Chapter 7

It was all Sarah and El could do not to break out in laughter as Neal and Sally

"accidently" met at the Community Arts Network in Oneonta, NY. Oneonta was only about thirty minutes away from Cooperstown. The art museum was housed in the town's showpiece, the Wilber Mansion.

The place was big enough for the young people to get lost from the oldsters quite easily. They stayed apart until Sarah and El had seen and complimented on all of the works of art at least twice giving Neal and Sally plenty of time to enjoy each other's company and to make arrangements to meet the next day. Their next date was scheduled without their chaperons especially if this visit went unnoticed by Tom Cooper.

As cantankerous and obnoxious Tom was, his wife Evelyn was just the opposite and encouraged her granddaughter to have a good time with her friend's grandson. She met and talked to Neal before the two went on their own and highly approved of him. She only hoped that her husband wouldn't find out about this meeting or do something stupid like he did the year before when he caught Sally with another boy discussing a movie they had both seen. He had given that boy such a walloping that he was unable to sit comfortably for two days…and that pretty much ended the romance as the boy saw it. Tom had used his name and supposedly ties to Cooperstown to prevent assault charges from being leveled at him.

Sally suggested they do something different for their first date…a picnic at Wilber Park in the shaded area of the park known as Applebaugh Gardens and since none of her grandfather's friends went there she felt they were safe. Of all of the years that she had been coming here for the summer she had been unsuccessful at getting her grandfather to even drive by the park…if there wasn't a baseball game being played there then he wasn't interested. His friends felt the same. Sally told Neal that she would pick him up. She had a nice place for them to talk, enjoy each other's company and picnic on her cooking.

Neal had said that he would bring the blanket and drinks and leave the food for Sally to arrange and was very excited when she arrived. His folks and grandparents waved happily at the couple as they drove off. It was a huge success and Neal decided to come back and paint the area as a present for Sally.

Neal and Sally decided to meet the next day at The Depot; a combination restaurant and tavern that the kids liked to frequent. Sally thought it would be okay since her grandpa wasn't scheduled to return until the end of the week.

"This is nice," complimented Neal as he walked in with Sally.

"It's my favorite place to eat especially if I don't want my Grandpa to know. There is no place in Cooperstown that there isn't someone willing to snitch if it will get them in my grandpa's good graces," explained Sally as she waved to waiters and waitresses alike…they all knew Sally and liked her. "My friends Jamie and Millie Andrews own this place and they keep all of my secrets," she added as the couple she just mentioned walked over.

"Hey guys, this is Neal," introduced Sally. "He's Big Mike's grandson." The Burkes were frequent customers here as well.

Neal was greeted warmly and they were shown to one of the back tables. This place had wonderful food and atmosphere that after they had finished their meal the two young people just sat and talked away the afternoon before tearing themselves away so they could get back home at a reasonable time.

It was a happy Neal who walked into his grandparent's home around four thirty that afternoon. "Did you have a good time, son?" asked El before giving him a kiss on the cheek. It warmed her heart to see him so happy.

"Yes, ma'am. We had a great time. The food at the Depot is excellent and we just lost ourselves in conversation," Neal said with a smile.

"What are your plans for tomorrow?" asked Peter?

"She said that she would pick me up here and we would go to the movies…don't worry it won't be here but one of the smaller towns Sally thought we would be safe at," Neal replied before excusing himself to go outside.

Peter, El, Mike and Sarah all watched him leave before El voiced what they were all thinking, "It's a shame that they have to go out of town to enjoy each other's company because of Mr. Cooper's prejudice against Neal."

