A Cheat and a Liar, page 46
Nettie was heartbroken. As an only child, she had always followed her mother’s advice, and losing her was going to leave a huge hole in her life. Nettie had never had a huge circle of female friends. Most of those with whom she had attended school had married and moved to other towns and cities. George did his best to comfort both his wife and her father. Although he had conducted more than a dozen funerals during his part-time ministry, he made it clear to Nettie and her father that he could not officiate in Helen’s farewell. ‘I am happy to speak at the service on behalf of the family and thank everyone for their thoughts and attendance, but my job on the day will be to support the two I love the most—my wife, Nettie, and Edward, her father. We must arrange the service with whichever minister you know and like the best, Edward.’
Edward agreed. ‘Yes, George, you are quite right. You look after your wife. I will have you both alongside me and brother, Gerard and his family; plus, of course, most of those who worked for me will be there too. George, perhaps can I ask you to find a clergyman that you think Helen would have admired had she attended one of his services? I know she will be always happy with whatever you and Nettie decide.’
And so it was; Helen was laid to rest almost a week later, on Saturday, 28 January. Shops were closed, and almost the entire town attended; the church was filled to capacity, and the entire church grounds and more were filled with people. George left his wife’s side when the time was right and spoke eloquently, extolling the virtues of the ‘nicest mother-in-law’ a man could ever wish to meet.
The minister of George’s choice, the Reverend Charles Grounds, lived up to his caring and thoughtful reputation, even though he had never had the pleasure of meeting Helen. He insisted the numbers present exactly explained the popularity of the lady and the high regard in which she was held.
After the service, Helen’s casket was lowered into the ground, in the graveyard, directly behind the church. A few short words were spoken, and the service was over. Mourners were invited back into the church hall, where cups of tea and a light lunch were available for those who had attended.
Finally, everyone departed, and Edward, Nettie and George, and Gerard and Cecille made their way back to Edward’s home. It had been decided that Gerard and his wife would stay with Edward that night, and Nettie and George would go to their home after the five of them had had time to reminisce and think back over the day, the last few weeks, and Helen’s rather sudden decline in health and passing.
A month after losing his wife, Edward had spent most of that time living alone. He had been visited every day by either George or Nettie and had, on two or three occasions, spent most of a day with his brother, Gerard. It was a Friday, and Nettie and George had, on several occasions, discussed living arrangements for both Edward, and in fact themselves as well. Nettie had invited her father around for supper, but the real purpose of them meeting was to put to Edward an idea she and George thought would be advantageous to the three of them.
He arrived at the cottage just after five that afternoon, and Nettie had herself only been home a few minutes. Then George arrived, and they sat down and talked. George had started his latest build only a matter of days before Helen died, and that, plus some very wet days, had meant progress had been slow. He and Edward discussed the plan and size and how it differed from where Edward was presently living. Edward had a few suggestions and ideas that he shared freely with his son-in-law, and then Nettie came back into the room with a tray, carrying three cups of tea and some cake she had made.
The conversation regarding the build stopped, and Edward asked his daughter how she was and what she had been most involved with at the mill office since last they spoke. That conversation paused, and Nettie could contain herself no longer; she wanted to tell her father a suggestion or rather a plan she had hatched and wanted to put to him. ‘Daddy,’ she said.
‘Oh, this sounds serious, my girl. That tone, that name tells me there is a serious debate about to be presented,’ Edward replied.
Without seemingly needing to stop for breath, she said, ‘Daddy, George and I have an idea that we both like, and we think you may like it too.’ Before her father had time to even comment, she continued. ‘We think we would like to move in with you for company, for you, of course. We all get along with each other, and your life will no longer be a life of loneliness.’
There was a pause, and nobody spoke, and then Edward said, ‘Well, before we jump into any fast decisions, I was going to suggest that we simply swap houses. You own them both, but best you live in the nice new one George built for you both, and I simply live in the cottage, which is amply big enough for my needs, and a lovely little home also. I don’t know about this living together. What say you and George have a difference of opinion; you don’t want me around to hear it, and I probably don’t want to be around at that stage either.’
After a lot of talk, a decision was made. George had said to Edward, ‘In all honesty, Edward, our first priority is you. We all get along very well. All the small disagreements Nettie and I have had since we married have always been won by her.’ The three of them laughed, and George continued. ‘Because we would be living here, no more rent will be paid by you, but you and Nettie can come to whatever arrangement you both are happy with concerning household running costs. My next thought was that if you are happy to live with us here, I will rent out the cottage.’ Nettie went to speak, but George raised his hand and said, ‘Sorry, love, let me finish. I am happy not to rent the cottage if you think that the cottage is preferable to you rather than live here with us.’
The discussion went on for some time, and in the end, Edward accepted and thanked them both. He was delighted to be invited to live with them, and George gave the undertaking that if the situation became intolerable to any one of them, he would evict the tenants, whoever they may be in the cottage at that stage, and allow Edward sole possession there for as long as he required. Nettie suddenly looked at the clock on the wall. ‘Oh my god, it’s after seven o’clock. You men carry on. I must get us supper.’
