Silver Arrow Ch. 20-22

I thought about going for a swim, but decided I might postpone that for now. Harlan would be back for dinner and I was sure he'd want to talk. I hadn't seen any sign of Rose, so I assumed she was with Harlan. Margaret had let it be known that Rose lived in the main house with them.

I could hear the kids frolicking in the pool. I doubted they had packed away all their things that quickly. Time enough for that later. They'd been cooped up in our SUV for almost a week and they needed the exercise and some time to have some fun. I thought about sunburn, but it was late afternoon and I would warn them in a few minutes. All of us were fair-skinned from our Nordic heritage, so it was something to be wary of.

I walked out the front door and looked down on the main house. I could see the corral and a large barn off to one side, hidden from the front of the house. There was no sign of any horses, but I wondered if they would be in the barn and out of the hot sun. There was a large water tank by the corral but it appeared to be empty.

The land surrounding the ranch was flat with the exception of the hillock that our house was astride. To the west I could see what appeared to be a large orchard. Perhaps that was the almond grove that was part of the Cummings holdings. I was sure I could see a highway running north and south and realized it was the road we had come in on. There was a steady flow of traffic on it since it was the connector between Davis and Woodland.

I wandered around the property, getting used to the idea that this would be our home for the foreseeable future. We had the summer for the kids to get organized for school, but I would be working as soon as the coach arrived from Chicago. I wasn't sure when it was due. In the meantime, I had some learning to do with Harlan and Rose as to my duties.

It was hot, but it didn't feel humid. That was a relief. I was told it could get over a hundred degrees in mid-summer in the central valley. That would take some getting used to. However, the houses and vehicles were all air conditioned, which kept things sane. I wondered about being out in the farms during this heat.

I had just finished putting my clothes and things away when there was a knock on the door. I opened it to find Harlan and Rose.

"Come in. Good to see you again," I said in welcome.

"Good to see you too, Doug," Harlan boomed. Rose nodded and hobbled into the house on her crutches. At least she had a slight smile on her face.

"Getting settled?" he asked.

"Yes. We'll be all set once our stuff arrives from Louisville. Otherwise, we have everything we need right now."

"Margaret tells me you had a good trip with no problems."

"Yes ... tiring but interesting. I think the kids were grateful that it was over, though. They're in the pool right now. They couldn't wait."

"I'm not surprised. I'm sure they'll have a bunch of their friends up here soon enough."

I noticed that Harlan was dressed in what I thought of as "western style." He had a tan cowboy hat, boots, and a fancy shirt with a string tie. That seemed odd for a meeting with state officials. He had taken the hat off and was heading for the back of the house and the patio, wanting to say hello to my children, I supposed. Rose hung back.

"I'm glad you made it safely," she said quietly, surprising me.

"Yes, Debbie and Bill shared some of the driving, and that helped a lot. Did you just come from Sacramento?"

"Yes. Margaret called me and let me know you were here. Harlan doesn't carry a cell phone, so I'm his switchboard operator," she grinned. I was relieved that she was beginning to loosen up.

I was curious. "Who were you meeting with, if I may ask."

"Mr. Faron Temple, President of the State Board of Food and Agriculture. Agriculture is the life blood of California, despite what the tourism people think. Mr. Temple is the second most powerful person in the department, after the Secretary."

"Oh ... that's impressive. Harlan must be an important man, then."

"He is," she smiled, "but he's also a big contributor to the party. That gets him some access, and at least a hearing on important issues."

"What are the important issues?"

"Water, taxes, research, and co-ops, pretty much in that order."

Rose was opening up for the first time since I'd met her. It was a relief, since I was worried that we might have some problems getting along.

"You're right in there on everything, aren't you," I said as an observation. "That must be very rewarding for you."

"It is. Harlan is a very smart, successful man and he's taught me a lot. He'll teach you too if you are interested."

"I am. I did notice how he was dressed. Kind of 'western style.' Is that usual?"

This time she laughed. "Yes. Harlan will be the first to tell you that he's a farmer. A very rich and successful farmer, but still ... just a farmer. That outfit is a reminder to the people he deals with about his origins. He once told me that if he wanted to turn off the people in the DFA, he'd dress like the rest of the lobbyists do with a Brooks Brothers suit, a pair of Gucci loafers, and a Rolex."

