John fiddled with the electronic meat smoker making sure that it was functioning properly. He had just finished slathering the mop sauce over the brisket. The brisket had been in the smoker since six o'clock that morning and was progressing as well as could be expected. At the least, it smelled good.
Emerging from the house, Rose joined him at the smoker. She sniffed the air appreciating the scent of smoked brisket.
She said, "Dad."
Looking up from his efforts to inspect the smoker, John said, "Yes, Rose."
"I don't like the game," Rose said.
"Why?" John asked suddenly concerned.
"It's too childish," Rose answered. "I'm twelve years old now and computer games for little girls don't excite me anymore."
"Ah, you've outgrown it," John said relieved to learn that it wasn't because of a flaw in the game.
He had been expecting that to happen. David had lasted as a game tester until he was thirteen and then had outgrown the games. Lisa had continued until twelve before she just couldn't take the childish themes and concepts anymore. Both kids still would give him advice on how to improve the game, but they couldn't spend hours and hours playing it. They might go through the game twice before it just became too dull.
"I guess. It is just that chasing butterflies across the screen to capture enough of them to cross the rainbow bridge on the flying carpet is kind of lame," Rose said. "I did like the evil laugh of the wicked witches."
It was a nice premise for a game with a beautiful princess, a handsome prince, evil witches, and unicorns. She knew that little girls would love it. The problem was that it just didn't do it for her.
John gave her a hug to let her know that he wasn't upset with her. He said, "Four years ago you would have been ecstatic."
Enjoying the hug, Rose said, "I know. In many ways I think it is a better game than the last one. I just can't get into playing it."
"I guess we'll have to give a copy to little Sarah down the street and see what she thinks of it," John said letting go of Rose.
"I'm sorry I couldn't be more help," Rose said.
For the past seven years she had played the computer games her father designed and wrote. These were programs for the game market catering to kids aged four to ten years old. In point of fact, it was a very under-served market. The kids were customer representatives and had provided very good suggestions on how to improve the games he wrote. He now had sixteen games currently selling in the market. This new game would give him seventeen titles.
"You don't have anything to be sorry about. You're growing up," John said.
"What will you do now?" Rose asked.
"I guess I'll sell the business and retire to John's Farm," John answered.
"Really?" Rose asked getting excited by the news.
While she might miss her friends in school, she looked forward to living in the country. She had a little dirt bike she liked to ride on their homemade motocross track. When no males were around, she even skinny dipped in the stream at that back of the property with Lisa. The two girls felt wickedly wild when doing that. The country was fun.
"Yes. I have a standing offer from Trixor Toys. I think it is about time for me to move onto something a little different," John said with a sigh.
The game business had been fun while it lasted, but those days were over. It had been nice working on a program and sharing it with the kids. They looked forward to each new challenge and offered the kind of criticism that allowed him to improve the game experience. He used to sit there watching them excitedly play. It was personally rewarding to bring so much fun into their lives.
It was almost a crime to be making money as a result of doing something for his kids. The fact was that the games brought in a lot of money. Even the older games continued to sell at levels nearly equal to when they had been originally released. Young children didn't know the difference between a game that was new and one that had been around for eight years. With sixteen titles on the market, he was selling over a million games a year.
Hardly able to contain her excitement, Rose said, "I'm going to tell David and Lisa as soon as they get back from the store. They are going to be so happy to learn we will be moving out to the farm soon."
"I'm sure they'll be happy to hear the news," John said.
Rose said, "Now that Mother is gone, can we invite Stephanie's mother over for dinner?"
Stephanie's mother was Rose's choice as a replacement for her mother. The woman was young, pretty, and had many of the same interests as her father. Among the single mothers, Stephanie's mother was the only one who wasn't a divorcee; she was a widow. Rose thought her father would consider her status as a widow important. There wouldn't be any questions of selfishness or infidelity with a widow that there might be with a divorcee.
Uneasy that Rose was treating Victoria's absence like it was something permanent, John said, "Not tonight. Mr. Buchwald is coming over for dinner."
"Why is Mr. Buttwad coming here?" Rose asked with real venom in her voice.
