And The Horse You Rode In On

A week later, they went to Gwen's New Year's party and stayed late. Cherilyn was staying over at jenny's house as usual. When they got home late, Gerald took Gwen in his arms and kissed her good night as he usually did.

When he finished, Gwen said, "Gerald, come inside."

"Gwen, it's late and...."

"Gerald, that wasn't a request." She took his hand and led him through the house to her bedroom. Gerald didn't go home until noon the next day. Then he took a long nap while Gwen went to pick up Cherilyn.

That night at dinner, Cherilyn finally asked the question that had been bugging her all day. "So, when is the wedding?"

Gwen answered, "We haven't talked about it yet."

"Then what have you been doing? Oops, forget I asked that." She turned beet red.

Gerald said, "Did anyone ever tell you that you are growing up far too fast?"

"Yes, you have. Get used to it, daddy. Oh, that feels so different to say that now."

Gerald replied, "I know. It sounds so different when I hear it now." They all smiled at each other.

The spring went quickly. Gerald and Gwen did talk about a wedding date but decided to take their time. Cherilyn continued to do well in school. After the mid-term report cards came out, it was announced that Jenny and Cherilyn were number three and four in their class of 200. Both girls were proud but wondered what they needed to do to overtake the number 1 and 2 spots.

The big shock for the year for Gerald came in April when Cherilyn had a date to the Junior/Senior prom. He decided that he was totally unprepared for her to go out on a date with a boy. He talked to Gwen and she assured him that the boy was a good kid who she had taught in elementary school and she knew his parents. Gerald was still nervous and on the night of the prom, he was on pins and needles until she was home safely in her bed. Then he took a shot of scotch and went home to bed.

During the spring Gerald also began adding another wing onto his house. He didn't talk about it to anyone; he just started building. As before, he finished the walls and roof quickly and began working on the interior during the heat of the summer. Even Cherilyn was surprised when she noticed the addition going up. The new addition created a U-shape house with the patio and deck in-between and included the grill and the brick oven. It created a second bedroom and bathroom.

He and Gwen had discussed their future and decided to move into his house and then fix her house up and sell it with the two acres near the road. They would retain the three acres behind her house and put in an orchard. The way their properties were shaped, this created an L-shaped property that gave easy access to the garden on the right and the orchard straight ahead. When he wasn't working on the house, Gerald was moving the fence and planting the orchard. He planted a variety of trees including native pecans, plums, and pears and also put in several rows of blackberries.

That summer, Jim and Pam were going to take the girls on another road trip to the east coast but into other areas that they had not been to before. This was planned to be a two weeks trip. As a result, Gwen and Gerald signed up for another two weeks at the village. Because of the success of their previous visits, they were eagerly welcomed and were specifically asked to be on the maintenance and gardening teams again. They received no arguments from Gwen or Gerald.

For this trip, they prepared with some fore knowledge. After a flurry of e-mails with the village, Gerald collected an array of tools and supplies that were needed. Gwen sought out a variety of garden tools and supplies also. Due to the volume of their finds, Gerald bought a pickup truck bed that had been converted into a trailer. They carefully packed all of their materials into the bed and tightly tied a tarp down over the bed. Gerald was going to leave several days before Gwen and drive the trailer to the boat dock here it would make the trip on the weekly supply barge. He then drove to Seattle and picked up Gwen after she had seen Cherilyn off on their trip. They spent a day in Seattle and then drove over the mountains to catch the passenger boat to the village.

They were warmly greeted on their arrival and they launched another glorious working vacation in the mountains. This time, they pulled their twin beds together and slept comfortably each night. After the Friday night vesper service which was always an inspirational event, Gwen said as they walked back to their room, "Except that it would be hard to get people here, I would love to get married right here. It would be a wonderful place to start our married life together." Gerald nodded and agreed wholeheartedly. But a seed was planted in Gerald's mind and it wouldn't leave until it germinated.

