Love Refound
by: E Walk
(© 2008 by the Author)
 

The author retains all rights. No reproductions are allowed without the author's consent. Comments are appreciated at...

Chapter 24
We’ve Lost Control

When I arrived back in Atlanta, I stopped at a Greek restaurant and picked up a gyro, some fries and baklava.  While that is not my favorite thing to eat, it was better than the other fast food alternatives.  I was sitting at the table eating when the storm started.

The phone started to ring and I answered, “This is Doug Christiansen.”

“Douglas, this is your Mother.  How come we have to find out from someone else that you are getting married at 6:00 on Saturday afternoon?”

I looked at the phone, “Mom, how could I have told you that when I just found out this afternoon?  How did you find out?  I was going to call you after I finished eating.”

“Trent called us to tell us.  He asked us to invite any friends from here that would like to come.  He had one stipulation.  Anyone who attended needs to bring a baby gift for your and Autumn’s new son, as well as monetary wedding gift since you and Autumn would already have the things that you would need.”

“Mom, I can’t believe that Trent would be that crude.”

“Well, he did say that everyone needed to bring a baby gift.  He also made it very clear that you and Autumn already have most of the things you need to start a family, otherwise.  Here, your Dad wants to talk to you.”

Hi, Son, what was the appraisal for Spring’s half of the property?”

That’s my Dad.  He doesn’t waste any words.  I told him what Mr. Wiser had said.  Dad was quiet for a short time, “That’s about what I thought it might be.  Talk to Howie and have him draw up the paperwork so we can complete the transactions this weekend while we‘re there.  Have you talked to any bankers about securing a loan for the other two properties?”

“Dad, the world is moving twice as fast as I am.  I plan to go back to  the Harwood area tomorrow.  I have some things that I need to do here first.”

“Doug, tell Spring that we’ll bring a certified check for her on Saturday, and she can do what she needs to do.  Now what can we do for this grandson of ours that we have to bring a present for?”

I started to laugh, “Dad, you and Mother know what is going to be needed better than I do.  Remember, I ain’t never had no kids before.”

Dad started to laugh, “Gees, what do they teach you doctorate people these days.  Don’t you know that you should have said, ‘I  haven’t had any children before.  Son, we’ll talk to you tomorrow.”

I looked at the phone as I hung up.  My mind was thinking, ‘The entire world has gone bonkers.  I can’t believe that my Dad was talking like that.’

I had just hung up when the phone rang again.  I answered, “This is Doug Christiansen.”

“Hey, Uncle Doug, it’s Jeff.  You sure move fast when you decide to do something.  Trev just called me and told me what was happening.  Not only are you going to have the biggest spread in the area, you’ve got a ready made son. The parents want to know what kind of baby things you need.  By the way, I’ve already called Tom and Penny and they’ll be flying in on Friday night.”

“Jeff, slow down.  It sounds as if you know more about what is happening than I do.  I don’t know what kind of baby things we need.  Where are Tom and Penny going to be staying?”

They're going to be staying at the Peachtree Inn with our parents.  It’s still okay for me and Trevor to stay with you, isn’t it?”

“Of course.  Why wouldn’t it be okay?”

“Uncle Doug, I sorta figured that perhaps you and Miss Autumn would start shacking up, like Tom and Penny, now that you’re getting married.”

“Jeff, I’ve waited 28 years, so I can wait a few more days.”

“Gotta go finish my homework.  Talk to you later.”

I went to finish my now cold gyro.  I pushed the cold food aside and started to eat the baklava.  I had the first bite in my mouth when the phone started to ring again.  I had almost decided not to answer it, but I succumbed to the ringing monster.  “This is Doug Christiansen.”

“Doug, this is Howie.”

“Uncle Howie, what’s up?”

“Doug, Rob and I were talking to Leonora.  We think it would be prudent if we all worked with the same bank to purchase the properties.  That way, we could give the Laceys and Morrisons one check each.  We should probably work with the bank there in Atlanta because that is where your trust fund account is held and that is also the bank where I have my accounts.  Surprisingly enough, the account for Fairacres is at that bank also.  Why don’t we meet you at the bank at 11:00? I’ll call and arrange for us to meet with Mr. Morgan.”

“Uncle Howie, that sounds fine to me.  I have some other things that I need to take care of at the university.  I’ll do them beforehand.  I need to meet Autumn after school, so we can get our marriage license.

“Great, we’ll meet you at the bank at 11:00.”

I had just sat down again and the phone started to ring again.  I was beginning to get irritated, “This is Doug Christiansen.”

“Doug, I thought you were going to call me.  You need to get down here and stop these three runaway locomotives.   I just received a call from my parents telling me that Trent had called them.”

“Autumn, I’ve been on the phone ever since I got home.  First my parents called to tell me that Trent had called them and broke the news.  I’m sure he told your parents to invite people to the wedding with the stipulation that everyone bring a gift for Benji as well.  Tell Spring, that my parents are going to be bringing a certified check for her share of Summerhill on Saturday.  Some wedding gift, huh!”

