My grandfather used to tell me that everything that happens to you in life, good and bad, happens for a reason. I always thought he was giving me just another one of his maternal lectures that had been passed down by my mother, as she'd told me the same thing for years. I never realized how right they both were until.....
Chapter One
My name is Tom Mason and I was a pretty normal kid. I grew up on a live-stock ranch, in a household of five consisting of my older brother, my older sister, my parents,
and
of course, me. I don't think my parents had really planned on having me, but I was still loved none the less. However, starting at the age of five, I was given a list of chores to do every morning before breakfast, and once I was old enough to attend; I went to the same school as my older siblings in the same dusty, south Texas cattle town, from the first grade, all the way to twelfth grade. Sure, I had flings, or should I say, slight dalliances, with the girls in my school while I was there and came away with what I thought was a fairly good knowledge of the sexual act. Because I had no desire to go to college, I joined the Navy for six years, right out of high school. Like I said before, because of my experiences with the girls I grew up around, I considered myself to be somewhat worldly but nothing would've or could've
ever
prepared me for the sexual education I received when I went overseas for the first time. Because of the job I had qualified and then trained for in the Navy, I was able to see many other places all over the world, as well as being able to "sample" some the "beautiful delights" in each country I visited.
Two months before the end of my enlistment, my father, John Thomas Mason, J.T. to his friends, died in his sleep. My mother, Tara, was devastated, as my father was only 51 at the time. The Navy went ahead and gave me an early release because of my accrued leave time
and
because my Commanding Officer was very fond of me and knew I needed to be home for my family. I was really going to miss him, not only because I enjoyed working under him, but because he was very highly respected by all who knew him.
Speaking of respect however, my father's funeral was like nothing I'd ever seen before. My whole family was really surprised. Almost everyone who ever knew or had ever done business with my family attended my father's funeral, about 1200 in all. It was so big that we had two procession lines of people, in single file, on both sides of his casket who wanted to pay their last respects to my dad. I was very touched by some of the things I'd heard said about my father that day and it gave not only my mother, but the rest of us, his children, comfort and we were all grateful. My grandfather's words rang in my ears that day, "Everything happens for a reason, son". Well, excuse me if I was having a hard time seeing the reason that my father had to die at such a young age. But, I figured that heaven must've been in a real bad way if God needed my father there. He could fix anything and make it work better than it did before.
Because my sister and her husband lived and owned their own business in Seattle, Washington and because my brother and his family lived and worked in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, the job of running the day-to-day business of the ranch fell upon my shoulders. I knew very well how it worked. Hell, I'd grown up there, and it was ingrained deep in my blood from the time before I took my first steps or spoke my first words. If my father could take 50 acres and turn it into 750 acres inside of twenty five years, not to mention that he and Mom raised three kids along the way, then the very least I could do was to make
damn
sure it stayed in the family.
When the time came for me to step up to the plate, I dove in head first. Also, when our previous foreman, Mike Watson, was given the opportunity to do better for himself and his family, which was unfortunately elsewhere, my dad, hired a man named Rudolpho Herrera to be the acting foreman when I was eight years old. The first time I met him, he called me a "
Pansonsito
". In Spanish it means "Little Fat Boy" and I guess I was kinda chunky as a kid. But still, he welcomed me back home with open arms, just happy to see me again. After he released me from the hug, he held me at arms length, and with a bright smile, said, "You are the new "
Patron
" (Boss) now, and we will take up together, where your father left off. He will be proud of us both!"
I grinned and said, "Si, Senor Rudy," and then chuckled like I used to do when he would banter with me as a boy.
For the next ten months, the days saw me, Rudy, or both of us, either in the main ranch offices, or in town checking beef prices at the local auctions. I would spend the evenings having dinner with my mother so as not to leave her alone in the house, all by herself. It was on one of those evenings during dinner that my mother looked at me from across the table and asked, "Honey, when was the last time you went out and had a good time?"
I looked at her, and knowing what she was getting at, said, "I don't have a lot of time for that right now, Mom. I've got too much work to do here. Besides, who's gonna look after you if I'm not around?"
I saw, if only for a second or two, a side of my mother that had only ever manifested itself when I had been really bad as a child. Now, with her displeasure at my previous remark barely contained, she hastily and sharply informed me, "Let me tell
you
something, boy! Don't think that I didn't learn a thing or two about this business from your father. You didn't know this, but I'm the one who has been keeping the books all these years and I know as much about running this place as your father did
and
; this ranch can run itself with or without your presence, I assure you." Before I could respond, she continued, "And don't even
entertain
the notion that
I
need to someone to
take care
of
me
. I put diapers on your
butt
when it was little so, don't think I'm too old to tattoo your
ass
right now!"
By this time she was smiling and all I could do was get out of my seat and walk around to her side of the table. I knelt down beside her, and gently placing my arms around her neck, said, "I love you Mom, and I meant no disrespect!"
After kissing me on the cheek, she patted my face and said, "I know you didn't, sweetie. But, you need a vacation and not only as your mother but, as
