Thunder and Lightening
Chapter 46
By
Lazlo Zalezac
Copyright (C) Lazlo Zalezac, 2004

Little tendrils of fog were rising off the surface of the lake as the 
morning sun climbed into the sky. Birds flitted from tree to tree 
pausing long enough to sing a song announcing a boundary of their 
territory. Ripples, centered near the cattails, were created when fish 
jumped out of the water after the bugs that skimmed the surface. 

Four cabins were lined up fifty feet from the shore of the lake. The 
log cabins blended into their surroundings with an open area to the 
lake and trees on the other side. Standing on the porch of one of 
the lakeside cabins, Jerry sipped his coffee while enjoying the 
sights and sounds of nature. He'd been awake for fifteen minutes, 
but it was already a good day. Looking at the fog rising off the lake 
reminded him of a time when he had gone fishing with his father 
as a kid. 

Smiling, he thought about all of the trouble Jenny had gone 
through to rent the cabins for his birthday. Henry, Sharon, and Abe 
were in the cabin next to theirs. None of them were what he would 
call camping people, but the cabin was a nice tradeoff providing 
the comforts of a hotel room while being in the middle of nature. 

He was looking forward to a day of fishing along the shore. He 
figured that Henry and Abe would be awake soon and they could 
head down to the lake's edge while the fish were still active. He 
thought to himself that if they caught enough fish, they might be 
able to hold a fish fry that night. That would be fun. He took 
another sip of coffee and wondered who was staying in the other 
two cabins.

The sound of the door of the cabin next to his opening caught his 
attention. Curious as to the identity of their neighbors, Jerry turned 
to watch. Shock crossed his face when he saw the man step out. He 
shouted, "Dad?"

"Hello, son. It's a good morning for fishing, isn't it?"

"What are you doing here?" asked Jerry amazed at the co-
incidence that his father would just happen to rent the cabin next to 
his.

"If your mother and I remember correctly, it's your birthday today. 
Thought we'd hold a little barbecue out here. Might make it a fish 
fry if we catch enough," replied the man with a grin. 

A giggle from behind told Jerry that Jenny had arranged for his 
father to join them on this trip. Turning to face her, a huge grin 
split his face as he took in the sight she presented to his eyes. She 
was wearing a thick flannel nightgown that was so far from sexy 
that it was sexy. Shaking his head at the idea that she would put so 
much effort into making him happy, he said, "You little vixen. You 
set this up, didn't you?"

"It's your birthday. I figured that we'd have a little party here for 
you," replied Jenny with a smile. 

Jerry picked her up in a bear hug and kissed her to convey his 
appreciation for everything she had done for him. Jenny squealed 
in delight. Setting her down, he looked at her and said, "I love you 
so much." 

"I love you too my big teddy bear," answered Jenny. 

The difference between being called a big teddy bear and a gorilla 
nearly brought a tear to his eyes. It went beyond the difference 
between the names to the manner in which they were delivered. 
Jenny could call him a gorilla and make it sound sexy. There were 
times when he couldn't believe how happy he was with his life. 
Never in his life would he have imagined that a woman would go 
to all of this trouble just to celebrate his birthday. It touched him 
deeply. 

Jerry's dad stepped over to the cabin. Patting his son on the back, 
Carl said, "Happy birthday."

"Thanks Dad. I'm glad you came," said Jerry. The past few months 
had seen a tremendous improvement in the relationship between 
the two men. Three generations of Smith's went fishing together 
once a month on a borrowed boat. They didn't always catch 
something, but they did return home happier men. 

Bill particularly enjoyed the fact that he had a grandfather. Quite a 
few Saturdays were now spent with the three men in the garage 
restoring Bill's car. It was basically done except for the paint job. 
The greatest surprise had been Jenny's involvement in the 
restoration. She had purchased a heavy-duty sewing machine and 
had taken charge of replacing the seat covers. Jerry was so proud 
of her that he couldn't put it into words. 

The sound of a boat motor slowly grew in volume. Jenny smiled 
and stepped back towards the door. She knocked on the door. After 
a minute, Bill wearing a robe and Melissa wearing a flannel 
nightgown stepped out onto the porch. Bill was still rubbing the 
sleep out of his eyes. Smiling, Jerry said, "Good morning, kids."

"Happy Birthday, Dad," chimed the pair together. 

