Part 2 - Part 13

After we left, on our way back to Stan’s, Jean began to repeatedly hit me on the back.

“What are you doing?” I yelled.

“Paying you back for lying to me about how terrible the people outside my village were. You robbed me of all this…!”

“Jean, Jean, Jean, the only reason why people give you this respect is because of what Oscar and I are doing for the community here.

Did you see anyone else being treated this way in any of the places we’ve been?”

“No. And you’re right, I’ve been taught that respect must be earned and I understand what all this means. I just have to keep reminding myself and be grateful for what I’ve got.”

“Jean, I know for a fact that you and your people have big hearts and I’m certain in time you’ll surpass everything Oscar and I have done, but you must have faith and always do right by people, all people, including me. I do have your interests at heart and that’s why I stand by you.”

“In other words, you do love me,” she said.

“Yes, but at the same time I’m telling you that I will be leaving this place in a couple of months, so please let’s not complicate things.”

When we arrived at Stan’s service station Jean was all business with Stan discussing how to train the apprentices and what possible pay they could receive for their work. Stan mentioned that there was a federal government program where the apprentices, because they are natives, could get some money from the federal government. Stan said he could fill out the paperwork and make it retroactive to January first, but he needed the apprentices to be here immediately. Jean agreed and promised to have them there in the next day or so.

She then came over and spoke to me about it. I said I would vouch for her that they had been working here since January first. If they needed more witnesses I would find them for her. After everything was agreed Jean made another phone call to the village and Oscar’s father said he would get us three boys and a girl the next day before the weather changed. He also gave Jean the names of the three boys and the girl who were coming.

After Stan filled out the paperwork he went to the post office and had the lady there stamp the envelopes “January second”, which was a working day, and had them mailed.

The apprentices arrived before noon the next day. We met them at the service station and got all our stories straight. We then drove to the base and settled everyone. We asked Oscar’s father to stay a couple of days to make sure the boys and girl felt comfortable with us but he declined, he wanted to get back home as soon as possible. He went to bed early.

To my surprise Oscar’s father was very impressed not only with the accommodations for the boys and girl but with the base in general and asked me to give him a full uniform. He said he would be honoured if I did that and would have a different appreciation of the uniform today than he did when he was in the war. He also admitted that he had destroyed his own uniform for reasons he wasn’t going to discuss. I gave him access to the uniform room and he picked out a couple of uniforms. The next day he left early in the morning.

Initially the boys acted a bit strange, I guess because they too had never been out of their village, but Jean seemed to have a good handle on them. Let’s say they were afraid of her and did everything she asked of them.

The girl had a kind heart. She was a bit older than the boys but seemed to take a liking to me and listened to everything I had to say.

When we introduced her to Stan’s wife she took a liking to her and they became inseparable. In addition to teaching her how to do the books, Stan’s wife also taught her how cook, clean, sew and look after her girls like they were her own. They also liked her.

Initially the boys took their responsibility as a joke but when they began to earn praise from Stan and his customers, who also tipped them for the extra work they did, like washing and cleaning their cars without being asked, they began to take their roles more seriously.

A couple of weeks after Stan filed the paperwork he contacted the government and demanded to know why he hadn’t heard from them for months after filing for compensation. A couple of days later he received a call with an apology and they told him the cheques were on their way retroactive to January first.

The boys were doing better than expected and were getting praise from the entire town. They appreciated the attention that they were getting and Jean, Oscar and I made sure they stayed away from the wrong crowd. Jean had them on a short leash and wouldn’t let them go alone anywhere. But, at the same time she looked after them well making sure they went to a movie on a regular basis and cooked for them what they liked.

By mid May, a couple of weeks before I left, Stan gave the boys a car to drive back and forth from the base to the service station and they no longer had to sit in the back of my truck. They usually left the base after breakfast, took the lunches Jean made for them and took the girl to Stan’s house before they went to work. Oscar trusted them and they did repairs without being supervised. They were quick learners, did good work and loved what they were doing. They craved being praised and Oscar and Stan praised them well. They broke a few things but they learned from their mistakes.

When they were in the base they watched me exercise and were impressed with my strength and abilities. They all remembered the story of how I saved Oscar from a terrible beating.

Jean did her best to exercise with me but couldn’t always keep up. She did whatever she could which was more than enough to keep active.

As the days got closer to the end of May I emphasized the fact that I was going to leave the base and everyone was getting used to it.

