The Ranch, by Karin Bishop

Part 5

Chapter 12 — The Hospital and Discovering the Fifth Thing

Jackie and I had a telephone conference with the hospital about Mom’s condition. They had made the decision to put her in a sort of long-term, controlled coma while they went through a series of skin grafts that would have exhausted her and put her through a great deal of pain. By being ‘under’ she would be spared the pain, she could heal significantly faster than otherwise, and it would allow them to better monitor her vital signs. What it ultimately meant was that I would not be seeing Mom for the next several weeks to a month or more. I was very upset at the news, but Jackie calmed me down afterwards by reminding me that time would pass differently for Mom; it would be almost no time for her between our last visit and the next one–whenever that would be.

‘Doctor Jackie’ prescribed a bubble bath to relieve my mood and to give me time to think about things. I’d always taken showers and had never had a bubble bath, even as a kid. ‘Long overdue, then!’ was Jackie’s comment, and told me that she’d take care of everything, even Carl.

After dinner she disappeared for a time while Carl and I discussed the pool pump, which–even with my repairs–was looking pretty feeble and might not last the season, if the bookings continued at their current rate. Exciting conversation, but if the pump was unhappy, then I was unhappy. He delegated me to researching a replacement. Jackie came down and announced that I looked tired and might want to turn in early; I knew–and Carl knew, but was polite enough to appear ignorant–that she meant my bubble bath was ready. But we all observed the charade so Carl wouldn’t have to get involved with ‘girl things.’

I said goodnight to Carl and something neat happened. As I went past him, saying ‘goodnight’, I put my hand on his shoulder without thinking. He reached up and patted my hand and I truly felt his affection. I hugged Jackie on my way upstairs; she’d seen him pat my hand and her eyes were sparkling with tears. I undressed and wrapped my bathrobe around me and went to the bathroom and just …stared. Jackie had filled the tub with steamy bubbles, lit scented candles all around, and left a pile of things on the counter with a note on top.

The note read: ‘Dearest Lauren, it’s past time for you to discover the joys of a bubble bath. However, you have three strict orders. First, you are to spend a minimum of twenty minutes in the tub–I’ve left a small hourglass with that amount. Second, you may use the razor and cream to shave but only after the twenty minutes–and be careful around your knees! Then pull the plug, stand, and shower to rinse off. You can do your hair if you wish, but when you dry where you shaved, be sure to blot with the towel, not rub, and apply the lotion while still damp. And finally, Third: You are to relax. You are to let your mind drift, let your body go, and just explore what a glorious thing it is to be female! All my love to you, my darling niece, Jackie.’

I got teary thinking about how wonderful she was, and gratefully slipped into the hot water, inch by inch. There was some kind of oil in the water too, and I soon felt slippery as a seal. I felt, well, glorious. I remembered the hourglass after I was in and turned it over but wasn’t going to be a ‘clock watcher.’ I lay back and thought about everything that had happened, and was happening, and might happen …and I found that my hands were sliding slowly along my body and had worked their way up to my small breasts. I could feel my nipples reacting to touch for the first time, and it was a little frightening and wonderful and delightful all at the same time. Maybe this was what Jackie meant by ‘explore’, I wondered.

The hourglass had run out–probably a while ago–but I followed Jackie’s orders and stuck a leg out on the side of the tub and lathered and slowly, ever so slowly, shaved my leg. I realized that she was right; knees were tricky, but I didn’t nick myself. I did the second leg and then–even slower than with my legs, because I couldn’t see so well–I shaved under my arms. I did get a knick on the second arm; maybe I was getting over-confident, but the whole process rather reminded me of sweeping the pool. The faster you go, you just cause trouble. It was better to get a slow, even rhythm going. I unplugged the tub, stood and rinsed. I’d shampooed at the pool house so I didn’t need to do it again.

Carefully blotting and applying the lotion as Jackie recommended, I marveled at how smooth and sleek I felt all over. I realized that my clothing would feel different, and I could wear more sleeveless tops, and maybe halters someday, and bikinis, of course …and I giggled because I was obviously thinking about clothing, like any girl would. And I was right–my nightie seemed to slide over my oiled body. I blew out the candles and tidied up, almost running into Jackie as I left the bathroom.

“I was coming to see if you’d drowned,” she joked. “Oh, you cleaned up, too! I might have to keep you around!”

I hugged her. “Please do! And thank you, thank you, thank you for the wonderful bath. I never knew …well, I never knew.”

“How’d the shaving go?”

“I cut myself under my right arm, but it was worth it. Everything feels so …”

“Yeah,” she grinned. “I know what you mean. You almost want to hug yourself it feels so delicious.”

“That’s exactly right! Although I guess it might become a routine chore in time.”

“Not if you treat yourself like tonight. Spices up the occasion, doesn’t it?”

