Post by ncsfsgm on Jul 31, 2021 23:27:16 GMT -6
“Where to now?”
Well, he did have some idea. First, he wanted to get as far away from Fort Bragg and North Carolina as he could. The military politics and the taint of a divorce from the woman he loved and the child she bore them, more than anything, pushed him away from there. He was tired of war, tired of hurting, he was running from the nightmares.
Memories flashed through his mind.
“Mail’s in!”
“Just put the mail for the guys on patrol on their bunks. They’ll be in this afternoon.”
They pretty soon had the site secured, arriving back at the Firebase just at dusk.
Cal’s mind cleared and he realized he was near Greenville, South Carolina and decided to steer his way to I-26 and hit I-40 to visit a buddy near Maryville, Tennessee. Jim was a Special Forces vet and could get some of the best moonshine in the Appalachians.
Cal left 1-40 at Kodak, Tennessee and worked his way down to the Smokey Mountain Knife Works to pick up a few knives to replace those he’d tossed away in a fit of morose anger, remembering when Angela told him to his face she wanted a divorce. He’d tossed a lot of things that day to burn bridges and try to wipe away memories.
“How are you doing” he asked softly.
Word gets out quickly in the Special Forces community. Cal smiled weakly and replied “Hanging in there.”
He grabbed an overnight bag out of the vehicle, and they went inside. Mary, Jim’s wife, came out of the kitchen and immediately wrapped Cal in her arms and kissed his cheek.
“Thank God you’re here! I talked to Jane Hudson yesterday and she said you told her and Dave you might give us a visit. I thought you might be here last night. I was worried!”
“Well,” Cal said, “I headed south to drop a few things off into the Pee Dee River and kind of meandered out this way.” “I was just trying to clear my head.”
“How is Amy?” Mary asked.
“Fine, I suppose. I tried to visit her and her mom, but Angela asked me not to come back, because it would confuse Amy. I love Angela that much that I’ll concede to her wishes.”
“Oh Cal,” Mary said, with a hint of tears in her eyes.
“Well, Pardner, where are you headed to” Jim asked.
“I don’t know. I’m just going to get as far away from the east coast as I can.”
“Are you going to stop in Nashville and see Siobhan?” Mary asked.
Cal looked out the window, a faded memory swimming in his head. “I don’t know.”
“Cal, you know she and the kids would love to see you.”
“Ahhhh maybe. She may be on tour.”
“Well, I happen to know she has a steady gig and is pretty much stationary for the foreseeable future.”
Jim stood up. "By the way, how the hell did you get out of the service so quickly?"
Jim squinted. “I’m not surprised. From what I heard, you went bat shit crazy when you got the Dear John from Angela. Nick told me you were like a demon, not caring whether you lived or died.”
Cal grimaced, tucking his head down. “Nah, I wasn’t that bad. I took care of my guys. Inside, I was kind of numb.”
“What did the General say.”
“Asked me what I wanted to do. He could tell I was at the end of my rope. I told him I wanted out, I wanted away as far from Bragg as I could get. He told me he could get me a slot in SOCPAC, but I told him I wanted out of the Army. I had enough time, even at only 38 years old, to retire. He called in his Adjutant and ordered him to get me out ASAP.”
Mary shifted her eyes and quietly asked “What about the divorce?”
“I don’t know. I didn’t put in any paperwork. If she wants a divorce, she’ll have to pay for it herself.”
“Cal, you can’t run from the pain.”
Cal put his face in his hands and sighed. “I have to just make memories to cloud it out then.”
Mary made the best Chicken-Fried steak he’d ever had. Along with the garlic mashed potatoes, green beans and nibblet corn and yeast rolls, Cal was stuffed; but not that stuffed he couldn’t eat a piece of that apple pie. He helped her with the dishes while Jim mixed them after-dinner drinks.
“Cal, what are you packing these days?”
“As always, a Glock 19 with a Glock 36 backup.”
“Any long guns with you?”
“Nah, I’ve got to pick up something and a shotgun too.”
“Say no more. Come with me.”
They walked to the end of the hall and entered a room.
“This is my gun room slash office. I’ve got my FFL, so I’ve been dealing with a lot of stuff. Not too much Class III because of the paperwork. ATF are a real bunch of assholes.”
Jim opened a gun safe and pulled a Remington Model 87, a Springfield M1A1 Match, and finally a Remington 700.
“I picked these up from my cousin’s wife. He’s doing time for making shine and she wanted them out of the house.”
Cal picked the M1A1 up and looked it over. “Nice.”
Jim grinned, “Never been fired. Abner bought these all on one day and they busted him the next.”
“How much do you want for them?”
“I don’t want to sell them; I want to trade them. Mary needs a favor.”
“What does she need?”
“I’ll let her explain it to you.”
Jim locked the guns back up and they went back to the den.
Jim said, “Mary, he’s all yours.” Mary laid her knitting on a side table.
“Cal, my sister Hope could use your help. She’s going through a bad divorce and her husband Roger is nuts. She’s had to take out a restraining order, but you know what those things are worth. She just needs to get out of sight for a few weeks until the divorce is final; maybe sooner. Roger is on Meth and God only knows what else. Maybe he’ll either overdose or someone will kill him.”
