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FAMILY
"... furthermore, If you scratch or bite anyone -- you go back outside, to stay. If you tear-up anything inside the house, - you go back outside, if you poop or pee in the house -- you go back outside. ...Use the kitty door that Daddy built for you when you need to go outside, Wolfie. ...We're going to have a whole house full of people staying here soon and you'll need to be able to get along with everyone if you want to stay in the house." Andrea explained as she stirred the pot of roast beef.
Andrea now smiled and winked at me as she continued talking to Wolfie " ...Yes, I recognize your mid - Western dialect of the kitty cat language ...yes it's very evident. NO, wrong Amigo! - It's time to eat when I SAY that it's time to eat, not before ...that doesn't matter. ...No you can't have a cell phone ... I don't care if all of your girlfriends do -- you're not getting one. ...No, kitty cats don't drink coffee either." Andrea explained to Wolfie.
I sipped my coffee and smiled at Andrea and Wolfie's "conversation" within the kitchen now. Interjected between Andrea's mandates were yowls of seeming protest and malcontent coming from Wolfie but the two of them did seem to be laying some form of rough outline pertaining to the way things would and would not be conducted here at the Lazy-G ranch. ...Andrea had informed me that she did in fact speak fluent "kitty cat" and that I needed to quickly learn the language for myself, lest I be taken advantage of.
"...Here, now sit down and eat this, you have to go out help Daddy build the coral today." Andrea said to the cat as she set down a plate of roast beef for him.
...It was now the second day that Wolfie had stayed inside the house with us and he seemed to be doing fine so far. The previous evening I had installed a kitty-door within our front doorway which Wolfie seemingly understood almost immediately and began to use with just a little coaxing from us. ...The cat was cleanly, well mannered and seemed to like sleeping on the foot of the bed, closest to Andrea; he simply didn't want to be handled or petted which Andrea and I understood and respected -- after all he was feral. Realistically it was probably the first time he'd ever been within a house and he seemed to understand that -- within the house, at least, Andrea was boss. ...This is exactly how it had always been at Mom's house, Ricky and I had always understood this. Brenda was also cut from this same cloth as Mom and Andrea both, in this regard.
What the lady says ...is the way it will be within the house. Out of doors and anything concerning the vehicles were generally regarded as Ricky's and my domain, fair enough, I thought. ...Generally, whenever I had lived with a woman, including Mom, I'd never really cared where we had moved the furniture or what color we painted any of the walls and I don't believe Ricky had either. We had been raised within the generation where the house itself, was considered to be the lady's pride and joy -- she was nice enough to let us live there with her. For Ricky and me, our pride was within our ability to create; this included metal fabrication and the building of hot rods -- this was considered our domain and the ladies seemed to understand and respect this about us.
..."Do you think Wolfie really understands much of anything that you just told him, Andrea?" I asked as she sat down next to me, with her coffee.
"Don't kid yourself, Tim; he understood a lot more of what I told him than you'd think. He's a smart cat and he may not have comprehended the words so much, but he understood the gist of our conversation. He also knows we love him" Andrea replied, sipping her coffee.
"Yes, I think he does." I nodded, watching the cat eat.
"We'll never have vermin in this house as long as he's here, I'll guarantee you that. If Wolfie can just get along with everyone and not potty in the house, - then he essentially owns the place. ...What time do you think Ricky and Brenda will be here this afternoon?" Andrea asked, sipping her coffee.
"They left Phoenix around eight thirty this morning so I would guess any minute, within the next three hours or so" I replied.
(sigh) ...OK, I think we're ready for them, the roast beef should be done in time" Andrea said, closing her eyes and running a hand through her hair.
"Honey, Ricky and Brenda are just common folks and they love you. They don't expect or want anything fancy, just be Andrea, OK?" I reassured her with a shoulder rub.
"I know, Baby" Andrea nodded.
"Ricky's going to help me with the corral and I know you and Brenda will want to do some things together -- take her to go see Pippi" I suggested.
"Oh Honey, don't ask Ricky to work on the corral, you guys should go some places together and do some of your own stuff, show him the Texaco" Andrea said, looking at me.
"We plan on going some places, Andrea, but we also like building things and working on projects together and we aren't going to make, work, of anything. I think, with Ricky helping me, that we can knock-out the corral within the week, and it needs to get done. The Texaco can wait, but right now we need to get Pippi's pad ready for her." I replied.
"You're a fine husband, Tim" Andrea replied quietly.
"We're all family, Babe, and we love you" I said finishing my coffee and standing now.
I leaned down and kissed my wife, "I love you, Andrea Millhouse."
"I love you too, Tim."