“You bet …but how long was I in there?”

“Just over an hour. That’s a good sign. Men can’t stand the time lost from …well, whatever it is they do instead of relaxing in tubs.”

We both giggled at that and I hugged her one last time for the day and went to bed.

Chapter 13 — Moving Into Summer

Over the next few weeks, things settled into a simple routine–work. The season was almost upon us. Every morning we woke up, bone-tired from the day before, ate breakfast and discussed our plans for the day, prioritizing. We’d work until lunch, although sometimes Jackie made up a box lunch for Carl because he was working so far away, but she checked to make sure he actually ate the thing, too!

I had Jackie working the reservations so smoothly that my only other indoor activity was my schooling, which came to an end two weeks later. I was so sorry to see Miz B go; we hugged and got a little misty but she’d be keeping in touch with me by email. The last chunk of my schooling would be online, but they were research projects with loose deadlines that I’d send her for evaluation. The last thing she did was give me a long box containing a fine silver chain with a small Celtic medallion. She told me it was from an obscure Celtic tradition where a shaman, to become truly wise, “crossed over” and lived as a female. Having known both worlds, the shaman was truly powerful. I hugged her fiercely when she told me this, and promised to live up to the medallion.

With schooling out of the way, I spent more of my mornings at the pool and lake areas before it got too hot. Carl took most of my recommendations to heart and got me the things I’d listed and the pool machinery was purring along, pH stable, and the water was so clear it broke my heart to think of our guests peeing in it! The lake took a lot of work, and Carl produced an old Desco rig, with a large full-face mask that had air hoses going up to a small pump and generator that could fit in the boat. Weighting for neutral buoyancy, I could hover along the bottom, cutting weeds, removing debris and so on. I had gotten so used to wearing a bikini around Carl that it didn’t seem to bother either one of us, but as my breasts became a little more reactive, I learned things girls know about hiding their nipples. But mainly we worked. By the start of the third week, my weeding and the chemicals we dumped left us a pristine, post-card lake. Carl also stabilized the docks and set stanchions for roped-off areas; I did what I could in the water, stringing the ropes and such.

It was a tremendous amount of hard work, and I loved doing it, but part of me worried about developing muscles. Jackie told me that I’d get stronger, sure, but my mostly-female metabolism would keep me from becoming masculinized. I certainly didn’t want that; I loved being a girl now!

We finally got a call from the hospital that it would be a good time to see Mom. Carl was in the midst of his last big project–rebuilding a tractor engine–and really wanted to finish, so he stayed behind and Jackie and I went. I wore a light purple camisole top with spaghetti straps and a raspberry-colored bra underneath and the colors were complementary. I also had a denim skirt and strappy sandals with a low heel that Jackie said would be great for traveling so I could kick them off in the car and get comfortable. Jackie wore her usual jeans and a denim appliquéd shirt.

The two-hour drive seemed to take forever; Jackie said it was because I wanted to see Mom so badly. We did the usual stop to pee at a McDonald’s and get some ice cream. We got to the hospital eventually and were walking down a hallway when a voice called out, “Good to see you again!”

It was the barista from our earlier visit. His curly hair was a bit longer and his smile was wider. I kind of waved as we passed and said that we were on our way to visit and didn’t want to be late. He nodded and waved, and I heard a ‘mmph’ sound from Jackie.

“What?”

“‘What?’ Right back at you. A cute boy likes you and you just wave him off,” she said with an exasperated sigh.

“We’ve got to see Mom,” I said, reasonably. Did Jackie think he was cute, I wondered?

“There’s usually time to flirt. Or aren’t you interested in boys?”

“I … Jackie, I …” I was flustered and couldn’t get started. Lamely, I added, “I just want to see Mom.”

Her voice softened. “I know you do, honey, but remember Mom’s Fifth Thing.”

“Oh, I remember it alright.” How could I not? It wasn’t so much that boys were on my mind all the time; it’s that thinking about the Fifth Thing was.

“It’s okay. Right? It’s okay. You don’t have to do everything all at once. Of course, you have done all the others …”

We walked on in silence for a bit and then I asked her, “You really think he’s cute?”

Jackie actually guffawed. “It’s more important that you think he’s cute. And you do. And I do. And he is!”

A doctor and a suit came down the corridor towards us. I recognized him as one of Mom’s doctors that we’d met. The news was not good; Mom had come out of her induced coma okay but once she came into the twilight consciousness she’d started tossing around in the throes of a nightmare and had injured one of the grafts.

“We had to immediately place her back under sedation and rushed her to the Burn Ward OR to repair the graft,” Dr. Morrison said. “It was successful and she’s resting but still under.”

“Was she in pain?” I worried.

