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Post by ncsfsgm on Apr 9, 2022 19:12:52 GMT -6
Retreat to the Ozarks
Chapter 1
Hank Tyson looked at the report and was at first, angry, then settled down. It was his own damn fault. He should have been more careful. Well, this was the culmination of his investigations and his marriage, except Regina wouldn't know it until it was too late.
Hank had met Regina two years ago while he was still at Fort Bragg. He and a couple of his buddies had gone down to IHOP after their morning run and she was their waitress. She had an exotic look about her and a nice figure, so he chatted her up. He finally got her phone number and made a date for Friday night. They dated for a few weeks, then his team was sent on an all-expense paid vacation to the Republic of Djibouti, where they sat for six months as a quick reaction force for teams in operating in Yemen in case they had a mix-up with the Houthi rebels. Here were no mix-ups that the world knew about. In fact, Yemeni patrols "advised" by the brother teams were stacking up the rebels like cordwood. Hank and his team sat on their rear ends for six months doing PT and eating MREs.
Hank was tired. You know, the kind of tired where you don't sleep for long periods. From what he' seen overseas, everything the U.S. Government touched became corrupted. His own leaders in the Group weren't much better. Those who actually cared for the soldiers and tried to take care of them were nudged aside by the Perfumed Princes vying for higher rank and became obsessed with the "Big Picture," which didn't include the highly trained teams, but on the desired political outcome. "Kill the enemy but don't do too good of a job because it will make us look bloodthirsty" became the axiom.
After getting back Hank looked at where he stood in life. He'd joined the Army as soon as he'd turned 18 and was coming up on his ten year mark. This is when a soldier made the big decision to go for twenty years or beyond or get out and start a new career. Hank checked his stocks and they were doing good. He had spent very little of his salary over the last ten years and drove a used car he had bought from a guy that had retired to Australia. It didn't look like much but it got good gas mileage and got him from point A to point B. He had taken the life insurance money from his parent's deaths and invested it in gold. As he stood right now, he was good for almost $800,000 dollars.
Hank started back dating Regina and they became close, Three months later she told him she was pregnant. Oops! Well, he bought her a modest engagement ring and wedding set and they were married by a J.P down in Dillon, SC. Hank rented an apartment on Cliffdale Road and Hank was hesitant about leaving the Army until after the baby was born. His enlistment was up three months after the projected birth so he was good. He already had a job near Charlotte waiting for him working with a security firm. He was originally from Union County so he was familiar with western part of the county. They rented a two bedroom house outside of Waxhaw and settled down. It was strange having to pick out what you wore every day. Hank finally settled on khakis and pullover shirts. The work was easy, just the civilian equivalent of reconnaissance missions he had done, except there was any danger of getting shot at, usually. A lot of the cases they worked on were gathering evidence of adultery of the husband and sometimes the wife. North Carolina wasn't a no-fault state and you could get a divorce based on adultery. The P.I. he worked with coached him what to look for as they did the surveillances and honed Hanks skills. Soon he could instantly recognize the tell tale signs.
"Hank first became suspicious when they baby's hair grew out more and was blond as could be. Regina's hair was Auburn and Hank's was black. Regina said she must have gotten it from his side of the family because all here family had Auburn, Brown or Red hair. Then she started leaving the baby with a baby sitter and going out when he was working. He found out about it by accident and a plan formed in his mind. He's start having to work some all-night surveillance jobs and see what she did. But first, he took a DNA swab from the baby and sent his and the baby's out for matching. The first night, nothing happened and he finally came home at 6:00 AM. He slept a while and got up as he pretended to have to go out the next night. That evening, he followed her to a motel in Rock Hill and conformed what he believed. He returned home at 7:00 m and began initiating his plan. Regina went shopping and while she was gone, FEDEX arrived with the test results. He was NOT a father. He hid the results and burned the FEDEX envelope and called his E.G. Edwards broker and liquidated his accounts. His gold was being held in a company account in Kansas City and he would leave it for now. Over the next week he shifted around a lot of money. Usually, he only put part of his paycheck in the bank and put the rest in an emergency account. It took him almost a week, but he drew the emergency account down little by little in order to not draw government attention then closed the account. That gave him enough money to not have to use credit or debit cards for a few months, if he was careful. The stock liquidation money was transferred to Kansas City to buy gold and silver coins. He changed the beneficiary on his life insurance to Parents Without Partners, a charity that helped unwed mothers, which for all intents and purposes, that's what she would be, without the benefit of a divorce, where she might be able to win alimony and child support.
Then he got a lucky break. The company had been contracted to go up near Beckley, West Virginia and do some tests on the river below the dam. A young man had drowned after the dam opened and his family insisted that there wasn't enough time for him to get out of the river after the siren sounded, warning of the gates opening. Four of the company's people were going up and do the tests, Hank being one of them. Hank purchased a Teton Sports Explorer 4000 backpack and bought everything to fill it. He bought a few freeze dried meals but he would buy food as he went along. He got all the clothing he needed, it being early summer and some good hiking shoes, which he gradually broke in. Light sleeping gear and a tarp and plenty of bank line went in. At the top of his pack were his holster belt with his Glock 21, six loaded magazines with pouches and 100 rounds of Gold Dot ammo.
