|
Post by iamnobody on Oct 9, 2021 12:39:28 GMT -6
Tom's Story
When Tom was a teenage boy, he was always into reading about mountain men and homesteading. In the library he was always reading books about the subject and watching all the videos on that subject. When he wasn't reading or watching videos, he was out doing the skills. Whether it was in his parents backyard or the frequent camping trips, he practiced the skills. How many 16 year old do you know that can make a fire in the rain using flint and steel. He was also taking first aid classes and etc.
He had joined the Scouts and soon he was a teenager leading and showing the skills when the adult teachers realized that his knowledge and skills far out ranked what they knew. He continued his learning and soon had the skills of a first responder. Before he was 17 years old, he had already rendered medical aid in several emergencies that happened nearby, even being accredited with saving a person's life when they had a heart attack in a store.
Having graduated public school, instead of attending college he opted for trade schools. To pay for tuition he worked at different jobs doing different skills. As a young man he could already see that the world was not all warm and fuzzy that most people thought it was. He could already see trouble looming on the horizon. The economy was like a bucket of water that had a bunch of small holes being continuously poked in it. At some point it would burst open and everything would collapse.
So he was learning different skills that could be useful in a life that may not be normal. He learned wood working, metal working, leather working, shoe making, even some sewing skills. He studied herbs, how to grow them and how they are used. He worked on gunsmithing and ammo reloading. Attended the “old time” trapper rendezvous and soon became widely respected as a skilled person in these areas.
Granted, women were not attracted to a man that had these types of skills. Sure he had a few dates over the years but 1 or 2 dates was all the women wanted. They wanted a man that had a “regular” job. That worked out to Tom's advantage. The money he was making, he invested it in some smart moves. The best move he made was picking up a piece of scrape paper that was littering the sidewalk. He was just being his normal polite self, picking up what he saw as garbage to be disposed of. It was a lottery ticket.
|
|
|
Post by iamnobody on Oct 10, 2021 9:10:25 GMT -6
He continued down the street to the convenience store to buy his daily Twinkies and a bottle of Mountain Dew. Paying for his items, he saw on the overhead screen a promotion for the lotto which reminded him of the paper in his pocket. Checking the date he saw it was yesterday's ticket and scanned the numbers against the posted numbers. Oh well, not a winner but he figured he could at least use it as fire starter. Then he heard the TV blaring about today's lotto, how it was obscenely high because no one had won in 3 months and lots of people all over the country were buying tickets. The prize was now worth $800,000,000. Tom was not normally a betting man but he figured that he could forgo the Twinkies tomorrow and buy 1 ticket today. He had the clerk generate a computer number, paid the $1 and pocketed the ticket.
The next day he had completely forgot about the lotto and was doing his daily studies. Taking online courses for subjects he loved, he was completely immersed in his learning. It was only after several days when he had a chance to relax and was watching the TV news and all the talk was about the lotto and how there was only 1 winning number but no one had come forward to claim the prize yet. The newscasters were saying that there were 2 options for the winner, take a lump sum payout which meant taxes taken out would be $560,000,000 or a payout over 10 years with each year getting $80,000,000. They then posted the winning numbers. Tom remembered his ticket and went to get it off his dresser where he had laid it days ago. Coming back to the TV, he flopped down in his chair and compared the numbers. After doing that 3 times, his mouth hanging wide open, he realized he was a multi millionaire at age 28. He sit there in shock with his mind racing about what to do. Finally he realized he would need the services of a lawyer and an accountant. Finding phone numbers of well known firms for each, he made some phone calls and made appointments for ASAP dates.
|
|
|
Post by ydderf on Oct 10, 2021 10:37:35 GMT -6
looking good,nice start. How long do we wait for more?
|
|
|
Post by iamnobody on Oct 11, 2021 8:20:23 GMT -6
3 days later he was able to get appointments with both firms and get things moving. The law firm would handle claiming and routing the money to a bank account. He chose the 10 year payout. The accounting firm was advising what to do with the money so it didn't cause massive taxes. The accountant was very surprised when Tom didn't want to buy a big mansion, nor a fancy car or a yacht.