“Jesus, Mary, what can I do with her?”
“I thought you might be going up to Colorado.”
Cal owned 1650 acres of land near Glade Park, Colorado that had been willed to him. He paid the taxes out of a trust and had been there a several times to make improvements. It was a treasure that only Jim and Mary and he knew. There’s a caretaker living on the property and he let other ranchers graze the land in his absence. His life had been in a turmoil the last couple of years, so he hadn’t paid a lot of attention to it. Yeah, he could go up there. At least Angela didn’t know about it. He could just disappear off the map.
“Well, I guess I could hide her out there for a few weeks. You don’t really even know the location, so you wouldn’t actually be lying if you were asked where she was.”
“Mary, where is she living now.” Cal asked.
“She’s still staying at her house in Rockford.”
“Well, we need to keep a low profile to get her out of here. Have her pack a bag with just what she needs for a few days. After that, I can get her whatever she needs. If anybody asks, she’s coming here to visit for a few days.”
Mary looked at Cal for a few seconds and said, “I’ll call her now. She could be here this evening.”
“Good, we’re going to go dark on this. We’re leaving in the early morning, but something has to be done with her car.”
“Oh, she won’t care. Roger would only let her have a ten-year-old Honda.”
“More the better. We can leave it somewhere with the keys in it and someone will have it within the hour.”
Jim walked back and Mary and Cal explained what was going on. Jim nodded and said “Well, we need to get you loaded up.”
“Nah, all I’ll need to do is repack my overnight bag.”
“Unh huh Hoss, you’ve got some additions. Come on.”
Cal followed Jim back to his gun room, and he unlocked the gun cabinet and handed Cal the guns he’d shown him earlier. He went over to another gun cabinet and started pulling out more guns. The first were two Savage Model 24s, one in 20/22 configuration the other 12/22 mag configuration. Next was a Henry 22 mag lever action. Finally, he pulled out a Henry 45 Colt lever action. Along went a Ruger Vaquero in .45 Colt with a western style belt rig.
“Jim, I can’t take these!”
Don’t worry about these. They came cheap. And the price is well worth it seeing that you’re helping Hope out. I love her like my little sister. Anyways, you’ll need them for hunting where you’re going.”
“Well, okay. Jim I really appreciate this,”
“Don’t thank me yet. Let’s get these stored in their cases."
They got the guns put away in their cases and loaded them in the Suburban. Jim grinned and said, “Couple of more trips.”
They went back to his gun room he started stacking 50 cal ammo boxes on the table.
“Jim, what the hell is this?”
“You’ve got guns but no bullets. I’m adding 1000 rounds of each caliber, except for the 22 cal. I’m throwing in 5000 rounds of that.”
“Well, I owe you. Once things settle down, You and Mary should come up for a vacation. Lots of good hunting and fishing.”
“We’ll take you up on that.”
They loaded up the ammo and went back to the kitchen. Mary poured them cups of coffee and they waited for Hope.
Twenty minutes later, Hope drove up. They all went out to meet her and Cal flinched slightly as she got out of the car. It had been several years since the last time he’d seen her. There was about 6 years difference in their ages, he thought. The girl was beautiful! Mary glanced over at Cal and grinned. Cal was glad it was twilight because everyone would have seen him blush. He took Hope’s bag and put it in the Suburban, then returned to the little group.
“Mary, I love the perfume you’re wearing. What is it?”
“I’m not wearing any perfume” and she turned to Hope.
“It’s Chance, by Chanel” Hope said blushing.
Cal shuffled his feet and cleared his throat. “Jim, where can we drop the car off, so it’s picked up quick?
“Take it to a Walmart and leave the keys in it. Someone will steal it within an hour.”
Cal finally looked over at Hope.
“We need to get going. First, we need to stop by Walmart on 411 to pick up burner phones and leave the car. In fact, give me your phone.”
She gave Cal her phone and Cal pulled the battery and SIM chip and gave them to Mary. He did the same with his phone. Cal went back to his Suburban and pulled out a phone from his locker and gave it to Mary.
“We’ll give you calls to this phone when we hit I-40 so you have our numbers. Do not, under any circumstances, call us on any other phone.”
Cal and Hope said their goodbyes and he followed Hope to Walmart. Cal purchased four phones and dropped the car off. An hour later they were coming into Knoxville on I-40.
“Pull out two of the phones and call Mary on each of them. Tell her I’ll text when we stop for the first leg.”
“How far are we going tonight?”
“I don’t plan to stop until we hit Indiana, except for rest stops.”
“Okay.”
He hoped she didn’t want to stop too often. You know some women need to go the restroom every intersection, it seemed like. But she was a trooper. She fell asleep until they got on the outskirts of Lexington, Kentucky. Cal was left with his thoughts and the light scent of her perfume. A few hours later, Hope awoke. Looking over at Cal, she stretched and yawned. “I’m hungry.”
“Okay, we can take a break and get some breakfast at an all-nighter. With these extended fuel tanks, I don’t really need to fuel up, but I might as well.”
Cal stopped for fuel first. Hope jumped out and used the restroom while he was fueling.
