18 comments/  23632 views/  30 favorites

Rogers Retreat

By: SW_MO_Hermit



Many of the more well to do in the little town of Waterloo looked down on the Rogers family as did many of the not so well to do. There were many different reasons for this attitude, but they all had some bearing on the family's way of life and physical characteristics. The men were short, wiry, towheaded, thin faced men. They all had prominent adams apples and their voice had a distinct southern whine. It didn't help at all that they came from a poor hardscrabble background. Grandfather Rogers and his daddy and his daddy's daddy all worked a poor hill farm deep in the Tennessee hills. They didn't even know there was a depression until the rich politicians told them and sent the TVA into the hills to steal their farm.

Of course, it wasn't really stealing, they took the land "legally", citing eminent domain and using a lot of other fancy words. After all, they were going to pay for it, even if it was a pittance. Seems as if the family farm that bordered the river was right smack dab in the middle of where the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) wanted to put a lake. They said it would benefit the whole United States and old Mr. Rogers had to give up his farm for the good of all.

Great grandfather Rogers was in his 90's when the TVA came calling, and Grandfather Rogers was no spring chicken. He was 43 when the ruckus started. He and Great grandfather Rogers said no damn Washington Politician or any of his toadies were going to run them off the land the family homesteaded and fought Indians for. It just wasn't going to happen. Every TVA bastard that came to the place was ran off, some by gunfire. The local sheriff fared no better. Luckily Grandfather Rogers was in the Marines during WW I with the district congressman and was able to call in a favor. Grandpa Rogers retired from the Marine Corps after 27 years in 1934. He lied about his age and went into the corps when he was 16. He taught his son and grandson all about hand to hand fighting and shooting. They also learned woodsmanship and about living frugally off the land from birth.

Even with Congressional pull the TVA still took the old house and barn and almost all the farm. What was left though, what grandpa's friendship with the congressman allowed them to keep, was enough for the family to live on if they worked in town. They fought and managed to keep a large island in the middle of the new lake and a small thirteen acre plot of ground on the shore besides. The island from the high water mark to the tip of the highest point consisted of another seven acres. Out of a total of 180 acres pre-TVA the Rogers kept those two little pieces of ground. The island at one time had been the highest point on the Rogers' farm. It still was but now it was completely surrounded by the lake. None of the Rogers men really liked working in town and only did so when it was do that or starve. They raised some very skinny children. They also raised some extremely tough fighters.

Since they no longer had enough land to farm (and admittedly the farming was damn poor even before the lake went in) the Rogers family made do with other kinds of work, not all of which was completely legal and above board. For example they found out they could carry their corn to market much easier in liquid form. They also found they could make more from their small crop if it was liquefied so they did so. The conversion of corn to liquid began before the prohibition and continued every year from then to the present. Naturally, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms frowned on this endeavor and routinely sent agents tromping in the woods in an attempt to prevent the conversion of the Rogers' corn to liquid form. Many of the neighbors liquefaction operations were found and destroyed by the BATF but not once did the Rogers ever lose a still or any product.

Hunting was another area where the Rogers men and those in authority disagreed. The Rogers family hunted to eat whether the game was in season or not. They felt the same about fishing. If they wanted fish, venison, or other wild game they went out and got it, season or license be damned. Again, they had to match wits with those who tromped the woods to catch them violating the fish and game laws. They were routinely successful in this endeavor as well as the liquefaction of their corn.

None of the Rogers men were interested in formal schooling of any kind. Grandfather Rogers quit school in the eighth grade. Lee Rogers' dad finished high school but only because of the kindness of his teachers. His cumulative grade point average was only 1.3 out of a possible 4. Lee Rogers didn't do much better. He finished high school with only a 1.96 out of 4. What most people around Waterloo didn't realize was how highly educated the Rogers men were. They hated formal schooling but excelled in reading and self teaching. Grandpa Rogers and Great Grandpa Rogers insisted, nay beat into their systems, that a man learned the 3 R's and continued to learn throughout his life. All the Rogers men read voraciously and kept a dictionary by their side to look up words they didn't know. Of course, the reading came when they couldn't find anything else to do, preferably outside.

The Rogers men were much happier tromping through the woods hunting or fishing than studying. They worked when they could find work but it was mostly unskilled labor here and there. The rest of the time they spent growing and converting corn to white lightning, hunting, fishing, trapping or just loafing around. Lee, named after his great grandfather's hero General Robert E. Lee was sort of an exception. Lee loved the outdoors but he also loved internal combustion engines. He was a maestro when it came to diagnosing and repairing older gasoline engines. He worked on everything from the smallest air cooled lawn mower and chain saw engines up to truck and tractor engines of all types. Unfortunately, like the other male members of his family he had trouble keeping a job because of the hunting, fishing, and (GASP) moonshine. Yeah, he helped his pappy make it as well as drink it. He even helped deliver it from time to time. The revenuer's hadn't caught on to the fact he ran shine yet.

When Lee graduated high school he was already working part time at a small gas station and garage on the edge of town. It was one of the few small independent service stations and garages still in existence. They sold a few snacks and soda pop but none of the other items the newer convenience stores stocked. What snacks they stocked were more for the convenience of the employees and few customers than for stock in trade. Of course, the older local men that seemed to congregate to visit and kibitz most afternoons purchased a lot of the snack and drink items also. These men were the main reason there were so many rickety chairs scattered around the "waiting area" of the garage and tire shop. In addition to the service station there was a large auto parts store in the building. They made more money selling parts than anything else although flat repair was a large part of their business also. They delivered and that was one of Lee's jobs there also. That is how he met the woman that got him into trouble and ultimately how he met the woman that was to tame him and rock his world.

One hot sweltering summer day Lee was underneath old man Stover's old 78 Chevy pickup replacing the starter when his boss Jimmy hollered for him. "Hey, Lee, get your ass out from under that truck and deliver these parts over to the Chevy garage," he said.

Lee glanced out from under the old truck into the sun beaten dirt lot outside the garage. Sweat was beading on his forehead and running down his face. His shirt was wet with sweat. They still worked in open bays with no air conditioning. Today was the worst heat they had in a while and Lee looked forward to the drive so the hot air could dry his sweaty body somewhat. He said, "OK. Ya want me to do it now or can it wait a while? I got another ten minutes or so here and I'll be done with this one."

"No, get on over there now. They have one they promised would be done tonight and they need the parts ten minutes ago."

Lee climbed up the steps from the pit he was standing in. He left his work light and tools where they lay. His face was dotted with dust that had turned to mud in the sweat. His arms were covered with dirt and grease to his shoulders. There were smudges of grease on his face from where he wiped the sweat off. His once white T-shirt was wet with sweat and covered with mud and grease. To look at him you would think he was maybe fifteen or sixteen instead of the nineteen year old young man he actually was. He stood 5' 7" in his sock feet and weighed 117 pounds dripping wet.

Lee didn't even bother to wash his hands or arms after he walked into the parts store. He wiped his hands on his already filthy blue jeans, grabbed the invoice to double check the parts in the box then picked up the parts box and ambled out to his old F150. He threw the box into the front seat. He climbed into the cab and turned the key. After the engine roared to life Lee sat for a moment listening to the rumble. He smiled and tapped the accelerator to make the engine rev higher. The old truck burbled with a deep throaty sound as the exhaust moved through his flow masters. Lee moved the gear shift into first and gently let out the clutch as he depressed the accelerator. He barely slowed as he drove out of the parking lot and into the light traffic on the street. His left arm was resting on the window opening, the tips of his fingers barely touching the steering wheel. He quickly and efficiently moved through the gears until he was running about ten miles above the speed limit in fifth (high) gear. 

The old 1994 F150 4X4 looked rough. The once beautiful candy apple red paint was fading. There were rust spots showing through in several places. Almost every body panel had at least one dent in it. The rear bumper was bent into the right rear fender where the truck had backed into a large tree on one trip into the woods. The tailgate would barely close because of the dents in it. Now that the engine and brakes were in tip top shape Lee was saving money to begin repairing the body of his baby. After the body was once again sharp he would redo the interior and fix the air.

Lee drove through town, windows open and stereo blaring out Country and Western music. It was Friday afternoon and he was trying to decide whether he wanted to spend the weekend camping and fishing on the family island or if he wanted to shave his three day collection of thin whiskers off and go to the local dance hall. He was under age to drink but he still managed to get inside most of the time. If he got inside he could usually talk someone into buying him a few. He usually had to pay, but what the hell. He got some drinks and if he was really lucky he could find some drunken pussy and get his ashes hauled. Sometimes he even managed to tap two different cunts the same night or even spend the night with one of the barflies. Usually the ones he spent the night with were married and their husbands were off gallivanting somewhere on their own but Lee didn't care in the least. He reasoned if he didn't tap that married pussy someone else would. They were out hunting cock after all and if they wanted to step out on their old man he might just as well get the pussy as someone else. Besides, most of the married ones only wanted cock. They weren't looking for commitment and dating. That was fine with him. He wasn't ready for marriage and all the headaches that brought.

Lee drove into the lot at the dealership and up to the entry door for the garage and parts department. He shut his old truck down and pulled the box toward him. After he got out of the truck he picked up the box of parts and sauntered cockily into the building. He moved to the parts counter and dropped the box on it. Lee didn't even look up before he dug into the box for the invoice. Lee heard someone walk up to him and looked up in surprise. It didn't sound like old man Stevens. His eyes opened wider and his mouth dropped open. The most beautiful woman he had ever seen was standing in front of him. She was his same height or maybe an inch taller. She had the most beautiful eyes and her perfect little tits were filling out her T-shirt magnificently. He couldn't speak for a moment and that was strange in itself. Lee was one of those men who had a motor mouth. He always had a line of patter to pass out and this time he was speechless.

The young woman looked at Lee for a moment then sighed. When Lee still didn't speak she snippily asked, "Can I help you?"

Lee finally got control of his mind and voice. "Uh, yeah, I got some parts here for ya." Lee pushed the invoice toward her and continued, "Ya need ta sign here for em."

The woman looked at him then said, "Who ordered them and what job are they for?"