“Jeff called and said that Trev had called him and told him what was happening.  It sounds as if Mama Jane and Uncle Bill will be coming, as will Tom and Penny.”

“I just hung up from talking with Uncle Howie, he, Mr. Robert and Miss Leonora are going to meet me at the bank at 11:00 to arrange financing for the Morrison and Lacey spreads”

I could hear a little hesitation in Autumn’s voice, “Doug, are you sure we can afford to buy half of those farms?”

“Autumn, we could very well afforded to buy both farms in their entirety.  You and I need to sit down and discuss finances as soon as possible.  The first thing we need to do tomorrow though is to go apply for our marriage license and make sure that everything is ready for when we bring Benji home.”

“Trent and Trevor were here just now and wanted to know which room was going to be Benji’s, so they could move the furniture out and paint the room before they brought the baby furniture from Fairacres.  I think their more excited about everything that’s happening than anyone else.”

“Cole just called me and wanted to know if I knew if anyone that had any dietary restrictions.  He’s planning the food for the reception.”

“Autumn, I think we’ve lost control of the situation.  I guess we need to see what develops.  I’ll meet you tomorrow at Summerhill as soon as you can get there.”

“Doug, why don’t you plan to meet me at the county courthouse at three, that way I’ll just tell everyone that I have to leave by 2:30.  I’ve had to work when no one else did because of the workload.  They owe me an hour and a half at the very least.  Doug, who’s going to take care of Benji while we’re working?”

“Autumn, I guess we have a great many important things to talk about and decide, in the next several days.  I think my mind is just about on overload for today.”

“Mine too.  I’ll see you tomorrow at three.”

I hung up and looked at the food and just put it in the disposal.  I locked the door, brushed my teeth and just dropped my clothes on the floor, and fell into bed.  I had a very difficult time going to sleep.  Thoughts keep popping into my brain like neon signs going on and off.

I must have fallen asleep at some point and must have started to dream. 

Someone was tapping on my chest and saying,

“Daddy, where’s Mommy?”

“Daddy, why is Uncle Cole in bed with you?”

“Daddy, why don’t you and Uncle Cole have any clothes on?”

“Daddy, why do you have your arms around Uncle Cole?”

“Daddy, please get up.  Me, Matt and Mark are hungry.”

I sat up and looked around thinking, ‘What in the world is happening to me.  Why would Cole be in bed with me and who are me, Matt and Mark?  What does this dream mean?’

I looked at the clock.  It was six o’clock, I thought ‘Is this voice going to wake me every morning at six o’clock.’

I decided that I might as well go to the gym, and Clark was there.  When he saw me, he started to laugh, “You’re here to interview me for a job, right?”

“Not exactly.”

“Doc, if you don’t offer me a job soon, I may have to open a male bordello so that me and Andre can afford to eat something other than peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.”

“Clark, I’ll make you a deal.  I’ll talk to Doctor Harder when I’m in the Harwood area this afternoon, and see what I can arrange, if you will spot for me.”

Clark snickered, “Yeah, you just want to check me out.  How did you know that I wasn’t wearing anything under my athletic shorts today?  Is this part of the interview process?”

I couldn’t help myself and started to laugh, “Clark, you are something else.  I’ll go change and be ready in five minutes.

Clark had a deadpanned look on his face, “Ready for what, sir?  I’m not going to help you put your athletic supporter on.  I’ll meet you in the weight room in five.”

Clark put me through a good work out. He even ran the mile with me and talked the entire time.  I was really beginning to like this guy.  He had a lot more going for him than he let on.  As I was leaving, I stopped to talk to him, “I’ll let you know tomorrow what Dr. Harder has to say.  I don’t suppose that there is any way that I could meet Andre before I make up my mind.”

Clark scrunched his face, “Well, if you insist.  I’m surprised you didn’t see him checking you out in the shower.  Here he comes now.  Step around the corner so he can’t see you.”

I heard Clark say, “So what did you think Dre?”

“You better keep your hands off your boss. He’s one heck of a good looking dude.  I can see why you are fascinated by his body.”

I stepped around the corner, “Thanks, I think, Andre.  I looked at the big guy.  Don’t worry, I won’t let Clark get into my briefs.  It’s a pleasure to meet you, Andre.  I guess I’ll be seeing you around Harwood.”

Andre turned bright red, “Doctor Christiansen, I hope you weren’t offended by my comments.”

“Andre, quite the opposite.  But you might want to make sure that Super boy here wears his jock strap next time he spots for someone.  He makes it very difficult to concentrate.”

Clark threw a towel at me, “Some boss you are.”

I picked up my gym bag, “See you guys later.”

I ate breakfast and went to the office to check out.  I stopped in to see Dean Williams and he laughed, “I understand that we’ve been invited to a wedding, Saturday evening at Summerhill.  What kind of baby gift should we bring?”