They found a Truck-stop off I-64 and had breakfast. Forty minutes they were back on the road headed west on I-64.
“Cal, I really appreciate you doing this for me. I’ve been so stressed out with this mess I didn’t know what to do.”
“No problem. I could use a dish washer when we arrive at the Ranch.”
Reaching over, she slapped Cal’s right arm. “Just don’t dirty up too many dishes!”
He had her load some CDs in the player and they listened for a while. Surprisingly, her taste in music mirrored his, so the ride was pleasant.
Hope reached and turned the music down. “Cal, I’m sorry about what Angela did to you. Jim said you were devastated. I’m glad you’re taking a break.”
“Yeah, well, some women just can’t take being a military wife; especially with the units I served in.”
They were silent for a few more minutes before she turned the volume back up.
“When are we stopping?”
“Probably around Elberfeld, Indiana. I can make it that far. Get on the internet and find us a Holiday Inn or something in that area and get us a couple of rooms. Here’s my credit card.”
“We don’t need two rooms. I trust you. I’ll get a room with doubles. I’m still a little uneasy being alone.”
“Whatever makes you happy.”
After a few minutes of searching she said, “We’ll have to go to Evansville for a decent hotel.”
“No problem,”
“Holiday Inn, Baymont, or Quality Inn?”
“Let’s do a Holiday Inn. They usually have a bar.”
“Check….and done!”
Later, they found the Holiday Inn and after checking in, went to their room.
He let her pick which bed she wanted. Of course, she picked the bed farthest away from the door, and close to the bathroom.
“Hope, if you want to get a shower, I’ll check in with Mary and Jim and give them our status.”
“Are we going out to eat? I’m starving!”
“Sure, I saw a steakhouse down the street we could go to.”
“Slacks and blouse Okay?”
“That’s fine. I’m just going to wear kakis and a polo.”
She picked out her clothes and went into the bathroom, closing the door.
He picked up his phone and called Mary.
“Cal, where are you two?”
“We’re in Indiana. We’ll stay here the rest of the day to chill out. The hardest part of this journey is done. We’ll take our time for the rest of the trip.”
“Good. Both of you need to just relax. Maybe do a little sightseeing. Hope has never really been much west of the Mississippi.”
“We’ll do that. We need to stop somewhere, maybe Kansas City, and get her the appropriate clothing.”
“Cal, don’t you start spending all your money on that girl. Just let me know the bill and I’ll pay you back.”
“No problem. I won’t spend too much. I just want to make sure she’s comfortable.” “Mary didn’t know about the gold mine.” Cal thought.
“Well, give me a call when you get settled in Kansas City,”
“Will do. Hope’s done in the bathroom. I’ve got to get a quick shower and go feed her. She’s like a starving Armenian.”
“Okay” Mary said laughing. “Just keep in touch.”
“Love ya.”
“Love ya right back.”
Cal took a quick shower and when he came out of the bathroom, he had to look away from her. She was beautiful! He finished putting on his socks and loafers and they started out the door.
“You aren’t wearing your perfume."
Hope blushed. “Wait a second.” She hurried to her bag and went into the bathroom. She came back out and they left for an early dinner.
Ohhhhh! He had eaten too much. They both had steaks, she a Rib Eye, he a Tomahawk, with salads and baked potatoes. They didn’t even stop at the hotel bar, just went straight to their room. As soon as he got inside, he kicked off his shoes.
“Hope, I need to take a nap.”
His internal clock failed to function, and he didn’t wake until 5:00AM the next morning, still clothed. Then he slowly realized there was an arm across his chest and a head full of auburn hair laying on his shoulder. He tried to gently get off the bed without waking her, but she snapped awake and tightened her grip on his chest.
“Not yet. Just a few more minutes. I haven’t slept this good in months. Thank You.”
He sighed and pulled her closer. It had been a while since he’d held a beautiful woman.
Twenty minutes later, he lightly popped her on her butt. “This is nice, but we’ve got to get out of here.”
“Allll right.”
They showered, packed and loaded their bags in the Suburban. She was wearing her perfume.
Hope grinned. Taking him by his arm she said, “I’m hungry.”
He just laughed and they went back into the hotel and raided the buffet. Thirty minutes later they were back on the road.
“Hope, how far west have you traveled?”
“Well, right after my college graduation, a few of us girls went to St. Louis. I wanted to visit the Gateway Arch. But didn’t get to.”
“Well, we’ll take time today.”
“Oh Cal, you don’t have to do that.”
“Hey, gotta check off that bucket list.”
“Thank You.”
“Well, I have ulterior motives. We want to pace ourselves and get to Kansas City tonight. Tomorrow, we’ll spend the day getting you outfitted for the Ranch.”
“Cal, you don’t have to spend any money on me.”
“I do, because I know what you need, and I’ve got more money than I can spend on myself. I want to give you a fresh start.”
Hope didn’t say anything else; just stared out the window.
Well, she got to see the Arch and they spent 2 hours touring the museum there and had lunch.
Getting on I-64 again, they headed north to catch I-70. Handing her a credit card, Cal told her to find them a Holiday Inn in Kansas City.