All too soon, their two week adventure ended and they made the long drive home to rejoin the real world. With school starting in a matter of weeks, they quickly re-adjusted their lives to fit the coming school year. Cherilyn and Jenny were now juniors in high school and leaders both academically and socially. The each began taking advanced placement classes in math and science and a class to help prepare them for college.

Gwen started school as usual and was quickly caught up in the school year activities. Gerald continued tutoring two mornings each week. Apparently, his efforts were paying off because the school's scores for math and science had improved to exceed all of the surrounding schools. The principal had received a number of calls from other schools about their improvement. He proudly talked about the efforts of the teachers and the support of the parents. He mentioned their tutoring program but did not overly taut it because he was afraid that some of the schools might try to tempt Gerald away from him. As usual, Gerald was oblivious of the issues surrounding him. He just did what he had always done and that was to focus on each child and make the lessons personal and interesting.

Early in October, he came home after tutoring to find a large group of vehicles parked in front of his gate. He parked and got out to see what was going on. It quickly became apparent that the crowd was local and regional news people and that the center of attention was an older man who appeared to be some politician or another. He joined the group and worked his way close enough to hear what was being said.

The man was speaking to a horde of microphones. "I tell you for sure that just ten years ago, this property was empty pasture. Look at it now? It is a garden spot. I can tell you that this could not have taken place without support from the farm aid that I have always supported and that is being held hostage in Congress right now. It helps small farmers and property owners like it did here. It is time for the people fighting this bill to stop and let the farm bill help more people just like it did here. Thank you."

The man quickly got in his limousine and drove off. Gerald turned to the man next to him and asked, "Who the hell was that?"

The man turned to him and said, "You don't know? He is the representative from this district and a powerful member of the agriculture committee."

"Well, he doesn't know crap about what he is talking about."

"What do you mean? Do you know the owner of this property?"

"I ought to; it is my place and there has never been a dime of government money or anyone else's money in this place."

"Listen, my name is Mike Powell, with TXT News. Would you give me a tour of your place and tell me about it. And I would also like to take some video if I can."

"Sure, I don't mind although no one has ever paid much attention to what I do here."

The crowd of reporters had disappeared leaving just the small news crew standing there. Gerald opened the gate while the newsman talked to his film crew. Instead of driving, Gerald started walking with Mike Powell next to him recording his story. Gerald showed him the trees and shrubs that he had planted and told him where they had come from. He showed them his garden and the small plot that he had started the first year and added to each year thereafter. He led him to the orchard he had planted that year and finally down to the house, barn, and buildings. He pointed out the original building and his two expansions. He pointed out the barn and how he had built it using recycled materials gathered from other places. He pointed out that the equipment was bought used and restored to working order. He talked about the early days of struggling to just grow enough to eat and then his efforts to sell at the market. As he walked Powell back to the gate, he said "If any government money was used on this property, I don't know where it went. I don't know the politics of the farm bill but I can guarantee that this property was never a beneficiary of it in any form."

The newsman thanked him for the tour and told him that he should watch the news that night to see the results. Gerald gave it little thought for the rest of the afternoon as he was painting the new bedroom in the addition. When he cleaned up, he walked up to Gwen's house for dinner. She met him at the door with, "Gerald, what happened today? Jim called and said to be sure to watch the news at 6:00 tonight and that you would be on television."

Gerald explained what had happened and shrugged. The thought of being on television had little impact and less importance to him than having dinner with Gwen and Cherilyn. But at 6:00, Gwen turned on the television and they watched the news.

150 miles away in a hotel room in the state capitol, Gerald's ex-wife was finishing her makeup when she heard her husband yell, "That stupid son of a bitch still hasn't figured out how the game is played."

She walked out as the television camera was panning across a beautiful driveway, garden and orchard and then on a house and barn. The news reporter was talking about how the owner had planted and built all of this by hand without any help from the government.

"What stupid son of a bitch are you referring to?"

