Chapter 16-1

Chapter 16-1

 

The boys and Pa are at the hospital asking at the front desk where their friends are. The nurse remembers Mr. Downing and EJ from the last time they were here and takes them down the hall, where they find Peter and his friends at the bedside of his grandmother. Doctor Whitmore nods to the boys and Wayne to come into the room and the nurse closed the door for some privacy so they can all be alone.

Peter got a chance to say goodbye while holding her hand as she whispers, to be good and mind Mr. and Mrs. Whitmore. Peter grandmother then takes Mr. Whitmore by the hand places Peter's hand in his whispering, “I give my grandson freely,” as she passes away with her final breath. Peter leans over cries into her shoulder as she dies until there’s nothing is left, but dry soft tears. The nurse in the room places a letter in Mr. Whitmore hand from Peter's grandmother helping Mr. Whitmore remove Peter from his grandmother so they can take her down the hall. While Mr. Whitmore holds him against him with his arms around him with tears in his eyes for his new son.

Pa embraced all his boys with tears as they watched Peters Grandmother leave the room and embrace their friends with love for them. Giving them all a few more minutes together in the room with a pat on the back and last in embrace, “Kollie I'll take the boys home why you start making the arrangements, meet you there.” Wayne said as he pats him on the back with a firm handshake and puts his arms around the boys and head back to the New Downing; while he left his friend at the hospital to make the arrangements for Peter's grandmother. Kollie opens the letter with shaky hands and tears moist in his eyes as he reads the letter.

To my Dear Friends: Kollie and Rena Whitmore with loving care and how long I have known you and loved you for showing real love for Peter. I thank you from the bottom of my heart. I ask you to adopt him into your family and raise him as your own son and be a part of your family and care for him, which I know that you will.

I give you with all my heart my grandson. My only wish and request that he goes to college at BYU and studies hard into any field that makes him happy. To help do this I have set up a saving account in his name at this bank... When he is old enough. I also leave you the farm and all of its provisions and land. Except for the small shop of leather goods, I want them to go to his friends Robert Will and EJ to make saddles for horses and sandals and other leather goods.  I will miss you all, but my time has come and I am not afraid, knowing Peter is in good hands and this is not really goodbye. So, for now, I say I'll save ya ya’ll a spot at the annual picnic in the sky.

Elizabeth Price

Doctor Whitmore signs out and requests for medical leave at the desk calling another Doctor he knows to take his place while he's gone for a month or two. Giving his nurses all a hug and wished them well as he leaves out the door. Kollie heads on back to the cottage with a tear in his eye whenever he looked back at his hospital. He would wipe his eyes as he headed down the road thinking about his son Peter.

* * *

 

Wayne takes the boys back to the cottage for the remainder of the day with great sorrow on their hearts and minds. They could not concentrate on any task at hand. Yet life must go on, but how? As Wayne looked at the boys and their friends or should we say young men. Wayne makes a decision that for now knowing that changes need to be made so the boys can have time to grieve as they gather around the table, he pulls out the telegram and passed it around so they can read it. “The ladies won't be back for two weeks boys, possibly three” he said as he tries to lighten the mood a bit. “So I'll make you a promise, with your Pa and this includes Richard,” as he nods to him and he nods back playing with Sam and Ted in the corner.

“We will help you with preparing meals around here. You have learned your lesson well boys, but the time has come that I need you, boys. There other things we need to be doing and I need all your help before they come home. Like selling, working the cattle, selling sheepskin, trade and things we have in the barn, woodworking projects like the new table and chairs for the kitchen and other things for the house, prepping the fields for crops for next season.” He said as leans back on his chair placing his hands behind his head. “We also need to go to Salt Lake City to a large appliance store and do some trade up there as well. Anyway, boys, I need you all right here so you can help me. Can you do that boy’s?” Pa asked.

The boys looked at each other for a minute, Robert asks. “What about the paper and post office Pa?”

“That boys is where we have to find your replacements, but I have an idea that might work out,” showing them a copy of the newsstand and a roster for the help for the paper and the Post Office help. “Now I would suggest we get busy, times a wasting. Except for Peter here you're done for a while until you are ready to help,” he puts his arm around him, “you have other things to do I believe and we completely understand son and want you to know we are all here for you.” Peter nods with tears still fresh in his eyes.

When Mr. Whitmore reached the cottage he finds the boys and Mr. Downing all starting dinner tonight. After all the guests were still coming tonight. Mark puts the turkey in the oven. Robert starts the gravy while EJ and Will peeled the potatoes. Richard takes Sam and Ted down for their baths as Peter helps Mr. Downing and set the table.

Frank helps make the rolls and the stuffing then Richard comes back with two little ones so Mr. Downing can watch them play in the room. Then pats Peter on the back so he can head on down the hall take a nice long hot bath. Richard starts a fire in the pot belly stove and then goes out chops some more firewood for tonight. Pa has the little ones to help him set the table. Mr. Whitmore walks in the door with wonderment watching the boys carry on. Wayne nods to him and carries's on setting the table as Peter comes out all nice and clean and refreshed. Richard comes in with a load of firewood for tonight then heads on down the hall for his bath. “Wayne, can I speak with you a moment?” Kollie asked.

