She’d had the same feeling but didn’t voice her concern with the mayor.It would matter to her being a citizen again in the town, and she didn’t want to have to clash heads with someone after retiring.Rosie would if it came to that, but she didn’t want to.It was hard enough leaving it to someone else.She didn’t want to have to step in where she might not be wanted.
Both background checks came back good.She told the mayor as soon as he walked in, and she thought that he looked disappointed.She did point out that he was the one hiring him, and he had the final decision, but that didn’t cheer him up much.Rosie was glad that she was going to be out of it sooner than she thought and didn’t comment either way about the younger man.
After he left her, she put the checks into her file cabinet and locked the drawers.There really wasn’t much in her office that she locked up, but she figured that she might as well put them away before it got around town about the two candidates for the job.She especially didn’t want it to get around town who they were until it came time to interview them.The mayor had decided to have a question-and-answer session for the people of the town and let them be in on the get-go for hiring the new chief of police.
Taking a nap before Wylie got home, he still had to wake her up when he got there.She was all right with that.He woke her up in the most delicious way.Having dinner with him and the cook, she enjoyed her pasta and was glad that there was lots of sauce and bread to go with it.Her favorite thingto make while having spaghetti was garlic bread sandwiches.Stuffed by the time dinner was over, she decided to have dessert in the living room with Wylie.They’d been eating on a regular schedule now, and she was feeling better about it.All those nights when they ate at eleven or beyond had played havoc with her stomach.
They watched the news on their local channel, and she couldn’t believe how much sports were on the station.She thought that it must be as boring a job as her own had been to be a news anchor locally.The sports guy was a little too much for her, and she muted the station so that she couldn’t hear him.It was rude, she supposed, but she didn’t care.It was her home, and she’d listen to what she wanted.
At ten, they were both in bed.They’d not made love since she’d found out about the baby, and she wanted him.But as soon as she was in the bed, she was falling asleep.It didn’t take much for her to want a nap before bedtime, and she didn’t care what people thought.It was her body and her baby, and she’d do what was necessary to keep them both safe.
She’d noticed, too, that she seemed to be going to the bathroom a little more.Again, she wasn’t worried about it as the doctor said her body was adjusting to all kinds of things and that would be one of them.He told her that she was going to be able to give birth easily because she was in such good shape.She didn’t feel like she was until she woke from a nap, then she felt good.But this too would pass, she’d been told, and she was looking forward to having her energy back.She was tired of being exhausted all the time.
Getting up the second time, she was ready to face the day.But since it was only two in the morning, she thought that she might lie down for a while and rest.Going back to sleep wasn’t a problem for her, and she was glad for that.In no time at all, she was sleeping again and didn’t wake until her alarm went off at six-thirty.
It didn’t take her long to get ready for work.She was having breakfast, another meal that she used to skip but was now having all the time.She was glad to see that Wylie was up and getting around by the time she left.He was going to finish up his office in the Gold building today, then he’d be able to start work when she needed him.They were getting things squared away, and she couldn’t have been happier.
“I have to go into town tonight for a meeting with the women’s auxiliary club.I’m not sure what it’s about, but they requested that Kinsey and I attend.It’s not a meal, but those little plates stuff so I won’t be home in time for dinner.Make sure you eat.”She told him that she would; she liked being able to have things just so.“Good.You don’t seem to be sleeping as much, and I’m glad.I miss you when you nap, but I do love watching you sleep.You’re beautiful.”
“Thank you.I needed to hear that about now.”As they finished up their meal, she didn’t feel as exhausted as she’d been lately.She hoped that it was passing, this need to sleep all the time, but time would tell.She was just glad to be able to spend more time with Wylie that didn’t have her sleeping on his shoulder.Not that he ever complained, but she was glad that he was there for her.She loved him very much.
At ten, they were headed to bed.She’d not been asleep all evening and thought that was a great accomplishment.Not that she wasn’t tired, but she was staying awake so that she could go to bed with Wylie.She knew that he was getting up after she went to sleep and was all right with that.He wasn’t as exhausted as she was, and she loved him for taking that into consideration when he got up.She really did love that man so much.
~*~
Ara had been observing his brothers for the past month.They were all doing the same thing and spending money like they still didn’t have any.The only one that wasn’t as bad was Wylie, but he would spend money on discount stores or clearance items instead of buying what he could afford.And they all could afford a great deal more than they were spending.
He noticed that David would carry around hundreds of dollars with him at all times.So he thought that he’d try it.It didn’t work out well for him or anyone around him.Ara had made a fool ofhimself trying to be the rich man, and he thought perhaps he’d never tell anyone what had happened.
