This following is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to persons living or dead is purely a coincidence. No resemblance (s) of any actual person or character or act is intended. While there is no sexual contact in this story, please be aware of the rules in your community for reading this or other stories on Nifty. If reading such is illegal where you reside or you are not of legal age, please go no further.
This work of fiction is the property of the author, Sonny Malone and should not be reposted or reproduced without his permission. Email always welcome and should be addressed to rhyolite221@outlook.com
Copyright (c) 2017
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Uncle Rick's Rhyolite Ranch
Chapter 15
November had turned the lush deep green grass surrounding the taxiways and runway to a lifeless-looking gloomy brown mat.
Uncle Rick clicked the microphone button on the yoke of the Cessna 182. "Chaparral traffic, Cessna 734 Tango Charlie departing runway 25, making a left turn, climbing to 4,000, Chaparral."
As Bob and Christopher McCain sat strapped in the back seat of the Cessna, Daniel read the take-off checklist to Uncle Rick who answered,
"Heading Bug"
"Lined up with the runway, 250"
"Flaps"
"Up"
"Carb heat"
"Cold"
"Power"
"Full throttle - 2,700 RPM"
"Mixture"
"Rich"
The plane quickly rolled down the runway and Uncle Rick called out, "Airspeed is alive, 45, 55, 60 and rotate; positive rate of climb, climb speed set to 78 miles per hour."
Christopher watched excitedly with wide eyes as the small plane lifted off the ground, climbed a thousand feet above the ground and banked to the left toward Kingston. It was Christopher's first time in an airplane and he loved every minute of it. For the first time Christopher was able to see the earth from high above. It was an invigorating and exhilarating experience. Maybe one day he would learn how to fly airplanes.
The morning flight was smooth and quick. In about an hour they landed at Kingston airport. Uncle Rick walked everyone into the flight services lobby where Bob called a friend for a ride from the airport to their home. Within a few minutes their ride pulled up to the front of the building. Daniel and Uncle Rick gave huge hugs to Bob and Christopher and said their farewells. Bob promised to have the estimate for the solar power ready in time for the return flight on Friday.
Uncle Rick and Daniel filled the plane with fuel and departed for Chaparral. After reaching cruising altitude, Uncle Rick turned the controls over to Daniel. Daniel flew the plane with ease, making adjustments in course, altitude and speed as necessary. Uncle Rick took over the controls when they approached Chaparral and landed the Cessna perfectly on the centerline of the runway. After Daniel read off the remaining checklists, Uncle Rick told him how proud he was of the way he helped with the checklists and how well he flew the aircraft.
When Uncle Rick and Daniel returned to the ranch, they found Henry and Jason on the roof of the ranch house finishing mounting the old base station C.B. radio antenna.
Uncle Rick yelled to Henry. "How's it going, Henry? Will the old radios work?"
Henry waved and nodded. "They should work great. The original coax cable we ran through the house is still in good shape. It should power up and work on the first try. After this we'll install the mobile radios in the trucks."
Uncle Rick gave Henry a thumbs up. "Way to go, Henry. If we need more radios and antennas for the other vehicles, we can order them through the emporium."
After the antenna was securely mounted to the roof of the house Henry and Jason tested the radio. It worked perfectly, like it did the day it was first taken out of the box ten years ago. That afternoon they managed to install radios, antennas and cables in Uncle Rick's truck, the ranch truck, and Jason's truck. The following day they helped Vicente install his base station and antenna, as well as mobile radios in Vicente's truck, Maria's car, and Travis' truck. The last radio to be installed was in Raul and Travis' house on the ridgeline. By sunset all of the cars, trucks and houses had functioning C.B. radios. Now communication between the two ranches as well as to any of the cars was easy, quick, and not dependent on the telephone lines staying operable.
The first radio call was from Maria Sanchez, who was looking for Mario and Brandon. Brandon answered on the base station in the ranch house. "This is Brandon. Go ahead, Maria."
Maria pressed the microphone button to talk. "Brandon, my friend Louise Williams called and she thinks she found a location for our restaurant."
Mario heard Maria talking over the radio and joined Brandon to be in the conversation.
Brandon pressed the talk button. "Maria, that's good news. Did Louise tell you where it is?"
"Yes, it's on the corner of Chaparral Boulevard and Central Street, a half-block north of the grocery store. Sally's Diner is in the location now but they are going out of business at the end of the month. Louise thinks the landlord would allow Sally to assign the remainder of the five-year lease to us at the current rental rate."
Mario smiled and bent over the desk microphone. "Maria, it sounds like we should drive into town and check out the restaurant."
