Chapter 8-2
Friends
Part 3
Not everything went into the moving van. We created a trash pile and a pile for Deseret Industries (DI), where items can be reused and resold. As we waited for a large city dumpster for our use instead of packing it all in a weekly garbage can. We also were given construction dumpsters that were separate from the trash pile that helped with things like broken pieces of glass, paint cans, and wooded items. We would be taking almost the entire house with us including doors, kitchen cabinets, and light fixtures and appliances. The house and everything on the property were being demolished and, in its place, there would be several new houses.
Bishop Earl had also several large Tuff-Sheds and those two would be loaded onto a flatbed trailer and taken to Heber. There was nothing he could do about the pool or the hot tub because they were in the ground to stay, but he could take the wooden fence and the post that was still good, the rest would be replaced. His goal was, if at all possible, to be out long before next Saturday. His goal was Tuesday, or possibly Wednesday.
He may be rich enough to buy everything brand new, but he was thrifty, and he couldn't see a perfectly good door, or its hinges being smashed or a single window in the house being broken when he or someone else could use them, and that included his appliances. He was going to give back to the people in his ward who needed them more than he did. He would give everything away if he could if it wasn't for his wife crossing her arms and telling him No. And No meant no, or all right over some "pillow talk" or several secret kisses.
By lunchtime, it wasn't immediately evident that we had accomplished much. However, if you looked outside, you would have seen the dumpsters being filled and the moving van almost half full. There were also several rolls of bubble wrap waiting to be used, stuffed in the corner. In addition, every size box was lined up against the wall of the living room, and a small table was filled with roll after roll of tape to seal them shut. We had several black markers listing where each box belonged.
Although the major furniture was still in place, some items such as the things on the walls, end tables, and coffee tables were missing. The remaining items were marked with someone's name or designated for the big furniture truck trip. It wasn't just the tasks on this side that needed completion; Greg's Dad made several calls to Heber to check on the progress of a large storage shed being built. This shed was the size of a large metal barn, at least half the size of a football field, and everyone was sharing it while their houses were being built. Multiple construction crews were working around the clock, tirelessly striving to finish before the colder weather arrived in just a few weeks. I could only imagine the noise on our piece of the mountain and the dedicated people working to beat the deadline.
Mrs. Earl took charge of the house as Bishop Earl placed Eli, Greg, and I in charge of the outside stuff, stating if I had questioned whether to toss it or keep it to set it in the pile to be sorted when he got back. He made a bet with his wife that everything outside could be packed away before she was done at 5 pm tonight, before she could go through the entire house for the first things to go, reminding her that our goal was to have everything packed and in Heber by Wednesday afternoon when the kids come home from school. So, he could go to work and see about getting the ball rolling and also see if he could talk my sister Becky into fulfilling her contract with me and his wife.
I wished him luck, and he did the same for me. He said if I had the entire fence down and the sheds as well as the garage empty by 3 pm he would buy me four sets of brand-new tires for my Super Nova. Knowing how each tire was nearly 50 dollars brand new, and that didn't include taxes or installing them. He didn't have to tell me twice as he told me to call Ben Larsen and Zack and Terry over and the rest of Greg's friends, so I did because Cindy was calling in reinforcements, and so was his wife. It was an all-out war to see who could win the girls against the guys.
Greg and I canceled my trip to the wrecking yard so we could keep working, determined not to let the women beat us. We put ourselves in overdrive as our friends quickly came to help. Mothers dropped their kids off down the street for our babysitters, while we lined up the cars. Our babysitters happened to be my three mermaid friends, who not only watched the kids, but also built boxes for us and kept a steady stream of them on both sides. Meanwhile, the kids who were too young to help, like Tanya and Christopher, played in the yard or colored in a huge stack of coloring books downstairs or in the yard to stay out of the way and avoid getting stepped on.
Several times I saw Mrs. Earl dabbing at her eyes with a tissue, her voice thick with emotion as she packed, the sound of her reminiscing interwoven with the muffled sobs of the women who hugged her goodbye before quickly resuming their work. The women and girls in the ward bustled about, the clatter of pots and pans a familiar rhythm as they prepared dinner and lunch for her.
Everyone asked who the new Bishop was going to be because it was obvious that Bishop Earl was being released this Sunday if he planned to be moved out by Wednesday. She would say I don't know, or I can't tell you that. Even the kids in our ward would ask, begging to know, or start guessing when we wouldn't tell them. I knew, of course, we had a pretty good guess as we looked at Mrs. Clark and her three boys and two girls as they played along as if we didn't know.
I was a little surprised when Bishop Earl came back with Becky in tow. Then again, I shouldn't have been. In fact, he brought her friends along as well. She looked at me and skipped over and said. "I am keeping my promise. So be ready to pay up."