In mid May I went to get Gloria from school after her year was over. Jean came with me and very quickly they became friends, despite their age difference. Gloria went back to living and working at the restaurant for the summer. Before I left, Stan gave her a post dated check to pay for her second year of education.

I took Jean with me when we went to order more meat from farmer Joe and we both stopped in to visit Sylvia. When Sylvia found out I was leaving in a couple of weeks she insisted that I take her out for dinner and a movie. I told her I would be back on the weekend and

if it was okay with her I wanted to bring Oscar and Jean with us. I knew Oscar liked Sylvia and perhaps they could develop a relationship after I was gone. Oscar had no female friends.

She agreed.

By the time we were finished visiting Sylvia, Joe had the truck loaded with our order. I paid him in cash and we left.

On the way up Jean got soft on me and said, “After I treated you like crap, I know you’re going to find this difficult to believe but I have grown fond of you and I’m truly going to miss you when you’re gone.”

“I’m going to miss you too,” I said. “But fate has dealt us different cards. We should focus our energies on doing good and maybe, one day, we’ll be rewarded. But to do something about it now would make life more difficult for the both of us. We’ve made our commitments and we need to live up to them, people depend on us.”

She didn’t say anything.

As soon as we reached the base and offloaded the meat and put it in the freezers, I telephoned Oscar and told him about the double date on the weekend.

“Saturday works for me,” he said and wanted to know who he was dating.

“Officially your date will be your cousin and unofficially it will be Sylvia.”

“Okay,” he said without making any smart remarks.

I immediately contacted Sylvia and told her we were on for Saturday evening. She confirmed that it was okay.

When the boys and the girl came home that afternoon we had steak for dinner. Neither I nor Jean knew how to use the cooking equipment in the kitchen so we fried the steaks in a pan. I suggested

that Jean invite Gloria and her mom and dad some weekend and ask them to teach her how to use the equipment in the kitchen. She said she would. The steaks were fried with mushrooms, Jean’s specialty. They were delicious.

Saturday afternoon the three boys and girl were invited to Stan’s home for a barbecue where they were to remain until we came to get them. Oscar drove them and left the car at the service station where he waited for Jean and me.

I didn’t have much to wear so I wore one of Peter’s sport jackets. Jean had even less to wear so I suggested she look through the uniforms and find a pair of pants that fit her.

When she came out I noticed she was wearing lipstick which I didn’t think suited her. After I told her she agreed and removed it.

“I need some decent clothes, will you buy me some?” she asked.

“No chance,” I said but I had misunderstood what she was asking. She wanted some money so that she could pick her own clothes. I thought she wanted me to pick them for her.

When we cleared that up I agreed to give her money provided she went with someone else shopping, preferably Olivia or someone more experienced than me.

She agreed.

It was four o’clock in the afternoon when Jean and I arrived at Stan’s. Oscar was waiting for us wearing one of Peter’s old suits.

“Oh, cousin, you look so handsome,” Jean told Oscar.

“And you, my dear cousin, you look like one of those nurses on M.A.S.H., the skinny, good looking one.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about but I assume you don’t approve of my military pants.”

Oscar didn’t say anything. He went inside the service station and called Sylvia on the telephone to let her know we were coming.

Jean and I parked ourselves in the back seat of the car while Oscar took the driver’s seat. We left my truck in the parking lot. When we arrived at Sylvia’s she was waiting for us outside. We all stepped out and she greeted us with a hug.

She was a beautiful, strong and humble woman, the type one would feel very comfortable being around.

I asked her to sit with Oscar and she did. She didn’t care who she sat with. All she wanted to do was go out with someone and be treated like a lady.

After we all got in the car Oscar drove us to the restaurant. On the way there Jean whispered in my ear. “If I were you I would have picked her over me.”

I didn’t say anything.

When we got to the restaurant the place was quite busy but Gloria had reserved a table for us, which was covered with a red tablecloth. After she greeted us she kissed me and Oscar and said, “Everything is on the house and we insist on it.”

“Gloria you can’t be doing this all the time, I have money and I’d like to pay for tonight’s dinner,” I protested.

But she said no and added, “If it makes you feel any better you can tip me but the dinner is going to be on the house.”

Everyone agreed.

Sylvia said, “So you’re Gloria, Peter’s little girlfriend who everyone has been talking about.”

To my surprise she said, “Yes I am.”