After a leisurely drive they arrived at the hotel. After checking in and doing their bathroom visits, Hope turned to him.
“Are you going to feed me?”
“No, My Lady, I’m going to wine and dine you tonight.”
“But I don’t have anything to wear!”
“We are in Kansas City to shop, so let’s go shopping.”
They stopped by the front desk and asked the girl there where they could get Hope an LBD. The girl smiled and told them her sister worked at a boutique down the street that would have whatever Hope wanted.
Hope turned to Cal. “I want to go by myself.”
Cal handed her a credit card and told her he’d meet her back at the room at 6:00 PM, then headed for the bar.
Cal nursed a couple of beers then pulled out his phone and called Mary.
“Cal, are you in Kansas City?"
“Yep, were going out to dinner tonight then do the shopping tomorrow.”
“Good, I don’t remember the last time Roger took her out on a date.”
“Mary, this is not a date. I thought I’d just take her out to some place nice.”
“Yeah, Okay, but you be careful. She’s always had a little crush on you.”
“I’m not out to get involved with anyone. I’ve been burned too badly.”
“We’ll see.”
“Well, I guess I need to go get ready. I’ll call you tomorrow night.”
“Wait Cal, Jim needs to talk to you.”
“Cal, I got a call from Aaron Webster. Angela signed the papers. Everything should be wrapped up within couple of months. She asked for nothing.”
“Thanks Jim. I’ll talk to you and Mary tomorrow.”
He hit the call end button and stared at the empty beer mug, looked at his watch and ordered another beer.
Cal went back up to the room at 5:30 PM. Hope stepped out of the bathroom in a robe.
“Go ahead and get your shower. I can put on my makeup out here.”
Cal pulled out his clothes bag and removed a pair of gray slacks and underwear. He went into the bathroom, took a quick shower and dressed. Finishing, he opened the door and Hope immediately went in. She had already put on her dress.
“I’ll finish my makeup and be right with you.
He finished dressing, pulling on a Tilly sports coat.
They went to a nice dinner club. The food was incredibly good and the dancing even better. Dancing with Hope and smelling the trace of her perfume fogged his mind and faded the thoughts of his divorce. They had a really good time.
They arrived back to the hotel around 12:30 AM. Hope prepared for bed first. Cal went into the bathroom and put on a pair of running shorts and a T-Shirt. When he came out of the bathroom, Hope was in his bed.
“Can I sleep with you again? I don’t want to do anything else. I’m not divorced yet. I just want you to hold me.”
Cal climbed in and she moved over and placed her head on his chest. When he awoke, it was 5:00AM. As he tried to slowly climb out of bed, Hope tighten her grip on his chest and moaned, “Nooooo…just a few more minutes.” He smiled to himself and pulled her closer. He could get used to this.
They finally got up at 7:00 AM, did the bathroom thing and got dressed. Ready for the day, they went and attacked the buffet. Cal shook his head, he wondered where she put it all.
“What’s the plan Cal?”
“Well, we need to get you some boots, jeans, shirts, western wear primarily. Then you can pick up the incidentals. We could get some of it in Grand Junction, but I’ve got some other things to get.”
“Like what?”
“Well, food mostly. There’s plenty of long-term storage foods, but I want some fresh fruit and vegetables. I’ll buy a trailer in Grand Junction and fill it up at Sam’s Club and COSTCO. I might have to get an 18-wheeler to haul all the food you consume.”
“Shut UP!” she said, hitting him on the arm.
“The stores don’t open up for another hour. What say we take a walk to let all that food settle in those hollow legs?”
Punching him in the side, she wrapped herself around his left arm and said, “Let’s go.”
They shopped and shopped some more. They completely filled the back the Suburban to the top of the inside.
“Okay, stop. I’ve changed my mind. Let’s go get a trailer now. I’m running out of room in the truck and there’s more stuff you need.”
So, they went trailer shopping. Cal quickly found an 8x12 enclosed trailer he liked. A quick trip to Walmart got them the tie-down straps. They cross loaded the ammo cans and what clothes she didn’t need for the next few days. They settled for a decent meal at a family restaurant and went back to the hotel.
“How much further do we have to go?”
“It’s around 750 miles to Grand Junction. We’ll stay over tomorrow night and pick up groceries. It’s only 20 miles to the Ranch from there.”
They left Kansas City at 5:00 AM. Stopping only for food and fuel/bathroom breaks, they arrived in Grand Junction at 5:00 PM. After such a grueling day of driving, Cal and Hope settled for sandwiches and salads at a deli. Settling down for bed, Hope again crawled back in Cal's bed and snuggled up to him and was soon sleeping.
Cal’s internal alarm clock woke him again at 5:00AM. Again, he tried to sneak out of bed.
“Nooooo, just a little while longer.” Hope said wistfully. He pulled her closer and settled into a doze. Sam’s and COSTCO didn’t open until 10:00 AM, so they had plenty of time.
Cal cranked the Suburban and wheeled out of the parking lot headed for the All-American Freeway. He had just got it back from an engine swap for a 6BT diesel engine. His destination…he didn’t know…
Cal headed down the All American and onto I-95, his mind blank. He was nearing Florence, South Carolina when he saw the hawk; it was flying west. So, he got on Interstate 20, no particular destination in mind.
