Fiction

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“Well, that was not a half bad supper, if I do say so myself,” said the young man as he leaned back in his chair. “It sure beats my attempts at cooking any day.”
“I’m afraid I might start getting lazy with two cooks this good in the house,” said her father. “Goodness knows her brothers eat enough to keep her and her mother busy all day.”
“Well with the way you work us we gotta get energy when we can,” came the reply from across the table from Joe.
It was the youngest brother of the three. At sixteen and just over six feet, he was a gangly blond boy with a big smile that never seemed to disappear. His name was Beauregard, but everyone called him Bo.
His older brothers chimed in with a hearty “Hear, hear!!”
“Just the other day, Dad sent me out to round up a herd of cattle that had escaped their pen. All by myself,” said the oldest, indignantly.
He was stocky, in his early twenties, about five feet, four inches tall, and built like a small locomotive. With dark black hair and eyes to match, he had a dark tan that almost made him look black, but he shared his youngest brother’s big smile.
“Well I wonder who left the gate unlocked… Gareth,” said the middle brother.
With two years between him and his brothers in both directions, Earl was often referred to as the ‘filling of the Oreo’. He looked the part too, with light brown eyes, light brown hair, five feet, seven inches, and medium build.
“Yeah,” he usually replied when someone referred to his knick-name, “the filling gets squeezed, twisted, and licked, but it’s the best part of the cookie.”
Just then the two women came in with coffee cups and two pots of coffee.
“If you men folk want to talk, then I suggest that you make yourselves comfortable on the porch,” the young lady’s mother said. “There is a nice breeze and the apple trees are in full bloom.”
As the men trooped off to the porch, the mother stood watching her only daughter. The young woman followed the grey-eyed young man with her eyes until he was around the corner. She let out a small, almost inaudible sigh, and she turned toward the table to begin clearing the dishes.
“I know how you feel Jacqueline,” said her mother gently, “I felt the same way when I asked your father over for Sunday supper the first time. I even remember the same sigh as he walked out the door.”
Embarrassed at making her feelings so readily seen, the young lady turned a bright red. As she fiddled with her blond hair she spoke, “I wonder if he feels the same way?”
“I know what you mean,” said her mother. “Just don’t give your heart away to every handsome young man that comes to church. If you do that, there won’t be any heart left to give to your husband when you marry.”
“I know,” Jackie said, “I was just wondering how long before I find the mate that God wants me to have.”
“It seems like an eternity, but it will happen before you know it,” said mother in her best ‘I-was-there-once-you-know’ voice. “And then you wake up to a baby crying one morning and realize that it is your fourth child and you wonder where the time went.”
“Well, the futures market has November beans at about $3.87 and December corn at $5.03,” Joe was saying. “With the mad cow scare in other continents, our beef should go up too, and with it most other farm products.”
“I’m not really sure what these futures have to do with how much I get for my grain at the elevator,” said Mr. Bellamy.
“It’s a long explanation, and I’m not sure anybody really knows how it works. But, it’s basically a cousin to the Wall Street, country style. Instead of buying and selling parts of ownership of a company, the people buy and sell grain a few months in advance,” explained the Joe Williams. “This also gives the farmer a good idea of how much to expect from the elevator, and it helps him time his deliveries to make the most of the price increases.”
“Where did you learn about all that?” asked Bo.
“Here and there,” replied Joe. “I get around quite a bit and hear a lot of things. Some good, some bad, and some is just information.”
“What do you do?” It was Gareth asking the question this time.
“I’m a security officer for a large company,” was the reply. “I really can’t tell you any more. They are rather touchy about these things.”
“Oh, I see.”
“But, I had a good start on things because I graduated college as a mechanical engineer. The classes covered a lot of material, both mechanical and electrical. Between that and traveling all over creation, I’ve learned a lot about the whys and wherefores of a lot of stuff.”
“Sounds like you live an exciting life” commented Earl.
“It’s a lot like flying. Hours and hours of tedious boredom interspersed with moments of stark raving terror” replied the young man.
Jacqueline walked gracefully out onto the porch just then and took a seat next to her father in the porch swing. Joe watched her and made a mental note to speak to his superiors about this family. In particular, he needed to talk about the girl.
“If you ever want to go over seas on a vacation, just let me know and I’ll put you in touch with someone to help you with affordable arrangements,” he told the girl’s father.
“Thanks, I’ve been talking with the wife about her and me taking a second honeymoon. She’s happy here, but I want to do something special for our thirtieth anniversary.”
“I’ve heard that Germany has some wonderful old castles that have been slightly modernized. A co-worker of mine took his new bride over there and he said that she loved it. I’ll get you some information on it if you would like.”
“I’d appreciate that,” said the dad. “Now you kids don’t tell your mom about this. I want it to be a surprise.” Four heads nodded in acknowledgment.
“Well, I’d better be getting back home,” the young man said, getting up. “I have to leave on assignment this evening. I won’t be able to make it to church this evening.”
Turning to the dad and putting his cowboy hat on, he shook the older man’s hand and thanked him for his hospitality. He shook the hands of the brothers and turned to their sister.
“I’m afraid I might be back” he said, tipping his hat to the young lady. “With cooking like that, you might not be able to keep me away.”
She blushed ever so slightly and said, “Well I’m glad you enjoyed it. You’ll have to come over sometime when we can get a really good meal together.”
“Thanks, I’d like that. Take care now.”
As he drove down the drive toward the road, the young man thought of the family he had just left behind. Picking up his cell phone, he dialed a number from memory.
“What is it this time?” a female voice asked with a touch of humor.
“A family, last name of Bellamy.” Joe answered. “I need you to find out about them. Especially the daughter.”
“Any thing in particular you are looking for?”
“No, nothing special; just a background check. Between you and me, she is a possible candidate. She definitely has a good attitude.”
“How was her cooking?” the woman asked with a touch of curiosity in her voice.
“Excellent,” the young man replied, “Her mom told me that she made most of the meal herself before heading to church, and finished it once she got back.”
“Is she pretty?”
“Well, she’s not one that would cause a traffic accident, but she wouldn’t make people look away either. Yes, I’d have to say she’s pretty. A very simple pretty, yet elegant and graceful.”
“I’ll get right on that” the woman said.
“I figured that you would by the number of questions you were asking me.”
“How do you want the information?” the woman asked.
“Just e-mail it to me. I’ll get it when I can.”
“Alright then, be careful now.”
“I will, Bye.” With that, Joe pressed a button to end the call. He set the cruise control and relaxed in his seat. He had a long drive ahead of him.

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