While this was going on, Tom told no one except his parents about winning the lotto for $800,000,000. He had no siblings. He did not let the money go to his head and go spending money on fancy high society things. Tom and his parents were planning on a celebratory meal at a local restaurant in the evening.
After the meal, the 3 of them were outside the door heading for their car when suddenly Tom heard loud gunshots. He could see muzzle flashes coming from a car about 30 feet away. He felt a tug on his arm as he was turning towards his parents to get them down on the ground. He could see in slow motion his mom already on the ground. His dad fell into him and they both went down in a heap on the ground. Tom went to push his dad off him and felt something wet on his hands. He could hear the sound of squealing tires as the car sped off.
Yanking out his phone he dialed 911, gave his name, location, shots fired and that he was giving assistance to gun shot victims. The operator was trying to get him to stay online but he laid the phone done as he moved to check his parents. He could hear sirens in the distance. He could see a pool of blood under his mom. Rolling her over, he saw at least 3 bullet holes in her chest and feeling for a pulse, there was none. Turning to his dad, again several holes in his chest but he was barely alive. Tom was stuffing clothing over the wounds and trying to talk to his dad to keep him from going into shock. His dad grabbed Tom's arm, looked him in the eyes and mouthed “love ya” . He made a gurgling sound and was gone.
Tom was sitting there holding his dad's body when the police and paramedics arrived. The police were already going to cuff him as the bad guy when the paramedics recognized him and stopped the police. Then it was noticed that Tom had blood coming down his arm. He figured that it was from the tug he had felt on his arm as a bullet had creased him. He gave the police as much info as he could about the shooting and was then transported to the hospital for his wound. Several hours later after being treated, he was released and took a taxi back to get his car and go home.
The police investigation turned up nothing. They said it was most likely a random shooting by new gang members earning their membership. Contacting the law firm that helped him before, it was insured that there were no problems with him getting his parents assets. There wasn't much to it as his family had always been lower middle class – the small house, car, a small savings account and 2 life insurance polices that barely covered their funerals.
Tom was tired of the area. He lived on the west coast with all the crime and liberalism. He wanted out. He started looking for a place that would fit better with his lifestyle of simplicity. He contacted Realtors in the mid west and Appalachia areas. He continued his studies in skills while waiting on leads on real estate. Several months go by with no good leads. They were all trying to show him small houses in cities. The trapper rendezvous was in progress so he went. Normally he would be set up, selling things and showing skills but this time he just went to relax.
The regulars were there and Tom caught up on all the latest news. They were all sorry at Tom's misfortune. Tom thanked them and explained how he wanted to move to a remote area. Later that evening, one of the regular attendees pulled him aside to talk in private. The guy was known simply as Old Hank. The man was old. People often used to joke that Noah from the bible was Old Hank's younger brother.
Old Hank asked if Tom was serious about wanting a remote place saying that now he was 75 years old and wanted to be closer to a town due to his health. Old Hank said he had a remote place out in the boonies in Appalachia, a small 2 bedroom house on 30 acres. The nearest town was 20 miles away. It had a water well with hand pump but no electricity and a decent road to access it.
Tom asked how much for it. Old Hank said they could discuss that when Tom saw it. Tom did google the address and using the satellite feature looked at the area and was quite pleased at the lack of neighbors and towns near it. So Tom agreed to go look at it with Old Hank. Not rushing the trip by car, it took several days to get there with them stopping each evening in a park and camping for the night.
|
|
|
Post by iamnobody on Oct 11, 2021 9:34:48 GMT -6
The 7th day they pulled into the town nearest Old Hank's place. Population of 10,000 with 2 grocery stores, 1 bank, 1 hardware store, 2 diners, 2 churches and 3 bars. They went to a diner so Tom could get a feel of the people. A simple but tasty meal while observing the locals. Most seemed like decent folks. Finished with the meal, they paid and left a decent tip for the teenage waitress.
