All Aboard Andi's Dream Ch. 09

"It came to my attention that we have an expectant mother or two in our midst."

Paul suddenly went cold. They were going to see the doctor before making any announcements. Andi and Macy glared at him with daggers in their eyes. "Is that right?" he said, his throat going dry.

"Yes," said Tammy. "You know who you are, come on... stand up..."

Andi glared at Paul and wordlessly said, "No!" Macy wordlessly said something in French that Paul thought wasn't complimentary. But then a young woman stood. Cindy and her husband Andy Windecker stood up. Cindy was Tammy Schatz's youngest daughter, and this was their third child.

When the applause ended and Cindy and Andi sat down, but Tammy continued, "There's more! Come on!" and again there was tension between Paul and Andi, but eventually Harlee Babcock, another young woman, stood with her husband Dave. Paul breathed a sigh of relief, and Andi and Macy stopped scowling at him.

When the applause ended, Paul tried to wrap it up and get on with the service. "If there are any more announcements..."

"We're not done," said Tammy. "Come on..." and at that moment Andi stood up. Paul grinned as Andi blew him a kiss and the congregation applauded. Paul said, "Anyone else?" and to the gasps of the congregation, John and Macy stood.

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It was joyful bedlam after the service as everyone tried to congratulate Macy and John. Their attempts to have a child were the worst kept secret in Erie County, but this time, it looked like they would be blessed. "You got your house finished just in time!" was the common expression and indeed, the nursery would soon be filled with furniture from Uncle Paul and Aunt Andi.

"I didn't say anything!" said Paul to John's glare. Paul may be the older brother by seven years, but here in Springville Congregational Church, John had rank.

"Tammy figured it out," said Macy. "She overheard us talking about it earlier."

"She talked us into doing it," said Andi.

"So you let me stand up there and suffer, thinking you suspected me of spilling the beans?"

"Uh huh."

"Oui."

"You two are cold," groaned Paul. "Cold, mean, and callous."

"And we need pancakes."

"Oui."

"Let's go," said Paul. It's been a while since he made a pancake breakfast.

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"I love it," said Lucy. "I really, really love it," she gasped, her voice overwhelmed with passion. "I love the way it feels. You? What do you think? Be honest, you can't hurt my feelings."

"It's been a long time since I have done something like this," said Gus. His hands were actually shaking.

"I really need to know what you think... I need to know how you feel about it, I want to know what's in your heart," said Lucy as their eyes met.

"Ok, give me a moment, it's been so long..."

"Let's just do it!"

"OK," he said nervously.

Gus pushed in on the clutch, eased the Hurst Competition Plus four speed shifter into first and turned the key. The 396 Chevy engine roared to life and as he goosed the throttle, the car jumped. The Chevy 396 rumbled impatiently. It wanted to eat the road. The torque of the engine twisted the whole car when he goosed the throttle, then Gus eased up on the clutch. With a throaty purr, the black and chrome 1969 Chevy Nova eased out onto the road and rumbled as it headed up Mill Street in Williamsville. It handled like a Formula One car, glued to the road as it ran through the double S curve on Mill Street and climbed up the steep hill to Main Street without breaking a sweat.

Gus turned left on to Main Street, and they purred through Williamsville on the warm spring afternoon. Soon Main Street became a two-lane street heading east to Clarence, and Gus put his foot into it. Neck Snapping acceleration! "Was I right?" shouted a grinning Lucy over the roar of the 396.

"This is perfection!" cried Gus.

"I want it," said Lucy. "I want this for a street cruiser."

"I thought you wanted to drive my Ranchero."

"I think this will look better next to your 1970 442."

"Let's see what Westly thinks." They returned to Mill Street and pulled in to Mill Street Auto and the owner Westly stepped out with a grin.

"Gus! What did you bring me to play with now?" Wes said with a jovial grin.

"A nineteen sixty nine Chevy Nova, with Holley 3310 four barrel, four speed with..."

"Oh, you brought a car too? I thought you were talking about this Sweet Adeline here," said Westly with a grin.

"How did you know?" asked Lucy.

"Pop the hood." As Gus lifted the hood, Westly went back into his shop and came out with a fender cover, a rag or two, a flashlight and a three foot long screwdriver. "I know all and I see all good doctor," said Westly as he took off the air cleaner and peered down into the barrels of the carb.

"Ok, where do you know me from," said Lucy.

