0 comments/ 49698 views/ 17 favorites Codger Tale By: PAPATOAD Thanks to the Hip and Knee doctor for editing assistance. There is no sex in this story. Sorry. * I guess my big mistake was not manning up earlier. I let myself get into a funk and now I was paying the price. To be honest with you, it seemed like the right thing to do at the time. A man is supposed to hold up and carry on, but I just didn't feel like it. Mary, was gone and at the time, as far as I was concerned, my life was over. All I wanted to do was mope around and wallow in my own misery. Without Mary, there was nothing to live for. I know that sounds corny, but we had been married for almost fifty years and it was hard for me to adapt. My kids tried to console me the best that they could, but something was missing. I am sitting here in my son's house, listening to him arguing with his sister, my daughter, about their plans for my future. Of course, they are in another room, but I am not deaf and I am not senile. In fact, my only problem is depression, which was brought on by my wife's death. I am actually in better shape physically that either of my kids, who are both in their forties. It would have been nice and considerate if they included me in these discussions, but they seemed to feel that I am not mentally capable. After Mary passed away, I stayed in the family home for about a year. I admit that I was in pretty bad shape emotionally, but I wasn't incompetent: I was just not interested. My son, Bob, and daughter, Denise, suggested that I sell the house. I didn't offer any resistance. It was actually the only good idea that the pair of them had. I didn't feel like living in the empty house or maintaining it. The mortgage had been paid off many years earlier and the house had appreciated nicely. The first indication of a problem occurred at the settlement. Denise arranged to have half of the proceeds put in a money market account in her name and my name. The other half of the money went into a tax-free municipal bond fund, with Bob as a joint owner. I paid attention, but didn't say anything at the time. My loving children had both gotten dibs on my money and I wasn't even ready to die yet. Were they concerned for my welfare, or just greedy? At this point I wasn't sure. Bob was married for twenty-two years and had two sons, both in college. Denise married a year later and had two daughters, one in college and one exiled to the far end of the earth for committing the crime of getting knocked up. Bob worked as an insurance adjuster. Denise's husband was a county building inspector. Neither one of them was wealthy, but they were comfortable. The argument today was about where I was going to be living for the next six months. I stayed with Denise and her husband during the first half year, and I had been at Bob's place since then. I didn't consider myself to be any trouble at all, so I had a hard time understanding why there was a problem that had to be resolved. I didn't care where I lived. After listening for about twenty minutes, I grabbed my jacket and drove over to the mall. I didn't have a house, my kids controlled most of my money, but at least I could still drive. In addition to my Social Security check, I had a small pension. I gave my benefactors five hundred dollars each month to off-set expenses, which I thought was generous, and I still had a nice wad left over to spend on fancy lunches, snacks, and car insurance. The mall was air conditioned and full of life. I had just settled in, when I got my first surprise. "Hi, grand-pop. What are you doing out so early? Trying to pick up girls, I bet." Wendy was the black sheep of the family, but she was always my favorite. For some reason, I just could not be upset around her, even if she did get herself into a family way. She was cute and perky. Any boy would be lucky to get to spend time with her. She was the only one of my grandkids that ever send me a birthday card. "Jason, say hello to your gramps." The tyke in the stroller was almost old enough to be walking. I wasn't sure if he could talk or not. Being cloistered in Bob and Denise's places the last year, did not give me much time to see Wendy, or her son. Wendy and I enjoyed each other's company for almost an hour, before she had to leave to go to work. She didn't get to finish high school, but she was working hard to make a life for Jason, despite being ostracized by her parents. She served lunch and spent the afternoon doing prep work at the local Olive Garden. In the evenings, she watched two kids for the girl who took care of Jason during the day. I never asked her about Jason's father. I didn't think it was my place. If she wanted me to know, she would tell me. The short visit with my grand daughter made my day, but it was destined to get better. I watched as a van from the Bear Valley Community Village pulled up in front of the main mall entrance. Eight to ten people got out and all started off in different directions. I was expecting walkers and wheelchairs, but that was not the way it was. All of them were normal active people, just a little older than most. Three of