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Post by cutter on Feb 2, 2018 8:58:41 GMT -6
You'll get one. I'm in the process of winding volume 2 down. I think I'm going to leave the clan to their own devices for a while after I do. I can see a volume 3 in our collective future, but not yet. I want to give Mark, Stacy, and the rest of the younger kids a little time to grow up and the babies to get old enough to get in some trouble and be fun. I will go back to Franklin and spend some more time with the clan, but some other places and people are calling to me to tell their stories too. Some are fine folks while others are real stinkers, but they all deserve for their stories to be told.
That said, I'm not quite done with this bunch right now. There are still a few loose ends to tie up and a few threads to unravel for future repair.
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Post by cutter on Feb 3, 2018 17:28:47 GMT -6
Which part, the wind down or Volume III?
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Post by cutter on Feb 3, 2018 17:37:54 GMT -6
Well, here it is guys. This chapter winds down volume II. I think I left enough to work with for Volume III. If not, I'll just have to work harder on the restart. I'll admit, I'm rambling right now because I'm stalling. I need a little time for the next part of these characters' lives to unfold in my mind, but I'm feeling kinda' sad right now. This story has been a daily part of my life for the last ten months. I don't have a good direction to take it right now, but I find I hate to let it go, even for a little while. Please enjoy the chapter. I hope you all have enjoyed the story as much as I have. When the clan wants to tell more of their story, I hope you want to join me for the trip again. I've enjoyed the company and am thankful for the encouragement and support.
And now, without further ado, the next, but not last act.
Chapter 75
(Saturday, February 3, Marshall homestead living room, 1 PM)
“Dammit! Sorry guys. Give me a shout when you’re done.”
“Mark, get in here! This is the way it’s supposed to be and it isn’t like you haven’t seen boobs before. You saw mine without a baby attached. You and Stacy come sit down and let’s visit.”
(Mark and Stacy sit down on the couch)
“So Erin, are you finally making enough to feed them both?”
“Yeah, but this little bugger’s still a hog. I’ll swap them over in a minute, but if I left them like this, she’d drain hers dry and raise hell until Al got done and she got to finish the other one off. I still get the timing off a little and have to switch her back because there isn’t quite enough in the other one, but I manage to fill her up eventually. When they go on solid food, we’re going to have to add an acre to the garden just to feed Roni!”
“At least she’s not sickly. If you don’t mind me asking, how’d you get that scar?”
“I don't mind. I got it here, before you came back. Larry and I were putting the stock out to clean the barn. I wasn’t paying enough attention and got too close to Bella. Something startled her and she bumped into me. I lost my balance and caught a nail sticking out of one of the posts. Guess I should have been paying more attention to the cow instead of the cowboy.”
“You got off lucky. I’ve never seen horses as skittish as Bella. At least she just bumped you. When I was about nine, I got stupid and patted her on the rump in the pasture. I was just trying to be affectionate to her, but she wasn’t when she ‘patted’ me back. She kicked me in the stomach hard enough to pick me up off my feet and drop me on my ass. Good thing it was winter and I was bundled up. If it hadn’t been for Dad, she’d have been hamburger that day. I learned that lesson the hard way. I was sore for a week and it took almost a month for the bruise to fade. I bet Larry was freaked out.”
“Not too bad. Once he saw it was just a graze and didn’t go deep and I told him I had a tetanus shot within the last year, he was ok. He did take a ridiculously long time cleaning it up and putting a bandage on it. He seemed to think it went a lot further forward than it did. He kept checking my nipple.”
“Like you really minded that.”
“(Erin grinning) “No, I was really glad my boyfriend cared enough about me to be so thorough and make sure I wasn’t hurt any worse. It felt pretty good too, really took my mind off the pain from the cut.”
“Yeah, you just keep telling the story like that. So how are you feeling, Mama?”
“It’s good to be home. My stomach’s still sore and I’m still coming to terms with the fact that I can’t bear children anymore; but I’m better than I was.”
“You don’t have to birth them for them to be yours.”
“That’s what Bobby keeps telling me. I know you’re right, but it’s still a blow.”
“I’m sure it is, but still having you with us is worth it. I can only imagine that Bobby and Eliza are happier with you still being here too.”
“You got that right, Mark! I just got her; I sure don’t want to be without her.”