We all laughed and then I introduced Sylvia as farmer Joe’s daughter, whom she knew and Jean as Oscar’s cousin whom she had already met several days ago when we went to get her from school. I then asked Gloria to sit with us and have dinner and a drink, but only one drink since she had to work.

“You shouldn’t have any drinks since you’re going to be driving these beautiful and precious ladies back home,” she told me.

I didn’t reply.

We didn’t have to order anything. Gloria picked out our meal, something she had cooked for her thesis in school during her final term. It was a delicious vegetarian dish with a barbequed steak on the side. She said it was a smash hit with her professors who thought it was an ironic reflection of our modern society; a side of meat with veggies instead of the other way around.

The food was both tasty and filling.

We didn’t drink much. Oscar and I had a beer each and the ladies had a glass of wine.

When we were done eating I invited Gloria to come with us to the movies. “I’m leaving in a week or so and I would love to be with you and listen to your beautiful voice.”

Her mother heard me say that and told her to go with us.

I gave her a one hundred dollar tip which exceeded the cost of the food and drinks. After I gave her the money she gave it to her mother and then jumped on me, gave me a big kiss and began to cry.

“I’ll miss you very much when you’re gone.”

I had a lady on each side as we drove to the theater and then I had a hand to hold on each side as we walked to the theater. I paid for the tickets and my two ladies held me by my arms like a couple of policemen holding onto their captive, until we took our seats. They then sat on each side of me, Gloria to my right and Jean to me left. I

put my arms over their shoulders and was the envy of every man in the theater. I enjoyed that immensely. Jean too was a good sport because she liked Gloria and they would become good friends in the future.

Oscar and Sylvia were a bit more reserved but they too would become good friends and pillars of the community.

When the movie was over we took Sylvia home first. She said goodbye to Gloria, Jean and Oscar and then spent a lot of time hugging me, looking at me and kissing me.

“This is probably the last time I’m going to see you. I want you to know that I care for you and I want you to remember me,” and then she gave me a goodbye kiss.

“How can I ever forget a beautiful woman like you,” I replied and kissed her back

After that we dropped Gloria off and she too gave me a kiss and said, “Please come back and see me before you leave.”

I said I would.

Next we went to Stan’s house and were invited in for ice cream. Who can turn down ice cream?

After that we dropped off Oscar and Jean went in the car with the boys while I drove the truck with the girl. I had a chance to speak with her in private and she told me that she liked it here and could never see herself going back to the reservation. I told her it was premature to make such a decision and she should keep her feelings to herself and take some more time to think about it.

“Look at me, this is paradise for me but still something compels me to go back home, to my roots. So please don’t say anything to Oscar or Jean or to your parents because it will break their hearts. You were sent here to gain some skills so that you can help your people and at the same time make a better life for yourself. I’m sure you weren’t sent here to abandon them.”

“People like me here and I have friends… It’s not at all the way I was told people would be…”

“Please listen to me. People like you because of Oscar who has sacrificed himself to build a good reputation for you and your people. He opened a big door for you. And yes not all people are friendly, especially to indigenous people. Ask Oscar and he will tell you. If you go out on your own without your friends to protect you people will see you in a different light. I will prove it to you. In fact in a few days from today I’ll be taking Jean to town to do some shopping, so why don’t you come with me and I’ll take you out to lunch, an afternoon show and then to the mall on the other side of town. I’ll talk to Jean and Stan’s wife about it so you’ll be free.”

She agreed.

When we got back we all went our separate ways and to bed. Jean decided to keep the military pants for herself because she said they felt very comfortable and besides, no one outside of Oscar had made fun of her and Oscar’s opinion didn’t count on matters of fashion, according to her.

The next morning after we ate breakfast which Jean cooked for us, I went looking for suitcases so that I could start packing my things. I found a couple of military duffle bags and began to stuff them with things. Then, after I did my exercises and returned from running outside, Jean told me she had called Oscar to check on the boys. Oscar had told her that a construction company boss had visited Stan and they’d signed a contract to maintain all their big machines. They also had a contract with the township so they figured they would need more help, workers to maintain their equipment. I called the village and made arrangements for three more boys and two girls to be sent here as soon as possible. The new boys would pair up with the experienced boys. Stan would look after one pair in the service station and Oscar would look after the other two pairs.”

“And the girls?” I asked.

