Secrets of the Spiral Tower (10 page)

“Yeah. He and Woody talked about getting it out and fixing it up again.”

“Sounds like you and Woody are having fun.”

“Yes, we are. It is good to reminisce about those ‘good ole days’ and laugh at some of the things we did. They weren’t necessarily funny then, but looking back, it is easy to laugh now. Are you going to stop by or what are your plans?”

“Yes. I’ll stop. When are you and Rupert going back to the Complex?”

“I’m thinking I want to spend the night with Daddy here.”

“But, what about us? I wanted a repeat of last night.”

“Connor, I don’t think I can survive another night like that for a while. Daddy is so happy. We’ll have time later.”

“Willow, I’m looking forward to being with you. I want you all to myself.”

“Now, Connor. I’ve got other commitments with friends and family. There’ll be plenty of time for you. By the way, I stopped by McKenzie Towing today.”

“Yeah, I know. Caitlyn called me. She said that you’re setting up a private office there.”

“That’s right. In a couple of weeks, I want to move in and get involved.”

“Are you for real?”

“Yes. You don’t object do you?”

“Oh, no. After all, it is your father’s company. I’m just hired help.”

“Now, Connor, you know that’s not so. You’ve been a member of this family for over thirty years.”

“I guess that’s true but blood is thicker than water. Anyhow, you can take over. I’ll go fishing and hunting with some of my buds.”

“Connor, don’t get defensive. I just want to be a part of your business life as well as your personal life.”

“Willow, I think I’ll skip stopping by and go home.”

“We’ve got some good barbecue. I hate for you to miss out on that and go eat something from one of those short order places. And, by the way, Daddy asked about you. He would love to visit with you for a while. You could bring him up on your meeting today. He probably knows the customer.”

“Okay, I’ll stop by for a few minutes. Do I need to pick up anything?”

“No. Mamie is making iced tea, so we’re all set, just waiting on you.”

 “Give me about twenty-five minutes.”

“Sounds good.”

As Woody, Olga, and Anne pulled up the driveway, the next door neighbor, Mrs. Bray, walked across her yard and called out, “Hello.”

“Hello, Mrs. Bray. It is good to see you.”

“Woody, is that you?”

“Yes ma’am. It is. Let me introduce you to my wife, Olga and daughter, Anne.”

“Hi, Olga. Hi, Anne. It is good to meet both of you. I’ve known this guy since he was your size, Anne.”

Anne, slightly embarrassed, ducked behind Woody. Olga extended her hand. “It is nice to meet you, Mrs. Bray. Seems like I should already know you. Woody has mentioned you many times.”

Swelling up with pride, Mrs. Bray said, “Well, I did have a hand in raising him. He and Willow played in my backyard often and used to come to my door looking for something to drink.”

“We really enjoyed visiting in your house because you always had a coconut cake to go along with everything else.”

“Yes. Coconut cake is a specialty of mine.”

Turning to Anne, Mrs. Bray asked, “Darling, would you like to have a piece of cake?”

Looking up at her Daddy, Anne didn’t know what to say.

“Anne, as much as you like desserts, you will enjoy Mrs. Bray’s cake.”

Taking Anne by the hand, Mrs. Bray led Anne across her yard and inside her home. In a couple of minutes, Anne emerged with a quarter sheet cake in her hands.

“My goodness, Anne. That’s enough cake for all of us.”

“Uncle Rupert,” Woody said, entering Rupert’s house. “I don’t believe you’ve met my wife, Olga. And Anne has grown up since you last saw her.”

Olga extended her hand to Rupert. “Uncle Rupert, is it okay if I call you that? It is very nice to meet you.”

“Yes, you may call me Uncle. We’re all part of the family.”

“Where is the barbecue?” Willow asked.

“It’s out in my truck. I’ll go get it.”

Moving toward the door, Mamie said, “Mr. Woody, let me help you.”

“Thank you, Mamie.”

About that time, Connor pulled up.

Mrs. Bray waved, saying, “Hello Connor. Looks like y’all are having a party.”

“It is a party of sorts. Willow brought her Daddy home for a while.”

“That’s good, Connor. I know Rupert misses being here.”

“Who knows, Willow may bring him home full-time.”

“Wonderful. It would be good to have a neighbor again. We could sit in the back yard and watch the tow boats and barges go by.”

“I’m sure he would enjoy that.”

Connor turned to Woody. “How are you today?”

“Doing just fine. How about you?”

“Just as busy as ever. May I help you with something?”

“Grab that sack. It has a carry out box full of baked beans. Be careful. I don’t know how well it is sealed.”

“No problem. Boy, they sure smell good.”

“Olga picked this up. We’re going to enjoy barbecue two days in a row.”

“That’s all right with me. I love it.”

After enjoying the meal, Connor turned to Rupert and asked him if he knew that Willow was setting up shop at the office.

Rupert reacted with a look of surprise. “No. We haven’t talked ‘shop’ any. We’ve just been remembering some of the scrapes the two of you got in.”

“Yes, I heard she reminded you of the Jeep incident.”

“No, Connor, as a matter of fact, Woody brought that bit of information up. I can still remember my words when I saw my Jeep stuck in that hole. It wouldn’t do for me to repeat those choice words in front of these ladies.”

“All I know is that I was scared to death,” Connor said. “I expected you to thrash me within an inch of my life.”

“That thought crossed my mind, but then I realized Willow probably put you up to the idea.”

“You’re right about that. She made me do it.”

“Yes, I made him do it. He was such a ‘fraidy cat’. But, let’s change the subject. Daddy, I see the picture of Connor, Woody, and me still occupies a prominent place on your den wall.”

“Yes, and you know something else?” asked Rupert, turning toward Anne. “This little girl here looks a lot like you.”