John barked, "Don't call him that. He's a nice man and deserves respect."
"Dad, you are so naive," Rose said. "I don't care what the private detective's report says. He's bonking Mother."
"Rose, I will tell you this once and I never want to have this discussion again. You don't know what you are talking about. If you ever learn the truth, I guarantee you'll be ashamed of every nasty thing you've ever said about him," John said.
Rose shook her head at her father's continued resistance to hear the truth. She said, "I don't know what to tell you, Dad. Mother has abandoned us."
"I want you to promise me something," John said.
"What?"
"I want you to be polite to Mr. Buchwald," John said.
Crossing her fingers behind her back, Rose said, "I'll be a perfect little lady."
"Good," John said. "Now when your brother and sister get back from the store tell them that he's coming over. Let them know I'll expect them to behave nicely towards him."
"Alright," Rose said sullenly.
Upon hearing the back door close, John bent down to examine the smoker. There wasn't anything for him to do, but he felt like he was supposed to be doing something. The temperature was holding exactly at the value he wanted. Little wisps of smoke were escaping out the top.
He was startled by a voice behind him, "Hello, John."
Getting up, John faced his guest. "Hello, Sid."
"Is that a new smoker?" Sid asked taking note of the shiny exterior. It had that clean fresh appearance new things naturally possessed.
"Yes. You can smoke any meat in it, but I got it to make sausages," John said.
He was planning on making venison sausage that fall. Of course, his plans assumed that he managed to kill a deer during hunting season. If he didn't, he would just make a batch of pork sausage. The sausage stuffer and meat grinder were still on order. He also had enough sheep casings to make five pounds of breakfast link sausages and twenty-five pounds of polish style sausage. That would be enough sausage for a year. They weren't big sausage eaters.
"I've never made sausage before," Sid said. "Is it difficult?"
"Not really. My father used to do it every fall and I would help him out. A couple of years ago I realized that I wasn't passing that knowledge on to my children. I decided to correct that," John said.
The time spent helping his father put up meat for the year was the source of many good memories – the crisp fall air and the smell of hickory smoke. He cherished the good feelings that came from quietly working beside his father. It was a legacy that he wanted to pass on to his children. The modern high tech world separated people from the natural rhythms of life. He felt there was something wrong with that.
"Good for you," Sid said.
"Thanks," John said.
There was a moment of awkward silence before Sid said, "I want to thank you for including my wife in some of your family activities. She spends too much time alone. She really enjoys getting out of the house and around people for a change."
"It was my pleasure," John said.
"I guess you know why I'm here," Sid said.
"Ann tipped me off," John said.
He had been very relieved to get her call a little before midnight. It was good to know that his wife was safely ensconced at a hotel and was in the process of calming down. Ann's statement that it would be a couple of weeks before his wife would be returning home had been disappointing. He wasn't quite sure what was going on with his wife, but he trusted Ann's levelheadedness.
Sid said, "This whole thing with your wife has really upset me. I apologize. It never dawned on me what all of my business trips were doing to your family. My kids are grown and out of the house. It just never occurred to me that I was keeping your wife from being a mother to your kids."
"She bears a little responsibility for the situation," John said.
He wasn't going to excuse his wife's actions. It was her choice to continue making so many trips. She was the one who returned home acting like the dragon lady. It wasn't Sid's fault that his wife didn't listen to anyone except herself when she was at home.
"Well, your wife is shopping with my wife. It appears that my wife is planning on taking over as my PA and requires a whole new wardrobe to do so," Sid said.
It was after midnight when his wife had returned from visiting Victoria. The discussion at home lasted through most of the night. She had laid down the law about what was going to happen over the next few months. Initially the idea of her serving as his PA was unsettling, but he couldn't find any real objections. The more he thought about the idea, the more he liked it.
"Your wife is taking over as your PA?" John asked surprised by the little piece of news.
"Yes. I should have thought of that six years ago," Sid said. "Well, hindsight is twenty-twenty."
"What about Victoria's job?" John asked knowing that losing her job would crush her.
"If she wants to stay on with the company, I'll make her an executive secretary. It will mean a small cut in pay, but she'll have better hours. She'll be home every night," Sid said.