According to Old Hank, it was 20 miles to his place. Tom was loving the scenery, all the lush green. As they went farther from the town, there were less houses. The last 5 miles there were no houses at all. The road was now a dirt road, still in decent shape so Tom had no problems driving his car. Finally they arrived and got out.
Tom could see a small cabin, he saw a water hand pump sticking up in the yard, there was what looked like several acres of open field, a stream flowing at the edge of the woods. He could see in the forest hardwoods, softwoods and some pines mixed in. He could hear birds calling and overhead a flock of crows cawing as they chased a hawk. Old Hank walked him around the property showing him the property boundaries of the 30 acres. Then took him inside the cabin.
A simple cabin, strong doors and new double pane windows. The walls looked to be 12 inches thick. A living room with a wood stove with a really nice kitchen in an open floor plan. At the other end were 2 bedrooms separated by a bathroom. Old Hank took him downstairs to the basement which was completely finished with a concrete floor and no signs of water stains. Tom was impressed.
Tom asked Old Hank how much he wanted for the place. Tom had checked on property values in the area during his trip here. Old Hank told him $200,000 and Tom told him it was only worth about $125,000 according to his research. Old Hank said that he had known Tom for years from the rendezvous meetings and thought he had read Tom right in believing Tom was concerned about future events. Tom agreed that was right. Old Hank said he had 1 more thing to show him. Going to a corner of the basement, Old Hank moved some trash out of the way, revealing a hatchway. Opening the hatch, he flipped a light switch which operated a battery powered light. Going down the ladder, Tom followed him into another basement. Old Hank said it was 12 feet wide by 300 feet long. He explained that he had built it decades ago using out of the area builders. Tom was staring around, then looked at Old Hank and said SOLD!
Tom asked when Old Hank could move and was told that he could be out in 1 week because he already had a place located in a warmer State. He advised Tom to get a 4x4 truck with a snowplow for winter time, that the government plowing ended 5 miles back the road since he was the only house out this way. They arranged payment details and Tom would be the owner in 2 weeks. Shaking hands they parted, Old Hank to a warmer State and Tom back to the west coast to pack up and move.
Arriving there, he wasted no time contacting the law firm to handle selling the house and car. He was selling the house “as is” and fully furnished. All he was taking was some of his clothes and all his books, etc and that all would fit in his car. He took 2 days to do that and headed back to his new home.
|
|
|
Post by NCWEBNUT on Oct 11, 2021 9:54:23 GMT -6
!2 x 300 dang that's the size of a shooting range.
|
|
|
Post by iamnobody on Oct 11, 2021 11:18:02 GMT -6
Tom spent the 1st night in his sleeping bag on the floor of the cabin, no furniture but it was his place. The next day he headed into town to take care of things. He opened an account at the local bank. His accountant had recommended that he spread his money out in different banks. He had 8 different banks holding his money. This local bank he just put enough in to justify an account. He didn't want anyone local knowing that he was rich. Small towns, people always talked and word would spread quickly. He planned on having the money from the house sale to be deposited in the local bank when it sold.
Then to the hardware store for some kitchenware and onto the grocery stores. He checked both of them out and could already see some business opportunities there. He wanted internet service and arranged for that over the phone. He wanted high speed and it would have to be via satellite. He ordered a computer and ways to run it off of DC power. Back home, he put things away and sat outside watching some deer in the yard as the sun went down.
Within a week his parents home and car sold. $250,000 for everything and he deposited that in the local bank. He stopped in at one of the diners and had lunch. It was after rush hour so there weren't a lot of customers. He explained to the young waiter that he was new to the area and was looking for a used 4x4 truck. She told him about a guy named Cooter that lived outside of town in the opposite direction about 2 miles out. Said he couldn't miss it. Thanking her he left a tip and went out.
