Shock and Awe

As Chuck and Randy left the courtroom, a smiling Paulette met them. She stepped to Randy's side and gave him a quick hug. She stepped back and said, "Congratulations, Randy. You got a much better settlement than you could have received without the convictions. Do you have any plans now?"

"Yeah. I'm going home and try to forget this crap. I guess I'll keep on farming. Don said he'd loan me the money to pay her off so I can be rid of her for keeps. Other than that, no, just keep on keepin' on.

Over the next several months life returned to normal for the three friends. They did meet more often either in mornings at the café or evenings on the weekends at the local bar. Much of the time they spent at least several minutes discussing the big news of the year, the arrests and prosecutions of the county and local law enforcement officers. They also discussed the special election held to replace the sheriff and prosecutor after they were convicted of their crimes. They were very pleased that Terry was elected Sheriff. The publicity he got when it was discovered he was involved in the initial investigation and discovery of the criminal activities of his boss served him well.

One morning, the friends were in the café solving the world's problems as they drank their morning elixir when the door opened and slammed closed once again. This occurred so frequently most customers never looked at it. There was the sound of lightweight footsteps coming closer then Randy jumped. Some small, feminine arms came over his shoulders and hugged him. He smelled the most divine scent as strands of blond hair tickled his ear. He heard a melodious voice say, "Well, look at the hard working farmer growing all those crops to feed the hungry city dwellers."

The arms left his torso and he turned to see a lovely, wholesome vision standing beside and slightly behind him grinning down on his shocked face. He jumped to his feet and said, "Paulette. What are you doing here? Sit down and have some coffee with us."

Shortly after Paulette arrived, Don and Mona left to return to work. Slim followed about fifteen minutes later. Randy and Paulette continued to talk, time flying by as it had in town the three times they had lunch together. Finally, about ten thirty Randy said, "Look, Paulette, I'm sorry. I really have to get home and get some work done today. Are you in town long? Could we maybe meet this evening or something? We could catch a burger somewhere and maybe hit Dottie's for a brew or two if you'd like, too."

"I'm on vacation for two weeks, Randy. I'm spending this week here with Mom to celebrate the 4th, then next week I'm just going to drive around and see some country before I go back to work. What are you going to do today? Maybe I could help."

"Uh, I'm not doing much really. I just need to finish working on my planter to get it ready to plant my second crop soybeans. I have to change the plates, lubricate it and then, after that is done, I'll work on the combine to get it ready to roll. Hell, if you want to you can come out and we can visit while I work on it. I like to have everything ready to roll before the fourth of July."

"That'd be great! I really like my job, but sometimes I really miss the farm. I used to enjoy working with Dad when he did field work. I miss some of the animals, too, but not the hard dirty work when we castrated and worked the cattle and I NEVER want to milk another cow! Heck, I even enjoyed feeding the baby bottle-calves when we took them away from their momma's so we could milk them.

"Maybe you could come over to Mom's for the fourth. The family always has a big shindig. We go out to the Fielding's resort and grill and eat and drink way too much. We always swim and some of the guys fish or play golf. Heck, why am I telling you all this? You probably remember what we did while we were dating. I know everyone would like to see you again."

"Uh, I don't know. I remember a couple of them wanted to kick my ass there for a while."

Paulette laughed and her eyes sparkled when she replied, "Well yeah, but they've gotten over that. I'm sure Mom would love to see you again. She always said you were the best of the boys that ever came over and she included my brother's friends."

"It's a date then. Other than Thanksgiving and Christmas, the 4th of July is my favorite holiday. Shirl and I always took the day at least off and went to the river for a camp out and BBQ with our friends."

Paulette saw the wetness in the corner of Randy's eyes as he first choked up then clenched his jaws together in anger as he remembered what his now ex-wife had done throughout their marriage. She gently laid her hand on his arm and said, "I know. The wound is still fresh. It'll take a while to heal, but take it from me, it WILL heal. You never forget though, and it makes it much more difficult to trust once more."

Randy and Paulette each drove their own vehicle out to Randy's farm. He waited on her to get out of her car, then invited her inside to see the house when she mentioned how pretty the yard and exterior was.

After a quick tour, Randy said, "I really need to get to work now, Paul." He walked over to the refrigerator and grabbed a beer for himself. Over his shoulder he said, "I'm having a beer, you want one?"

Paulette smiled and said, "Sure. It's been a long time since I had one this early in the day. Remember some of those times we went canoeing and killed a case between us? Sometimes we were on our second or third beer by ten AM."

