Tow-Away Stowaway

~~~ Chapter notes ~~~

I'm oversimplifying the remodeling project. I'm also probably providing more inane details than some readers want. I'm striving for a balance between telling a story and simply providing a list of sexual positions and locations.

~~~ Thursday ~~~

We visited Sue and Annie for breakfast and then headed down Harper's Lane towards the house. When we got close to the cabin, the whole place looked different.

"Shit!" Lydia gasped. "The trees are gone!"

"Calvin must have come after we left," I told her.

All of the trees that had been on the easement were no longer there. We drove down the cleared path, looking to see what all had been done. Some sections of the turf were torn up from where they had pulled out stumps. This had only been done when the trees were smaller. Larger stumps had been sawn off at the surface. A few of those had been ground down below the soil. I drove around the holes in the grass and dirt. We followed the trail all of the way to the southern parcel, turned around, and then went north to look at that end of the cleared path - before returning to the cabin. This time, I parked in the area that we had designated for the gravel to be placed. I had to admit that the cabin looked a lot nicer from the lane with the truck sitting out of the way.

I looked in the back of the truck and facepalmed. Lydia laughed at me.

"I should have unloaded the refrigerator before we went off-roading," I told her.

"It's still upright - mostly," she said, still chuckling.

Only the ratchet strap (that snugged it against the front corner of the bed) prevented the refrigerator from toppling. I got the thing standing upright again, took off the strap, and moved the large box to the tailgate so that we could lower the thing to the ground. I used the ratchet-strap to hold the weight - so that I could ease it down - and still save my back. I unhooked the strap when I was done.

"Smart," Lydia said.

"I've got an old back," I told her. "Young bucks can just grab it and hop off of the tailgate with it."

By the time Calvin pulled in, I had gotten the refrigerator to the porch and finished helping Lydia get the planter boxes where she wanted them.

"Like the new look?" he asked, grinning.

"What time did you get here?" I asked him.

"I saw you headed into Kennett when I got to Harper's Lane," he said. "Since we'd already mapped out everything, I figured I didn't need to bother you."

"It looks a lot different," I commented.

"Gotta grind off the rest of those stumps and then the fellas from the power company should be coming down through her to chat with you about where you think the stuff should stop at each parcel. May want to give that a thought if you haven't already. They'll put the meter on the cabin - probably on the west end. If I were you, I'd have them run the drop for your new place clear up to where you've got it marked off."

I nodded to him.

"Got things shapin' right up, Mr. Simms," he said, smiling.

"Thanks to you...," I replied.

He shook my hand and headed off - towing a small trailer with a stump grinder on it.

"What're you going to tell them on the other parcels?" Lydia asked.

"Honestly," I said. "I'm hoping they give me somebody with a clue - because I don't have one."

We filled the planter boxes - which were almost more like raised garden beds - with soil. It was late in the season to be planting but I went ahead and had Lydia do a salad medley in each of the veggie boxes - tomatoes, lettuce, spinach, radishes, carrots, and onions. The leafy stuff would probably come up. We'd just have to see on the rest of it. I gave it a lot of water, a little fertilizer, and called it good enough.

I tossed the empty water jug in the bed of the truck, grumbling to myself for deciding to start a garden when we didn't even have water.

We got the homeopathic plants settled in - and then finished up with the herbs. Those got water and fertilizer too. I chucked the other water jug in the truck as well. Rinsing out the wash-basin and refilling it had taken the rest of the second jug.

I was just trying to decide whether to run and get more water when Nathan Gudgel came down the lane with a truck with a hoist - pulling a trailer with a big propane tank on it.

"Wow," Lydia said.

"That will be filled with propane," I told her. "It goes in as liquid and comes out as gas - it's a bigger version of the ones that people use for gas grills."

"All of our heat will run off of that?" she asked.

"Water heater, the room heaters, and the oven," I said, nodding.

Nathan pulled up, set the brake, and climbed down to talk.

"It's a bit unsightly," he warned, "but the tank needs sunlight to work right. I can put it closer to the well - since that's already gonna have stuff for you to mow around."

I looked around where we were standing - and then at the rest of the property. The grass was scraggly enough that I hadn't even considered mowing it.

"That's fine with me," Lydia said.