"WolfCat, we've got a corral to build now, c'mon buddy" I said opening the door.
While Andrea finished making the large pot of roast beef, I began cutting, grinding and welding pieces of old rusty pipe now. I really never cared much for welding pipe but the coral was, slowly but surely, beginning to take shape and I took a lot of pride in this fact. Once it was completed then everything would be wire-wheeled and coated with a nice shade of turquoise which Andrea had already selected. I knew that Pippi would be a lot of work to stable and care for but I also knew that the animal would create much joy within Andrea. Andrea and I genuinely wanted Pippi to be happy here and it was my belief that she would be.
Apparently Duffy was beside herself with excitement, the prospect of riding with Andrea was something the ladies had been discussing for quite a while now. Andrea and Duffy had already visited with Pippi several times within the last few days and I knew that Brenda would be next in line. Somehow, Andrea's excitement seemed to rub off on me and the hard labor of constructing the coral and stables didn't really seem like such hard work after all. Pippi brought out the little girl inside Andrea and it was hard not to feel some emotion when watching the two of them interact. ...I never thought I'd be building a horse coral but then again, I never thought I'd be married to a woman like Andrea Millhouse either -the girl that bought her ol' man a toy gas station. At noon, Andrea brought me out a hardy roast beef sandwich and a jug of orange juice. We shut off the noisy welder and sat together on the open tailgate of the little raggedy Chevy.
"It's so quiet out here, Love" she said as she chewed on her own sandwich and looking off toward the horizon.
"The Desert has a mystique that's all her own, Andrea ...this is delicious, by the way!" I replied, chewing.
"It helps when you're screwing the chuck wagon driver, cowboy, remember that" Andrea said, leaning her head on my shoulder.
"I'll have to have another roll in the hay with her when I can, 'cause she can sure cook and ain't bad lookin' either" I replied, rubbing my cheek in Andrea's jasmine scented hair..
"I think she'd like that, Tim" Andrea sighed contentedly.
Wolfie suddenly jumped up onto the tailgate now and sat beside us. I gave him some roast beef from my sandwich.
"Do you ever miss the Alaskan winters at all?" Andrea asked.
"I miss the majestic mountains but not the winters, Andrea" I replied quietly.
"I can understand that, the mountains there are magnificent" she answered.
"I also miss the coast of Alaska but not enough to spend a winter there ever again" I added.
..."I have a surprise for your birthday" Andrea now said, changing subjects.
"What? ...I thought the Texaco was my early birthday present" I said incredulously, looking at her.
"No the station was simply my gift to you because I love you. I have something else for you on your birthday -- just the two of us. Something very special but we'll have to be up very, very early that day" Andrea said, taking another bite of her sandwich and looking off into the distance.
"What would you like for your birthday, Love?" I asked.
"The coral and stables are my birthday present, Tim" she answered.
"We'll go to dinner then, I insist. Anyplace you'd like, honey" I said.
"Alright, Tim"
My phone alerted me of a text; I pulled the device from my pocket and swiped the screen.
"Their twenty minutes out, now" I said.
"OK, the roast beef is ready now" Andrea replied, nodding.
"Thank you for all your effort, Love" I replied, kissing the top of her head.
"Wolfie, we're going to have family here in a few minutes so you need to try and get along with everyone now. There'll be a dog and another kit-cat here with us soon, so be a good kid for us" Andrea said looking at Wolfie.
Wolfie made no reply but seemed to sense that something was about.
Twenty minutes later the little tow truck, towing a two axle box trailer, and followed by the little Camry came into view along Sunland Gin road. Andrea and I now jumped off the tailgate and stood.
"Honey, these people love you so just be yourself, OK?" I asked, taking her into my arms.
"We're family, baby. I'll be OK" she replied quietly.
..................................
..."You look well Amigo" I said as Ricky and I hugged.
"It's good to finally be here, brother" Ricky replied, hugging me tightly.
Yogi was soon beside me and I gave the dog a good hearty welcoming hug as well. Wolfie continued sitting on the tailgate and quietly watched all of us.
..."She's doped up a little, Tim, please just hold her now" Brenda said tiredly as she handed me Stormy the kitty cat. I held the droggy cat in my left arm as Brenda and I half hugged with our right arms.
"Glad you're here, Bren" I said.
"It's good to see you and be off the road, Tim" she replied with relief.
"How you doing baby, you ready to rest now?" I asked the cat gently.
"Welcome to the Lazy-G Ranch, my friends. You must be tired from your journey, please come inside for some refreshments" Andrea said.
"We're your family, and we love you, Amiga" Brenda said as the two ladies hugged.
..."Andrea" Ricky said as the two hugged a minute later.