"Just a good old dirt farmer trying to make a living for himself and his family, huh?" I kidded.

"Exactly. You'd be surprised how often that works. As I said, he's a very smart man."

I walked with Rose as she hobbled toward the patio. I could see Harlan had re-introduced himself to my offspring. He wasn't shy, but then, neither were my children.

Sandy saw Rose and came out of the pool to say hello.

"Hi, I'm Sandra, but my friends call me Sandy," she said without a pause. Rose had not been with Harlan when he had visited our home in Louisville.

"Nice to meet you, Sandy. I'm Rose. I'm Mr. Cummings's personal assistant.

"What does a personal assistant do?" my daughter asked.

"I do all kinds of things that help him look after his business. I take notes at meetings, like the one we were in this afternoon. I keep records of expenses when we travel. I remind him of his appointments. I keep the records for each of the ranches that he owns. I have lots to do."

"Yeah ... you sure do. Do you like it?"

"Yes, I do," Rose smiled. "It's a great job and Mr. Cummings is a very nice man."

"I know. I already like him," Sandy smiled.

"I'm not surprised," Rose said with a return smile.

Debbie and Bill were standing on the pool apron, talking to Harlan. I could see they were paying close attention to him but I couldn't hear the conversation. I could see a big smile on Debbie's face as well as Harlan's. Whatever the three of them were talking about was apparently good news. At length, Harlan strolled back to Rose and me while Deb and Bill jumped back into the pool, followed by Sandy.

"That's one fine family you have, Doug," Harlan smiled. "You must be real proud of them."

"I am. They've helped keep me sane during some tough times."

"Well, I'm going to go wash up for dinner. Why don't you and your youngsters come down about six o'clock? We'll probably burn something on the barbeque," he chuckled.

"That's great, thank you. Just one thing. Can I ask you not to serve me too much food. I have to break up my meals due to a stomach problem."

"Sure. You just let Margaret know what works for you. It won't be a problem at all."

I noticed that Rose was paying careful attention. I also noticed she stayed behind when Harlan left to go back to his home.

"I don't mean to be nosey, but can you tell be about your diet ... or special needs?" she asked politely.

"Sure. I had an accident some years ago and it damaged my stomach and large intestine. I have to eat smaller portions more often to make sure everything gets digested."

"Oh. I guess I can relate to that. I had an accident too, but the results were a lot different."

I thought about asking her the circumstances of her accident, then decided not to. Perhaps in the future.

"This is a lovely home," I said, looking around. "I'm really pleased that we'll be staying here."

"Do you cook, Doug?" she asked.

"Well, if you can call barbeque, scrambled eggs and macaroni and cheese cooking, then I guess I can claim minimum qualifications."

"Let me guess, Debbie gets to do the regular meals," she grinned.

"To be honest, she and Christie Wilson, our nanny, did almost all the meals. I was on the road quite a bit, so both of them carried that load."

"Will Debbie be able to handle that while we're away?"

"I've been wondering the same thing. She's still in high school and I don't want her overloaded with responsibilities. I'm thinking I might look for a housekeeper."

"I can help you there. I know someone who can cook and keep house. She'd be available in the afternoons. If your family can handle breakfast and lunch, she could see to the rest of it."

"That would work. How do I get in touch with that person?"

"No need. I'll call her tonight and let her know to come and see you tomorrow. Harlan won't have anything for you after lunch, so you'll have to time to talk to her."

"Who is this woman?"

Rose grinned and chuckled. "My mother."

"Oh." I didn't know what else to say, so I said, "Thanks for the help."

"You're welcome," Rose said, clearly amused by my discomfort.

As promised, Katherine deSilva knocked on our door just after one the next day. When I opened it, I was facing a woman who looked very much like her daughter, but with darker features. There was no hint in her appearance that she was Hispanic. She was, however, quite attractive for someone who was probably near sixty years old.

"Good afternoon, Mister Hansen," she said, unsmiling. "I'm Katherine deSilva. I understand you are looking for someone to help you with some of the household duties."

"Yes ... thank you for coming," I said, ushering her into the house. "I will be driving Mr. Cummings new coach and I have three children who will need some help. Won't you have a seat and we can talk about our needs?"

