Chapter 249 – Talking with the Burkes
Trish took a seat and then looked at Elizabeth.
"Do we buy our children things?" Trish said. "Yes. But we also have rules. Big gifts are for birthdays and Christmas. So the girls' guitars were a birthday present last year. We also have a spending limit unless we both agree to go over. Right now, for the girls no single gift is over five hundred dollars without a discussion. We also only do gifts among the immediate family. My parents, James' parents and those in the household is generally the rule. We have expanded to include Lee and Jack in that, so it would include you. For everyone else, the girls have charities that they pick and people can make a donation in their name to the charity. Obviously, the girls still get small gifts from friends and the like, but we discourage big gifts and the girls know this."
"Take last year." Maddie said. "Several of our homeschool friends got us little things. I think we got journals, pens, stickers for our albums. You know things like that."
"Okay." Elizabeth said.
"So we teach the kids that if they want something they need to earn it." Chief said. "It helps that the girls have been into riding. They learned that horses are work. They have to brush and care for their horses. They don't get to go to a lesson and have a horse already tacked up and ready to go. They have to care for the horse and ready it before and make sure it is cared for afterwards. When they are up here, they help with the stable chores. At home, they are completely responsible for their own rooms – vacuuming, cleaning their bathroom, changing the sheets. If they want their clothes washed, they either have to do it themselves or have it in the laundry room by Tuesday morning when our cleaning lady does any laundry there."
"They also help with setting the table and cleaning up afterwards." Trish said. "Most of the time when it is just us at home, I do the cooking. There are times, I call our cook because I have a project I am working on or whatever, but that is not a full-time thing."
"I see." Elizabeth said. "So do they get an allowance?"
"No." Trish said. "We do give the girls money if they are going on a field trip or something. They also have a card to use in case of an emergency, but they understand if used other times, they will have to pay the money back."
"How?" Elizabeth asked.
"Extra chores." Chief said.
"We do get free days as well." Missy said. "We can go shopping for an afternoon and have a spending limit, but we can get what we want. That usually happens a couple times a year. We get gifts for friends or new clothes. We have never pushed the boundaries and we know if we do, there will be a sit down discussion later."
"The biggest thing is to make sure that the kids know that you aren't going to hand them a new toy every time they turn around." Trish said. "I have had conversations with my parents and siblings about what we expect and for the most part they follow our lead. Have they gone overboard in the past? Sure, but learned early on that there is only so much space in their rooms. When the three oldest were younger, we had much smaller living accommodations, so it was easier. However, the girls regularly go through their closets and things that don't fit or they don't wear, get donated. Same thing with toys. They can keep ones with special meaning, but otherwise they get donated. The girls also regularly do charity work. They help with toy drives and distribution at Christmas and that is just one example."
"You have time before you have to worry about these things." Chief said. "But just know that you will have people around you that will help you. Just know that you will have to find what works for you and Jack. The things that work for us, might not work for others and vice versa. Things have even changed for us with the girls from when her siblings were this age."
"Thank you." Elizabeth said. "Sometimes, my brain goes twenty steps ahead and I ask questions that probably don't need to be asked right now."
"You are young." Trish said. "Sometimes asking before is a good idea. You can file the information away, but like my husband said, you have time."
Gran came over, just as Doug came up, but he motioned for her to stay seated. He put the bottles away in the wine fridge. Doug then came back and sat at the table.
"So Jack." Chief said. "So tell me more about these horses you bought for my daughters to ride."
"They are amazing." Jack said. "Two Irish Sport horses with excellent bloodlines. They have the same sire. They will be able to advance with the girls for years as they are only five. They have been riding them already and even did a join up session. I eventually want them to be able to ride either one, but at the moment, there is a clear preference. We will stick with those if the girls want to ride them next week."
"That was pretty sneaky how you got them." Chief said.
Jack's face hardened as he pressed his lips into a tight line.
"That will teach him to tell me I am too young to know how to do business." Jack retorted.
"He didn't." John said.
"Very much so." Jack said. "He suggested that we call Dad or you. I told him to feel free, but that my father has nothing to do with the horses and you would just defer to me anyway. He then made another suggestion that I need to be a real man before I jump into business, but if I wanted to play with the big boys that he wouldn't be going easy on me. I told him that I was the one that ran the jumping side of the horse business, but he didn't want to listen. He also said that I was just riding your coattails and my last name didn't mean anything outside of Canada."
Jack shook his head.
"I said I changed my mind." Jack said. "I picked up the check I had and the paperwork, called Connor and set plan B in motion. It was great. The guy wanted to be an ass, I cost him almost forty thousand dollars. He wanted to be an ass, I wasn't going to deal with him. I was willing to work with him, even after I learned he was more then difficult to work with because the horses looked that good on paper."