The three agreed to drive to town and have lunch at Sally's Diner. They could inspect the restaurant, talk to Sally, and consider their options. Maria, Brandon, and Mario arrived at Sally's diner after the lunch crowd had finished their meals and left. They looked over the front of the building and decided although it was old and ordinary; perhaps a few decorations and signs could easily freshen up its appearance. They entered the restaurant where only a few customers occupied seats at the counter. The three introduced themselves to Sally. She offered them a tour and they gladly accepted. Sally gave them a tour of the kitchen, food prepping area, office, and dining room, all the time answering the questions they had about items. The kitchen was acceptable but a few minor updates and revisions would make it a much more efficient layout. The office was small but sufficient for their needs. The dining room needed the most work. The carpet was a dismal avocado green that had seen much better days. The walls were a discolored harvest gold, decorated with vintage knick knacks. Seating was minimal and uninviting, with only old bistro chairs and worn Formica-covered tables that were past their useful lives.
Sally invited the group to sit and ask any questions they may have. Brandon asked about Sally's history with the restaurant. She explained she inherited the business from her grandfather, who opened the diner in 1959. In 1969 he remodeled the dining room with the popular colors of the day, which explained the avocado green and harvest yellow colors. He continued to run the diner successfully until his death seven years ago. When she inherited the diner she did the best she could with it. She realized she was getting older and wanted out of the restaurant business so she could have more time to travel. She would be willing to consider any reasonable offers for the restaurant equipment and would assign the existing lease, which was at a rate less than market rent, if they wanted to take the business over. Maria asked if they could come back with her husband and son to look at the restaurant. Sally said they were welcome anytime. Brandon had brought his camera and took a number of pictures on their tour. He dropped the film off at the camera store to be developed. The photo shop clerk promised it would be ready in the morning.
The next day Vicente, Raul, and Henry joined Maria, Brandon and Mario to inspect the restaurant. They made sure to take more photographs and meticulous notes. After the inspection, they drove home and gathered at the ranch house dining room table to discuss the feasibility of purchasing the restaurant and taking over the existing lease. Travis, and Jason also volunteered to help with the project. The kitchen would require minor updates and improvements, as well as a bit of rearranging of preparation tables. The major appliances were satisfactory, which was good as replacing them would be expensive. The entire restaurant would require extensive cleaning and painting. The dining room would need considerable renovation, and decoration. That would include: replacing the floor covering, lighting, new plaster, paint, and artwork on the walls, new tables, chairs, linen, flatware, glassware, and table settings. Vicente, Raul and Henry could do much of the renovation work. Brandon and Maria could order new equipment. After considering the cost of the renovation and modernization they calculated the restaurant had the potential to be profitable and recoup their investment within a reasonably short period. They made an offer to Sally, based on their calculations, to purchase the equipment and take over the existing lease. Sally gladly accepted the offer. She was excited to start her new life traveling to places she had dreamed about. The attorneys would draw up the papers and complete the transaction.
Uncle Rick spent much of the next week tutoring Daniel. Each day Daniel would take a quiz to measure his proficiency and Daniel's scores improved each week. Within a few weeks he would be ready to take the G.E.D. examination. Daniel was excited to obtain his GED. He and Uncle Rick had discussed starting flying lessons as soon as Daniel was notified he passed the test.
Thursday morning Bob McCain called. During the week he had made calls to suppliers and formulated estimates for the proposed solar project on the Sanchez and Rhyolite Ranches. Uncle Rick and Bob arranged to be at the Kingston Airport at 9:00 A.M. the next morning. Uncle Rick and Cody were excited to see Bob and Christopher. Daniel was excited to fly again.
Friday morning couldn't come quickly enough for Uncle Rick, Daniel, Bob, Christopher and Cody. At 7:00 A.M. Uncle Rick had Daniel sit in the left seat and slowly add the power to the Continental engine. When they reached 60 M.P.H. Daniel gently pulled the yoke back, lifting the plane off the runway. When they reached 1,000 feet above the ground Daniel gently banked to the left, toward Kingston while Uncle Rick praised Daniel for his good flying. Daniel flew the entire route and Uncle Rick was impressed at his ability to hold his course and altitude so well. When they got close to Kingston, Daniel offered to hand the controls back to Uncle Rick but Uncle Rick insisted Daniel keep the controls. Uncle Rick lightly kept his hands on the controls as he gave Daniel instructions. They entered the pattern and went through the landing checklist. With Uncle Rick's instructions Daniel managed to softly land the Cessna directly on centerline and slow the plane, in time to make the turn off to the taxiway. Uncle Rick was thrilled with Daniel, who beamed from ear to ear after his first landing. Uncle Rick contacted Kingston Ground Control on the radio, who gave permission for Daniel to taxi to the general aviation terminal and shut down the plane. They entered the terminal to find Bob f and Christopher McCain with smiles waiting for them. After greeting one another with hugs, Bob and Christopher grabbed their overnight bags and walked to the plane with Daniel and Uncle Rick. Uncle Rick took the left seat and Daniel took the right seat for the flight to Chaparral. With a light tail wind the flight to Chaparral went quickly and smoothly. After landing, Uncle Rick shut down the plane and Daniel fastened the tie down cables and placed the chocks under the tires. Uncle Rick loaded the overnight bags into the back of his truck and drove directly to the ranch. Cody beamed with excitement when he saw Christopher. They embraced and kissed.