“Yes, there was some pain but I think we got her back under before it registered in her mind. Hopefully her memory will be of the nightmare and not the real-world pain that the torn graft would have caused. You understand that while she was in the induced coma there was no need for painkillers–in fact, they would be detrimental to her system.”

“But how did you know she was having a nightmare and not just in great pain?” Jackie asked with an edge to her voice.

“This is very common in burn victims; we’ve seen it many times before. Psychologically, it takes time and new sensory input–activities, memories–to distance us from trauma.” Dr. Morrison turned to me. “You had nightmares when you were with us, remember?”

I shuddered at the memories. “Yes, some of the nights that I was here. Then they stopped.”

“Actually, it was every night that you were here, as I remember,” the doctor grinned.

“And the first few weeks at the ranch,” Jackie added.

I had no memory of that. “No, I didn’t. I’d remember.”

Jackie smiled sadly. “Honey, you screamed so loud one night that Carl knocked over his beer!”

They all chuckled at the image while I stared.

Dr. Morrison said, “In your case, you had nightmares for several weeks and then they tapered off. Because you had new sensory input added daily and so the nightmares receded. And the imagery faded from your waking mind at the end, so although your mind was working through the nightmare you were spared from the memory of the previous night’s emotion.”

His voice got serious. “Time moves differently for coma patients, whether induced medically or through trauma. For your mother, all the time that has passed since she was admitted is compressed to the half-a-dozen times she’s been lucid. Consequently, in her mind, literally only half-a-dozen days have passed since the fire itself.”

My hand flew to my mouth and I heard Jackie’s sharp intake of breath. She’d been an ER nurse and so she had no experience with coma patients.

The doctor nodded. “So we knew it was a nightmare, one of several she’s had each time she’s regained consciousness. The combined exhaustion from fighting the nightmare and the combined trauma of tearing the graft and then surgery …we thought it best to allow her to sleep through until morning.”

I turned to Jackie, who was already forming a sentence when the administration lady spoke.

“I’m Marilyn Butler, with Family Relations for the hospital. We know this news is a shock to you but I can assure you that your mother and sister is doing well. However, we notified you to come today and now you can’t see her until tomorrow. My notes show that you have a bit of a journey to get here, and I’d like to give you some options. You can certainly return home this afternoon and either return tomorrow morning or at a later date …”

“Well …yeah,” Jackie said. “We don’t have much of a choice, I guess …”

“Possibly, you do. The other option is to stay in town overnight as guests of the hospital, at no expense to you. We have established relationships with several local hotels and you may stay at one of them tonight and return tomorrow morning.”

Dr. Morrison cleared his throat. “Um …we intend to awaken your mother at 8 a.m.; she should be lucid and comfortable around 10, maybe 10:30. That is, if there are no complications.”

Ms. Butler nodded. “And there is that possibility, that the decision might be made to not wake her. The hospital will authorize one night only, under the circumstances, so you take the chance that you might not be able to visit tomorrow. But that’s–” She broke off and looked at Dr. Morrison, who nodded to her. “That’s a slim chance. All the signs are excellent that the three of you will be able to get together around lunchtime.”

Jackie asked, “When do you need a decision? I’ve got to discuss this with my husband.”

“Take all the time you need; just let me know before five today,” Ms. Butler smiled and handed a business card. She’d circled a number. “Call my cell phone directly and I’ll get right on it. Oh, and you have a choice of a Ramada, Sheraton, or a Holiday Inn. No Fairmonts or Four Seasons in town, I’m afraid,” she grinned.

After thanking the two of them and watching them walk off, I looked at Jackie, who studied the card. She murmured, “You know, they really didn’t have to do that. I’m worried that this is more serious than they let on–or it could be that they’re nicer than the typical medical corporation. Certainly more than my old hospital! Hmm,” she wrinkled her forehead, then cleared it. “Well, I’m, uh …in need of coffee.”

We were walking down the hall before I realized what she meant by ‘coffee’ after we’d passed a small cafeteria. Yes, she did mean she wanted a cup of coffee–but from a certain coffee stand. I started to protest and she grinned, silent and smug. We got to the stand; the barista was steaming a customer’s milk and we got in line. Then it was Jackie’s turn.

“Hi. A tall latte, please. Maybe a little vanilla powder? Laurie, you want anything?”

I noticed that she’d said my name a bit loudly. I shook my head ‘no.’

“You sure? My treat!” she grinned, and then turned to the barista. “Guess not.”

He made her coffee, and as he handed it to her, she said, “Oh, I’ve got to go call Carl. Tell you what, I’ll spring for another, just like this one …Mark,” she said, reading his badge. “Please? Thanks!”

She grinned at me and waggled her eyebrows as she turned and went to the other side of the hall to make her call–and to watch me, no doubt.

Mark could see that it was an obvious setup and that I was uncomfortable with it. To lighten things up, as he handed me the cup, he said off-handedly, “So …come here often?”