the ladies walked in my direction. As they got closer, I recognized a smile. It was from Janet Moyer, a high school classmate from fifty years ago. She was older and grayer, but her smile was the same. Janet and I had dated a few times, before I met Mary. Actually, I didn't meet Mary until after Janet's family moved to Lancaster. I sat quietly, while watching in fascination as they walked by. I was smiling to myself, because I had a good feeling when I saw her. It was a feeling that I hadn't had since Mary died. As I was recalling old memories, she broke through my reverie. "John? John Terrell? Is that you?" Janet approached me as her two friends stayed back. I stood up with a grin on my face like a teenaged boy. "Hi, Janet. You look good." I was flattered that she remembered me. She turned and waved for her two friends to go on. We talked for a few minutes and then wandered over to the food court. An hour later, her friends came to get her, because the van was returning to Bear Valley. She gave me her phone number. I was like a teenaged boy all over again. I was happy for the first time in two years. Before going home, I treated myself to a couple of new shirts. I realized that I had not bought any clothing for several years. I felt like a resurrection was coming on. It was a good feeling. Bob's wife, Marsha, was just setting the table for the evening meal. She smiled and reminded me that supper would be ready in twenty minutes. I put my shirts away and washed up for the family gathering. It was a somber meal. Nothing was said about the earlier discussion. I could only guess that I did not have a need to know. It was time to make my own plans. I spent the rest of the evening in front of the TV with Bob and his wife. She was knitting, he was reading, and I was recalling my afternoon conversation with Janet. She had married a fellow named Felix Simons, a year after finishing high school. They had two children who were both grown up, with families. Felix died from cancer three years ago. He had set things up so that his insurance money and cash from the sale of their home would go into an annuity fund. Two hundred thousand dollars in savings were set-aside for her to buy a unit at Bear Valley. Between her Social Security and the monthly draw from the annuity, she was set for life. When she died, her children would get what was left of the annuity plus the resale of the retirement unit. She said it was a CCRC, which meant she could stay there even if she got sick and needed nursing care. It sounded good to me. I went to bed that night with a smile on my face. I had big plans for tomorrow. I was up and out of the house before anyone else. I got breakfast at IHOP, and when I finished eating, I realized that nothing would be open for several hours. I was so damn anxious that I jumped the gun. To kill time, I drove by the Bear Valley facility. It was just as Janet had described it. At least a dozen people were wandering around the grounds. There were jogging paths, but everyone was walking. That was fine with me, because running hurt my knees. I looked around, hoping to see Janet, but nobody can be that lucky. I spent about an hour checking things out and trying to look as if I belonged. It wasn't too hard to do, because I already felt comfortable there. I stopped by the mutual fund office just as it was opening. Bob had Tom Trench set up the tax-free municipal bond fund to hold his half of the money that I got from the sale of the house. "Mister Terrell, it is nice to see you. Where is your son?" "He isn't here today, Tom. Can I call you Tom?" "No problem. What can I help you with?" "Do you handle annuities?" "Excellent question, John. If anyone was ready for a life annuity it was you. Your son, however, wasn't interested. How much do you want to know?" "About an hours worth. I won't be able to absorb any more than that." Well, it didn't take that long. In half that time, Tom had convinced me that an annuity would be a perfect fit. There was only one catch: he wouldn't take care of it for me without either Bob's approval, or a certificate of competency. I opted for the second one. I figured I would also need it when I went to close out the money market account. While any licensed medical doctor could take care of the certificate in our state, Tom felt that a psychological examination would be stronger. He set things up, and before lunch I had my certificate and Tom Trench had arranged for the transfer of all the money from the bond funds into my new annuity. He smiled when I told him to make the death beneficiary Wendy Gibson. I had soup and salad for lunch at the Olive Garden and got my favorite 'perky' waitress, after an insistent request. I left her my rat hole hundred-dollar bill as a tip. I always carried it for an emergency, but none ever came up. It was time to move it on. She tried to refuse it, of course, but finally relented when I threatened to make a fuss. Closing the money market account went a lot easier than I expected. They simply gave me a cashier's check for the full amount, and thanked me for my patronage. I went right back over to see Tom. I