Write Me A Love Story
By
Retta Michaels
Disclaimer:
If you are under the age of 18, or you are in a locale which it's illegal to read these sorts of stories, then please leave and come back when you can do so legally.
Brief Note From Retta:
In this chapter, I'm going to be bringing up some issues I've been dealing with personally. The reason I'm doing so is there are people out in this world who can use the subjects to overcome their own trials.
If you're reading this chapter to whack off, crack off, or just get your knack off. I'm sorry, but just back off, because it's not happening for a while.
Chapter 3
The next day, I got Gypsy into the car and then drove over to pick up Stu. He was ready soon and we began our trek northward to my house.
In the 5 hour drive, I learned quite a bit about Stu and more about Branson that I really should have known. When we arrived at the house, I pulled up and said, "Well, this is it. I love this old girl as she's given me security throughout the years."
Stu said, "Jeremy, this is beautiful!"
I said, "Yeah, I'm kind of proud of it. I got it at bank repo auction and got her for a steal. The woman who owned her lived here for 43 years and basically, she was house rich money poor and the heating bill was eating her alive. She put a full loan on it and didn't make one payment, her getting the foreclosure notice was exactly what she needed to get into public housing. She moved out the day after Christmas and I looked at the house the day after that. Her husband's grandparents were the original builders.
Ten days later, I took my mom here to look at it and she carried on something terrible like the place was awful. She asked the banker what the rock bottom dollar was he'd take for the place and he said, he already had a bid for $10,000. He told us if I put in a bid for more, I'd get the house. My mom told him, if I bid more, he needed to throw in all closing costs and the title insurance.
He said if I bid $12,500, I'd get the house and all those requests. So, we put the bid in and the next day, I had the keys.
To be honest, I've put about $60,000 into her, but she now has a new heating system, plumbing, and breaker box, and a roof. There's been a lot of cosmetic touch ups, but the house is solid. There's not a squeak one.
We walked through the yard and I said, "I'm going to call a friend who does lawn service here in town and see if he'll put me on a contract for service this year. Then, I'll go down and drain the hot water heater and the water lines. If you need to use the restroom, go ahead and do so and I'll go upstairs to pack clothing."
He went to the restroom and then came upstairs to see the bedrooms. He said, "Jeremy, this place is a museum with all the antiques you own."
I waved my hand around and said, "Stu, I got all of them at auctions through the years. The most expensive piece in the whole house is that clock downstairs in the dining room. I spent $230 on it."
He smiled at me and said, "You got some really good deals. Your dining room set is down in an antique mall in Branson for $15,000."
I smiled and said, "I paid $45 for it. It was a hot August day and it had to be 120 degrees in the quonset hut they used for the auction barn. People were leaving in droves and right before the man stopped the auction, he sold the set to me. He also sold that antique telephone over there for $22."
The bedroom outfit in the master bedroom was in my grandma's guest bedroom up until she died. The set in the guest bedroom was a dear friend of mine who passed away of A.I.D.S.. I got it for $150 at his auction.
As you can see, each piece has it's story, but my favorite besides family heirlooms is what I call my 'old man's chair' over in the corner. Under that quilt is a Stickley which is darned near mint. I got it for $2 as it was outside and a rain storm had come up. Go ahead and sit in it, you'll be amazed at how comfortable it is. I use it whenever I'm on the telephone for a long time."
Stu went over and looked at it and said, "Jeremy, that chair's probably worth $20,000!"
I scrunched my face and said "Stu, you keep telling me what something's worth, you know how much worth it has to me? Two dollars. That's what I paid for it and I'm not going to worry what it's worth and not sit in it. If it's in this house, it gets used. The Eastlake set in the third bedroom is probably worth a hundred grand, but to me, it's worth the $125 I paid for it."
Stu took off like a rocket and I chuckled. I heard his say, "Oh, my god! It's beautiful!"
I said, "Stu, it's all original. It hasn't been touched with anything but the man's hands who made it. I use Old English on it and it really brings out the luster."