"Hell, I don't know. You all called and ordered them and I brought them here. I just need you to sign for them and I'll be on my way now."

"I am not signing anything until I'm sure we actually ordered these parts. I have to know what job they are for so I can check to be sure you brought the right parts and so I can charge them to the right job."

"Listen, sister, how the hell do I know what job they're for? I just deliver when you all call in an order." Lee was beginning to become angry with the little bitch. She acted as if she was better than him and wanted him to know his place. Lee let his legendary hot temper flare up. He reached for the box of parts and pulled it back toward him. He said, "Listen, Bitch, I don't need your shit. I brung tha parts ya wanted. If ya don't want to sign fer them then I'll just take em back and you can go fuck yourself."

Mr. Stevens was coming out of the office when he heard Lee let loose. He cringed and hurried toward the parts counter. Lee was already leaving the building when the parts manager walked up beside the woman. He yelled, "Wait, Lee, there's been a mistake here I'm sure. I called and ordered some parts. Can you please bring them back so I can sign the invoice?"

Lee stopped and resignedly returned to the counter. He glared at the red faced woman standing beside the parts manager then slammed the box down on the counter once again.

Stevens glanced at Lee and felt a twitch in his stomach. He recognized the look on Lee's face and hoped he wasn't too late to prevent more unpleasantness. Lee didn't win many fights because of his size, but when his temper flared he exploded. He didn't think Lee would injure a woman but he sure didn't want to be here when his temper flared any higher than it already had this afternoon. He had seen some of Lee's tantrums and more than a few of his fights. Lee won maybe one or two out of five fights with other boys and men but even when he lost the opponent wasn't sure that he had won. They were always hurting badly and many times they missed a day or two of school or work after Lee finished with them or after they finished with Lee as the case may be. Lee was so tenacious in a fight that many men and boys now went out of their way to avoid making him angry enough to fight them. He had a reputation much larger than he was.

Todd, the parts manager, put his hand on the girls shoulder and said, "Lighten up there, Sandy. This is Lee from the NAPA parts shop here in town. I called the order in to them a few minutes ago. We don't normally tell them what job the parts are for so he can't tell you."

Lee watched as the beautiful woman's eyes tightened and her lips compressed. She glared at Todd and jerked her shoulder out from under his hand saying, "My name is Sandra. You know I expect you to call me that or Miss Blessant. How many times do I have to remind you of that?

Todd grinned and winked at Lee then walked over to the phone sitting on the end of the counter. He reached for a note pad beside the phone and picked it up before returning. He walked back to where Lee and Sandy stood and showed her the pad. He said, "I usually leave the pad beside the phone with the job information, mechanics name, and the parts I ordered on it. If you feel the need to check the delivery you can usually find the parts list there but there's really no reason to check. If they bring the wrong part or we don't use one of the parts we just return it. They're only fifteen minutes away so it's no big deal if we have to reorder. Hell, it takes us that long or longer to get a part from our inventory sometimes."

Sandy glared at Todd and Lee then took the pad from Todd. She pulled the box toward her and began removing parts from it checking them against the part number and item name ordered. After she was finished she pulled the invoice toward her and angrily signed it then thrust it back toward Lee. Just before she took the parts into the back for the mechanic she gave Lee an angry look then turned to Todd. She said, "I was told one of my jobs here was to insure we billed parts correctly to the specific job and to make sure inventory was correct and accurate. I intend to do just that."

Lee watched as she flounced off angrily. Her B cup titties were bouncing nicely. He was positive she was not wearing a bra. Her absolutely perfect little ass filled her designer jeans to overflowing. Even considering her snippy attitude he felt his cock twitch. Yeah, he decided he needed to go to the bar tonight and find some pussy.

Todd gave Lee a sickly grin and said, "I'm sorry about that Lee. She's a snippy one for sure. She's the boss's daughter and makes sure we all know it. She's been living with her momma out in California but is spending the summer here helping out before she goes to college. I'll try to keep a short rein on her, but I would appreciate it if you could ignore her attitude if you run into her again."

"Well, I'll try, but if she gets in my face we'll rumble Todd. You know I don't take shit from nobody." Lee glanced at the clock over the counter then continued, "I better get on back. I have ta finish old man Stover's truck before I can quit today then I need to get home quick and clean up. Here's your copy of the invoice. Thanks."

Todd laughed and said, "This must be your night to howl then. Heck, I figured you would be heading out to fish this weekend."

"Thought about it but decided I needed to get my ashes hauled instead. If I'm lucky tonight I may go on out to the island sometime tomorrow. Hell, if I'm really lucky maybe I can find some pussy to take to the island with me. Catch ya later."

About eight that evening Lee pulled into the parking lot of Buster's, a local beer bar and dance hall. When he climbed out of his truck into the dusty parking lot a couple of the older women in the lot glanced at him and smiled. Lee smiled back and said, "Howdy, ladies. You all sure do look good tonight."

The women took in his highly polished but worn boots, starched jeans and pearl button western shirt. His black cowboy hat just topped off his spiffy appearance. Their eyes sparkled and both their pussies dampened. They had both been with Lee several times in the past and were each hoping to sample him once again this evening. 

After Lee disappeared into the building Sylvia looked at Brenda and said, "Damn, girlfriend, I sure am glad to see him here tonight. I been needing dick bad and he sure has what a girl wants. I'm gonna get me some of that tonight if I can."

"Yeah, me too. He's sure a skinny little fucker. If I'd not felt it in my pussy my own self I never wouldda believed he was packing that thick eight inch piece of man meat between his skinny legs, and, my God, who'd a thought someone as young as he is could use it like he does."

The women smiled at each other once again and followed Lee into the smoky bar. They stopped just inside the door and looked over the room. They spotted their friends along the right side near the dance floor. Lee was already on the floor dancing with Janey.


Rogers Retreat



As soon as Lee took Janey back to her table Brenda walked up to him and handed him a beer. Lee took the beer and Brenda stepped closer to him. She gently rubbed her hand across the bulge in his crotch. She looked into his eyes and smiled, licked her lips and raised her eyebrows. Almost instantly Lee's cock surged to full arousal. He grimaced when it became bound up in his pants and dropped his free hand to rearrange it. Brenda laughed gently and said, "Something bothering you there, cowboy?"

Lee put his partly empty beer bottle in his right front shirt pocket. He took Brenda's hand and pulled her onto the dance floor while she giggled. They danced two dances all the while moving slowly toward the rear of the dance floor and the hallway to the restrooms. When the second song ended Lee took Brenda's hand and pulled the giggling woman down the hallway and out the emergency exit that was propped open for better air circulation.

Lee led Brenda to his truck and pressed her up against the lowered tailgate. She stood leaning back on the truck with Lee standing between her splayed legs. He placed his hands on her waist and pulled her blouse out of her skirt. After that he ran his hands under her blouse and began playing with her unfettered breasts while they kissed and writhed against each other. Brenda wrapped her legs around Lee and pulled him toward her with them.

After several kisses Lee pulled one of his hands from under Brenda's blouse and unzipped his pants then released the waist button. He was wearing the pants commando. When they dropped to his ankles his hard cock sprung free. Lee raised Brenda's skirt and slid his hand up her soft thigh to the crotch of her thong panties. He moved in for another kiss while he gently rubbed her pussy lips then inserted his finger into her moist center. She was wet, she was ready. Lee pulled the crotch of her panties aside and moved closer until his cock nudged against her leaking cunt hole. He wiggled his hips until he felt the helmet of his cock sink slightly into Brenda then placed both his hands on her hips. He stared into her glistening eyes and thrust his hips forward.

Brenda's eyes opened widely and she gasped when she felt Lee's cock surge into her. She bit her lower lip and put her hands on Lee's hips. When she felt his next thrust begin she pulled his hips to her and thrust her hips toward him. She moaned and grunted when his entire eight inches slammed fully into her. Lee pressed himself deeply into Brenda and gently began rotating his hips, massaging her clit. Brenda moaned and leaned back on her arms. She pulled her legs tighter slamming Lee into her as deeply as she could. She wrapped her legs around Lee's hips to pull him into her as deeply as she could on every thrust.

The two lovers moved rapidly together slamming against each other over and over. All that could be heard was the slap, slap, slap of Lee smacking into Brenda's crotch and their grunts and moans. Their passion was building as they each rose rapidly to their orgasm. Finally, on the same thrust Brenda screamed out her completion and Lee grunted deeply as their orgasms tore through them. Lee stood savoring the feeling of shooting into Brenda's rapidly pulsating cunt. He continued to gently thrust and rotate his cock inside her. Finally, his cock softened enough to slither out. He looked down in the dim light and watched a couple of large globs of his semen ooze from Brenda's pussy and down her splayed thighs onto her ass cheeks. He wiped his cock off on the inside of her denim skirt. Lee shuffled back a step and pulled his pants up then fastened them.

Brenda was still leaning back on her arms savoring the feelings of her recent fuck. She watched Lee finish dressing and said, "Damn, Lee, I wish you was seven years older. I'd divorce my old man and take up with you full time."

Brenda hopped off the truck and tucked her blouse back into her skirt. She moved to Lee and cupped his face with her hand. She gave him a gentle kiss and said, "I better get back inside now. My old man's probably looking for me."

Lee felt his stomach lurch when Brenda said her husband was inside. Damn, when he saw her and Sylvia in the parking lot he figured they were here alone. Shit, what if her husband caught them? He was a big bastard. There was no way he could win that fight. He decided it was time to go out to the island and spend the rest of the weekend fishin'. Lee wasn't afraid of Brenda's husband per se, but he had much too high a regard for his strength and fighting ability to want to mix it up with him if he could help it. The edge was off his need for pussy and he decided it was time to go fishin'.

Lee watched Brenda walk back into the bar through the back door. He was sure she would hit the ladies room and clean up before she returned to her husband but could she clean up enough to hide what they did? He was sure he filled her with a pretty big load. He hadn't shot off in five days.