now realized that financial advisors do have a place. I had revealed my plans to Tom and he paid full attention. Rather than take the money market check, he suggested that I talk to the admissions people at Bear Valley first. To make things even better, he called over and made an appointment for me. The lowest cost buy in at Bear Valley was a studio apartment at an even one hundred thousand dollars. It was bigger than the 10 by 12 room I was in at Bob's house, and it even had an efficiency kitchen. It took a little work, but between Tom and the Bear Valley business office, they figured out how to get it done. Tom ended up with another big wad for the annuity and I now had a studio apartment. Of course getting the unit allocated was just the first part of the admissions. I had to qualify for the monthly fees, which turned out to be damn high. My jaw dropped when I was told it would cost almost three thousand dollars a months to stay in the studio apartment that I was going to buy for cash. My Social Security and retirement plan together still left me short. Tom Trench came to the rescue again. He could start the draw on the annuity immediately, so that I could get enough to off set the difference that I needed and still leave me some spending cash every month. The only problem was that the annuity would run dry in twenty-eight years. I had to snicker a little when he said that. I really wasn't planning on living to be ninety-six. It didn't matter anyhow, because Bear Valley was set up to start drawing against my unit's equity if my income ran out. Now, I could live to be one hundred and thirteen. The deal was cinched. As the papers were being prepared, I found myself smiling again. I made Wendy Gibson the beneficiary on my studio apartment. I wasn't planning on dying any time soon, but just in case, she would be covered. I could move in on Monday morning. It was furnished, including linens, so all I had to bring was my clothing. I got three meals a day, plus snacks, and a never-ending coffee pot. On the way home, I stopped by to see my insurance agent. Wendy became the beneficiary of my largest life insurance policy. I had a smaller one that I split between the other three grand children. I loved all my kids and grand kids, but I just didn't like the way Wendy was being treated: besides, she was my favorite. That evening, I called Janet and asked her out for lunch the next day. She sounded more than anxious. I slept better that night than I did in the last two years. If I were lucky, Bob and Denise would not have a clue about what happened until I moved out. All I could do was cross my fingers and hope. I decided that I would buy some good walking shoes. I made my own bed everyday and Marsha changed the sheets every Friday. That was about the only time she ever came into my room. I dropped my dirty clothing off in the laundry room, and she usually had the clean stuff folded, or on hangars, for me to pick up. I appreciated that these things were being taken care of, but, after all, I was paying five hundred dollars a month. I figured that I could move my things, bit by bit, into the car over the weekend, and no one would even notice. Janet and I had a wonderful lunch at a Red Lobster. She became giggly when I told her that I had bought a unit at Bear Valley, and after we finished, she insisted on showing me her one bedroom unit. The tongues were wagging as we walked through the entryway and down the hall. She was strutting like she had just won a prize at the fair. I felt a little self-conscious, because I had no idea that I was so desirable. Of course, I did find out later that any warm-blooded healthy male fell into the same category. Compared to Janet's unit, my studio looked pretty puny. The maintenance people were busy painting it for my arrival on Monday. It was an up-grade from what I had been staying in at Bob's house. Janet was gracious with her compliments about the room, but suggested that I get a full bed instead of the twin that was there. I thought I noticed a twinkle in her eye when she said it. As we were walking back to the lobby, I was trying to figure out where I could get some of those little blue pills. I called Marsha and told her that I would not be home for supper. Her response seemed a little indifferent. For some reason, I felt the need to get some new duds. After two years of moping around, it was nice to have an interest in life again. I am sure that Mary would understand. If the places were changed, I would have wanted her to move on with her life. I was sure that she would feel the same about me. I was mad at myself for wasting two years. I got four more shirts, two pairs of nice slacks, and a pair of very expensive walking shoes. At my age, it was important to walk regularly and I needed the good sneakers. Just for the heck of it, I also got a pair of Chuckie's, like I had when I was a kid. They looked the same, but I noticed that they were now made in China. I finished my shopping spree in the food court at a Chick-fil-A, and spent a couple hours on my favorite bench, watching the girls go by, and humming the Otis Redding