When she had left the room, Edward said, ‘It’s a damn nice thing to invite me to live with you both, George. Don’t know that I would have ever chosen or agreed to live with Helen’s dad if her mother had died first. She didn’t, as it happens, but her father was a grumpy ol’ fella. He was always right; everyone else was wrong; you know what I mean?’
‘I know what you mean all right, Edward, but if you had been grumpy, I would never have agreed to Nettie’s idea of moving in with you either.’
It wasn’t the next day, nor the next week, but five or six weeks after the idea was broached, George and Nettie moved into the house Edward had been living in as company for the older man, and ten days after the shift, new tenants were in the cottage.
Meanwhile, George still had about 50 per cent of the work needed on his current project before completion, and already another couple had agreed that George could build them a new home just as soon his current work was finished.
He was still drawing a stipend for his regular church work, and every now and again, he would say to Nettie he wouldn’t mind returning to the school on a part-time basis and teaching woodwork skills to some of the older boys. Of course, now that he had agreed to build again, the idea of teaching had become more of an idea rather than an intention. ‘Never mind,’ Nettie would say. ‘When you get too old to balance on a ladder, the skill of building will remain, and teaching young men to maintain their balance whilst hammering home a nail is a skill you can pass on to others without fear of injuring yourself.’
So the lovely folk of Bucoda enjoyed the last days of spring and prepared for the summer.
Operations at the mill had all been completed, and Gerard had seen turnover increase substantially since his arrival. He had always operated his part of the business very well, and much of the improved output was due to the enlarged factory’s ability to increase throughput, although, to be fair, his expertise had been an important factor also. Cecille was really quite the social butterfly. She entertained much, much more than her late sister-in-law, Helen, and frequently had afternoon teas and almost English-type garden parties to mark important events in the American calendar, plus tea for brides-to-be, particularly if they were daughters of important customers of Gerard and the mill.
The increased turnover at the mill meant more office staff dealing with a greater workload, and that meant a better weekly wage for Nettie as the one in charge of operations in that department. The new house George was building was nearing completion, and already he had the sub-floor of his next project in place ready for him once he was available.
Meanwhile, Edward, since retiring, had turned his hand to gardening and had every year planted a large garden. George and Nettie enjoyed having him around; he never criticised or complained and seemed happy, or as happy as any other bereaved husband could be. He also went to the church grounds quite frequently, often with a scythe to cut grass that had become too long for the rather tired mower that the church owned. At supper one night, he surprised Nettie and George when he suddenly said, ‘They say God will provide. Well, I have asked him many times to please find or encourage someone to purchase a new mower for the church, and none or nobody has come forward.’
George and Nettie stopped eating, looked at each other with raised eyebrows, and then smiled. Once George had managed to swallow without choking, he finally said, ‘Mowers are probably too modern for the Lord, and he knows how dangerous a scythe can be; hence, he has decided to do nothing.’ There were a few more smiles, then the subject was changed.
And then it was winter—almost. On 11 November, Armistice Day, there was a celebratory church service conducted by George.
A large congregation gathered, and the church was almost full. Two returned men, both from Tacoma, who had fought in Europe, both read from the Bible. George’s sermon, as usual, encouraged deep thinking and spoke of the folly of war and the grief and suffering it always caused, not just to those fighting but to those many, many families who often never saw their loved ones come home, not just after the most recent conflict but every time through the ages that men had been given a license to kill. Then he spoke of the hardship experienced by all in the time of war.
November rolled towards Christmas, and George reminisced. Where was he five, ten years ago? His thoughts were his own, only for him to remember. He thought of what might have been; what could have been, and what there was now, and where he was now. After church, he was unusually quiet, and his mood was sombre. Nettie felt the change and remarked on it. ‘What’s wrong, my love? Did someone remark on something you said today? What or who has made you unhappy?’
George simply shook his head and said nothing. His mood remained, and he was quiet all day, and towards supper, Nettie questioned him again. She had never seen him despondent like this before. George was in no mood to talk and snapped at her. ‘I’m fine, I’m fine. Just don’t keep questioning me. I will be fine.’
It worried her, but the next day, George seemed like his old self, and Nettie asked no more questions.
A week or so before Christmas, the house George was building was finished, and the owners were ready to take possession. They were delighted that George had been able to keep his promise to have it ready for them to move into before Christmas. George was happy also, as he was able to meet his commitment to the bank and keep his friend Hargraves smiling. George knew he was going to require a smaller working overdraft to purchase timber for his next build, which he had told Nettie was going to be his last for a while. George knew that Hargraves would be happy too. George would not only have mortgages on the house and the cottage for which repayments were right up to date but would also have a good amount in his account, which, as yet, he had not made plans for.