Lee finished the beer that was still in his front shirt pocket then tossed the bottle into the bushes beside the parking lot. He burped and climbed into his truck. As Lee pulled toward the exit from the parking lot he saw a familiar face. A beautiful woman had her arm wrapped around a tall well built man in his early twenties. Lee knew the man also. Andrew and Lee had fought twice. Both times Lee came out a very poor second. Lee pulled beside the couple and yelled, "Hi, Sandy. You sure look good tonight."

Sandra stopped walking and turned to glare into the truck at Lee. Her face contorted. Her fists clenched and she said, "Asshole. You know my name is Sandra. I told you this afternoon you should call me Miss Blessant. Don't you ever use any other form of address for me!"

Andrew stopped and turned to face Lee also. He moved to the truck and slammed his hand into the metal of the passenger door. "You little asshole," he snarled. "You need to learn to keep your mouth shut or I'll have to kick your ass again. Now you apologize to Miss Blessant right now."

"Fuck you Andy. I'm outta here and you're the asshole. For that matter so is your little Bitch miss high and mighty Sandy." Lee revved his engine and popped his clutch. His tires spun in the gravel of the lot as he shot out of the driveway onto the highway. He looked into the rear view mirror and laughed while he watched Andy and Sandy dance around and curse. They were peppered with the gravel and dust his truck threw up when he left. They coughed from breathing the billowing dust his spinning wheels threw up. From his expression and rapidly moving mouth Andy was giving Lee a sound cursing. 

Lee stopped by the local grocery store and picked up some Coke, bread, and breakfast food as well as a bag of potatoes, some onions, and several cans of Bush's Grillin' beans. From there he drove to the mainland part of the farm where he parked his truck beside the dock on the lake. Lee rapidly transferred his food and drinking supplies into his boat. After he was loaded he pushed off heading for the island in the center of the lake.

While Lee was wiling away the weekend drinking his corn liquor and living on illegally taken game and fish on his family island Sandra and Andrew were plotting his downfall. They were two of a kind and felt their honor demanded they retaliate for the disrespect he showed. All Andrew could come up with was to kick his ass again.

Sandra said, "No, that isn't enough. Besides, you could get into trouble for fighting too." She sat a moment longer while they traded several kisses and a couple of fondles.

Sandra pushed Andrew away when he bent to suck on her naked breast. He looked hurt and started to ask her what the problem was. She placed her fingers gently on his mouth and said, "I think I have it! Didn't you tell me that whore Lee was fucking is married? Why don't we make sure her husband finds out about Lee and her? You said he was big and jealous. Wouldn't he do something to Lee for us? Then we could make sure Lee knows we caused him to get caught."

"That might work. If we word it right and maybe even get some rumors started about her and the other women he is fucking we might get several of the husbands and boyfriends after good old Lee. Yeah, I'd like to see the little shit get what's coming to him. I've put up with his arrogant attitude for much too long. Little shit and his family are nothing but trash and they try to lord it over us like they're as good as we are. Something like that would sure put him in his place. Hell, he might even end up in jail for fighting, or even better, the hospital or dead. Yeah, I like it."

Well, I wouldn't mind seeing those things happen to Lee but I sort of hate the thought of those other men getting arrested. I mean, after all, they are the injured parties in all this. It was Lee and their wives that were screwing around and disrespecting everyone."

Andrew barked out his sinister laugh and looked at Sandy in shock. He said, "You're kidding, right? Hell, those assholes aren't any better than Lee. They're just plain white mountain trash. Besides, most of them are getting a little on the side, too. There probably isn't one of them that isn't guilty of something and most of them have an attitude as bad as Lee's. They all think they're as good as we are. No, the idea of them getting arrested or injured in itself isn't a bad one.

Andrew and Sandra spent the next several hours making love and planning Lee's downfall between sessions. They began their whisper campaign the next morning. Sunday morning at church they threw the campaign into high gear. By Monday evening most of the community knew about Lee's secret liaisons. Of course, many people already knew about his proclivity to screw any woman he could get in the right position. Hell, even the cuckolded husband's knew Lee was a player. They all frequented the same bars and had seen each other hitting on women there. They just didn't know their wives had fallen into Lee's web until Sandra and Andrew began their campaign. Of course, the two cell phone pictures they had of Lee fucking Brenda and the one of him fondling Sylvia and one of him and Janey petting heavily just sealed the deal. The three husbands of those women got together and decided to do something about Lee before they taught their cheating bitch wives a lesson. Brenda's husband did apply his meaty hand to her face in a painful slap before he left home to look for Lee, but the rest delayed the onset of the punishment they planned to hand out to their women.

Tuesday morning, when Lee arrived at work, he was met by three angry men smelling of booze with anger and fury shooting from their eyes. Barry, Brenda's husband, easily the largest man in town got to him Just as he was turning to close his truck door. He yelled as he pushed Lee from the back knocking him into the seat of his old F150. "You little asshole. We hear ya been fuckin' our wives. Well, we're gonna fuck ya up some ya little shit. You'll never mess with another man's wife when we get through with you. In fact, you'll never mess with another woman period. We're gonna cut yer balls off and feed them to ya."

Lee had glimpsed the three men just before he fell and felt the fear surge through him. Even before Barry spoke Lee was afraid he knew why they were there. He had fucked each of their wives several times and feared what was coming. Now, he was glad he was sloppy with his tools. Instead of putting his lug wrench and tire iron away when he changed his all too common flat tires he just threw them in the front floor board of his truck. He let his arm slide off the seat and picked up the tire iron.

Lee slid down and twisted around to face his attackers as soon as he had the tire iron in his hand. He felt the truck door bounce off his right chest and side as one of the men slammed it into him. Lee staggered leaning his back against the truck while he tried to get set for the coming altercation. He saw one of the men standing to his left and in reach. Without thinking he swung the tire iron as hard as he could hitting the man in the shin. He heard the snap of the breaking bone and the man fell to the ground screaming. Lee stood and stepped back toward the rear of the truck.

Barry moved toward Lee once again with his fists raised. He saw the tire iron too late. His try to block Lee's blow was completely unsuccessful. Barry screamed and bent forward in pain when the half inch metal impacted his balls. Lee and the other man danced back to clear his fall. As soon as he was on the ground Lee gave him a mighty kick to the head as hard as he could.

Now Lee only faced one assailant. Janey's husband looked at his two friends on the ground then looked at Lee with fear evident on his face. How could that little fucker take out two men almost twice as big as he was so fast? Barry lay unmoving with blood running from his nose and mouth mixing with the dust in the parking lot. His other friend was writhing on the ground moaning and holding his broken leg. Lee warily watched the man still standing as he began to approach him from the side.

Janey's husband made a lunge toward him and Lee jumped back. As he did so Lee tripped over Barry. Lee fell but kept his hand on his tire iron. The man smiled and moved in to kick Lee. Lee felt unimaginable pain when the first boot hit him in the side. All he wanted to do was curl up in a ball and moan from the pain. Instead he tried to control his automatic reflexes and move to the attack. He rolled slightly and swung the tire iron as hard as he could toward Terry. He heard a sharp crack and the tool was almost knocked from his hand.

Terry screamed and grabbed the leg he had most of his weight on as he fell to the ground. He was writhing and cursing as he stirred up the dust. Lee slowly stood and looked down at his attackers. 

Lee was moving slowly and painfully. He could barely stand from the pain of his numerous injuries received from the kicking men. It was obvious none of the three offered further danger to Lee. Lee was trying to decide whether to get in his truck and run, call for help, or see if he could help the three men. The decision on what to do for the combatants was removed by the noisy arrival of two patrol cars.

The first officer out of the car stepped toward the group of men and said, "OK, that's enough. Lee, drop that tire iron right now." Porter looked at the police cars and began to move toward his car parked at the back of the lot pulling himself with his arms while he scrabbled in the dust and gravel. The officer glanced at him and said, "Porter, you best just stay right there, too."

The officer glanced at the other two men on the ground and turned to his partner. He said, "Ya better call an ambulance. We got three men down here. Looks like they're hurting pretty bad."

The injured men were transported to the hospital. Lee was transported to the local jail. All three injured men were charged with disturbing the peace and assault and battery as was Lee. Since there were no witnesses other than the combatants it was almost impossible to determine whose story was accurate. All four men were known rowdies. Finally the Judge fined the three men who attacked Lee and sentenced them to time served. 

Lee stood in court facing the Judge to hear his sentence. The last time he stood before a Judge for fighting he was told if he ever came again he would be jailed. He was nervous and angry. He was almost bouncing from nervous energy. The Judge looked solemnly at Lee and said, "Robert Lee Rogers I warned you last time you appeared before me that I was going to sentence you to jail time if you were back in my court for brawling. I have been prevailed on to moderate my sentence somewhat however. I will give you a choice today. You can enlist in the Army or serve six months in the county jail for your offense. What will you choose?"

Lee stood stunned. Six months! Or go in the Army? Crap. That wasn't much of a choice. The Judge sat looking at Lee with a stony expression on his face. Finally, he said, "Well, son, what will it be?"

Finally Lee clenched his jaws and looked at the Judge. He said, "Neither, Your Honor. If l have to do one or the other I'd rather go into the Marines if it's all the same to you, sir. That's where all us Rogers men folk go when we go to the service. I can't disrespect them by going into the damn Army."

The Judge's gavel fell and he said, "So ordered. If you join the Marine Corps or Army and complete one full enlistment your record will be expunged. You have two weeks to present the court with proof of enlistment or your sentence to County will be enforced. Court adjourned."

As he was walking down the aisle to exit the courtroom Lee saw a smirking Andrew and Sandra sitting in an observation bench. Sandra grinned when he came near them and hissed, "You got lucky there asshole. Next time you disrespect your betters we'll come up with a better punishment."

Lee felt his anger flair. He started to lunge toward Andrew but caught himself. It was all he could do to walk past the two gloating young people. He vowed their time would come. He would never forget they were the ones who caused his last humiliation.

CHAPTER 2

THE CORPS

Early the morning after his sentencing Lee drove to the nearest Marine Corps recruiting office. Within thirty minutes of entering the office he was scheduled for his testing, physical exam and had a tentative departure date pending the outcome of his tests and physical. Well, there was also the background check but the recruiter said his juvie records of disturbing the peace shouldn't matter.

