a lot of shoddy work for both single and married ladies favors. But Aggie would get even. That was how many years ago, Thaddeus P. Walker was now a big contractor, drove a big Mercedes and his wife acted like she was sixteen.

Aggie got up, put her coffee cup in the sink, and got two dog bones from the box under the sink and made A and B sit up for them. she petted them and went back outside where she was installing a sprinkler system in her garden. Ever since she could remember she had to water her garden, first by buckets of water drawn from the well by the old windlass and with buckets from the tap out front, and finally from a hose bib on the back of her house. So she did as she did most everything else, she got her a book, read up and bought the stuff she needed and started to install her a sprinkler in her garden and around her house. She had installed an electric pump in the old well and put a big thousand-gallon water tank up on stilts and she had plenty of water. As she started to dig a trench she looked toward the road and saw a Walker Contractor truck go flying down the road. A thought struck her and she reached into her pocket, pulled out her fancy little cell phone and called Bill. She said that, "Thaddeus P. Walker had taken her for seven hundred fifty dollars some years ago and had tried to have his way with her and she thought it might be time to get even.

"Aggie, you can't just get even with people who have done you wrong, it just isn't right." bill said, "But he did some work for us, and he cheated me and made a pass at my wife. How can I help you?" Oh since Aggie was such a big shareholder in the bank, she had become one of the Board of Directors, although no one except the board and the secretary knew it.

"I have noticed that Walker has grown and is big, he must have lots of creditors for you cannot get that big overnight or on one job." I would like for the bank to look at his loans and maybe one of the investment companies could buy a few loans from the bank."

Bill had learned to listen to this lady for she had turned profits and made money on each of her endeavors to date and she was a stern person, plus he , Bill had made a tidy sum being her agent and they had become business partners where there was no conflict of interest with the bank. "Let me see what I can do and I will let you know." Matter of fact it was Aggie who wanted to buy all the land out along the river, and they had sold a hundred acres a year later for a hundred times the cost of the whole thing and the remaining land would be even more profitable.

By suppertime Aggie nearly had it done, the hardest part was the trenching, but she just used the old push plow, the one with the old bicycle wheel on it. She had had that thing for years. The next morning she had it hooked up and when she turned the water on she only has two small leaks, and she felt good, Widder Lane the irrigation specialist, she laughed and the devious side of her mind went to work.

Again through some work in the clerk's office and a little checking she found that the Walker business did not own the building and lots they used but they were owned by old Mr. Drackman who only came to town occasionally and she found his wife had a serious disease. Mr. Drackman was happy to be relieved of the property, for he said he could just put the money in CDs and he could live fine off of it and would have no worries with all the maintenance problems that durn Walker kept having. Aggie smiled when the property was hers. the word was Walker was skating on thin ice because he had underbid two large contracts out at the new mall, plus he had more jobs than he could adequately complete for there was a scarcity of good journeymen craftsmen about; needless to say A & B bought the vehicle loan from the bank. And the die was cast.

When the first month's rent was due instead of receiving a rent check, the company received a bill for $1,387.90 for sewer work on the building. Aggie smiled and called Mr. Jenkins, to do some checking. Three days later she found that this is what Walker had been doing, claiming maintenance and charging the people who owned the place. She called Ed Batters the attorney and since she had a special assumption clause put in the contract when she bought the property from Mr. Drackman, she now had legal recourse. So she held the bill and the first of the next month she received no rent check and instead a bill for $2,99.00 for driveway repair. Ed Batters said, just let me handle this. Ed called Walker and Walker was indignant because he had not been paid. Ed asked Walker if he had legal counsel, and Walker said he didn't need any. Ed said, "Mr. Walker I recommend you get counsel."

"Why you hair brained damned shyster, I want my damn money." Walker said and hung up. Three days later Mr. Thaddeus P. Walker, Mrs. Walker, the superintendent, and the bookkeeper were named in a lawsuit. And four weeks later the grand jury indicted Mr. Thaddeus P. Walker, Mrs. Walker, the Superintendent, Larry Sothwell for fraud, filing unlawful claims, income tax evasion, making false statements, and a whole bunch of legal sounding things. The Walker contracting company was closed and its assets were frozen. The claim against the company was upheld because it was filed and acted upon before the other things broke. Aggie made a point of being at the courthouse when Walker walked out after being indicted. She walked up to him, "Mr. Thaddeus P. Walker, remember me, Widder Lane, who you cheated out of $750, and tried to rape me? Well Mr. Walker I am happy for I have gotten my revenge. May the sentence be long and may they run consecutively."

That night Joe, Aggie, and Bill had a small party and did have a couple glasses of wine to honor the occasion.