song. I was beginning to realize that the female species was pretty interesting. I felt a little guilty, because I was comparing the walk-bys to Janet, and not Mary. I convinced myself that I was not a bad guy: it was the normal progression of things. When I got home, I left my new purchases in the car. Bob and Marsha were watching the television and did not even inquire about my day. It was a long time for an old man and I was dragging a little. After a quick shower, I was out like a light. My hosts were up early the next day. When the weather was nice, they liked to play golf and Sunday tee times meant that you had to get there before the sun came up. That worked out great for me. I had an English muffin with peanut butter on it for breakfast. I liked the way the peanut butter melted on the hot muffin. They were a mess to eat, but I always enjoyed them. By noon, all of my clothing and belongings were loaded in the Honda. The room still looked lived in, so the only way Bob and Marsha would notice that I was gone was if they did an inspection. I didn't expect it. Of course, there was really no good reason for the secrecy. I was a grown man, who was capable of making my own decisions. I just didn't want to have to listen to the tirades that I knew where going to be coming. It was easier to just disappear quietly. I knew that Wendy didn't work on Sundays, so I drove over to her place. I think I was the only one in the family that knew where she lived. Jason was walking around and having a great time with two other toddlers. He was talking, but I didn't understand most of the words. It was Wendy's turn to baby sit for her neighbor. We ordered in pizza and spent the afternoon relaxing. She seemed quite excited when I told her that I was moving into my own place. The words that stuck in my brain were, 'It's about time.' She made macaroni-and-cheese for supper, and insisted that I join them. The two extra tykes went home with their mom, so it was now just the three of us. Wendy also convinced me to stay the night. Under the circumstances, it seemed like a good idea, so I called Bob to let them know. I got the machine. I was up early the next morning, mostly because the couch was so uncomfortable, but also because I was anxious to get into my new place. Wendy and Jason went with me to Bear Valley. While my grand daughter and I moved in, Jason was being spoiled by a flock of blue hairs, and was eating it up. Candy and goodies seemed to appear from nowhere. Janet was waiting for my arrival, with all the little things that were necessary for me to set up minimal housekeeping. I had to take Wendy to work, but she was happy to leave Jason with Janet for the day. He didn't seem to mind. Jason was in his glory: being treated like a celebrity. I called Marsha and carefully informed her that I had found a place of my own and had moved out. I wasn't trying to be rude, but I ended up having to hang up the phone to shut her up. I decided to turn off my cell phone for the rest of the day. Janet and I had coffee in my new room, while my grandson napped on the floor. I guess a floor wasn't a good place for him, but he seemed comfortable. Wendy showed up at about four in the afternoon, in her own car. I gave her another hundred-dollar bill for helping me to move. She seemed embarrassed, but took it anyway. Janet and I had supper together in the dining room. I took the time to explain to her about the relationship that I had with my children. She was bothered by it, but seemed to understand. I was a little bothered by the attention we were getting, but Janet seemed happy. Things were quiet for three days. I walked early in the morning, but my new companion declined to join me. After my exercise, I showered and then headed down for breakfast. Janet waited until I arrived. It didn't take long for a routine to set in. It was all quite platonic and neither of us seemed to be in a hurry to move things along. Thursday morning, Bob and Denise showed up. "Dad. What the hell are you doing?" Denise was letting me know right off-the-bat that she was not happy. "Sorry. I just felt that I shouldn't be a burden to my children and decided to get a place of my own." "Do you have any idea how much a place like this costs?" Bob felt like he had to get his two cents in. "Well, it cost me a hundred thousand dollars to get in and three thousand dollars a month to stay here. Yes, I have an exact idea how much it costs." Codger Tale "And just how long do you think it will be until your money runs out?" I don't think Bob was happy with the first answer. "Bear Valley has everything planned out. I will use up all my money just before my one hundred and thirteenth birthday. I was hoping that you guys could pick up the slack after that." Denise made some sort of growling sound as she shook her head and looked at her feet. Bob just glared at me. "How? How are you managing this? You can hardly take care of yourself. How are you going to keep things running?" "Bob, your good friend Tom Trench set everything up. He is a professional, you know. That's why I went to him. I figured if he was good enough to handle