Brandon came out to the porch and saw the young lovers. He put his hands on his hips and smiled. "All right you boys, get a room. This isn't a kissing parlor."
The boys paused their kiss. Cody smiled at Brandon. "Don't worry Christopher, Brandon's jealous because he doesn't have a cute boy like I do."
Brandon gave Cody a mock mean look. "I'll show you just how jealous I am with my magic spoon, wizard boy." Christopher and Cody giggled.
Uncle Rick reached in the back of the truck and with a warm welcoming smile, handed Bob's overnight to him. Christopher and Cody ran to the truck, where Uncle Rick retrieved Christopher's bag for him. Cody took Christopher's free hand and walked him to the bedroom. They worked together to put Christopher's clothes in drawers and his sundries and accessories in the ensuite bathroom. Before they could sit and relax Brandon called the family to lunch. Everyone gathered in the dining room for a feast of cold cuts, three kinds of homemade bread, fresh homegrown lettuce, tomatoes, and pickles.
After lunch Uncle Rick and Bob talked about the conversion of the two ranches to solar, wind, and hydropower. Uncle Rick called Vicente Sanchez over the radio. Vicente was excited to hear Bob and Christopher had returned and indicated he would be there shortly. A few minutes later he arrived and joined them at the table. Bob laid out plans, photographs and brochures of various energy equipment and products that were available. Cody was happy to see three brochures of wind generators. It seemed they were seriously considering his idea to be incorporated into the system.
Bob opened up one of the colorful brochures from Life Planet Solar Energy. "This company seems to have the best prices on solar panels, controllers, and inverters. I would propose for the roof of the Sanchez ranch house and for the Rhyolite ranchhouse, arrays of sixteen panels each. In addition, the new barn is located almost half the distance between the two houses. Its roof is large enough to accommodate an additional thirty-two panels. Half of those could supply each house. That would be more than enough to power the entire two ranches, barns, stables, wells, septic pumps, and allow lights and heaters in the greenhouses at both ranches to be on all day and night. That would also be enough power to run heat pumps at both houses in the summer and the winter."
Bob opened one of the wind generator brochures. "For those winter months when the sun may not provide sufficient power and for Raul and Travis' house, I propose wind generators such as these. I recommend wind turbines on top of 80-foot towers for the two ranch houses and a wind turbine on a 30-foot tower for Raul and Travis' house."
Bob pulled a set of plans out of a folder and unfolded them on the table. "Finally, for the hydropower generation I would recommend designing a system incorporating water wheels, impellers, and pipes. There is sufficient head on the stream running down the property lines to build up to four hydropower-generating systems. It would require some excavation work to construct small ponds with regulated outflows and Vicente could do that work in a short time. Additionally, I recommend an additional hydropower-generating system at Raul and Travis' spring to furnish additional and backup power for those rare windless days."
Uncle Rick was impressed but had questions. "It seems you've covered everything for much of the power generation. Is there a way to store this power for the night time usage?"
Bob nodded, turning over the Life Planet brochure. "Yes, Life Planet also makes the inverters, controllers, and batteries needed to store the power. It's all here and could be incorporated into a package."
It was an impressive and exciting proposal. It became even more so when Bob provided a breakdown of the cost estimate of the package.
Uncle Rick and Vicente looked at the figures on the paper. Vicente immediately noticed a problem. "Bob, this can't be right. It is much cheaper than I thought it would be. This is only for the equipment and materials. Where are your labor costs?"
Bob agreed and explained. "My profits come from the equipment and materials. I won't be charging you for my labor and I'll make enough profit from the equipment and materials to put food on our table. I don't ask much."
Uncle Rick and Vicente wouldn't hear of that. Bob was undercharging them by a considerable amount. They would talk in private later about giving Bob a large well-earned commission.
Vicente was concerned about the timing of the project. "When can this be installed? We know winter is coming quickly and we don't want to be building this in the snow."
Bob agreed. "I am with you about that. I've installed systems in the snow and it isn't fun. I can order the solar panels, wind generators, inverters, controllers, and batteries within minutes of you signing the contract. It will take about two weeks for those to be shipped from Arizona or only one week if I can get a couple buddies at Life Planet to expedite things. I'll also call about the availability of the roof racks. Hopefully they will be in stock in a warehouse in Junction City. If so, those could be delivered Monday afternoon. The materials for the wind generator towers can be delivered on Monday as well. We could assemble the roof racks and towers and have them ready when the solar and wind generating equipment arrives. I would suggest constructing those first. Once everything is operational we can complete the necessary excavation of the stream and ponds before building the hydroelectric system."