"Will the powerline - running to the pump in the well - bother anything?" I asked him.

"Nope," Nathan said. "I'll bury the line and mark it. Harold will see my flags and stay left or right of it. That'll give you a swath of yard that should never be dug up without having it marked first - but everything will be in one place to make it easier to keep track of..."

"Sounds good," I replied.

I nodded and headed back for the truck. Lydia and I moved out of the way. In a couple turns, he had the trailer positioned. He moved to the hoist/crane thing, moved it over the tank, hooked it on, lifted it, and set it to the side of the trailer.

"Come take a look before I pull away," he hollered.

Lydia and I went over to check the spot. He'd tried to line it up parallel with the side of the cabin - even though it was almost 50 feet away. Lydia nodded.

"Looks fine, Nathan," I told him. "Thanks. You need us to do anything?"

"Water heater in?" he asked.

"Yup."

"If you could unlock the doors, I'm gonna be in and out a bit while I hook everything up," he said.

"We'll stay out of your way unless you tell us you need anything," I replied.

He glanced at the big white truck coming down the lane.

"Looks like you've got company," he said, grinning.

He pulled across the spot where we'd been parking my pickup and left his truck and trailer closer to the property line to the south.

I scooted closer to the lane and waited for the power company truck to pull up.

"You Lee Simms?" the driver asked.

"Yes."

"Gonna have the boring team bringing that line down Harper's Lane here in a bit," he said.

"Power and fiber?" I asked.

He nodded.

"One big plastic conduit with both inside," he replied. "Easier to pull. Should last longer than you or I are here to worry about it."

He glanced at Lydia.

"Might be a different story for the little miss - but it should hold up for long enough for them to come up with something new to replace it with."

Lydia scooted up beside me and wrapped her arm around my waist. He noticed but didn't say anything.

"You know where you want us to dead-end the service for the undeveloped plots?" he asked.

I pointed to the property to the south of where we were.

"I've got stakes and lines on that parcel," I told him. "We're planning to start building there as soon as possible. Obviously, you know more about this than I do - so I'll leave it to your discretion - but we'll want power there before - I'm hoping - the year is out."

"Dicey with the weather," he said. "I'll probably run it as close to your lines as I dare..."

"There's quite a bit of trees and brush. I haven't mapped out a lane yet."

"I may need to come back then - when you and Calvin have that figured out - maybe I'll just stop at the edge of the easement for now."

I nodded and said, "I'll leave the other four to you - unless you need a decision from me. I plan to resell the properties once you've got the lines run. I'm hoping they'll move quickly and we can get you some more customers."

"That's the goal," he agreed, nodding. "Let me go take a look at this - and maybe talk to Calvin - and see what we've got."

"I appreciate it," I told him.

He nodded to me and then backed up to turn so that he could head down the easement. He drove slow, looking the markers over that Calvin had used to show where the property lines were. Calvin had stopped grinding stumps and was waiting to talk to him. I left them to it.

I turned around to get a kiss from Lydia. She was grinning from ear to ear.

She turned with me and we watched Nathan. He was running a spool of tubing from the propane tank to the back porch.

"Let's go inside and see if we can figure out where the hell we're going to put this fridge," I told her.

She took my hand - and then capered along beside me like a two-year-old - giggling and skipping as we walked to the cabin. We stepped inside and looked over the kitchen. I grabbed the tape-measure and went back outside to measure the box. I came back in and used that measurement to figure out what I needed to rip out.

"What if we take this section out and shove it above this counter?" I asked Lydia.

"As long as it all stays on that wall... Yeah... I think that works."

I grabbed my tools. I started walking around the cabin, counting my steps. Thankfully, Lydia stayed quiet while I did all of the calculations in my head.

"Go see Ted," I told her. "You're buying wiring so that we can connect everything. I think I need 50 feet - so let's go with a hundred. I need interior wire and... I count six... so get a dozen outlets. That should get the refrigerator wired in, a light in each room, and an extra plug for us to use. Let's see... The power comes in from the meter and goes... Shit. Tell Ted that we need a breaker box and some breakers too."

I fished in my wallet for the debit card and couldn't find it. I looked up to see her grinning. She had it in her small purse.

"Don't we usually pay Ted in cash?" she asked.

