"Oak Orchard "

  INTRODUCTION

  Sam Gebben was a man of dreams. He followed his dreams throughout his life. Most of the time those dreams became reality. Those realities made him a success but as with some successes, sometimes it leads to problems.  Chasing after success can lead to distraction of what really is important In life.

  Sam was a man driven. Failure was just an opportunity to start again. "There are no problems, only opportunities", he would often say with a smile. To stop dreaming was to stop living. But sometimes those dreams became nightmares. Sometimes the problems were not just incomprehensible, but unsolvable.

  I never knew Sam to be much of a quitter. He knew if you tried hard enough to solve a problem, you could always figure it out and fix it. He believed in himself like no one I ever met. However way you look at it, you would have to know Sam like I know him.  But then again, Sam never lived in Oak Orchard.

  We'll call this story fiction. After all, no one would believe him when he first told his story of the happenings at Oak Orchard. I'm not so sure I believe what happened to him either for that matter. But one thing I can say. Sam is a different person now. Whatever happened to Sam, no one will ever know for sure I guess. Whether or not his story is truth or fiction, who really cares. Sam is my best friend and I've never known him to lie. So I'll just leave it at that and let him tell the story.

                                                                                 





                                                                   
                ." OAK ORCHARD "

                                1                                         
                                                                       
                      " Old Friends "

 
  It was the spring of nineteen ninety nine and I had been through a lot in my life recently. After a bad divorce and another nine year lousy relationship with a younger woman I was long overdue for a change. I knew I had to get away because my divorce had wore me thin. Not only that, my business slowed to a crawl from the boom days of the eighties and early nineties.

  In fact I had not taken a vacation in all of the seventeen years in business. That was incentive enough to make me feel antsy. Perhaps a whole new life would be a good thing. Find a quiet place to relax and get things sorted out in my head. Up to this point I only had two employees so why not I thought.
 
  John Penelli had been a good customer for years, as well as my accountant. He was 15 years younger than me and over the years he had sent a lot of work my way. As time went on we became good friends as well. 

  John's mom and dad had started the business years before he was born. After graduating college, he became a big part of it. His aggressive nature brought in a lot more customers to the business as he expanded to include managing investment properties for some of the clients. That's where I really got a start from just a small contractor to a thriving business.

  Westtown, Virginia had a large population of professional people. Partly because it was the county seat of Fulton County. So it was no wonder the Penelli family business did so well; quickly becoming one of the largest accounting firms in Westtown. John, fresh out of school knew a lot of the faces in town; going to school with some of them or meeting them as he worked summers in the office  between semesters.  Consequently, with their office located within a block of the courthouse, it was nothing to brush arms everyday with people who had money. I was in town so I thought I'd drop by the office to say Hi.

  The office was a three story brick front row home  at one time and converted into an office. Just one.block from the old courthouse, it was in the historcal district. The once livingroom had three desks and a set of stairs to the right as you came in through a vestibule. The diningroom was Mr. Penelli's office and the tax library. Behind it was the kitchen which sported a microwave and coffee maker. An old refrigerator needing replaced perhaps twenty years ago, sat in a corner near the back door which led to cramped parking lot and alley in the rear. It was all of about twelve feet wide with nine foot celings. The walls were old plaster which considering its age remained in good condition. The trim was all stained oak. I had painted it all before when I first became aquainted with the family.

  "Hello Mr. and Mrs. Penneli! Is John in?" John's father glanced up, papers in hand, nodded and disappeared  quickly into the next room.

  "HI Sam."  She greeted me with her usual smile. "Sure, John is upstairs. I'll let him know you're here."

  “How have you been?" My thoughts disappeared for a brief second as I stared back at Mrs. Penelli.

  Mrs. Penelli was a sweetheart and although she was several years older than me I always admired her stunning looks. She seemed to flirt with everyone she talked to with that soft sexy voice and that big Italian smile. Not to mention the fact that she was very attractive for her age.

  “Oh, I’m not doing too bad Mrs. Penelli. How are you and the boss doing?"  I was referring to her husband which was a standing joke because everyone knew she was the backbone and driving force behind the goings on in the office. She just looked at me again and smiled as her son came down the stairs.

  "Hey you bum! What do you want?" John appeared on the steps with a handful of papers and his sly grin. I am not sure if it was force of habit or he really was working that hard. But he always had something in his hand. Before I could answer he summoned me to the second floor and entering his new office he threw off the paperwork as if he had left the right impression. He extended a hand while he laughed. I was never quite sure why he laughed exactly. It was just his nature.

  "Been surfing lately?" I prompted. I could always get him into a conversation whether busy or not with that question because John and his best friend Todd were avid surfers who had surfed as far away as New Zealand.