I nodded and said. "A deal is a deal, but not until you keep your end of the bargain, like I said each day you work. I will give you your money after your shift not before then." I pulled it out of my wallet and showed it to her and put it back in and folded it, earmarking it. She tried to grab it out of my hand, but I was quick and put my wallet away and went back to work. She glared at me and went inside the house when Mrs. Earl called for her and put her right to work.
Bishop Earl looked at all the work we had done and smiled when I had nearly completed more than half of the fence work. I placed the boards into three piles: ones that were rotted, ones that could maybe use, and the ones that were still good. He then cringed at the pile of things he needed to sort through. But he didn't complain. He changed his clothes and put his work gloves on and dug in; I smiled as he tossed most of it away. He wasn't sentimental. He just shook his head, asking himself. "Why did I keep it in the first place?"
And Greg said. "Because, Dad, you said it could be fixed with a little elbow grease. You're a packrat."
He said. "It's true, but look I am tossing it way. I am turning over a new leaf."
Greg said. "Yeah, right?" And they both laughed, knowing that was never going to happen; watching him pick up a shovel that had a broken handle and put it in the keep pile.
Greg picked it up and tossed it said. "You have three brand new ones over there."
He said. "Ok, Ok maybe I need my butt kicked."
Greg and Eli were just finishing loading the last of the wooden fence when the time expired at right three on the dot. Bishop Earl said. "Good work. Looks like I owe you a set of tires. Now go get cleaned up and so you can spend time with your friends." I looked over at Ben and my friends and said. "What's next? We have all next week to play."
Bishop Earl chuckled and said. "Ok, let's go inside the house and see if we can work some magic." His wife saw us and tisked and shook her head and he said. "Dear, they are boys. It will be like we're camping out. We can save time by going without a few items. We can sleep on the floor if we have to, we can eat on plastic plates and drink from plastic cups. We need everything out of this house by Monday so we can have all of Tuesday to remove the windows, doors, and everything we can either give to people in need or use it in our new home. Remember the kids will be in school and it will be just a small handful of guys I can bring in to help. So, let's be practical."
She said. "Fine," and yelled. "Ladies! It's time to get serious!" And like that, everything started to happen.
Bishop Earl picked up the phone and called the moving company and said. "That's right we're ready for the big stuff. I realize the shed won't be ready until Saturday, but if it is in trucks, it can sit outside until the shed is ready. And we can make one big trip, the last trip on Saturday, and finish it off on Monday and Tuesday and be finished by Wednesday. Stringum said that you guys are the best and work around any timetable. I am willing to pay a bonus to all for your help if you can have everything in Heber by Wednesday morning." He hung up the phone and said. "Ok, men, let's get serious. Everything goes except the clothing and the mattresses and basics we need for four days. We're stripping the house the moment the vans arrive."
He picked up the phone and said. "Yes, I would like to order fifty large pizzas. No, sir, it's not a joke. I'll pick them up at 7 pm. Fine, give me fifteen minutes and I'll pay upfront, but you better not waste a minute of that time." he hung up the phone and said. "Ok boys, let's get to work."
His wife said. "Ok, ladies you heard the man."
Bishop Earl had me drive, having Eli and Greg ride in the back seat. He said. "You boys will be on food detail since I couldn't get them to deliver them."
We quickly arrived at the only pizza place in Payson which was Domino's. I watched him fish out his credit card and told the guy in charge that we would be the ones picking them up. They all nodded, and I gasped when I saw the total even with the Bishop discount. We stopped over at Smiths, the only grocery store in Payson at the time. And bought an entire case of paper plates, silverware, cups, and napkins; and everything else he normally used when camping out with the ward, using the same discount being Bishop.
For the first time, I got to see my Super Nova being filled to the max, and I was proud of her. He tried to turn on the radio and I smiled, knowing it didn't work; he said. "It's not a car, son, until you have tunes. First thing in the morning we're going to the wrecking yard and we're going to get everything we need to make this baby purr with happiness."
He gave me a fist bump, and we drove in silence. I never realized how far it was from the school I used to go to, which was Payson Jr. High at that time, and then walking home. Now here I was driving the distance. How no wonder my feet were tired. I pulled back up to the house and we went back to work unloading the car as we watched the moving vans line up in front of the house. If Santaquin didn't know that Bishop Earl was moving, they certainly did now, as the big stuff was being loaded into the vans and pickup trucks with members of the ward helping to take the items to someone in need.