It was such an obvious pickup line that I had to chuckle, as he did when he saw me laughing. Then I thought of the reason I was at the hospital and my humor faded. He saw that, too, and apologized.

“I’m sorry. I was just trying to cheer you up with a cheap line. I didn’t think about it; nobody wants to come to the hospital.”

I thought for just a moment and said, “That might not be true. I think people love going to Obstetrics to see the new babies. But thank you for the ‘cheap line.’ It’s the first laugh I’ve had in a while.”

“You’re welcome, then. And you’re right about Obstetrics; they have a section called ‘Delivery’ but I think that sounds like FedEx.”

I smiled and nodded and took a sip. Technically it was Jackie’s coffee, but I knew she’d ordered it to keep me there so I might as well drink it. I was surprised there were no customers right now; the irrational thought flashed through my head that Jackie was keeping them away so I could talk to Mark. And he really was very nice.

“I haven’t been here that often, really,” I began.

“I know. I might have missed you other times but only first saw you over a month ago.”

For some reason I felt a warmth and was afraid of blushing. I took a quick sip and nodded to cover it. “This is the first time we’ve been back. See, my mother …well, we were in a fire and she got burned very badly saving me. They’ve had her in a medically-induced coma for weeks.”

His whole demeanor changed to one of respect and sympathy. “Ah …the Burn Ward. That’s …that can be rough. They have the most incredible people there–the staff and the patients. And your mother proves she’s incredible by what she did for you.”

I nodded and smiled gratefully and felt my eyes burn. Without a word, Mark handed me a tissue from a box under the counter. I accepted it and felt Jackie at my shoulder.

“What’s going on here?” she said, half protectively and half joking.

“Nothing; it’s okay, Jackie,” I said. “I just was thinking of Mom. Mark was kind enough to praise her bravery in the fire.”

Jackie gave him a new look as she laid her purse on the counter. “Thank you for that, young man. Evie took the time to soak a robe to cover Laurie and pushed her ahead. Burning …drapes fell on her, engulfed her.” Jackie winced and shuddered. “She was …she was incredible to survive what she did; with all the pain I don’t know if I could have stayed as long as she did.” She looked at me, her eyes tear-filled. “But maybe I would have, to save my pretty girl here.”

I was deeply embarrassed and grateful and just wanted to lay down and bawl. Thank God for the tissue. Mark automatically set the box on the counter before me. For some reason that simple act of kindness made me stop thinking about myself and I sort of dried up. I took a tissue and handed it to Jackie, then took one more tissue and dabbed away at my own eyes.

“Thank you,” I smiled. “I’m okay. Yeah,” I said as I folded the tissue, “Mom is incredible.”

There was a pause and Mark cleared his throat softly. He asked, “Do you get a chance to see her often?”

“Every chance we get,” Jackie said. “Not as much as we like.”

There was a pause.

Out of the corner of my eye I noticed Jackie kind of nodding to me at Mark. Before I could call her on it, Mark asked me, “I was wondering if you’d like to go out some time?”

I was shocked. On so many levels. Um …

“Um …thank you, but …well, we don’t live here,” was the first thing I could think of.

Jackie said, “We’re about two hours south. That’s why we don’t get here as much as we like.”

“You live around Hader? Some friends from school moved there,” Mark said.

“No, farther out. Smoke Valley Ranch,” Jackie replied.

Mark grinned. “No kidding?” He turned to me. “You live on the ranch?”

“Uh-huh.” I nodded towards Jackie. “She owns it. She and my Uncle Carl.”

“Wow! That would be so cool, to live on a ranch. I’ve heard of Smoke Valley. One of my friends was there last summer. He said …” He tapered off.

“Go ahead,” Jackie urged. “We can take it.” She was grinning.

“Well, he said his parents didn’t like it so much because they didn’t think it was very luxurious. I guess they thought it was going to be some kind of resort. But my friend really dug it because it was authentic. He told me it was a genuine ranch, not some duded-up corporate fake.”

Jackie chuckled and looked at me. “Well, we certainly aren’t luxurious. Or corporate. It’s all we can do to keep the place going, Carl and me. But now we’ve got Laurie and it’s all coming together.”

I shrugged, “I’m just helping out where I can.”

“’Just helping out’?” Jackie laughed and turned to Mark. “You should see her, Mark; she single-handedly computerized our business system. Also single-handedly, she’s repaired the pool and reclaimed the lake for swimmers and you should see this girl with the horses!”

“I’d like to!” he grinned. “You really work with horses?”

I just nodded but Jackie said, “I’ve never seen anybody with a better understanding and control of them. They just take to her. She even gentled the meanest ones. And she’s had ideas to help expand the ranch, too.”