To the surprise of the recruiter Lee tested very well. His speaking ability and looks sure were deceiving. There were many jobs open to the young man, some of which were in very good fields. Lee flat refused to consider most of the jobs he qualified for. He wanted to be given the specialty of a mechanic. That is what the recruiter put as number one on his wish list, however all military people know the needs of the service come first. There was no telling what job he would ultimately be trained for.

Nothing terribly memorable occurred in the seven weeks between his enlistment and departure for Parris Island and Boot Camp. Oh, sure, Lee made use of the fact he was going into the service to nail several more married (and a few unmarried) pussies before he left, but that is all.

Perhaps the most memorable thing that happened to Lee in this time was meeting Ramona Paulus socially. He remembered seeing her off and on for several years and even smiled and said hello to her occasionally when he visited the Chevy dealer with deliveries. She worked in the office and occasionally would be behind the parts counter when he delivered. Her primary job was in bookkeeping. 

Just over a week before his departure Lee was once again at the club. Somewhat to his surprise he struck out and didn't find anyone to take into the parking lot or home that night. Finally a little after one a.m. he left and went to Denny's for something to eat before going home. Lee was sitting eating his burger and fries when a slightly familiar woman walked up to his table. Lee thought she was pretty in a down home way. She was not a raving beauty like some of the women he knew but had a wholesome look that made his cock twitch and him want to ravish her. She filled out her cowgirl top and jeans better than most of the other women he'd seen that night.

The woman looked down at Lee for a moment and said, "I don't know if you remember me or not, Lee, but I saw you come in and decided I needed to talk to you before you leave."

Lee looked at the woman with a questioning look on his face then he remembered. "Yeah, I remember you. You work over at the Chevy dealer. I've seen ya in the office sometimes. Ya wanna sit down?"

Ramona smiled and slid into the booth across from Lee. She said, "Yeah. My name's Ramona Paulus. That bitch Sandy is my step sister. You know she and Andrew are the ones that got you into trouble don't you?"




Rogers Retreat



When Lee nodded his head yes she continued, "First, I want to tell you how sorry I am about that. They're both total assholes. I know you're not lily white yourself. I know you fuck those married women and you know that's not right, but they had no valid reason to cause all the trouble. What you did should have been between you and the women and their husbands. I could understand them telling if they were friends of one of the men but they aren't. Well, anyway I wanted to warn you. Andrew and some of his friends plan to keep you from going to the Marines on time. I think they also want to beat you up when they do it, too. He and Sandy really hate you. They think if you don't report in when you are supposed to you'll get some federal time. I heard Sandy and him laughing about it last night. I was going to call you or try to find you and tell you, but when I saw you here tonight I thought I would tell you here."

Ramona sat and watched Lee fearfully. His jaws clenched and his face turned red when she told him about the plot against him. He looked at her and asked, "You're sure about this? How do I know you're telling me the truth? Maybe you're with them and want me to do something that'll get me into more trouble? Or maybe you want me to hunt them down and do something stupid?"

Ramona felt as if she had been punched in the stomach. She became angry and started to jump up and leave the table. As she began sliding toward the outside of the booth she said, "Damn you. I was trying to help. What they're planning isn't right. I didn't do anything to deserve what you said to me. You know how Sandy and Andy are. What makes you think I would ever want anything to do with them or one of their schemes?"

For some reason what she said got to Lee. His arm shot out and he grabbed her arm as it rested on the table to help her stand. He said, "I'm sorry, Ramona. You're right. I don't have any reason to treat you that way. And I do know those two. What you say they're planning sounds like something they would try. Well, it sounds like something Andy would try. I guess I really don't know Sandy well. I've only talked to her a couple of times, but I know she's a stone cold bitch. You've always seemed nice when I was in the dealership. Please sit back down and let's talk for a while."

Ramona looked at Lee. He did look sorry and seemed calmer than he was just after she told him about Andrew's and Sandy's plans. She allowed her legs to relax and she once again sat and slid into the booth across from Lee.

Lee and Ramona sat and talked for almost two hours drinking coffee. They were surprisingly compatible. Lee found out Ramona grew up on a small farm one town over from where they now lived. Her grandfather on her mother's side owned and operated a junk yard just outside the town. She used to spend a lot of her free time there with him. Her father was an Army Reservist that died during Desert Storm. He worked with her grandfather in the junk yard and was trying to purchase the farm also. After the services her mother moved to this town to find work. They had to let the bank repossess the farm. Mrs. Paulus met Mr. Blessant and married him a couple of years after they moved to town. Ramona was three months older than Lee and had no male interest. She didn't fit in the country club set and didn't care for the arrogant red neck attitude of the rest of the men she met. Truthfully, she didn't know why she got along with Lee so well. Maybe the old Arabic saying held true; "The enemy of my enemy is my friend." She certainly felt as if Sandy and Andrew were her enemies. They didn't get along and took every opportunity to insult and demean her. She and Lee were in the same boat there.

As much as he hated to do it Lee let Ramona convince him to avoid the confrontation with Andrew and his friends. She spied on Andy and Sandy when she could and tried to warn Lee about their plans. Over the few days remaining before Lee left home Ramona and he became close acquaintances if not friends.

Finally the day of departure arrived. Lee's grandfather took him to the bus station for his trip to the Marine recruit depot. Just before Lee boarded the bus his grandfather who was once a Marine Corporal said, "Now, you remember what I taught ya, son. You already know how to shoot and you know some of how a Marine fights in unarmed combat. You remember to stay clean, keep your gear clean, and don't sass your superiors. I know ya got a mouth on ya, but you just keep it under control. A good Marine don't sass his superiors and is always looking to do better. I done taught ya how to be a marine so ya should do good there. I don't expect no less of ya."

"I will, gramps. I'll be a good Marine. You and pa will be proud of me, I promise."

"Well, ya learn what they have to teach ya and remember to keep your head down and watch out for your buddies. You do that and they'll take care of you son."

It was a pretty short bus ride to Knoxville, TN, the nearest large town with an airport. From the bus station Lee used a cab to get to the airport. He had never flown before; hell he had never been to Knoxville before either. He had never seen so many cars and people. Then he saw the airplanes! Jesus! They were monsters. Reading about them and seeing pictures or TV didn't prepare him for the actual size of many of the planes."

Lee almost missed his flight just because he was gawking at all the people and new sights. He had got lucky and his ticket was for a window seat. He spent the entire flight looking out. They got so high he couldn't even see the ground.

Finally, after they landed at the end of his first flight Lee went to the reception desk the Corps set up to gather the new recruits. After they got all the people on the list they were loaded into a Marine bus by a neatly dressed young Corporal. It seemed he didn't know how to speak in a normal tone of voice. Already he was screaming and yelling at the new recruits. Many of the young men became angry. Lee just grinned and did whatever the Corporal said to do. He already knew you didn't make waves or draw attention to yourself. You did the best job you could as fast as you could and this time it was get your things and get your lazy civilian asses onto that there bus!

Once again Lee managed had a window seat and he spent the entire drive from the airport to Paris Island looking out the window. As soon as they entered the base he plastered his nose to the window watching the Marines in training. Some were marching; some running and doing PT (physical training) and others were just running from place to place. There were also many Marine vehicles of various types moving about. Lee's mouth was dry from his excitement. He was excitedly looking forward to his great adventure.

As soon as the bus stopped the Corporal stood and began screaming. He said, "Awright, now, lissen up! Get yer lazy asses offa this bus and fall into ranks just out there. I want one body standing on each painted square right now. Move, move, move."

The young men stood and rapidly exited the bus carrying the small overnight bag they were allowed to bring. After everyone was standing on a square an older man with Staff Sergeant's stripes addressed them. He said, "Awright, now, I'm gonna call the roll to be sure alla you civilians are here. When I call your name you answer 'Here, Sergeant'. If I give you a command you say 'yes, Sergeant' or 'no, Sergeant. If you don't know the answer you will say 'I will find out, Sergeant.' Do I make myself clear?"

The sergeant stood and looked at the new recruits in disgust and yelled once again, "What did I just tell you dope heads?" He repeated his instructions and stood watching the young recruits. Finally some of the young men gave him an anemic "Yes, Sergeant" in answer.

The Sergeant yelled once again saying, "What? I can't hear you!" This time almost all the young men yelled, "Yes Sergeant."

The Sergeant smiled and said, "That's better. Now listen up. I'll call the roll." 

After all present had answered the Sergeant explained the procedures for the next few hours. He said, "OK, you know in general what we're going to do this afternoon and evening. The first thing we will do is get your hair cut. After you finish in the barber shop you will exit the shop and stand once again on your little square until everyone has their haircut. We will then begin completion of your personnel records and get your first issue of uniforms and equipment. Now, LISTEN UP. RIGHHHHHT FACE. Forward march. Hup, two, three, four. Hup two three four. Ok you morons, watch what you're doing. Take thirty inch steps. Your left foot hits the ground on Hup and three. Get in step. Your leeeffffft, your leeeffffft your left right leeeffffft. Hup two three four. Come on now, pick up the step. Your left right, leeeeffffft. Hup two three four."

At some point in time more men were added to the group Lee was in until they had enough to make a full Company of four Platoons. They were marched to a barracks carrying a Sea Bag mostly full of newly issued uniforms and equipment about 0100 hours. They were halted and called to attention. Their new Company Commander gave a short speech then turned the Company over to the First Sergeant. The First Sergeant (1Sgt.) turned the Company over to the Platoon Sergeants.

The PSG of Lee's Platoon stood looking at the assembled and exhausted new Marines. He said, "Awright, now, this is your home for the next several weeks. When I dismiss you I expect you to move in a rapid and orderly manner into the building behind you. You will move to the second floor and select a bunk. You will place your duffel beside your new rack. You will then make up your rack following the instructions you were given when you were issued your bedding. After your rack is made you will place your gear in your locker, again using the instructions you were given earlier. You will stand at attention at the end of your bunk when these tasks are completed and loudly state your name and 'done, Platoon Sergeant.' Either I or the Corporal will come and inspect your work. Do I make myself clear?"

