Secrets of the Spiral Tower (8 page)

“Didn’t you have a cousin or two who lived near Redwood?” Willow asked.

“Yeah, they lived about five miles just past the Redwood School. They were involved in farming activities when we were young, but saw the hand writing on the wall when small farmers were being consolidated and controlled by a larger farmer. Their total acreage was small and scattered. Due to the high price of equipment, they just couldn’t compete. Consequently, when they got a reasonable offer to sell, they wasted no time and moved away.”

“Do you know where they went?”

“They moved to Oklahoma and Kansas, and became day laborers in the cattle feed lot business.”

“When was the last time you spoke to them?”

“Oh, it has been at least twenty years or more.”

“Don’t you miss them?”

“No, not really. If you will remember when your mama and daddy ‘adopted me’, they all turned against me and accused me of being a ‘gold digger’. They felt so inferior to me and refused to have anything to do with me. You remember when Mama and Daddy were killed in that head-on collision on I-20, none of them came to the funeral. That really hurt me and as they say, ‘that split the sheet’ as far as having anymore contact with them. I dropped them from my list of people I cared about.”

“How often do you visit your parent’s grave?”

“I always go on their birthdays, and at special times like Easter and Christmas.”

“Are their graves well-tended?”

“Pretty much. You know Mama loved flowers, so I put plastic flowers in the vases on their headstones. I wish I could put fresh flowers at their graves, especially during the spring. But, the cemetery rules don’t allow that. I know that is a good rule, but real flowers look so much better than the plastic ones.”

“Connor, I feel the pain and sadness in your heart, and wish there was something I could do to help.”

“Just by your being here and with the prospect you’re going to stay this time, brightens my life immensely.”

“That is so good to hear. You don’t know this, but being gone for so long with both of us going in different directions; I was worried you might have had a change of heart about us. I know my flitting around for the most part of thirty years, not coming home very often, could have had a destructive impact on your feelings for me. I’m so glad you haven’t changed.”

“That wine we’ve been drinking surely has had a confessional impact on us,” Connor said, laughing. “We had better call it a night before we say something that should go unspoken.” 

Chapter 7

The rooster alarm clock, set by Connor the night before, woke him and Willow from a deep sleep. Connor moved slowly as the cock continued to crow.

“Please turn that rooster off. He’s killing me.”

Connor managed a slight chuckle.  “Bad head dear? I told you to take something before going to sleep. That would’ve minimized the impact of too much alcohol. But I guess the wine got the best of you.”

“I’ll make a Bloody Mary. That always helps my head get better when I’ve acted so foolishly.”

“Willow, what if I fix some scrambled eggs, grits, and dry toast?”

“That would probably help settle my stomach if I can keep it down. I’ve got a full day planned with Daddy, so I need to get better soon.”

“Get up—splash some cold water on your face while I fix breakfast. I’ll have the Bloody Mary sitting on the bar in a couple of minutes. I’m also going to fix a pot of coffee.”

 “I’m going to need a lot of help to get through the day,” she said, entering the kitchen. “The coffee surely smells good.”

Connor handed Willow the Bloody Mary. “Drink up. Let it hit bottom first, then sip on the black coffee.”

“This is really sweet of you, Connor. I’ll repay you later.”

“If I receive any more pay, over last night’s payment, I would have to consider myself indebted to you,” Connor laughed. “Now, I don’t want that accounting mistake to take place. I’ve got to keep you indebted to me.”

“I think you’re safe for a while, at least.”

After finishing his eggs, grits, and toast, Connor said he wanted to take a shower.  “You just sit here and take it easy for a while.”

“Oh, I intend to move slowly, but I’ll eventually get there.”

Ten minutes after the shower turned off, Connor hurriedly walked down the steps, and  kissed Willow on top of her head.

“I’m off to the office. I’ll see you there later. Okay?”

“Yes. But I’m not going to make breakfast with Daddy. I’m just not up to it.”

“That’s okay. There’ll be plenty of time later. Just bring him by the office if you can.”

“Will do.”

Willow moved from the bar stool to a big recliner in front of the TV. Finding the remote, she clicked on Fox News. A female radio talk show hostess railed against President Obama for getting us involved in the Afghan war. Talking out loud, Willow said: “I’m so tired of hearing nothing positive every time that TV comes on. Whatever happened to reporting on County and State Fairs, tractor pulls and craft shows?”

Looking around the large room, she thought,
Connor hasn’t changed anything in this house. It is still nothing
but a man’s cave. It really needs a woman’s touch
.