“Careful,” I joked, “You’re going to make it sound like I’m trying to make it a duded-up corporate fake.”

Mark said, “It’s strange to see you here, in the antiseptic halls and linoleum, and think of you in a barn working with horses. It’s pretty cool.”

“Thank you,” I said, looking down at my cup as I felt another blush threaten.

“So …I guess we wouldn’t be able to go out sometime,” Mark looked at Jackie and me and back again. “Right? I mean, with the distance and everything. And you’ve probably got a boyfriend, so I shouldn’t even ask …”

I really did blush. “No …no b-boyfriend,” I stammered.

Jackie half-snorted and spoke in a business-like tone to me, but obviously wanted Mark in on the conversation. “Well, let’s just discuss this for a moment. I spoke with Carl and although he’s not a gambler, he said he thinks the odds are good that we’ll see Evie tomorrow. He thinks we should take the hospital up on their offer.”

Turning to Mark, she explained, “They offered to put us up for the night at a hotel. They’d called us to come in today but Evie had a little setback and won’t be ready to see us until tomorrow.”

Mark nodded. “They’re very good at that for families more than an hour away. And I’m sorry to hear about the setback.”

Jackie waved a hand. “She’ll be fine, but thank you.” To me, she said, “So we have the rest of the day and all night free.” To Mark, she said, “Do you know of a good mall around here?”

I knew that she already knew all the malls by heart.

Mark said, “Valley View’s a good one. And that’s near the Sheraton and the Holiday Inn that the hospital works with. The Ramada’s actually at the Crestview Mall but the area around there isn’t doing so well, so you’d probably like Valley View.”

“Thanks,” Jackie said. Glancing at me, she looked back at Mark and said, “And what about movies? Does the Valley View have any theaters nearby?”

“There’s a multiplex right at the mall.”

Jackie’s voice got strange. “So …movies probably start around seven or so, so if we wanted to see something–anything–we should be in front of the box office around 6:30 or so?”

Mark grinned. “That would be great! I mean, that would be smart. You’d have time to check in to whichever hotel you choose and still have time for shopping. And they have the newest movies at that theater, including the new Julia Roberts one.”

I was speechless at the conniving of these two.

Jackie sensed I was about to ruin things and so she grabbed her purse and tapped my upper arm. “Come on, honey, we’ve got to catch that Family Relations lady. Thank you for the coffee, Mark, and the advice.”

“Thank you, ma’am,” he said, “And it was a real pleasure meeting you both. I hope we can meet again soon.”

“Real soon,” Jackie grinned and waved, half-dragging me with her.

Once we were out of sight of the espresso stand, I turned to Jackie. “What, what, what was that?”

“Why, whatever do you mean?” she replied, innocently.

“You know very well what I mean. That whole …thing with Mark? You already know about that mall, and the movie theatres. You told me about Carl dragging you to a Die Hard movie there.”

She grinned. “It was a lot better than I thought. There’s just something about Bruce Willis …” She laughed. “Look, honey; Mark is a nice guy and he likes you–I can tell, even if you can’t. And you like him–and again, I can tell even if you can’t. But even if you admitted that you like him, you wouldn’t be able to go on a date because we live too far away. Because of the kindness of the hospital, we have a night to kill in town. So …I’m thinking we get the hotel squared away and go do some shopping, grab a late lunch and then back to the mall. I’d really like to treat myself to that spa they have, just a night being pampered. But since you’re not a sore, sagging, wrinkly old lady, you won’t need the spa. So, what to do, what to do …?” She tapped her finger against her lips as if thinking.

“You’re scheming,” I grinned. “You’re not sagging and wrinkly, but you are scheming!”

“No, honey, I’ve already schemed. And quite successfully, too! So we arrive 6:30ish at the theater. If I know my Mark, he’ll be there hoping that you are. If so, the two of you go to the movies, or walk around, or whatever you want to do. This old lady will go get pampered. We’ll meet up at the movie theater around 10, or whenever your movie is over, and you and I go to our free hotel. Sound like a plan?”

“Sounds like a scheme,” I chuckled. “But you’re forgetting one thing: what if I don’t want to go on a date with Mark?” Truth be told, the thought terrified me. And thrilled me.

“Laurie, if you wait until you think you’re ready, you’ll never be ready. This is a golden opportunity, with the added bonus that you live too far away for anything to develop. No pressure there. And besides, there is one other thing …”

She tilted her chin down and stared at me.

“What? What?”

“Um …oh, I don’t know; let’s just call it …the fifth thing.’” Her face lit up. “Hey! We’ll call it ‘The Fifth Element’–that’s another Bruce Willis movie!”

“Oh my God …”

“Yes, omigod!” she answered in a Valley Girl squeal. She darn near cackled at that.

I just rolled my eyes.