“Oh, I’ll need one to replace Spirit and the other one and Spirit will help me here. A lot of money is coming in and someone needs to keep track of it. I also need help with the shopping, cooking, cleaning, washing, mending…”

“Oh, I just remembered I promised Spirit I’d take her out and show her the town when I take you shopping.”

“Sure, why not, we’d best do that tomorrow before this place starts getting even busier,” she said.

I agreed.

While Jean did her thing I went and put locks on three of the cabinets in the garage in which the guns and ammunition were stored. Eventually I gave the keys to Jean.

I also went to the safe and got some extra money out and gave three hundred dollars to Jean to buy herself proper clothing and whatever else she needed.

Early in the morning the next day Jean called Stan’s wife and told her that Spirit wasn’t coming to work that day because I was taking her to town on a date.

“On a Tuesday…” I heard Jean say.

“What was all that about?” I asked.

“You don’t go on dates during working days… But I saved your ass and told Stan’s wife you’re leaving soon and there was no other time.”

I didn’t say anything.

We got in the truck and I drove to Fred’s store where I left Jean in Olivia’s capable hands. This was a test for Jean and her ability to handle money and make choices. She and Olivia were opposites when it came to making decisions. Olivia was poor because she always spent every penny she had. Agnes and Fred were her

anchors. Jean, on the other hand, had neither money nor experience in spending it and would heavily rely on Olivia to guide her.

Was Jean going to allow Olivia to talk her into a spending spree and spend all her money?

I didn’t want to interfere, if there was a lesson to be learned let it be learned with my money, I thought. But then, three hundred dollars was a lot of money.

Spirit and I got in the truck and drove to the restaurant. It was eleven o’clock but we decided to have lunch early so that we could catch the midday movie.

Gloria came out to greet us. I was happy to see that Spirit and Gloria knew each other and greeted each other with a hug.

We were done eating by a quarter to twelve and went to the movie at noon. There was a small line, mostly kids, who made a lot of noise during the movie. After that we went to the big mall on the other side of town and I asked Spirit to hold my hand. She didn’t understand why but had no problem holding it until people started staring at us. There were other couples holding hands, including teenagers, but no one looked at them. As we continued to walk a man stood in our way and, as we got closer, spit on the floor and kept staring at us. I pulled her out of his way and continued to walk. She began to cry and I pulled her close to me. A bunch of boys began to mock us and made racist comments. One of them told me to take my “squaw” and get the hell out of their mall.

The woman at the ice cream bar was sympathetic and after she sold us a cone of soft ice cream each she said, “Don’t pay attention to those idiots dear, you’re welcome to stay in my store as long as you like.”

As soon as we finished our ice cream, Spirit wanted to leave and go back to the base. She didn’t say a word for a long time until we stopped at Fred’s to see if Olivia and Jean were back.

Before we left the truck to go into the shop, Spirit gave me a hug but didn’t say why. When we got inside the store Jean was waiting for us. Olivia had gone out to do some chores for Fred.

After I waved goodbye to Fred we left the store, got in the truck and drove off.

Jean immediately wanted to know what I had done to Spirit and began to yell at me. I was glad she did that because it proved to Spirit that she cared more for her than she did for me.

“I didn’t do anything to her,” I said but Jean said she didn’t believe me.

At that point Spirit told her everything. She also told her to stop accusing me of things I hadn’t done.

“The problem with you is you always assume things. You think you know everything but you don’t. You never ask what’s really bothering people. You’ve always been like this. I wish sometimes you would ask what’s wrong rather than assume people you don’t like are at fault,” Spirit told Jean.

She then turned to me and said, “It’s true you know, she doesn’t like you. I think she’s jealous that Oscar respects you more than her. She thinks she’s the smartest one of all of us but she isn’t.”

“Stop it both of you,” I said. “Open your eyes and look around. If you can’t find goodness in yourselves how can you expect other people to find it in you? Spirit you have false expectations of people and Jean you can’t recognize kindness when it stares you in the face. Grow up! I’m leaving in a few days and I’m leaving everything I have to you. What more do you want me to do? Give my life for you…? And would that change anything?”

No one said a word. We drove in silence for a long time.

Jean then said, “I’m so sorry. It’s not like us to behave this way. We’ve been taught better. And to be honest with you I respect you more than you think. I have always respected you. But Spirit is also

right, I have been jealous of you. I recognize and accept that. I also recognize that you have helped me more than anyone else.”

Spirit apologized both to me and to Jean for spouting off.

I changed the subject and said, “So, Jean, did you find what you were looking for at the store? And how much money did you spend?”