"Thanks," said Jerry with a grin. Gesturing to the surroundings, he 
added, "It sure is a glorious day, isn't it?"

Ignoring the rhetorical question, Carl said, "My that sure is a big 
boat."

Jerry turned to look at the lake to see what his father was talking 
about. He was in time to catch sight of the largest houseboat that 
Jerry had ever seen entering the inlet. While the fact that it was 
entering the inlet was odd, the size of the boat chased all other 
thoughts from his mind. He commented, "I bet Jenny's father, 
Henry, and I could all stand on one side of that monster without 
tipping it over!"

Standing behind Jerry so that he couldn't see the expression on her 
face, Jenny said, "I bet you're right."

The boat headed straight for the dock in front of the cabin. Jerry 
stepped forward trying to make out who was piloting the boat. For 
a moment, he wondered if he was having a problem with his eyes. 
The man at the wheel was proportioned to the size of the boat. 
Either the boat wasn't as big as he thought or the man at the wheel 
was huge. It took a moment, but he realized who was piloting the 
houseboat. He exclaimed, "That's your Dad!"

"Happy Birthday, honey," said Jenny pleased at the success of her 
surprise. She'd known that Jerry was getting tired of borrowing a 
boat to go fishing. She also knew that the big men in her life didn't 
feel very comfortable in a regular sized boat. Boats tended to be a 
little unstable when three large men shifted around in them. When 
her father had found the houseboat, she couldn't resist buying it for 
Jerry.

"That's mine?" asked Jerry open mouthed. He turned to look at 
Jenny unable to believe what he had heard.

"Yes, it is dear," said Jenny fully expecting to get picked up and 
kissed. Her expectations were immediately met as Jerry picked her 
up, spun her around, and kissed her. His excitement and pleasure 
was obvious to everyone there. Her reaction to his pleasure was 
just as obvious.

The kids watched their father with smiles plastered on their faces. 
They were pleased to see their father so happy. Bill had helped 
repair the engines, making trips to the lake with his grandfather 
while his father was at work. Melissa had restored the interior of 
the cabin with some help from Henry.

When Jerry finally put Jenny down, she said, "Bill fixed up the 
boat and Melissa restored the cabin. Your father stocked it with 
fishing gear."

Jerry picked up both kids, one in each arm, and hugged them. 
Barely able to talk from the emotions he was feeling, he said, 
"Thanks, kids. This is amazing. I can't believe it. I don't know what 
to say. I mean…"

Laughing at how his father was babbling his happiness, Bill said, 
"We got the idea, Dad."

Tears rolled down Melissa's cheeks. She couldn't remember being 
this happy in her entire life. She hugged her father back with all 
her strength. She looked up at her father and saw that there were 
tears in his eyes. An emotional dam burst loose within her and she 
started crying uncontrollably. 

Jerry set Bill down, but continued to hold Melissa. Jenny hugged 
Bill and watched with wet eyes as father and daughter came to 
peace. Jerry's father put an arm around Jenny and whispered, "He's 
so happy."

Happy was an understatement as far as Jenny was concerned. His 
reaction was exactly what she had hoped for when she purchased 
the boat. Someone had once told her that the perfect gift was an 
item that a person wanted but would never buy. She knew that he 
wanted a boat, but would never buy one for himself.

After a few minutes, Melissa regained her control over her 
emotions. She whispered, "Let's go see the boat."

Jerry set her down, straightened up, and wiped his eyes. It took 
him a minute to get his emotions under control. Sniffing, he turned 
to everyone else and said, "You heard her. Let's go check out the 
boat."

Leading the way to where Tom had docked the boat, Jerry looked 
over the monster. It was twelve feet wide and twenty-five feet 
long. The cabin, set in the middle of the boat was eight feet wide 
and ten feet long. The controls for piloting the houseboat were 
visible above the cabin, which rose six feet from the deck. He 
whistled and asked, "How did you ever get it here?"

"The guy who used to own it, built it here on the lake. It's too big 
for any of the roads, so it's stuck here," answered Tom as he 
climbed down the ladder on the front of the cabin. Turning around 
to look at his son-in-law, he added, "It's a real beauty inside."