"At least we could tell why the man's family didn't want anything to do with him." Frank said. "Which was why he was selling the horses, or at least trying to."
"I still don't understand how you got them if he wasn't going to deal." Lee said.
"Easy." John said. "The daughter had the ability to accept an offer if she got a reasonable market value for them since they were technically in her name as they had been for her children. Actually the way that it was written, she couldn't refuse a reasonable market offer since they had been listed for sale for more than ninety days. When Connor contacted her and made an offer on all three horses, she took it because they had wanted to keep the two horses together since they were so close."
The Chief sat there shaking his head.
"Jack tried to tell him not to mess with him." Doug said. "The guy thought that because Jack didn't even ride them there, that he didn't know what he was talking about and probably figured he could jack up the price. Jack and I each checked both horses."
"You memorized every inch of that horse in a matter of minutes again." Chief said. "Didn't you?"
Jack just smiled.
"I ran my hands over the horse." Jack said. "Lunged him a few times around and got a thumbs up from all three of them, Doug, Frank and Nathan."
"What the guy couldn't see." Frank said. "Was that Jack, was watching the horse move for a few minutes and then Jack closed his eyes and felt him move on the lunge line. I saw this old Indian trainer do that one time. I asked him about it and he told me that he could feel the horse move by the way that he pulled on the rope. I watched this guy completely gentle a wild Mustang in a few days. Until I met Jack, I had never seen another human do that, not that he has gentled a mustang, but more the ability to read a horse. I haven't asked, but if he's anything like that Cherokee, he probably can visualize the movements in his head by the tug on the rope and the sound their hooves make hitting the ground."
Jack blushed and ducked his head.
"Thought so." Frank said. "If I didn't know better, I would say that you were part Comanche warrior. They were believed to be the best of the 'Horse Nation' of the Plains Indians. It was believed that Comanche warriors became one with their horse and there was nothing that they wouldn't do for one another. The bond between them was so strong that the warrior barely had to nudge the horse for it to know what the warrior wanted."
"How do you know that?" John asked.
"My grandmother on my mother's side was half Lakota." Frank said. "I used to love to listen to her tell me stories of her childhood. She used to tell me about these Comanche warriors that she had seen when she was about nine or ten. The Lakota or Sioux and the Comanche were allies for generations. They banded together to fight the advance of the white man and were especially strong together during the Sioux Wars. My great grandfather was a Lakota warrior and rode with the Comanche at one time."
"Thank you for sharing that." Chief said. "It is amazing that you were able to sit and learn a different history at the foot of your grandmother. I think that is something that is severely lacking in today's culture. A connection with the past and learning stories from history that haven't been more or less sanitized for public school textbooks. Don't get me wrong, there are some excellent books out there, but they are generally not used in most public schools. Students today barely scratch the surface of so much history in school. And everything is written through the white man's eyes. But we forget that there were many other cultures that have lived on this land."
"Very good point, James." John said. "I always loved learning about history so I read so much more than what was presented. It is amazing how little is actually taught."
"We get it." Trish said. "We may not have the experiences that Frank's family has, but to hear stories from my own grandmother growing up how the country looked through the eyes of a young heiress when the nation was in turmoil. I learned so much more than I had been taught in school."
The group continued to talk about various things until supper time. It had been a nice visit for all of them as they got to know each other much better. Trish and Gran were able to get up and check on supper. When it was almost ready, they had the young people quickly set the table and as they put supper on the table, Doug came around to pour wine for people. Obviously his sisters didn't drink wine, but most everyone else took at least a little, including Jack and Elizabeth. Even Lee took a couple fingers of wine. He liked that particular brand so as long as he was allowed he was going to enjoy it. Since he wasn't working, Nathan had a glass as well. Once everyone was seated, Gran nodded at Father Mark.
"In the Name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit." Father Mark prayed. "Thank you for getting Chief Burke here safely. We thank you for each person around this table, hold them close and keep them safe. We thank you for this food and ask You bless it to our bodies. Also bless the hands that prepared this food. Amen. In the Name of the Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit. Amen."
After everyone echoed amen, they started passing the food around.
"There are plenty of mini meat loaves." Trish said. "This is only half of them which is plenty for everyone to take one to start."
"These look good." Chief said.
"I used garlic infused olive oil to drizzle on top of the roasted veggies." Trish said.
"My favorite." Chief said.
Trish smiled and leaned over to give her husband a kiss.
"So when did you get the piano?" Chief asked.