“First, I want to thank you for understanding and being so forgiving. And second, I spent seventy eight dollars on a skirt, blouse and shoes; clothes I need to go out. I’ll wear the army clothes in the base doing chores, it’s only appropriate,” she said and began laughing. They both began laughing.

“What are YOU laughing about?” Jean asked Spirit.

“You wearing army pants,” she replied.

“With your narrow hips you’ll be wearing army pants too, so don’t laugh.”

Immediately after we arrived the women went to work preparing supper for us. Jean said she would make the announcement about the new arrivals and changes when everyone was there. I told Jean I needed some of her time to show her things around the base that she should know about, including the safe and the cabinets with the guns and ammunition.

When the boys arrived Jean told them what Oscar had told her. They not only had no problem with the plan but they were thrilled that more boys would be arriving and the new jobs they would be doing.

The only one who had any concerns was Spirit who thought she was being punished for speaking out. But after we told her the decision to make the changes was made several days before, she graciously accepted the news and her new responsibility, which was to maintain all the finances and train the new girls.

The next day or so I spent packing, cleaning and showing Jean where things were. After I took most of the things out of the safe I gave Jean the combination and left her some money.

None of the girls who were going to stay on the base could drive so Jean asked me to teach her how to drive. After we did a few lessons on the car the boys drove I taught her how to drive my truck, a standard with a stick-shift and clutch. She drove it to town with me as a passenger a couple of times, which was more training than I had when I got my license. After she passed her written test which Stan administered, Oscar promised her he would take her to do the driving test.

A couple of days before I left I gave Jean the deed to the base and the ownership papers to my truck and told her she could have both of them to use but they would remain under my name. I gave her my post office box and she used it to receive cheques from the government. I gave her my account number and told her to work with Agnes to put money in and take money out. I also told her about my lawyer and accountant and to speak with them as my representative.

All the money they received from the government and from the jobs they did was deposited in Oscar’s account but Spirit kept a record of who earned how much and when. Some of that money was used to purchase food. I gave Jean permission to use the fuel from the base depot to fuel the cars and truck.

They had a farewell party for me on Saturday, the day before I left, at the restaurant where I had a chance to say goodbye to everyone. Everyone I knew was there and it was a lovely and happy occasion. It’s interesting that no one asked me for a forwarding address or telephone number. They all assumed my leave was temporary and I’d be coming back soon.

On Sunday Jean drove me to the bus station and purchased my bus ticket to the valley with some of the money I had given her.

Before I got on the bus I gave her a kiss. Looking into my eyes she knew this was a goodbye forever kiss. She looked at me with puzzlement as the bus drove away and I disappeared.

Did I do the right thing? My heart was saying no but my brain was saying yes.

Deep down I knew I would never see these wonderful people again.

When we arrived at the first stop in the valley I purchased another bus ticket to Vancouver. I spent the night in the bus station and the next morning I took the early bus to Vancouver. I took a taxi from the bus station to the airport and purchased an airline ticket to Toronto. I spent the night in Vancouver airport and the next morning I flew on Air Canada and landed at Malton Airport in Toronto.

Back to Ontario but not home

I was excited getting off the plane and walking into the terminal. The food on the plane was terrible and I hadn’t eaten a proper meal in days. I was already starting to miss Jean’s cooking and the fresh fried fish. I’d showed Jean how to feed and catch the fish. That was her job now and she wouldn’t allow anyone else to do it, especially the boys. Eating fresh fish was a treat which Jean used to reward everyone when they did good work.

Jean was an unusual woman able to learn fast and adapt. She was a capable leader and able to tame the untamable. She also had a stubborn and evil streak about her but was able to manage it well for the sake of the greater good. She was obsessed with her job and would do everything in her power to succeed. I figured she would never marry. But then circumstances might change. They always do; that’s why the future is unpredictable and no one knows what will happen.

I was home now, in Toronto. I got my two duffle bags and stuffed them into a public locker. I stuck a quarter in and got my key. I looked like a soldier coming back from abroad and soldiers weren’t popular in those days, especially after Vietnam. With the bags out of my hands I was able to move around freely. I went to the second floor coffee shop and had a late breakfast. The food was great but very expensive. I even heard some staff, the cooks, speak Macedonian. They were cursing like drunken sailors. I heard one say to the other that the problem with this place was that it was empty most of the time and then in a minute it filled to capacity and everyone wanted their food immediately. The other one asked what had he expected, this was an airport and when a plane landed everyone ran in here, wanted food and then ran out to catch another plane.