your affairs, than he was good enough to handle mine. Don't you agree?" Denise felt the urge to barge in. "He should not have done anything like that without talking to us first. This leaves him wide open for a law suit." "I think you should talk to him, before you do anything. Tom is pretty sharp. He doesn't make mistakes." They didn't look happy. Both of them sat there and I believe they were watching half of their own retirement plan fly out of the window. I guess they were loving children and had my welfare at heart, but there was no doubt in my mind, that they were more attached to my money than they were to me. "Hey! Do you guys want to see my room? It is pretty cool. I got my own little kitchenette and this weekend I am getting an HDTV. Cable is included in the fee." I couldn't help it. I had to rub it in a little. Janet was watching from across the room, but I decided that this was not the right time for an introduction. Bob and Denise left without looking at my new place. My feelings were hurt: sort of. My new female friend looked slightly dejected when I approached. "I am sorry, Janet. I didn't feel that it was a good time to introduce you to them. That was my son, Robert, and my daughter Denise. They are a little upset with me at the moment. After things settle down, we should pay them a visit." "John, parents should not fight with their children. You should be ashamed of yourself. I am not exactly sure what you did, but it doesn't seem right." "You're right, it was all my fault. I was feeling sorry for myself and took it out on them. I'll think of some way to make it up to them." It was sort of a little white lie, but I didn't want her to be mad at me. Maybe after a while, some remorse will set in, but for the moment, none of what I did bothered me. "Okay. I can accept that. I did want to let you know that we are going to have supper with my son, Charles, and his wife on Friday. He is very anxious to see you again." "Again? What do you mean? Have I met him before?" "He is an engineer at Gilbert Enterprises, John. He used to work for you." I had to think for a moment. "Simons? Charlie Simons! Yes, I remember him. He was good engineer. Came out of Penn State, if I remember correctly. He did work for me. What a small world." "Friday is tomorrow, John. Be ready at five o'clock, please. Wear one of those new shirts." "Damn woman, you are starting to sound like my mother." I took her hand as we walked in for lunch. She gave it a little squeeze and to me, a coy smile. That night, we watched a movie on the big screen TV in the community room. Afterwards, we walked back to my room where Janet surprised me with a big kiss. The kiss led to some teenage petting and eventually we ended up in bed together. I was pleasantly surprised when I discovered that the little blue pill would not be necessary, at least not the first time. The next morning, I walked Janet to her room and gave her a quick peck on the cheek. An hour later we met for breakfast as if nothing had happened. From the smiles we were getting, I don't think we fooled anyone. Charlie Simons was more than happy to see me. I was concerned about meeting Janet's children, because of the usual reactions that are depicted on television and in the movies. Any man who moves in on a widowed woman is suspect. Initially, I hadn't considered myself as making moves on Janet, but now in the light of things, it seemed to be heading that way. The dinner conversation was light and airy. Charlie and I avoided any shop-talk, to avoid boring the ladies and two teenagers at the table. Charlie's wife, Rhonda, was pleasant and cute, and their two daughters were well behaved, and as pretty as their mother. After the meal, the men were dismissed to have coffee in the family room, while the ladies cleaned up. There is an old saying that when a person retires from a job it is like pulling your hand out of a bucket of water. The empty hole that remains is indicative of how much the retiree will be missed. A lot of old fools seem to think that once they are gone, the whole place will collapse without them. I followed the first theory. I always felt that my exit would not even be noticed. According to Charlie, I was wrong. For a moment, I thought he was just blowing smoke up my ass to make me feel good, but the longer he talked, the more I began to feel that there was something to what he was saying. Apparently, the engineer that I recommended to replace me as the shop supervisor was not up to the task. I had never evaluated his skills as a leader or manager, but looked only at his technical ability. He knew his job, but sucked when it came to everything else that was needed to run the show. Three of the junior engineers quit, rather than work for him. The quality and quantity of the shop dropped so bad, that the whole section lost their yearly bonuses. My replacement explained to management that the problem was because I had left things in shambles. His documentation indicated that my mismanagement left him with a mess that would take years to clean up. He claimed that I had spent the last year covering things up so that I