"The Queen City Chordsmen," said Westley as he slid under the engine and inspected it and the front suspension.

"I don't sing with the Chordsmen," said Lucy, with her hands on her hips.

"No. But I do," grinned Westley as he slid out from under the car.

"Westley... Wes? Wes Barker?" With a cry, she went to hug him and he tried to return the hug without getting grease on her.

"What am I missing?" asked Gus.

"Wes and I sing Barbershop Harmony. I'm with the gateway chapter of the Sweet Adelines, and Wes sings with a men's chorus in Lancaster." She turned to Wes and said, "Were you in on that prank one of your guys pulled on Veronica von Köster?"

Wes grinned underneath his thick handlebar mustache. "It wasn't a prank, we did a comedic serenade out at the Ellicott Manor for the new guy, southern boy, and his date. Josh Gravely. It was their first date."

"She loved that! She talks about it all the time," said Gus.

"If she loved it that much, it had to be me singing tenor," said Wes as he waggled his eyebrow. "Fire it up and let it idle." He placed the tip of the screwdriver at one of the bolts on the valve cover and placed his ear on the handle and listened to the valve rockers. After inspecting them, he leaned over and inspected the carb with a flashlight as he gunned the engine a few times with the throttle assembly, then said, "Kill it!"

As Westly put the air cleaner together, he winked at Gus. "Nice! Chrome air cleaner cover probably gives you four extra horsepower."

"It's a street cruiser, Wes," said Gus with a grin that wouldn't fade. "Lucy is thinking of buying it."

"How much does the owner want?"

"Twenty five."

Wes looked at Lucy and said, "Offer him twenty two. But do not let this one get away."

"That's just what I thought!" she nearly squealed with delight.

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The afternoon was warm, and the snow was melting fast. Five-year-old Sandy Roberts and her twin sister Madeline were full of energy and couldn't contain themselves on this sunny Sunday afternoon. The twins were happy because they became instant celebrities at Sunday School. Pastor John Jarecki and his wife Macy were considered extremely cool by the kindergarten through third grade Sunday School class and the twins were bubbling with excitement that they were going to be cousins. "You're related to Pastor John?" asked Wendy, a dark-haired girl who is in the first grade. Wendy is naturally suspicious of almost everything.

"He's my uncle!" said Sandy.

"Unka John," added Madeline.

"You just moved to town! How can he be your uncle?"

"Because his brother is their father," said Paul as he entered the room. It was his turn to teach Sunday School to the kids. Paul's only claim to fame among the kids is the guitar that he plays.

Wendy looked at Paul, their father, then back at the twins, and the connection was made. "How come you're excited about becoming a cousin and not about becoming a sister?" Wendy asked.

In unison, the twins replied, "I already am a sister."

Paul had a hard time completing the lesson plan without laughing. He couldn't wait to tell Andi.

After church, it was time for chores before John and Macy came for Sunday dinner. While Andi and Paul were clearing the sidewalk of ice, the twins were making boats of sticks and leaves and sailing them down the thundering Howard Avenue River.

"Ahhh! NO! HELP!" cried the miniature imaginary sailors on Sandy's leaf yacht as it hit the rapids and neared the giant beast.

"All ashore that's going ashore!" Madeline cried.

"They will get drownded!" cried Sandy.

"It's too late!" shouted Madeline. "The monster has them!"

"YAAAAAAaaaaaa...." cried the twins as the leaf got sucked down the storm drain on the curb.

"Hey guys," said their neighbor Veronica as she approached on the sidewalk. "Sailing boats in the street?"

"Yeah, we lost another one," pouted Madeline.

"A monster ate it," said Sandy.

"I used to do that when I was your age. It's a lot of fun but you need to watch out for cars," said the vivacious blond.

"Thank you," said Andi. "I didn't realize they got into the street again." Then she called to the twins, "That's enough playing in the street, get back in the driveway." Andi and Paul were clearing the sidewalk of ice. Andi used a sidewalk ice chopper to chop up the ice that was made by passing feet, crushing the snow into ice. Behind her was Paul with a flat shovel scooping the chopped ice off the sidewalk.

"We're almost out of snow!" complained Sandy. At one point, there was well over six feet of snow on their front lawn, but with warming and cooling trends, the snowpack melted down and the only snow left was the piles of snow left behind by the snow blower and the road plow.

"Play with Wonka!" called Andi.