On the day he left, he kissed Regina goodbye, and left in his car. He had placed the backpack in the trunk the night before. A few hours later, he was outside of Beckley, West Virginia.
They stayed in a motel that night and after a good breakfast the next morning, headed t the river. They did some initial water speed tests and during scheduled water releases from the dam, measured the current speed and the mean water depth, the time from the siren until the water reaching the area where the man drowned and all sorts of measurements. There were two more water releases that afternoon but the crew decided to skip the first one to get lunch and catch the later release. After all, they were gathering mean averages. Hank told them to go on, that he wasn't hungry. After they left, Hank took his pack out of the trunk of the car and took off his shirt. Looking around to make sure no one else was around, he ripped it and hooked it on a root that was just at the low water level. He pulled out another shirt from his pack, put on the IWB holster and check the chamber of the Glock. Next out of the pack was a man's shoulder-length wig and a pair of fake eyeglasses. Staying on the gravel and flat rock at the water's edge, he walked down the river to the next bridge, two miles away. He was almost at the bridge when he heard the distant siren and got out of the riverbed, tossing his phone into the water. As he reached the bridge he followed a fisherman's trail up to a pull-off on the highway. An 18-wheeler was parked there, engine running, the driver looking through some paperwork. Hank knocked on the door and asked for a ride.
"Where ya headed?"
"Louisville." Hank answered
"Going right by there. Hop on in."
Hank took off his pack and climbed in the truck.
"You can toss your pack on the bunk. My name is Clint, Clint James."
"I'm Bill Johnson." Hank replied.
"Good to meet you Bill. Visiting folks in Louisville?"
"Actually, I'm headed for St. Louis. I'm going to be working with my brother at his garage. I was working at a furniture plant in Thomasville, North Carolina and they laid a bunch of us off because they started buying parts from China and now they're just doing assembly of parts. 'Made in America' don't mean squat anymore."
"You said that right, my friend. The almighty dollar rules. Build cheap and sell high. Hey, you should give truck driving a chance. If you don't mind staying on the road a couple of weeks at the time. You'll make some good money."
"I might do that if this thing doesn't work out with my brother.
"Hey, I can take you all the way to St. Louis. I'm dropping this trailer in Springfield, Missouri. Fastest way is through St. Louis."
"I appreciate it. The sooner I get to work, the better I'll like it."
"When you get tired, feel free to use the bunk. I had my mandatory ten hours rest so I'm good for a long while."
"I appreciate it. I'll take you up on that a little later."
They drove along listening to Raw Dawg on XM radio. Hank went through his plans step by step. Eventually, he wanted to go to Kansas and pick up his PMs but he needed to lay low for a while. A few weeks camping wouldn't hurt him and he could be inconspicuous if he changed his appearance often and maybe grow a beard.
After a couple of hours, Hank started bobbing for apples and crawled into the sleeper. Using his pack for a pillow he slept fitfully until the downshifting of the truck woke him as they pulled through a weigh station. They moved quickly through and were on the interstate again. The next time he woke. Clint was pulling into a truck stop outside of St. Louis.
"This good for you?" Clint asked.
"It's perfect. My brother lives down in Swansea. I can just call him and he can pick me up."
"Well, Good luck and I hope everything works out for you. If not, give driving a chance."
"Thanks Clint, I will. Have a safe trip."
Clint began fueling his truck and Hank walked across the parking lot to a Walmart to buy a Tracfone smartphone. He ended up getting an iPhone, something he was use to and began downloading apps. Going back in he purchased a power cell and went to a burger joint where he could plug the phone and power cell in to charge them. Browsing the internet, he found a no-tell motel nearby and got a room for the night. It was run down, but the sheets were clean.
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Post by texican on Apr 9, 2022 20:17:10 GMT -6
Thanks n for the new story.
Seems like lots of your guys have problems with their other halves.
Texican....
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Post by gipsy on Apr 9, 2022 20:43:09 GMT -6
Good for you. A new story to follow.
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Post by ncsfsgm on Apr 9, 2022 21:06:44 GMT -6
Chapter 2
The next morning Hank took a took a long hot shower and changed into fresh clothes. There was a pancake house across the street so he treated himself to a big stack of buttermilk pancakes and bacon, coffee and a large glass of milk. As he ate, he browsed the state parks in Missouri and saw the Mark Twain National Forest and decided that was as good a place as any to head for. After eating, he went back to the truck stop on I-64 to catch a ride down I-44. From there he could work his way down to the forest and Table Rock Lake. He downloaded an app called Tactical NAV that would show exactly on a satellite map where he was. He also downloaded a GPS app and paid for it with one of the reloadable Visa cards he had bought at Walmart. He didn't want to flash around cash any more than he had to.