John nodded his head in understanding. He wasn't sure how Victoria would react to that. She valued the money too much to be satisfied with a cut in pay. She enjoyed the power and prestige of being the owner's right-hand person. Even business travel, as irritating and unpleasant as it might be, re-enforced her sense of importance.
John said, "I'm not sure she'll be happy with that. She really does enjoy her work."
"I know," Sid said with a sigh.
Traveling on business was a lonely life. Meetings ate up the whole day, but left long nights with nothing to do. Sid and Victoria had hours of empty time in places where there was little for them to do. As a result, they had spent many an evening over dinner talking about their hopes and dreams. Sid was very familiar with how Victoria viewed her job, what she feared, and what she wanted out of life.
Sid said, "I don't know about your financial situation. If this causes a hardship, I want you to know that you can do some contract programming for my company. I pay top dollar."
"That's not an issue. I'm planning on selling the company and retiring this year," John said.
The events of the previous evening had convinced John that it was time for him to change his life. It was time for his wife to learn that he was now a very wealthy man. He had tried to tell her that in the past, but she wouldn't listen to him. He had even considered the idea of demolishing the house and putting a mansion in its place to make his point.
"Really?" Sid asked. Listening to Victoria, he was of the impression that John didn't make much money at all.
"Yes," John answered. "I'll make enough on the deal that I'll never need to work another day of my life."
"You're a young man still. What will you do?"
John said, "Four years ago, I bought forty acres of land just right outside of town. The kids and I planted a bunch of fruit trees that have started bearing fruit. We've got cherry, apple, pear, and peach trees. Every spring we plant a vegetable garden with corn, beans, tomatoes, squash, pumpkins, melons, peas, and carrots. We put up enough food that we don't really have to go grocery shopping except for milk and stuff like that. I've been wanting to retire and live the life of a gentleman farmer."
"That sounds nice," Sid said.
"I love that place. The back of the farm has a small stream that runs along it. David and I occasionally take a break and go fishing. We've caught some pretty nice fish out of it."
"I'm kind of surprised that Victoria has never told me about it," Sid said.
John said, "She basically blew me off when I started looking for a place. We've tried to tell her about it, but she keeps saying that we can't afford it. I finally got tired of trying to talk her into looking at the place. One day, I just stopped by the relator and paid cash for it. I've never been able to get her there."
"You're kidding?" Sid said.
John said, "No. The kids started calling it John's Farm. I'll admit that I call it that too. She thinks John's Farm is a roadside store where some farmer is selling his goods. The kids think her ignorance is a great joke."
"There's been a very serious lack of communication in your marriage," Sid said with a frown.
"You won't get any argument from me on that point," John said.
It was very difficult to maintain communication when she was traveling nearly every week. The time they did spend together was filled with mundane details and activities that had to be handled. Little things like doing laundry consumed time. He couldn't remember how many weekends she spent the whole Saturday shopping for work clothes. Sunday mornings were spent at church. They had maybe ten hours a week in which to talk and some of that was taken up by the children.
"I get along well with the kids. They bring me their problems and we talk through them. We do a lot of things together. The only real source of conflict involves their mother," John said. "They want me to divorce her."
The more he learned about the situation, the more disappointed Sid was in Victoria. She was exceptionally competent at the office. It was sad to learn that she was a failure at home.
"Why on earth would they want you to divorce her?" Sid asked.
"They are convinced that you and Vicky are lovers," John said.
"My God! Don't they know about my cancer?" Sid asked.
John said, "That was another thing that my wife didn't see fit to share with us."
"I can't believe it," Sid said beginning to get angry. "I bet your kids hate me."
"They do have a rather unflattering nickname for you," John said.
"Let me guess – Buttwad," Sid said.
"I guess you've heard it before," John said.
Sid said, "The kids fifty years ago, the kids thirty years ago, and the kids today all have the same limited imagination when it comes to insulting people. I went through school hearing that and so did my sons."
"Sorry," John said.
"It is not your fault," Sid said. "So tell me some more about your farm."