“You’re right, Daddy. She has that beautiful blonde hair and deep blue eyes. That must be a McKenzie family gene.”

“I suppose so. Blue eyes do run in our family. So, Connor, how is the towing business faring in these uncertain economic times?”

“Rupert, it is amazing. But the true fact is that large companies are doing pretty well in contrast to smaller ones. Several of our smaller competitors are struggling to stay afloat, so to speak.”

“Is it time for us to buy some of them?”

“That’s certainly something to think about. Maybe when your daughter comes to work in a couple of weeks, she should take a hard look to see if any good buys are out there.”

Willow spoke up saying, “Now hold on, Connor, I don’t know anything about buying somebody out. You’ll have to guide me in that effort.”

“Willow I know with your experience of negotiating with worldly business men in the advertising business, you would have no problem dealing with us river rats.”

“There is a world of difference between selling an ad campaign that has a predetermined shelf life, and buying tow boats and barges. Anyhow, let’s get off the shop talk. Daddy, do you want to stay here tonight?”

“I can’t think of any place I would rather stay. May I?”

“I need to contact Mr. Taylor and see what’s involved.”

“Would you do that? You’ll need to go get my medicine. I have three pills I take every night.”

“I can do that and I will have to go to Connor’s to get my suitcase.”

“Okay. Let’s get rolling.”

“No, Daddy. You stay here. Woody, could you and Olga stay ‘till I get back?”

“We surely will.”

Grabbing Connor by the arm, Willow said, “C’mon. I guess you’re on your way home and I’ll meet you there after checking Daddy out of the complex.”

“Yeah. I’m on my way home. It has been a long day.”

*  *  *

Twenty minutes after Connor arrived home, Willow pulled into the garage. Connor met her with a glass of wine and a request. “Why don’t you spend a couple of hours with me?”

“Connor, I can’t do that. But thank you for the wine. By the time I get back, it will be nearly 8 o’clock. I’m sure Woody and his family needs to go home. Daddy needs his medicine, so let me grab my clothes and hit the road.”

“From our discussion last night, I thought you were moving in with me.”

“Connor, I may do that. But right now, I need to take care of Daddy.”

“What made you change your mind?”

“I haven’t changed my mind. It’s just encouraging to see how Daddy really came alive when we took him on the short ride. If my spending time with him can lift his spirits, I really want to do that. Mr. Taylor told me if I could get Daddy exercising a bit, he would be able to walk on his own and live longer.”

“Willow, I don’t doubt that at all. But, remember I’ve been on hold for over thirty years also.”

“Connor, I’m going to do all I can to satisfy both of you. You need to be patient. But, don’t make me choose between the two of you. If you do, I’ll have to choose Daddy.”

Taking the last sip of her wine and setting the glass on the bar, Willow jogged up the stairs to Connor’s bedroom. As she was packing her suitcase, Connor grabbed her from behind and pulled her onto his bed.

“What are you doing?”

“I want to make love to you. Don’t you have time for that?”

Pushing away, Willow said, “Not tonight.”

She grabbed her suitcase and ran down the stairs and out to her car. As she pulled away Connor stood in the driveway and shouted. “You’ll be sorry for running out on me.”

Willow, shaken by Connor’s unusual actions, sped down the driveway and across Highway 61. She gripped the steering wheel so tightly that her knuckles turned white. She was trembling and her mouth was as dry as a ball of cotton. Looking down at her speedometer she realized that she was speeding.

Slow down
, she thought.

Driving eighty miles per hour in a sixty-five mile per hour zone is a definite no-no.

 Lifting her foot off the accelerator, the car slowed to the posted speed limit. She stayed below the speed limit the rest of the way.

Coming to a stop in her driveway, Willow was greeted by Woody.

Recognizing her excited state, Woody asked if everything was okay.

“Yes. Connor and I had a brief argument. But, it’s okay.”

Woody picked up her suitcase and followed Willow inside. “We’ve had a good time talking with Uncle Rupert. This is really doing him some good. We talked about the two of you coming down to Woods’ Station on Lake Bruin this coming weekend.”

“And, Daddy wanted to do that?”

“Yes. He got so excited, especially when I told him we could cruise on the party barge and troll fish.”

“Well, I would love that also. What about Connor? May I bring him also?”

“Surely. Olga, Anne, and I will go Friday afternoon and look for the three of you Saturday morning.”

“That sounds like great fun. Maybe we could grill some fish and steaks?”

“Willow, I’ll take care of that. What you might consider is having Mamie fix a big bowl of coleslaw and potato salad.”

Olga joined in. “We’ll grill some asparagus and other vegetables. We’ll top the meal off with some homemade ice cream.”

“Wow! This is going to be fun. I may want to spend the summer down there.”

“Willow, you know you’re always welcome. We enjoy our time there and look forward to having guests.”

“What about the ferry at Port Gibson? Is it still in operation? I remember years ago, we enjoyed crossing the river on it.”

“Yes, it is. The old ferry we crossed on has been replaced with a larger, safer vessel.”

“That’s good. I want to take Daddy by the McKenzie Maintenance Yard and I know he will enjoy riding the ferry.”

“That will bring back memories for you and Rupert.”

“Yes, I’m sure it will. With the river as high as it is, I just hope we don’t have a problem crossing.”

“Willow, I don’t believe you need to be concerned. The new ferry is much more sea worthy than the little one we crossed on years ago. Don’t worry.”

“Thanks. I’ll try to get us up and going early Saturday. Isn’t there something else I can bring other than coleslaw, potato salad, and a pineapple upside down cake?”

“No. I’ll take care of everything else. We’ll have a five course breakfast with bacon, eggs, grits, toast, biscuits, waffles and cereal.”

”You know, I’m trying to keep my weight down. If I stay around you very much, I’ll swell up like blimp.”