Postby jennifer » Thu Apr 26, 2012 8:19 pm
Part 2: It's settled
Hi Everybody, I am continuing with the story that I started a short while ago. This is the second part. Well, see how far it gets. I am not sure whether or not I am going to get into the tie up parts of this series yet or not. Still, I need to cover some background information on this whole set of stories. If there are no tug parts in this one, hopefully it will be the last part that doesn't. There are at least a dozen more pieces to this story to tell. However, some background information might come in handy for what lies ahead. I apologize for taking so long with this. I have been busy lately and this turned into a 7 page mountain of text. Enjoy!
Sunday afternoon dragged by at a slow pace as I waited. We had finished eating over an hour ago as I sat on the sofa in our living room. The television was on in the background, but that was all it really was to me, background noise. My attention was divided between the clock and the window that overlooked our driveway. My stomach was all aflutter, I wasn't sure exactly how I had gotten myself into this mess. I emailed my mother explaining Fred's job offer shortly after he made it. I expected an email back from her that would give me a convenient excuse to dismiss the whole thing from Ashley. I figured I would get a two to three paragraph message telling me that the farm was too far away for the whole summer. I expected that the message would advise me that MC Donalds or a grocery store would be hiring.
However, the email didn't come that day. In fact, it didn't come the next either. It was two days later that the email finally rolled across the screen on my computer. I don't remember the email very well that my mother sent me. Mostly, because it wasn't the first one I got back on the subject. In fact, it was the fourth. The first one was from my Grandmother, she thought it would be great that I would be working on a farm this summer. The second was from my aunt commenting that she was sending me an outfit that would fit that position nicely. The third, actually came through Ashley. Fred sent her an email explaining that he was setting up the guest room above his garage from me when he found out from my mother that I was coming. He wanted her to ask me if I needed anything special.
The one from my mother conveyed a similar message. Apparently, she misconstrued my original message and thought that I wanted to take the job and needed her permission because of the circumstances surrounding it. She assured me that I was old enough to live by myself for a summer. Especially, if I was staying with friends from college and she thought it was an excellent opportunity for me. So much so, that she had emailed half my family sharing the wonderful news, and Fred thanking him for employing her daughter for the Summer. The thing that troubled me the most was how to break it all to Ashley. She was overly excited that I would be spending the Summer on her farm. I let it mull over in my head for two days. At the conclusion of that thinking, I decided not to break it to her. I figured I would go along with it for a week or two and try it out. Then, when I suddenly got homesick or it didn't work out, I would simply call my mother for a ride home.
Ashley was on her way to pick me and my mountain of stuff up at 2:30 that afternoon. I offered to drive myself down, but she insisted. My mother told me to take her up on the offer. I was a good driver, but I could barely find my way to college. She didn't trust my sense of direction with this. Then, it happened, the old dodge pick up truck pulled into the driveway. I came up a ways and parked not far from our front door. Ashley exited the vehicle and made her way up to the front door. Although, I was a little surprised when she came out of the passenger side rather than the driver's side. A moment later, the middle aged farmer climbed out dressed in his familiar blue overalls, plaid shirt, and straw hat.
The pair crossed our sidewalk and knocked on the front door. I walked over, opened it and greeted them warmly. Ashley stood there next to Fred, she looked like a female version of him. Her overalls were pink, she wore green canvas slip on shoes instead of Fred's boots. Also, her hair was untucked and blew freely in the gentle breeze that blew just outside our door.
"Hey Jen, nice to see you again. Are you ready to go?" Fred asked looking towards me.
I nodded pointing at the mountain of luggage I planned to take along.
"Good, I tell you what, why don't you and Ashley go sit in the kitchen and visit for a short spell. I'll load this up for you. " I began to interject, but Fred would have no part of it. So, Ashley and I departed for the kitchen. Fred began trying to play a real life game of tetris to load all my stuff in the back of his truck.