“Mail’s in!”
“Just put the mail for the guys on patrol on their bunks. They’ll be in this afternoon.”
“Got a letter for you too, Cal.” Cal had taken Angela’s letter over to his bunk to read.
"What the hell! She wants a divorce. Is she seeing someone else? About that time the radio burst out in cries of ‘Ambush’ and calls for assistance. Cal and four other guys jumped into a Hummer and raced to the ambush site. The guys were under heavy fire, so they stopped short, one guy stayed back to man the MK19. Cal and the other guys ran to flank the hajis. Cal’s mind was numb. He rushed several positions, killing all there and took out a machine gun and another two hajis with RPG launchers. Cal’s men had never seen anything like it. They expected him to go down under a hail of gunfire at any moment. But not a bullet touched him.
They pretty soon had the site secured, arriving back at the Firebase just at dusk.
Cal’s mind cleared and he realized he was near Greenville, South Carolina and decided to steer his way to I-26 and hit I-40 to visit a buddy near Maryville, Tennessee. Jim was a Special Forces vet and could get some of the best moonshine in the Appalachians.
Cal left 1-40 at Kodak, Tennessee and worked his way down to the Smokey Mountain Knife Works to pick up a few knives to replace those he’d tossed away in a fit of morose anger, remembering when Angela told him to his face she wanted a divorce. He’d tossed a lot of things that day to burn bridges and try to wipe away memories.
Cal found what he wanted and arrived at Jim’s later on in the evening. Jim grabbed him in a bear-hug.
Word gets out quickly in the Special Forces community. Cal smiled weakly and replied “Hanging in there.”
He grabbed an overnight bag out of the vehicle, and they went inside. Mary, Jim’s wife, came out of the kitchen and immediately wrapped Cal in her arms and kissed his cheek.
“Thank God you’re here! I talked to Jane Hudson yesterday and she said you told her and Dave you might give us a visit. I thought you might be here last night. I was worried!”
“Well,” Cal said, “I headed south to drop a few things off into the Pee Dee River and kind of meandered out this way.” “I was just trying to clear my head.”
“How is Amy?” Mary asked.
“Fine, I suppose. I tried to visit her and her mom, but Angela asked me not to come back, because it would confuse Amy. I love Angela that much that I’ll concede to her wishes.”
“Oh Cal,” Mary said, with a hint of tears in her eyes.
“Well, Pardner, where are you headed to” Jim asked.
“I don’t know. I’m just going to get as far away from the east coast as I can.”
“Are you going to stop in Nashville and see Siobhan?” Mary asked.
Cal looked out the window, a faded memory swimming in his head. “I don’t know.”
“Cal, you know she and the kids would love to see you.”
“Ahhhh maybe. She may be on tour.”
“Well, I happen to know she has a steady gig and is pretty much stationary for the foreseeable future.”
Jim stood up. "By the way, how the hell did you get out of the service so quickly?"
Cal looked up. “When I got back from the last mission in Iraq, General Davis called me in.”
Cal grimaced, tucking his head down. “Nah, I wasn’t that bad. I took care of my guys. Inside, I was kind of numb.”
“What did the General say.”
“Asked me what I wanted to do. He could tell I was at the end of my rope. I told him I wanted out, I wanted away as far from Bragg as I could get. He told me he could get me a slot in SOCPAC, but I told him I wanted out of the Army. I had enough time, even at only 38 years old, to retire. He called in his Adjutant and ordered him to get me out ASAP.”
Mary shifted her eyes and quietly asked “What about the divorce?”
“I don’t know. I didn’t put in any paperwork. If she wants a divorce, she’ll have to pay for it herself.”
“Cal, you can’t run from the pain.”
Cal put his face in his hands and sighed. “I have to just make memories to cloud it out then.”
Mary made the best Chicken-Fried steak he’d ever had. Along with the garlic mashed potatoes, green beans and nibblet corn and yeast rolls, Cal was stuffed; but not that stuffed he couldn’t eat a piece of that apple pie. He helped her with the dishes while Jim mixed them after-dinner drinks.
“Cal, what are you packing these days?”
“As always, a Glock 19 with a Glock 36 backup.”
“Any long guns with you?”
“Nah, I’ve got to pick up something and a shotgun too.”
“Say no more. Come with me.”
They walked to the end of the hall and entered a room.
“This is my gun room slash office. I’ve got my FFL, so I’ve been dealing with a lot of stuff. Not too much Class III because of the paperwork. ATF are a real bunch of assholes.”
Jim opened a gun safe and pulled a Remington Model 87, a Springfield M1A1 Match, and finally a Remington 700.
“I picked these up from my cousin’s wife. He’s doing time for making shine and she wanted them out of the house.”
Cal picked the M1A1 up and looked it over. “Nice.”
Jim grinned, “Never been fired. Abner bought these all on one day and they busted him the next.”
“How much do you want for them?”
“I don’t want to sell them; I want to trade them. Mary needs a favor.”
“What does she need?”
“I’ll let her explain it to you.”
Jim locked the guns back up and they went back to the den.
Jim said, “Mary, he’s all yours.” Mary laid her knitting on a side table.