Stu said, "Jeremy, the Gone With The Wind Lamps!"
I said, "Stu, they came from MGM movie auction and probably were in the movie. I got them for $25 each. I happened to be there when a bunch of Clark Gable items were selling in another warehouse. It wasn't anyone but me and the auctioneer in the warehouse when they sold. Just like the persian rugs downstairs. They came from the same auction."
Stu came in and said, "Jeremy, Dave is a fool. This place isn't a dump at all. It's a treasure."
I smiled and said, "Stu, my basic idea for decorating this place was a theme called, "A Trip To Grandma's House." I loved my grandma's house and the feel I got in it. In the closets, I even have mothballs and cedar panels so I could get the smell."
I said, "Are you ready for me to go shut off the water?"
Stu said, "Are you sure you want to leave it?"
I said, "Stu, it's insured. It's not going to go anywhere and if it does, I've got video proof and quotes, and appraisals of everything. There's a rider on the policy which covers the antiques for up to a million. It should cover it."
Stu looked at me and said, "Jeremy, I love this house."
I said, "I do too, but it's only a house."
I left the room and went down the steps to go to the basement. I turned the spigot on the hot water heater and then shut off the water to the whole house. On the way up out of the basement, I hit the master breaker and plunged the house into darkness."
Stu was carrying out two pieces of my luggage and I said, "I'll be right there. Be sure Gypsy has to go potty otherwise her eyes will cross on the way back."
I got the 2 pieces of luggage I was to carry and called Francisco's yard care service. He answered and I said, "Francisco, this is Jeremy. Yeah, I'm going to be gone for the summer, would you do the yard care and maintenance on my yard until I'm back? Yeah, I'll give you the address when I know it myself. Thanks. You too. Good Bye."
I went out and locked the door.
On the way back out of town, I saw Dave's truck at a local diner. I didn't mention it to Stu, but realized I was happy to take the first step to a better future.
We drove for a while and I said, "Stu, when you are writing, do you feel like you are trying to get a story out which just has no ending?"
Stu smiled and said, "All the time. You can see it in my writing. Take a look at the way a story changes. I didn't sit down and do an outline and suddenly say, ' o.k., in this chapter I'm going to do this and in that one that'. No, I'm purely winging it babe."
I smiled over at him and said, "I wasn't getting at that, but thanks for sharing it with me."
He said, "Jer, when I sit down and see a blank screen, it's like an artist with a brush. I have no clue what's going to come out. All I know is it's going to be artwork. I'm not going for the masterpiece, and I'm not going to just get someone off. Usually the stories become that, but that's not what I set out to do. I just set out to do what I knew I could be satisfied with..."
I said, "In my life, I've got some drama going on. Yeah, my ex isn't the best, but I can take that and draw from it. I know the pain of rejection, hurt, and anger. I haven't used it yet, but I now know those feelings. I also know not feeling good enough. Heck, I look back on it and I see people I thought I cared about all saying, 'you'd be good, but you're not good enough.'"
Stu said, "Well, just remember DQ when those times come up."
I smiled and held his hand. I said, "Stu, don't worry about that. It's just in this path we call life, there are feelings I'm learning I can convey to the reader."
Stu turned to me and said, "Jer, I hadn't thought about it that way, but you're entirely correct. We take snippet of our lives and we turn them into portions of what we used in stories. I've used the sorrow of sudden death in mine and I've used the happiness of love anew. Maybe that's why I have cars careening out of control and slamming into trees and one partner suddenly losing the other. I hadn't thought of it that way."
I said, "Stu, in my writing, I'm thinking there's going to be a turn in the way I handle some things. There are always going to be some people out there who aren't ever going to be satisfied. They'll expect perfection because they think it's up to them to judge. I'm now understanding Dave better. He didn't expel the energy to build anything because he'd been judged. In his pain of not passing muster with whomever, he's now passing it on. He's not getting past it so he's caught in a rut."