Ashley and I went into the kitchen and had a seat at the table. My mother came over bearing glasses of lemonade. She poured 4 of them, two for us, one for her, and one for her other guest who was busying himself at my expense in the living room.
"It's nice to see your Dad again, Ashley but I thought it was going to just be the two of us?" I commented.
"Yeah, that was my original plan, but he insisted. He was worried that I would get lost all the way up here. Besides, it was a nice day for a drive and the pickup truck would hold 3 of us he said." Ashley explained taking a deep sip of the lemonade.
I nodded, it really didn't matter now one way or the other, Fred was along for the ride. It would have been rude of me to ask him to hitchhike home. Ashley interrupted my thought line.
"By the way Jen, do you want the window seat or the middle? It doesn't matter to me, but I figure we should get that decided and not make a big deal out of it. " Ashley asked. I took a moment and thought it over. I knew what my preference would be of course, but I didn't want to be rude about it either.
"Jennifer can take the middle. That way you can use your car vest, and Ashley could have the normal seat belt." The safety queen of the universe added before I made up my mind.
"That's a great idea Jen, why don't you go get it and I can help you install it while Fred is loading you up." Ashley finished.
I guess it was decided before I had any input in the matter. I got up from the table and headed towards the garage. I shot my mother one of those "thanks Mom" stares and headed out to look for my vest. I knew right where it was of course. It sat on a shelf in the garage, I hadn't taken it to college at all this year since I drove myself on every trip. I pulled it off the shelf and dusted both the mount and the vest off. I took a moment and slipped it on over top of myself. If you are unfamiliar with my car vest and it's history, go look up some of my older stories in the archives on this site. It's the kind of vest made by a company named ez-on pro. They are primarily used on school buses, but they make a family car version as well. I began using one when I was 8 or 9 and had one ever since.
I reached around behind myself and zipped the vest closed in the back. I must have lost a little weight since the last time I had worn it. The back closed with just the shorter of the two zipper extenders in it and I was wearing a light jacket as well. The vest had a strap that went around my waist, two shoulder straps and another strap that wrapped around me a second time at arm pit level in front. The whole thing closed in the back with a zipper. I slipped the crotch straps on the vest between my legs and buckled it snugly in front. The system was rather simple, but very effective. The vest had 4 d-rings 2 on the hips and 2 on the shoulders. These would clip onto a strap that wrapped around behind the seat I was sitting in and secure me to the vehicle.
I threw the seat mount over one shoulder and headed back into the kitchen. The trip was a short one. I turned the corner and saw that my mother had poured Ashley a second glass of lemonade and was working on her second one. Ashley took a big gulp from her glass then slammed it down quickly as she saw me emerge from the garage.
"Wow Jen, so, that is what your car vest looks like. I know you told me about it. But, it really is something else seeing you wearing it." Ashley commented looking me over. I stopped and turned back and fourth a few times showing her how it all connected and went over how it would work in the vehicle. My little fashion show was quietly interrupted.
A tall man in overalls was standing in the doorway to the kitchen holding a large monkey wrench. "Well, that is almost everything. Just give me a second to unhook the kitchen sink and we will be on our way. Good golly, Jennifer, what the heck are you wearing there?" Fred asked with a big smirk on his face in the doorway that quickly turned to a look of confusion.
"It's Jennifer's car thingy. You know the one I told you about when I came home from school that second weekend last year. She is going to ride in the middle, so she wanted to use it since we just have a lap seatbelt there. " Ashley explained.
"Yeah, if that is OK with you sir? Also, I apologize for all the luggage, I am going for the whole summer, I just want to make sure I have everything I need." I continued.
"You're fine on the luggage, you should really see just how much stuff Ash takes to college. I am surprised the three of you can fit in that room. As for that seatbelt thing, if it makes you happy and you can get it to work in my old dodge you are welcome to use it. I really don't care either way." Fred finished. He came over to the table and picked up the glass of lemonade. "This for me?, Thanks" He finished taking a sip.