He found a ride and when he arrived in Springfield he purchased a map of the National Forest and caught a bus down to Cassville where he bought a recreational pass and a non-resident fishing license. After loading up with more camping food, he caught a ride with a man and woman headed to Cape Fair and had them drop him off at the road going to the Piney Creek Wilderness Area. The temperature was nice so he stopped and changed into hiking shorts and a t-shirt. He made sure the t-shirt covered the pistol and started walking. He took sips occasionally from the built-in hydration bladder and kept a moderate pace. When he got to the trailhead, he looked at the trail map then at the Tac NAV app and decided to take the right-hand trail. What he wanted was a place off the trail system where he could camp for a while. There were places closer to the lake, about four miles away, where he could stock up on food later. He checked the map terrain, saw the symbol of a spring, and headed down the trail. After going about a half mile, he veered off the trail to the right and headed for the spring. It took longer than he thought, but he found it. There was a nice output out of it that flowed down the low ground between the two ridges. Finding a fairly level spot with no rocks, Hank dropped his pack, set up his tarp and made his camp ready. Hank took off the wig and glasses and packed them away, deciding to keep his sparse beard for a while. Before he stretched out on his sleeping pad, he refilled his hydration bladder and then laid down. A slight breeze blew through the trees cooling the deep shade. Hank's eyelids became heavy and he dozed off.
When he awoke, he drank more water and pulled out his Solo stove, gathered small dry twigs and poured water into his canteen cup. Placing the twigs into the stove, the waxed cotton ball ignited quickly and as the flames became higher, Hank sat the canteen cup on the stove and dug into his pack to pull out a Beef Stroganoff meal and opened it. He dug into another pouch and pulled out a pouch of freeze dried strawberries. He added more twigs to the stove and soon the water began to roil. He got his long handled spork from a side pocked and stirred the dry Stroganoff mix in the bag. As the water came to a boil he poured the hot water into the bag and stirred it with the spork and closed the bag. Taking another drink of water from the bladder, he sat back to wait for the dried meal to absorb the water. He heard the slight movement and slowly moved his hand under the poncho liner and fisted the Glock.
"Pretty good water in that spring over that, ain't it?"
"Yes sir, it is." Hank answered.
"Now, don't go gettin' all discombobulated on me. I mean no harm, just visiting."
"Come on over and take a squat." Hank said.
"I'm a might too stiff to be a squattin' these days. I will take a seat and lean up against this sycamore tree though." The old man said, chuckling. "Howdy. I'm Jarvis Hickum."
"I'm Hank Tyson. Pleased to meet you."
"You are a piece from that walkin' trail on that ridge over yonder."
"Yes sir. I wanted to be alone."
"Yep, figured so. Been up here much?"
"I've never been here before. It's nice here."
"Yep. God's land. This parcel has been in my family going on 175 years."
"Isn't this National Forest?"
"Yep, 'tis, all around the boundaries of this land. My Grandaddy wouldn't sell out to the govment when they came around buyin' up the land back in the 30's. You see, way back when this area was settled, they harvested the hardwoods, tried to till the soil and dug mines. Purty near ruint the land. My granddaddy and his daddy before him made sure the only took what they needed and weren't greedy. They had a little farming plot but improved the soil instead of wearing it out. I've got the last original natural forest coverage in the whole area. Those forest peoples slobber at the mouth ever time they come around. They want this land something fierce, to 'save it,' they say. What the hell do they think my family has been doin' all these years. Naw, they be waiting for me to die off so they can wrap it up in one big package." "So, I'm on your land?"
"Yep, you be." Jarvis said.
"I'll pack my stuff up and get back into the National Forest then."
"Naw, you're fine. I can see by the way you set up you respect the land. That's all I'm askin.' Some of these people leave trash around, break branches when that ain't a need to and throw crap in the spring. I have to keep an eye out. I smelled your fire at the top of the ridge and came down to make sure there weren't no mischief going on. You best be eatin' your food, it's gonna get cold."
"Would you like some? I have Beef Stroganoff and I've got some freeze dried strawberries."
"Strawberries? I haven't had any strawberries of any kind in a coon's age."
Hank opened the pack and handed them to Jarvis. "Help yourself."
Jarvis took a slice of the strawberries and chewed it slowly, savoring the flavor.
"I can't help but notice you keep slipping in and out of your hillbilly vernacular. No offense meant."
Jarvis chuckled. "Well, my language skills kind of take shortcuts when you don't talk to anyone but yourself. I am educated. I flew F-28s and later on, the F-84 Thunderjets in the Korean War and Skyraiders early on in Viet Nam."
"What's an F-28?"
"It was a weird lookin' plane. It was like two P-51 mustangs put together side by side. It was hell on wheels. I shot down two MIG-15s, but mostly did ground attack. I retired and came back here to live. My boy flew in the Air Force too, but he didn't make it back home."
"Sorry to hear that. Thank you for your service."
"By the way you set up here, and you catching me sneaking up on ya, I'd say you're either a good camper or you acquired some ground time somewhere." Jarvis said. "Yes sir. I spent ten years in the Army."