As their parents chatted with their neighbor, Sandy and Madeline amused themselves by throwing ice chunks in the air for Wonka, their dad's chocolate lab, to catch. Eventually, the twins were soaked, their boots were full of water, the driveway was covered with the ice chunks that they threw, but the sidewalk was clear. "Come on you guys, let's go dry off, Uncle John and Aunt Macy are coming over for dinner."

John and Macy were frequent dinner guests. As the pastor of a small rural church, John doesn't make a lot of money preaching, and he supplements his income as an assistant carpenter and he built all the cabinets in their house. Secretly, Paul purchased the lumber that John used for his cabinets and John's trainer, Gus, would say, "I have some more left over maple if you'd like to use it." John and Paul are heir to a large pool of money and Paul continues to add to that pool with his successful management of their father's business. Since John is a pastor, he thought he should only use that money in emergencies, like when his ancient Reliant K's motor died. Paul had to convince him to get a decent used Ford Fusion.

Macy had a sweet little Alpha Romeo Spider that she bought before she met John. That car was constantly in Paul's shop. It was incredibly impractical and should never be driven in the winter, but when it was running, it was incredibly fun.

"Come on, get inside!" scolded Andi, and she chased the girls inside, promising a hot bath before dinner. Paul put the tools away in the ornate tool shed behind the garage, then rolled out his charcoal grill. He was cooking steaks for the folks tonight, and only charcoal provides the essential heat to cook a steak properly. Paul wadded up a full page of the Buffalo Evening News and shoved it in the bottom of his charcoal starter (A large can with the bottom cut off) and set it on the grate, then filled the can with charcoal. He held a lighter under the can and soon the newspaper caught and the chimney action of the can fanned the flames and soon the charcoal was catching.

"Lump charcoal?" asked John, which startled Paul.

"I didn't hear you guys pull in!"

"We walk, it's only a mile between our houses," said John's wife Macy. "Doctor Shifferle wants us to walk every day." Doctor Shifferle was Andi and Macy's OB/GYN.

"What's on the menu?" asked John as Paul handed him a ginger ale, then opened a beer for himself.

"Steaks, salad, baked taters, and last year's corn."

"Oh, that was good corn!" sighed Macy. It came from the Jarecki family garden and was the sweetest corn they ever tasted. Paul quickly froze corn cobs and shelled corn. The frozen corn cobs didn't last the winter, Macy saw to that. The corn was delicious, and she ate more than her share of the frozen corn cobs. Sweet corn on the cob and popcorn are her #1 guilty pleasures, but there was plenty of frozen kernels from the corn that Paul shelled and froze.

"I hope Kenny has the same corn seed this year," said Paul.

"Once again you're preparing a feast for us!" said John as he patted Paul's arm.

"We love to cook and we love you," said Paul.

Macy entered the house, and John stayed outside with Paul. "Have you heard from the Staff Judge Advocate?" asked John.

"Yes, I'm heading back to Cincinnati on Tuesday. Can you come with me? I'm going to need support."

"What about Andi? You should go to Cincinnati with Andi and we'll watch the girls."

Paul frowned. "You know the entire story of Melony and what I went through."

"That's right," said John. "And your wife, the person who you have based your life around knows almost nothing about it. Don't you owe her the truth of your past?"

Paul stared at the fire, then took a pair of pliers and lifted the can and blazing hot charcoal spilled out the bottom. He spread the coals around and added some more charcoal. He looked at John for several long moments, then said, "I hate it when you're smart."

"Is the fire ready?" called Andi.

"Pretty close," called Paul as Yi's truck pulled into the driveway and she and Kenny hopped out.

"I invited Kenny to dinner," said Andi from the depths of the house. "He's going to bring a guest."

"Miss Carlson, it's good to see you," said Paul as Yi and Kenny stepped up to the fire. Yi was still wearing her dress from church. They spent the afternoon with Kenny's family. "Can I get either of you something to drink?"

"What do you have?" asked Kenny.

"Ginger Ale or Cream Ale."

"Genny," said Yi, letting Paul know she wanted a beer. Yi used to be a heavy drinker but since being around Paul and Andi she cut way back. It has saved her a lot of money.

"We were just talking about the corn from our garden last year," said Paul.

"Oui, with our family growing, we're going to have to make a bigger garden," said Macy.

"Macy is the chief gardener, she designs and plans the garden," said John. "We make it happen."