“Cal, my sister Hope could use your help. She’s going through a bad divorce and her husband Roger is nuts. She’s had to take out a restraining order, but you know what those things are worth. She just needs to get out of sight for a few weeks until the divorce is final; maybe sooner. Roger is on Meth and God only knows what else. Maybe he’ll either overdose or someone will kill him.”
“Jesus, Mary, what can I do with her?”
“I thought you might be going up to Colorado.”
Cal owned 1650 acres of land near Glade Park, Colorado that had been willed to him. He paid the taxes out of a trust and had been there a several times to make improvements. It was a treasure that only Jim and Mary and he knew. There’s a caretaker living on the property and he let other ranchers graze the land in his absence. His life had been in a turmoil the last couple of years, so he hadn’t paid a lot of attention to it. Yeah, he could go up there. At least Angela didn’t know about it. He could just disappear off the map.
“Well, I guess I could hide her out there for a few weeks. You don’t really even know the location, so you wouldn’t actually be lying if you were asked where she was.”
“Mary, where is she living now.” Cal asked.
“She’s still staying at her house in Rockford.”
“Well, we need to keep a low profile to get her out of here. Have her pack a bag with just what she needs for a few days. After that, I can get her whatever she needs. If anybody asks, she’s coming here to visit for a few days.”
Mary looked at Cal for a few seconds and said, “I’ll call her now. She could be here this evening.”
“Good, we’re going to go dark on this. We’re leaving in the early morning, but something has to be done with her car.”
“Oh, she won’t care. Roger would only let her have a ten-year-old Honda.”
“More the better. We can leave it somewhere with the keys in it and someone will have it within the hour.”
Jim walked back and Mary and Cal explained what was going on. Jim nodded and said “Well, we need to get you loaded up.”
“Nah, all I’ll need to do is repack my overnight bag.”
“Unh huh Hoss, you’ve got some additions. Come on.”
Cal followed Jim back to his gun room, and he unlocked the gun cabinet and handed Cal the guns he’d shown him earlier. He went over to another gun cabinet and started pulling out more guns. The first were two Savage Model 24s, one in 20/22 configuration the other 12/22 mag configuration. Next was a Henry 22 mag lever action. Finally, he pulled out a Henry 45 Colt lever action. Along went a Ruger Vaquero in .45 Colt with a western style belt rig.
“Jim, I can’t take these!”
Don’t worry about these. They came cheap. And the price is well worth it seeing that you’re helping Hope out. I love her like my little sister. Anyways, you’ll need them for hunting where you’re going.”
“Well, okay. Jim I really appreciate this,”
“Don’t thank me yet. Let’s get these stored in their cases."
They got the guns put away in their cases and loaded them in the Suburban. Jim grinned and said, “Couple of more trips.”
They went back to his gun room he started stacking 50 cal ammo boxes on the table.
“Jim, what the hell is this?”
“You’ve got guns but no bullets. I’m adding 1000 rounds of each caliber, except for the 22 cal. I’m throwing in 5000 rounds of that.”
“Well, I owe you. Once things settle down, You and Mary should come up for a vacation. Lots of good hunting and fishing.”
“We’ll take you up on that.”
They loaded up the ammo and went back to the kitchen. Mary poured them cups of coffee and they waited for Hope.
Twenty minutes later, Hope drove up. They all went out to meet her and Cal flinched slightly as she got out of the car. It had been several years since the last time he’d seen her. There was about 6 years difference in their ages, he thought. The girl was beautiful! Mary glanced over at Cal and grinned. Cal was glad it was twilight because everyone would have seen him blush. He took Hope’s bag and put it in the Suburban, then returned to the little group.
“Mary, I love the perfume you’re wearing. What is it?”
“I’m not wearing any perfume” and she turned to Hope.
“It’s Chance, by Chanel” Hope said blushing.
Cal shuffled his feet and cleared his throat. “Jim, where can we drop the car off, so it’s picked up quick?
“Take it to a Walmart and leave the keys in it. Someone will steal it within an hour.”
Cal finally looked over at Hope.
“We need to get going. First, we need to stop by Walmart on 411 to pick up burner phones and leave the car. In fact, give me your phone.”
She gave Cal her phone and Cal pulled the battery and SIM chip and gave them to Mary. He did the same with his phone. Cal went back to his Suburban and pulled out a phone from his locker and gave it to Mary.
“We’ll give you calls to this phone when we hit I-40 so you have our numbers. Do not, under any circumstances, call us on any other phone.”
Cal and Hope said their goodbyes and he followed Hope to Walmart. Cal purchased four phones and dropped the car off. An hour later they were coming into Knoxville on I-40.
“Pull out two of the phones and call Mary on each of them. Tell her I’ll text when we stop for the first leg.”
“How far are we going tonight?”
“I don’t plan to stop until we hit Indiana, except for rest stops.”
“Okay.”
He hoped she didn’t want to stop too often. You know some women need to go the restroom every intersection, it seemed like. But she was a trooper. She fell asleep until they got on the outskirts of Lexington, Kentucky. Cal was left with his thoughts and the light scent of her perfume. A few hours later, Hope awoke. Looking over at Cal, she stretched and yawned. “I’m hungry.”