For the next two hours, the two men sat on patio chairs drinking beer while chatting about the farm and John's plans for it. They took breaks so that John could put the mop sauce on the brisket. Of course, the two examined the smoker while making comments about the various features of it. It was a very relaxed afternoon.
While they talked, the kids were in the kitchen. David was seated at the kitchen table with Rose watching Lisa dredge sliced okra through a cornmeal mixture for the fried okra.
Rose pointed out the sliding glass door at the two men sipping beers. She said, "Look at him. He's sitting around drinking a beer with his wife's lover."
David said, "The private detective's report says they aren't having an affair."
"Maybe we should search Dad's office to see if we can find the report from the private detective," Lisa suggested.
David asked, "Do you want Dad to go searching through your room for your diary?"
"No," Lisa said.
"Then you have to respect his privacy," David said.
Rose said, "I don't keep a diary."
David said, "You know the deal we have with Dad. We are responsible for our rooms. He doesn't care if our rooms are clean or messy, they just can't smell. We respect his privacy and he respects ours. Dad never goes into our room unless we invite him in and he never makes a comment on what he sees. I don't want to change that."
The trust their father showed them was too valuable to lose. David knew kids at school who had to stand by while their parents searched the room for drugs, alcohol, or pornography. Some parents even ambushed their kids with drug testing kits in hand. There were few things as embarrassing as getting hauled away by the ear to piss in a bottle while friends are watching. He didn't want to ever do anything that would create that kind of relationship with his dad.
"Okay," Rose said rolling her eyes.
Lisa said, "I just wonder what the report says that convinced Dad there is nothing going on between Mr. Buttwad and Mother."
"Well, Mother is gone. She's probably planning on shacking up with him," David said.
There was a small hole in his chest that grew each time he said his mother was gone. It was beginning to hurt, but he wasn't going to say a word about it. Men didn't let their emotions rule them.
Rose said, "I tried to get Dad to extend an invitation to dinner for Stephanie's mom."
"It is too early for him to be inviting women over. He's got to get divorced first," Lisa said.
"I'll admit that she is pretty, but are you sure that she would be a good mother?" David asked.
He had a feeling that the woman tended to be a little manipulative. She was pretty and knew it. He had watched the men in the neighborhood line up to help the poor little widow woman. He wanted his father to find his own girlfriend and trusted him to pick one who would treat them well.
"I'm pretty sure. She likes being out in the country," Rose said.
"She would have to be pretty bad to be a worse mother than the one we have," Lisa said.
David said, "I remember when Mother was actually pretty cool. I mean, she used to do stuff with us before she went to work. I remember her taking me to little league baseball."
"After she left, Dad had to do it and we used to have to hang around there until you got done with practice," Lisa said.
David asked, "Do you remember when she made the costumes for us that year we marched in the Halloween parade?"
"Kinda," Lisa said.
"No," Rose answered flatly.
David said, "I was in costume shaped like a huge battleship. It must have been six feet in length. Every time I turned around I hit something. It wasn't very portable, but it sure looked cool.
"Lisa, you were a fairy princess. Mother made a tiara out of some kind of golden foil. She had glued fake gemstones on it. You were walking around waving a scepter made from a wooden spoon covered with aluminum foil. You were so cute."
"I remember that. I had ballerina slippers," Lisa said.
"I think the transparent part of your outfit had once been some lingerie. I don't know where you would get that kind of material anywhere else but a lingerie store," David said.
Lisa said, "She had to make a lot of modifications to it for me to wear it. I really felt like a princess that day."
David said, "Rose was about four years old and dressed up like a giant pumpkin. It was so funny. She looked like a giant orange basketball with little hands sticking out the side. You won a prize because Mother had put a little toy tacked on the bottom of the pumpkin with a label for Linus. You were the Great Pumpkin."
"I don't remember that," Rose said. Tears started welling up and she said, "I remember that Mother used to be around all of the time until I started school. The first day of school I came home all excited about my experience and Mother wasn't there.
"Dad was always home and would listen to me tell him about my day, but Mother never was there. She would get home for dinner and talk about her job. It was like I stopped existing for her."
Lisa said, "I was in third grade when Mother went to work. It was strange coming home without her being there."