The big man downed the whole thing in a few gulps and set the glass on the table. My mother went to refill it, but he gestured that one glass was fine.
"Well Jennifer, let's head out and try to figure out how to hook this up in the front seat of my truck so we can be on our way." Fred directed. I nodded without another word to the big burly man. There would be plenty of time for talk on our ride down. I gave my mother a goodbye hug and exchanged a few parting words with her and the rest of my family as I made my way out the front door. Fred and I made the short journey over to his truck and he went to the cab and pulled a switch under the seat. This caused the rear of the seat to fold forward and downward allowing me access to the space behind it.
It took me a good 8 minutes to hook up the seat mount. Mostly because it was difficult to access the center of the trucks cab with the seat turned down. Still, with a little difficulty and Fred lending a long arm, I managed to click the main buckle behind the seat. Then I pulled it tight and we slid the seat back into place. The two of us exchanged a glance of satisfaction and smiles.
"Well, Jennifer if that is everything, I have one favor to ask of you. We have all of your stuff, but I seem to have left one thing of mine in your house. Would you mind going back inside and retrieving Ash before she decides to switch families with you for the summer?" Fred had a wise sense of humor.
I replied with a simple, "OK" and headed back into the kitchen. There, I found our kitchen table with the 4 empty glasses and half filled pitcher sitting there where I had left them. However, I seemed to be missing two people, namely Ashley and my mother. I circled my vision around the room and found them still absent. Here I was given a simple task and I was failing even at that. I decided to go for the most logical conclusion and headed out the rear of the kitchen and turned down the hallway. I figured that Ashley must have asked to use our bathroom and my mother had escorted her to it's location. I was rather surprised when I arrived and found the door open and the chamber empty.
Next, I check my parents room and the room that I had shared with my little sister Amy. My parents room was also vacant and my little sister who was out taking a nap was the only occupant in the other. I rounded back around the corner to the kitchen and found the two women were still absent from it. Finally, I simply called out. "Mom, Ashley, where are you?"
"We're out here Jen." The reply of my mother's voice came quickly and from a direction I didn't expect. They were in the garage.
I followed the direction from where I heard their voice and entered the garage curious to see what had drawn them there. What I found almost made me break out in laughter. Ashley was standing there next to my mother. She had made one significant change to her outfit since I had left.
"It doesn't have the strap between the legs ?" Ashley asked.
"No, it doesn't. That was something I had to special order on the one Jennifer is wearing. They usually only include the crotch straps on the smaller sizes standard. You can get them on the adult sizes, but it has to be custom ordered. This one is a little bit older in model, but it should still work." My mother explained. "I got this one for my eldest son Sean when he was 16. It doesn't get used any more, so you are more than welcome to it. I would rather see it go to use than sit out here and collect dust. Also, I have plenty of the seat mounts and I am sure that Jennifer would be happy to help you install one."
My mother was adjusting a vest similar to mine on my college room mate. It was the vest Sean used close to the time when we first got the harnesses. It took some work, and adjustment, but my mother managed to get it around the girl with a rather snug fit to it. It took some work, but she managed to snug it down around her and zip it in the back. It was identical in design to the one that I was wearing although, it lacked the strap that threaded between the legs to keep it low and snug. My mother had also dug another one of the long mount straps used to connect the vest to the seat of a vehicle.
"I told your mom that I liked the vest thing you were wearing, and that I thought it was a neat idea. She shared some of the background on them with me." Ashley explained.
"Once I got through the story, Ashley asked what happened to the one I got for your brother and I told her I believed it was still out in the garage. Then, well you can see the rest dear." My mother finished.
"What are those there?" Ashley said pointing at something that was resting on the shelf where they had removed the harness from.