By the time Greg, Eli, and I had picked up all the pizzas using his Dad's car and my car, the house was almost empty. It echoed with noise as everyone made a line, filling their plates with pizza and everything the ladies brought from home to help feed our very large crew. We all sat on the floor. Normally, Mrs. Earl would have a fit if anyone spilled anything on the carpet. In fact, she would have been like my adoptive mother, who would have had a fit with shoes on in the house and getting dirt or mud on the carpet. However, she shrugged it off, reminding herself that the carpet was going to be destroyed with the rest of the house. Yet, that didn't mean she didn't vacuum it after everyone left. As they locked up the moving vans and sent them to Heber, another would arrive in the morning to finish what was left over the weekend. We watched them and the men going home, telling us they will be back bright and early Saturday morning for the rest.
My mother called as the phone echoed in the house to tell me that she and Jeannie were still at the school. Asking Mrs. Earl if she wouldn't mind if Jeannie's kids all spent the night. She said the more the merrier; even though she had pretty much planned on it had put them to bed noting the time was a little after 9 pm. We all knew my mother. We knew she wasn't at the school; she was at the Cranny's house, and most likely having sex with Paul. She didn't know about what we learned last night, and we had no intention of saying anything over the phone. I had kept my word to Becky as I dropped her off at home when my father demanded that she be home, or he was calling the cops and pressing kidnapping charges.
Becky quickly took the money as I reminded her that she still had to work Thursday, Friday, and Saturday as per our agreement. She quickly took the money, which I and Mrs. Earl promised her, and I watched her wave it in front of Susan's face as I grabbed a change of clothes. Checking to make sure my door was locked, which it was, and I quickly reset the alarm inside my room. My father growled, but there was very little he could do when Bishop Earl was sitting in the living room waiting for me. I heard my father ask Becky if she knew who the new Bishop would be.
She said. "No, but I tend to find out tomorrow. I know they know who it is Dad, because he plans to be gone by Wednesday morning."
I didn't say anything, and neither did Bishop Earl as we walked out the door as my father said to me. "Don't come back goddamn it … you hear me, boy? We don't need you or immoral trash."
Bishop Earl swiftly turned around and firmly grabbed my father by the front of his shirt. With intense determination, he locked eyes with my father and spoke, "Tough shit. This is his mother's house. If you dare to make her life a living hell, you'll have to deal with me directly. But mark my words, if you ever even think about threatening the boy, his brother Aaron, or his mother again you piece of garbage, God and I will ensure that you will be the one enduring hell." Relinquishing his grip, Bishop Earl's action caused my father to collapse to his knees. The impact was so profound that it seemed as if divine intervention had struck him, prompting him to scream in agonizing pain while struggling to rise. In that moment, an eerie darkness appeared to envelop him, as if an unseen force was suppressing my father, Jim.
Yet, as I watched, it disappeared when I blinked; I saw him stagger to his feet as if someone had struck him … and then stumbled and fell back to his knees. I looked again as Susan helped him up and said. "Dad, did he touch you?"
My father, Jim, pushed her aside and said. "Get to bed! I am going for a walk! I need to find out who the next Bishop is! Somebody must stop him! We cannot afford to have another man like that ruining this town!"
Bishop Earl looked up and said, "Good luck with that … let's go. I am in need of a nice, hot, long bath." I could relate, feeling the tiredness in my aching muscles. We all sat there, soaking and too exhausted to move, until the water had long turned cold. Finally, we crawled into bed, too worn out to do anything other than close our eyes and drift off to dreamland.
In my dream, I saw my father Jim walking the streets, consumed by thoughts of the new Bishop, as if it was driving him mad. A wicked, terrible smile crossed his face as he gazed up at the Clark's house, peaking through the window to witness everyone kneeling in prayer.
Suddenly, I jolted awake, drenched in a cold sweat. The sound of a window breaking inside the house and the smell of smoke filled the air. I heard hateful words of many angry voices as Mr. Earl ran through the house, telling us to all to get away from the windows as more burning beer bottles shot through the windows. It was moments later that we heard sirens and saw police lights streaming through the windows as we stomped out the fires before it could spread. We quickly dressed in robes and we stood our ground as the police chased them off. But the damage had been done as we looked outside, seeing the house spray painted with satanic symbols telling us to get the hell out or they would kill us. The only thing that saved us was the fact the house was basically empty. And the moving vans were safely away ahead of schedule.
It was nearly 3 in the morning before we could even think about going back to bed after covering the holes in the windows with cardboard and tape while the police patrolled our streets. I had no doubt that the new Bishop's house was also being watched. Bishop Earl said the devil was working overtime tonight. Trying to frighten us or make sure the Earls never made it to Heber. Or the new Bishop took his place, knowing that if he could take us out single-handedly, it would mean he could get a foothold here, which only made it more clear that what we were doing was making him mad. However, that also meant our lives just became more complicated, but what else was new? … it was already complicated. And that was something I was getting used to. I'll it did was make me want to take the Satanic Church down even more.