Daddy Dearest part 1
A short story by Beardguy57.
Jack had just turned 58. His longish beard was almost totally gray now. He was about 5 foot 6, and very thin. His hair was still mostly dark brown, what there was of it. His thinning hair was kept rather short and neat.
He had lived in the same small house with his mother for many years, ever since his wife of 15 years had died in a car accident. He had loved his wife, Trudy, very much. He still loved her. She was a very attractive woman, with dark brown shoulder length hair, very even features, and the most incredibly alive, dark brown eyes he had ever seen on any human being. She was quite intelligent, loved to laugh, and had a bad temper, and a quick tongue for those foolish enough to think they could get the best of her.
Trudy was strong for a woman, too, and threw a mean right hook. She appeared quite feminine. She just didn't take any shit from people who wanted to take advantage of her good nature.
The farm on which they lived together was quite old. It had been in her family for over 130 years. It was mostly wooded area, with several acres cleared for the one story house, which Trudy and her father had built themselves. It had a grey roof, and the outer walls were painted a blue - gray. The kitchen had floor to ceiling windows on one side. This was Trudy's idea. She wanted to be able to look out at the 64 acres of farmed land, and the woods that surrounded the property.
It was a beautiful, isolated , private area. Living there was like being in heaven.
A three quarter mile long dirt road led from the house to the nearest paved road, and then it was a 6 mile drive to the main highway.
The town where Jack and Trudy Lived in rural Delaware was quite small. Everyone knew practically everybody else, and their business, too. Trudy had lived on the same 150 acre farm there all her life.
She and Jack had met through a mutual friend. It was love at first sight. They moved in together 9 months after they'd first met. They did not marry. Trudy had been married and divorced twice before, and both marriages were hell. She didn't believe in marriage anymore, but did believe in love.
Trudy decided on Jacks' 40 th birthday to surprise him with the nicest birthday cake she could find. She loved doing things for Jack..she was quite a giving woman. Jack, in turn , loved to surprise her with little gifts, cooking her favorite meals, and helping her around the house and around the farm. She had bought him a kitten a few weeks before Jack turned 40. Jack named him Taz. Taz was into everyhing, showed a great deal of intelligence, and was extremely loving.
Trudy had been gone just over an hour when Jack recieved a phone call....it was their mutual friend, Mike, who had introduced the two.
" Hi, Jack..it's Mike..I'm afraid I have some bad news for you...there's been an accident...it's Trudy...."
" How bad is it? " Jack asked, as a feeling of dread washed over him, like a heavy rain.
" I'm afraid she's dead, Jack. "
Jack would remember those five words for the rest of his life.
He was numb as he got into the car and drove to the morgue to identify her body.
When the man there pulled out the slab, he saw it was Trudy. Her beautiful face was undamaged. She died when the steering wheel crushed in her rib cage, crushing and compressing her heart and lungs. She had died almost instantly.
" I want to be alone with her. "
" That's against hospital rules. " the man, a tall, burly black man with a shaved head and a large hoop earring told him.
" I want a few minutes alone with the woman I loved for over 15 years. " Jack said, firmly. " Don't you have a coffee break coming up? " Jack added, being uncharacteristically firm. This was not how he usally was. Normally, he avoided conflict.
" Um, tell you what? I think I'll go get a cup of coffee...I'll be back in 5 minutes. " The large man said, his eyes betraying a bit of sympathy for Jack.
Jack waited until the man was gone, then he put Trudy's hand in his, and cried.
" I love you, Trudy..I'll always love you. " He cried some more, Kissed her on the forehead, told her goodbye, and then left.
His life became a living hell in the days that followed.
Trudy had not left a will. She had a large redneck, uneducated family. They wanted the farm so that they could sell it. They did whatever they could to harrass him.
They got the police after him. They had convict friends in prison make threatening calls. The family broke and stole things from the farm. The police would not help Jack. They told him it was a civil matter. A lawyer offered to help. Jack did not know he was really working for Trudy's family. He used information Jack gave him and told the family. He took what little money Jack had left, and quit the case after Jack was broke. Jack never felt so alone in his life.
He'd been able to have Trudy cremated, and spread her ashes around the farm, as she had told him she wanted, should he outlive her. He kept a small amount of her ashes and put them into a porcelain match box container he'd given her for Valentines' Day many years ago.
After 4 months of taking shit from Trudy's family , Jack could take no more. He rented a moving van, packed whatever would fit into it, and left.
Before he left, he took one last look at the house. He went in, and kissed the door to their bedroom.
" Goodbye, Trudy....I love you.. " he said, his voice choking.
He looked at the house in the rear view mirror as he drove slowly past it. It was a one floor ranch house, with three bedrooms and one bathroom, and a large kitchen.
He would miss that house for the rest of his life.
It was cloudy out, and soon began to rain. The tiny raindrops began to pelt the windshield as a fine mist at first. Soon, they became larger, and Jack turned on the windshield wipers. It began to rain heavily shortly afterwards.
" Good, " Jack thought. " Just perfect. " He wanted it to rain every day for the rest of his life. He wanted never to see the sunlight again.
Taz meowed a lot at the start of the trip in his cat carrier, but soon quieted down.
" I know, boy, I miss Trudy and the farm, too. " He told his cat, who was now 7 months old, and looking more like a grown up cat than a kitten. Taz was all black, with shiny, soft fur, and beautiful yellow eyes. He would treasure Taz as long as he had him. He was a gift from Trudy. Taz was a good friend.
He drove all the way back to West Virginia, to the small town he'd grew up in. After a drive of several hours, most of it through pouring rain, he finally arrived at his destination. The small home where his 68 year old mother lived. It was a two story home in a rural neighborhood. Not as isolated as the farm had been, but it was a pleasant enough area.
The house was just over 50 years old. It was a split level home, white paint, and bare bricks on the outside, with three bedroms on the upstairs, a bathroom in the master bedroom, a bathroom in the hall, and a huge dining room,
large kitchen, and a spacious den. The living room floor had black and white tile on it. the den had a green indoor -outdoor carpet, and the floor in the kitchen was plain white tiles. Their was a bathroom in the den.
Jack pulled up into the driveway in the heavy rain, and checked his car, a metallic blue1971 Chevy Impala, which had been attached to the rear of the moving van. It was fine. He detached it, and moved it away from the van.
He went to the van to get Taz.
The front door of his mother's house opened up. His mother hobbled out on her walker. She was a very thin, tiny woman with long grey hair tied up in a bun.
" Jack! Jack, come in before you catch pneumonia." She told him.
" It wouldn't really matter if I did. "
'' Jack! You get inside now! I care what happens to you, and I'm sure your kitty does, too."
Jack came in. His mother hugged him, in spite of his being soaked. Taz was wet, too. Jack let him out of the cat carrier, grabbed a nearby towel his mother had left out, and dried him off. Taz purred as he did so.
" Now you dry off, too. " Jack mother said, as she handed him a large white towel.
Jack took the towel and dried off his hair and beard.
Jack set up food and water bowls for Taz, and a litterbox, too. Taz used them all immediately.
Jack went upstairs to his old bedroom to lie down.
Jacks's mother never changed a thing in it, for when he came back to visit. He was grateful for that. It was a small bedroom, with a twin bed, small tables on either side with matching lamps with hunting scenes from old English prints on them, and fit the tables well. Their was a dresser, and a large closet. Jack layed down on the bed and fell asleep almost immediately. He was exhausted from packing all night, and the trip. Taz jumped up on his chest and fell asleep, too.
End Part one.