"Yeah, those were the good ole days." Randy looked at her with regret and continued talking. "We sure had some fun that last summer before..."

Paulette laughed and said, "Yeah. I wish sometimes I had ignored Daddy and hadn't broken up with you. By the time I decided I was a big girl and found the guts to go against his wishes, you and the other guys were gone to your Basic Training and Advanced Individual Training (AIT). I was gone to college when you all got back, and had fallen under the spell of my asshole."

Paulette sat and chatted with Randy as he worked for the first few minutes. Before long, she was acting as his assistant, fetching and carrying and helping as she could. They worked, talked and joked as the day went on. About one thirty PM, Randy's stomach made a loud growl. He stood up and said, "I have to quit and get a bite. You're welcome to come on in and have lunch with me. All it will be is a sandwich and chips, but if you're nice I'll share more beer with you to wash it down."

Paulette smiled and said, "Sure, if it's not too much trouble."

After a quick sandwich, the couple wandered back out to the machine shed and got back to work. Randy stopped about 4:30 PM and cleaned the grease and grime off his hands and arms with his shop Goop. He turned to Paulette and said, "Well, those two chores are out of the way. Why don't we get cleaned up and run into town for supper?"

"That sounds like fun. I'll have to run home and clean up, though. I feel pretty grimy and I know I must smell awful. I've really enjoyed today though. Thanks for putting up with me."

"No problem. You were a big help and I really enjoyed seeing you again. What say I pick you up about 6?"

"Okay. I'll be ready."

It was almost three AM when Randy let Paulette out of his truck at her Mother's house. He walked her to the door and before she went in, he gave her a hug and gentle kiss. He stepped back about a foot and said, "I had a lot of fun tonight, Paul. Thanks for going with me."

Paulette stepped toward Randy, gently rested her hand on his chest and looked up at him with sparkling eyes. She smiled and stood on tiptoes as she gave him another fast kiss. "I can't remember when I've enjoyed being out with someone as much as I did tonight. Thanks for asking me." She stepped back and turned slightly to grab the doorknob, then looked at Randy again before going inside.

Randy walked slowly back to his truck and made the short drive to his home. He and Paulette had eaten supper then went to a club where they listened to Country music played by a local band that was popular and danced the night away. After they left the club, they hit an all-night diner for breakfast before making the drive back to Wilson's Mill.

Randy walked into his house and began undressing as he headed toward his bedroom. He jumped into the shower to wash the cigarette smoke off, then made his way to bed where he quickly dropped into a dreamless sleep. It was almost ten AM when he woke.

While the morning coffee was brewing, Randy did his early chores, fed the chickens, gathered the eggs, fed the dog and loved on it a moment. After the chores, he poured his first cup of coffee and sat on the covered patio to drink it. He pulled his phone from his pocket and called Paulette.

When Paulette groggily answered the phone, Randy grinned and said, "Good morning, beautiful. I was sitting here with my first cup of coffee and wanted to call and thank you again for last night." They talked for a short time and Randy said, "I need to go, honey. I have to get some work done today or I'll really get behind."

"Okay. Bye."

Just before he broke the connection Randy yelled, "Hey, wait! What time do I need to pick you up Thursday for the BBQ?"

"Oh, uh I don't know. You remember, people start showing up midmorning. Say about 9:30? We can make a day of it."

"K. See ya then."

Randy felt strange when he and Paulette walked into the clearing where the family gathering was held. He knew almost everyone there except for the spouses that came from out of town, and he even knew some of them from seeing them in town with their significant other. The first few minutes were filled by Paulette leading him around, either introducing him to the ones he didn't know or standing proudly beside him as he greeted those he did know.

After she was sure he was settled, Paulette left Randy with some of their common friends and made her way to where the women were working laying out the food, plates and so forth. On the way, she detoured past the grilling area and hugged her oldest brother, Bradley. He hugged her back, looked over toward Randy and then raised his eyebrows. He said, "You look like the cat that caught the canary, Sis. You want to talk about it? Are you sure this is a good idea?"

"No. Yes. Oh, heck, I don't know. It's almost as if we were never apart. He makes me laugh. It's been so long since I felt this good, Brad. I missed him so much when Daddy ran him off, but I was afraid to go against his wishes. Now I feel like I've—we've—been given a second chance. I want it to work out so badly but we're different people than those two kids that got caught that night in the barn."