"Nice ring on your finger there. You one of them 'Green Berets'?"
"Yes sir, was."
"Hunh. Naw, once it's in your blood, you'll always be. Didn't want to stick to twenty?"
"No, it had turned too political. I got out and looked for a new career."
"You're gonna miss that pension. I make a pretty good penny with my military pension and Social Security."
"Piece of mind is worth a lot too." Hank replied.
"That it is, that it is."
"What 'er you running from son? Jarvis said in a low voice.
Hank looked up at him. "Life."
"Well, you screwed up. The Ozarks are full of life. You can't help it but it gets into your skin, you breathe it up your nose, you feel it even when you rub the bark of this tree. We 've got elk, bear puma, 'coons, fox, mink, frogs, fish and eagles. Life is all around you. That's what I love about this place. It gives you Life."
Hank finished the Stroganoff, rolled up the bag and slid it into a side pouch.
"How much land to you have here?" Hank asked.
"When it was settled, they started out with a section, 640 acres. In the twenties, my grandaddy bought up another 500 hundred acres for $250 and every year he'd collect acorns and hickory nuts and plant them. By the time my daddy was a grown man, the forest was back and hasn't been cut, except for my firewood, ever since."
"That's good. I love a natural forest. Back home they plant pine plantations and harvest them bare every eight to eleven years." Hank said.
"Where's home?" Jarvis asked.
"North Carolina."
"Well, I got to be getting' back up to the cabin. A fox sometimes comes around 'bout this time every day hopin' to get into my chickens. Why don't you pack up and come up the ridge and camp up there. There's even a fire pit I sit beside at night, and you'll have fresh eggs in the morning."
"You sure? I wouldn't want to intrude."
"Naw. You're more than welcome. I might talk your head off though."
Hank grinned. "No problem. I've enjoyed talking."
Hank quickly packed his gear away and lifted the pack on his back. He slowly followed Jarvis up the faint trail, zig-zagging up the ridge.
When they reached the top of the ridge, Jarvis took a short break and wiped his brow with a handkerchief. "I used to run up that trail," Jarvis said sadly. They continued a short ways and a weather-worn cabin came into view.
"You can set up camp anywhere over there. The well head is right there and the outhouse is down over there." Jarvis said.
Hank found two good trees and strung his hammock up with the tarp to shelter it. He used a strap hook and hung his pack up off the ground. Taking out his ground sheet, he lined the hammock with it then placed his poncho liner over that. Coming out from under the tarp shelter, he looked around. There was nothing but old growth hardwood trees around here. The trees provided so much shade, there was little underbrush.
"That's smart." Jarvis said. "I've had a few Timber rattlers visit up here. They might of liked a bedroll on the ground."
Hank grinned. "I'm particular about who I sleep with. Is there anything you need done?"
"Well, if you're feeling springy, you could split some firewood for me."
Hank went over to the wood pile, puled the axe out of the block of wood and started splitting wood. He cut a good pile, carried up on the porch and stacked it where a few pieces lay. Hank then went back and cut some wood into even smaller pieces to use as kindling and added it to the porch pile. Going back to the big woodpile, Hank split more firewood and kindling, stacking it next to the fire pit There was a chair made out of split hickory that Hank assumed Jarvis sat in, so he brought over a big piece of wood to use for a seat. He laid a fire, gathered bits of grasses, dried leaves and thin pieces of bark and laid them next to the pit. He'd light the fire when Jarvis was ready.
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Post by gipsy on Apr 9, 2022 22:04:11 GMT -6
Fine update already.
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Post by paulk on Apr 10, 2022 10:34:50 GMT -6
Thank you for starting another. I really enjoy your characters.
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Post by udwe on Apr 10, 2022 11:55:00 GMT -6
Liking this new story!
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Post by bluefox2 on Apr 10, 2022 13:23:26 GMT -6
I think we have lucked out and gotten a compulsive writer here.
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Post by jpr9954 on Apr 10, 2022 17:52:11 GMT -6
I like this new story.
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Post by ncsfsgm on Apr 10, 2022 19:30:33 GMT -6
Chapter 3
Jarvis came out about dusk and sat in his chair. Hank went over to the fire pit and kneeled down, then taking up a few pieces of grass, bark and leaves, he rubbed them quickly between his hands until they were a fuzzy ball of tinder. Pushing the tinder under the thin strips of kindling, Hank pulled out his LighteningStrike and raked the rod. The sparks ignited the tinder and the kindling began to burn.
“Purty handy. What’s that thang you got there?”
“It’s just a fancy ferro rod.” Hank said, handing the rod to Jarvis.
Jarvis looked it over and handed it back. “Right handy.”
“Jarvis, You said you son was a pilot, but didn’t come back. What happened….if you don’t mind answering.”
Jarvis tilted his head back and look up for a few seconds.