It was nice to hear Macedonian spoken again. I was tempted to say hello but I was certain they would ask questions.

After I paid my bill I went and walked around the circular hallway that led to the various gates marked with the names of airlines. There were washrooms available to the public and vending

machines selling paperback books, cigarettes, peanuts, gum, chocolates and potato chips. After I went to the washroom I stopped in front of a machine that sold books. There were all kinds of books, mostly romance and fiction novels. One book caught my eye. I went back to it several times and finally decided to invest two dollars to buy it. I could use it to look like I was reading while loitering around the terminal. The book was called From Yalta to Vietnam by David Horowitz, published by Pelican. I’d never heard of David or Pelican and had no idea what the book was about or what Yalta was. I hadn’t read a book in a year but when I started reading I couldn’t put it down. I even found a chapter on the Civil War in Greece. David had written about the plight of my people and the American involvement. I read that chapter several times and each time I read it I learned a little bit more.

As I sat there on a soft bench reading my book I noticed the same old man in a black and white uniform circle around a couple of times. He kept looking at me. I assumed he was an airport security guard because I’d seen others walking around in the same uniform.

I started to get nervous because I was sure the next time he came around he would ask me what I was still doing here. I had no ticket to show him that I was waiting for a flight. I was sure he would tell me to move on like I was some sort of hobo, or worse he would have me arrested for loitering and then there would be questions, many questions.

I was sure they were still looking for me. I went missing almost a year ago. After I went to the barbershop and had a haircut and shave, which cost me a lot of money, I went up the parking lot ramp and to the terminal roof.

The view from there was great. I could watch airplanes take off and land. There were two girls up there when I arrived but they left when they saw me. I figured my military pants and greenish military t-shirt scared them away or maybe they were loiterers like me and wanted to avoid attention.

I looked good clean shaven and with a haircut. Unfortunately now I looked like Riki who had gone missing. I decided I had to leave the airport but I didn’t know where to go.

I knew I couldn’t go home. I knew I couldn’t see my parents because I didn’t know how they would react.

I got my bags out of the locker, left the terminal through the tarmac, went past a number of buildings, past a couple of parking lots and ran into an older woman who was finishing her shift and heading home. She saw me pass by her and continued walking behind me past the parking lot. She went into the parking lot, got her car, drove past me and stopped. I started getting nervous but continued to walk, trying to ignore her.

“You poor boy,” she said. “The army sent you home and didn’t have the decency to buy you a bus ticket. My son is, was a soldier, and they did the same to him. Can I help you in some way, can I give you a ride home perhaps.”

“Thank you ma’am, but no thanks. I don’t want to trouble you.”

“Don’t be shy, it’s no trouble.”

I tossed the duffle bags on the back seat and sat beside her in the passenger seat.

I thanked her but didn’t look at her. I stared into the distance in front of us.

“Where are you coming from?” she asked.

I looked at her and didn’t say anything.

“I know you’re angry and don’t want to talk. That’s how my son was. But please tell me where I can take you.”

“Three lines north of here. You can drop me off and I’ll walk home from there.”

“I can take you home, those bags are heavy.”

“Thank you ma’am but I need to think. I have a lot of things to sort out.”

About five minutes later she stopped the car. I stepped out, grabbed my bags, looked through the window into her sympathetic eyes and said, “Thank you.”

She smiled and drove off. I didn’t smile back.

I felt terrible for who I’d become.

I put my bags over my shoulders and began to walk westward. Looking down at the unpaved country road, I was slowly becoming the character the lady had made me out to be, a disgruntled soldier coming home disgraced, abandoned by the army and made to walk home for miles in shame.

As I kept walking I was disturbed by random sounds of a man yelling in the distance and swearing at the top of his voice. The yelling would stop and a minute later it would start up again. Listening to that made me forget my troubles. I was curious to find out who was yelling and why. I started walking faster.

The yelling was coming from a nearby farm. There was a huge building with its door, facing east, open. The sound was coming from inside. It was magnified by the building and echoed outwards through the open door.

When I got there I saw a man in overalls vigorously pulling at a belt with his bare hands and yelling and swearing. It seemed like he didn’t notice me at all when he started complaining to me that today this stupid contraption was refusing to start.

“I did everything today just like I do every day but, for some reason, it refuses to start.”