"You need to be careful, Sis. Don't rush into this because you remember or think you remember you loved him when you were in high school. He's a good man, I think, but you remember how hard it was when we were growing up. Farming's hard work and he's a farmer. You've gotten used to the easy life in town. Are you sure you want to chase after him?"

"I... I think so. We just click, ya know? But it's still early in our second time. We had several long lunches during his divorce, and we've only been on two real dates. I spent last Saturday helping him work on his machinery before we went out, and it was fun."

"One day might be fun, Sis, but is that what you want to do for the rest of your life? I thought you couldn't wait to get away from the farm when you went to college."

"I did. Well, no, not really. I wanted to get away from Dad and those darn milk cows. I never minded the thought of being a farm wife on a grain or beef farm, but I hated to help milk. We never got to go anywhere for a vacation or anything. We had to be home twice a day to milk those damn cows. We started at 6:30 in the morning and if we were lucky we got to quit by seven or eight at night."

To his surprise, Randy had a great time at the BBQ. After the meal, Paulette and he walked upstream a few feet to the swimming hole and swam, talked and drank a few beers with several of their old school friends. It was time to help clean up and go home way before he was ready.

The rest of the summer, Randy and Paulette spoke on the phone almost every evening. They usually had at least one date a week, sometimes two, unless it was one of Randy's busy times on the farm. In that case, Paulette usually managed to get to his house to either see him there at the end of the day, or she would meet him in the field, either for a quick lunch or to ride with him on the machinery if there was a safe place to do so. She especially liked to ride with him on the combine. The cab was large enough there was an extra seat for her and the cab was air-conditioned. A couple of times, she even drove his grain truck to the elevator for him during the harvest. It was like old times for her. While she waited for her turn to unload, she would talk to the other people there to unload.

Finally, the harvest was completed and Randy had his winter wheat sowed. He was able to slow down and work shorter days once again. He was invited to Paulette's family home for Thanksgiving. It was a beautiful fall day. The temperature was in the mid 60's so, after the meal, he and Paulette walked to the back of her mother's small farm and sat beside the river and talked.

Randy seemed more quiet and reserved than normal. Finally, Paulette looked at him and asked, "Is something wrong, Randy? You've been awfully quiet today."

"No, honey. I've just been thinking about us."

For some reason, Paulette felt a surge of fear course through her body. She worriedly asked, "What do you mean? Is there a problem?"

"I don't know. No, I mean, well, I've really enjoyed the summer after my divorce and when we were together but I don't want to go on like this."

Paulette felt a surge of fear course through her again. She started to ask what he meant when Randy continued. "I've been wondering what it would be like if things had worked out differently when we got out of school. I feel so good when I'm with you I almost get angry again thinking about all the years we've missed out on. I don't want to miss out any more, Paulette."

Randy turned to the puzzled young woman and took her hand then continued talking, "I am getting tired of seeing you just a time or two a week and taking on the phone for a few minutes every evening. I've been trying to figure out the best way to ask you to marry me, but I just can't come up with some special way to do it."

Paulette gasped when she heard Randy say that he wanted to marry her. Her eyes watered and her voice broke as she said, "Did you just ask me to marry you?"

Randy reached into his pocket and pulled out a ring. He held it out to her and gave her a sickly grin before he said, "Yeah, I guess I did. Pretty lame wasn't it? I do love you, though. I think I've always loved you and getting to know you again this spring and summer has just made me realize how much. So, what do you say? Will you?"

Paulette smiled and reached for the ring as she said, "Yeah, it was pretty lame but that's okay. YES, I'll marry you."

She put on the ring and they did what young people do when they are in love. They kissed and sealed the deal as their hearts grew even closer. After several kisses and some heavy petting, Paulette pushed away from Randy and straightened her clothes. She smiled and stood up then held her hand out to help Randy stand. She said, "Come on. I want to get back to the house before they leave and show everyone my ring and tell them the news."

After some serious discussion, Paulette decided to set the marriage date for the 4th of July weekend of the next year so her extended family could be present. She and Randy began living together on his farm just before Christmas. She found she enjoyed living in the country again and had no regrets when she gave notice to quit her job that spring so she could prepare for the wedding and help her new man on their farm.

The 4th of July week held a special place in their hearts for several reasons. It was not only the birthday of their nation, but it was the week they had lost each other as young adults. She and Randy had been caught making love on the 4th of July after they got out of high school and her father kicked Randy out and forbid them to see each other again. They began their new relationship on the 4th of July week, so it was only fitting they married then.

Until the day they died, the 4th of July held special significance to the couple.