Summer of 1972
"Gramma! Pappa! Guess what? Girls can go now, too!"
Eleven-year-old Vada Kempton, the daughter of Angela, came running to the front porch with a sheet of paper in her hand.
"Girls can go where now?," Jack asked as he accepted the paper Vada handed him. He read it and smiled. "Girls can run in the Soap Box Derby races now," he told Irene.
"Mom and Dad said we can build me a car," Vada said, excited. "Can we do it here? You have a big workshop in the back."
"I haven't used that shed since Pa died," Jack said. He sighed and looked at Irene. "I'll help her with it," he said. He looked at Vada. "We'll build a winning car, hot-shot," he smiled at her.
As promised, Jack helped Vada build the car in the workshop. The large box and instructions had been delivered to the gates of the farm and the day after Jack promised to help.
Vada asked Jack many questions about her grandparents while they worked. She was curious, since there were books and movies about them and people still talked about them.
"My grandfather was killed in a bar-fight," Jack said. "Maybe over cards or over a woman. My grandmother died in childbirth with my father. They didn't have the medical knowledge we have now and that sometimes happened. She didn't even get to name my Pa. The orphanage named him. The state made it official. That's why Pa and I didn't have middle names. Once it became a problem, the state gave us the middle name David."
"John David," Vada said. "I like that."
Jack smiled. "The things you hear about your great-grandfathers are all mixed up," he went on, seriously. "Some is true. Some are only lies. I don't know where the lies came from. Most are probable from people who claim they knew my father or knew your grandmother's father and made up lies to try to make people think it was true."
"Like when people lie and say they know famous people?," Vada asked. "A guy at school said that his mom once dated Elvis."
Jack laughed. "Exactly so," he replied. "Your great-grandfather was indeed a thief, but he thought he was doing the right thing. They used the money to help people."
"Like Robin Hood?," Vada asked.
Jack nodded thoughtfully and said, "Somewhat." Jack moved to get comfortable as he and the girl continued to work. He flung his long ponytail behind him and continued to follow the instructions. "When I was about your age, Pa got shot in a robbery attempt on a ferry," Jack told Vada. "The people he thought were his friends left him to die. When he recovered, he took us all away from the gang. We lived in hiding near Rathskeller Fork for about two years. When I was thirteen, he bought this land and we moved here."
"Gramma said you had a sister," Vada said.
"Charlotte," Jack recalled. "She died right before Pa bought this place. We had buried her there, but I had her moved here about a decade ago so she could be with family. That's also why your gramma wanted her father moved here. Beecher's Hope is our home and we plan to keep it in the family for as long as we're here."
Vada nodded. "When I am grown up, I will make sure nobody takes it away," she promised.
"That's what I hope, Vada," Jack said.
"What happened after you moved here?," Vada asked. "All Mom said was that it was really bad for you."
"It was," Jack replied.
At the door of the workshop, Irene leaned against the wall and listened to the conversation. Jack had never really been able to talk about his days of captivity at the hands of the corrupt officials. What would he tell Vada?
"For awhile, everything was OK," Jack told Vada, unaware of Irene's presence. "Then, when I was sixteen, two federal men came and took my mother and me. They took all of us to the government building and told my father they were sending him on important business. Then, they took all of us to Horizon Hills, the island owned by the state government for some reason. They told my father that my mother and I would have stay at the island until he did as they wanted. He was only supposed to be gone for a few days, but it was almost three months. Then, one evening, we were returned to the farm. An hour later, Pa got home."
"What did he do?," Vada asked.
"The federals sent Pa to go after the bad men he was once friends with so they could face justice," Jack replied. "I don't know the entire story. Pa didn't want me to think about it. But, I know that Ma was afraid that he had returned to that life. But he loved us too much. I was moody when he got home. I was glad he was home, but was always afraid that he would leave again; and if that happened again, he would not come back, or he would come back dead. I even tried to prove myself to him by doing something really stupid. I tried to hunt a bear alone. I was sixteen and I didn't have the hunting experience. Pa had to come. I could have been killed." Jack's smile vanished.
"Is that when Great-Grandpa died?," Vada asked.
"No," Jack replied. "That happened almost a week later. The federals brought in soldiers to kill him. Pa defended us the best he could. When we got to the barn, he got me a horse and put both ma and me on it. He told me to get someplace safe. When we got some distance from the farm, we heard heavy gunfire. We came back and my father was dead." Jack sighed. "He gave his life to keep me safe," he said. "I only hope he died knowing that I loved him."