Bob nodded to Vicente and they signed the contract right then. Bob shook their hands with a big smile. Bob called Life Planet Solar Energy to order the solar equipment. With a little persuading, they promised a delivery of all the equipment by the following Friday. Bob called Spencer Braswell Materials in Junction City and gave Mr. Braswell the specifications of the roof racks and wind generator towers. Mr. Braswell said he would personally check the stock and promised to call back in thirty minutes. Thirty minutes went by quickly. As promised, Mr. Braswell called and stated everything was in stock and could be shipped out by truck first thing Monday morning. The materials should arrive early Tuesday morning. Everything was in place. Soon both ranches and all three houses would be solar, wind, and hydro-powered.
Vicente had news for Bob. "Bob, last week I was in the hardware store talking to two ranchers who live in the far southeast corner of the valley. They have been getting electricity through generators because the power company wants so much money to run power lines to them. I told them about our solar project and they are interested in knowing more information. They also said they knew of four other ranches in their area who would be interested in alternative energy sources. It sounds like you may have more potential business here. I told them I would give their names addresses to you and perhaps you could meet with them."
Uncle Rick nodded. "I can think of at least twenty other ranches in outlying areas who are on generators and don't have power to their land. Bob, maybe there is a lot more potential business waiting for you here."
Bob was excited to hear about the potential customers. "There seems to be a lot more potential for business here than in Kingston. I know it's Sunday but I could meet with them tomorrow. Do you think they would mind?"
Vicente shook his head. "For most people around here Sundays are days to catch up on jobs around the ranches. I don't think they would mind a visit. I can take you there tomorrow morning if you have time before you drive home."
Bob agreed. "That sounds good. Let's do that."
With the discussion concluded for the day Vicente returned to his ranch to do some chores. Before the family could decide what to do for the rest of the day the phone rang.
Uncle Rick answered. "Yes, Paul, good to hear from you. What's on your mind?"
Paul was one to come directly to the point. "Rick, there has been a development in the case of Rowena Bunch. Would it be possible for you, Daniel, and Erik to come to my office in Chaparral this afternoon? I have some important matters to discuss with the boys."
Uncle Rick agreed to be at his office within the hour and concluded the call. Bob suggested he, Christopher, and Cody follow Uncle Rick and the other boys in his truck. He needed some parts at the hardware store and he wanted to shop at the mercantile store as well. Uncle Rick rounded up Daniel and Erik and the six drove to Chaparral. While Bob, Christopher and Cody drove to the hardware store Uncle Rick, Daniel and Erik drove to Paul Bullock's law office.
Paul immediately greeted them and ushered them into his office, closing the door behind him.
Paul offered them chairs located in front of his desk and sat behind his desk.
"The reason I asked you to come in is there has been a development in your mother's case."
Daniel was anxious. "Mr. Bullock, please don't tell us she was found innocent."
Paul shook his head. "No, Daniel. As a matter of fact, in a plea-bargain agreement she pleaded guilty of being an accessory to attempted murder and guilty of conspiring to commit extortion."
Erik looked confused. "What happens to her now?"
"She has been sentenced to twenty-five years in prison with the possibility of parole in sixteen years. You boys have had a rough go with your parents, I know and I wouldn't blame you if you wanted to hear nothing further about your mother again, but you needed to know this."
Daniel gave a nod. "Mr. Bullock, what will happen to our parents house, the furniture and the car?"
"I am glad you asked. I had requested as part of her plea bargain agreement she relinquish all of her rights to all real and personal property to you and Erik. The titles of the house and car have been transferred to your names. You boys own the house and furnishings in Milford as well as the Ford Maverick."
Daniel and Erik cringed at the thought of owning any of that. Daniel objected. "Mr. Bullock, not that we aren't grateful for you asking for those things but we don't want them. Erik and I have unhappy memories of Milford, our parent's house, car, and furniture. Can the property just be put up for sale?"
"Given your history there, I assure you I understand. I suggest we get an appraisal on the house and furniture. Mallory Tobin has a client who may be interested in buying the house as is and the car. If she is interested, we could quickly put the deal together and get these off your hands."
Daniel and Erik nodded in agreement. "Yes, sir, we would like that. Please do what you can."
Paul smiled. "We'll be in touch and keep you apprised of the transaction. There is one other matter. The president of the church, Delbert Thomas, was found guilty of violating the restraining order. He was fined $5,000 and sentenced to ninety days house arrest. Additionally, he's been held in custody pending the outcome of the ongoing F.B.I. investigation."
Daniel wondered about the investigation. "Mr. Bullock, what is going on with that investigation? Have you heard any news?"
"As a matter of fact there are some developments. The F.B.I. has launched a grand jury. That indicates they are close to wrapping up their investigation. They don't call for a grand jury until they have sufficient evidence to indict and get a conviction. We may see some developments soon and I'll keep you informed."
Paul Bullock concluded his business, promising to stay in touch regarding any further news.