Her husband chose to not mention Gerald by name, but said, "Some ignorant farmer just made Tommy Fielder look bad on the news."

"Well, Tommy Fielder is about as ignorant as they come. What is the big deal?"

"Tommy Fielder is an idiot but a powerful one. If I am going to be governor here next year, I need his help."

"Like I told you before, I don't mind you being governor but I'm not moving back to this God-awful state unless you buy me a place to escape to. You buy me that farm they just had on the news and I'll move back. No farm and you can come down here alone." She went back to the bathroom and her husband muttered "cunt." The news changed to an interview with the local sheriff who vouched for the honesty and integrity of Gerald Murphy. He had known him personally for close to ten years and knew for a fact that he had never received a dime of government money to build his place. Then the sheriff made the soundbite that would be heard many times over the next year. "Come to think of it, I can't name one small farmer in this county who has received a single dime from the Agriculture Department." The reporters then asked the sheriff about rumors that he was going to run for representative in the next election. The sheriff declined to say anything conclusive but he certainly didn't say no.

His wife returned to the room and put on her jacket. "Where the hell are you going?"

"I've got a date. I probably won't be back tonight."

"What do you see in that shit?"

"Frankly, I don't look at him that much; his looks aren't what appeal to me."

"Well make sure that you don't get caught. I don't need the fact that my wife is fucking around with a young stud making the headlines."

"You wanted a trophy wife and that is what you got. I've been there with you every time you went out in public; don't start messing with my life now."

"Where are those two brats of yours? I hope they aren't coming back tonight."

"They are probably out scoring some grass or booze. And don't worry, they like being around you just about as much as you like being around them. They'll stay gone."

"You just keep them in line for the next couple of years. Once in the governor's mansion for two terms; then we will go to Washington. I'll get them into Yale or some place and they can go fuck themselves for all I care if they can stay in school."

"Just remember; buy me that place and everything will be fine. No farm and you are on your own." She turned and left the room.

"Bitch." He muttered but a plan began to develop in his mind. "Yes, that's the idea. Fuck Gerald Murphy again and then get a couple of million from Tommy's Ag Committee to develop new farming techniques. That has a nice ring to it." He spent the next hour on the phone talking to one of his lieutenants and then he called a number and arranged to meet a special woman for a night of fun.

Gerald was mercifully unaware of any of the plot that developed as a result of the television interview. Gwen and Cherilyn were proud of his interview and the other one by Jim. The truth was that Tommy Fielder was a name that most people knew but a man that few people would recognize. He seldom visited his district except to make a political announcement like the one he had made that day. Unfortunately, Gerald's interview had also made the national news and spawned a lot of debate about the merits of the Farm Bill and the activities of the Agriculture Committee. As usual, Gerald took care of his business and ignored almost everything else.

Early in December, two things took place within days of each other. The first occurred on Sunday after breakfast. Gerald looked at Gwen and then at Cherilyn and then began to speak.

"I want to talk to you about Christmas." They looked at him with curiosity. "Something Gwen said this summer got me to thinking and I have a proposition for us all. I would like for the three of us to go to the village for Christmas and New Years. They have only a few rooms available for the holidays and the only people there are the permanent staff. There will probably be a lot of snow and it will be cold. What do you think?" Both Gwen and Cherilyn were smiling at the thought and quickly agreed to the plan. "There is one thing more. Gwen, would you like to get married at the village with just the three of us there. We can have another ceremony with everyone and a reception in the spring."

Cherilyn whooped in pleasure at the idea. Gwen sat there with tears in her eyes. Then she said, "Gerald, you know how to make things just perfect. Yes, let's do that." By dark, Gerald had confirmed all of the plans. They would go to Seattle and get a marriage license and then go to the village. The waiting period would be over on Christmas Day and they would hold the ceremony in the little chapel. They would return home on January 2nd.

The other event came two days later when there was a knock on Gwen's door just after dinner was finished. They weren't expecting anyone and were surprised. Few people came out their way. She answered it and ushered a well dressed man into the living room. Then she went to get Gerald.

