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  “I’ll be right back, Ed.” Harry went to his desk to write the check. He made it out for triple. Who else could have done all this in this short amount of time?

  “Mr. Harry, you can’t do this. I can’t take this.”

  “Ed, this is for Maggie, this is from Maggie.”

  Ed started tearing up, and he turned and walked away.

  As he left, Troy appeared in the great room with a bucket of soapy water and rags. Before Harry could speak Troy said, “Harry, why don’t you help Sally with the groceries. There’s a couple of things I think I should do.” Harry then became fully aware of the blood stains on the glass table and the floor and hearth at the fireplace. Without responding, Harry went to join Sally in the kitchen.

  “How’s the work coming?”

  “It’s done. New doors, frames plus other minor repairs. Amazing.”

  “He must really like y’all, especially Mom.”

  “Your mother had him charmed. He would have done anything for her.”

  “Dad, it must have been awful last night. How did you survive?”

  “The grace of God, only by His grace that I was down the hallway when they broke in. After that, it was all instinct, no time to think. They were evil. They could have broken in, held a gun on us, and I would have given them the coins. They had ski masks on; they could have gotten away free and clean. Why He saved me, I don’t know.”

  Sally stared at her dad, walked across the room and held him.

  “I love you so much, Dad.”

  “I love you too, honey.”

  Chapter 6

  There was a vacation rental home down the street from the Blake’s house, and luckily it was available. Sally had made the arrangements for the rental for the family. Maggie had insisted when they had moved to the lake that they have five guest bedrooms, one for each of their children. Grandchildren, spouses and great-grandchildren would be just down the street. It was a difficult three days. The evening of the third day turned out to be much better. Everyone had gone back to their lives except for the children.

  The evening turned into a night of sharing Maggie stories. Each person had multiple experiences that were all pure Maggie. She could be the most generous, loving, forgiving person on the planet. But she could also be the hardest, coldest, nastiest person. The one thing that was for sure, Maggie was loved by her children. They all laughed and cried and knew one thing on which they could all agree; Maggie Blake was in a better place; she was with the good Lord.

  The next morning, everyone left except Millie and Sallie. They were concerned for their father’s wellbeing. Maggie had always done all the housekeeping except for heavy cleaning. They wanted to go over every detail to make sure their father could do or find someone to do all things required.

  After all, he had never washed clothes, ironed, changed sheets, or run the dishwasher. They weren’t worried about food preparation, he was as competent as Maggie in the kitchen, maybe more so. Also, both girls had agreed they would try to talk Harry into moving in with them or at least moving into the same town. They both knew the odds were slim to none that Harry would agree to leave the lake.

  With everyone gone, the two girls sat Harry down, and each one made their pitch for their father’s relocation.

  Harry listened attentively and nodded and smiled and thanked each one and gave each the same answer. He would think about it. They pushed for a time frame for an answer. He responded with, “Let me think about it.” At the end of the conversation, they knew their father would not leave until he was forced to do so. By the time they were ready to go, they felt they had made enough arrangements to take care of their father.

  The two Mexican cleaning ladies who came every two weeks to help Maggie would come every week with expanded duties including washing, ironing, changing bed linens, etc. They wanted their father not to have to deal with the things Maggie did for him. They also had a private deal with the girls to call them if Harry’s behavior changed in any way. Ruth, the lead person, seemed responsible and promised the girls she would make sure their father was well taken care of.

  Chapter 7

  It had been two weeks since his girls had left and the arrangements they made with Ruth were working better than he had ever expected. Not only was the house spotless, but his bed linens were changed every week plus he had fresh towels always available. His laundry was done with clothes folded or ironed and carefully placed in the proper drawer or closet. It had doubled his cost but truly worth every penny. Ruth had gone out of her way to make sure everything was the way he wanted it. Besides, with Maggie gone, his monthly expense reduction would more than cover the additional expense. All in all, this was a suitable arrangement for him now that Maggie was gone.

  Even though two weeks had passed, he could barely get over the fact that Maggie and Belle weren’t there. He missed them. He was lonely.

  With so much time alone, his mind produced thoughts at a rapid pace. He could not stop thinking about the two intruders who needn’t have fired a shot to achieve their objective. What kind of people shoot an innocent woman and dog without a word? He knew he was not supposed to hate, but he couldn’t help himself. He hated them both and hoped they were burning in hell. He knew he shouldn’t wish that, but he did. And it surprised him that he often thought about Belle. She was the little princess of the house. She was his as long as Maggie was out or too busy for her undivided attention. But when Maggie was home and settled, Belle was her baby. He knew it would be a real comfort if Belle were still around.

  Then there were his thoughts about Maggie. What a life they’d had together. When they had met those many years before, it was terrific. Forty-seven years ago, she was divorced with two children, and he was going through a nasty divorce with Paula. He had two children also. They worked in different parts of the same company. She was very attractive, pleasant and very outgoing, so he always made time to talk to her. She always seemed like she was glad to see him. She was such a change from what his life at home was like.

