Page 2 of A Wanderer's Redemption
REGGIE
“Are you both well? Should I be concerned?”
“Oh, heavens no, Reggie! We have simply made a decision and want to see what role you will play in it. Your father and I simply couldn’t wait any longer, as we may need to proceed quickly while we have an interested buyer.”
“A buyer? … Okay Mother, I am confused.”
“Wyatt, Honey, I will let you tell him.”
“I want to apologize for not speaking with you sooner son, but your mother and I have been discussing moving.”
“Moving?! … What? How … why, I mean, who would run the mercantile? What about the other estates?”
Father holds up his hand, silencing me.
“Let me finish. You know your uncle Levi needs help with the new clothing business he is starting?”
“Yes.”
“Well, we are in a financial position that we could help him substantially, but there are no available lots here, nor the workforce available to build what I think it’s going to take to see this through. You remember the trip Mother and I took a few months ago?”
“Yes.”
“Well, it was for more than pleasure. We were looking for a fresh start, someplace a little quieter where everything is not moving so fast. A town we could invest in and help grow, and we found it in Louisville, Kentucky. It’s a small, quaint town with nothing but potential ahead of it. The farmlands are plentiful, and the place is simply beautiful … your mother and I fell in love with its rolling hills at first sight. We have spent many a late night talking this over, and finally, we both came to a decision to move forward, so and that brings us to you.”
Up to this point, I have been relaxing in the chair, but now I sit up with a frown on my face. “ME?! What about me?”
“Do you want to go with us or stay? Reggie, you have been restless since returning from Grant’s and we’ve both heard you pacing the floors at night. More than once, I have caught you standing at one of the windows, peering outward, your mind miles away, even if your body is still here. I can tell your heart and mind are at war with each other as you feel obligated to us and this way of life.”
I fight the urge to stand up and pace the room, “I can’t believe you both want to pack up and move away from everything you’ve worked all these years for. I could have never dreamed this up in a million years.”
“This was not an easy decision, son. We are not youngsters anymore, and I have grown tired of the fast pace of life here. I would love to spend a little more time at home with your mother instead of attending to all the estates and the responsibilities of the mercantile and its suppliers. Yes, you are a huge help now that you are older, but I don’t expect you to continue on with our legacy; you need to build one of your own.”
Mother comes over behind me, undoing my long hair from the leather strap I use to keep it tamed down, running her fingers through it gently. “Reg darling, you look like you have a lion’s mane with all this hanging down your back and around your face.” She tugs on it lightly until I look at her. “Sweetness, we are not going to force this on you. If you want to stay here, we will deed the house and the mercantile over to you. But I have a feeling this is not where your heart lies. You have always loved to travel, and that’s hard to do when you have so many people depending on you.”
“Please tell me more about your plans. You two have had more time to work through this than I have.”
Father gets up and walks around the desk, leaning back against it with his arms crossed. He smiles at mother, who is now sitting on the arm of my chair.
“Depending on your decision Reggie, we will liquidate most of our assets here. We’ll have a new, but slightly smaller home built on a couple of thousand acres I’ve already purchased in Kentucky. Then I will help your uncle Levi set up his factory. Once all that is achieved hopefully, we will have a few peaceful years left to simply sit on the front porch in a couple of rocking chairs and watch the clouds go by.”
“Don’t you think you will miss the luxuries only offered in bigger areas?”
“No, the opposite actually, as we are planning on taking our entire staff with us, and Louisville is not in the middle of nowhere. Unlike most of Utah, they have a functioning railroad, and the stagecoach comes through almost daily. There are several inns, bakeries, a seamstress, and so forth; it’s the same as here, just on a smaller, more personal level. Levi and I have also invested in a horse park being built less than a half-day’s ride away in Lexington that should have a nice return once operational so that we are not spending all your inheritance.”
“You know I couldn’t care less about any of that crap. I would rather you and Mom live the best life imaginable and be flat broke when the good Lord calls you home, than hoard it all away.”
Mother leans over, bumping me with her shoulder. “We know that dear, but you know how your father loves to tease.”
“Son, this is a new adventure for us, but we are not too old to want something else, especially when we both feel like the world is going in a direction we no longer want to be a part of. I put a few feelers out about the mercantile and was shocked at the ones who wanted to purchase it and the means they were willing to go to get it. As for this house and the townhouse in the main part of town, I am waiting for your decision before hiring a solicitor to start the listing process.”
“You know I prefer it here, even if being in town is more convenient. I am still in awe that you two are serious about this. And that you are planning on taking the staff as well? Hell, I am going to starve without Judy in the kitchen.”
“They are all part of our family and have been for many years. Their happiness was one of the things that made us hesitate this long. But when we made up our minds and had a plan to move forward, we spoke to them and were pleased to find out that they were all willing to uproot and move with us. Most have never had the chance to live outside this house, and we plan on fixing that when we relocate. We are having small homes built for each of them on the property. Because the cost of living is so much lower there, we will be able to offer them higher wages so they can pursue other interests if they wish. Most of the people we employ have no other family nearby or any ties keeping them here, and we have become quite attached to them as well. Their feedback was very positive, and I feel like we’re not the only ones who would benefit from the move. Your mother and I have already been working on the new house plans, and several of the stable hands have started packing up the stables in town. Since we won’t need multiple carriages there, some will be sold, but of course, you will have the first pick.”
“Can I have the evening to think this over further? Neither of you is wrong about my discontentment, but I don’t know if your choice is where I want to relocate.”
“Darling, we know you and Grant are close, and the smile that graces your face every time you speak of your trip out there shows us how happy you were there. Neither your father nor I want you to simply follow us blindly. If you feel like your life is leading you in another direction, then grab on and ride fast. You are wealthy in your own right, and there is nothing or no one here that has held your interest, and I would like grandchildren at some point while I am still young enough to play with them.”