"I think we have sod busting to do," said Paul, and John nodded in agreement. Sod busting meant that they were going to have to till ground that has been grown over with hay and hasn't been plowed in years.

"What did you grow last year?" asked Yi.

Macy thought for a moment. "Corn, beans, potatoes, tomatoes, carrots, zucchini, radishes and onions."

"Any suggestions chef Yi?" asked Paul.

"Off the top of my head... beets, garlic, collard greens, mustard greens, lettuce, cucumbers, green and jalapeno peppers. Acorn squash for me, pumpkins for the kids."

"Sounds good!" said Andi, as she came out of the house with a platter of steaks. "How big is this garden?"

John, Macy and Paul looked at each other and shrugged. "I think we may go up to a full acre this year," said Paul. "Maybe bigger."

"That's a good size, with your mechanization you can go bigger, leave room for irrigation," said Kenny.

"How big is that? asked Andi.

"An acre is fifty by one hundred yards, we can plow up twice that easy if we wanted to.

Andi was shocked. The biggest garden she's ever seen was less than ten square feet. "That's a huge garden."

"We got the equipment. We have two tractors, a three bottom plow, a disc cultivator, a harrow, and we have a couple of hand tillers, and seeders. All we need is a proper layout for the garden and I can get tilling soon as I get back from Cincinnati," said Paul as he put the steaks on the grill. Each steak took about eight minutes as Paul flipped the steak over every two minutes, branding the steaks with a criss-cross pattern and charring the edges.

"This is really the first chance we've had to set the table for our friends like we do in the summer," said John as Andi and Macy set out salad and potatoes and bowls of corn. "Normally Gus will join us but he said that Lucy asked him to join her for some fun and possibly romantic activity."

"I'd hate to speculate what Gus and Lucy are up to," said Kenny.

"Why is that?" asked Yi as they sat down at the table.

"Gus has two daughters that married and moved away, one is in Rochester and the other is in Ohio," said Paul. "Not long after they moved his wife died and he's been alone ever since. Lucy is the first woman that Gus has gone out with in years."

"Really?" said Andi. "I think Gus is the first man that Lucy has ever been serious about."

Looking around the table at the smiles for their friends, John said, "Let's not worry about what they're up to, we'll find out soon enough. Paul, would you like to say grace?"

"Let's join hands," said Paul and as they all joined hands, outside, a muscle car roared and snorted as it rolled by the Jarecki house. "Thank you lord for the meal you have blessed us, the friends you have given us, and the love you showed with the sound of a big block chevy."

Macy turned to Andi and said, "You get used to it with these two."

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Lucy's new 1969 Nova SS rumbled through Springville, the big Three Ninety Six challenging anyone who thought they were worthy to come out and 'play.' Gus followed her in Lucy's Toyota Camary, her work car. She took the long way up Howard Avenue so she could roll past Paul and Andi's house, but no one peeked out a window when she goosed the throttle and let her Nova roar.

She went out the east end of the village to the little farm that was the home of Didomissio Construction. Behind a classic frame farmhouse, a huge wooden barn provided storage for all forms of wood, electrical parts, and what looked like miles of PVC and copper pipe for plumbing jobs. Behind that were two old Quonset huts. One hut was Gus's office and carpentry shop, where John learned to build cabinets and chairs. The other hut was his "toy box." Lucy followed the two-wheel path behind the Quonset huts and the garage door on the back of the "Toy Box" opened. Inside were Gus's work trucks, cars, snowmobiles, and ATVs.

A car under a sheet displayed huge drag racing tires in the rear and something that stuck out of the hood, a supercharger probably, that had to be his 67 Camaro SS. Next to that was a candy apple red Econoline pickup in beautiful condition. Next to that was a 62 Ford Ranchero in parts, then came his bright red with black highlights 1970 Oldsmobile 442. It was a beautiful car, and she backed her Nova in next to it. It will be a few days until the work with the DMV is complete, so this is a safe place to park it.

"This is beautiful!" gasped Lucy as she got out to look at the 442. To an untrained eye, it looks like a dressed up suburban cruiser. To those in the know, it's a monster. Dual ram air scoops shoved air into a four-barrel carb that fed a 400 cubic inch engine whose main purpose was to burn rubber off the tires. "They look so happy together," said Lucy as she gazed at the muscle cars from over 50 years ago parked side by side.

Gus had parked her Toyota and came up next to her. "They're not happy in here, they want to get out and run!"