“Okay, we can take a break and get some breakfast at an all-nighter. With these extended fuel tanks, I don’t really need to fuel up, but I might as well.”
Cal stopped for fuel first. Hope jumped out and used the restroom while he was fueling.
They found a Truck-stop off I-64 and had breakfast. Forty minutes they were back on the road headed west on I-64.
“Cal, I really appreciate you doing this for me. I’ve been so stressed out with this mess I didn’t know what to do.”
“No problem. I could use a dish washer when we arrive at the Ranch.”
Reaching over, she slapped Cal’s right arm. “Just don’t dirty up too many dishes!”
He had her load some CDs in the player and they listened for a while. Surprisingly, her taste in music mirrored his, so the ride was pleasant.
Hope reached and turned the music down. “Cal, I’m sorry about what Angela did to you. Jim said you were devastated. I’m glad you’re taking a break.”
“Yeah, well, some women just can’t take being a military wife; especially with the units I served in.”
They were silent for a few more minutes before she turned the volume back up.
“When are we stopping?”
“Probably around Elberfeld, Indiana. I can make it that far. Get on the internet and find us a Holiday Inn or something in that area and get us a couple of rooms. Here’s my credit card.”
“We don’t need two rooms. I trust you. I’ll get a room with doubles. I’m still a little uneasy being alone.”
“Whatever makes you happy.”
After a few minutes of searching she said, “We’ll have to go to Evansville for a decent hotel.”
“No problem,”
“Holiday Inn, Baymont, or Quality Inn?”
“Let’s do a Holiday Inn. They usually have a bar.”
“Check….and done!”
Later, they found the Holiday Inn and after checking in, went to their room.
He let her pick which bed she wanted. Of course, she picked the bed farthest away from the door, and close to the bathroom.
“Hope, if you want to get a shower, I’ll check in with Mary and Jim and give them our status.”
“Are we going out to eat? I’m starving!”
“Sure, I saw a steakhouse down the street we could go to.”
“Slacks and blouse Okay?”
“That’s fine. I’m just going to wear kakis and a polo.”
She picked out her clothes and went into the bathroom, closing the door.
He picked up his phone and called Mary.
“Cal, where are you two?”
“We’re in Indiana. We’ll stay here the rest of the day to chill out. The hardest part of this journey is done. We’ll take our time for the rest of the trip.”
“Good. Both of you need to just relax. Maybe do a little sightseeing. Hope has never really been much west of the Mississippi.”
“We’ll do that. We need to stop somewhere, maybe Kansas City, and get her the appropriate clothing.”
“Cal, don’t you start spending all your money on that girl. Just let me know the bill and I’ll pay you back.”
“No problem. I won’t spend too much. I just want to make sure she’s comfortable.” “Mary didn’t know about the gold mine.” Cal thought.
“Well, give me a call when you get settled in Kansas City,”
“Will do. Hope’s done in the bathroom. I’ve got to get a quick shower and go feed her. She’s like a starving Armenian.”
“Okay” Mary said laughing. “Just keep in touch.”
“Love ya.”
“Love ya right back.”
Cal took a quick shower and when he came out of the bathroom, he had to look away from her. She was beautiful! He finished putting on his socks and loafers and they started out the door.
“You aren’t wearing your perfume."
Hope blushed. “Wait a second.” She hurried to her bag and went into the bathroom. She came back out and they left for an early dinner.
Ohhhhh! He had eaten too much. They both had steaks, she a Rib Eye, he a Tomahawk, with salads and baked potatoes. They didn’t even stop at the hotel bar, just went straight to their room. As soon as he got inside, he kicked off his shoes.
“Hope, I need to take a nap.”
His internal clock failed to function, and he didn’t wake until 5:00AM the next morning, still clothed. Then he slowly realized there was an arm across his chest and a head full of auburn hair laying on his shoulder. He tried to gently get off the bed without waking her, but she snapped awake and tightened her grip on his chest.
“Not yet. Just a few more minutes. I haven’t slept this good in months. Thank You.”
He sighed and pulled her closer. It had been a while since he’d held a beautiful woman.
Twenty minutes later, he lightly popped her on her butt. “This is nice, but we’ve got to get out of here.”
“Allll right.”
They showered, packed and loaded their bags in the Suburban. She was wearing her perfume.
Hope grinned. Taking him by his arm she said, “I’m hungry.”
He just laughed and they went back into the hotel and raided the buffet. Thirty minutes later they were back on the road.
“Hope, how far west have you traveled?”
“Well, right after my college graduation, a few of us girls went to St. Louis. I wanted to visit the Gateway Arch. But didn’t get to.”
“Well, we’ll take time today.”
“Oh Cal, you don’t have to do that.”
“Hey, gotta check off that bucket list.”
“Thank You.”
“Well, I have ulterior motives. We want to pace ourselves and get to Kansas City tonight. Tomorrow, we’ll spend the day getting you outfitted for the Ranch.”
“Cal, you don’t have to spend any money on me.”
“I do, because I know what you need, and I’ve got more money than I can spend on myself. I want to give you a fresh start.”