“Jerry was a good kid growing up, never giving me and his ma any problems. Since was he was a kid he wanted to fly. He didn’t want to fly fighters though, said they didn’t stay up long enough. I took him down to Little Rock Air Force Base one time when they had an air show and right there he fell in love with the C-130. He thought they were beautiful. Well, he worked hard to keep his grades good enough through high school and college and got into the Air Force, went through pilot’s training and got his wish to fly his own C-130. Well, him and that crew were tighter than a butthole in a dog fight and did everything together. None of them ever got married. They worked together, they played together, vacationed together….worried me for a while….thought he had gone queer, but they were just tight, more so than brothers. They’d come up every weekend if they weren’t flying somewhere. When it looked like the crew was going to get busted up, every one of them transferred over to the National Guard so they could still fly together. Then that damn Muslim war started and they got their turn to go. When they were on the ground in Bagram loading and offloading cargo, the co-pilot placed a night vision goggles case in front of the cockpit yoke, which is used to steer the plane during flight. The co-pilot put the case there to prop up part of the plane’s tail — the elevators — to help the loading team deal with some tall cargo. The goggles case was never removed from the cockpit yoke. During the first seconds of takeoff, the plane’s nose started to pitch up too far, so the my son tried to adjust by moving the yoke forward. But the goggle case blocked the yoke.
The pilot ‘misidentified’ the ensuing flight control problem,’ the report said, ‘resulting in improper recovery techniques’ by both the pilot and the co-pilot. The plane’s nose pitched upward too fast, leading to a stall and a crash, the report said. The aircraft exploded upon impact, it said, and everyone on board died instantly.”
“That’s terrible Jarvis. I’m sorry.” Hank said.
“Well, it just goes to show everything you do in life causes a reaction, sometimes you don’t recognize that reaction and it comes back to hit you hard. Did your running cause anything that’s going to come back on you and bite you in the ass?”
Hank stared into the fire and sighed.
“Jarvis, when I was in the Army, I got a waitress pregnant, or thought I did, at the time. I liked her and all and I married her to do the right thing. When I got out, I got a job at a security firm and was doing working doing investigations for divorce cases. Some of the things I was watching out for, I started seeing in Regina. Well, I found out every time I was out of town, she’d head down to Rock Hill and spend time with her lover of the day. On an off-chance, I got a DNA test done on the baby and it wasn’t even mine, so I left. In North Carolina, she can sue me for abandonment, if she wants a divorce, but I’d just counter-sue for fraud and adultery if she wanted alimony or child support, and I’m not going back.”
“How did you manage to get out of there?”
Hank told him all that he had done to get to the Mark Twain Forest.
“Slick. Well, what are you going to do now?”
“Oh, I’ll camp out for a while. I’ve got plenty of money. I can go for a good while without having to find a job. I just want to get my head clear and think things through. Say, you mentioned there’d been mining around here…”
Jarvis chuckled. “Don’t go getting’ dollar signs in your eyes, son. The mines I was talkin’ about were lead and zinc mines and most of those were in the northwestern part of the county. My granddaddy invested in some of them and made a load of money for that time. Down in these parts they was stripping all the oak and hickory forest out, I mean clear cut everything. All that was left was some scrawny cedars and persimmon trees. That’s why my grandaddy was able to pick up those 500 acres so cheap. Nope, all we have around here is trees and limestone.”
“So, no hidden secret stashes of gold around then?” Hank grinned.
Jarvis face went blank. “Not so's you could tell.”
“How do you get your supplies Jarvis?”
“Oh, once a month a neighbor comes buy for my list and gets them from town. I don’t drive anymore.”
Hank sat quiet for a while then said, “I guess I should think about getting some kind of transportation if I’m going to look for work some day.”
“Yep, it helps a fellow to get around.”
“Jarvis, I appreciate you letting me camp here. I feel the need to be alone, but not all the time. You know what I mean?”
“I know exactly what you mean.”
“This is really an amazing place. The land around here feels….well….it feels like it embraces you and takes you in.”
“You have a feeling for the land then?”
“Yeah, I think I now know why your family protected it all these years. They probably felt the need to give back.”
Jarvis watched the expression on Hank’s face and nodded.
“Yep. This land gives back to those that protect it.”
“The water…is that an artesian well?” Hank asked.
“Shore is. My son Jerry had that drilled. Dang good cold water too. Don’t need a pump and it has never frozen.”
They sat out for another hour talking and finally Jarvis said he needed to get to bed. Hank stayed up a while longer, pumped his collapsible bucket half full of water and took a sponge bath before wrapping up in his poncho liner in the hammock.
Early the next morning Hank was awakened by Jarvis standing on the porch, beating on a pot with a big spoon.
“Get up Hank! I got ham, eggs, and biscuits!”
Hank rolled out of the hammock and got his boots he had tied the laces together and strung over the end of the hammock. Sliding them on, he got a drink of water and made his way over to the cabin.
“Come one it and sit before it all gets cold.” Jarvis said.
Jarvis set out a jar of blackberry jelly and a dish of butter then took a seat.