  “Hell no!" He laughed with a disgusted tone.

  "Well you’re never working so I just thought; you know John!" I laughed at my own joke with little response.

  "Yeah right. This place would fold without me!" He mused.

  "Better not let pop hear you say that." I reminded him.

  It was my way of digging but the reality was that although his dad, John Sr., had built the business, John Jr.really added to the client base over the past 8 years after school. And besides his mom and dad should have retired long ago but just as John himself said; his dad had uttered those same words over and over himself, "this place would fold without me."

  "Like father, like son I guess." He replied.

  "What have you been up to?" Again John smirked with that sly grin. I knew that was the opening I had hoped for. It was the real reason for making my appearance that day. John over the years had thrown me more than a bone or two. At times when I was in need of work he always had some iron in the fire. This was one of those times I had hoped.

John paused for a moment, stared at me as if clairvoyant and replied.  "So you busy these days?"
 
  "Not really, well sort of." My voice trailed off with the response.

  "What's the problem Sam? There's something your not telling me buddy." His grin turned to concern, much as a good friend would.

  "Yeah I guess." I replied sheepishly.

  My reply was intended to elicit some concern. At least enough for maybe a job offer. But reality took over and my real concerns appeared on my face by accident. With the cat out of the bag I let it go.
 
  "Well, it's a bit slow right now. Actually I'm thinking about laying off Mike and Pete and just work by myself for a while." I paused briefly then continued.

  “Tell you the truth I'm a bit fed up with things around here! After the divorce I haven't felt right."

  "God, that was years ago Sam!" He seemed annoyed that I had not moved on yet.

  "Yeah I know but I guess..” He cut me off in mid-sentence.

  "You need to get laid!" With that his short lived concern turned back to laughter.

  The truth of the matter was he knew my limitations. Out of respect he knew not to open old wounds. I laughed because his comment forced me to refrain from a sure forty five
minute dissertation on the downside of divorce. Sharing his laughter I mused how that was always his solution for not getting involved with someone else's problems.

  John was a good looking guy and had a great looking, blond haired wife named Judy. He was a slim, six foot two inches; typical Italian complexion and athletic as well as very competitive. Judy was Irish, German,  sweet as cotton candy and pleasant on the eyes.They had been high school sweethearts and after graduating college they were married.

  I used to tease John a lot when it came to his wife. I would taunt him with the statement: "if you ever treat her bad I'll steal her from you!" That would always draw laughter as he would remind me that she would not want an old man like me. Jokingly, I'd fire back that he was just jealous that I had two good arms to hold her with.

John had been in a bad car accident during college that had left him a bit weak in one arm. But you would not know it unless he told you. He couldn't have weighted more than one hundred and fifty pounds dripping wet. With his naturally curly hair he looked like someone out of  the nineteen sixties. It was sort of a short Afro.

"Typical male answer for everything, huh John?" I smiled with a look of confirmation that we were both on the same page about the getting laid thing.

  "So what’s up? You know of anyone looking for a good, honest, reliable contractor?"  I was hoping that by some magical power his pockets were lined with waiting jobs.

  "Sure! But that leaves you out!" His gaze and grin beamed directly at me waiting for my response.

  "Eat me John!" I fired back.

  We both busted up and now we could get down to business with the formalities out of the way. I guess it's a guy thing, although I'm not sure why conversations between two males seem to start out that way. Sort of a pissing contest I guess. I waited with a look of well, are you going to tell me or not on my face. John knew that it was time for business.

  "You remember Mary who worked here for a few years?" 

  "Not really." I was not concentrating. In the back of my mind I was still on the forty five minute dissertation about divorce.

  "Come on, you do too! You were always hitting on her every time you stopped in here!" That did jog me back to the present. As I tried to put a face on the name he interrupted again.

  “I’m talking about Mary, the Italian girl who worked down front with mom!"

  "Yeah, I remember her." I answered sheepishly, still not completely sure. I went along with the conversation anyway to see what he was getting at.   

  "How has she been doing these days?"  I tried showing genuine concern.

  "Well she got divorced from her old man and had some money to invest, so she asked me for some advice. I told her that she should try to buy a second property since the market was good. So she did and found one down the beach. Some fixer upper 
in an old vacation town. An old cottage or something. Anyway, she said it needs a lot of work. So what do you think, are you interested?"

  "Of course I am interested, where is it at?"

  "Somewhere along the outer barrier islands. I think she said it was in a town called Oak Orchard or something. You could probably stay right there while you worked on it!"
                             
  "Sounds great John. Do you have her number?"
 
  "Hell I figured you already had it you old dog!" The shit eating grin was about to be followed by laughter depending on my next words. His eyes fixed on mine waiting for my response.

  "Like I said John, Eat my shorts!"


WC 2162