“So what do you think, Poppa? Think you’re gonna’ like this raisin’ a daughter stuff?”
“Until she discovers boys. Seriously, for the first time, my world all feels right. I feel like I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be and I’m doing exactly what I’m supposed to be doing. I feel really good about myself for a change. Oh, and I think I like Poppa better than Daddy.”
“Really, Darlin?”
“Yeah, I think I really do.”
“Then Poppa you will be. Hand me Eliza’s blanket. She feels cool.”
“Here you go. Let me get her tucked in. Better?”
“I think that’ll work.”
“I almost forgot! Here, I made these for Eliza. I’m working on a couple more, but I had these done.”
“This blanket’s nice! Bobby, feel.”
“I like that. Stacy, I’ll pay you to make a couple of these for our bed. It’s a full size.”
“You don’t have to pay me to do that! I mean, it would help if you bought the material, but I don’t expect you to pay me.”
“Look, we’ve got three years before we can buy a house. We’ve both got jobs and are putting a good chunk of money away every month, even with what we’re spending. You and Mark are working toward building a farm and you only have about five years to get it done. You make the blankets and charge us for the material and your time. Don’t be bashful about putting a markup on it either.”
“Ok.”
“What’s this one?”
“It’s a dress for Eliza, sort of. I made it the same way I made that blanket, but with a drawstring in the hem and the little cloak and hood so you can close up the bottom to keep her little feet warm and cover up her head and little arms. That way, you can take her out in the cold and still uncover her enough so she won’t overheat when you get her wherever you take her. I know it’s going to be big on her, but I wanted her to be able to grow into it so you could use it longer. I’ll make more as she grows and needs them.”
“You should patent this. This is a really cool design! Yeah, we get her inside somewhere and we can open the bottom back up to let some of the heat out and pull back the hood and just let the half cloak hang like a cape. With it zippered down the front like this, I can unzip it while she’s nursing and she can draw body heat from my breast and have the skin to skin contact like she’s supposed to.”
“That’s what I had in mind. You really think it’s good enough to patent?”
“If I had seen something in the stores like this when I was carrying her, I would have bought a few. Yeah, I think mothers would buy them. How many can you make a month.”
“Don’t know, that’s the first one and I was making it up as I went along. If there was any kind of demand at all, I couldn’t make them fast enough to keep up.”
“Let me talk to Mom and get you in touch with the company lawyer. Get the patent. If you don’t do anything with it, no harm done and nothing lost. If you do, that will protect your design and make sure you get paid for your work.”
“Thanks!”
“You or Mama teach me how to sew and I might just talk to you about going in partners. A little extra income would help us along.”
“I’ll teach you and you’re in. When do you want the crew welcome home and congratulations party?”
“What are you talking about?”
“You just got home from a week in the hospital and Bobby spent it right beside you. The newest member of the family just got home. Those things call for a party.”
“Not tonight. Bobby and I are whipped and plan to be in bed two hours before dark. That way I can get a little sleep before I have to be up an hour after dark to feed Ladybug here.”
“Really? You gave her a nickname already? How did you come by Ladybug?”
“She’s just this adorable, tiny little pink thing and she’s always moving. I just thought it was cute.”
“It is. If she’s done nursing, can I hold her?”
“Sure. Here, come get her.”
(Mark takes Eliza and cradles her gently to protect her head, neck, and back. She fusses a little when Kit hands her off, but quiets right down when Mark cuddles her to his chest.)
“You guys are naturals at this. Stacy has Al asleep already and Eliza quit fussing just like you flipped a switch.”
“That’s good because between four and six years from now, we’ll be doing this with our own.”
“Something you two aren’t telling us?”
“There’s a lot of things we’re not telling you right now. When we get it all worked out for ourselves, we’ll fill you in.”
“Oh hell.”
What, Mom?”
“You two are acting just like your Dad and I did. You and I need to talk.”
“When me and Mark get things figured out, we will. Mom, there’s a ton of stuff I don’t know. I can’t think of anybody better than you to teach me.”
“Just don’t learn too fast.”
“Three years too fast?”
“You two are planning to give Craig more business, aren’t you? What is it about this family and marrying young?”
“Life’s too short and we don’t know what the future holds. Why waste time?”
“I swear, Kentucky isn’t going to ever let anybody in this family adopt again!”
“Then they’re stupid and we’ll all pick up stakes and move. We may be different, but it works.”