She was right, he couldn't miss it. Big ole sign above a garage “Cooter's”, some different vehicles sitting around waiting on repairs, some hound dogs running around baying and a man in just overalls and a beard half way down his chest. Tom got out, said the girl at the diner sent him and told him what he was looking for. Cooter took him around back and pulled open a garage door. Inside was a truck. Cooter got in and drove the truck out. A 2000 Dodge Ram 1500 that he had just finished rebuilding the engine and tranny. He would guarantee the motor and tranny for 90 days. The body looked good with just a few small dings. Tom said he could also use a snowplow too and Cooter said he could threw the plow in for a total of $20,000. Sold. They went to the bank, transferred money to Cooter and Tom went home towing his car behind.
|
|
|
Post by gipsy on Oct 11, 2021 11:28:42 GMT -6
Too new. Need a pre 96 to be computer free. Keep it coming please.
|
|
|
Post by iamnobody on Oct 11, 2021 13:06:44 GMT -6
Fast forward a few months, Tom had been busy setting the place up. He now had a whole house propane generator so he could run things. He was still studying and that high speed internet was great. He was making a lot of his own furniture and wasn't having to sit or sleep on the floor anymore. Winter set in the truck was working great at plowing and carrying him around. He kept the road plowed but he often didn't see anyone for weeks. He was always searching the internet for things and catching up on the news, locally, nationally and worldwide. Nothing was getting any better. His investments were just barely holding his money. The 2nd installment in the lotto came in so he now had $160,000,000 to invest.
One day during a heavy snowstorm he somehow ran across a site on the internet called PAW fiction. He got to reading some stories by a bunch of great authors and the next thing he knew his stomach was rumbling and it was dark outside. Looking at the clock he saw he had been reading for 7 hours. He bookmarked the site, got some supper and went to bed.
In the days ahead, he continued reading the stories. Which caused him to research topics. By the time winter was over, he came to the conclusion that all that money he had would be better off investing in more skills and material goods. Things that were tangible and would be of value instead of a piece of paper that stated it was of value.
He had a company deliver and install 3 of their 30,000 gal propane tanks plus a backup propane generator to the one he already had. He had a metal lathe delivered, wood working hand tools, he ordered heavy duty sewing machines.
He needed guns. He went with the Chinese SKS rifles, 12 of them. Then he ordered 500 of the 1200 round cases of ammo for them. For bolt action rifles he decided to use his gunsmithing skills and assemble his own. He ordered direct from Savage Arms 50 of their Axis receivers, then ordered premium barrels from another company. Added in premium stocks from another one. He ordered 8 of the Dillon Blue Presses to reload ammo. Black Hills Shooters Supply was his place for brass and bullets by the case. Smokeless powder by the keg and assorted primers which these 2 items were housed in separate underground caches a distance from the cabin.
He stocked 12 of the Remington 870 home defense models and 12 of the Marlin 22LR bolt action rifles. Ammo he stacked deep – 30/06, 308, 30/30 223, 9mm, 357mag, 40 and 45, 22LR, 12 gauge in birdshot, buckshot and slugs. He ordered rifle scopes and all screws and parts that a gun smith would need.
He had small grain silos installed underground for beans and grains. He made several dehydrators by using replacement parts from Excalibur dehydrators in which he dehydrated vegetables, fruits and meats. ALL these supplies he had delivered to the nearest UPS faculty which was almost 50 miles away and he would pick it up in his truck and bring it home covered so no one could see. The people from the nearest town just knew him as a guy that picked up some part time work from local stores and made high quality items for sale.
|
|
|
Post by iamnobody on Oct 11, 2021 16:27:18 GMT -6
Tom continued making crafts. The local stores had them on consignment and they sold well, to both locals and tourists. Sure he had to travel a distance but that kept people away from his place. He even sold things online. He didn't travel to the rendezvous anymore due to the distance and not wanting to be that far away with current events. But he did set up at the local craft fairs. His work was known to be high quality and his teaching classes were well attended. People liked his rifles he had for sale. He took the Savage Axis rifle actions and trued them up on his lathe, then mated it up with a premium rifle barrel, bedded it in a premium stock using pillar bedding and topped it with a Leupold scope. He always provided targets with each rifle showing ½ MOA at 100 yards. These rifles sold as fast as he cared to make them. Of course he had the necessary licenses.