I looked at the set up. An electric motor was connected to a pulley by a belt which drove a conveyer belt. I touched the motor and it was hot, very hot.

“Do you mind if I try something?” I asked.

“Go ahead; maybe between the two of us we can get this damn thing started.”

I pulled the belt off the motor pulley and threw the switch on. The motor worked perfectly.

“I could have done that myself,” he said. “How is that going to solve my problem?” he yelled.

“Do you have any tools, screwdrivers and pliers?” I asked.

He went and got his tool box and handed it to me.

I opened the covering plate on the motor and looked at the wiring diagram. The motor could be wired for 120 volts or 240 volts. It was wired for 120 volts.

“Has the motor tripped the circuit breaker?” I asked.

“All the time, almost every time I use it.”

“Does the motor get hot like this?”

“Yes, every time I use it.”

“Show me the circuit breaker.”

He pointed to a ganged circuit breaker in the circuit breaker box.

“You have a circuit breaker for 240 volts but your motor is connected to 120 volts.”

“Well, I don’t know what that means but can you fix it?”

“Yes, very easily.”

I turned off the power to the circuit breaker and moved one of the wires from the neutral to the phase in the circuit breaker panel and rewired the motor for 240 volts. I then flicked the circuit breaker to the on position and flipped the local switch to on. The motor worked.

The man looked at me but didn’t say anything.

I then put the belt back on the motor and tightened it properly as per the instructions on the conveyer belt and turned on the motor. It started working on its own moving the conveyer.

The man grabbed his face and couldn’t believe it. He kept looking at his contraption running like never before and kept muttering about the time he had wasted on it.

“I can’t believe this! Can I turn it off and start it again? I want to be sure it wasn’t a fluke.”

He went to the switch and turned it off and on several times and it worked every time. The motor started without hesitation or aid from him. He put his hand on the motor and he declared it wasn’t heating up.

He turned off the machine and still hadn’t noticed me when he asked, “How much do I owe you?”

“Nothing, I don’t want anything, I’m happy to be able to help, Sir.”

And that was the moment he noticed me and said, “Oh, where are my manners, I’m Mac, Farmer Mac, this is my farm here.”

“Nice to meet you Mac. I’m Peter James.”

“An Irish boy, eh? I’m Scottish.”

He then looked at me and said, “A soldier boy, I’ll be damned. Going home or running away?”

“What makes you say that Sir?”

“Well, experience, son, experience. I’ve seen it all. I was one of you once.”

He looked at me again and said, “You aren’t Irish, are you?”

“Well, my father was.”

He shook his head again. I pulled out my license and showed it to him.

“A BC license, eh. You’re kind of old to be a regular soldier and guessing from your big muscles, I would say a specialist.”

“I’m sorry Sir but I can’t talk about that.”

“I understand, but aren’t you a long way from home?”

“I’m sorry I can’t talk about that either, Sir.”

“I see that you’re good at fixing things so I could offer you a job but I can’t pay you much.”

“I would settle for room and board and no questions asked,” I said.

“You’re not a criminal are you? Or a draft dodger?”

“No Sir.”

“Please don’t call me Sir, I was a sergeant in the army and I’m sick of being called Sir.”

“Okay,” I replied.

“I live on the farm with my wife Millie. We have no children. No time for them. I’d like to say that we are the masters of this farm here but in actual fact we are its slaves. We could sure use a helping hand. Now come with me and I’ll introduce you to Millie.”

He walked away into the long building and said, “I would have helped you with the bags but you seem to have the muscles for it.”

We walked past a little house and into a barn. Mac stopped and pointed to a wooden stepladder hanging on the wall and said, “Use that ladder to climb on top of that platform and behind those bales of hay is a door to a room. It has a living room, a bedroom with a bed, a bathroom and a kitchen. It may need some cleaning up; you’ll have to do that yourself. You can stay there.”

I took the ladder and raised it in front of the platform which stood about eight feet from the ground, grabbed both bags in one hand and climbed up. When I reached the top a bunch of chickens flew off.

“Don’t mind them, just put your bags inside the room, close the door and come back down. You don’t want the chickens going in,” he said and was startled by Millie’s loud voice.

“Who in the devil are you talking to? Are you arguing with the chickens again?”

At that very moment I popped my head over the ladder and startled Millie.

“I’m talking to the devil,” he muttered and said. “This here is Peter James, our new hired hand.”