“Y’all going back to the back forty tonight?”
“If nobody needs us.”
“Try not to give the littles any new playmates.”
“We got that worked out last night. It’s what put us on this three year schedule. That’s assuming your folks and mine are cooperative with us.”
“Humf! You two won’t give them a minute’s peace until they are.”
“There is that. I hope we don’t have to be that way.”
“I doubt it. We keep this up and the official class ring of Franklin High is going to be a wedding band.”
“Nah, most of the kids in the middle and high school aren’t smart enough to figure out what’s important to ‘em. This whole serious relationship thing isn’t for the timid.”
“Maybe, but most serious relationships aren’t trouble magnets like they are in this family.”
“Yeah, but we keep handling it. Mom, where do you want me to put Al down?”
“Just put him here in his car seat. We’re going to take the Jedi twins home soon so Bobby and Kit can take Ladybug to get some rest.”
“Geez! Nicknames!”
“You won’t tell anybody your full name, so what’s your nickname?”
“Fine. Mom called me Boo. It’s Creole. It’s a lot like sweetie.”
“That’s not bad. I’ve heard that before. Now all we have to do is figure out your real name. Does Stacy even know?”
“Yeah I do, and I’m not tellin’.”
“I give up. I’ll tell you, but it stays in the actual family. The crew is not to know. Understand?”
“We’re sworn to secrecy. Come on, tell us.”
“My first name is Timothy. It’s a family name that a lot of the men on Dad’s side of the family carry, including him. That’s why nobody in the family goes by it, it’s too confusing. My middle name is Markus. I go by the shortened form ‘Mark’ because I never have liked Markus.”
“Timothy Markus, hmmm. It rolls off the tongue good and sounds strong. It makes me think of a Roman gladiator in armor with his sword held high. I won’t tell, I promise, but I like it.”
“Great! Sword, armor, a miniskirt, and knee high sandals; just the image I want.”
“Hey, that image struck fear throughout the world when Roman civilization was at its height. I’ve seen you in real live combat before. You definitely are able to strike fear in an enemy. I was pretty in awe too, after it was all over.”
“And on that note, let’s head back up so they can go home and get some rest. Poppa, would you like your daughter or should I give her to her Mama?”
“Give her to me. I want to hold my little girl while I still can. You guys have a good time tonight.”
“Quiet supper by soft light, playing some cards, and maybe a waltz with my man if we feel like it. I can’t think of a better evening.”
“Cuddling up to sleep with him isn’t a turn off either, I bet.”
“No Ma’am, it isn’t.”
“Get going. I think we’re going to tell Grandma and Grandpa goodbye and head on up to the apartment.”
“We’ll see you guys tomorrow then. Welcome home.”
Thanks. See you tomorrow.”
“Bye, Mom. I love you.”
“Love you too, Sweetheart, and you too, Son.”
“Not for about three or four more years, but I love y’all too. Night.”
(Cave, front porch, 8 PM)
“You warm enough?”
“Yeah, Lover. You want another cup of hot chocolate?”
“I’m not quite done with this one yet. It’s still pretty hot. Anastasia, is what happened between us last night going to make it weird when we go to bed tonight?”
“I don’t think so. Nothing’s really changed, except I understand a lot better now. It’ll be just like it was before. We’ll do whatever we do and stop before it goes too far. We’ll go to sleep with your arms around me and wake up when we wake up in the morning. We’ll lay there for a while holding each other because neither one of us want the feeling to end, and then we won’t have a choice because we’ll have to go to the bathroom. After that we’ll start a new day together.”
“I hope you’re right, because I really don’t want to give that up. I just hope this year is quieter than last year was.”
“I think it will be, and if I’m wrong, we’ll deal. I just have a feeling, but I think this year’s going to be quiet. We’ll get some rest and the littles will get big enough to get into trouble and be fun. We’re going to have to make a real start on our future and the next thing we know, it’ll be Christmas again and we’ll only have two years left to go.”
“Brian and I are supposed to go to auction next month and buy our first beeves. I don’t know how much rest we’ll get, but I hope you’re right enough that we won’t see as much adventure. I have an idea too. Let’s talk to the farm trustees. Let’s start on putting the utilities in on the Overstreet section. If we can get that done this year, we can build the house next year, and then have the third year to buy the furniture and other things we’ll need. With the house built, we’ll have someplace to put it. That way, when I turn sixteen, everything will be ready. We’ll also get to enjoy our first time in our own bed, in our own home.”