Hope didn’t say anything else; just stared out the window.
Well, she got to see the Arch and they spent 2 hours touring the museum there and had lunch.
Getting on I-64 again, they headed north to catch I-70. Handing her a credit card, Cal told her to find them a Holiday Inn in Kansas City.
After a leisurely drive they arrived at the hotel. After checking in and doing their bathroom visits, Hope turned to him.
“Are you going to feed me?”
“No, My Lady, I’m going to wine and dine you tonight.”
“But I don’t have anything to wear!”
“We are in Kansas City to shop, so let’s go shopping.”
They stopped by the front desk and asked the girl there where they could get Hope an LBD. The girl smiled and told them her sister worked at a boutique down the street that would have whatever Hope wanted.
Hope turned to Cal. “I want to go by myself.”
Cal handed her a credit card and told her he’d meet her back at the room at 6:00 PM, then headed for the bar.
Cal nursed a couple of beers then pulled out his phone and called Mary.
“Cal, are you in Kansas City?"
“Yep, were going out to dinner tonight then do the shopping tomorrow.”
“Good, I don’t remember the last time Roger took her out on a date.”
“Mary, this is not a date. I thought I’d just take her out to some place nice.”
“Yeah, Okay, but you be careful. She’s always had a little crush on you.”
“I’m not out to get involved with anyone. I’ve been burned too badly.”
“We’ll see.”
“Well, I guess I need to go get ready. I’ll call you tomorrow night.”
“Wait Cal, Jim needs to talk to you.”
“Cal, I got a call from Aaron Webster. Angela signed the papers. Everything should be wrapped up within couple of months. She asked for nothing.”
“Thanks Jim. I’ll talk to you and Mary tomorrow.”
He hit the call end button and stared at the empty beer mug, looked at his watch and ordered another beer.
Cal went back up to the room at 5:30 PM. Hope stepped out of the bathroom in a robe.
“Go ahead and get your shower. I can put on my makeup out here.”
Cal pulled out his clothes bag and removed a pair of gray slacks and underwear. He went into the bathroom, took a quick shower and dressed. Finishing, he opened the door and Hope immediately went in. She had already put on her dress.
“I’ll finish my makeup and be right with you.
He finished dressing, pulling on a Tilly sports coat.
They went to a nice dinner club. The food was incredibly good and the dancing even better. Dancing with Hope and smelling the trace of her perfume fogged his mind and faded the thoughts of his divorce. They had a really good time.
They arrived back to the hotel around 12:30 AM. Hope prepared for bed first. Cal went into the bathroom and put on a pair of running shorts and a T-Shirt. When he came out of the bathroom, Hope was in his bed.
“Can I sleep with you again? I don’t want to do anything else. I’m not divorced yet. I just want you to hold me.”
Cal climbed in and she moved over and placed her head on his chest. When he awoke, it was 5:00AM. As he tried to slowly climb out of bed, Hope tighten her grip on his chest and moaned, “Nooooo…just a few more minutes.” He smiled to himself and pulled her closer. He could get used to this.
They finally got up at 7:00 AM, did the bathroom thing and got dressed. Ready for the day, they went and attacked the buffet. Cal shook his head, he wondered where she put it all.
“What’s the plan Cal?”
“Well, we need to get you some boots, jeans, shirts, western wear primarily. Then you can pick up the incidentals. We could get some of it in Grand Junction, but I’ve got some other things to get.”
“Like what?”
“Well, food mostly. There’s plenty of long-term storage foods, but I want some fresh fruit and vegetables. I’ll buy a trailer in Grand Junction and fill it up at Sam’s Club and COSTCO. I might have to get an 18-wheeler to haul all the food you consume.”
“Shut UP!” she said, hitting him on the arm.
“The stores don’t open up for another hour. What say we take a walk to let all that food settle in those hollow legs?”
Punching him in the side, she wrapped herself around his left arm and said, “Let’s go.”
They shopped and shopped some more. They completely filled the back the Suburban to the top of the inside.
“Okay, stop. I’ve changed my mind. Let’s go get a trailer now. I’m running out of room in the truck and there’s more stuff you need.”
So, they went trailer shopping. Cal quickly found an 8x12 enclosed trailer he liked. A quick trip to Walmart got them the tie-down straps. They cross loaded the ammo cans and what clothes she didn’t need for the next few days. They settled for a decent meal at a family restaurant and went back to the hotel.
“How much further do we have to go?”
“It’s around 750 miles to Grand Junction. We’ll stay over tomorrow night and pick up groceries. It’s only 20 miles to the Ranch from there.”
They left Kansas City at 5:00 AM. Stopping only for food and fuel/bathroom breaks, they arrived in Grand Junction at 5:00 PM. After such a grueling day of driving, Cal and Hope settled for sandwiches and salads at a deli. Settling down for bed, Hope again crawled back in Cal's bed and snuggled up to him and was soon sleeping.
Cal’s internal alarm clock woke him again at 5:00AM. Again, he tried to sneak out of bed.
“Nooooo, just a little while longer.” Hope said wistfully. He pulled her closer and settled into a doze. Sam’s and COSTCO didn’t open until 10:00 AM, so they had plenty of time.