Then her voice softened. “Look, you’ve done the other four things your mom wanted you to do, and she saved number five for last because she knew it would take the biggest leap of faith in your mindset. This way, when we see her tomorrow, even if you’re not thinking about boys–but I bet you are!–then at least you can tell her that you have gone out on a date.”

Cornered. Schemed. Connived.

Damn.

She was right.

Chapter 14 — The Free Night

We met with Marilyn Butler, who arranged for us to stay at the Holiday Inn Crowne Plaza, which was newer than the Sheraton and shared a parking lot with the Valley View Mall–perfect! Ms. Butler told us they’d have “Unexpected Guest” packages for us, with disposable toothbrushes and toilet items, for hospital families like us but also for airport layovers. We thanked her and checked but there was no further news about Mom.

Since Jackie already knew where the mall was, it was easy to find the hotel. We checked in and were given the little toiletry boxes, which we opened once we checked into our room. It was quite nice, and we’d have a 1 p.m. checkout the next day. Jackie sat and made a list of items she wanted to get to ‘supplement’ our Unexpected Guest boxes.

“Nightgowns?” I kidded, reading over her shoulder.

“A must-have. These supplies are the bare minimum, but it’s still thoughtful. Yes, nighties, two. Noxzema, one. What are the Neutrogena things you use at night?”

I told her my cleaner and moisturizer and asked about Carl freaking at us buying these for one night. Jackie laughed and said that we needed to stock up, anyway, and would be using the items we bought today for months to come. She was tempted to get cheap nightgowns at Wal-Mart, but decided that with the hot summer coming we should invest in good quality. She added bras and panties to the list for the same reason.

Jackie checked something in the phonebook yellow pages, grabbed her things and said ‘let’s go.’ The first stop was a western-wear store that she’d found in the phonebook. She told me that Carl had told her to get me a genuine cowgirl hat.

“He said, ‘don’t get her one of those cheap straw things you see them wear in the beer commercials’, so we’re going here to get you the real thing. After all, we are a working ranch, and your ears will burn off if you keep wearing ball caps.”

We looked at several and I got two (per Carl’s instructions). One was for everyday working around the ranch, called a ‘Shady Brady’ and I got a hat named ‘Reba’ (I love Reba McEntire) that was kind of gray felt for ‘formal’ occasions. I asked Jackie what in the world was a formal occasion at the ranch.

“I forgot that you don’t really know our season; it already seems like you’ve been there forever. Well, aside from prayer services that we provide every Sunday–oh, don’t look like that; we don’t preach. We’ve got a minister that comes over from Hader; he’s got a circuit he does for all the outlying ranches, sort of like Miz B. Some weeks it’s full, some it’s just us so he comes in for coffee. Anyway, remember that we offer one- and two-week sessions. The last night there’s a campfire and we do a little ceremony where the session families–and remember, we’ve got two categories; Session Family and Guest?”

I nodded. “That would explain some of the coding you had me do for the reservation system, but I didn’t think to ask what they meant. I just took your old handwritten pages and set them up in the software.”

“And you did a fantastic job, too. It’s taking less than half the time and problems show up right away so I can fix ‘em fast. And you didn’t get a chance to really explore the system because Carl’s got you slaving away.”

“He does not!” I protested, then realized it was just another of her teases. “Well, I have been spending most of the time outside.”

She grinned. “And doing a great job. And you will be spending most of your time outside, once the season starts. Okay; Session Families buy a package with scheduled activities added. Guests have restricted run of the place with no fixed schedules. I’d like to change that somehow, if you’ve got any ideas. I never liked the idea of folks aimlessly roaming around, and we could wind up with too many people at one place.”

“I’m thinking of problems with everyone wanting water sports, overcrowded barbecues, whatever.”

“You got that right. Almost every problem we’ve had has been from Guests, from fires to vandalism. Not the Session Families. Put your thinking cap on, girl, and come up with another of your brilliant ideas. Anyway, we have flag ceremonies–mostly lowering it nightly, but we got a bugle recording, too–and there’s an awards ceremony I started to tell you about. We give out little ribbons for Best Swimmer, Best Rider, Most Authentic Cowboy and Cowgirl, and so on. So that’s when you’ll wear your fancy Reba hat. Nice clean jeans and a pretty, embroidered cowgirl shirt. Fancy boots that we gotta get you, too. You’ll knock their eyes out!”

I blushed at that and she did a little ‘pshah!’ thing. But thoughts swirled around in me …

She tilted her head, looking at me. “You’re thinking of something; I know the signs now.”

I frowned. “The computer. And a cruise ship …” I was putting it together.

Jackie grinned. “Let it come, Laurie.” She nodded to a nearby bench and we sat.

“You’re going to hate me,” I began. “I just thought of things for the ranch, but they’re going to cost money …” I trailed off again, and then grinned. “And then again, maybe not so much.”