Stu smiled and said, "As big as the Grand Canyon, but it's a rut alright."
I laughed and said, "Hon, just have patience with me and we'll build something worth me writing home about."
He said, "Jer, is it possible we can turn the channel on this radio. I'm about so fed up with country music I could scream."
I looked at him alarmed and said, "Stu, I'm sorry, I thought you liked country music!"
He smiled and said, "Jer, I make my living off it because that's what sells down there, but believe me, if there were ways to have a line of rock and roll shows in a location like Branson, I'd be there in a flash playing rock. The waters are prettier I think with rock."
I flipped my hand up and turned to him saying, "So, add a little to your show. Do an intermission or something where you the customer can get some soda or popcorn. Merchandise a little!"
Stu smiled grasping his hands together in a mock clap, "Jer, there you go again! I hadn't thought of it. I've only been selling dvds at the beginning and end of the shows. I could open up a whole new line like T-Shirts, and post cards! I could have popcorn and the drinks, but the higher ticket items are definitely where I could make money. Plus, I could get in some rock and classical."
I thought for a moment and asked, "Stu, why don't you have the classical at the beginning as people are coming in the door? You could throw two shows a night and have it in between too."
Stu grimaced and said, "The parking lot isn't big enough for two shows."
"O.k., Stu, then let's see. How many bus tours and local motels are around there? Wouldn't some of them be interested in a different show? Maybe if you lowered the price of the 9 pm a bit lower, it'd be just as popular as the 7 pm show. Some money is better than one money."
Stu smiled and said, "Jer, I'm beginning to think you're possessed from my lover. You sound as convincing as he did. The ways he could get people to part with money, you'd think he was P.T. Barnum himself."
I smiled and said, "Well, if it was him, he definitely knew you."
It went quiet in the car and Stu picked a different radio channel. He picked some contemporary classical station which sounded upbeat and different I liked it.
While we listened to the radio, I was thinking about different ways I could pipe the water to and from the fountains out front and where the control box would be located. Instead of being worried about the undertaking, I was considering it a challenge to see how much I could do with so little in the budget.
Stu looked over at me and asked, "What are you thinking?"
I smiled and said, "Stu, I'm thinking about the fountains and what all I want to do with this opportunity."
He smiled and said, "I know what you mean. I'm constantly thinking about how I can choreograph a show."
"Stu, why do you call an individual song a show?'
He smiled and said, "Jeremy, each song is like a little show. I pack everything I can into it. Do you realize there's time delays in pumps, switches, and all the relays?"
I nodded.
"That means each one to me has to be down to the thousandths of a second. That song to an ordinary person might be 3 minutes and 20 seconds long, but to me, I've got 200 thousandths to deal with there. Each water jet gets it's own split timing, so by the end of a song, I'm dealing with probably 60 million commands on the computer. Yes, some of them are all programmed, but for each new effect, I'm playing it in code for weeks and months."
I said, "Well, for the front, I'm wanting the pumps to pump the water up to the top to get the waterfall effect and I'm wanting it to give me several different effects down front. I'm not wanting to present the whole show, I'm wanting to just entice the person into seeing the main show. I think I'm going to need to look into some under water lighting too so you can change the colors for the seasons or holidays."
Stu nodded and said, "I want to ask you something and you can shoot me down if you'd like, but is there a way we can make a geyser and a volcano effect like they do in Vegas?"
I said, "Let me check, I've got a cousin who works out at a Vegas hotel in maintenance. He can probably hook me up with the person who's over that hotel's maintenance and can get me the scoop on what it would take. I do know it will take natural gas, which you say you don't have. It's going to take nitrogen to get the smoke effect and it's going to take colored lights to get the effect of lava. The bubbling effect is easy as all it takes is rat wire to make the water bubble enough to catch more light."
It was funny because Stu's ideas probably were going to add more money to the cost, but it really enthralled me.
