Chapter 9

They had a fine dinner together, then relaxed a bit in the bar. In the morning, they went to work preparing for the negotiations, which got started after lunch. They knew they were not going to finish on this day and probably not the next either, and they were right. Things were cordial enough, but they were nowhere near agreement on price and other terms at the end of the day.

Again, they ate dinner and relaxed a bit in the bar. Jarrod said, "My recollection of this bar is that it's full of businessmen making deals."

Clarence looked. "Yeah. This looks like a businessman's place. Listen close and I bet you can hear a few deals going down."

Jarrod chuckled. "I've made a few deals here myself over the years."

"Have you been thinking any more about your retirement? Are you still sure you want to do it?"

"Oh, yes, I'm sure. And I think I'm still leaning toward teaching, probably law, but every now and then – " He smiled. "Every now and then I like the idea of a room full of little kids giggling away."

"You know, I haven't mentioned it, but I ought to. I have a cousin here in Denver, a school teacher. I haven't seen her in years, but maybe I should contact her so we can get together and you can pick her brain."

"You've never mentioned your family very much, Clarence."

"That's because all I have are cousins, nothing closer, and they're kind of scattered here and there."

"Well, let's see how tomorrow goes and decide if we'll have time to meet your cousin while we're here. Until we get these negotiations completed and the contract signed, I'm afraid I'm not going to be thinking much about retirement."

XXXXXXX

The next day's negotiations were, unfortunately, a bit more contentious than the first day's. The parties got settled on a price, but stalled on the financing, and things got heated when the proposed lender turned out to be a bank Jarrod had done business with before and not happily. Once they squared away Jarrod's problems on that, disagreement cropped up on warrantees the buyer wanted about production in the mine. Jarrod's sellers didn't want to give any – the buyer wanted big fat ones.

"This sure isn't going the way I hoped it would," Clarence said to Jarrod privately, during a break.

"It's a little more rowdy than I expected, too," Jarrod said, "but if we keep banging away at it, we'll probably hammer it into place. I wouldn't mind putting the cap on my career with this deal, so lets not give up on things yet."

By the time the end of the day rolled around, they had not made a lot of progress, but they determined to meet again in the morning and try again. Exhausted, his head aching, Jarrod wanted nothing but a good stiff drink and some bar food for dinner, so they were back in the hotel bar for the third night in a row.

"You boys don't look too happy tonight," the bartender said.

"Rough day," Jarrod said. "Negotiations on the sale of a mine."

The bartender whistled. "Lots of money. Talks are never easy when lots of money is on the line."

Jarrod laughed. "I'm sure you've heard your share of tales of woe in here."

"You name it, I've heard it," the bartender said.

Jarrod and Clarence drank and ate at the bar, and things did loosen up for them. They talked more about the negotiations and where they could go with things tomorrow to try to get the talks to loosen up, too. Jarrod remembered a few times in the past when he'd had to get around roadblocks in negotiations, and he and Clarence discussed things that had happened before that might make the talks tomorrow easier.

As they ate and drank, they grew more tired and more quiet. Jarrod listened to the voices and the noise of glasses clinking around him. He actually found himself nodding off, and Clarence spotted it.

"All right, I think we'd better call it quits for the night," Clarence said.

Jarrod perked up. "You know, one of the things about being blind is that sounds tend to hypnotize you more easily. I could have curled up right here on top of the bar."

"No, you couldn't," the bartender said, overhearing them.

Jarrod and Clarence both laughed, bid him good night, and went up to their suite.

The next day was another tough day, but toward the end of the day, decisions began to come more easily and progress was made. The parties agreed that the next day might very well result in a contract, and as it turned out, it did. Very suddenly, the logjam broke, a contract was typed up, and then it was signed. The deed was executed. The buyers had the money wired to the proper account in San Francisco and deed in hand, they were on their way to the proper courthouse in the proper county in Colorado to file it. That fast, it was all over and done.

And Jarrod and Clarence were standing in the street, all alone, all satisfied, and Jarrod – all finished with a respected and happy legal career. It was bittersweet, to be standing there with the sounds of a town he did not live in all around him, his last project wrapped up, his future lying ahead but so far completely a blank and lying behind that black wall that was his constant companion now and always would be.

"Having second thoughts?" Clarence asked.

"Hm?" Jarrod said.

"About retiring."

"Oh, no," Jarrod said. "Just feeling a little funny, my career over so suddenly today. Two years ago, if you told me I'd be a blind man on a corner in Denver with my future a big question mark, I'd have laughed at you. But here I am."

"Scared?" Clarence asked.

"Yeah," Jarrod said. "Scared. Sorry. Excited too, though. Wow, life can really knock you for a loop, can't it?"

"It doesn't sound like you're knocked for a loop," Clarence said. "Your feet are firmly on the ground, I'd say."

Jarrod chuckled. "But which direction do I start moving them in? That's the question."

"West, to Stockton. To start that new life among people who love you."

"It'll take a day to get the railcar arranged to go west."

"We can go over to the depot now if you like."

"The morning is good enough. Let's go get a drink and some food."

They started walking down the street toward their hotel, and Jarrod started thinking some more about this retirement he was moving into. "How about we arrange to meet this cousin of yours tomorrow, if she's available? I'd like to hear about teaching school."

"Are you sure you're ready for that?" Clarence asked.

"Now that this mine deal is done, yes, I'm ready to think about my retirement career."

Clarence laughed at his choice of words. "I'll have the hotel get a message to her. Maybe we can have dinner together tomorrow."

"Is your cousin married?" Jarrod asked.

Clarence laughed again. "The last I heard she was not married, and I suspect she still isn't if she's still teaching school. Why? Are you taking to heart my suggestion you use some of your retirement time to find yourself a wife?"

It was Jarrod's turn to chuckle. "I was just thinking about a few things you've said. About how if I weren't blind, my life might have ended months ago in a train depot robbery or at the hand of a man who hated me for prosecuting him seven years ago. About how I ought to think about having a wife and children in my retirement years."

Clarence said, "You remember how I told you I have a pretty good feel for events and how things are and how they might be different?"

"Yeah."

"I think it's a good idea you keep your mind and your options open. I think things are gonna surprise you."

Jarrod laughed a little again. "Maybe – though I'm still doubtful I'll stumble across that special woman who would fall in love with a blind man and want to spend her life with him."

"You're a fine man, and a wealthy one."

"Oh, I wouldn't want a woman just after my wealth. I'd want a woman to share all of my life, to be with me, to give me little kids I can play with on the floor. Not just to do my cooking and cleaning either. A woman who's bright, who can share my love of music and theatre and very fine wines. Who can talk to me plainly and bring me up short when I need it."

"That's a special woman you have in mind."

"Which is probably why I don't think I'll find her, but I'll keep dreaming. A man can dream. In the meantime, I hope I'll get to enjoy your cousin's company and she can teach me a few things about being a teacher. What's her name, anyway?"

"Elizabeth," Clarence said. "Elizabeth Randall. We always called her Beth."

"Beth Randall," Jarrod said thoughtfully. "Nice name."

Epilogue to follow