“What’s up?” he asked.
“We have a cow down with a broken leg. We need to put it down.”
“There’s a .38 in the glove box.”
“Okay, I’ll have Greg take care of it,” I said, and hung up.
“Take care of what?” Greg asked.
“Putting the cow down,” I told him.
“You’re out of your mind if you think I’m shooting a cow.”
“I was just messing with you. Uncle John’ll call the slaughterhouse and they’ll come out and take care of it. We just need to stay with her and make sure nothing more happens.”
Uncle John came and verified my diagnosis. He agreed and called his guy. They came out with a cattle hauler and three men. We decided to go fishing instead of watching how cows are euthanized. Uncle John sent me back to the barn to get a shovel to fill in the hole. By the time I got back, the cow was gone. I filled in the hole and then found the guys fishing. I had also gone into the house because I’d seen that Uncle John had forgotten the most important part of fishing: the beer. I got myself a few Cokes.
We spent the afternoon catching catfish. Uncle John had a fifty-gallon stock tank near the pond. If we caught a nice one, we’d put it in the tank. When we had about twenty catfish in the tank, I was sent to get a couple of coolers and the fishnet. Greg and Dad netted them and put them in the coolers. Uncle John said we would take them to the diner and they’d make us a catfish dinner. We got back, he had me ice them down, and Greg and I put the coolers in the truck.
WE TOOK SHOWERS, AND I called the diner to tell Grace what we were bringing in. She wanted to know how many, so I told her and gave her an idea when we’d get there.
When I went for a shower, I realized I missed working on the farm with Uncle John. Today had brought back so many good memories. I’d been a mess when I was here last, but the farm work and Uncle John had healed me. I could see staying here and chasing Grace all summer, but that was just a fantasy. I had other stuff to do ... like play football. We’d be leaving for Kentucky next week. I’d been working too hard to pass that up.
We pulled around back, and Greg and I jumped out and took the coolers into the restaurant. Billy carefully checked all the fish and gave us the thumbs-up. We found Dad at a table, waiting for us. Uncle John was talking to some of the diners. Greg and I went around and met people. Most were there because of the fresh catfish. Grace must have made a few calls.
We had an excellent dinner. Billy really knows what he’s doing. It was much better than what I’d had at Uncle John’s house. When we were done, Grace told us our coolers were around back. I jumped out to load them up and Grace stopped me.
“How long are you here for?”
“We’re going back Sunday. If you’re free tomorrow night, I’d like to see you,” I ventured.
“There’s a dance at the Moose Lodge.”
“I’ll see what the guys have planned, and let you know.”
“See you, David,” Grace said as she winked at me, and then hurried back into her family’s restaurant.
I got into the cab of the truck.
“What was that about?” Dad asked.
“Grace is playing hard to get. She told me there’s a dance tomorrow night.”
“I hate to tell you this, David, but I think Grace has a boyfriend,” Uncle John told me.
I just shrugged. There are plenty of fish in the sea.
WE GOT BACK TO THE house, and Uncle John said he was going to get a few beers. I told him to wait. I went and got the guys their gifts. There were four bottles of scotch: Glenmorangie 18-Year-Old, The Macallan Cask Strength, Royal Lochnagar 12-Year-Old, and The Dalmore. They each got four leaded-crystal scotch glasses, and four decanters with different English hunt scenes.
“This is a very thoughtful gift,” Uncle John said.
“Yes, thank you. I like a nice scotch, now and then,” Dad said.
“Is any of this any good?” Greg asked.
“It was recommended by a liquor salesman in England. Mom helped pick it out. Neither of us drinks much, so I hope it’s okay,” I told them.
Uncle John got the glasses out and washed them. He brought them back with a couple of cubes of ice and a small pitcher of water.
“What’s the water for?” Greg asked.
Uncle John opened the Macallan and poured some into each of our glasses.
“Take a sip.”
I did, and it wasn’t really something I liked.
“Now, put a splash of water in it.”
It completely changed the taste. It was smoother, and I could see why people drank it.
“That makes it taste better,” Greg said.
We all sat back, relaxed, and sipped scotch. Then Uncle John told us why we were here this weekend.
“I got the test results from your blood work. Before we talk about that, I need to give you some background. I know Mom told you about your granddad. What she didn’t tell you was that your granddad comes from a long line of leaders. I didn’t know my granddad, so I’ll confine this discussion to my dad, your dad and me.
“Let’s start with our dad. When our dad would walk into a room, people noticed. He wasn’t an imposing figure, as you know. He was five-ten and weighed 150 pounds. People naturally sought him out. Have you ever noticed that when people are talking, someone will talk over them to get a point across? That never happened with Dad.
“When he graduated from college and passed the bar exam, he was busy from day one. I wish you could have seen him in court. Juries loved him. He was one of those soft-spoken men that you completely trusted. He rarely lost a case. He was also the guy you came to if you wanted to get something done. It didn’t matter if you’d been working to move it forward for years. Once Dad got involved, it got done.
“Dad’s friends were also a lot like him and they sought him out. They were the movers and shakers. They talked Dad into going into politics. At first, they thought they could pull his strings, but they soon found out that Dad was the one pulling the strings. He was the representative for our district, and by the time he retired, he was the power behind the scenes in our State.
“I was told by the party chairman that Dad had turned down three separate offers to run for governor. He turned them down because he said he could get more done right where he was.”
Uncle John paused to let what he told us to sink in.
“What I’m about to tell you next has to stay between us. You’re at an age where your father and I expect you to keep things like this in confidence,” Uncle John said in a manner that was clear he was serious.
“I agree,” Greg said.
“Yes, I’ll keep this in confidence,” I told Uncle John.
“Shortly before Dad died, he sat down with your dad and me and had a frank discussion, like we’re having with you. He told us about his success with women. Mom suspected him of having two children outside of wedlock before they married. He said he could confirm six. Your dad and I suspect that the number’s higher.
“The simple fact is that women were attracted to him. Even if they didn’t know him, they’d be drawn to him. When he talked to us, he confirmed he was seeing three women. He told us that he could easily do it three times in a night without any chemical aid. At the time, he was sixty years old. I know several forty-year-olds who’d kill to do it even twice in a night.
“Now I’m going to talk about your dad and me. Well, because he is your dad, I’m only going to talk about me. When I hit puberty, my life began to change. I was a star basketball player and I had a different girlfriend every few weeks. I liked a challenge and variety. I got bored with the same girl.”
Greg and I looked at each other and, in a lot of ways, we could see ourselves in what he was saying. He smiled at us.