Bob, Christopher and Cody had picked up the necessary hardware for the roof racks and towers and were waiting in the warm sunshine in front of the law office. Uncle Rick, Daniel and Erik exited the office and were greeted with smiles. After a few minutes of chatting they noticed Brandon pulling into a parking spot across the street. When Brandon, Mario and Maria climbed out of the truck, Cody yelled from across the street. The three smiled and waved. Maria waved for them to come look at the restaurant, which happened to be located on the corner across the street from the law office. The six boys and men crossed the street and they all went into the restaurant. The new restaurant owners closed the restaurant for renovations so no customers were present. They had put pu a sign announcing a new restaurant coming soon, hopefully to get some advance publicity generating. Henry, Jason and Travis had been inside, busy removing the tables and chairs. They had also scraped the old chipped paint off the walls and removed the dingy light fixtures.
When he saw Jason, Daniel gave him a big hug and kiss on the cheek. "You guys have done so much in here. If you keep this rate up you'll be finished before Christmas."
Brandon chuckled as he put paint buckets he had brought from his truck on the floor. "Daniel, that's what we are hoping for. Our goal is to be open before Christmas. "
Henry was busy in the kitchen moving preparation tables in order to scour walls and floors to ready for additional ordered equipment to arrive next week.
After they were in their final positions, Maria and Mario bent over the preparation tables sorting index cards of recipes into rows and columns to formulate the final menus. It was decided there would be three menus, a breakfast menu, lunch menu, and dinner menu. Brandon would be the breakfast chef. Maria and Mario would both be the chefs for lunch and dinner. Uncle Rick, Daniel, and Erik were dressed in their nice clothes and didn't want to get them dirty but offered to do light work around the restaurant to help. They were able to place ground clothes and painters tape on walls and floors. Bob, Christopher, and Cody offered to paint. Christopher and Cody would use rollers to paint the lower half of the walls while Bob used a roller on a pole to follow them, painting the upper half of the walls. They made an efficient team, working well together. In a few short hours they had completely painted the dining room. They decided to break for the night and allow the paint to dry. They had done all they could for the day and the restaurant was ready for the new flooring to arrive. Once that was in place the new lighting, furnishings and decor could be installed.
Bedtime for everyone was early that night. Jason and Daniel held each other all night. Erik and Tony snuggled under their sheets while Christopher and Cody cuddled peacefully. Uncle Rick and Bob slept serenely in each other's arms.
Vicente arrived at the ranch around nine A.M. to take Bob to the two ranches on the southeast end of the valley. Uncle Rick wanted to join them and Christopher wanted to stay and help Cody with the morning chores. The meeting with the ranchers was fruitful. Bob brought along his brochures to show the two ranchers the products and systems he could install. Both ranchers signed contracts to have solar arrays, wind generators, and inverters installed. The last rancher told Bob two of his neighbors want to know more about the solar and wind generating systems. Bob asked the rancher to give his contact information to them and he would return to meet with them and the satisfied rancher said he would pass it along. Vicente, Bob, and Uncle Rick returned to the ranch in time for a quick lunch before Bob and Christopher left to drive home. Vicente dropped Bob and Uncle Rick at the ranch and drove home.
Uncle Rick and Bob sat down on the family room sofa with cups of freshly brewed coffee. Bob turned to Uncle Rick with a concerned expression. "Rick, I never expected this. I came up here thinking I was going to put up a few solar panels on Vicente and your houses. This has snowballed into a completely new potential market. If this continues, I don't know what I'm going to do. I can't keep driving from Kingston to here and back. Also, I can't keep bringing Christopher here and having him missing school. I don't want to lose any potential business and I need the money to stay up with the bills. If the jobs were in Kingston it would be no problem. I'd take Christopher to school on the way to the job sites and pick him up on the way home. Everything would be fine."
Uncle Rick nodded. "You had said there isn't enough business in Kingston for you. What's keeping you there?"
Bob thought for a moment before answering. "Well, I'd hate to pull Christopher out of school and move someplace new."
Just then Christopher and Cody came into the kitchen, holding hands and laughing.
Uncle Rick smiled. "Take a look at them. Cody has never been this giddy before and Christopher is over the moon when he's with Cody. Do you really think he would object to moving?"
Bob grinned. "No, I see your point. We live in a little guesthouse that I rent on a month-to-month basis from a real estate agent and his wife. I am pretty sure they could find a new tenant pretty quickly if we moved out. We'd have to find a place to rent in Chaparral. That could take a while to find."
Uncle Rick agreed. "It may take a while, yes. You could stay here in the meantime. You know we have plenty of room and it would give you an immediate base for your work."
Bob was anxious. "Rick, we've only known each other for a short time. You may get to know us and not want us around."
"I doubt that will be the case. Why don't we ask the all-knowing one?"
Uncle Rick asked Cody and Christopher to come join Bob and him. "Cody, I want to ask you an important question. Do you think Christopher and Bob should stay in Kingston or should they move to Chaparral?"
Cody carefully thought about the answer to the question. "Well, they aren't supposed to stay in Kingston, Uncle Rick, but they aren't supposed to move to Chaparral either."
Uncle Rick was confused. "What do you mean, Cody? What are they supposed to do?"
