Stormwatch Chapter 05

©

2025 Duleigh Lawrence-Townshend. All rights reserved. The author asserts the right to be identified as the author of this story for all portions. All characters are original. Any resemblance to anyone living or dead is purely coincidental. This story or any part thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the expressed written permission of the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a review or commentary.

This is an all new addition to the Stormwatch series. If you haven't read

Stormwatch Chapter 1

,

Stormwatch Chapter 2

,

Stormwatch Chapter 3

, or

Stormwatch Chapter 4

, please take this chance. Chapters one and two are updates to existing chapters with 50% new material in each, and a corrected timeline. Chapters 3, 4, and 5 are all new and hopefully they rekindle the joy of the series.

Chapter 5 is a return to Springville dealing with the aftermath of Josh's confession to Veronica. It's still a departure from the current story line, but it sets the stage for future developments. I loved every minute of writing this chapter, but many of Josh's issues are taken from real-life issues faced by veterans that I've met over the years. This time is the problems of recognition. Sometimes veterans have no idea what to say when you say "Thank you for your service." Veterans like Josh have an even worse time when he's recognized by other veterans.

For comments, questions, or merchandise, please contact the author.

STORMWATCH Chapter 5

Springville in the Summer

"Ride! Ride! Ride!" chanted Sandy and Madeline Jarecki from the small green and yellow equipment wagon that sat in front of their mom and dad's cabin. On the wide covered patio of the cabin sat their parents, Paul and Andi Jarecki and their Uncle John and Aunt Macy Jarecki. Their mom, Andi, and their Aunt Macy were beginning to show signs of their pregnancy's development. Both were due in late October to early November, and there was an entire summer to be uncomfortable ahead of them. Andi wanted nothing more than to jump in their cool, refreshing pond, but her OB/GYN nixed that on day one.

Over by the barn were Aunty Veronica and Unka Josh. To the twins, the term aunt is reserved for Aunt Macy and any other female sibling of their parents should another one arise. The term Aunty is for their parents' female friends. Uncle vs Unka is more clouded because the term Uncle just entered their vocabulary and they're still working out the nuances.

Over by the huge ancient barn, Unka Josh was trying to teach Aunty Veronica how to hold a chicken. She finally got the chicken settled in her arm and she petted it gently as she tried to calm the chicken down. The twins named the dark chicken with white bands and a prominent red comb "Pokey." Veronica thought it was because the escaped chicken was slow. Several painful pokes changed her mind. "What kind of chicken is this?"

"A frier," called Paul from the porch, which caused the twins to shout "HEY!" The twins knew about the cruel truths of farm life versus animal longevity, but Pokey was almost family.

"It's made of stone!" cried Madeline, who was peering over the edge of the John Deere replica equipment wagon.

"Stone?" asked Josh. "So, if we make chicken wings you won't be able to eat them?" Sandy and Madeline became immediately addicted to Buffalo style chicken wings the first time they ever tasted them after moving to Western New York with their mother. A chicken wing dinner leaves them both covered in bright orange wing sauce and white bleu cheese dressing from head to toe. While highly intelligent, the twins are still messy eaters.

"Well... maybe not real stone," said Sandy. "She's made of chicken flavored stone."

"I think she's made out of chicken," said 'Unka' Josh as he and Veronica stepped up onto the porch and sat down with the Jareckis. Veronica sat in a folding chair with the chicken on her lap and Josh sat down next to her. Veronica was practically glowing.

"She's a Plymouth Rock," said Andi, who was new to chickens, at least live chickens. "Is that right?" she asked Paul.

"Absolutely right dear," said her husband Paul, and he leaned over and gave her a sweet kiss.

Josh had a black cat in his arms. He was getting pretty good at catching Paul's barn cats. The huge old barn contains hay and chicken feed, which attracts rodents, so Paul has always had a few semi-feral cats in the barn, dining on the mice. Josh was able to pick up a cat and carry it out to the porch. If anyone else tried that, the cat would inflict serious scratches. The cats were so wild that the twins refused to give them names. Their reason was that you can't name something that you can't pet.

As they chatted and drank homemade lemonade, the friends and relatives enjoyed the beautiful day. John and Paul worked hard in the family garden that sat a few yards from the cabins. The vegetables were sprouting, and they caught Pokey digging and scratching in the garden.