"I'm fairly sure I know what you'll need. My daughter has told me of your circumstances. However, I would like to meet your children and make sure we are compatible."

"Yes, of course. I'll get them to come in if you'll give me a few moments."

She nodded and I headed for the pool where Bill and Sandy were located. After I had them dry off and come to the living area, I knocked on Debbie's door and asked her to join us.

"Uhhm, this is Mrs. deSilva. We are talking about having her come to the house in the afternoons to do some light housekeeping and prepare dinner. She wanted to meet you first. Why don't you introduce yourselves," I suggested.

After a somewhat awkward pause, Debbie spoke first. "I'm Deborah, I'm seventeen and will be a senior in high school this year. Most people call me Debbie," she said, haltingly.

"I'm Bill, and I'm sixteen. I'm going to be a junior this year," my son said, keeping it short and to the point.

"I'm Sandra, but everyone calls me Sandy. I'm just thirteen and in middle school." Like Bill, Sandy kept her introduction short.

"It's nice to meet you," Mrs. deSilva said, showing a smile for the first time. "Well, three teenagers for you to shepherd, Mr. Hansen. That's quite a challenge. What do you want me to do ... or not do?"

"Well, I'm sure we can deal with our breakfast and lunch and making the beds. We could probably do the laundry. If you could do some vacuuming and prepare dinner, that would be a big help."

"And how do you young people feel about my being here?" she asked, surprising all of us.

It was Debbie, once again, who recovered first. "It's going to be a big help. I was wondering if I could do everything and still study. I'm really glad you'll help," she smiled.

"Thank you, Debbie. And what about you, Bill?"

"Sure ... like Debbie said. I won't have to do the vacuuming so often."

"And Sandy?" she asked.

"Are you Rose's mom?"

"Yes, I am. Like your dad, I was a single parent. Rose is all grown up and living on her own now, but I see her whenever she's at the ranch. I do the housekeeping for Mr. and Mrs. Cummings in the mornings, so it's easy for me to do it in the afternoons here also."

"Rose is nice," Sandy said with a smile. "She said I was going to grow up and be beautiful like my sister."

"I'm sure she's right ... and thank you for saying what you did about my daughter," the older woman smiled again. She turned to me, still holding that warm smile. "I think we're all going to get along just fine, Mr. Hansen."

"Please, call me Doug. That's how everyone knows me."

"Very well, Doug, and I'm Katherine. When would you like me to start?"

"Well, we haven't talked about your salary or days off, so why don't we do that while my children go back to doing what they were doing?"

I didn't have to suggest it twice. Sandy and Bill were back in the pool before we could blink, while Debbie thanked Mrs. deSilva for taking on the job and left for her room.

"You have very nice, well behaved youngsters, Doug. I think you must be a very good parent."

"Thank you, but I give most of the credit to my late wife and our recent nanny. They set the standards while I was away. Someday I'll tell you about it. In the meantime, let's get the formalities out of the way."

She agreed and we sat down and discussed her hours and salary. It was within reason. Both her availability on weekdays only and her salary would work out for us. She would start on the following Monday. Harlan had made it plain he wanted to be home on the weekends, so I didn't have to worry about the children being on their own for any length of time.

"Rose is very impressed with you, Doug," she said as we sipped an iced tea.

"She is? That's a bit of surprise, Katherine. When I first met her in Chicago, I was concerned that she wasn't very impressed with me at all. She's more sociable now, but I wondered why we got off on an awkward footing."

"She's quite defensive about her physical limitations, particularly around men. She assumes that they look on her with pity and don't see who she really is. It takes her a while to get to know people and that's probably what you saw."

"I hope she didn't get that feeling from me. I have my own physical limitations."

"Yes, I know, and that is probably part of the reason she's accepted you more quickly than others."

"If I'm not being too nosy, what happened to her? She said something about an accident, but didn't elaborate."

Katherine sighed and leaned against the back of the sofa.

"She made a very bad mistake, Doug. She went to a high school grad party after the ceremonies. She drank some punch that was well laced with vodka. Then she got in a car with some other teenagers who had also had several glasses of the punch. The driver was speeding and lost control, hit a drainage ditch and rolled the car over several times.