He wasn’t done giving me a hard time, “I’ll say this for you, Doug, you sure don’t mess around.”

“Dean Williams, as my fiancée mentioned last night, it is as if our lives have been taken over by runaway locomotives.”

Dean Williams laughed, “Welcome to the real world, Doug.”

He stood and shook my hand, “Doug, it has been a pleasure working with you.  We’ll see you Saturday night.”

As I was driving to the bank, I was thinking, ‘How did Dean Williams get invited to the wedding?  Who else have the guys invited?’

I parked in the parking garage across from the bank, went to the back and looked around to see if the others were there.  Mr. Morgan saw me and came to talk to me, “Doug, Howie called and he and the others will be here shortly.  Why don’t you come into the office and we can get started?  Did you bring the appraisals for the two properties in question.  I understand that there is a third property involved, but that your parents are giving it to you as a wedding present.”

“They’re giving us the part that was owned by Miss Winters.  We will still be paying for the part that my fiancée owns.  We haven’t even discussed that.”

“Oh, I thought you knew, I was told that the Summers were paying off Ms Autumn’s part of the loan, for you, as your wedding present.”

I slumped back in my chair and put my hand on my forehead.  “Mr. Morgan, how did you find that out?  This is the first that I’ve heard of it.  Does that make a difference in me getting the money to buy the other two properties.”

“Heck no, that means you can use Summerhill as collateral for your loan and not have to touch your trust fund account.  Of course, we need to have Ms Autumn sign the paperwork, after the wedding on Saturday.  I’ll give you the paperwork and you can send it back to me after she signs it.”

There was a knock on the door, “Mr. Morgan, the others are here.”

“Show them in, Christine.”

Mr. Morgan obviously knew the Nixons and Uncle Howie quite well, because he came around the desk and hugged them as they entered.  After everyone was seated around the table, Mr. Morgan started, “As soon as the paperwork is signed, I’ll have the two checks cut.  As I explained to Mr. Christiansen, we will use Summerhill as collateral for his part of the loan.  Howie paid for his spread with his funds when he bought it, so we can use that as collateral.  Howie, you really do need to give it a fancy name, now that your enlarging it.”

“Yeah, Uncle Howie, have Cole, Trent and Trevor come up with a good name.”

Everyone laughed, but Mr. Morgan continued, “The equity that Leonora and Robert have built up in Fairacres more than covers the collateral for their share of the loan and will, in fact, increase the value of Fairacres significantly.”

“As soon as everyone signs the paperwork, I'll have the checks cut while you all buy me a good lunch.  I’m tired of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.”

Leonora looked at Mr. Morgan, “ Uncle Hank, I’ll bet you haven’t eaten a peanut and jelly sandwiches for a long time.  I seem to remember that you’re allergic to peanuts.”

“Lea, you didn’t have to tell the world.”

After we signed the paperwork, Mr. Morgan looked at us.  You need to have a professional surveying team establish the boundaries of the three properties.  It may seem like a moot point now, but if one of you should decide to sell, defining the property lines now will preclude a myriad of problems.  The bank will need a copy of the revised property lines.  Howie, you should probably handle that aspect of the deal because of your legal knowledge.  Now, let’s go to lunch.”

We walked to a restaurant near the bank and had a very nice lunch which Mr. Morgan paid for.  When we got back to the bank, we signed for the two checks then we handed them to Uncle Howie, “Howie, since you’re the legal beagle in the crowd, I will leave the sale of the properties up to you.  Doug, I applaud you for coming up with the idea that this is what should happen. If housing developers were to get their hands on the properties, the value of all three of your spreads would have been seriously impacted.  Good luck in your marriage and enjoy your son.”

Uncle Howie looked at me, “Doug, why don’t we all meet at Summerhill at 7:00 o’clock to sign the paperwork with the Morrisons and the Laceys?

“That’s fine with me.  I need to leave, so I can meet Autumn at the court house.  We need to get our marriage license.”

Leonora asked, “Doug, why don’t I ride with you so the gentlemen can look around for a suitable baby gift for your new son?  Trent and Trevor are going to be giving him a car seat.”

The ride to Fairacres was very enlightening.  Lenora looked at me, “I have no idea what you did, but you and Autumn and now Benji have galvanized Trent and Trev, and I’m guessing Cole too.  They are having a blast planning your wedding.”

To be continued...

Editor's Notes:  I am having a blast reading about all the plans for the wedding and beyond.  This story is becoming extremely riveting.  Thank you E Walk for writing so many wonderful stories for us to enjoy.  Now that I've complimented him, I will let him know that I want more chapters. Am I being sneaky?  Honestly, it is getting late and I need to get a bit of rest, so I am going to send this off and hope everything works out well, as I am sure it will.

Darryl AKA The Radio Rancher

Posted: 05/29/09