"Stu, we need to get some box trailer vans down here. We can use them under the earth berm to house the natural gas, pumps, and controls. We need to look for aluminum bodied trailers and then we can spray them down with tar. The dirt won't corrode them then and they won't rust like steel. The structural stability of them should hold up to the weight lode upon them. I hadn't planned on putting anything under the berm, but now, I have added places to hide things."
He smiled and held my hand.
I looked at him and said, "So, what are you thinking?"
He said, "Call me sentimental, but when Eddie died, I went with the adage of 'the show must go on'. I was going through the motions. Now, I'm more excited than I've been for a long time."
One thought occurred to me. I looked at him and said, "Stu, let me know now what we have for a budget. I know it's going to cost more, but it's not worth it if you're getting into trouble financially."
"Jeremy, in the past 13 years, I'm managed to sock away at least a quarter of a million a year in profits. I've invested well. The Dairy Queen, and the Burger King on the strip are mine. I've also got half interest in the motel next door and the strip mall on the other side. There's land on up the strip I own which three other shows are using for parking. My deal with them on it is they paid to pave it and they pay the taxes and that's it. In return, I get to have my brochures in their buildings advertising my show."
I was amazed. I looked at him and said, "Stu, I was going to offer to put some of my inheritance in if you needed it. Now, you make my inheritance sound like it's chicken feed."
Stu smiled and said, "Jeremy, save your inheritance, but if you want advice on where to invest it, I could really give you some pointers.
I said, "O.k., give me a few."
"For one thing. There's so much to do during the days which are adult based, the parents pull their kids in and just naturally assume the kids want to go too. The problem is Silver Dollar City and the water parks all cater to kids who are planning on being with the parent. What happens if the grandparents bring them? Do they get dumped off and the park babysits? And, what happens when the parent has kids below the height requirements of the parks. Do they drag them into the shows? Well, let me tell you the shows don't appreciate screaming and crying kids. So, in those instances, Bonkers or a Chuck E Cheese's would be excellent down here."
I said, "How much does one of those run?"
Stu shrugged and said, "I'm not sure. We could look into it."
I said, "Stu, do they have a Rosanne's down here yet?"
Stu said, "No, what is it?"
"Oh, it's a scrambled hamburger joint. They serve really good manwiches without the sauce. They use flavored seasonings which are way better than I've ever tasted before. I know they're a big hit up near home and on up into Iowa and from what I hear, the franchise fees aren't real high on one. Something like $25,000."
Stu looked shocked and said, "What does one entail?"
I shrugged and said, "Well, most of them I've seen use a fast food restaurant which didn't go over as the building. They paint it in their colors outside which is a sort of pink and white gingham check and when you walk in the door, it' has Rosanne's laugh. There isn't much to the menu either. It's either small, medium, and large. The price structure isn't much. Small is a dollar, medium is a dollar fifty, and large is two dollars. The large is really huge that bun has to be six inches across!"
Stu said, "Drive thru too?"
I nodded.
Stu said, "Let's look that up when we get home."
I said, "Stu, would you mind if you stayed the night tonight? I don't want to do anything, but I'd just love to hold you."
Stu smiled at me and said, "Jer, yes, I'll stay."
I raised his hand up to my mouth and kissed the back of it.
He looked at me and said, "Jer, you're winning me over in so many ways, you don't even realize it."
What was funny is he was doing that to me too. I looked over at him and said, "Stu, I understand, you're making it pretty special for me too."
We were down south of Rolla and were getting on the interstate. We pulled over to do a gas and pit stop when Stu said, "Jer, how about I drive for a while."
I nodded and said, "If I do, Gyp will be on my lap. That's how she sees things. If I'm in the passenger seat, her seat is on my lap."
Stu smiled and said, "I'm surprised she didn't ask up here with me."
"Stu, don't take offense, but Gyp's probably still thinking you're Dave. She tried that with him and he threw her in the back seat."
Stu looked pissed and said, "Dave was a real jerk. Gyp's a real sweetheart and has been nothing but great."