"It was delivered while the kids were in Canada." James said. "When we learned of JP's ability to play, we felt he needed one here to practice."
"So I ordered one for them to have here for him." John said. "We have even been graced with several songs. I am glad that multiple people are enjoying it."
"We are too." James said.
"I am glad that Jack has his music and he is finally sharing it with everyone." Chief said. "I had wanted to say something so many times. But I had made a promise that I wouldn't until he was ready. I understand his reasons behind it as we all know how Charlotte can be. I am still surprised that she pushed things so far."
"We all are." James said. "I don't know what got into her, God knows we raised her better."
"You can't blame yourself." Chief said. "From what I have read, she made her choices. She has always had her own ideas about Jack's life. We have tried to talk to her over the years about her unrealistic expectations for Jack. She would just brush us off. I have a feeling that many of the society ladies that she has surrounded herself with, have been such a negative influence on her."
"I know that is one reason that I try not to spend a lot of time with them." Trish said. "They turn raising children into some kind of sick competition about whose child has done more or earned more or gotten the most awards."
"I never understood that." John said. "Don't get me wrong, I get competition. The campaign trail and the financial industry are both hotbeds of competition. I just never understood these parents who pushed their children to do all these things like it was some achievement of theirs."
"I don't know either." Trish said. "As much as I want the girls to do things, I would never push them to do things just because they can. I see music and horses as activities that push them to be better. Not only are they something different that makes them use different parts of their brain, but they are ways for them to interact with other people."
"Would you ever consider letting the girls quit piano?" Frank asked.
"They have to play until they are at least thirteen." Trish said. "Same with riding. After that if they can make a compelling argument as to why they should be allowed to quit, we will listen. But part of that argument also includes what they want to replace that activity with."
"I like that." Elizabeth said. "I can see wanting kids in different activities that will help them grow, but then allowing them a choice at some point as long as they find something else. I mean unless the child absolutely hated an activity, I think a reasonable amount of activities is good."
"Yes." Trish said. "Doug gave up piano and took up guitar. So I was fine with it. He rode when he wanted to, but also played lacrosse so we were fine with it."
"I have a question." Elizabeth said. "I know we talked about homeschooling and the online academy that you use for the girls, but would there ever be a chance of them going to the school that Jack, Doug and Lee attended?"
"We wouldn't rule it out." Chief said. "But with the girls being so far ahead of others, it might just be better to continue on the path we are on. They get plenty of socialization and are involved in different community activities. They could make that argument if they wanted next year."
They talked a little more about various things. Overall, it was a really nice supper. Jack was still feeling a bit drained, but he knew that he needed to talk to Elizabeth. Once they were done with supper and the table had been cleared, Jack walked over to Gran.
"I am sorry Gran." Jack said. "I know that you would like me to visit with everyone, but I need to have a conversation with Elizabeth and Father Mark. We have some things that we need to talk about."
"Wedding stuff?" Gran asked.
Jack just nodded. He knew that wasn't exactly true, but he didn't want to have to explain and technically it was about the wedding or more precisely the time leading up to the wedding.
"Okay." Gran said. "You use the library. But I expect tomorrow will not be a repeat of today. You will not be hiding downstairs all day. You will be up here and interacting with people."
"Yes, ma'am." Jack said.
Gran nodded. Elizabeth got up and walked over to Jack and Father Mark followed. Father Mark gave his grandmother a kiss on her cheek before following Jack and Elizabeth into the library. Once the doors were closed and they were all seated, Father Mark looked to Jack.
… … … …
Author's note: The mini meatloaf recipe. This is one of my favorites. I will make up a batch and freeze them, so I just have to warm them up.
Mini Meat loaf
1 tablespoon good olive oil
3 cups chopped yellow onions (3 onions)
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1/3 cup canned chicken stock or broth
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 1/2 pounds ground chuck
1/2 cup plain dry bread crumbs
2 extra-large eggs, beaten
1/2 cup ketchup
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Heat the olive oil in a medium saute pan. Add the onions, thyme, salt, and pepper and cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, for 8 to 10 minutes, until the onions are translucent but not brown. Off the heat, add the Worcestershire sauce, chicken stock, and tomato paste. Allow to cool slightly. In a large bowl, combine the ground chuck, onion mixture, bread crumbs, and eggs, and mix lightly with a fork. Don't mash or the meatloaf will be dense. Divide the mixture into 6 (10 to 11-ounce) portions and shape each portion into a small loaf on a sheet pan. Spread about a tablespoon of ketchup on the top of each portion. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until the internal temperature is 155 to 160 degrees F and the meat loaves are cooked through. Serve hot.