Jimmy & Richie - 29. Chapter 29

I never did find out why Gramps wanted me to go with Mr. Robson. I forgot to ask, and then it wasn’t worth the effort. Rich’s dad did come back and started to layout the patio. I was surprised, Gram thought a patio with a pool would be a great idea. She even convinced Gramps that swimming would be good for him.

I wanted to visit Brand over the Christmas holidays. We asked Gram and Miss Marie to go with us; Gramps said he had to work. Rich and I were a little disappointed except when the day arrived to leave; Gramps was there with his suitcase as well. He thought since the business was doing so well, he gave everyone a week off with pay.

Gram and Gramps stayed with Nick’s parents, they got along quite well. An invitation was extended to them to visit Gram and Gramps over the Easter vacation. Rich and I stayed with Brand and Charles. Nick wanted to stay with us as well, we told him it was only married couples that could stay. He told us he’d be right back. I don’t know where he got the girl. He obviously didn’t tell her why he brought her. But as soon as she found out, she hit him on the head and left. Nick did stay with us.

On the way home, Gram talked about how nice Nick’s parents were, and she was glad to meet them. “James, I got the impression you have told Nick about the expansion.”

“We have Gram. I felt it best to tell him since he was a little down about having to stay in a dorm.”

“I also got the impression his father wasn’t too happy about him coming to State.”

“No, he wanted Nick to go to his old school. But they did agree Nick could go to State if he went to his dad’s law school.”

When we got home, we were met by Rich’s dad. Before we were out of the car, he was hustling us out back to look at the patio. I was amazed, I hadn’t paid much attention before the trip, but he had the roof on which would be the floor for the apartment addition. The floor of the patio was laid with flagstone. The pillars that were holding up the roof, where wooden with arches between each pillar. Rich’s dad explained that the actual pillars were concrete, and the wood was to cover them and make it look nice. And nice it was, Gram was smiling.

“We’re ready to start the pool, but I wanted to know where you want the dirt to go. We probably would only get the hole dug and then we’d get the pool in after the weather breaks or we can wait till spring to do it. You’ll still need to let me know what you want to be done with the dirt.”

“Let’s wait till spring to do that. I think you did a great job here and probably should concentrate on the apartment. That’s mostly inside work, and the weather won’t affect your progress. The Easterings will be spending Easter with us, and the extension to the apartment will be occupied by Nick, I’m sure.”

That was the plan. We received our grades for the first semester, Rich and I were very pleased and so was Rich’s dad. He took us out to dinner to celebrate. Of course, Gram, Gramps and Miss Marie joined us. I noticed Rich’s dad sat beside Miss Marie, and you couldn’t help but noticed the eye contact.

Gram and Gramps gave Rich and me a small present for our first-semester achievement. It was a clock radio that we could use as a wake-up clock. Later Rich asked what we could do with the one we had, “Put it in Nick’s room.”

It was nice to wake up to music instead of the ringing bell of our old clock. The extension was coming along, the walls and floor insulation was complete, drywall was being installed. The apartment’s heating unit was extended to the extension. Rich’s dad bought a new unit so there would be enough capacity.

By now, we considered ourselves pros. We began the new semester. Rich and I actually had one class together. Evidently, certain classes were included in all disciplines, and English was such a class. As luck would have it, it was our last class of the day. So for three days a week, we finished at the same time.

Over the weekend, we began to look at furniture for the extension. Gram asked us what we had in mind. I told her a bed like ours and a dresser with at least four drawers. She asked about a desk. I told her one of the new rooms would be a study, and we would need three desks. She offered one of the beds in the house. They had four guest rooms and a fifth room that was used for storage. She asked us to go there and get anything we needed.

There was a queen-size bed, one desk, and several chairs. As soon as the carpet was laid in the extension, we conned Rich’s dad to help us move the furniture. Rich and I cleaned everything, mostly dust, before relocating the furniture to the apartment.

“It’s beginning to look very nice."

“Rich do you think you would like to stay here after graduation?”

“Isn’t that going to be dependent where we’ll find jobs?”

“Yes, but I’ll probably have the chance to work at Gramps factory. If we could find a job here for you, what would you say?”

“If I could find a job, then I’d love to stay here. We have so many memories that I could live over each day if we stayed here.”

Now I knew what I had to do. Someway and somehow, I had to find a job for Rich.

Nick, his family, Charles, and Brandon joined us for Easter. The dining room table was filled, and the food was fantastic. Miss Marie outdid herself. We all went to church and then to the country club for lunch. Gram introduced the Easterings to her friends and found out one of them knew them. He was involved in a legal case that Nick’s dad had handled. Nick renew his acquaintance with Alice. Guess where, right, the dessert bar. He introduced Alice to his parents and then went and sat at her table to eat his dessert.

Nick stayed in the apartment, in his room, at least he said it was his room. Brand and Charles liked the extension and the patio. When I told them that Gramps was going to install a pool, you could see the wheels in Brand's mind turning. I told Rich that night we’d be seeing more of Brand and Charles this summer.

Easter vacation was brief, or so it seemed. Soon we were back to school and our routine. The best part of our routine didn’t have anything to do with school. It was the extracurricular activities at night.