Cody gave Uncle Rick a sober look. "Uncle Rick, Bob and Christopher are going to live with us here at the ranch and Bob is going to be my Uncle Bob. Christopher and I are already boyfriends." We're all supposed to be together."
Uncle Rick chuckled. "Cody, isn't this a little sudden?"
Cody shrugged. "I don't know about that but I know we're all supposed to be here. I also know they are supposed to spend Christmas here."
Uncle Rick chuckled and shrugged. "Bob, I've learned not to argue with him. Cody knows all."
Bob gave a warm smile to Cody. "Cody, I can't promise anything but we'll do our best to make that happen, alright?"
Cody beamed and nodded yes. Christopher was over the moon. Uncle Rick and Bob discussed how to facilitate Bob and Christopher's move to the ranch and Christopher spoke up. "Dad, maybe I could stay with Grandma until the Christmas break and you can stay here and do your work."
Uncle Rick interjected. "Bob, since you have your work truck here, Daniel and I could fly you and Christopher to Kingston, drop Christopher off with his Grandma, pick up some changes of clothes for you, and fly you back here."
Bob agreed. "That just may work. I'll give her a call and ask."
While Bob was on the phone talking with his mother, Daniel and Jason strolled into the kitchen.
Uncle Rick quietly motioned Daniel over. "Daniel, we may need to fly to Kingston this afternoon. Would you be willing to come along?"
Daniel beamed. "Of course, Uncle Rick. When do we leave?"
"We'll know when Bob gets off the phone. Why don't you get your flight bag so we'll be ready to go."
Even though Jason would miss Daniel for a few hours, he was happy for him to accumulate more flying time. Daniel and Jason padded off to their bedroom to get Daniel's flight bag and to have some cuddle time before Daniel left for the afternoon.
Jason gently pulled Daniel close, giving his lips a soft kiss. "Do you know how much I love you and how happy I am that you are fulfilling your dream?"
Daniel smiled and kissed Jason lovingly as the two boys embraced. "That means alot to me, Jason. I love you too. I promise to come back safely as fast as I can. I like it much more when we are together."
Bob finished the telephone call with his mother. "Everything is all set. Christopher, Grandma says she is excited to have you stay with her until the Christmas break. She'll pick us up at the airport and drive us home to get some clothes, take me back to the airport and take you home with her."
Daniel flew Uncle Rick, Bob, and Christopher in the Cessna to Kingston. While Daniel and Uncle Rick refilled the aircraft fuel tanks and had a snack in the airport coffee shop, Christopher's grandma drove Bob home to pack more clothes for a longer stay at the ranch. When he finished packing she drove him to the airport, where they said their farewells and he found Uncle Rick and Daniel walking out of the coffee shop. Daniel piloted the Cessna on the return trip to Chaparral and landed the plane with barely a noticeable bump.
For the weeks leading up to Christmas break Bob managed to install the systems on the Sanchez home, Raul and Travis' home, and the Rhyolite Ranch house. He also installed the systems on the two ranches he visited with Vicente. It was the most amount of business he'd received since he moved from Arizona.
On the day after the last day of school Daniel, Uncle Rick, and Bob flew one more time to Kingston to drop Bob off. The weekend was spent packing the few things he and Christopher had. Sunday morning they said their farewells to Grandma, gave the keys to the house to the landlord and drove the car to Chaparral to live. Cody and Christopher were over the moon to be back together. Bob and Uncle Rick were elated to be with each other again.
Friday, December 16th was a busy day for the ranch family. It was the day Daniel took his G.E.D. examination. He had spent the last month being tutored by Uncle Rick and taking practice tests. He felt confident as he entered the examination room at Chaparral High School and finished the exam in the two hours allotted time and was thorough with his answers. He wasn't there to be in a race, after all. Uncle Rick had told him to take the full allotted time and check his work. Uncle Rick and Bob flew to Kingston, where Bob picked up Christopher from school and drove the car, packed with all of their belongings, back to Chaparral. They made the trip to their new home at the ranch in plenty of time for the grand opening of Maria and Mario's Cucina/Cocina. The dining room filled to capacity and the restaurant staff that was hired rushed to feed the hungry customers. They received rave reviews from the patrons as they thanked the new restaurant owners for serving delicious meals. Everyone promised they would return often. The restaurant was a hit. It soon became the most popular restaurant in Chaparral. It's reputation quickly spread to Milford and Kingston, from where customers would drive for a weekend stay in Chaparral and dine at least once before returning to their homes.
The next morning Paul Bullock called and announced he had news. He asked Uncle Rick to bring Daniel, Erik, Tony and Mario to his office. They agreed on meeting there at 10:00 A.M. When they arrived Paul greeted them and showed them to his office where they sat awaiting the news Paul was about to give them.
Paul sat behind his desk and opened up the first of two manila folders and read the documents inside. "Guys, as you know, the F.B.I. has conducted a thorough investigation of Cedarline Institute and of the church. That investigation resulted in a conviction of illegal interstate racketeering, extortion, and illegal trafficking of persons for the personal gain of Bishop Foutz. He's been fined an additional $60,000 and will serve an additional twenty years in federal prison in addition to his time in the state prison. In other words, he will most likely spend the rest of his life in prison."