"I know dear, if it was up to Evelyn, Sally and Neal could hang out in Cooperstown without fear of discovery or something happening to Neal. I told you about the last boy Sally tried to go out with?" asked Sarah. When Peter and El replied with the shaking of their heads she continued,

"Sally had met him at the movies where she had gone with a couple of girlfriends. They had sat next to each other because the theater was packed and started talking and found that they liked each other. They had similar likes. Sally said that they spent more time talking quietly than actually watching the show. This boy's misfortune came when Tom saw them walking out of the theater together holding hands and went ballistic when the boy gave Sally a small peck on the cheek. It was soon later that Tom arranged a meeting with the boy where he explained most distinctly to the seat of his pants why he would never see his granddaughter again….and he didn't. Sally was heartbroken when he wouldn't return her calls."

"Doesn't he understand how much he is hurting his granddaughter?" El asked.

"He doesn't care…to Tom power is everything and if Sally's love life gets in the way then that is just too bad," Sarah replied bitterly. "He's going to lose her love if he continues and probably would have already if Sally ever found out about that last boy."

"We just have to make sure that he doesn't do anything to hurt our son," El said forcefully as the others nodded in agreement and for the next few days it looked like that was going to be the case…then Tom returned a day early and decided to stop for a bite to eat at the Depot on his way in. He didn't recognize any of the vehicles parked outside. Neal had borrowed Sarah's Chevy Impala and was with Sally at their booth at the back of the restaurant and Tom didn't see them.

"I'm home, did you miss me," Tom greeted as he entered the house after Sally had returned.

"Of course Grandpa…the house was awful dull without you," replied Sally with her traditional her response as she gave him a loving hug before asking like usual, "what did you bring me?"

"Something I know you will like," Tom smiled at his granddaughter as he handed her the present with his traditional reply.

Sally opened her gift and squealed with delight; "Now how did you know that this is my favorite author…Diana Palmer. This is her newest novel, Courageous."

"I would have to be blind for all of the years that you have been reading her. I noticed that it had just been released and bought it for you," Tom replied as he watched Sally hurry to the living room to start reading.

Tom went into his study to call a couple of buddies. It was then that he learned about Neal and Sally going out. "Tom, I saw your lovely granddaughter the other day and she was in the company of a brown haired young man. Is he a friend of the family?" asked Bill Stevens, a friend of Tom's. Bill knew that if Sally was seeing a boy then he had to have been approved by Tom.

"Describe him?" snapped Tom.

"He's a nice looking kid with wavy brown hair and blue eyes. He appears to be around the same age as Sally," replied Bill curiously.

"That kid is going to pay. I told him that I didn't want him to see my granddaughter ever again and then to find out that they have been going behind my back….," fumed Tom.

"What are you going to do? Remember what happened the last time you let your temper get out of control?" Bill said as he tried to cool his friend down.

"I'm going to give him such a thrashing so that he won't ever disobey me again," vowed Tom.

"Tom, this is Big Mike's grandson; he's not going to let you persuade him to forget about you whipping his kid like that other father did. You won't be able to pay him off," Bill said as he tried to reason with the irate grandfather.

"It will be his word against mine and I have enough friends that will act as witnesses. I don't really care how it is done just as long as that kid is hurt too bad to continue to see my Sally," swore Tom.

"TOM!"

"Oh, don't worry I'm just going to make sure he is unable to sit comfortable for the next few days…until Sally leaves to go back home or he leaves…no permanent damage, I promise," replied Tom soothingly.

"You have better hope that Sally never finds out about this or she will never speak to you again. Why don't you let them be…they looked like they were having a good time?" Bill tried again to convince his friend.

"He's not good enough for my granddaughter. He's an ex-con for heaven's sake…goodbye!" Tom said as he slammed the phone down ending his discussion abruptly.

"Bill is getting soft; but I bet that Dick will help. He sure did like giving that other kid a few licks," Tom thought as he called Dick Walters, his other more sadistic friend.

Later that night Tom happened upon Sally as she was talking to Neal about tomorrow's plans. They were going to start the day at the Depot for lunch and then go to an art exhibit. She would meet him there and they would go on to the exhibit in her car.

"This was it; they would delay Neal and teach him why he should always obey his elders and when he didn't show up Sally would think that he stood her up and break up," thought Tom as he called Dick back to make their plans.

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