Gyp hearing her name came up on my lap. She turned to Stu and was panting and smiling at him. I think she knew the difference and I think she knew she was accepted with him.
I said, "Stu, she's probably going to be a bit leery around you sleeping in the bed too. Dave wouldn't allow her on the bed."
Stu smiled, "Well, let Gyp and I have a talk and I bet she sleeps in there with us."
We drove on through and when we got to a White Castle, we pulled into the drive thru. I said, "Get Gyp a few for her without onion or pickle and with cheese. She loves them."
Stu looked over and asked, "What do you want Jer?"
"Oh, I'll have some with cheese and onion, but no pickles. I don't like pickles on any burgers. I'll eat them off a sandwich, but not on one. They get slimey."
Stu asked, "Cheese fries?"
I nodded and Gyp barked. Stu asked, "Gyp, do you eat cheese fries?"
I said, "Stu, she usually eats a few of mine."
We pulled up to the window and Gyp was over on Stu's lap leaning out the window. The man taking the money at the window turned and pet her. His mistake was when he turned to make change, he left the drive thru window open. Quick as a flash, Gyp was out the window of the car and in the drive thru window. The man chuckled and said, "Go ahead and park and I'll have her corralled in here."
I opened the car door and told Stu, I'd go get her. He laughed and said, "She's definitely a White Castle girl!"
When I went in, the workers in the restaurant were having a good time. The cooks weren't making it better because they were feeding her. The cook said, "Sit", and of course she sat. He fed her a bit of burger and the window guy said, "Go ahead and get her, it's o.k.!"
I went back and got her and said, "Gyp, yours is outside in the car. Come on"
As I carried her out, customers and employees both wanted to pet her. Of course, she was eating up the attention.
She stood up over my shoulder and barked at her adoring audience as I whisked her out the door. The whole time, her little chopped tail was just a wagging."
When I got back to the car, Stu said, "Gyp, I've got yours all ready here. You're going to eat up here on my lap while your daddy eats his lunch."
Sure enough, I looked over and Stu had everything tore up into bite sized pieces for Gypsy...even the french fries were Gypsy-sized."
Gyp looked at Stu and then turned to give me a look like, "This isn't the same guy!"
She ate a bit from Stu and then decided it was good to eat. It didn't take her long to have her lunch ate."
Stu motioned to Gypsy and said, "Gyp, you go back there and sit while I eat my lunch and then we'll hit the road."
Sure enough, Gyp followed his command and went to the back. I looked back and she was sitting real pretty staring at him.
I said, "Stu, it might not be a good idea for her to sleep with us tonight. White Castle isn't something which is friendly to Gyp later."
He laughed and said, "You mean she'll probably run us over to my cabin!"
I laughed and said, "That's a thought."
He laughingly said, "Well, there's going to be times when I'll probably do the same, so I'll forgive her."
Once we were done eating, we hit the road again and Gyp resumed her seat on my lap. I could tell the difference in the look she gave Stu, he had won her over. I was happy for that.
Inwardly, I was really thankful on so many levels with Stu. He loved my house and loved my dog, and most of all, I was feeling a feeling with him I'd never felt with Dave. Yes, I now knew it was working on so many levels it was inspiring me to have renewed hope.
When we got to Branson's city limits, I asked, "Stu, would you mind driving us up the loop so I can see it from the passenger seat? I want to get a perspective of what it looks like. When I'm driving, I don't get to see everything as good as I'd like."
Stu said, "Sure, no problem. I'll pull us on up to Shepherd of the Hills and then you'll get the whole experience."
We drove and I said, "Stu, in a lot of ways, this reminds me of Vegas. It's a lot of glitz and glamor for a little town."
Stu said, "Yeah, it didn't use to be this way."
I said, "No, when we first came down here, a lot of all this was just brush and pasture."
Stu agreed saying, "That's what it was when I bought down here. We came down in 1978, when I was a teen and my grandma had just passed away. Eddie and I were lovers, but my parents had no clue. We saw that For Sale sign and I mentally jotted down the numbers. Something just told me to buy the land. Back then, I got 40 acres for $5000."