The boys and Uncle Rick were thrilled to hear the good news.
Paul continued. "The investigation also led to the arrest and conviction of Delbert Thomas, the president of the church, along with ten members of the church hierarchy for conspiracy to kidnap, illegal trafficking of persons for personal gain, extortion and bribery. There is more. The F.B.I. also implicated the owners, entire board of directors and management of Cedarline Institute in similar charges. This may interest you. The investigation also resulted in the arrest and conviction of our Senior U.S. senator. We can expect to hear an announcement of his resignation any day now. All of these people will serve a prison sentence of between fifteen years and fifty years. The federal judge has mandated fines for damages and restitution be paid to the victims of Cedarline and the church's abuses and illegal actions. Tony and Daniel, you can expect to receive significant checks for damages within the next thirty days."
Tony was over the moon that the Church and Cedarline would be fined and imprisoned for their actions. "Mr. Bullock, that is the news we've been waiting for. It's great that justice finally caught up with those guys!"
Paul closed the first manila folder and opened the second. "That's only half of the news. Porter Nickels, the attorney who filed the class action lawsuit against Cederline Institute and the church prevailed in court yesterday. The twenty-five kids who were the plaintiffs in the lawsuit will each receive a check for $1,200,000. Congratulations, Tony. You should be receiving a check within the next thirty days."
The next week Daniel received three envelopes in the mail. Jason stood with his arm around him as Daniel opened the first envelope to find a G.E.D. certificate and notice of successful completion of the exam. Daniel and Jason cheered. Jason hugged and kissed Daniel in congratulations.
Jason noticed the other two envelopes and asked what was in them. Daniel opened one and pulled out a check for $1,200,000, the amount Paul Bullock had told him he would receive from the class action lawsuit.
Daniel grinned. "This just keeps getting better. I could never have imagined this when I was living on the streets before meeting Uncle Rick."
Jason kissed Daniel's cheek. "You deserve every penny of it. What's in the last envelope?"
Daniel opened the final envelope. "Let's see."
He pulled out a typed letter stating enclosed were three checks paying for restitution from Case Numbers MC-98221, MC-99304, and MC-99572. They totaled $2,350,000.
Daniel was shocked. "Jason, I can't believe it. Read this."
Jason read the letter and shook his head in amazement. "You are ultra rich now."
Just then Paul Bullock drove into the driveway and walked to the door.
Uncle Rick answered the door after Paul knocked. "Paul, I didn't expect to see you again so soon. To what do we owe the pleasure of your visit?"
"Hi Rick. I'm here to see Erik and Tony. Are they around?" Erik and Tony padded out of the kitchen. "We're right here, Mr. Bullock. What can we do for you?"
Paul smiled at Erik. "I don't think it's what you can do for me. It's what I can do for you. I have some things for you, Erik and Tony."
Paul handed Erik and Tony envelopes addressed to him. With a confused look on their faces they opened the envelopes. Erik pulled out a letter. He unfolded the letter and found a check. He read the letter and looked at the check. "Wow!"
Daniel was curious. "Well, what is it?"
Erik handed the letter and check to Daniel. "It's a letter from Grandpa. In it he says he wrote the same letter to you and enclosed a check for the same amount."
Erik, still confused, looked at the check made out to him for the amount of $6,525,000.
Paul explained. "We found that envelop when we were cleaning your parent's house to put it on the market. Apparently your mother somehow never got it to you. Anyway, it's rightfully yours. I recommend you open a bank account like Daniel did so it will be safe."
Erik nodded. "Thank you, Mr. Bullock. I'll do that as soon as I can."
Tony opened his envelope and also pulled out a letter. Erik saw Tony's jaw drop in astonishment. "What's yours say, Tony?"
Tony swallowed hard and tears formed in his eyes. "It's from that lawyer, Mr. Nickels. It says enclosed is a check for damages from the class action suit against the church and Cedarline. It's for $4,000,000."
Paul put his arm around Tony. "You deserve every penny of that for what you went through, Tony. Use it wisely."
Paul gave Erik an approving smile and turned to Uncle Rick. "There is one other thing. Last night there was a fire at Cedarline Institute. They managed to evacuate all of the clients but three of the doctors are unaccounted for. It's presumed they perished in the fire that destroyed the entire building. Witnesses saw a middle-aged man pouring what appeared to be gasoline from several jerry cans around the exterior of the building, lighting the accelerant, and driving away in a silver Mercedes sedan. Police apprehended him soon thereafter. They identified him as Timothy Simons, the owner of Cedarline Institute."
Daniel was confused. "Mr. Bullock, why would he set fire to his own building?"