He was still laying in supplies of many different items from cloth to garden seeds. The underground bunker still had a lot of room left in it. He was growing fresh produce from his fields that he sold in the local grocery stores. One day he was in the store picking up some spices and in the checkout line. The woman in front of him had a few items and seemed nervous. She had on a dress that reached her ankles and was modest in fit. Her items were rung up and she was looking through her purse for the money. She didn't have enough and was $5 short. Tom crumpled up a $5 bill and dropped it by her feet. Then he said that she must of dropped the money. She picked it up with an embarrassed look, paid her bill and left. Tom paid his bill and walked out to the parking lot where he saw the woman waiting for him.
|
|
|
Post by gipsy on Oct 11, 2021 16:37:12 GMT -6
Interesting
|
|
|
Post by bluefox2 on Oct 11, 2021 16:39:18 GMT -6
I smell a possible? match in the making. Thanks for the additions. Now may I please have some MOAR Sir?
|
|
|
Post by 9idrr on Oct 11, 2021 18:57:36 GMT -6
Five bucks is cheap if it gets him an introduction to a nice lady, and even if she's spoken for she may have a sister.
|
|
|
Post by iamnobody on Oct 12, 2021 11:07:38 GMT -6
The woman said that she knew she did not drop the $5 because she is on a tight budget and thanked him for giving it. She said she would pay it back on her next paycheck. He told her to forget about it, that he was just helping out. He introduced himself and she said she was Rita and had moved to town about 2 months ago, worked at a place the next town over and went to the conservative church here in town. Tom said he noticed her modest dress and it was refreshing to see a woman who wasn't advertising her wares.
They chit chatted for a few minutes and Tom worked up his courage to ask for her phone number. Tom is an average looking guy, not handsome, not ugly. He is 5 feet 10 inches tall, 180 pounds, not muscular nor skinny, brown hair and blue eyes. Now Rita is a very beautiful woman, 5 feet 3 inches tall, 115 pounds, long blonde hair to the middle of her back, blue eyes and a delightful laugh. So he was pleasantly surprised she gave her number. They went to their cars and left, with Tom promising to call her.
Tom spent several days working around his place before calling. They set up a date to go out to eat. She said it had to be early because she had work the next day and couldn't stay out late. So he was going to pick her up at 4:30PM and they would go to the local diner. Getting to the address she had given him, Tom found it to be a small 1 bedroom rental house. Knocking at the door, it was opened to a vision of her in another modest long dress to her ankles and a very large male dog setting by her side. She said come on in, this is my dog Rocky. Rita said he was a Labrador mix, weighs 125 pounds and he didn't like most people. That Tom would not get a 2nd date if Rocky didn't like him. Within 2 minutes the dog was bringing every toy he had to Tom to play. Looking at Rita, Tom asked when and where for their next date with a big grin on his face.
At the diner, Tom and Rita had small talk over their meal. Rita explained she had a low paying job and was barely making ends meet. Tom said he had a small place way out in the boonies and did some part time work around town, made crafts to sell and sold some online. That didn't seem to bother Rita. Tom had her back home by 7PM after making plans for another date next week. Tom said he would call her.
|
|
|
Post by iamnobody on Oct 12, 2021 11:43:55 GMT -6
Tom called Rita twice before their next date, chatting 10-15 minutes each time. When Tom came by to pick her up, Rocky must have been watching out the window because when Tom knocked at the door, the dog was already whining with happiness. Getting inside having to push a happy dog out of the way, Tom asked Rita if he could give her dog a treat. Getting a yes, he pulled a doggy treat from his pocket and the dog was very happy. While Rocky was happily chewing the treat, Tom and Rita made an exit.