I said, "Oh my god!"
"Yeah, I can sell a lot of 1/8th an acre now for ten times that now. The plus side of it was I had $10,000, so I bought the 30 acres up the road, and that 5 acre lot over there."
He pointed over to the parking lot he'd told me about.
I said, "You got all that for $10,000!"
He nodded and said, "Yeah, they were happy to sell it to me too. I later learned I could have bought most all the land up and down the strip at that price. I wish I had."
I turned to him and said, "Stu, there's not many people who back then could say they had that sort of money to invest that wishes they didn't invest in Microsoft. The return would have been about the same."
Stu chuckled and said, "I should have invested a thousand in Microsoft, but who knew? No one in this part of the country had even heard of them!"
I nodded and said, "Well, I understand, there was a time when K-mart was about to go under that I told my parents to snatch up everything they could buy. My dad bought 1000 shares for like $125. Now, he wishes he had bought $1000 worth!"
Stu nodded and said, "Jer, that's why I'm so sold on Branson. Right now, we're in a bit of a slump because a lot of stars are headed to Myrtle Beach. But, Branson's got the track record of being here for 80 years which Myrtle Beach doesn't. I'd prefer to invest my money where a hurricane doesn't wipe my investment off the map."
We went on down to the cabin and as soon as I opened the door, Gypsy jumped out. It appeared she had to go check to see everything was untampered with.
We walked into the cabin and I started some water for tea. As soon as I did, my cell phone rang. I looked at it and saw it was Dave's number. I hit silence and ignored it.
Stu smiled at me and said, "I'll have a cup of tea with you and then I've got to hit the sack, I'm just plumb worn out. These old bones aren't like they used to be. Sitting in a car just doesn't appeal to them as they once did."
I went over and hugged him and said, "Stu, it's not that you're old, that's just a long trip for anyone. I'm glad you were with me and liked the house."
Stu patted my back as he hugged me and said, "Jer, the house was beautiful. There's not a thing to be ashamed of up there."
We heard Gyp bark and looked in on the bed where she stood. She was ready for bed and wanted to let us know she expected us in there with her. I laughed and Stu said, "Gyp, in one moment, you warm it up for us and we'll be in there."
I said, "Lay" and she laid down.
Stu said, "She's such a good girl when she's not doing her White Castle commercial."
I laughed and said, "She's never done that before and unfortunately, they didn't help her by feeding her treats when she was in there. Now, she's going to think that's acceptable behavior."
He laughed and said, "She's got the mental ability of being like a 4 year old. They want what they want right now without thinking it could be wrong."
We sat down and sipped our tea. It really hit the spot and by the time mine was done, I was getting drowsy. From Stu's eyes, I could tell he was feeling as I was.
I put the cups in the sink and we went into the bedroom holding hands.
As tired as I was, I never even gave him a second glance while I was getting undressed. I just knew I had to get under the covers.
As I lay down, Gyp took the side all the way by me and basically put me into the middle nearest Stu. We lay on our sides and spooned while Gyp snuggled up next to me above the covers. Stu was petting Gyp over me and that's all I remember. I was out like a light.
Note from Retta:
A lot of you have written requesting the story continue on through the construction and through the summer. I'm doing that. I'm also building the story in ways which none of you have imagined.
Until this story, I've not had intermingling stories in a story. To me, it's rather confusing. This story is going to change that. You'll meet some new characters soon and you'll be amazed at how things work out.
Please email me and let me know your thoughts.
From My Keyboard To Your Heart,
Retta RettaMichaels@Gmail.com
Copyright Notice - Copyright © October 2007 by RettaMichaels
The author, RettaMichaels copyrights this story and retain all rights. This work may not be duplicated in any form, media, - known or unknown ^Ö without the authors' expressed permission. All applicable copyright laws apply.
Disclaimer: All individuals depicted are fictional, and any resemblance to real persons is purely coincidental