would look good. Charlie was looking for another job. The evening was bittersweet. As far as my relationship with Janet, everything was great, but the news of the mess that my retirement had left at work was not so good. I left the company right after Mary's death and never gave it another thought. That appeared to be a mistake and my men all suffered for it. If I didn't do something to fix it now, it would eat at me forever. I was very careful when I retired, not to burn any bridges behind me. I felt it was important that people remembered you in a good way. That made it a lot easier for me when I decided to pay a visit to the old grind mill. Rather than just drop in, I called ahead for an appointment, which turned out to be a meeting. My old boss invited several other company managers to join us, and left me with the impression that he had planned for this before my call. My replacement was not there. To make a long story short: they were fully aware of the problem and were also fully aware that I was not the cause of it. They were hoping to find ways to straighten themselves out. They were going to call me, but I beat them to the punch. It took less than an hour to come up with a plan to correct the problems. I recommended that Charlie take over the department and there were no objections. Personnel would contact all the engineers who departed and try to get them back with bonuses, if necessary. My replacement would be gone by the end of the week. We had a great lunch at one of the local favorite spots. It was nice to be with old friends again, but the best part was that I knew my opinions and experience were still of value. Living with my children had sapped me of my self-respect. I didn't know if they did that to me or if I had brought it on myself, but in any event it was now over. I had a big grin on my face all the way back to Bear Valley. Janet couldn't wait to tell me the good news, about Charlie's promotion at supper that evening. She was so proud of her son. She was aware of my recommendation and promised to thank me properly that evening. Bob and Denise continued their attacks on my move towards independence, but struck out at every turn. They finally quit. Wendy and Jason came to see me every chance she got. I offered her money on several occasions, but she always turned it down. I seldom saw my children and never saw my other grandchildren. As far as my personal life was concerned, Janet and I were growing closer. We spent a lot of time with Charlie and his family, and occasionally Wendy and Jason, joined us. Rhonda casually made a few coy remarks about old people having sex. It was discrete and not done in a crude fashion. It seemed as if she was fishing. Janet smiled at me and we both did our best to ignore her innuendos. Things pretty much settled down until one day Wendy, and Jason showed up with a tall, good-looking fellow. He was Wendy's age but the most notable characteristic was an artificial, left leg. He didn't seem despondent or depressed about the lost limb, which I found to be refreshing. "Grand-pop, I would like you to meet Larry Weeks. Larry is Jason's father." I held out my hand. "John. John Terrell." "Glad to meet you." Things were a little awkward as we sat down, until Jason saw Janet across the room and ran over to see her. "I didn't know about Jason until yesterday. I just got back from Afghanistan and a long stay at Walter Reed." "Wendy didn't tell you that she was pregnant?" "It's my fault Gramps. I didn't know it when he left, and then I felt that it would not be fair to drop that on him while he was away. I should have told him. I know that now." Wendy reached over and took his hand. I was wondering about who's name was on the birth certificate, but decided to keep my mouth shut, just in case. "Didn't you know how to contact him?" "Not really. I guess I could have gotten the address from his parents but I was afraid to see them in my condition. Also, I didn't want to get him in trouble. I should have tried harder." Janet and Jason joined us, and after introductions, we all had a Bear Valley lunch. They stayed the rest of the afternoon. Jason got to see all of his special lady friends, and really loved the attention. Two weeks later, Wendy and Larry were married at Bear Valley. It was an unusual event for a retirement home, but we had no trouble getting it arranged. By the way, Larry's name was on Jason's birth certificate. I gave the newlyweds my Honda Civic for a wedding present. Janet and I both agreed that we could get around very well with the Bear Valley van, or with taxicabs, when necessary. I could still drive, but an accident at my age could wipe out all of my assets. It didn't seem worth it. Bob and Denise did not attend Wendy's wedding. Charlie got Larry a job at Gilbert. It was an entry-level position as a parts puller, but there was a lot of room for advancement. Things were looking good. A week later, with Charlie and Rhonda's blessings, Janet and I moved in together. I sure was glad that our relationship was no longer platonic. No. We are not expecting an addition to the family, but Wendy and Larry are.