  Then, as would happen, the company opened a new facility on the north side of town, and she was transferred there as the secretary to the boss. And as fate sometimes works, he was asked to take over and manage the new facility. It only took a short while of working together for them to bond as co-workers. It was not just bonding; he was just relaxed and happy around her. Harry remembered, even though it was so many years ago, how much more comfortable he was at work than at home.

  He was trying to live in his house while they were sorting through their divorce. They had agreed this would be better for their two small boys. It was one of the few things on which they could agree. He had the guest bedroom and worked late almost every night for obvious reasons. That finally became unlivable, and the arguing was having an impact on the boys, so he left permanently and moved back in with his parents. He remembered thinking moving out might be a way to expedite the divorce.

  After a month of going to his parents’ house each night, he knew he needed to have some time for himself. He stayed at his office and buried himself in his work. On a Saturday morning when he had asked for her to work, they were the only two people in the office. She needed the over-time trying to raise her two kids with an ex who rarely paid his child support on time. Harry remembered that morning like it was yesterday. He had asked her to come into his office. Harry could tell that she was apprehensive probably because his tone was different than usual. He was so nervous; he had been thinking about her so much that he had finally overcome the fear of approaching her not only about his feelings but the consideration of a co-worker. It didn’t matter; he would not rest until he went forward.

  “Have I done something?”

  “No, no, Maggie, I just wanted to ask you if you were happy with your job? I know I get in the heat of the battle and I am maybe not as polite as I should be.”

  He could see her whole body relax.

  “No, Mr. Blake, I love it here, and I think you’re great. I mean I don’t think y
ou are rude or anything. You are the best boss I’ve ever had.” Then she blushed.

  “Thank you, Maggie, that means a lot to me, and by the way, I think you’re great also.”

  She sat there continuing to blush.

  “I don’t have anything else; I just wanted to be sure you were happy working here. I have one other thing, but I want to walk you to your car and say it outside the office.”

  Now she was apprehensive again. She could not imagine what her boss wanted to say outside the building.

  When they were at her car, he opened her door. “Maggie, I’m sure you know from some of my conversations, I am in the process of getting a divorce,” he paused, and she fell silent. “Anyway, I wondered if you would consider going out with me even though the divorce is not final. I have moved out. I also know I shouldn’t do this as your boss, but, Maggie, I have to admit I am very attracted to you. If you say no, I understand. It’s a complicated situation with all these issues, but I…”

  “You don’t have to say anything else. Yes, the answer is yes, yes, I would be more than happy to go out with you.” She smiled the most mischievous smile and left.

  Harry was sitting on his porch looking at the lake when he remembered that Saturday so many years ago; smiling now just like he was then.

  Then he remembered their first date. He had asked Maggie to dinner, but she had promised a neighbor she would babysit at 7:45 pm which would not work. Harry then suggested they meet for a drink at 6:00pm and that would enable her to keep her commitment. She agreed and recommended a place near where she lived the opposite side of town from the office and where Harry lived. This was good since he did not need to be seen with a woman until his divorce was final, and especially by a coworker.

  They both arrived in the parking lot at the same time. He remembered telling her how strange it felt since he had not had a date in over seven years. She asked him if he was sorry that he asked her.

  “Absolutely not! Ever since I first met you, I thought about what it would be like to be with you. I mean, you know, on a date.” He could not admit that was not exactly what he meant. Over drinks, he said, “I am really surprised you were available. Why hasn’t somebody snatched you up.”

  She told him she had dated some men, but none of the relationships worked out. Not everyone wanted to be involved with a working woman with two kids. Most of their conversation centered on kids and divorce.

  At 7:00 pm, he said he did not want her to be late and they should probably leave. They went out to the large foyer which was now empty, and he had said he needed to catch the men’s room since he had a 40-minute drive across town. He told her he had a great time and for her to drive carefully. As he turned to go to the men’s room, Maggie had grabbed his arm, and he turned back to her, and she was against him and gave him the warmest, sweetest kiss he thought he had ever had. It seemed to last forever, and she finally said, “I had a good time, and you drive carefully,” then she was gone.

  He went to the door and watched her walk to her car and watched as she disappeared from the parking lot. He remembered thinking what did that kiss mean. He had never even thought about a kiss. Well, that wasn’t exactly true. He had thought about a kiss and more but not on their first date. What a ride over 46 years of the highest of highs and also the lowest of lows. Maybe that was the way marriage was supposed to be. He had wished it had not been. There were too many times that she had been dead wrong and unfortunately there were just as many times that he also had been dead wrong.

  Chapter 8

  Two more weeks passed, the only thing Harry had left the house to do was to buy food and booze and go to church. He had taken the boat out a couple of times, but it just wasn’t as much fun without Maggie. Harry decided to invite Sheriff Hardaway for dinner. Hardaway was by himself also, and maybe he would enjoy the company and a good home-cooked meal.

  Harry extended the invitation, but Clay insisted that Harry come to his place. Harry agreed and the time and day were set. Harry had insisted he bring the wine which in his mind also included a bottle of Michter’s bourbon. He had a few vintage bottles of wine, and he selected a bottle of 1993 Silver Oak Cabernet.