"Oh those, here let me show you." My mother picked one up off the shelf and took hold of Ashley's right are by the wrist. She looped what looked like a small loop of seatbelt around her wrist and pulled it snug. She fastened a fatex buckle that rested on a shorter strap which could be tightened to secure it around the wrist. My mother picked up the second one off the shelf and repeated it on Ashley's other hand. Ashley just stood there and cooperated. Next, my mother drew Ashley's right hand back to her waist and fastened a small clip in the strap that encircled her wrist to the d-ring on the waist belt. She then repeated the process with Ashley's remaining arm then stepped back.
"Grrrrr! There just like handcuffs." Ashley commented as she pulled hard against the straps pinning her hands to her sides. We stood there and watched as she worked the vest up and down trying to free herself without any success.
"Precisely, they were perfect for breaking up fights in the back seat when the kids were younger. I think I have something that works for the legs as well if you really don't want to be able to move." My mother explained.
"Yeah go for it." Ashley replied.
My mother grabbed a second set of straps off the shelf. They were similar in construction to the ones that encircled our captive's wrists. However, rather than having clips to connect them to the waist rings on the harness, they simply had a 3rd fatex buckle in the middle. They would clip together like a pair of handcuffs and tie somebody's feet together. My mother handed the straps to me and I knelt down. I could bend over easier than she could at her old age. I clipped them around each of Ashley's ankles and clipped them on.
"Come on, I will clip them together when you're in the car. Your dad sent me and he is still waiting for you outside we really should get going." I explained.
(I should take a moment and note that Ashley had told her father about our tie ups at college. I hadn't ever brought up the subject in his company, but I assumed that he was alright with it since I didn't get any complaints about Ashley from it.)
Fred's reaction upon seeing Ashley was a mixture of disbelief and laughter. He offered a warm grin and helped me pull the seat down one more time to install the second seat mount. I helped Ash step up into the truck. It proved challenging for her with her hands tied to her sides. Once she was in, I connected the vest she was wearing to the 4 attachment points on seat mount and repeated the process on myself. I also took a moment to clip the center clip on her ankle bindings together as well. A few minutes later, I waved goodbye to my mother, father and sister as we pulled away. Fred offered a farewell wave, Ashley shouted goodbye, unable to make the same gesture as the other two of us.
. . . . . . . .. . . . .
The ride down was just over two hours. It was an interesting ride. Ashley spent the majority of it squirming and struggling against the harness and the other restraints. She had a hard time trying to find a comfortable position having to share leg room with me and being tied up at the same time. Still, there was a warm smile on her face and it didn't leave it the whole trip down. I checked on her a few times and even offered to free one of her hands at one point. Well, I couldn't reach her right one from where I was sitting. The vest holds you down very securely in the seat when it's fastened. Still, if I had freed one of her hands she could have released herself the rest of the way easily enough. Yet, my friend declined my invitation. I think she was enjoying it.
Fred kept his mind on the driving and informed me of the things to come. I was being hired to help him milk his cows. He kept a sizable heard on a 400 acre farm in southern Ohio. The farm was not exactly 400 acres, he told me once the actual size, it was someplace between 350 and 500 so 400 is just a guess. I would be working 4 hours a day 7 days a week. The cows needed to be milked once in the morning between the hours of 6 and 8 am and again between the hours of 7 and 9 pm. I was welcome to a day off it I let him know a few days in advance so he could cover the shift. He employed another 9 people besides Ashley, himself and me.
I inquired if that was all that was expected of me, and Fred informed me that if I desired more work he would be happy to find some for me to do. He could work me 100 hours a week if I really desired, but I quickly declined that proposal. I got an ear full of his family's history and the summer operations of his farm. I also go two anecdotes about a certain mischievous girl who sat next to me thrashing about trying to keep her father from telling the stories. After a long drive, we finally pulled onto a gravel driveway and Fred brought the pickup truck to a halt in a large building that I would soon learn to call the old garage.