The front of the boat hung out four feet in front of the pontoons 
and came up to the shore. There weren't any railings around the 
edge, so boarding was a simple matter of stepping from the dock to 
the boat. Jerry stepped onto the boat expecting it to react to his 
added weight, but the boat was solid and didn't rock or dip. The 
broad flat area in the front of the boat was perfect for sun bathing 
and fishing.  

Jerry walked over to the front door of the cabin and opened it up. 
Stepping inside, he looked around at the cabin in amazement. 
Somehow, in that little space there was enough room for a small 
galley, bathroom, storage pantry, kitchen table, and bed. Curtains 
covered the side windows. The galley was filled with new 
appliances. The counters, cabinets, and linoleum on the floor all 
looked to be new as well. He opened a couple of the cabinets and 
saw that the pots, pans, plates, and cups within them were all new. 
It looked very luxurious. Turning to Melissa, he asked, "You 
picked all this out?"

"Yes, Jenny gave me carte blanche to decorate," answered Melissa. 
She'd even spent her own money on fixing up the interior of the 
cabin. She pointed to the table and said, "The top comes off the 
pedestal. When you remove the pedestal, the tabletop fits on the 
ledge below to form another bed. That up there folds down to form 
a third bed."

"Nice," said Jerry looking at the table.

"You're supposed to be able to sleep six in here, but with you and 
Henry I'd lower that down to four. If granddad joins in, I'd lower it 
down to three but I'd hate to be the one that sleeps on the lower 
bunk."

Her comment caused a burst of laughter from everyone gathered 
there. The low rumbling laugh of Henry was the first indication to 
Jerry that his friend had made his way onto the boat. Jerry called 
out, "Hey Henry. Check this out."

"I've already seen it, Jerry," replied the big man still chuckling 
over Melissa's observation. 

"He did a lot of the wood work inside the cabin," said Melissa. She 
smiled over at Henry and said, "He was a miracle worker. You 
wouldn't believe what condition this was in when we got it."

Jerry moved to Henry in order to thank him, but stopped when 
Henry pulled Abe towards him by the neck. In his low rumbling 
voice, the big man said, "Brought you a present. This is an anchor. 
Just tie a rope around his neck and throw him overboard."

Looking up at Henry, Abe objected, "Won't work, I can swim."

"If he climbs out, just break his legs and throw him back," added 
the big black man with a grin. Jerry laughed at the suggestion and 
Abe's reaction to it. Henry hugged the young man close to him. 
Abe didn't fight it, but basked in the attention from the big man. 
He'd come to enjoy having a father even if it meant he had to 
behave a little better.

Bill had gone around the cabin and entered through the back door. 
Winking at Melissa, he said, "Come on Dad, you have to see the 
rest of it."

"You did a great job in here, Melissa," said Jerry hugging his 
daughter.

"Thanks, Dad. I'm glad you like it," answered Melissa. She glowed 
in reaction to his praise.

Jerry followed Bill out to the back of the houseboat. The back of 
the houseboat was set up as a porch with lawn chairs, small tables, 
and a railing that went around the edge. A cloth cover provided 
protection from the elements. Sherry was seated in one of the 
chairs drinking a cup of coffee in a foam cup from a donut chain. 
She waved to her surroundings and asked, "Isn't this great?"

"It sure is," answered Jerry looking around. There was enough 
room for a dozen lawn-chairs and a couple of small tables. 

Jenny said, "My parents bought the patio furniture for the 
houseboat."

"I don't know how to thank you and Tom," said Jerry. 

As Jerry turned around to take it all in, Bill and Melissa took seats 
next to Sherry. There was a box of donuts and after a gesture from 
Sherry, Bill reached in and grabbed one. Within a half a minute, 
Abe was grabbing a donut as well. Sherry grinned and said, "I 
bought lots of them, boys. Don't be shy."

"No one ever accused me of being shy," said Abe before taking a 
bite out of his donut.

"I find that hard to believe," replied Sherry with a grin. The irony 
was not lost on Abe and he winked back at her. She had met Abe 
for the first time at the wedding and found she enjoyed talking with 
the young man. 

Two very large outboard motors hung on the back of the boat. 
Jerry leaned over and looked at them. The motors were slaved 
together by a complex mechanism. From the fresh welds, he could 
tell that Bill had rebuilt the mechanism. He tried to trace the wires 
that controlled the motors, but they disappeared under the boat. 