  Clay Hardaway lived on five acres of woods about eight miles north of Harry. It was a beautiful piece of property with 500 feet of lakefront, a double covered dock that housed one aluminum fishing boat and one big high-powered speedboat. His house was almost 100 yards off the road with a gate that could be activated from his home. The outside of his house looked like a roughly built log cabin. The inside looked like a hunting lodge with all the modern conveniences.

  When he walked in the front door, he was taken back at the charm and beauty of the place.

  “Clay, this is extraordinary. This is beautiful.”

  “Thank you, Harry. I wish I could take credit for it, this is pretty much all Louise. You and Maggie would have liked her. She liked to fish and hunt more than I do. She always said she wanted her house to make her feel like she was on vacation.”

  “Well, she did a great job.”

  Harry handed the two bottles he brought to Clay.

  “Silver Oak 93! Harry, you have outdone yourself. I hope the steaks are going to be worthy. And Michter, I’ve seen it but never had it. Leave your jacket on, we are going to sit on the porch. I have a fire going, and we can test the bourbon.”

  As they entered the kitchen, Harry was again impressed. All of the appliances were gourmet. He was especially impressed with the eight-burner Wolfe stove with double ovens.

  “Very impressive, Clay, do you cook?”

  “Oh, I won’t ever go hungry but again, this was Louise, she liked to cook as much as she liked hunting and fishing.”

  “Wow, I’m really sorry that Maggie and I never got to meet her.”

  Clay didn’t respond, he had finished pouring the drinks and led Harry to the back porch. It was huge, running the entire length of the house. At one end, there was a massive fireplace where a fire was crackling and providing heat for the cool evening air. The light was just enough to reveal the magnificent view of Pine Lake. There was a ceiling-mounted big screen TV that was on a national news channel with the sound muted. They sat down in front of the fire to enjoy their drinks. When they had settled in, the President of the United States appeared on the screen, and Clay asked Harry if he minded if he brought up the sound to hear his speech. The President was speaking about the latest terrorist attack attempt.

  They listened as the President explained for the umpteenth time that the previous administration’s lack of enforcement of immigration laws had created so much jeopardy for U.S. citizens. He said that it wasn’t just Hispanics who had penetrated our borders but those same borders had allowed others including Muslims with undetermined backgrounds that could easily set up terror cells in our country. He continued saying that investigations of the recent attacks and attempts indicate the leaders were illegals who came into our country during the previous administration. When the President concluded his remarks, Clay powered off the TV and refreshed their drinks.

  Harry said, “I guess we are pretty safe here at Pine Lake,” expecting Clay to confirm his comment.

  “I wish I could agree, Harry, but I can’t. We have seen these times coming after eight years of abandoning our laws and enforcement. That group glorified the criminals and admonished law officers. It was frankly disgraceful, but I am sure I am prejudiced. But at least our leaders here in the county and town have allowed me to hire a team of former military young folks who are highly qualified for anything. And Al, who you met, is like a godfather to everybody. I am blessed to have a team like them.”

  “Clay, tell me what kind of risks we have here.”

  “Well, the most numerous threats are the gangs. There are two decent sized black gangs here. You got a taste of that group. The Mexicans have two gangs, one that is big. We also have a Guatemalan gang. And we have a group of Skinheads who think the law does not apply to them. And finally, we even have a Muslim community.
They own and/or operate a lot of our convenience and liquor stores. Mostly they live in one community, and they have been outspoken about us leaving them alone and letting them enforce Sharia law for themselves. I don’t trust them, and we are not going to have two sets of laws in this county.”

  “Clay, I never dreamed there was all that in our county.”

  “Most folks aren’t aware either, and let’s hope it stays that way. For now, these gangs have acted more like social clubs than gangs, but what happened at your house is the thing we have worried about. How ’bout I cook some meat. Come on in the kitchen, and I’ll show you how Louise prepared our steaks. She said it was an old family recipe.”

  In the kitchen, Clay opened the double doors to the Sub-Zero and removed two salad plates with sliced tomatoes covered with chunks of bleu cheese. There was a pan with a lump of dough that he placed in one of the ovens to join to two potatoes that were well on their way to being done. Then he took the foil off two of the prettiest T-bones Harry had ever seen.

  “Okay Harry, watch me apply Louise’s prep to the meat.”

  Clay took fresh garlic and rubbed it on one side of each of the steaks. Then he used garlic salt and black pepper generously to the same side of each steak. He finished the sides with a drizzle of garlic olive oil. He turned the steaks and repeated the process. “Now just a little fire and we are ready to go.”

  Harry said, “Let me get the wine ready to breathe a little.”

  Clay seared the steaks on both sides, and they sat down to eat.

  The meal and the wine were fantastic. They went back to the porch and fireplace for coffee.

  “Harry, I feel like I have talked way too much tonight. Tell me how you are doing. What’s it been, about a month?”

  “About that, I felt like I had something in common with you and I wanted to spend some time and talk to you. I’m lonely, Clay. I miss Maggie so much, Belle too. Maggie and I had less than an ideal marriage, but we both loved each other. With 46+ years on the books, there had to be a lot of good things. How long does it take to get over being lonely? From missing her? Do you ever get over it? Do you ever stop loving them?”