"I think he did," Vada said. She put down the paintbrush she was using to paint her car and went to Jack and hugged him. He hugged Vada, believing she was right. The words of a child can mean so much more than those of a king, a president, or a celebrity. "You're a good grandpa," Vada went on. "Mom said you've always been a good daddy and that you are a good person. Your daddy would be happy if he knew."
"Thank you, Vada," Jack replied.
That night, Jack watched television with Vada. She laid across the sofa with her head in his lap. Irene walked in. "She's asleep," she told her husband. Vada was fast asleep.
"Jack, can we talk?," Irene asked. "She can sleep in Kassidy's old bedroom."
"Yeah," Jack replied. He picked up Vada and carried her to the bedroom and laid her onto the bed. He put a blanket over her, kissed her cheek, and left the room. He turned off the lights as he closed the door.
Jack was now seventy-eight and Irene was now seventy-six. They were proud grandparents of Vada and her brother, Justin. Vada was eleven and Justin was eight. Justin was also blind. Doctors had realized it only moments after he was born.
On the front porch, Jack and Irene sat down on the swing.
"What is it?," Jack asked.
"Jack, I heard some of what you told Vada," Irene said. "I have never asked you until now. Will you tell me exactly what happened on Horizon Hills?"
Jack inhaled sharply. After a moment, he nodded. "The worst three months of my life," Jack said as he took Irene by the hand. He clung to her hand in both of his hands. "They treated us like we didn't even deserve to breath. They knew what my mother had once been and they made attempts at her. She was a strong woman, though, and she fought them off every time. There were guards who were assigned to keep me in their sights. They actually thought I would try to swim back to Blackwater and go find my pa. I would have, if I could swim. They were obnoxious and bullied me like teenagers. There were a few nice ones, though. A few even talked to me nicely and told me stories." Jack scoffed. "I actually once wanted to be a fed," he said. "Then, they betrayed Pa and I knew I would never trust those bastards again."
"But, they never actually hurt you?," Irene asked. "As in, hit you?"
"One man got angry at me and raised a hand at me," Jack replied. "But another man caught his hand. Said I was just a kid and they couldn't leave any physical marks on me. They would have to explain the bruises. After that, nobody else ever tried to hit me. But, they didn't get much nicer."
Irene squeezed Jack's hands in hers. "Jack, that was so long ago," she said. "You need to find a way to get past it. I want the last years of your life to be happy."
Jack hugged Irene very tightly against his chest. With one hand, he played with her hair and clung her against him with the other arm. "I love you so much, Irene," he said. "Every day, I am so thankful that you came onto Beecher's Hope that day." He squeezed her against himself again and kissed her head.
Irene put her arms around Jack and held onto him. She would do anything for him.
Over the next few days, Jack and Vada continued to build the car for the big race. Vada was so excited. Vada, with big brown eyes and dark brown hair, was a tomboy like Irene. She played with Hot Wheels toy cars, toy electric trains, and other toys that were considered for boys. She seldom played with dolls of any kind.
Jack and Irene were also teaching Vada how to shoot guns. Even though people were no longer carrying guns all over, the couple felt that anyone should know how to handle a gun safely. They didn't want their family to be an accident waiting to happen.
Vada came running into the house, where Irene and Angela were sitting in the living room and talking. "Mom! Gramma! It's finished!"
Vada grabbed her mother's hands and pulled her outside. Irene followed. In the yard was the car, painted blue and yellow. It looked great.
"The race is next week," Angela told her parents. "She wants everyone there."
"Count me in," Irene smiled.
Angela took Vada home a short time later. Jack put the car into the workshop.
"Do you think there will be a lot of girls racing next week?," Jack asked. "Seriously?"
"Who knows, Jack?," Irene replied. "Things are changing. More women are doing things we always thought were for men to do. They're becoming doctors, lawyers, police officers, and so on. The country has moved a long way since you and I were children."
"It has," Jack agreed. "Look, I support women wanting to work in these careers. But how far does it go? Will men be nurses next? Or secretaries? Or even stay-at-home dads?"
"Who knows?," Irene said. "But I bet all that will happen very soon."
Jack thought about that. He was not sure how he felt about that reply.
After supper, Irene quickly cleaned up while Jack looked after the horses and dogs outside.
Irene really hoped that the country did keep moving in the same direction for women. After all, just what was it that kept all this from happening in the first place?
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