Although the walls were very clean, she could see painting them brighter colors and placing some of the artist’s work hanging on her walls in New York, on both sides of the large windows.
I’m going to put
improving this place on my to-do list. But now I’ve got to concentrate on Daddy and
getting my own house plans in order
.

Rising slowly she thought,
I could stay here all day but that wouldn’t accomplish
anything.
She turned toward the stairs and saw a large official-looking envelope on Connor’s desk addressed to McKenzie Towing. Picking it up, she wondered if she should open it or not. Realizing that the envelope wasn’t sealed and was addressed to McKenzie Towing, she rationalized, why not open it?

Maybe this will help me understand what’s going on in the company. Daddy always wanted me to take part so maybe this is the place to start.

Still, she hesitated, wondering if it would be an invasion of privacy. Practicality won out.
It is addressed to McKenzie Towing so that means it is addressed to me.

“
So, here goes,” she said softly.

Carefully she pealed the tab back and pulled out several legal-looking documents. The subject, “Transferring Mineral Rights on 640 Acres of land owned by McKenzie Towing to Connor Peppler” appeared at the top of the first page. Then she started reading.

W
hy would McKenzie
Towing transfer these rights to ‘exclusive’ control of Connor Peppler
?
This seems odd
.
Does Daddy know? This looks like Daddy’s signature but does he realize what he has
signed? I’m probably getting excited about nothing so I need to take my shower and go visit Daddy. But I want to find out more about this. What does a transfer really mean and how will it impact McKenzie Towing and me?

*   *   *

After finishing her shower and blowing her hair dry, Willow headed for Rupert’s assisted living complex. It was now 10:45 in the morning, quite a bit later than she had planned on arriving. But, maybe now she could talk to Mr. Bruce Taylor, the administrator. Knocking on his office door, Willow entered asking, “Mr. Taylor, may I visit with you for a few minutes?”

“Yes ma’am. Would you give me about five minutes to complete this phone call? Please have a seat.”

“Thank you.”

After finishing the phone call, Mr. Taylor said, “I don’t think we have met.”

Willow extended her hand across Mr. Taylor’s desk. “That’s right. I’m Willow Kingston McKenzie, Rupert’s daughter.”

“Oh, I’m delighted to make your acquaintance. Let me tell you at the outset, Mr. Rupert is a very interesting and entertaining member of our family.”

“Thank you Mr. Taylor. I’ve always thought of my daddy as being interesting. It is good to hear that from someone else.”

“Ms. McKenzie, I’m fairly new to the community and wasn’t aware your father had such an impact on the towing industry. Don’t know if you know or not, but several of our family members have shared quite a bit of your daddy’s history with us. They all love and admire him very much. When we get everybody together in the fellowship hall, he invariably winds up being the center of attention. If he doesn’t start telling stories, others goad him into doing just that.”

“Mr. Taylor, this is great to hear. Growing up under his thumb was a new adventure practically every day. The older I get the more I appreciate his hard love and all that I learned from him, particularly about dealing with people of diverse backgrounds, and what it takes to get along and succeed. But, Mr. Taylor, I want to ask, what are your rules about letting me take him out for a day or a few days at a time?”

“Ms. McKenzie, I’m delighted you want to take your daddy out. I suggested that to Connor on occasion, but he never took the initiative to do it. The only requirement we have is that you must be very careful and ensure he takes his prescribed medicine. Also, he has established a routine of eating, napping and watching TV. If at all possible, I would request you adhere to his schedule as closely as possible.”

“That shouldn’t be a problem. As you may know, we have the family home over on Warrington Road and a housekeeper.”

“Are you speaking of Mamie?”

“Yes sir. Mamie has been with our family since I was a little girl.”

“Your daddy speaks so fondly of Mamie. If I didn’t know better, I would think she is a blood relative. She is very consistent in bringing him his favorite foods a couple of times a week. As you might know, the food prepared here is just not seasoned like the dishes Mamie brings.”

“Then it is okay for me to take Daddy out whenever?”

“Yes ma’am. Just be sure to let us know where he is, just in case an emergency should arise. And by all means, come visit him here as often as you can.”

“Do you think he’ll ever be able to move home full-time?”

“That is certainly a possibility. For his age, he is in remarkably good health. Our doctors attribute that to the many years of hard work during his towing days.”

“That’s good to know. After being gone for many years, I’m moving back to Vicksburg. With Mamie’s help, we can take care of him very well.”