“I can go for that unless it’s really pretty that night. If it is, I think I want to spend the night in that little stand of trees behind where we’re talking about putting the house. I think that’s where I want our firepit too. Think about it, you, me, a blanket, a bed of coals in the firepit, and the stars, all surrounded by trees so it’s private. How does that sound to you?”
“Sounds really special and romantic. I like it. Now what if it’s cold or rainy?”
“In that case, in our home or here, pick your pleasure. The only thing that matters to me that night is our pleasure. As long as we’re together, I don’t think much else matters.”
“Me either. I’m a little tired.”
“I don’t doubt it. We hauled two loads back here today and put it all away and got the lights back up, all around visiting with Kit and Bobby. I’m glad you got the charge controller too, and that we changed over to LED ribbon light. It sure looked like it was less work to run than the old lighting was, and it doesn’t use any power compared to the old lights. You even have a couple 120 volt outlets off that inverter scattered around. We get the cable run and the antenna hidden outside, and we’ll be able to use our phones and get radio and tv signals. We’ll be able to sit in here and still hear the Grand Ole’ Opry on Friday nights when we’re up here.”
“It’ll be nice, but that’s for another day. What say you and I go turn on some soft music, turn down the lights, and go to bed?”
“It’s still early, but I think I’d like that. It’d be nice to just lie in bed and talk a while. You’re good all the time, but your brain does even better work when you’re relaxed. Yeah, let’s go to bed and talk about what we need to do to get where we want to be in three years.”
(Mark takes Stacy’s face in both his hands and kisses her.) “I’m glad you’re mine. I love you, Anastasia.”
“I love you too. Let’s get to bed and start on our future...together.”
And we have come to the close of Riches to Rags to Riches, Volume II. Our little ones are here and starting to grow. Our big kids are all leveled out, and our adults are mostly where they want to be.
It will be a little while, but we will go back to Franklin, KY, as promised, and see what the clan is up to. Will it be another day in the life, or the end of the world as we know it? We’ll just have to wait and see. If it makes you feel better, I don’t know either.
Thank you all for taking this trip with me and the clan. I hope we get to take a lot of walks together in the future, meet a great many new people, see a lot of great places, and have many wonderful adventures.
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Post by biggkidd on Feb 3, 2018 17:50:15 GMT -6
Thank you ever so much. You really ought to consider publishing this story set so the rest of the world can enjoy it as well. Not to mention MONEY never hurts to bad...
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Post by 9idrr on Feb 3, 2018 20:21:20 GMT -6
Ya done good, boy. Whenever you start the next part, I'm sure this group will be damned near ecstatic. Many thanks.
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Post by papaof2 on Feb 3, 2018 20:27:58 GMT -6
You're in a good place to publish. Get Book 1 out with a promise of book 2 in 6 months and book 3 if demand is there. Any who read Book 1 would likely buy Book 2 and be double hooked for Book 3.
Evan at the optimal sales price of $2.99 each, that's $2 per book times at least 2 books times xxxx buyers. When Book 3 is published, you might even consider writing as your full time job ;-)
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Post by catspaw65 on Feb 3, 2018 22:16:36 GMT -6
You're in a good place to publish. Get Book 1 out with a promise of book 2 in 6 months and book 3 if demand is there. Any who read Book 1 would likely buy Book 2 and be double hooked for Book 3. Evan at the optimal sales price of $2.99 each, that's $2 per book times at least 2 books times xxxx buyers. When Book 3 is published, you might even consider writing as your full time job ;-) What he said. I would definitely buy these stories and any more you decide to write.
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Post by headlesshorseman on Feb 4, 2018 5:51:17 GMT -6
Thank you cutter. It was a very enjoyable read. If you publish on Amazon consider Kindle select. The break even point is around ninety thousand words. It will not hurt sales by a significant amount. It is two different markets.
A clean break point is better than the word count. The current rate is around .45 cents per page read. It varies month to month. Read the contract and go with what suits you.
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Post by biggkidd on Feb 18, 2018 17:21:39 GMT -6
So has Mark got a beard yet? Him and Stacy got four or five kids by now?
Missing this family!