This time Tom had picked up some burgers and fries from the diner and they sat at a bench in the small park at the edge of town. Rita asked about his family and was told he was an only child and his parents had been killed in a drive by shooting. Rita said both her parents were alive and she had a sister. Tom told her about moving from the west coast to here to get away from the rat race of city life. From his teenage years to now, he just wanted to live a simple lifestyle. Turns out that Rita is 3 years younger than him, been a church goer all her life in very conservative type churches. She said she had made some mistakes and ran up debt in the form of credit cards, TV shopping networks and student loans to the sum of $30,000 but had seen the error of that and was slowly working her way out of debt. Tom offered help in the form of encouragement and said he could give her ideas on ways to cut her expenses and pay the debt down quicker.. She said she would like that. Again he had her back home early, made arrangements for another date and after wrestling with the dog some, he went back home and walked into his cabin with a huge grin on his face.
|
|
|
Post by iamnobody on Oct 12, 2021 12:40:36 GMT -6
After 5 or 6 dates, Tom had worked up the courage to kiss Rita and hold her hand. Several months have gone by, Rita has been out to Tom's place several times and didn't seem put off by the small size. Tom has been encouraging her in reducing her debt and offering ways to get more money by reducing expenses. Rita seemed happy to help out some around his place. She liked tending the chickens and picking fresh produce from the fields. Her dog Rocky really liked the wide open expanse there vs the rental place in town. The dog would often be found at Tom's side as work was being done. Tom and Rita have both said they wanted to be in a committed relationship, so they were now officially boyfriend and girlfriend, if you can call it that at their age.
By this time things were progressing between them and Rita had told him she was okay with sex with him, that she was on birth control but that she was also conservative in sex too and would only do it in 1 position. Tom said that was okay. Usually sex happened at his place due to her insisting on it that way, and never staying the night due to her having to go to work early the next day. A few times during the winter she did stay the night due to forecasted heavy snows and her workplace would be closed, but not often.
Tom continued his studies and making things for the different stores to sell. He always kept a small supply of food in the basement but didn't tell or show Rita the big bunker under it. The same with his money. A few months later Rita got sick and needed surgery. She was in the hospital for several days. Tom stopped in often and had her dog at his place for the duration. Rita missed several weeks of work and Tom paid all her bills for that month. He had seen that she was making headway on her debt and decided to help her out after that as long as she put in the effort of paying her bills.
Tom was happy with Rita, she helped some at his place but most of her time she said was spent at her workplace, doing overtime to earn extra money. A few more months and she would be debt free. Tom had plans for the day she would be debt free and no longer a servant to the lender.
|
|
|
Post by iamnobody on Oct 12, 2021 13:13:30 GMT -6
Tom loved Rita. He has been with her for almost 2 years. He has mowed her lawn, shoveled snow from her sidewalk and parking spot. He has held her when she is in tough mental spots and had her cry herself to sleep on his shoulder. He has paid bills for her and been there when she had surgery. Rita says Tom treats her better than any other man has. He loves brushing her long blonde hair for her which she adores him doing.. She complains that her muscles ache from her workplace so he massages her hands and feet and her back until she is as limp as putty under his hands. Tom can barely wait til next week when the last payment is made on her debt and she will be free. He has already been to a jeweler and bought a simple diamond ring for her. He has flowers ordered at the florist. Life is great!
|
|
|
Post by iamnobody on Oct 12, 2021 13:55:51 GMT -6
Today is the day! He made the last payment on her debt this morning electronically. She is looking forward to celebrating this evening over a meal at the diner. At least that is what Tom had told her. He had said he would pick her up at 5PM when she was home from work. But Tom had other plans and was headed to her place early. He had the engagement ring in his pocket and a very large bouquet of many different colored roses, now to get there early and decorate her place for celebrating her debt free day. He had a spare key that she had given him and it was 3 hours before she would be home.
Tom got there and had to park a little way up the street because neighbors had parked in front of her place again. Checking on the ring, then carrying the flowers he headed up her steps, his handmade moccasins making little noise on the steps. He was ready to put the key in the lock and heard Rocky growling. Moving over, he looked through the windows. The curtain didn't obstruct his view of what was happening.
She had told him that she only did sex in 1 position. Well what he saw through the window was her doing it several different ways and since she was on top, she couldn't say she was unwilling. Tom turned around and walked off while dropping her key and the large bouquet on the porch floor, grinding them under his foot while Rocky is scratching at the door trying to get out. Getting in his truck and driving away, he can see her standing in the doorway naked and the man behind her and she was screaming something but Tom just kept driving.