It wasn't really a garage in the sense that most of you would think. The building was huge. It was at least 100 feet long maybe 150 I forget which, and 2 and a half stories at the center with a down-slanting roof. Anyways, it had 3 full size garage doors. Currently, it housed Fred's truck, two lawnmowers, several ATV vehicles and a large boat on a trailer. This used to be where Fred's family stored the tractors until he built the tool shed about a decade back. It would also be the host to my living arrangements for the next 3 months.
"Come on hop out and I will help you unload and get settled." Fred offered. I nodded and followed him out the driver-side door of the pickup.
"Hey what about me! You cannot just leave me here!" Our third passenger shouted at us.
"Hey, you are the one who wanted to be all strapped in and tied down." Fred commented slamming the door. "Let's leave her there for a little while why I show you around and up to your room."
There was a section of the building that extended past the 3 doors of the garage on both sides. The far side was filled with miscellaneous machines and other old stuff. The side closest to us had a second story built in with a straight stair case that ascended up to it. Underneath, was a workbench set up for a small workshop and another walled off area behind a closed door. Fred began the tour by showing me over to the closed door. Inside was another area used primarily for storage. Across the room, was another small door that had a path cleared to it. Inside was a toilet, sink and a hot water heater. He explained that this will be my bathroom and that I would have to come up to the house for a bath or shower.
With that out of the way, he led me up the stairs. Each of us took a moment to take a trip back over to the truck. We each retrieved a piece of my luggage to save a future trip. After going up the stairs, Fred opened the door and showed me in. The room was basically furnished. There was a long iron framed bed with a mattress and bedding already set up for me against one wall. In the corner of the room on a large wooden box sat the television that Ashley had brought out to college with her. I recognized it almost immediately. There were two seats out of what appeared to a 1988 Chevy van faced aiming at the television. Fred later explained that they were out of a van his employees used to hall stuff around when the pickup truck was unavailable.
The room also contained a small card table with 4 chairs around it. One was a plastic lawn chair, there was a folding chair and two older wooden chairs that didn't match. The room also had a small fridge in the far corner with a microwave set on top of it.
"Alright, to cover the rest of it. Breakfast is at 8:45 or whenever we finish milking the cows. Lunch or a snack are available any time you want to stop by the kitchen. My wife will cook sometimes for the midday meal sometimes not. Dinner is promptly at 6:00 pm. Eat at my table, or go hungry your choice." Fred joked. "You can use the downstairs bathroom in the house if you need a shower or just need to go. You are welcome to use my computer or phone in the house for email or to call your parents. We have satellite up at the house, but out here you are stuck with whatever the rabbit ears pick up. If you get bored, you are welcome to borrow a tape from the house for your enjoyment. Ashley as you know has every episode of that Japanese cartoon on VHS. If you want more work, come see me or my wife and we'll find you some. Any questions?"
"No, but if I think of any I will let you know." I replied.
"OK wonderful, take the rest of the night and get settled. This used to be my office before we built the main barn and tool shed. By the way, there is a gas heater in the corner if you get cold and an air conditioner in the window if you get hot. You are welcome to run either of them when you are here, but I would appreciate it if would turn them off when you depart." He continued.
"Will do." I replied.
"Good, I am going to try and figure out how to untangle Ashley so she can help you move in. Have a good evening." Fred finished as he began to depart. However, he stopped before descending. "Oh, Jennifer by the way, thanks a lot for coming out. I really appreciate it. I have my regulars, but you don't know what it means having the extra body here. You are the difference between my taking a day off once in a while or not at all." He finished before wishing me good luck.
I spent the remainder of the day getting settled. Ashley helped out quite a bit once I freed her from the front cab of the truck. We share dinner with the family that night. Fred, his wife and Ashley were all the family consisted of. However, there were 7 people at his table for the meal. I only made minimum wage working for Fred that Summer. However, given all the food, utilities, and most importantly experience, I got right in quite a few other ways. Besides, Ashley and I had a real blast, but that is still to come.
Jennifer