Wayne watches the boys, “Sure what's on your mind?” He asked as they both walked outside. Mr. Whitmore shows him a letter from Peter's grandmother and tells him he's on medical leave for a month or so.

Wayne tells him what he promised the boys showing him the telegram he received today. “Good I was worried about that with everything going on. They all need time to grieve and to deal with things Plus; see what all this about,” he said pointing to the letter, but for now putting it way in his pocket for later. Then goes back inside to help prepare dinner, after all, nothing has changed, life must go on.

Richard has come out nice and clean, Robert has gone down the hall for his as they walk into the Cottage. Mark pulled out the recipe for the pumpkin pie and hands to his Pa to make as he helps make the cranberry sauce and place the rolls into the oven. Robert comes out from his bath nice and clean, then EJ goes in for his bath down the hall; Frank takes his place in the kitchen helping with the carrots and the peas. Peter helps with finishing the table and takes over watching Sam and Ted as EJ comes out and pats Frank on the back taking over the kitchen while he takes his bath, passing the hat and the apron to him. EJ pulls the rolls out as Pa pass the pumpkin pies to EJ and helps cook the stuffing on the stove. Richard and the boys begin to set things on the table as Frank comes out pulls the turkey out to cool.

Mr. Whitmore and Downing clean up the kitchen why the boys finish putting food on the table. Then the guests arrived right on schedule the two Aunts, Grandma and Granny as they gather around the table. Frank stands up and tries to give the toast, but does not know what to say looking downcast at his friends.

Kollie stands up and gives the toast putting his arm around Frank and the boys whispering. “Its ok son I got this one… To our honors guest and friend's, thanks for your kind words and your deeds. Our hearts are filled with love and may our food fill you with hope,” as he wiped a tear in his eye with the back of his hand, “with a token of our gratitude.”

Wayne nods as he sits down at the table next to his boys. The table was silent from all the boys, not a whisper as they passed around the food to each other. Just bowed heads a tear once in while from the boys thinking of Peters grandmother and how much they all were close to her and going to miss her. They barely had an appetite, if any at all. Leaving their guests wondering what's was going on. Why is everyone so sad and quiet? Watching the boys Kollie and Wayne, Grandma leaned over to Richard whispers to him and asks, he tells her about what's going on about Peter's Grandmother. “Boys let me tell you story about friendship and neighbors it might cheer you up,” Grandma said as she begins to tell her story.

“When I was young about your Pa's age we had a bounteous crop of peaches, cherries, and apples and some prunes. There was not any outside market out here not for selling fruit. My husband had to go away from home to find work as we were expecting our first baby the following February, so he went to work for a farmer in southern Utah until almost time for the baby to come.

“Anyway on his way home he was attacked by outlaws that took all his money and brutally treated him, we did not know how we were going to get by. My father had given me a beautiful heifer for a wedding present, but we had to sell the calf due to the fact we needed the money to pay for a midwife. I had a hard time so I had to have a Doctor too, but he was willing to wait for his money.

“No matter how hard we tried to save to get ahead it was impossible. We could not sell much fruit as many people had big orchards. With no outside market and across the fence our neighbors were always borrowing or stealing everything we had; knowing my husband was away they took our haystack to feed their cattle. One day I bought 100 hundred pounds sack of sugar we lived on the corner. So I was stopped on the other side from them asking me if I had any sugar. I did not think they would know I had opened it.

I opened it and left out enough for a few days then tied the sack and put under my bed where no one could see it. The next night when I was sitting in the kitchen my neighbor, she came in without knocking, walked right into the bedroom, pulled out the sack of sugar took out what she wanted and put the sack back under the bed. She did not knock or look around the room or she would have seen me sitting in the kitchen. As she was going out the front door I said hello, she turned looked around and saw me, she began to stutter she wanted to borrow some sugar, how she knew the sugar was there I'll never know. I let her keep the sugar, I knew she would have it anyway.

“I did not take all things as good nature as my husband did, so she sent the cops after me. I told them we don't' need a trail, all we need is for those people to stay on their own side of the fence. If they would do that, I promise there would not be any more trouble. They were not satisfied with the trouble that had caused me, oh no she would tell them some filthy lies about me.

I told her I didn't care what she told about me as I have lived here all my life and the people knew me. Never the less, to my knowledge she and my mother's closest neighbor a very good woman, with a sister in law, had all kinds of fun yakking about me. They thought my mother would join them, but instead, my mother turned a cold shoulder on them. Mrs. Clyde the good neighbor never got over losing my mothers friendship and all started with a fence and a cup sugar.

“So what is friendships worth?” Grandma asked looking at the boys around the table, “it is someone to be there when the times are hard like these,” as she puts her arm around Peter and the other around Mark, “you should always count on your good friends and their deeds to pull you through the hard times,” as she winks at Wayne and nods to Mr. Whitmore.

“Now then,” first things in the morning, I'll swing by the school and excuse them for the rest of the week and pick up their assignments from class so they don't fall behind.” Then Grandma gave them each a kiss goodnight sends them all straight to bed. While aunts and them cleaned up the table and finished the dishes then tucks the boys into bed before leaving.