“Better,” she nodded. “Um, should I take notes?” Then her grin widened. “Will it be on the midterm?”

I giggled. “Yes, and you need at least a C to pass! Okay, the computer first. I know that Smoke Valley Ranch offers the real outdoors experience, but the realities of modern life means computers. Not just for us for reservations, but for guests to use. There should be–no, that’s not right.” I thought for a moment. “Right. I was going to say we could look into linking up our dish to the guest quarters so they could have Wi-Fi. I was thinking they could check on email, do any business they need to, but then I realized the kids would just want to hang out in front of the screen all day.”

Jackie nodded. “That’s one of the comments we get from folks, about why they came–that they wanted to tear the kids away from their computers and get some fresh air in ‘em.”

“A hot-spot, then. A password given to parents. No lounging area, really; just a place to check in quickly and then go ride a horse or take a swim. Maybe only a few hours a day, like 8-9 and 7-8? Coordinate with meals? Then everybody could check things daily but not hang on the computer all day. Although we should provide it for the summer crew.”

“Crew?” That got me her head tilt-thing again. “And you said ‘cruise ship’ earlier?”

I nodded. “At least two certified lifeguards, for the pool and lake. I’m still too young to be certified, darn it. Maybe combine ATV and stables with a third summer helper. You guys already said I can’t be everywhere but I’d try, but I think you’ll need at least three in place, maybe a fourth to work with Carl, just keeping up on maintenance. And the crew would be living in the bunkhouse and can’t be cut off from the computer world all summer. It’s not like a one-week vacation for them.”

She nodded her understanding. “That’s why you said ‘cruise ship’.”

“One reason, yeah; but the other is that the ranch is like a cruise ship, in that we’re self-contained. A closed environment, in a sense, like a ship–just add passengers. But that led me to thinking about the towels.”

“You really lost me on that curve!” she chuckled.

“We talked about fixing the towel problem.”

“You fixed it,” she beamed. “Darned good idea, too.”

“Um, thanks, but towels need to be laundered. I know you have that old industrial washer-dryer in the pool area, but I was thinking about the water. I read somewhere where cruise ships have three levels of water that they call fresh, gray, and black. They’ve got filters and recycling and all that. The gray is processed recycled water okay for washing decks and stuff but not for humans, and the black water is too fouled and just gets disposed. We could find out where our gray water could be used–I mean, not for the horses, but maybe for watering lawns? I’ll have to check if there’s a cheap way soapy water can be neutralized, or whatever they call it. But we’re getting into a lot of piping and maybe bigger pumps and …I’m sure the money’s just not there. But then I was thinking about …well, maybe talking with local colleges. See if they want to use the ranch for water-recycling projects in a real-world situation. They get to tinker and we’d reduce our cost. Oh, solar panels, too–”

Jackie held a hand up, laughing. “Stop, stop! Oh, God, Laurie! You’re a pure delight.” She shook her head. “All of what you said–all of it–is fantastic and so touching that you think of the ranch all the time but now, my darling niece, is not the time to discuss solar panels. Now is the time to be a teen-aged girl at the mall. Come on, Einstein!”

We left the bench and headed for a Target, where we picked up our facial supplies, and then on to the mall. Jackie headed directly for Penney’s and the lingerie section. She said it would be fun to go to Victoria’s Secret, but it wouldn’t be fun for Carl to pay for it. So although we only needed one bra and panty each for the next day, we bought a few, with me getting a racer back and a strapless–Jackie told me I was developing enough that I’d be able to wear it! And we got a few panties–and it seemed weird to buy a pair that were ‘boy cut’, although they were cute!–but what surprised me was the nightgowns. I expected classic white nighties, but Jackie got this wicked glint in her eyes and made me promise to ‘not put up a fuss.’ Reluctantly I promised, and she bought two baby doll sets, one for each of us! I blushed a bit, but she said, ‘Come on; it’s just us girls’ and I loved her all the more.

While walking back through the store we stopped and Jackie tossed me a three-pack of camisole tops in earth and fruit colors, ‘just to have’, she said.

“You know, honey, most girls have years and years of accumulating clothes in every type and in every shade. You’ve only been at this a couple of months.”

“I know,” I said, dejectedly. I hoped she didn’t think I was foolish.

She knew that I’d misunderstood her. “No, no; I think you don’t understand. It’s not that you used to be a boy; I don’t really think that way or even remember things like that. I know that you’re a girl and have always been a girl. I think of you as having had all your pretty dresses and lingerie and things burned up in the fire that hurt your mom. Make sense?”