"Rose wasn't wearing a seat belt and the impact of the accident damaged her lower spine. She still has some feeling in her legs, but she is unable to walk any distance without a walker or crutches. She was one of the lucky ones. Three young people lost their lives in that accident. Rose and another young girl were the only survivors. The other girl is in a special care unit in a vegetative state. I thank God that Rose survived with as little damage as she suffered."

"That must have been very hard to face, Katherine."

"Not as hard as it was for Rose. She was ready to give up and die for a few months. She was sure her life was over and didn't care what anyone told her about what she could still accomplish. It was a very hard time for both of us."

"What about her father?" I asked.

"Enrique was her savior. He wouldn't let her give up. He almost bullied her into carrying on and making something of herself, despite her handicap. He was a tower of strength for both of us. He taught me what a real man was all about, not just a bunch of macho ... posturing."

You're both lucky to have him," I said.

"If only it were so. He died of prostate cancer four years ago. I thought I would die too, but this time Rose saved me. She took over as my late husband's spokesman. She refused to let me give up. So you see, just like your life, nothing here is simple or ordinary. There are days when I'm not sure who the parent is, Rose or me," she chuckled softly.

"Well, your story about what happened to Rose at her graduation really hits home. I want my children to hear it. Debbie is less than a year away from that big event, and Bill only a year later. I hope they will pay close attention to the consequences of being careless. It's every parent's worst nightmare."

"I'm sure Rose will let Debbie and Bill know long before it's time, then remind them when the day comes. She's a very responsible woman now, but I wish she would find a man. She's in her early thirties and time is passing her by."

"She's a very attractive young woman with a very responsible job. I'm amazed that some guy hasn't come along already."

"They have, but she's driven them away, Doug. She has a hard time accepting that they would want to be personally involved with someone in her condition. She finds fault where fault doesn't lie. I keep telling her that sooner or later, she has to take a chance, but so far, she hasn't accepted that."

I nodded, wanting to end the conversation. It had become very personal and I wondered just how Rose would react if she knew how much her mother had revealed to me. That might make our working relationship more difficult.

Chapter 22 On the Road Again

The new coach arrived in the Union Pacific freight yards. The yards were in the neighboring town of Roseville, and Harlan, Rose and I were there to supervise the unloading and inspection of the new unit. It had been covered with a soft fabric material to ward off dust and debris. I wasn't permitted to drive it off the flatcar. That was a job for an experienced man, they said. I watched as they expertly moved the big unit slowly down the steel ramps and onto the apron. I wasn't breathing until it was safely on the ground.

It took three men to remove the tarp and we set about inspecting the exterior for any signs of damage. There was no hint of a problem along the sides or the front and rear. I stepped into the bucket on a cherry-picker with one of the crew and inspected the top of the unit. Again, we saw no sign of any damage.

Our next inspection was the interior. Much of the cabinet and door fixtures had been securely taped shut to avoid them popping open during transit. I was impressed with the care the manufacturer had taken to make sure nothing was going to interfere with their delivery of the big, expensive machine.

We took an hour to complete the inspection, but when it was done I told Harlan that we could sign off on the delivery slip and start to move it to Sierra Motorworks, the location where we would get it ready and serviced for use. With some help, I installed the batteries. We had brought a ten gallon canister of diesel fuel along with us to move the coach to our maintenance provider. They would go over all the mechanicals and interior furnishings to make sure everything was working properly. I made a quick check that there was oil in the engine and fluid in the transmission before boarding.

After getting Rose on board with the lift, I turned to Harlan.

"Do you want to do the honors," I grinned.

He gave me a big smile, leaned over and pushed the start button. The big diesel sprang to life immediately, and I gave him thumbs up and a high five. Rose clapped her approval. I adjusted the mirrors and slowly moved out of the rail yard, following Harlan's directions to the maintenance shop.

I knew within a couple of miles that I was going to enjoy driving this big unit. It was the latest in technology, quieter and smoother than the coaches I had been piloting at Silver Arrow. I was almost disappointed when we pulled up to Sierra Motorworks and handed the coach over to the mechanics. It would be a day or more before we could pick it up and take it "home." I could see the excitement in both Harlan and Rose as we watched the coach being carefully driven into the shop. The next time we saw it, it would be spotless and ready to roll.