Josh and Veronica also worked hard this weekend, completing their campsite back on the hill on the northeast side of Josh's land across the street. They took Friday off from and built an outhouse. Saturday, they spent hours digging a pit for the outhouse downwind from the campsite, then they hauled the little building up to their campsite and set it up. Then, using rocks they collected from Zoar Valley, they built a fire pit and had their first meal under the trees back in the forest.

The fun part was that for the first time in her life (since childhood) Veronica spent the weekend topless. She even drove the tractor from the cabin to the campsite topless. Anyone passing on Trevett road could have seen her between the trees if they looked, which added a level of excitement. All the while they toiled, Josh told Veronica of his last year in the Air Force. It was something he rarely speaks about and he only speaks of it slightly more than his accident which preceded that final year, which is never.

Veronica was shocked at the non-stop emotional rollercoaster ride that Josh took that year. One moment he was fine and healthy, leading his men and women to greatness, the next thing you know, something would happen to destroy his joy. The last hit was discovering he had cancer. "Can we talk?" Veronica softly asked Andi.

Andi knew immediately what Veronica meant, so she gave Paul a kiss as she said, "The girls are hot, can you take them swimming please?"

"YAY!" shouted the twins as they scrambled out of the wagon that was coupled to Veronica's tractor.

"Get your swimsuits on girls," called Paul, and they thundered past him into the cabin. The twin's passage scared the cat out of Josh's lap.

"Awww... and I was having fun petting your..."

"DON'T!" warned John.

"Sorry," said Josh with a sly grin.

"You're horrible Ephraim!" said Andi. Then she added, "Wait for John to leave before you break out the innuendos."

The twins came roaring out of the cabin in their brightly colored bathing suits, flip-flops, floaties, sunglasses, and towels. "Guys, I think I'm going to need help with these two," said Paul as the twins walked past him and straight off toward their pond.

With unsaid hints from their wives, John and Josh followed Paul out into the field. Once they left, Andi and Macy leaned to Veronica and Andi said, "What's up?"

"He finally opened up," said Veronica.

"About his accident?"

"No, what happened after..." Veronica fought the tears. "How can someone go through that, completely broken, then built back up, then get torn down again..."

Macy nodded sadly. She knows some of the low points of his story.

Veronica looked at Andi and her voice cracked... "He's got cancer," and broke down crying. Andi and Macy tried to calm her, but she replied, "He acts like it doesn't bother him..." She began crying so hard that she scared Pokey and the chicken fluttered out of her lap, leaving behind a freshly laid egg in Veronica's lap.

Somehow Veronica's mind made a connection between that and Josh dying and leaving her pregnant and she became hysterical. Andi was completely shocked and automatically assumed that Josh was dying and she began crying too. "It's ok Ronnie, that was years ago. He's been cancer free and he's getting the best care," said Macy. "He goes to Roswell Park for follow up treatment twice a year." Roswell Park was a cancer treatment center in Buffalo that often outshined the Mayo Clinic when it came to cancer treatment.

Veronica tried to sniff back the tears and rasped, "you know?"

"I'm a psychologist AND a pastor, remember? We know how to listen, but we also know how to get someone to talk to us."

"Did he tell you about Hani?"

"Who?" asked Andi, who was completely lost.

"No, he never mentioned anyone by name other than someone named Wedge and Roxanne."

"How long does he have?" asked Andi, trying to hold back her own hysteria.

"He's ok, both of you relax. Josh is fine. He's been cancer free since he moved to Western New York," said Macy as she put her arms around Andi and Veronica.

"He wanted to die," sniff Veronica. "Life was so bad at times he prayed for cancer so he didn't have to do it himself."

"I'm sure he was exaggerating," said Macy. "You know Josh better than me... have you ever seen him back down from a challenge?"

"No," sniffed Veronica.

"Did he mention that when he came home, he paid off all those bills without help in less than five months?" Veronica shook her head no. "He's very proud of that. Ask him about it, Josh is inspired by a challenge. Josh will never back down from a challenge, and he saw his cancer as a challenge."

"Did he tell you what he did with those women in Florida?" asked Veronica. "I don't know if I can..." she stopped before she said more.

"What women in Florida?" asked Andi.