When he reached his place, he got out and closed and locked the gate across his lane. Inside his house he grabbed a bunch of No Trespassing signs and a staple gun. Going back out he put up the signs every 3 feet across the front of his property and lane. Back inside he can hear his phone sounding up. He picks it up and sees about 20 voice mails and an equal number of texts. The 1st one says “I can explain” Tom just breaks out into hard laughter. And sits down.
|
|
|
Post by crookeds on Oct 12, 2021 14:04:00 GMT -6
I sure hope that was her sister!
|
|
|
Post by iamnobody on Oct 12, 2021 14:54:55 GMT -6
I sure hope that was her sister! Welcome to the forum
That would really make Tom happy
|
|
|
Post by crookeds on Oct 12, 2021 18:06:42 GMT -6
Thank you. I been a member for awhile now but somehow while login in it started me over.
|
|
|
Post by brucearmstrong65 on Oct 12, 2021 21:31:43 GMT -6
Great story again, as indeed all yours have been. I was really hoping this guy would have better luck with women, but alas, some things run true to form. Still looking forward to MOAR, though!
|
|
|
Post by iamnobody on Oct 13, 2021 5:40:36 GMT -6
An hour later Rita shows up at his gate. He watches her attempt to open the gate and when that fails, she starts to climb over the gate. Tom steps out on his porch and yells for her to stop, that he will call the police on her. She says that she can explain, its all just a misunderstanding. He yells, what? You going to try try telling me that was your sister and not you I saw having sex? She says she loves him and just made a mistake. He laughs, says a mistake is when you mistakenly add salt in place of sugar in a cake recipe. Did she mistakenly grab the wrong guy's private parts for sex? Rita starts crying and tells him not to ruin their relationship over this. Tom yells back that SHE is the one that torpedoed the relationship and to leave and go back to her man she was having sex with. After moping around his place for a few days, his head clearing, he realized that with Rita being with another man and him not knowing how long she was cheating, he better get to a doctor and have a check for STDs The doctor was able to schedule him in quickly when she heard the circumstances. Okay, day for the tests. It was a female doctor and he was doing okay on the blood test, then she said she would have to do a physical exam of his private parts for any visual signs of venereal warts, how embarrassing. She said he was clear there, the STD test results would be back in a week. Fast forward a week, the results were back. He had 2 STDs that they would start treating for and they should be cured quickly. The 1st AIDS result showed negative but to be sure, they would retest in 6 months. After 1 shot in the arm and another shot in the rear, he headed home. He threw himself into his studies and work, realizing his whole time with Rita had been a lie. The rumor grapevine revealed that she had been cheating the whole time he was with her. That explains why she had sex only at his place and had to be back at hers early.
Tom continued to stockpile material supplies. He was glad that he had not yet revealed to Rita his wealth and all the stockpiling. The news was still getting worse every day. He was still selling things at the local stores. He added plastic covered high tunnels to his property and extended his growing seasons with them, thereby allowing him to sell local produce 9 months of the year. The chickens were laying lots of eggs and he also got ducks for their eggs. That market turned out more profitable than he thought it would be. He branched out into raising pastured meat chickens and was making a comfortable living with out touching his lotto winnings. He took to wearing a shirt with his name stenciled on it as a “brand” so people would recognize him in doing business.
He was still doing a good business in selling custom worked guns. His rifles were in constant demand. He also reworked the Rem 870 shotguns so they were better. Also the Marlin 22LRs When done, the 22LRs would group 5 shots touching each other at 50 yards with most brands of ammo. He was constantly getting new supplies of guns in before he sold a gun. That way he would not be caught short of guns when things went bad.
|
|
|
Post by iamnobody on Oct 13, 2021 5:44:40 GMT -6
Again through the rumor grapevine, he had heard that Rita was complaining her new man didn't do things around the house like mow the grass and etc. Also that her dog hated the new man and constantly growled at him. Heard she is living with the new man and he is a “bad boy” Long hair down over his back, a drummer in a local rock and roll band, smokes expensive cigars, slow in mind due to rumored alcohol and drug use, drinking wine and talking to her of visiting museums all over the world and talk of taking her to tropical beaches. That she was going to quit her job to be a stay at home wife and have several children. Tom chuckled at that. He had wanted Rita to be a stay at home wife but she had told him no and she only wanted 1 child. That other man must be a fantastic man for her to do that.