"Gerald, there is a man here who wants to talk to both of us. Come on. I'm not sure I like this."

Gerald frowned and went into the front room with her. The man rose and introduced himself and they sat as he began.

"I won't beat around the bush; I am a real estate broker from the capitol and represent a buyer who is looking for ten to fifteen acres of rural land to buy. He has become aware of your two places and would like to offer each you $150,000 for your property. He is offering cash and would like to close the deal early next year. How does that sound?"

Gwen looked at Gerald whose frown had only grown deeper. He finally spoke, "We have discussed selling Ms. Lambert's house and two acres but the remaining three and my property are definitely not for sale. That is and will be our home until we die. If your client is interested in this house and two acres, I am sure Ms. Lambert would listen to an offer."

"Unfortunately, my client is only interested in the full ten acres. He has some experimental growing techniques he wants to develop. Would you consider $200,000 for each property? With the economy in this condition, that is a very fair offer."

"That is indeed a very attractive offer since the economy around here hasn't rebounded from the last trip to the toilet. But I gave you our answer and I think our business is done. Thank you for considering us. I can suggest several other local places that might be of interest."

"Thank you. We have a list of the other available properties. My client will be disappointed that you declined his offer. He is particularly interested in these two properties because of their location."

"I'm sorry to disappoint your client, but no thanks." Gerald got up and went to the dining room. Gwen showed the man out the front door.

When she returned to the dining room, Gerald was on the phone. "No Jim, he was from the capitol. I have no idea; he gave no indication of who his client was. That's what I was thinking too. If you hear of anything, let me know. Thanks."

He turned to Gwen and said, "Jim hasn't heard about anyone sniffing around for property either. And he also seems to think that something is going on that no one has heard about. He will let us know if he hears anything."

"That gave me the creeps. Our properties are worth about half what he was offering. Yours would be worth more because of the other buildings but $200,000 for five acres and houses like these is way out of line."

"That's why I called Jim. He hears a lot of things through the county and his other local contacts. I guess we will just wait and see what happens." Gerald didn't realize it then but the next move in this quiet game would take place next summer. Until then, he continued as usual and Gwen focused on the wonderful Christmas to come.

They flew to Seattle and spent a day wandering the Pike Place market and getting their marriage license arranged. They were surprised at how warm Seattle really was in December. They could see snow just twenty miles inland on the mountains. They took the train over the mountains, which was a big thrill for Cherilyn. It was her first train ride and she went from window to window watching the snowy hills and villages pass by. They caught the boat the next morning and were in the village three days before Christmas. There was a boy about Cherilyn's age living with his parents. He and Cherilyn hit it off and he taught her to ski and snowshoe on the trails and hills around the village. The pottery shop was closed for the winter but Gwen had plenty of time to work on the big loom and made a large blanket as a wedding present for Gerald. Gerald spent the days helping work on one of the now empty summer dormitories.

Their big surprise came the day before Christmas when a new set of arrivals came. They turned out to be Jim, Pam, and Jenny. They had decided that they could not miss the wedding and since neither Jim nor Pam had been here before, they decided to come spend Christmas with their friends. Jim and Pam were going to go back to Seattle after the wedding to spend a couple of days with Pam's sister who had moved to Seattle two years before. Jenny was going to stay with Cherilyn and learn to ski and snow board with her.

On Christmas Day, Gerald arose slowly. He was in a twin bed and Cherilyn was sleeping in the other bed. He got up and dressed and went to get coffee for Gwen and himself. On the way, he remembered the argument the night before which Cherilyn had won. She and Jenny had beaten on Gwen and he that Gerald could not spend the night with Gwen the night before. Pam was no help for Gwen and Gerald and sided with the girls. Jim rolled his eyes and stayed neutral. The result was that Jenny stayed in her parent's room and Gerald stayed in Cherilyn's room for the night.