Some days later, he informed Nettie that his next build was definitely going to be his last for a while, and by summer, he hoped to return to teaching woodwork and preliminary carpentry skills to boys at the local school. ‘With teaching and preaching, and a little insurance work too and your salary from the mill, I think we will be very comfortable and be able to enjoy a comfortable lifestyle in this dear town,’ he told her.
Nettie was fine with what George explained and said to him, ‘If our borrowing is all under control and up to date, and you and I are earning sufficient to live comfortably, we have each other and need nothing else.’
And so 1922 rolled into 1923, and life in Bucoda continued pretty much as it had done since the end of the war; gradually expanding, with more businesses setting up, while others changed hands and had new owners. Pupils readied themselves for the start of a new semester, and midway through August, George’s final build was completed, so he confirmed with the local school that his position was still available and he would be ready to start.
Chapter 22
George settled in well at the local school. He felt more comfortable than he had been two years previously. This time, he was regarded as a full-time teacher, although that did not mean he worked the whole day teaching; it meant he attended the school every day for varying lengths of time depending on the hours designated to him.
It was ideal. When he wasn’t required in the classroom, he often would sit in an office or vacant classroom and prepare the lesson or his next sermon or choice of hymns for next Sunday’s service or even, on occasions, prepare for a visit to a business or a household to discuss insurance requirements at some future time. That side of George’s business life was the slowest of the three, but together everything suited him well. For example, he did not have to work outside in all weathers; he did not have to be on the job by 7.00 a.m. every day, and each type of work was quite different.
George knew, too, that the good folk of Bucoda respected him more now than previously. Since the retirement of Reverend Thompson, George had really become the resident minister. He had requested the vestry committee to invite other men of the cloth from within the wider district to lead services as often as they could be available so local churchgoers could have variety—variety of clergyman, of lesson, of opinion, and so on.
George, too, had only recently informed church members of his lack of qualification to marry couples. They did not query why he lacked such authority, and he did not inform them. He did commit to being the minister for funerals but said he simply preferred to act for a funeral and as their leader at most Sunday services.
In the classroom, George was very competent, and the boys generally liked him. Younger boys were first taught basic safety skills and shown how to use the most commonly used tools. He also had a hard side. ‘If you two men have come to simply talk to each other and gaze out the window, then you will learn nothing. I am not going to waste time repeating myself if you don’t want to listen. Report back to your class teacher. I don’t want you back here again,’ and they went!
George learnt from that first experience too. Every time thereafter, when a new group of boys arrived for their first lesson, he would tell them they were there to learn skills they would need forever: how to saw through a piece of timber, how to hammer in a nail, etc., and once they showed some competence in those skills, he would politely ask, ‘Do any of you young gentlemen think that you would prefer not to learn anything further from me and learn another subject or skill instead in another class, with another teacher, from now on?’
George very, very seldom encountered any problems after that. A few boys left from time to time, but a lot grew to become competent in their woodworking efforts, and George was proud. He gained a lot of satisfaction too when parents of those he had taught would meet him sometime, somewhere out of school and thank George for what he had instilled in their sons.
Then winter was on them again, and fires were lit, and the weather became bleak, and some folk became unwell; and one of them was Nettie’s father, Edward. He became ill in early November and was soon confined to his bed. Every morning, George would stoke up the fires and ensure the house was warm. Nettie made a large pot of soup and left it simmering on the wood oven in the kitchen, and Edward was able to walk, sometimes shuffle, slowly from his bed to the kitchen, serving himself with a cup of hot soup on his way back to bed.
Nettie felt she should stop work briefly to nurse her father at home, but as George explained, ‘What can you do? When he is in bed, he is warm. When he needs to get something to eat or drink, he can do that himself. Soon, it will be our Christmas holiday period, and as long as we stay with him and ensure he keeps himself warm, then, provided his health does not deteriorate, and our doctor is requested to visit him regularly, what more can we do?’
The doctor did visit twice each week, and Edward was told to confine himself to his bed; and slowly there was improvement in Edward’s health.
Edward had lost weight, but by Christmas, he was well enough to get up and dress himself. The church folk all missed him, and many visited.
Christmas certainly was not the usual celebratory affair for the Nichols family, but George led the church service, and in place of an address to the children, as happened each time George was in the pulpit, the Bible class and Sunday school teachers had organised a Nativity play, and children dressed as the Three Wise Men, and there was an angel and a crib with a doll, and the children sang carols, and all in all it was a wonderful occasion.
Nettie and George, and Edward, of course, had all been invited to Christmas dinner at Gerard and Cecille’s place. There were simple gifts exchanged, and although very tired by the time they all left to go home, Edward was full of smiles and remarked that he had enjoyed the best day of his life since dear Helen had passed away.
The talk amongst the menfolk was what 1924 may provide. Later in the year, the presidential election would decide whether there was a change of president, and the three men spent quite some time discussing whom the Democrats may finally put forward to challenge the incumbent president Coolidge.