“Ms. McKenzie, that will probably extend his life several years. One other thing to remember is to get him involved in some type of exercise daily.  I suggest walks in the neighborhood for at least thirty minutes a day. You could start by pushing him in his wheelchair and I’m sure he would sooner, rather than later, want to walk on his own. I feel he is perfectly capable of becoming ambulatory again. Don’t push it, but let him take the lead.”

“Mr. Taylor, you just don’t know how much you’ve helped me today. Now, I would like to go see Daddy and see if he wants to go for a drive. “

“That’s good, Ms. McKenzie, but it is nearly lunch time now. I suggest you have lunch with us here, let him take his nap, watch TV, and then afterwards, go for a drive. Why don’t you bring him to our dining hall?”

“I can do that. Does he have a wheel chair assigned to him in his room?’

“Not as such. If there’s not one in his room, there are several along the hall. All are available for patient use.”

“Good. Will you join us for lunch?”

“Thank you. I look forward to visiting with you and your daddy.”

Willow gently knocked on Rupert’s door and received an invitation to “come in.” Entering, she said. “Hello, Daddy. How are you today?”

“Willow, is that you?”

“Yes, Daddy. I’m going to wheel you down to the dining hall and have lunch with you.”

“That’s wonderful. I’ve got five partners I eat with, but I’m sure we can make room for you.”

As Willow rolled Rupert into the dining hall and up to his table, Greg, a longtime friend, spoke up. “Rupert, where did this nurse come from? I want her to take care of me.”

Rupert laughed.  “Back off. This is my daughter. Cut out the shenanigan.”

“Your daughter? You mean little Willow, the soccer star?”

“Yes. This is my little girl, all grown up. She’s come home to take care of me.”

Grabbing Willow by the hand, Greg looked up and winked. “I remember watching you on the soccer field. You were a wonderful goalie.”

“Thank you,” said Willow, slightly embarrassed. “It is good to see you again, also.”

Willow remembered the face, but not the name. She played along. “Aren’t you the man who ran along the sidelines keeping up with the ball?”

“Yeah, I’m the one. And I can still run.”

When lunch was over, Willow wheeled her Daddy back to his room.

“I understand you have a special program you watch every day.”

“Yes, I like the old westerns. I’ve tried some of the crime scene shows, but they move too fast for me. I especially like the old John Wayne movies. He was such a great guy.”

“Daddy, while you’re watching the movie, I’ve got some running around to do. I’m coming back to take you on a ride across the river and to your old office.”

“Really? That would be great. I would love to go to the office. I imagine Connor has changed it a lot but that’s okay. “

Willow kissed Rupert on the head. “I’ll be back in a couple of hours. Enjoy your movie.”

“I’m looking forward to getting out of here for a while. I can’t wait.” 

*  *  *

Willow parked in an area marked for McKenzie Employees only. Talking to herself, she said, “This is new. I like it
.
”

Entering the front door, Willow was greeted by Caitlyn, “Good morning, Willow. It is good to see you. I trust your first night back home was enjoyable.”

"It was quite enjoyable and now I’m paying for it.”

“Is there something I can do for you?”

“Yes. Do you have a fresh cup of coffee?”

“I can certainly make one. It will only take a minute. Why don’t you have a seat in your daddy’s office?”

“Where is Connor?”

“He had an appointment with a customer in Port Gibson. He should be back around six this afternoon.”

“Good. I’m going to bring Daddy by here later.”

“Willow, that would be wonderful; I go see Mr. Rupert on occasion when his signature is needed. I know I should go by more, but I just don’t seem to have time. You may not know, but my husband is confined to a wheelchair and he takes up every spare minute of my time.”

“Caitlyn, I’m sorry, I didn’t know that. But, I know Daddy would love to see you more often. After all, you’ve been with him since the beginning.”

“Yes, it has been a long time.”

“I’m going to move him back to our old house. That way, I can spend more time with him and bring him to the office as often as he wants.”

“Do you think he wants to become involved in the day-to-day operations again?”

“Oh, I seriously doubt that. But, I do. Where would be a good place to start learning the business?”

“I believe the coffee is ready. Let me get you a cup. What do you want in it?”

“One sweetener and two creams.”

Caitlyn was shaken a bit by Willow’s comment. She wondered if Connor knew of her intentions. She sensed it could be a problem.”

Willow looked around Rupert’s office and wondered if she should repaint it or leave it as it is. It was evident it hadn’t received a coat of paint in several years. But she knew he would probably feel comfortable in the office the way it was.  She decided to set up her office in one of the offices across the hall.