"YES, SERGEANT."

"AWRIGHT. DISMISSED, FALL OUT."

After everyone chose a bunk the Platoon Sergeant stood at the end of the center aisle, put his hands on his hips and said, "Awright, now, the head is at the end of the corridor. I expect you all to shit, shower and shave every morning immediately after revile. You will then put on your uniform and fall out for training. Revile will be at 0430. Do I make myself clear here?"

"Yes, Sergeant."

"Good, now get your gear into those lockers and make those racks up so we can get to sleep."

The young recruits quickly put away their belongings and made up their beds (racks). Many of the young men had no idea how to make up their racks even with the printed instructions. The Sergeant and Corporal walked up and down the aisle giving instructions as needed. When the PSG came to Lee's bunk he stood and glared at him. The rack was neatly made, perfect corners, blanket on the rack and tucked in, sheet showing perfectly and the spare blanket neatly folded lying at the foot of the rack.

The Platoon Sergeant glared at Lee. He took a silver dollar from his pocket and flipped it onto the rack. It bounced once. The Sergeant looked again at Lee then picked up his coin. He barked, "Name?"

Lee stood to attention and said, "Robert E. Lee Rogers, Platoon Sergeant."

"Who taught you to make up a rack like that son?"

"My grand pappy and pappy, Platoon Sergeant. They were Marines also, Platoon Sergeant."

The Platoon Sergeant looked around and saw the rest of the recruits watching him and Lee. He glared at Lee a moment longer then turned back to the rest of the room and snarled, "What are you looking at? Get your asses back to work. When your rack is made up sound off. When everyone is done you can get your asses into your racks for some shut eye."

The Platoon Sergeant marched to the end of the aisle once again and stood watching as the laggards finished their work. He snarled, "Quiet, I don't expect to hear any noise in here." He turned the lights out and left the room.

Early the next morning loud speakers played revile just as the Platoon Sergeant slammed the door open, turned the lights on and began screaming, "Drop your cocks and grab your socks. Get your lazy asses outta those racks. MOVE IT. Get those racks made up and get cleaned up, then get yer asses outside and in formation. Ya got thirty minutes. Now, MOVE!"

Lee moved. He ran to the head and into the shower where he quickly soaped his entire body including his head and now almost nonexistent hair. He shaved while he was rinsing off the soap. After making sure his beard was gone he dried off and rushed back to his rack. Many of his fellow recruits were just stumbling into the head. A few were not even out of bed yet. The recruit in the upper bunk over Lee was one of those still in his rack. Lee looked up at him and said, "You better move your ass. That Sergeant will eat you alive if you don't move."

"AWWW, fuck him. It's still dark outside. This is bullshit."

"Man you better move. He told us we had to be in formation by 0500. You got ten minutes now."

The man slid from his rack and stumbled around. He said, "Fuck this shit. Man, this is bullshit."

He began rummaging in his locker and pulled a uniform from it then pulled it on. He sat on Lee's bunk to put on his boots. Lee grabbed him and pulled him off onto the floor. "Get your ass offa my bunk, asshole. Now I have to make it again. You never sit on someone's bunk and mess it up. Sit on the foot lockers or the floor."

While Lee was repairing his rack the young man said, "Fuck you. What's the big deal anyway?"

"You'll learn. Things have to be perfect here. You mess with your buddies bunk or things and get him in trouble and you don't get along. We have to cooperate and pull together. You know, teamwork. It's the only way to get through this or through combat. You better get your ass into the shower, too. You know he said shit, shower, and shave then dress and get into formation. You know he'll have your ass."

"Bullshit. He never gave us time to do all that. Now leave me alone. Crap, as dark as it is he'll never notice I didn't shower or shave anyway."

Lee shrugged and moved quickly out of the building to his assigned place in the formation. He was the third man out of the building. The Platoon Sergeant looked up at him then returned his eyesight to his watch. By that time many of the young men were moving slowly out of the building to find their places in the formation.

At exactly 0500 the Platoon Sergeant moved into the building and began screaming at the men still inside. As he passed each one he pushed them toward the door and said, "Move it. Get your lazy carcass out that door. He went into the latrine and emptied it. Some of the men were not even fully dressed when they were rushed outside. The corporal stopped each late man and took down his name as he came out of the barracks.

After everyone was in formation the Platoon Sergeant stood before the group and glared at them. He looked each man in the eye and shook his head. He said, "I don't know how I'm ever going to turn some of you into Marines. You're pathetic. Ok, you know the drill. I will call your name and you will answer 'here, Sergeant'."

After the roll was called the Platoon Sergeant took the clipboard from the Corporal and read off the names of those who were late exiting the barracks. He looked at the assembled recruits and said, "Those men whose names I just called will have an extra thirty minutes of training after knock off tonight. Maybe that will help them understand meeting deadlines and getting to formation on time. Tomorrow if anyone is late they will get an extra hour of training."

After the announcement of punishment for the laggards the recruits were marched to morning chow (breakfast). They were given thirty minutes to eat and get back into formation. After morning chow the recruits were marched back to their barracks where they took another hour to clean them. It was almost impossible for the recruits to get the level of cleanliness demanded by the sergeants and corporals. After the barracks were cleaned there was an hour of physical training then the recruits were marched to medical and further in processing.

The entire first week was filled with tests, in processing, medical, dental, and other administrative tasks. In the free time between in processing the new Marines were given instructions on other important job skills such as marching, basic soldering skills, barracks maintenance and cleaning, uniform protocol and so forth. There were also short classes in military courtesy and rank recognition. In short, they began to learn how to be Marines. For Lee and some of the other smarter men each day rapidly became easier. They all had aches and pains from the physical training but some took it easier than others.

Time progressed amazingly fast. Not surprisingly Lee took to the discipline and hard physical activity of Marine Corps Boot Camp. He knew what to expect from his family and was determined not to let them down and embarrass them. He was driven to succeed. Lee was small but wiry, in excellent physical shape from his years of hard work and tromping through the woods. Of course, his marksmanship was outstanding also. He quickly became a favorite of his Gunnery Sergeant/Drill Instructor. Naturally, this was not all good. That meant they kept their eyes closely on him and as all veterans know that is not a good thing. If your Drill Instructor knows your name he calls it many times for extra work. Lee was pressed into service to assist the trainers with his peers many times.

Unlike most of his peers who came from larger cities Lee enjoyed the training. Hell, most of it was much easier than the work he did at home. He excelled at unarmed combat training and learned numerous ways to take down opponents bare handed. He figured with his small size this training would be useful for the rest of his life so he put extra effort into it. Lee especially liked the field training. Crap, they actually paid him to tromp through the woods and camp out! On their final Field Training Exercise, Lee received a commendation. His platoon was part of the larger unit that was supposed to be involved in attacking a large heavily defended base. Lee's military skills and wood craft were held in high enough esteem that his sergeant allowed him and two of his friends to recon the position they were supposed to attack.

Lee and his friends quietly moved through the perimeter during their recon and set simulated explosive devices in and around the opposing forces command post, motor pool, and communication center. They then exfiltrated and reported to their sergeant.

The sergeant was pleased, skeptical, and pissed off all at the same time when they reported what they did. He said, "You assholes. I sent you on a reconnaissance mission. You were to do a recon and get your asses back here with the information we needed to make the attack. What if you were captured? Then we would lose more men because the enemy would know we were coming. In addition to that, we wouldn't have the intelligence you were sent to obtain. I don't know whether to kick your asses or pat you on the back. Come on. Let's go see the Lieutenant."

After seeing the Lieutenant, Lee and his buddies had to go to the company command post and report their findings and actions to the Captain. He looked at his watch and said, "Well, we'll see how well you did. Its ten minutes until the attack begins. You three stay with me and set off your explosives on my command. Lieutenant you and your Sergeant get back to your Platoon."

At the specified time the units began their attack. Just before the attack commenced the Company Commander gave Lee the order to set off his mines. Almost before the dust and smoke settled from the exploding mines (simulated) the attack began. There was only light and sporadic resistance from the unit being attacked. Lee's company swept through a hole in their defenses and moved on to the command post near the center of the attacked unit. They found referees standing around looking at the simulated casualties and grinning. The attack moved through the hole in the defensive perimeter and rolled up the opposition.




Rogers Retreat



After the end of the field problem Lee and his remaining recruit friends returned to their barracks. They spent the next week cleaning and turning in their training equipment and practicing for graduation. After graduation many of the men would go to the fleet or other Marine Units. A few would be assigned to other schools for more training.

Most veterans know there are two divisions in the personnel offices of the military. They are the Dirty Tricks Department and the Fairy God Mother department. Most of the personnel actions come from the Dirty Tricks Department. Lee was lucky. When it came time for selection to be made for his occupational skill he was assigned by the Fairy God Mother department and selected for further training as a mechanic.

When Lee arrived at his school after Boot Camp it quickly became apparent he could teach some of the instructors a thing or two about engines. Unfortunately, he still had to go through the course of instruction. Private Rogers quickly became an unofficial assistant instructor and spent his school time happily training his fellow students. Still, he did learn some new things, mostly about military specific engines and equipment and the military paperwork. He graduated number one in his class and received a promotion to Lance Corporal for his efforts. Six months later he took and passed the test for Corporal and was promoted shortly thereafter.

Lee's first assignment was to a unit working up to be assigned to Iraq. He was placed in the motor pool and quickly became proficient in his new job. Soon he was making repairs normally done by those with several years in service because he was not only faster on the job than others but he knew more about the equipment. Corporal Roger's efficiency reports were top mark. He was on the fast track for promotion and his Company Commander told him he had a bright future in the Marine Corps if he kept his nose clean.

Lee's job was hot and dirty. There was always too much work and too little time but he kept plugging away as would any good Marine. Time in Iraq went by slowly in one way but he was so busy that it went fast too. Soon his unit's year long deployment was over and they rotated home to the states once again. After stand down and retraining they were once again at the head of the list for overseas deployment.