Macy nodded sadly. "Yes he was wrong, and he knows he was wrong. He talked to me at length about that... he said his friend Craig inspired him to quit and to apologize to those women."

"Who is Craig?" asked Andi.

"Craig is dead," said Veronica and Macy in unison.

"What? Did Josh kill him?" asked a completely confused Andi.

"No, Craig was on Josh's crew and died on a mission," said Macy. "That's all I know about it."

"Craig is his conscience," said Veronica as she studied the egg that Pokey left her. Then thinking about what "Does he think I'm a challenge?"

Macy smiled, then began to chuckle as Veronica continued to examine the egg in her hand. "You are the greatest challenge he has ever had."

<><><><><>

John and Paul Jarecki walked back to the pond, following Sandy and Madeline, who clung to Josh's hands. The tiny blonds chattered the whole way to the pond. They were mostly concerned about the fish that were waiting to bite their toes. Everyone knows big fish like to eat little girls' toes. "I don't think those fish want to eat your stinky toes," said Josh.

"I'm not stinky, you're stinky!" insisted Sandy.

"Not me! I took a bath last week," said Josh. He and the girls taunted each other until they found the spring that fed the pond and splashed in the little stream until it reached the pond and splashed over a small waterfall into the pond. Several springs fed this pond, and it was the perfect place to cool off on a summer day. One could dive into the cool water of the pond and, to really cool down, you would swim out to the middle of the pond and head down. The pond was over twenty feet deep, so the water in the depths was cool and refreshing. At the far end of the pond the red maples, willows, and sycamore trees gave relieving shade from the sun.

"Can you swim Unka Josh?"

"Does an alligator hide in the treetops?"

"Do they?" asked Madeline, her eyes huge as she scanned the tree branches for an alligator.

"I'm just teasin' ya," said Josh. "Y'all don't have no alligators up here worth makin a purse outta. I can swim right good."

"You talk funny," said Sandy.

"If I took you down to Georgia, you'd be the one's talkin' funny."

"I have been to Florida!" said Madeline.

"Yeah! My daddy has a house and..." Sandy paused to count in her head. "Seventeen boats!"

Josh looked back over his shoulder at Paul. "Seventeen boats?"

"Closer to two," said Paul.

"Three!" cried the twins. "Mommy's boat, your sailing boat, and the bouncy boat."

"Bouncy boat?" asked Josh.

"A zodiac dingy," said Paul.

"I have four boats," said Josh. "Two row boats, a party barge, and a canoe."

Soon, they were playing in the pond with the twins. John and Paul were in the water with them, playing catch with an inflatable beach ball. Josh watched for a while, unable to force himself into playing with them. He walked around the shore of the pond until he got to the young cat tails and laid back on the grass of the bank. He closed his eyes and enjoyed the sunshine. It would be ages before he could relax like this again.

Next weekend was the orphan's campout in cabin number eight. On Friday, he was going to play 'scoutmaster' and take the orphans on hikes in the woods. He just hoped they don't ask him to play the guitar. He only knows four cords and two of them are wrong. Saturday was the big picnic, and he intended to raise $500,000 for Adoption Advocates by twisting arms of businessmen and rich people that Anthony, Veronica, and Paul Jarecki invited. Anything he raised over that amount would go to Roswell Park Cancer Institute. He even had a dream of recouping some of the money he sank into this, because he's broke. If it weren't for Veronica and the frozen deer and turkey in the freezer, he wouldn't be able to eat.

"The pond is muddy here! Yuk!" Josh opened an eye and saw a twin sitting next to him, studying the mud between her toes. "Why don't you take off your shirt Unka Josh?"

"I don't need to."

"Papa has his shirt off. Unka John has his shirt off."

"You don't have your shirt off," said Josh without opening his eyes.

"Yes, I do," said Madeline and she dropped her wet swimsuit on Josh's face.

Josh sat up, sputtering. He looked and saw a naked little girl running away in the shoulder high (for her) hay. He had been warned by Andi's friend Lucy that the twins were "flash nudists" but he never saw such a thing.

Laughing and giggling and only wearing her floaties, those inflatable donuts worn on her upper arms, Madeline dashed back to where Paul and John were relaxing in the pond with her sister Sandy. Madeline ran at full speed into the pond, making a big splash, and sat down next to where Sandy was playing in the sand at the bottom of the pond.