Rose said, "I remember watching you and David walk off to school when I was a little girl. I would sit on the couch and watch you leave through the front window. Half of the time I would be crying."
The first few days of school were always the hardest for Rose. All summer she would have two playmates and then one day they were just walk away from her. She felt like they were leaving her behind. Her mother couldn't fill the void they left behind.
Rose said, "I envied you so much. You were going off on some grand adventure and I was left behind. I knew it was an adventure because you would come home and excitedly tell Mother about your day. She'd greet you with milk and cookies. I really looked forward to going to school."
Rose wiped her eyes and then added, "When I was finally old enough to go, there were no milk and cookies for me."
David said, "Yeah. Dad was always there with fruits."
"You were robbed," Lisa said.
"Yes," Rose said. "I was."
Lisa finished coating the okra. She said, "You might want to tell Dad that I'm ready to fry the okra. He should probably start taking care of the brisket."
"I'll get the Potato Salad out of the refrigerator and dish up the beans out of the crock pot," Rose said. She glanced at the oven and said, "I'll take care of the cornbread."
She didn't want to deal with Mr. Buchwald. It was better to let David do it.
"I'll tell him," David said getting up from the table.
"When you are done with that, you can get the pickles, olives, and sliced onions out," Lisa said.
Fifteen minutes later, everyone was seated around the kitchen table appreciating the food even if not everyone appreciated the company. Surprising everyone, Sid asked, "Do you mind if I say a little prayer before the meal?"
"Be our guest," John said.
Bowing his head, Sid said, "Dear Lord, We thank you for the food we are about to receive. We thank you for our continued good health. I thank you for another day free of cancer and ask that you help our doctors and scientists eliminate that disease. Amen."
Three bowed heads popped up at the mention of cancer. Taken by surprise they were slow to echo their amens.
"Did you have cancer?" John asked as if he hadn't known that fact already.
Sid answered, "Yes. Twenty years ago I was treated for testicular cancer."
David frowned trying to figure out what kind of cancer that was. When it dawned on him, he blurted out, "Do you mean you had cancer on your ... uh ... family jewels?"
"Yes," Sid answered.
Rose sat there looking from her father to Mr. Buchwald thinking about what her father had said. David had clasped a hand over his crotch as if that could ward away any chance of catching cancer in that area of his body. Lisa sat there with her mouth wide open.
"Can you still ... you know ... uh ... with ... you know ... uh ... women?" David asked.
John said, "That's kind of a personal question, David."
"I'm sorry. That was rude of me. You don't have to answer it, Mr. Buchwald," David said.
Sid said, "I can't ... you know ... with a woman."
"So you aren't bonking Mother?" Rose asked.
"I can't bonk anyone," Sid said quietly.
It hurt him to say that. It angered him that Victoria had not taken care of this matter a long time ago. John must have really trusted her for it not to become an issue in their marriage.
Looking lost, Rose said, "I can't express how disappointed I feel at the moment."
Her reaction took Sid completely by surprise. It sounded to him like Rose had wanted him to be involved in an affair with her mother. It was the strangest response he could have imagined.
"Why are you disappointed?" John asked confused by her reaction.
"Because that would be a reason for Mother to abandon us," Rose said rising from the table with tears filling her eyes.
"Rose?" John asked in concern.
He was talking to her back. She had fled to her bedroom while crying, "She's gone because I'm not good enough for her."
"Oh my God," John uttered. He rose from the table and followed Rose to her room.
Sid said, "I think I had better leave."
"No. Please stay," David said. "We need to apologize to you."
"David, what should we do?" Lisa asked while staring in the direction of Rose's room.
David picked up his fork and answered, "We eat. We wait until Dad can take us to John's Farm. Then we climb on our dirt bikes and work out a little frustration that way. We'll make our own trail for a change. Rose will enjoy that."
Lisa said, "I'll talk her into skinny dipping with me when she is hot, tired, and dirty."
David grinned and said, "We'll swim at the other end of the stream. I'd hate for my perfect bod to spoil you against all of your future suitors."
Lisa said, "Ha ha."
"That does sound fun," Sid said. "I wish I could go."
"I don't see why you can't," David said.