Putting two hundred dollars in his wallet, he felt good.While he was home.But as soon as he got out in public, he would check his wallet several times a minute to make sure that he hadn’t lost it.Or someone hadn’t taken it.As the day wore on, he was fearful of bumping into people for fear of them being the best pickpockets around.He made himself sick with worrying about the money he had on him, and it got to the point where he’d not even take out his change to pay for a soda for fear of someone robbing him.People stared at him, too.He was sure that it was all his fault because he’d been acting like a lunatic.He even found himself eyeing people hard who would bump into him, then checking for his wallet.By the time he got himself home with his money, he had to dry heave several times because he’d made himself that worried over the money.It was only two hundred dollars, too.He wondered what would happen to him if he’d had more on him.He didn’t even want to think about that.
Understanding didn’t make it any better.They’d been without money for most of their lives, well into their adulthood.And not that they didn’t have money for fries when they had a hamburger, they didn’t have the money to drive to the place to get either one.They were on the road to disaster every day, and he wondered why he couldn’t carry around some money.It’s small wonder that any of them could even find themselves a house with as much money as it took to buy one.But then that wasn’t on them; perhaps that was it.
Ara still worked for the newspaper in town.There wasn’t much ever going on with it, so he had time to speculate on things like money and people.He knew that people did treat them differently since they’d sold the farm.It was like they expected them to go around paying for everything that needed to be done, like the new school.
There had been enough money for the new school to be built.Plenty enough is what he’d heard, but they wanted more donations so that they could have some of the state-of-the-art teaching tools that would make them get better students from around the state.
When they’d help out a family, it wasn’t for the money that they could give them.Many of them didn’t have anymore than they did.But now, when they wanted someone to help them, they’d talk about being paid.Like if I have you work for me, I’m going to expect you to pay me too.So far, he’d been told that several times.
Like he’d been out writing a story on one of the families that had hit on harder times.While he was interviewing them, the man had asked for a hundred bucks to get the real story.He didn’t think it was right to pay for a story and turned him down.The man tossed him out of the house then and said he wasn’t going to give him anything that he’d profit from.Like working for a job was profit.
He supposed it was for him.Ara liked working, and it gave him some pocket money.It wasn’t a great deal, just enough to take himself out to dinner one night or to buy him a book that he’d been wanting to read.He didn’t waste it on things like games of chance or things like that.He just spent it to make himself feel better.And working did that for him, too.
Being idle had never been something that he enjoyed.Even when there was no story coming into work, he would find things to do around the building.It was why the entire backlog of papers had been cleaned top to bottom.He couldn’t stand to be sitting around waiting for the next big story to come through.He supposed that’s why he was able to stay on when others would be fired.He kept himself useful.
“Hello, Ara.How’s it going?”He smiled at Mr.Howard, the banker, and told him he was doing just fine.“You looking for a house too?I’m to understand that your other brothers are going to find them something sooner rather than later.That makes for a nice income for the city when there are a number of houses going to be sold.Helps with the schools, too, I’m to understand.”
“I’ve not decided what I’m going to do yet.I did rent a condo with the others.With Meggie having a baby, we didn’t want to intrude on their time as a couple.”He told him that it was jolly good.The man was nice but an oddball of sorts.“I’m thinking I’m going to wait until the new year to decide what I’m going to be doing when it comes to getting a house.”
“There are two that just came to the bank.”He didn’t know what that meant, so he waited for him to tell him.“Foreclosure is a terrible thing, but we have to do it in order to make money for ourselves.The bank can’t make it on promises and bounced check fees.No sir.We have to have income coming in, too.”
“I understand.He really didn’t, but thought that if he were to talk to the man much longer, he’d understand.He seemed to be in a talkative mood today.“Who have you foreclosed on?Someone from around town?”
Foreclosure.That word he knew.They’d been terrified of it happening to them the entire time he’d been living on the farm.The bank could and would come in and take it all away from you.Your house, land, clothing, and anything that might have been left behind.They didn’t care what it meant to you; if they could get a dollar for it, it was going to be put up for sale so that they could get their money back from you forfeiting in a deal you had with the bank.
He realized that he’d missed something when Howard had been talking.Asking him to repeat himself seemed rude since he’d asked the question, he only nodded his head and told him that it was a shame.Smiling, Howard told him that one man’s problems could be a gain for him.He didn’t know if he could buy a house that had been foreclosed on.The people might still be around town, and that he’d never be able to live down.Buying a property that had had a family in it that he knew.That was why he was so keen on building a home.No one had lived it in before him, and he knew that it wasn’t going to be someone’s livelihood that he was profiting on.He thought that he needed to get his head together before he started giving all his money away so that he’d feel better.
He decided to go and see David.He’d give him advice on how to combat these feelings of being too rich.Making his way to his car, he even thought about how none of his brothers had brought a new car when they had the money to do so.Not even himself.Shaking his head, he made his way to the farm to see how the best man he knew was dealing with being a billionaire.