Paul explained. "That's a good question, Daniel. Police searched Mr. Simon's car and found Simons wrote a note from a civil rights group threatening the institute to shut down or they would burn it to the ground. In other words, he attempted to create a false flag situation, blaming a gay-friendly organization for committing arson and destroying the building. He wasn't very smart though and got caught. Not only was the institute destroyed but if found guilty, he will spend the rest of his life in prison for the murder of the three doctors."
Uncle Rick shook his head. "How some people can be so evil is beyond me. Let's hope this is all over and those poor kids can have chances at normal lives."
Paul nodded. "Rick, I agree completely. Well, my job here is finished. I'm sure we'll be in touch."
Paul shook hands with everyone and left. Uncle Rick grabbed his keys. "Come on you wealthy aristocrats, let's go put your checks in bank accounts, where they will be safe."
After hearing the stories of how the boys were awarded damages in court, the account officer at the bank, Michael Otis, was happy to open more accounts and make deposits for them. He was also pleased to hear the verdicts against the bishop, church president, Cedarline Institute, and all the others who were involved in the shameful events.
Michael quietly confided in Uncle Rick, Daniel, Erik, and Tony, "I'm also originally from Milford. My family belonged to that church. When I was 15 years old the bishop came to our house one night that summer and convinced my parents I needed to be sent to Cedarline. He said he would come the next afternoon to drive me there. I did just what you did, Daniel."
Daniel leaned forward, excited to hear Michael's story. "Where did you go?"
Michael explained, "I knew my parents would leave the house the next morning to go to work before I left for school so that night I packed as much as I could carry, put a few hundred dollars I'd earned cutting lawns in my wallet and waited until my parents left for work. As soon as they left, I got on my motorcycle and rode to Kingston. I had a friend who was a law student at the college there. He let me stay with him and he helped me file for emancipation from my parents. I never went back to Milford and never saw my parents again. So, I'm sure you can understand how happy I am for you guys and also for how those psychopaths are finally in prison. Let's hope they never get out."
Everyone agreed with Michael. They realized they had a new friend who would make sure their money was safe. Uncle Rick let Michael know how impressed he was that Michael had made the best of his life. He invited him to dinner with the family at the ranch that night. Michael was misty-eyed as he gladly accepted Uncle Rick's invitation.
That evening Michael was over the moon to enjoy the tasty home-cooked free range fried chicken dinner meal and enjoy the company of such a warm, loving family.
After the family stuffed themselves with homemade Dutch apple pie a la mode, Michael thanked everyone for the delightful meal and the enjoyable evening. He needed to drive home early, as it was a work night. Everyone gave him hugs and thanked him for coming. He was welcome anytime and would be invited back soon.
After Michael left, the family members took every seat around the fire, watching the flickering flames dance in the great fireplace. Uncle Rick and Bob snuggled on one side of the couch as Daniel and Jason cuddled on the other side. Erik, Tony, Cody, and Christopher managed to snuggle like four puppies on the loveseat. Raul and Travis nuzzled in each other's arms on the other love seat. Brandon and Henry, with full tummies, relaxed in overstuffed chairs enjoying the warmth of the fire and the love that embraced their newly grown family. Brandon excused himself and went into the kitchen. He returned with a tray full of glasses of homemade eggnog.
After giving everyone glasses of the tasty holiday drink, Brandon stood. "Gentlemen, I propose a toast. To Uncle Rick and his kind heart, generosity, and beautiful soul, to Bob and Christopher, our newest family members, to our little wizard and sometimes varmint, Cody, to Daniel and Jason, to Raul and Travis, to Erik, Tony and Mario, and last but not forgotten, the brother I always wanted, Henry, to our marvelous friends, brothers, lovers, and soulmates in our family, thank you for your joy, your laughter, and your devotion to our family. May we continue to thrive together with the love we all have!"
Everyone cheered and drank to Brandon's toast. Cody looked around the room beamed from ear to ear and giggled.
Brandon gave him a mock suspicious look. "Just what are you giggling about, you little hyena?"
Cody giggled again. "Brandon, I'm laughing because I'm so happy and also because everything is as it's supposed to be."
Brandon chuckled. "Oh, you think so? Why is that?"
Everyone laughed and shouted, "Because Cody knows all!"
Author's notes: The karma is strong for Cedarline, the church, abusive, gullible parents and corrupt politicians. The courts have let justice prevail. All is well, according to our wizard, Cody, with the ranch family as it prepares for the coming holidays. The adventure continues. Christmas is coming to the Rhyolite Ranch so put on your Santa Hats, your Jingle Jangle Bells, and get out the eggnog and pumpkin pie.
My thanks go to Vern, John H., Eddie, Bobby Joe, Stan, John L., Steve B., Chub Bear, John K., Gary F., Stewart P., Jae B., Craig E., Richmond E. and Grant H. for their emails and comments. Your comments and compliments are inspiring.
As always, thank you also to my editor, Mark for your much-appreciated help with this chapter.
I welcome any respectful comments. Please send me an email and tell me what you think about the story. I'm happy to reply to each one. If you've already done so, thanks. Please stay in touch.
Sonny Malone rhyolite221@outlook.com