This time Lee and his unit deployed to Afghanistan. Once again the workload and urgency of the work increased, but Lee was in his element. He loved the work and enjoyed being with most of his fellow Marines. About five months into this deployment Lee was NCO (Non Commissioned Officer) in charge of a wrecker crew sent to retrieve a broken down Hummer. They went in the company of a small security detachment, but he was in charge of the retrieval for the damaged vehicle.

Lee and his crew were hooking the vehicle to the wrecker while the security detachment stood guard when, as the military says, the shit hit the fan. Two RPG rounds impacted near the clustered vehicles and small arms fire began impacting Marines and their vehicles. Immediately the security detachment took the insurgents under fire. Lee and his crew took cover and began returning fire also.

All at once Lee's driver grunted and sort of melted into the ground. A stray round found its way into his chest through the arm of his protective vest. Lee grabbed him and pulled him into better cover then he tore his vest open to survey the wound. Lee quickly opened the Marine's first aid kit and dressed the wound as well as he could. He heard a noise and looked up just as a Taliban fighter took aim at him. Lee rolled to the side and grabbed his weapon. He quickly aimed at the attacking fighter and pulled the trigger. The Taliban fighter collapsed and Lee saw three more following behind. He turned his fire on them and took them out also. He saw a small group of white covered fighters near the perimeter and moved to meet them. 

As Lee neared the small group of rocks in which he intended to take cover he felt a stinging in his left leg. He tried to stand on it and fell onto the hard dusty ground. Lee looked down quickly and saw blood coloring his uniform. Lee looked up once again and saw some of the enemy moving toward him. He quickly turned his attention to the Taliban once again. He fired and threw grenades until the entire group he was facing was down. After the Taliban in Lee's sight were down he turned his attention to his wound. He applied a dressing then returned to his watchful guard. Lee maintained his position while his fellow Marines continued the battle elsewhere.

The firefight continued for several more moments then ended almost as rapidly as it started. The security detachment called in medical evacuation for the two men badly injured in the fight. Lee did not report his wound and the NCO in charge assumed the blood on his leg was from his injured driver. Lee finished hooking up the damaged vehicle while the security detachment finished securing the area. After the medevac Lee and his security detachment returned to base with the vehicle.

As soon as he reached the motor pool Lee climbed down from the wrecker. He collapsed when he tried to stand on his injured leg and woke up in a hospital. The wound was not serious enough for evacuation. Lee was given light duty for three weeks then returned to full duty.

Three months later Lee received notice he was awarded the Purple Heart for the injury and a Bronze Star with "V" device for valor in combat.

Lee and his unit remained in Afghanistan another seven months after his injury. In the tenth month of their deployment another crew was out on a recovery and repair mission when tragedy struck. An IED hit the vehicle the Sergeant in charge was in. None of the Marines were killed but all were injured badly enough to be evacuated back to the United States for treatment. Lee was called into his commander's office and promoted to Sergeant then placed in charge of his section.

The remainder of his tour passed uneventfully for Lee. After his return to the states he remained in his unit of assignment. By the time the unit had worked up to the top of the list for deployment once again Lee didn't have enough time remaining in the Corps to be deployed with them. He remained in his stateside base until he was released from active duty at the expiration of his term of service.

Lee considered himself somewhat lucky. He was never a "super trooper" but was always well respected by his superiors and peers. He was a hard drinking, hard partying southern boy and that didn't change. He had many scrapes with the rules and regulations but managed to avoid serious trouble during his four year enlistment. He served two tours overseas, one in Iraq and one in Afghanistan and returned home safely. He was immensely proud of his promotion to Sergeant and somewhat surprised. He knew if some of his hijinks had come to the attention of his superiors he would not have received that promotion. Never the less, he was the first of his family to ever be promoted to such a high rank in the Corps and he was proud as he knew his father and grandfather were. 

As with most people who enter the service, Lee was changed. Also as with most people who go in service the change was for the better. Upon his discharge Lee was healthy, fit, and had learned to be a self starter and a very responsible individual. While his basic personality did not change he learned to better control his fits of temper. He learned to curb his proclivity to fisticuffs. 

CHAPTER 3

AFTER THE CORPS

Finally, the long awaited day arrived. Lee was separated from active duty with the U S Marine Corps. He elected to take cash in lieu of a ticket home. Lee found he could pocket some serious change if he took mileage then purchased a bus ticket home instead of letting the government buy him an airline ticket.

When Lee's bus arrived in his home town he watched the streets and buildings pass slowly by as it approached the bus terminal. For some reason he had not taken any leave time to go home and visit during his entire enlistment and he was soaking up the changes and similarities of his old home. His eyes felt strangely wet. Finally, the bus stopped and Lee rose to resume his interrupted civilian life. Lee stepped off the bus and moved aside until the driver opened the luggage compartment.

Lee quickly grabbed his sea bag and walked toward the terminal. He had purposefully not told anyone he was returning home. He didn't want any fuss made about his return and was afraid his family would all insist on meeting him when he got off the bus. Now he wondered if that was a good idea. It would be a long walk home. Their small plot of ground and old house was over ten miles out of town. Lee could make the walk, no problem. That would be an easy hike compared to some he made in the Corps, but he would rather not do it.

It was almost noon so Lee walked down the street to the local café for lunch. When he entered everyone looked up to see who entered. Most of the customers immediately turned back to their meals. A very pretty waitress walked up to Lee and said, "Just sit , Honey. Ya want coffee now?"

Lee smiled at her and said, "Yes, Ma'am, I guess. No wait. I want a Coke instead and a double burger and onion rings. Throw on an order of fries, too, please."

"Ya got it, Sugar."

Lee moved to a booth in the front window. He put his Sea Bag on one seat and then sat down. He looked out the window until the waitress placed a glass of water and his Coke in front of him. She said, "Burger'll be done quick. There's free refills on the soda. Let me know if ya need anything else, Sugar."

While he was waiting for his meal, Lee sat quietly sipping on his drinks. A group of greasy looking young men entered the café. They were loud and boisterous. As they walked into the room they carelessly pushed chairs out of their way and moved a table or two by hitting them with their hips. They laughed at the commotion and took a table near two young women. Their talk was loud, bragging about themselves and making comments to the women. Lee ignored them as best he could. He listened to their conversation occasionally.

Lee was about half way through his lunch when something the slobs were laughing about caught his attention. By that time he had discovered they all worked at the local Chevy dealer in the garage. The taller the group said, "No shit? Andrew and Sandra Porter actually did that to Ramona? God, I love it. Bitch thinks she's too good for us. Hell, she refuses to go out with any of us. I ask ya, what's wrong with us? Nothing, that's what. I'm glad they put it to her."

Another said, "Yeah, give her some crap, sure, but there was no reason to get her fired. At least she was nice to us and would talk to us even if she wouldn't go out with us. They really had no reason to do that to her. And besides, Sandra and Andrew are total assholes. Ever since they finished college and came home they've lorded it over us worse than they did in high school. Crap, neither one of them ever talks to the help in a decent tone of voice. After he got to be new car manager and she became office manager they've been on a tear. That shit should have happened to them instead of Ramona. Crap, if they would do something like that to family what would they do to us if we piss them off?"

"Hell, Dude, if you knew they faked the records why didn't you tell the old man?"

"Duh. Maybe because I like to eat and I need my job not to mention I value my health. Andy and his buds would totally mess a dude up if he found out I ratted him out. Hell, look at what he did to that dude that got sent off to the Marines. What was his name? Oh, yeah, Lee Rogers. And what about what he and those asshole friends of his did to those two guys he thought were messing with Sandy. No, I don't want him to even know I exist."

"So where did Ramona go when they fired her?"

"Dunno. Left town. Even her mother couldn't help her I heard. She and the old man are having trouble over it I think. She believes Ramona and the old man believes the faked books and his daughter."

The three finished their meal and walked past Lee on the way to pay the cashier. One of them looked at Lee with a puzzled expression as he passed. Lee watched them in the parking lot. They stopped and were talking loudly. The one that looked at him as they were leaving was pointing at Lee through the window."

Lee decided it was time to move on. He shouldered his sea bag and walked out of the restaurant after paying his bill. He walked almost a mile to the edge of town and the shop where he used to work. When he entered, his old boss was lounging in the same chair he used while Lee worked there.

The owner looked up at Lee when he entered the door. He stared a moment then roared, "Lee, you son of a bitch! When did you get home? Damn, boy, it's good to see ya."

Lee said, "Just got in a while ago on the bus. Haven't even been home yet. I'm hoofing it and thought I'd stop in a spell on the way. How's it going you old fart?"

"About like before. Damn, ya look good. Come on and sit a spell while we catch up. What're ya hoofin' it for? I thought maybe ya stopped in for your ride." 

"Naw, hell, ya don't haveta give me a ride. I guess I'll just walk out to the place. I never told the folks I was acommin. Wanted ta surprise 'em."

"I wasn't offering ya a ride, Lee. I asked if ya were here fer your ride. I'm not too sure how much of a surprise your being home will be. Your daddy and granddaddy brought your ole truck in last week for me to tune up and get ready for ya. They told me your last letter said ya wasn't gonna reup so they expected ya home soon. I just happen to have the keys here if ya wantta take it."

"Really? Man, that's great. Hell, yeah." The two friends talked for another thirty minutes then Lee said, "Well, guess I oughtta go. I'm kind of anxious to see everyone."

"OK. Sure been good to see ya. Say, Lee, what're ya gonna do now that you're out?"

"Dunno. Take a couple weeks off to relax first, then guess I'll try to find a job somewhere. Know anyone that needs a good mechanic?"

"No, sorry, Lee. I would like to take ya on but I just don't have the work right now. I'll ask around though and let ya know if I hear anything."

Lee and his old Boss visited several more minutes then Lee paid him for the work on his truck. When Lee walked around behind the building to the parking area he stopped in shock. The truck sitting there had to be his but it wasn't at all like it was when he left home. While he was gone his family had paid for all the body work Lee wanted done. The truck sitting there was showroom new. It had been completely restored! After he started it he found even the interior and AC were redone. Finally Lee put the truck in gear and drove off toward home. The old truck was running like a top but he wished his folks hadn't hired it tuned. Hell, he could have done it for a lot less and would have enjoyed doing it too. 