I got choked up at her unbelievable kindness, and the fact that she thought of me as a genuine girl, and what my life might have been …

We were heading back to the car with our bags when I saw an outfit in a store window. Jackie noticed my pause and nudged me into the store. I protested and she nudged harder. I had seen a pretty white dress that I learned was called ‘eyelet.’ It was sleeveless with a scooped neck, and was both old-fashioned–almost like a Confirmation dress, the hem was just above the knees–but there was a kicky style to it, too. There was a light blue sash with it that could be a scarf or belt. I already had a pair of strappy sandals that would go with it.

Jackie said, “Oh, Laurie, that is you!” and I don’t know how she knew, and I certainly didn’t really know, either, but she was right. And I thought it would be perfect to wear to see Mom the next morning. Jackie agreed, and I tried one on in my size, and it fit perfectly, and I spun around, and I had this incredible flash of realization–this is one of the joys of girlhood! We added it to our bag collection and took everything to the car, vowing to stop shopping anymore and to go get something to eat.

We both had salads and smoothies, and Jackie joked about me having to watch my girlish figure. The remark made me smile and feel warm inside. That warmth turned to a chill when we finished and Jackie led me to the Ladies’ room. I was so nervous about ‘something happening’ in a public restroom that I was almost shaking, even though there were only a couple of women in there. I didn’t have to use the toilet, but Jackie had me wash my hands and touch up my makeup. As we left, she pulled me to her.

“You’ve got to get used to that, honey, or you’ll have an accident. I can’t be around to drag you in; you’re a pretty teenaged girl and pretty teenage girls check their makeup often. You also need to learn to consider the place a sort of sanctuary; it’s a place you can go where even the worst guy won’t follow. And, finally, once you have girlfriends, it’s where you go to gossip.”

I pretended to be shocked. “You mean, all those women don’t have shiny noses?”

She threw her head back and laughed. “Now you’ve got it!” She squeezed my arm, then plucked at my sleeve. “From what I understand, no self-respecting teen girl ever has enough hoodies. Your pick; Abercrombie or Hollister?”

I knew what she meant; there was a Hollister store a few stores down so we went there. Jackie reminded me that it might be chilly in the theatre or if I was standing around, so we’d buy one and strip the tags and I’d have it with me. We tried several and settled on a white zipped-front that, of course, said ‘Hollister’ on the front. Jackie grumbled that white was hard to keep clean, and that Hollister ought to pay me for advertising their stuff when I walked around. I tucked it over my arm, next to my purse, and we headed back into the mall.

It was already a little past six and I was thinking it was time we got to the theatre. Jackie motioned toward a bench and we sat.

“Honey, I don’t think I need to give you the Birds-and-the-Bees speech, but there are a few things I should say. Your mom would be saying them but I’m elected. Um …this is going to be different from anything you’ve experienced or dreamed about or saw in movies.”

“Jackie, I sort of know that already …” I started.

“Wait, wait; I know what you’re thinking but let me say this …well, because it’s got to be said. First of all, you don’t have to do this; you don’t have to meet this boy. We can come up with any number of excuses. But if you do, understand this–you are in control. Okay? Lots of girls don’t get this and think they’ve got to do everything the boy wants. Those girls eventually are called ‘young mothers.’ Anyway, if he touches you in any way that bothers you, say ‘I’d rather you didn’t do that’ and if he does it again, just get up and walk. Ask a manager for a phone–I don’t think there are pay phones anywhere anymore–and I’ll come right there. But I don’t think it’ll come to that.”

“I don’t either; we both think he’s a good guy, right?”

She nodded. “I think he’s probably a very good guy. But better safe …and that reminds me. Here are two tens. Take ‘em and use them if you need them. You can pay your way into the theatre and that takes away some of his power. Guys are weird about power. It’s one of the two things that drive them. Anyway, you might not go to the movies.” She handed me the bills.

“You’re right; we might go to Aruba. What do you mean?”

She leaned back and sighed. “Ah …Aruba …you could do worse …”

I playfully punched her arm. “Come back to earth. Or at least the States. What do you mean, not go to the movies? What else? You mean like, just walk around?”

“That would be nice. Personally, I think it’s much better than a movie. Just chatting, getting to know the other person. And that’s the final thing. Don’t worry; you’re an extremely attractive young lady and nobody would ever have the remotest hint of anything else. None of this nonsense like with the Ladies’ room, alright? Relax and have a good time, but I want you to …how should I put this? Learn about yourself when you’re with him. You’ll find out things about yourself and how you interact with other people–and boys–that are very important. Um …that’s it. I’m out of things to say.”

Impulsively I hugged her. “Thank you, Jackie; you’re the best aunt ever!” I said.

We broke the hug; she dug in her purse and handed me a twenty as well. “At today’s prices, that first twenty could go fast and we don’t want to appear cheap. Just don’t go crazy, but bring back what you don’t use.” She wiggled her eyebrows and grinned. “And now …Showtime!”

End of Part 5