As I Remember, Chapter 32

CHAPTER 32

      I have always been a great lover of music. While I was staying at Mother’s place, I bought a whole new entertainment center. I got the works. A new tape recorder, TV, record and tape player and a lot of records. We got a lot of enjoyment out of it. Mother kept it going most of the time. Then one night, both Mother and Bob were in bed. I was sitting up listening to a show on TV Suddenly from Bob’s bedroom, I could hear strange noises. I went in and took a look. His eyes were glassy. There was a rattle in his throat. I knew that he was dying. I got on the phone and called Ray. Taking care not to awaken Mother. Ray come down and took a look. He agreed that Bob was on his way out. “Call the undertaker in the morning.” he said. Then went home. I was all alone with Bob when he died. I pulled the sheet up over his face and sat by his bedside until morning. Bob was one sweet guy.

      Every day Mother was getting weaker. I took care of her the best I could. She seemed to know that her days were numbered and she didn’t seem to care. She was ready. One night, Mother said to me, “Teddy Boy,” she always called me. “I will be leaving you soon and I want to thank you for all the things you have done for me and Bob. I don’t know what we would of done without you. Now listen closely. I am leaving a will. You Cecil, Afton.” Little Afton as we called her. “will all be remembered. You have done so much more than everyone else, so this place will be yours as long as you live. The house and everything in it. You deserve it, Teddy Boy. And let me tell you something else. You are the only one in all my family that hasn’t sometime or other come to me for money. And of course, none of them ever paid it back. My cash is running awful low. Those four big Peterbuilt trucks that Ray bought for Don, cost a lot of money. And that dog track that he financed in Ontario, plus all those greyhounds and the trainers, this all cost a small fortune. Now I have told Ray and everyone else, that this house and everything in it will be yours for as long as you live.” I thanked her and I also told her. “Mother, if you were to pass away and leave me here, Ray would think some excuse to get me out. Also, I don’t think I want to spend the rest of my life here.” There were tears in her eyes. “Yes, I think he would do that alright. But if you leave here, take everything with you. All the furniture, the bedding, the rugs and the drapes, I give to you. Be sure to take them all.” I shook my head. “I will be lucky to get out of here with what belongs to me. You know that.” Mother nodded. “Then there is only one way. I will give you a bill of sale for every item in this place. Then there is no way he can stop you. Everything belongs to me and it is all paid for.”

      The next day, I went all through the house and the basement. I made a list of everything. I brought down a notary from Emmett and he made everything real legal. Then one day, Mother collapsed and we rushed her to the hospital in Emmett. In a few days, she died. She was close to ninety. She was a wonderful person.

      I had bought me a trailer and had it parked back of the house. It was a nice one. A twenty four foot Terry. Then one day, Jack said to me. “I guess we are going to lay off some of the crew, and you are one of them.” I knew that the next thing that Ray would figure out was an excuse to get me out of that house. I would beat him to it, I decided. I would have an auction. Sell everything… Everything but my car and the trailer.

      I took the list and got a hold of a couple good auctioneers. We had a lot of sale bills made up and run ads in all the papers. Then come the morning of the auction. I had most everything piled outside on the big lawn. Then a car drove up in front. It was a deputy sheriff. In his hands were a bunch of papers. He come walking over and handed them to me. “Ted.” he said. “I must serve these papers on you. The administrator of this estate, Ray Dewey, had them all fixed up real legal.” I looked the papers all over. I told the guy, and I was ready for him. “Listen, mister. These papers state that I cannot sell anything belonging to this estate. Correct?” “You are correct.” I took out the itemized, notarized bill of sale from my pocket and handed it to him. “Read that.” I said. There was a strange look on the fellow’s face. He handed the paper back to me. “Don’t look like you are selling anything that doesn’t belong to you. I wonder what in the world Ray is trying to pull.” “You had better ask him.” “But I have already served papers on the auctioneers.” Then I got really tough. “Then you had better unserve them. If you have a part in stopping this auction, you will get sued along with all the rest. Including the county attorney that made this thing out.” The guy took off in a hurry and he took the papers with him. In about an hour, the auctioneers showed up and later we had a good sale. And Brother Ray, never showed his face around there.