It was almost dark when Lee drove into his family's yard and honked the horn. His mother came to the kitchen door then squealed and ran out of the house when she saw Lee walking toward the door. His father was coming along behind her. He heard a commotion from his grandparent's home and turned to see both of them coming across the yard toward him also.

Lee's mother enveloped him in a hug and gave him a kiss then stepped back to allow his father and grandparents to welcome him home also. After several minutes of excited chatter Lee followed his parents back into their house. He sat at the kitchen table with his father and they visited while his mother finished preparing supper. It was only a few minutes before his grandparents arrived carrying food to place on the table for an impromptu family gathering welcoming Lee home.

After a large meal and some much needed reconnecting Lee's father asked, "Well, Boy, what're ya agonna do now? Taint much work hereabouts. I can use some help around tha place but you know we caint rightly support ya."

"Yeah, I know Pop. I've got a little money saved from the Marines. I'm gonna spend some time on the island camping for a while then try to find work in town. I'm a damn good mechanic and I even can do a little fabrication and body work if I need to. Think I'll try for work over in Sparta instead of Waterloo though. I would like to have my own place sometime, but I don't want to compete with Burt or the Chevy garage here. I'll take a job anywhere though, if it's good enough. You know of anyone hiring?"

"No. Not so's ya could talk about. I wouldn't want to say. Best thing is to just hit the streets and ask around I suppose. Things are still pretty slow in these parts."

Lee stayed around the farm the next day visiting with his family. Late morning on the second day after he got home Lee loaded his camping gear into his truck and drove to town. He bought provisions enough to stay on the island for at least two if not three weeks. He had several cases of beer, some soda pop, dry beans, rice, eggs, taters, onions, coffee and other staples. He parked at the family pier and loaded the boat with his provisions. He took a roundabout trip to the island and circled it before landing at his usual place.

He had to make three trips to carry his provisions to his normal camping spot and even then he left some of the canned goods near the landing in a well concealed spot. Lee had several places he liked to camp on the island and he would probably move between them during the time he was there. His first stop was the best he thought, though. 

There was a little undercut bluff maybe fifty feet above the waterline surrounded by large trees so it was almost always in the shade. It was on the southeast part of the island and was an excellent place to sit and watch the sun come up in the morning. Many days he could watch the fog rise from the lake and the small stream that ran into the lake from the opposite shore. That stream was the southern boundary of his family's small piece of ground.

Lee settled in for a rest that first day. In the evening he took his fishing gear and went fishing. He caught enough fish for supper and to eat the next day. That evening Lee feasted on fresh caught fish, fried taters and onions, lettuce salad and pork and beans. That was his favorite lakeside meal and he looked forward to it the next day also. After supper he watched darkness fall while he had a few beers, then tapered off on some of his daddy's corn squeezins.

There were some squirrels on the island and Lee shot a few of them to eat as well. He even went over to the mainland and shot a small deer one morning. Of course, he had to be careful doing that because it wasn't deer season, but what the heck. He was living high on the hog for a country boy.

Before he knew it his provisions were gone and so was his self awarded vacation. He managed to spend a full three weeks on the island. His father and grandfather had each visited him twice during that time so he was almost completely caught up on the local gossip for the time he was in the Corps. Now it was time to find work even though his funds were nowhere near depleted.

Lee motored back to the mainland early on a Monday morning. He was dressed in his best clothes—nearly new Levi's and a pearl snap western shirt and his boots. Lee spent the complete day searching for work in Sparta. He stopped in all the garages and talked to the managers or owners. None of them gave him much hope of work but most said they would keep him in mind.

Lee purchased some supplies and returned to his island instead of returning to his parent's home. On Tuesday Lee stayed on the island once again and relaxed. By now his little overhang was feeling and looking real homey. He spent some time cutting and putting up small logs to extend the walls outward and then roofed the newly added "room". He even got busy one day and chinked the cracks in the logs with a clay and grass mixture. He roofed over the entire undercut so he had a small covered porch on one side of his "room" also. The protection helped a couple of times during a hard rain and he expected it to help even more in the cooler months if he spent time there like he used to. He even built a small fire area inside in case he wanted some heat.




Rogers Retreat



On Wednesday Lee once again went into Sparta looking for work. This time he checked back with a couple of places where the owner or manager had been gone before then hit two farm implement dealers also. On his way back into town from an implement dealer just outside of Sparta Lee saw a sign for Tinkers' Salvage. On a whim he drove into the lane and wound his way onto the property. He drove past several old wrecked cars until he came to a rough looking but sturdy building with an office sign on it.

Lee got out of his truck and was met at the door to the office by a weathered skinny old man. The man looked at Lee then spit tobacco juice onto the ground. He said, "Hep ya, son?"

"Yes, Sir. I sure hope so. I just got out of the Marines and come home. I'm lookin for work. I was a mechanic before I went into the Corps and that's what I done all four years I was in. I was just wonderin' if ya might have need of a good mechanic. I can also fabricate some parts and I'm passable good on simple body work."

Spit. "Well now, son, I don't rightly know if I need help or not. I mostly just let folks wander around and pull their own parts. That seems to work ok for me."

"Yessir, I guess it would but how do ya know they aren't taking more than they're paying for? If you had a puller you might not lose as much to crooks."

"Yeah, I recon, but I don't hardly make enough to be a paying a young feller to sit around and wait on someone to come huntin a part here. Some days I don't sell three or four things."

"Who drives your wrecker there, Sir? Do you drive it or do ya have help? If you drive it, how many sales do ya lose if you're out on a call?"

"Well now, you might have something there son. I don't get more than a couple or three calls a week but when I do it might take me two or three hours round trip."

"I'm licensed for everything up to and including semi trucks. I have a CDL and HazMat endorsement. I could drive the wrecker or I could keep the store open while ya were gone if you wanted to do it."

"Well, Son, I don't know. I just couldn't pay ya much. This's just a one man operation I got here."

"How about this? I'll keep looking for work but I'll come here every day and be available to drive or pull parts if you need me to. I'll work for a percentage of the gross take and while I'm just sitting around I'll pull some of the more commonly needed parts for you to store in the building there. I'll label them with the pertinent information and I'll have them already pulled if you need them. Then, if I'm gone and you need something I've pulled already it will be a fast and easy sale. Most of the larger salvage yards do that now. Some of them even pull engines and undamaged body parts to store inside for a quick sale. Almost all the big salvage yards have an internet site and sell parts that way too. Do you have one?"

Old Burt laughed and said, "You kids and the internet. Look around, Son. I don't even have one of them computers here. I wouldn't know how to use it if I did. You sound just like my granddaughter. She's always on me to get a computer and use the internet. Hell, Son, I'm too old to learn those new things, I do just fine like I am."

Lee and Burt Paulus sat and discussed his work proposal among other things for over two hours. At the end of the discussion they had hammered out a deal. Lee would work five and a half days a week but he would continue looking for full time work. Lee would be paid 20% of the gross sale on parts and 20% of each towing bill if he drove the wrecker. No benefits. Each of the men was happy with the deal.

Lee was happy because he had work even if it might not pay much and it was in his favorite industry. He got to work with engines and vehicles. Besides, he didn't need much income as his expenses were very low. He continued to live on the island through the summer so his only expense was a little food and beer and the fuel to get to and from work. He was happy with the situation and so was Mr. Tinker. Lee ended up working much more than a 40 hour week. Many days he got to work early, about 7 a.m., and sat around drinking coffee with Burt. Many other days he just sat around after normal business hours visiting or sometimes finishing up a job he was working on before quitting time.

After Lee had been working for almost three weeks he heard a vehicle drive into the lot. He looked out the open door of the office and saw a small beaten up Honda Accord stop in front of the door. A young woman was driving. He watched her get out of the car and stared at her. He knew he should know her. When she came in he could see she was dressed in a white waitress uniform with a name tag on her left breast. The name tag said Ramona.

Lee smiled and said, "Hello, Ramona. How are you?"

She looked at him and frowned, then said, "OK. How do you know my name? And where's Grandpa? Mr. Tinker."

"He's out back somewhere with the loader. He'll be back soon or you can go find him if ya want. You really don't remember me do you? I'm..."

Ramona grinned real big as she broke into his sentence. She yelled, "You're Lee Rogers. When did you get back from the army? And what are you doing sitting here? Is grandpa pulling a part for you or something?"

"Marines, Ramona. I was in the Marines, and I got back about six weeks ago or so. Bert's not pulling a part for me. He wanted to move a few old cars and it was a nice day so he took off. I work here now. So how are you? What're you doing now? I heard you got fired over at the Chevy dealer. I'm sorry. I heard Sandy and Andy dumped on ya to get it done."

"Yeah, and no one would believe me when I explained I hadn't done it. Hell, you could even see where the books were altered, but Sandy's dad bought their line of crap. At least he didn't try to put me in jail. I'm still not sure momma's marriage will last. Now Sandy and Andy are working on getting rid of her I think."

Lee and Ramona sat and visited for almost 45 minutes before Bert came driving up in his loader. They brought each other up to date and exchanged stories about their lives and their favorite assholes, Andy and Sandy.

When Bert came into the office Ramona jumped from her chair and ran to her grandfather. She gave him a quick hug and a kiss on the cheek then returned to her seat. Bert poured a cup of coffee and sat in his ratty, broken down old chair with his feet on his desk. He listened to the youngsters talk for a moment then said, "It sounds like you two know each other. Am I right?"

Lee and Ramona both said, "Yeah," at nearly the same time. Ramona went on to explain how they knew each other and then began visiting with her grandfather. Lee moved off to do some more work. He had already pulled more parts than he had room to store efficiently. Now he was trying to clean out the large building and put in shelves and storage systems. He patterned his storage after the military. He was using paper records but still hoped he could talk Burt into setting up a computer system in the future. As time passed, Lee was also making an inventory of cars on the lot and their location in case someone needed something not already pulled. That way they could locate a specific vehicle and part faster. He needed to have a list of available parts to pull on each vehicle too. It was a mind boggling task. He was in awe of Burt's memory about the items on the lot, their location, and the parts remaining, but knew the computerized inventory would work much better. Many times Burt's memory was wrong about a location or part remaining and made for a longer than necessary foray into the lot. 