I groaned, thumbed through the money in my billfold, and finally just handed the wallet to her.

"I should have hit the ATM again...," I complained. "See how far that'll get us..."

"Lunch?" she asked.

"Yeah, sure..."

"Requests?"

"Pot pie, if she has it...," I replied.

Lydia collected a kiss and headed out of the door. She nearly collided with Nathan.

"Sorry, miss," he said.

"My bad," she replied. "I'll be out of your way for a while."

She left. Nathan looked at me. I was still holding the tape-measure out the length of the box on the porch that he'd just walked past. He grinned.

"Forgot the refrigerator?" he asked.

"I'd tell you to fuck off but I don't know you that well...," I answered.

He started laughing.

"It wouldn't be so funny if I hadn't done the same thing," he replied.

"You did?"

"For me, it was the sink...," he said.

"Oh, I already had to adjust once for that..."

He was drying tears from his eyes.

"Sorry," he said. "I feel you - 100%. I'll shut my pie-hole now..."

He went to work - so I did the same. I caught him grinning at me now and then as I ripped out a section of wooden shelving and countertop - but he didn't say anything.

I trimmed up the edges enough to make everything work - and then stepped back to look at it. I really wanted to slide the refrigerator in - to check the spacing for sure - but I'd just have to yank it out again to wire the outlet in... I was standing there, studying it, when Nathan passed again.

"The fridge is on wheels," he whispered. "It'll be a piece of cake to slide it back out to wire it in there. Go ahead and try it."

"Thanks," I said.

He helped me get it out of the crate, jockeyed through the front door, and into the space I had allowed for it. He nodded.

"Looks good to me, chief," he said.

With that, he went back to hooking up the heaters.

I took the pieces that I'd disassembled to add the refrigerator and carried them down to the other end of the counter. I got the step-ladder. I thought of the joke that my buddy had told me one time and snickered. I caught Nathan looking at me.

I hugged the thing to my chest and told him, "This is my step-ladder. I never met my real ladder."

"Ha!" he said. "Never heard that one before! I'll have to remember it."

I spread the legs on the ladder so that I could climb up to measure the space I wanted to use. Nathan went back to his work.

An hour later, Lydia came in the door and I turned to see Nathan standing there, waiting to talk to me. I'd only gotten the frame of the thing up but I was making progress. I glanced at the propane guy.

"I'm done in here," he said. "I'll come back in a day or two and fill your tank. I'll get you an invoice when I do."

"You need any money up-front?" I inquired.

"You ain't planning on leaving town anytime soon, are you?" he asked, in reply.

"No..."

"Well, then, I'm not worried about it. As they say - I know where you live."

He grinned. I grinned back. He waved and headed out of the door.

"Have a good day, miss," he said as he passed my lover.

"Thanks for your help, Nathan," Lydia told him.

"No problem, little lady," he replied.

Lydia asked me to help carry stuff. I followed her to the truck. I grabbed all of the electrical supplies and she grabbed our meals. We walked inside and set everything on the breakfast bar.

"Ted said the big breaker was for the dryer...," Lydia informed me.

She studied my face and grinned.

I barely avoided slapping my hand to my face.

"We're going back to Cody, aren't we?" she asked, "to get a washer and dryer?"

She smirked.

"Smart ass...," I teasingly accused.

"I've been naughty, Mr. Simms. Do I get a... spanking?"

She was busy giggling when there was a knock at the door. She reached over and opened it.

"Harold!" Lydia exclaimed. "Come on in!"

He glanced outside at all of the trucks and then looked at me and asked, "Busy day?"

"Yes, but we're happy to see you," I answered.

He glanced at the counter.

"Oh - good - a breaker box. Where are you planning to put that? I'll run the electric line straight to the box."

"No clue," I replied. "As per my usual, I'm flying by the seat of my pants here... Ted sent a 220 breaker for the dryer and we just realized we don't have one..."

"You could always just run to Valley City," he said. "I'd be tempted. Go start the laundry, stop at Pop's for a pizza, bring it home wet, hang it up, turn on a fan..."

I glanced at Lydia. She shrugged.

"Let's call that Plan A," I told him. "One less trip to Cody."

"Made enough of those in my lifetime...," he agreed, nodding.