They said very little as they enjoyed their breakfast.
“I need you to go with me to town.” Jarvis said.
“I thought you said you didn’t drive.”
“Didn’t say I was.”
They finished their meal and Hank helped Jarvis wash up the dishes using the water Jarvis had heating on the stove. Once they had everything put away, Jarvis picked up his hat and walking stick.
“Come with me.”
They walked down the overgrown drive and came to a just as overgrown garage building. Jarvis motioned for Hank to raise the door and sitting inside was a Kaiser Jeep M715. Hank had seen a few in service with National Guard units before they went to Hummers.
“It don’t have a key. It’s still set up like the military had it.”
Hank got in, started it, and pulled it out so Jarvis could get in.
Jarvis motioned for him to go and when they reached the state road, told him to turn left and go to Cassville. As they entered Cassville, Jarvis directed him to a medical clinic and had Hank park the truck and told him to wait. Jarvis came back forty minutes later and got in the truck, then directed him over to Nineth Street to a law firm. Again, Jarvis told him to wait and went inside. Thirty minutes later he came back out and had Hank drive them to a grocery store where they both went in. Jarvis pick up canned goods, and some fresh fruit and paid for everything with cash. Hank loaded the groceries in the back of the truck and drove them back to the cabin.
Hank carried the groceries in and parked the truck back in the garage, then went back to help Jarvis. When they had the food put away, Jarvis said he was going to take a nap and he would see Hank later. Hank went out and refilled his water bladder at the well head and laid down himself.
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Post by gipsy on Apr 10, 2022 19:57:00 GMT -6
Thanks for the update.
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Post by texican on Apr 10, 2022 20:48:22 GMT -6
Appears that Jarvis has terminal health and is leaving the forest to Hank.
n?
Texican....
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Post by techsar on Apr 10, 2022 22:08:07 GMT -6
Looks like another fine story. Thank you!
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Post by solo on Apr 10, 2022 22:15:29 GMT -6
I have read that mishap report. Real life in writing there.
Solo
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Post by 9idrr on Apr 11, 2022 7:58:22 GMT -6
Thanks for the beginning of another one.
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Post by ncsfsgm on Apr 11, 2022 14:49:51 GMT -6
Chapter 4
When Jarvis woke up, he came out to visit with Hank.
"I went into that lawyer's and got some information for you. If you want a quick divorce, South Dakota has no residency requirement and a 60-day waiting period. You could have a divorce in less than three months. It's only a couple of day's drive, file for your divorce, stick around up there for a couple of months, then be back down here before September. You don't need all that mess in North Carolina ah hangin' round your neck.
"Then I need to go buy a vehicle." Hank said.
"Naw. Take the Jeep. It needs a drivin' anyways. You can come back and split up my firewood for the winter in payment."
"Are you sure?"
"Wouldn't a offered if I wasn't."
"Well, it would be good to get all that behind me."
"You get up to Sarcoxie, it's interstate all the way to Sioux Falls. If you pushed, you could make it in eight or nine hours, but ain't no use tiring yourself out. Just take a couple of days."
"Okay, thanks Jarvis."
"Now don't tarry, I need my wood cut."
Hank left the next morning. He stopped at a truck stop in Joplin to get a Styrofoam cooler and filled it with Mountain Dew and Pepsi Cola….in bottles. He got a half dozen packs of Lance peanuts to put in his Pepsi. The truck had no air conditioning and it was hotter than a June bride in a featherbed, even with the windows rolled down and the back glass open. Getting on I-49 he made his way north, only stopping for gas and to use the rest room. When he wasn't munching the peanuts out of the Pepsi bottle, he'd slug down a Mountain Dew to refresh the caffeine in his system. Working his way around Kansas City, he picked up I-29 and kept going to Council Bluffs, where he got a room for the night. After a pretty good dinner, he took a long shower and hit the rack, tired from the day's drive.
The next morning he woke early, albeit he had gone to bed early it was still before 0500. He took another shower and packed his things. As he was heading on a side-road to get back on I-29, he spotted a diner with an almost full parking lot so he pulled in. He was glad he did. It was one of the best breakfasts he'd eaten in a long time. He used the restroom in the diner before he left and 0645 found him heading north on I-29, two and a half hours from Sioux Falls.
Arriving in Sioux Falls, he found a small real-estate office and inquired about renting a room for a couple of months. The woman, Sandy Kilgore, listened to his reasons for being in Sioux Falls and asked him a few questions. She was friendly and turned to her computer to search their listings.
"I have a furnished, 2-bedroom apartment in a nice area that goes for $700 a month, $300 security deposit."
"Could I see it?"
"Certainly. Let me lock up and you can follow me there."
Hank went back out to his truck and waited for the agent to come out. She came out a got into a Civic and led Hank to what was a nice quiet neighborhood. Hank got out and followed her up to the door of the house where an elderly lady answered the door.
"Aunt Alma, I have a nice man who wants to look at the apartment." The agent said.
"Well come on in Sally. You don't visit enough. You know the way, take him on down."