As he worked around the salvage yard Lee was becoming more and more excited about the possibilities. In addition to many vehicles made in the last few years there was a large number of the old muscle and classic cars. Some of them were in pretty good shape, all considered. Of course, being stored outside caused them to rot and rust away to varying degrees but many of them were restorable. He wanted to identify all of them and make a special list of available parts and nearly complete vehicles so they could sell them to collectors.

As the weather cooled Lee found himself doing more work inside. To his surprise he found a good mechanics bay and an area he could work on auto bodies in the back corner of the building. Most of the tools he would need were there still also. He moved everything except the tools outside and used old metal and lumber to continue making shelves and bins for parts already pulled. He even had radio's and stereos pulled and in the main office on display. He pushed Bert and harangued him until he bought some air time to advertise his Salvage Yard on a couple of radio stations and put written advertisements in the local papers. Business picked up and became a steady stream. Many of their customers said they hadn't known the Salvage yard was there and normally went to one almost fifty miles away. Some of those that knew the salvage yard was there thought it was closed until they saw the advertisements. They also began receiving more calls to pick up old vehicles. Many times they were just given the vehicles for hauling them away, other times they were paid to take the vehicles. They always tried to get enough from the vehicle owner to pay for the trip, then the parts pulled were pure gravy.

After business picked up Lee next pushed Bert to go to some of the auctions held by insurance companies to get rid of their salvaged, totaled, or recovered stolen vehicles. Now they began to have more modern parts for sale. One day, when Ramona was visiting, Lee mentioned he wanted to get a computer system set up and find someone to build a website for the business. She was excited about that and volunteered to help. She said, "Oh, I think that would be a great idea. I have a degree in Accounting and a second one in Computer Information Systems. I could set up the books on the computer and even build a web page if gramps wanted me to."

Burt looked back and forth between Lee and Ramona and gruffly said, "Ok damn it. If I let you two get a computer will you shut your mouths? I'm tired of listening to you yammer on and on about those damn computers. Go ahead and get one but leave me alone would ya?"

Ramona grinned and quickly hugged her grandfather then said, "You won't be sorry, Grandpa. It will help your business a lot. I promise."

After she hugged Burt, Lee asked, "With those degrees why are you waiting tables at the diner?"

"Because those assholes ruined me. No one wants to hire someone to keep their books or work in their IT department if they've been accused of embezzlement. It doesn't matter I can prove I didn't do it. It doesn't matter I was never arrested or tried for any crime. Just the fact I was fired for embezzlement is enough. I'm pretty sure the assholes Sandy and Andy are still putting out bad words about me, too, but I can't prove it. Even if I could prove they were blackballing me I don't have the money to do anything about it. I can't find better work around here than the diner and I don't want to move away even if I could outrun my reputation."

"Oh, I'm sorry." Lee sat and looked at Ramona for a moment then he grinned and continued, "You know, we really need someone to help out here and keep our - CRAP, I mean your grandfather needs someone to keep the books and help with the paperwork. Neither one of us is very good at that kind of thing. I only have a two year degree in business management and I did that so I could run my own garage sometime. I think it would be a great idea if you set up the systems and helped us. Why don't you ask him if he could use your help? I think we're probably making enough now he could even afford to pay you something."

As soon as Bert came into the room again Ramona asked him about letting her help in the office. She told him she knew where they could get a good used computer and printer scanner combination already loaded with the software they would need. It would be cheaper than a new one and she knew how to use it already.

Lee looked at Ramona and asked, "How do you know that? Won't it be expensive?"

Ramona grinned and said, "Well, it could have been but I have a customer that eats almost every lunch at the diner. He owns a computer and office machine company. I overheard him complaining that he just got the contract to replace Blessant Chevy's server and workstations. When I overheard him he was complaining about having trouble with Andrew and Sandy. If I can get to him before he deletes the software on the machines I might be able to talk him into selling the machines to us and 'forgetting' the software is on them. It's worth a try anyway. At the least we will get good machines for a reasonable price. I know they replace their machines every two years and most of them aren't used much. If we have to we can buy cheaper software or I can make do with spreadsheets and databases."

Two weeks later Bert, Ramona, and Lee stood in the now cleaner and more modern appearing office looking at their new server and two new workstations. They were smiling and Ramona was bouncing in excitement. Ramona worked the 6:00 AM to 2:00 PM shift at the restaurant. As soon as she got off work she drove out to the Salvage yard and began working on the books and computer system. The software wasn't exactly what they needed since it was originally set up for a new car dealership but they made it do. Lee was especially pleased with the program used for the parts inventory in the dealership. It was easily converted to use at the salvage yard. The program set up for new car inventory worked for the wrecks. Where the equipment was to be listed they instead entered the equipment still available on the wreck.

Instead of leaving at 5:00 PM when he normally did, Lee found himself staying until eight or later in the evening when Ramona quit. She was putting in twelve to fourteen hour days when the restaurant and Salvage Yard hours were added together. She was exhausted and happier than she had been in years. Not only that, she was actually making enough money to pay her current bills and to pay down her debts, too.

As the winter progressed, Ramona and Lee became friendlier. They looked for each other and spent all the time they could together. One day, Ramona didn't show up at the salvage yard when she usually did. After she was an hour late Lee began phoning her cell phone. When she didn't answer or return his calls he phoned her work. They told him she received a call about 10:00 AM and took off for a family emergency. Now Lee was really worried. He asked Bert if he knew what was going on. Bert had no idea either and began to worry along with Lee.

Finally, at almost 5:00 PM, Ramona phoned Lee to return his calls. When Lee saw it was Ramona calling he excitedly said, "Ramona, are you all right? Where are you? Do you need any help?"

Ramona finally managed to break into Lee's questioning and said, "LEE. YES, I'm ok. I'm sorry I didn't call you earlier. I was just so upset and worried I forgot. That Blessant asshole finally kicked mom out and she called me to come get her. He wouldn't even let her take her SUV. He said it belonged to the dealership. I have her at my apartment now and we're moving her in. I'll come to work tomorrow like I usually do and let you and gramps know everything. I'm sorry I worried you."

The next day Ramona and her mother, Sylvia, both showed up at the salvage yard. Sylvia came mostly to visit with her father, Bert, but before the evening was over she was helping all three do their jobs. She even seemed happier when they all closed and went home. After that day, Sylvia came with Ramona two or three days a week. She was looking for work but hadn't any success yet. Finally, Bert offered her a job much as he gave Ramona. He made Sylvia the warehouse manager. It was her responsibility to keep records of the inventory, store it, and make sure the correct inventory was in the computer.

With Sylvia's employment Lee found he had more free time. He wandered around the lot for a few days verifying his memory of the vehicles still there and the parts still on them so Ramona could enter them in the computer. One day he stopped in an area containing a lot of empty shells, the good parts already gone from them. He turned and went looking for Bert. When he found him he said, "Hey, Bert. I've been looking over the lot and have an idea. We have several old wrecks that almost all the good parts are off of. I think it's time for us to take some of the scrap to the recycling lot. If we sell some of the picked over chassis we'll free up some space and I can begin to put the same make and model vehicles together to make salvage easier. I would eventually like to have one section for cars, one for SUV's, and one for trucks, then each section divided by make and model. It would be easier to find parts that way."

"Hell, Boy, I don't care, just go for it. Crap, I'm making more money here since you came than I ever have. I'm good with pretty much whatever ya want to do here."

The next morning Lee drove Bert's old truck to a central point and began loading the stripped cars onto it. High quality scrap steel was selling for over $150 a ton and they made a killing before Lee felt he had the lot stripped of the less useful chassis.

After the lot clean up Lee was once again restless. He went to Bert and asked if he cared if he tried to rebuild some of the least damaged wrecks. He would have to get a salvage title for any vehicle he repaired if it had been considered totaled, but he was sure there would be a market for the vehicles. He could sell the rebuilt vehicle for considerably less than a comparable undamaged one and done right you could not tell a rebuilt salvage vehicle from an original. Once again Bert told Lee to do whatever he wanted.

While Lee was working on the vehicle he was rebuilding he became upset. He found many parts he needed that they did not have in their stock of wrecks. They were just on the edge of town, but it was still nearly a twenty minute drive each way to the parts store. Lee convinced Bert to open a parts store in the lot. For the immediate future Sylvia would work the parts counter as would Bert and Lee. If business picked up they would have to hire a counter clerk and perhaps even a delivery driver.

Lee graveled the front lot and placed some of the least damaged wrecks on it. As he completed a rebuild, that vehicle was also placed on the lot. Crap, now they needed a part time salesman. They hired a young woman named Betsy (Elizabeth) to do the sales job and work part time behind the parts counter. As word got around about the parts and cheap rebuilt cars, business once again picked up. Lee had to hire another mechanic to keep up with the increased business. Now they were even taking on some repairs. That started when some of the customers wanted to know if they could install the parts they purchased. Profits went up once again.

Everyone was so busy and so happy they didn't even notice when Sylvia's divorce became final. Since she signed a pre-nuptial agreement when she married Blessant she got a very small settlement. She only got her personal possessions and $10,000 per year for each year they were married. She offered that money to her father for operating capital if he needed it. He refused.

Instead of advertising the most popular classic and muscle cars for sale, Lee reserved them. He intended to restore them in his rare spare time. The less popular ones they put on the internet for sale. They actually managed to sell part of them for well over what they could have received had they gone for scrap. Once again all were happy. Lee's first completed restoration was a numbers matching 1967 Chevelle SS 396. They only had $15,000 in parts in the vehicle and it sold for $81,250.

Lee's second classic restoration was a 1969 Mustang Fastback, once again numbers matching. The happy group had great hopes for that job, also.