Adam Blake - 24. Chapter 24

“The drive wasn’t bad and soon dad showed me where to pull off for the road to the motel. We checked in, took two rooms for the night. It was still early considering what time we left home, I was anxious to see this cabin so I convinced them we should drive to the cabin.

After driving about 30 minutes dad directed me to a country road that soon turned into a dirt road paved with gravel. As I turned the corner, there was the cabin. I slowed the car down, looked at dad and he had a big smile on his face. The cabin was a two-story log cabin facing a lake. Our nearest neighbor was across the lake. “Why didn’t we stay here for the night?” Looking at my dad as I pulled in front of the cabin.”

“We don’t own it yet. The woman across the lake has the keys. I’m to give her a check and then she will give us the keys and papers. I’ll have to have them notarized and filed with the county before it is ours.”

We got out of the car and started to look around. Dad showed me the property line, as if there is one, in the woods. Scotty saw a rabbit and he was all for staying. Billy went to check out the lake, “Adam, there is a boat heading our way.”

We watched the boat as it came to our shore, a young lady got out of the boat. With a big smile on her face, she introduced herself as Marie. “Well, I’m glad to see that you made it. Dad said to expect you about now so I was watching for you.”

“You certainly have grown since I saw you last. How is your dad?”

“He’s fine and is very glad you’re going to buy the place. He stayed here when he wanted to rough it.”

“Where is your father now?”

“He’ll be here, he’s driving over and should be here in a few minutes.”

“Does he live close by?”

“Yes, he lives with me across the lake.”

“Why didn’t he come over in the boat.”

“He has a problem walking so he prefers to drive. It is a little easier on his legs. I have the keys so if you want to look inside, follow me.”

She didn’t have to say anything more as Billy and Scotty fell in right behind her. I walked with Mom and Dad walked with Marie. “Are you comfortable in living in a cabin?”

“It’s only a vacation spot and for a few weeks, I’ll do it. Your dad is excited about it and I think you’ll like it as well.” If I only knew what the future held for me.

The inside of the cabin was simple but yet not rough. The walls were paneled, a large fireplace faced away from the kitchen. It was a great big room and at the far side was a stairwell going to the second floor. There were four bedrooms and a bathroom. The bedrooms weren’t large but they had a full-size bed, dresser, and a closet. One bedroom was a little larger and faced the front of the cabin.

Looking out of the master bedroom window, “Marie. how much property goes with the cabin?”

“You have the lakefront and if you look to your left you can see that tall tree, that’s your boundary on that side and to your right, there’s a telephone pole and that’s your boundary on the right. The back of the property goes to the top of the hill, or mountain as dad calls it. I’m not sure how many acres, but there’s a plot plan at the county office.”

“So, is there plenty of fishing and hunting?”

“Yes, the lake has bass and some trout. This area has a lot of rabbits and a few deer. I haven’t seen any bears but this is the mountains.”

“Do you stay here all year round?”

“Yes, I work at the clinic in town. It isn’t a big town, but there’s a market, a post office which also serves as the police headquarters, and a small three-bed clinic. The population in the town is about 750. There are a few children which are homeschooled. The actual schools are about 7 miles away and during the winter there’s no way for them to get there. So with computers, they are keeping up.”

“How do they get their diploma or do they take the GED?”

“They can go to the high school and take a two-day exam or the GED.”

“What do you do at the clinic?”

“I’m in charge of the clinic. We have one nurse and one nurse on call. I have an assistant who is also a nurse practitioner.”

“You have a medical degree?”

“Yes, I’m a general practitioner or family doctor. Our funds come from the State and insurance.”

“Adam!”

“I’m up here Dad.”

“Well, do I pay this young lady or not?”

“Yes, Dad, I think this would be a great place.”

“So Adam what do you do?”

“I teach”

“What do you teach?”

“Well, I work with students that have a hard time achieving with the curriculum as taught by regulated school systems.”

“These are handicapped students?”

“Not necessarily, I’m sure you knew students who had a hard time grasping a concept. It might be because they needed more time or a different teaching approach. To be honest I tend to be a little unorthodox in my teaching method.”

“He’s also a great runner. For an old man, he does ok.”

“Billy is going to be trying out for the Olympics. And tomorrow morning, we’re going to run 40 miles.”

“40 miles, that’s almost back to the motel. Can you run that far?”

“Well, the best I have done so far is 30 miles. But Adam thinks I can do 40 miles but he has to run it with me.”

I grabbed Billy and gave him a shoulder hug. “He’s my protege.”

Going back to the kitchen, Marie handed dad the papers to register the cabin in his name. He gave her the cashier's check. “I hope to see you around Adam.”

I watched from the porch as she crossed the lake in her boat. A car pulled up. “Dad, there’s a gentleman here to see you.”

“That’s no gentleman”

I watched from the porch as Dad walked to the car and as soon as the man got out of the car, he grabbed him in a bear hug. Mom came out and went to meet him as well. She got a kiss on her cheek. I watched them as they chatted and then head to a shack at the back of the cabin. I was curious and followed them, of course, I had my two guards.

When we got there, they had the door open. Looking over Dad’s shoulder I saw a water pump. “Dad, is that source of the cabin’s water?”

“Yes, there’s a pump that will pump the water to the house and in case of an electrical failure, you can use the hand pump here. George, this is my son, Adam, and his two friends, Billy and Scotty.”

I shook George’s hands as did Billy and I smiled as Scotty reached to shake his hands as well. “How do you like the cabin?”

“I like it very much and I can’t wait to spend some time up here.”

Scotty pulled me down so he could whisper in my ear, “Can I spend some time here with you?”

“Yes, you can. We’ll have to get some fishing gear so we can go fishing in the lake.”

He had a big smile on his face and hugged my leg. Leaving Mom and Dad chatting with George, the boys and I walked down to the lake. Being boys, they had to try and skip rocks. As I watched them I knew what my contribution to the cabin would be, a dock so we could have a boat.