"So... Where would you put the box?" I asked.

"The power company will ask where you want the meter," he replied. "Based on your layout, I would suggest the east wall - close to the porch. I would put the breaker box on the south wall - in that same corner. I'll trench the power line for the water pump on the opposite side of the water line from Nathan's propane run. I'll bring it to the west wall about where the bedroom wall meets the front room. Unless you want those little plastic channels running all over in here, I'm guessing you're gonna fish the line under the floor to get from east to west. I'll put a power switch inside for you to kill power to the pump for maintenance or whatever. We'll tie it into one of your junction-boxes at that end of the house. The pump doesn't draw that much juice. You can give it a line of its own if you want, but you don't need to."

I must have looked a little dumbfounded.

"I got a cousin in Valley City that does electric," Harold said. "His boy's apprenticed and is always looking for odd jobs..."

"Call him," I replied immediately.

"You got service now?"

I nodded.

"Hang on."

He dialed a number, talked to his cousin, and then called his younger cousin. He explained the situation, where we were at, and asked when he could come over.

"Travis says he'll be here in two hours," Harold reported when he hung up. "If I had my guess, it'll be just over an hour. He's dying to see what you've done with this place. Him and a buddy actually stayed out here a time or two. Five bucks says he brings his buddy, Willy, along when he comes."

He glanced at our take-out containers.

"Eat that while it's warm," he said. "I'll get started on my work and then come make sure you're cool with Travis before I take off."

I held out my hand and thanked him. He shook it and told me not to worry about it. Lydia thanked him as well.

Once Harold headed out of the door, Lydia and I sat down and started on our food. It was chicken pot pie. I wanted an iced tea to wash it down but all we had was some lukewarm bottled water. I was really looking forward to getting the electricity hooked up.

While we ate, Lydia and I emptied our pockets to see how much cash we had between us. I was going to have to run to Cody again just to get some more spending money.

Harold had been right. Lydia and I had barely finished eating (putting the leftovers aside for dinner), when there was a knock at the door. I opened the door to find the power company guy standing there. Two young men were behind him, grinning.

"Meter location preference?" the utility worker asked.

"Harold suggested east wall close to the porch," I told him.

"Works for me. We'll bore straight under the truck. Just leave it where it is," he replied.

"Thanks," I told him.

He turned, spoke to the boy (that turned out to be Travis) for a brief moment, and then he headed towards his truck.

"Busy place...," the young man said, holding out his hand. "I'm Travis. This is my buddy, Willy. We stayed out here a couple times. Mind if we take a look inside - and not just to be nosey?"

"Come on in," I told them.

I took them on the grand tour. I showed them the new heaters, the closed in back porch, and the crude renovations to the kitchen. We also went outside. I warned them that the outhouse repairs had been done with a chainsaw and they laughed. They liked the new firewood shelter. Travis stopped by his truck to grab his tools and then we headed back into the house.

Willy helped Travis get the breaker box mounted. Next, the boys asked where we thought we wanted outlets. I warned them that we had forgotten about laundry and weren't sure where that was going. When I told them what Harold had suggested they both nodded. If we decided that we really wanted our own machines, Travis recommended the ones made for apartments that were stacked on top of one another. He suggested putting them at the corner of the kitchen - just beside the door to the bathroom. I told him to go ahead and wire it up that way.

As the boys worked, we chatted a little. They asked how things had been going. We told them about the bear's first visit - and then I told them about my most recent experience. Lydia was a little freaked out but the boys just laughed it off.

"Leave'm be and they usually just nuzzle you some," Willy said. "Might knock you over. Just lay there until they lose interest. If you got snacks in your pocket, you might be in trouble."

They both laughed.

We told them about the plans to build the new house and then sell the cabin. The two of them looked at each other. Neither said anything but they looked interested.

They drilled some holes in the floor and a few walls and used a fish-tape to drag the wires under the cabin from the breaker box to the outlets. Meanwhile, Lydia and I worked on the cabinets that I was moving. As dusk fell - the two boys wrapped up their work.

At that point, we talked about how much I owed them and Travis dithered. I warned him that I only had so much cash on me.

"Can you send money directly?" he asked.

"Yes," Lydia said.

"Can I?" I asked her, not realizing I had the capability.