Later he heard they got married. A LARGE diamond engagement ring and wedding ring. Spent BIG $ on the wedding, professional photographers, professional videographers, paid for relatives plane tickets to fly in and bought them expensive gifts They were in debt $100,000 for their wedding. They went to some tropical beach for their honeymoon and filed for divorce as soon as they came home. What a great couple.
The results of the 2nd AIDS test came back negative and no other STDs. Tom breathed a huge sigh of relief. He continued his work to keep his mind off his hurt. With world events worsening, he knew he needed weapon training. He didn't want to travel to different training locations so he paid for the instructors to come to him. They weren't thrilled at coming to him, but hey, money talks. They were really ticked off when they found out he wanted trained on the SKS rifle, a Savage rifle of his on making, and a Rem shotgun. He had instructors from Max Velocity, Front Sight and Thunder Ranch. In the end, he learned his lessons well and they ended up very impressed by his SKS usage and the other weapons he chose.
Just as Tom was getting over the pain of Rita, she showed up at his cabin one day. She was so sorry and had made a mistake. The other man had been pushing alcohol and drugs on her, her sister had been telling her that Tom wasn't good enough for her. Tom told her that it was her decision, not anyone else. Rita is wearing a wraparound dress which she now opens to reveal her naked body, enticing him. He says that anything she did before him was her past, but what she did after she got with him, Tom tells her that all he sees now is a polluted, diseased, worm infested cesspool when he looks at her body. He throws up over the porch banister in disgust. Why can't women realize how a man sees them after they have been unfaithful, She left crying and he heard that she left town and no one knows where she went.
|
|
|
Post by iamnobody on Oct 13, 2021 7:00:32 GMT -6
The dehydrators Tom had made were working great. What he had done was make cabinets that would hold 20 trays. He used replacement parts available from Excalibur – thermostat, heating elements, fans, trays and built his own. 2 fans and heating elements in each dehydrator with horizontal air flow, each tray holding 1 pound of food. A 20 tray model cost less than what a new 9 tray name brand cost. He now had 10 of those running. He was doing vegetables, fruit and meat. When dry he was packaging them in mylar bags with O2 absorbents and stacking them in his bunker.
He continued attending the local fairs in the Appalachia and his items sold fast. He made good money because his products were well known now for their quality. He had guns, chairs, rocking chairs, heavy weight long to the knees winter coats, shirts and even made a buckskin dress for one woman. She wanted to make a “trade” as payment but Tom turned that offer down.
He was now deeply into raising medical herbs and had about 20 of them growing in garden beds at his place. - black cohosh, blue cohosh, catnip, chamomile, chickweed, comfrey, echinacea, goldenseal and many others, Also many of the food spices that flavored food but many of them had medical properties. Of course lets not forget the herbal teas, Tom like a good cup of mint tea – peppermint, spearmint, balms, horehound.
Tom liked his bacon and eggs so he started raising several hogs each year. Of course he was going to process his own so there were several orders to LEM and Lehman's for meat grinders and associated equipment. He made a couple of smokehouses and also built a walk in cooler. After a few tries, he was producing his own smoked and cured bacon and hams. And wonderful sausage. Tom didn't like the normal sausage that had a high percentage of fat in it. He made his more like 85/15 hamburger. He didn't waste the hog fat though, he rendered it down for lard that he used for frying and baking.
He also realized that he needed canning equipment. He ordered several of the All American 15 quart pressure canners since they needed no lid gaskets. He ordered in 1,000 dozen quart regular mouth jars and 10,000 jar lids. He had plans for the canners. He liked hamburger done in them. He bought a beef and then processed it all into burger. Filled the jars about 2/3 full, added water, stirred it into a slurry then processed it. (ALWAYS FOLLOW APPROVED GOVERNMENT DIRECTIONS FOR CANNING)
|
|