"Madeline, where's your swimsuit?" demanded Paul.

Madeline looked innocent and said, "I gave it to Unka Josh."

"Why?"

"I was done with it."

"Madeline, go get your swimsuit back on," scolded Paul.

"Why? Sandy doesn't have one on," insisted Madeline.

"Yes she..." Paul stopped when both twins stood up naked and ran off along the path that goes around the pond. Slowly, Paul and Josh walked after the twins. "God I hope they outgrow this," groaned Paul as he and his brother trudged after the twins. It made no sense to run because there was nothing faster on earth than a naked five-year-old who wanted to play "keep away."

Josh was watching, however. As the twins approached him, they stopped suddenly and crouched down to investigate something. They stepped back and Sandy picked up the biggest stick she could find and raised it above her head for a killing blow and shrieked, "SNAKE!"

She tried to bring down a killing blow, but Josh held the end of the stick, keeping her from hitting the snake. "Jes stop there lil' one. Let's take a look-see first." Josh crouched down and saw the target of the twin's terror. With a quick snatch, he picked up the snake, holding it behind the head. "He's a pretty one! Here look," and he held the squirming snake so the twins could touch, but they both shied away.

"It will bite!"

"No he won't, he just wants to get back to working on his tan."

"Huh?"

"Lil brother snake just likes to lay in the sun and soak up rays," said Josh. "When he's nice and warm he might go looking for a big juicy bug to eat, or maybe a big fat ol' worm."

"He eats bugs?" asked Madeline as she worked up her courage to touch the snake.

"That's it. He's got a little bitty head so he can't eat anything big. Down where I'm from we have annoying little frogs that brother snake likes to eat, but the frogs are too big for him up here."

"Is he a rattle snake?" asked Sandy, who joined Madeline in petting the snake.

"Nope, he's a garter snake, you can see by the long yellow stripes that go from head to tail. He likes to hang out by the pond here and look for bugs and worms to eat."

"Is this a baby?"

"Nope. He's full grown," said Josh. "He's not going to get much bigger." He laid the snake back on the ground and it slithered off into the grass. "On a nice day like today, his friends will want to lie in the sun on the path. If you see one, just walk around him, or give him a nudge with your snake stick and he'll slip away."

"He wasn't slimy!" said Madeline. "I thought snakes were slimy."

"No, frogs are slimy," said Josh as he walked down to the edge of the pond. He leaned down and peered into the undergrowth and, with a lightning quick grab, he scooped up a little frog to show the girls. "This is a chorus frog, these are the guys what like to sing all night long."

"He's slimy!" said Sandy as she petted the frog.

"Yes they are. Every time you play with a frog, you have to wash your froggy hands."

"Eww," said Madeline, as she petted the frog.

"And unless you're gonna eat them, you always put them back where they came from."

"What about show and tell?" demanded Madeline.

"You're not in school," said Josh as he carefully lowered the frog back into the pond.

"We will be!" insisted Sandy.

"Don't you worry," said Josh. "By the time show and tell rolls around you come to me and we'll catch all kinds of critters for you to take in to show your teacher. She's going to be so happy you two are in her class." He led the naked girls back to Paul and John and they eagerly made plans for their academic career that will start in just three months.

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"Are you going to avoid me all week?" asked Veronica in a text message.

Josh read the message and then replied, "No." Then he muted his phone, dropped it in a desk drawer and closed up his desk, then went into the server room. He couldn't do it. Ever since he told her about his cancer treatments, she's been looking at him like a dying kitten that she couldn't help. She used to look at him and see a man, someone strong and capable, someone she could lean on for support. Now she looks at him like she wants to give him warm milk with an eye dropper.

About twenty minutes later, Veronica entered the hardware section of Andalon Data Systems and looked around. There were four of Josh's people working at the big center desk. Everyone was doing something with a computer. Josh's nemesis, Terri McCarthy, was repairing a faulty fan on a used server that Josh had purchased from a company that was upgrading and was selling off its older devices.

"Just get it running he says," muttered Terri over and over.

"What's up Terri?" asked Veronica.

"That dumb ass boss of mine went out and bought up every garage sale server and laptop he could find then told us to get them running."