Sandy led Hank to a door and went down the steps and through another door into the apartment.
"You weren't looking at listings on the computer, you were killing time." Hank said.
"Caught red handed!" Sandy grinned. "I wanted to rent the apartment out to a decent person, and you seemed to fit the bill."
She showed him around the apartment and Hank was satisfied. Hank handed her the cash for the security deposit and the first month's rent and signed the rental agreement. They went back upstairs and Sandy introduced him to her Aunt Alma.
"You can eat your meals up here with me if you've a mind too. It's hard to cook for one and you look like you could leave me with less leftovers."
"Yes ma'am, I'd like that, but only if you allow me to provide the groceries."
Sandy smiled at that.
Alma agreed and Hank went to get his gear out of the truck. When he had his things put away, he went back to talk with Alma, who grilled him like a seasoned detective. Satisfied, she set about making the a light lunch.
Alma recommended a lawyer, one she had used herself a few years before. Hank called and made an appointment for the next day.
George B, Covington, 68, had been a divorce lawyer for 38 years. He had been a corporate lawyer in his earlier years but moved into family law when the pressures of corporate law became too much. The stress came from dancing on the line between legal and illegal for corporations that should be crushed. He'd relocated to Sioux Falls for a smaller city and now it was the most populated city in the state, which wasn't something to really brag about if you have ever been to South Dakota. George sat there and listened to Hank's story and took notes.
"Why did you stay with her as long as you did?"
"It was the right thing to do," Hank replied.
"And there's no chance you'd want to get back together with her?"
"Would you? She deceived me about the baby and cheated on me multiple times."
"Okay. I'll start the process to get things rolling. You say you're staying at Alma's? Do you have a cell number?"
Hank gave him his number and George took the information down.
"Okay, I'll call you in the morning to sign the paperwork. Since you say she was a foster child, she may not still live at your former address. If she fails to answer the summons when have to post your intent in a local paper for 30 days. If she still fails to answer the summons I'll submit the paperwork for a default decree. There's more to it than that but that's it in a nutshell. Here is my list of fees and I need this much now."
Hank, nodded and paid him in cash. He left and stopped by Duluth Trading Company and bought two pairs of cargo pants and two short-sleeved shirts. When he got back to Alma's, he took her to the grocery store and stocked up.
For a city its size, Sioux Falls was a boring place to Hank. He visited every museum and points of attraction and finally bought a Trek road bike and started going on group bike tours. There were some interesting people on the tours, some that he politely let know he didn't swing that way. The weeks went by and finally he was notified by George to be at the courthouse the next day at 9:00 AM. By 10:30 he walked out of the courthouse, as what some would call a "free" man. Hank's freedom started the day he shouldered his pack and walked away from the banks of that river.
Alma tried to reimburse him for the rest of the month's rent and security deposit but he wouldn't accept it. He told her to buy Sandy something nice. He packed up, filled the cooler with Mountain Dew and Pepsi and laid the plastic bag with the peanuts on the passenger seat. He was headed back to Missouri.
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Post by gipsy on Apr 11, 2022 15:17:33 GMT -6
I remember feather beds from the 50s on the farm. very soft and fluffy and "warm". Thanks for the update.
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Post by paulk on Apr 11, 2022 15:54:35 GMT -6
One chapter a day is killing me! PLEASE, PLEASE MORE!!
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ydderf2
Member
"I'm from the government and here to help" hahahaha
Posts: 321
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Post by ydderf2 on Apr 11, 2022 16:45:06 GMT -6
thanks
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Post by ncsfsgm on Apr 12, 2022 6:46:10 GMT -6
Chapter 5
Hank drove straight through, only stopping for gas and rest stops. His peanut-powered drive got him thinking. He would find a place in the area of Cassville and get a job. He didn't care what, he just liked the area. He'd start looking for a vehicle when he got back. As he reached the intersection with SH 39, he saw a green pickup, a Fish and Wildlife vehicle, pulled over to the side of the road. A short officer was struggling with an elk, trying to drag it to the back of the truck. Hank pulled over to see if he could be of help.
"Need some help?" Hank asked.
"Please. This is a big one." She said.
Hank helped her get the elk into the back of the truck and closed the gate.
"What happened?"
"Hit by a logging truck, I suppose. She had a broken leg so I had to shoot her. I need to take her up and get her cleaned and distributed to whomever is on the distribution list. I'm Officer Diane Campbell." She said, holding out her hand.
Hank took her hand, "Hank Tyson."
"Yes, Jarvis told me about you. Thanks for looking out for him. He getting on in years."
"He's a good man."
"Well, I need to get this elk butchered. Welcome back."
Hank went back to the Jeep, wondering just what all Jarvis told her.
When he pulled up to the cabin, Jarvis was sitting on the porch, whittling on a stick.
"Well, you made it. Have any problems?" Jarvis asked.
"None at all, except for being tired. I drove all the way through."
"Ya need something to eat? I've got a pot of beans on."