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Post by cutter on Feb 19, 2018 0:01:33 GMT -6
Funny you should ask. Mark is now almost sixteen and is sporting a goatee. Apparently, the crew decided that three years is long enough. I started on volume 3 last week. A few new kids in the background, but none of them are Mark and Stacy's. You'll be glad to know that Eliza is thriving and is already acting like one of the crew. They haven't told me all the stories yet, but a few of our original crew couples seem to have had some ups and downs in the last three years. Kit's about to graduate and Bobby's been hanging around Todd too much. A little of Bill and Siddah Marshall's backstory from early in their marriage has come out and it explains some things about the brothers and the lifestyle they now live. I'm not there yet, but it looks like Volume 3 will be posting sooner rather than later. I really want to write some other stories too, most of them short, so the family might take a break here and there.
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Post by headlesshorseman on Feb 19, 2018 6:46:38 GMT -6
I am glad to hear that they are still active. You will miss them when they get too busy to send the messages. So will I.
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Post by cutter on Feb 19, 2018 18:24:35 GMT -6
I was already missing them when I posted the last chapter. I was brainstorming Volume three while I was proofreading the last chapter of volume two
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Post by teedee on Jun 14, 2018 7:31:20 GMT -6
OK you made me wake up at 4 AM again. I could just not wait to see where you were going to take us! The birth scene was a killer, I was sitting here crying because I did not know where you were going to take us. But you did good with the end of that scene. I once told Jerry D Young how he got a movie going in my head when I read his work. He said that he got a movie going in his head and he just wrote it down, You said the same thing. I may need to take a break as my eyes are no longer focusing!!
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Post by eyeseetwo on Jul 6, 2018 21:31:20 GMT -6
Your story was so intense! My hope is that all the children and teens in the real world of today find sound wise adults in their lives to assist them on the road to adulthood. Where I live and teach there are far too many who face similar challenges as the kids in your story face. When you show mercy and grace to the least deserving you open up a world of healing. I have more competent CPS workers and teachers in my career than what the media portrays. And foster care parents who do right by the children and teens placed with them. Sadly, I have had little ones in my class who are survivors of neglect, physical abuse, mental abuse and child rape.Yes it deeply saddens me when I am told of their past. Not one child or teen should be exposed to the horrors they have faced. If one person is willing to stand in the gap for them, believe them, and bring them out of the hell they are living they have the chance to go on and heal and become overcomers and more than survivors. Was your story hard to read. Yes. Why? Because it is so true what our military, law enforcement, first responders, school folks and foster families face on a weekly if not daily basis. Thank you for your story and I look forward to reading Part Three.
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Post by cutter on Jul 16, 2018 18:06:10 GMT -6
Thank you so much for vol. 2. anticipating vol. 3. You are quite welcome. It is my pleasure. Volume 3 is in process in the stories as they are written section. Due to life events not completely within my control, Volume 3 has become a slow process, but it is processing. Thanks again, and welcome to the board.
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Post by philevans on Apr 21, 2019 17:43:53 GMT -6
Thank you so much for vol. 2. anticipating vol. 3. You are quite welcome. It is my pleasure. Volume 3 is in process in the stories as they are written section. Due to life events not completely within my control, Volume 3 has become a slow process, but it is processing. Thanks again, and welcome to the board. Just finished reading for the 2nd time. Thanks for this great yarn.
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Post by teedee on Jul 31, 2019 20:35:05 GMT -6
OK I just reread both vol 1 and vol 2. They were still as good as I remembered. I do kinda like getting old as I can't remember enough of the stories to make rereading them a waste. Thanks again!
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Post by texican on Aug 12, 2019 23:15:54 GMT -6
Cutter,
Haven't left you a message in a while....
Hope you are doing better....
Hang in there....
God bless....
Texican....
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Post by cnk479 on Apr 17, 2021 10:49:25 GMT -6
Thanks for the story it is not what I expected but I enjoyed much more than I thought I would. I have powered through Volumes I and II and am now moving on to III. Thanks again.
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Post by cutter on Apr 17, 2021 11:36:09 GMT -6
You are very welcome, and welcome to the board.
For what it's worth, this story has gone in a very different direction than I thought it would, and I'm the one writing it.
There are a lot of good writers and good stories on this board. I hope you enjoy them all. Also to mention, the people on this board are some of the best folks I've ever known. They have been supportive of me, and not only in my writing.
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