“I’m Millie, Mac’s wife,” she said. “Nice to meet you son,” and muttered. “Not another soldier.”

When I got off the ladder I noticed how small Millie was in comparison to me. Even her husband was small compared to me.

“Isn’t James an Irish name?” she asked.

“Well, that’s what my daddy told me,” I replied.

“Leave the boy alone, you don’t want to scare him away now, do you?”

“Okay then, I’ll go back to the house and finish cooking. I’ll set an extra plate for supper.”

“Thank you Millie,” Mac said to her and asked me to follow him.

In the corner of his barn he had a workbench and tools hanging from a board above the bench on one side. On the other side of the same corner he had wooden shelves with glass jars sitting on them with screws, nails, bolts, nuts, washers and other items in them. One glass jar had an electric switch in it, the kind we use to turn lights on and off. I reached for it because I found it unusual. Mac said something and I looked at him.

“That there switch cost me twenty-two dollars. It should have cost me two dollars, three tops. When I tried to return it they wouldn’t take it back. Store policy they said. So I keep it to remind me of one of the mistakes.”

After I looked at it I recognized that it was a 240 volt, 25 amp switch with two poles. It was the kind of switch one would use to turn on and off large 240 volt motors.

“How did you end up buying this switch?” I asked.

“Well, it came with the motor assembly but I thought they overcharged me. The other switch, the one we’re using, cost only six dollars.”

“The electrician, the person who wired your motor, did he see this switch?”

“No, by the time he came to finish the job, the switch was sitting in the jar.”

“We have to go back to the motor,” I said. “The switch you’re using is unsafe, it only turns off half the electricity and you could get a shock from the motor even when the power is off.”

“Can you fix it?”

“In five minutes.”

“Let’s go and do it then.”

We went back and after I turned the circuit breaker off, I opened the switch and sure enough it was a single pole. I immediately replaced it with the double pole. The second wire was already cut and taped. I removed the tape and connected the wire to the switch terminals and that was it.

I tested the switch and it worked as expected.

Just as I was going to say something Mac said, “As long as it works properly and safely, I don’t want to know…”

The sun was about to set when we walked into the house. It was a single storey building and was a lot smaller inside than it looked from the outside. It had a small living room, one bedroom, one washroom, a closet at the front door and a kitchen. We sat in the kitchen at a tiny table that could sit two comfortably and four tightly. One side, the narrow side of the table, leaned against the wall and I sat facing the wall. I couldn’t believe what we were about to eat. It was a chunk of boiled beef about half the size of my fist and one boiled potato with only salt and pepper on it. The meat looked pale but was nice and tender and tasty and so was the potato. Mac and Millie seemed to enjoy it.

I figured the food could use some spices so I asked them if I could plant a garden somewhere on the farm. They looked at each other and they both said sure, pick a spot and knock yourself out. They never asked what I was going to plant.

“I’ll take you to our local nursery tomorrow and you can pick out whatever you want to plant. But you may not find what you want; it’s late in the season for planting,” Mac said.

After we ate supper I excused myself and went back to the barn and up to my new place.

I again scared the chickens and figured this would be a regular occurrence and that I should get used to it or change my tactics.

The toilet and sink were filthy and the bed was loaded with dust; nothing a little elbow grease couldn’t fix.

I concentrated first on cleaning the toilet, then the sink and finally aired the sheets and the bed, shaking all the dust out of them.

I thought I didn’t have hot water but I noticed there was a small electric boiler under the kitchen sink. It was turned off. I had a shower but no hot water. I then figured the same boiler that provided hot water for the sink also fed the shower.

I had a much bigger kitchen table than Mac and Millie. I didn’t have a stove but I had two hot plates. I figured the place had been furnished by someone like me who had lived there previously.

I hardly slept that night. It was hot inside because I couldn’t open the window to get some fresh air.

I was up early the next morning and the first thing I did was unstick the window. I then went outside on the platform and sat on a bale of hay to cool off. I counted a dozen rats and watched them eat the eggs the chickens had laid.

I became worried that the rats might get into the room and eat my stuff so I took my duffle bags and secured them on the top shelf of the empty kitchen cupboards. By the time I came out Mac was down on the barn floor looking for me.

When he saw me he said, “Come on down, we’ll have some breakfast and go to the garden centre to get your flowers.”

I was expecting fried eggs but instead I was given a small bowl of porridge and a cup of watered down coffee.