"No, I'm good. I'm just going to set my hammock up and get some rest."
"All right. I'll have some breakfast for you in the mornin'."
"Thanks Jarvis."
Hank quickly set up his camp. Leaving the bike in the back of the truck, he parked the truck back in the garage. He dumped the water out of the hydration bladder and refilled it at the well. He'd missed the taste of the water. Taking a deep drink, he refilled the bladder and hung it on the tree at the end of his hammock, clipping the hose to the hammock so he could take a drink without getting up. He laid down and slept for almost three hours before waking up and seeing Jarvis sitting beside the fire pit. Hank got up and gathered up the makings of a fire and got it started.
"I kinda missed the fires out here with you. Jarvis said."
"Yeah, me too." Hank said. "The city is no place for them."
"Don't 'spect so." Jarvis chuckled.
"Hank sat there on his log seat and told Jarvis what he had been doing the last few weeks what his tentative plans were. Jarvis just grunted in acknowledgement.
As it was getting dark, they heard a vehicle coming slowly up the drive. Hank reached back slowly and lifted the T-shirt off over the butt of his pistol. As the truck came into sight, Hank saw it was the Fish and Wildlife truck he had seen earlier that afternoon. Diane got out of the truck and carried a box over to Jarvis.
"Had an elk get hit on 76 this afternoon. I saved you some back strap."
"Well, ain't you sweet!"
Hank stood up and she looked over at him. "Hello again." She smiled.
"Have a seat." Hank said, going over to get another log to use for seat.
Diane sat down. "This is nice. So, you going to be around for a while?" Diane asked Hank.
"I expect so," Hank said, looking over at the wood pile, which was now three times the size as when he had left. I've got to split all that wood for Jarvis."
Jarvis cackled. "Ron Gibbs brought me my winter wood a couple of days ago."
Diane laughed. "Well, you have your work cut out for you."
"Diane, can I getcha something to drink? Don't have much though."
"No. I'm fine." Diane smiled.
"I've got a couple of cold Mountain Dews left in my cooler." Hank said.
"You know, a Mountain Dew just might hit the spot right about now." She smiled.
Hank got up,got two Mountain Dews out if the cooler and popped the caps off with his Swiss Army Knife opener, handing one to Diane and one to Jarvis.
"Naw, too much caffeine in them things. I'd never get to sleep." Jarvis said.
Hank sat down and took a drink.
"What made you want to get into Fish and Wildlife?" Hank asked Diane.
"I've always loved the forests and the animals, especially Jarvis.' He has the best anywhere around here, except for that acreage over on the other side of Piney Creek."
"Now, don't you complain about that. My grandaddy had to replant that whole 500 acres after they stripped and ruint it. The underbrush had time to take holdt and it just took long for the hickory and oak to come back. The rest has never been cut, leastways not like that." Jarvis said.
"Well, the rest is beautiful….like a park." Diane replied.
"It is." Hank agreed.
"They sat and talked for almost an hour before Diane got up. "I need to be getting home. Prissy has probably starved to death by now."
Jarvis laughed. "Hank, most cats will kill a mouse or some other rodent and bring it to the house. Her cat, Prissy, kills rattlers and drags them up."
"Scare the hell out of me the first time she did that!" Diane said. "Jarvis, you mind if I get a cup of water before I go?"
"Heck no! Go on." Jarvis replied.
Diane went to her truck, got out a big thermal cup and went over to the well head. Filling the big cup, she took a big drink, then filled the cup back up again and placed the lid on it.
"There is absolutely nothing better than cold water run through limestone, except for the occasional cold Mountain Dew." Diane said, grinning at Hank. "You all take care. Nice meeting you again, Hank."
Diane got into her truck and carefully turned around. Jarvis and Hank watched as her tail lights disappeared into the trees.
"Right purty girl." Jarvis grinned, looking at Hank.
"Yes, she is attractive." Hank replied.
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Post by gipsy on Apr 12, 2022 7:33:07 GMT -6
Matchmaking again Thanks for the update
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Post by freebirde on Apr 12, 2022 8:35:19 GMT -6
Not any rattlers where I grew up. One of my brothers would leave his Siamese cat, Troubles, when he went TDY and she hunted water moccasins.
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Post by solo on Apr 12, 2022 9:02:17 GMT -6
Not any rattlers where I grew up. One of my brothers would leave his Siamese cat, Troubles, when he went TDY and she hunted water moccasins. Geez, my cats only chase lizards, and moorhens... And get chased a lot by the resident Red Tail. Kind of funny until they actually get too close.
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Post by udwe on Apr 12, 2022 13:45:37 GMT -6
Great story so far!
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ydderf2
Member
"I'm from the government and here to help" hahahaha
Posts: 321
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Post by ydderf2 on Apr 12, 2022 22:00:27 GMT -6
Garter snakes only around here. the past 20 years when I was down south we had rattlers, only saw 4 or 5 in 20 years. What we did have were pack rats in abundance our big tom brought many of them home oh lucky us.
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