Noticing what his father was doing, Bill said, "It took me forever 
to repair the mechanism for turning the engines. The wheel is up 
on the cabin and the guide wires run through the front wall of the 
cabin."

"It looks good," commented Jerry. He ran a hand over the welds 
and said, "Very nice work indeed."

"Thanks," replied Bill sitting up straighter in his chair.

Jerry turned around and found that his mother had joined them on 
the boat. She was drinking a cup of coffee and raised the cup in a 
toast. She said, "Happy Birthday, Jerry."

"Thanks, Mom."

Sharon stepped out of the cabin and said, "Hey Birthday Boy. This 
is some row boat, isn't it?"

"It sure is," replied Jerry. 

Looking at the three people dressed in their robes and nightgowns, 
Tom said, "Why don't you guys get dressed and come back. We'll 
take her out on the lake."

There was a sudden rush of activity as Bill, Melissa, and Jenny ran 
off to change into more appropriate clothing. Sherry said, "Come 
on over here and get a cup of coffee and a donut."

Jerry went over and found that there was a holder with a half dozen 
Styrofoam cups of coffee next to a large box of donuts. He grabbed 
one of the cups wondering when he had set down the cup of coffee 
he had been drinking earlier. Shaking his head at his inability to 
remember, he took a seat before taking a sip of coffee. The hot 
liquid felt good in his mouth. 

Henry and Sharon sat down together and held hands. Tom settled 
into the chair next to Sherry with a grin. Tom said, "My little girl 
did a great job in buying this boat and fixing it up."

"She sure did," said Jerry as he stared at the plastic top of the cup. 
Looking up at Tom, he said, "I really don't know what I did to 
deserve her. She's an angel."

Sherry smiled and said, "Well, she feels the same about you."

"I wish I knew what I could do to make her as happy as I am," said 
Jerry.

Sharon shook her head at his comment. She said, "That's the 
happiest woman I've ever met. I thought she was gonna bust with 
happiness when you turned down that promotion. For a while 
there, I thought she had won the lottery."

Jerry took a sip of his coffee as the conversation flowed around 
him. Although the houseboat was a present for him, he knew that 
everyone would enjoy it. Bill and he would go fishing. It was large 
enough to bring everyone that he knew. He knew that Bill would 
want to invite his friends from school for a day out on the lake. 
While they were fishing, Melissa and Jenny could relax in the sun 
working on their tans, reading, and talking. Melissa could even 
bring that boy she was seeing out for the day. 

His father interrupted his thoughts when he said, "I imagine the 
whole family will enjoy this boat."

Nodding his head in agreement, Jerry replied, "Yes. It'll be very 
nice not to have to borrow a boat to go fishing. In fact, I was 
worried about that. With Mike and Karen moving out in a couple 
of weeks, I was wondering where we'd borrow a boat."

"Why wouldn't you buy one?" asked Tom.

"I don't feel right about spending that kind of money on myself. I'd 
feel guilty for cheating my family by spending the kind of money 
required to buy a boat," answered Jerry. Looking around at the 
boat, he knew she spent far more on this than his wildest dreams 
could conceive. 

Henry laughed and said, "Now you don't have to worry about that. 
The only question you've got to answer is what you're going to get 
her for her birthday."

Jerry laughed and was about to reply when he heard his family 
boarding the boat. Instead, he said, "I guess it is about time to take 
this out for a little spin around the lake."

Smiling, Abe said, "Should I put on the water skis?"

Everyone looked at Abe for a minute unable to believe that he 
could even make that suggestion as a joke. Henry said, "He's a 
natural born boat anchor."

"And you wonder why I tell people that I found him abandoned by 
his real mother on my doorstep one day," commented Sharon with 
a grin. Abe stuck his tongue out at his mother.

Jerry laughed while he followed Tom through the cabin and to the 
ladder to the roof. Before climbing up the ladder, he paused to 
examine it. Tom said, "Don't worry. It is plenty strong enough to 
support our weight. So is the roof."

Jerry climbed up the ladder and stepped onto the roof of the cabin. 
A small pedestal rose close to the front of the roof. Built into the 
pedestal were the steering wheel and a control panel. Jerry looked 
over it for a moment and then turned the key to the engines. He 
pressed the button for the starter and listened as the motors turned 
over. After a few seconds, he heard the motors catch and released 
the button. 

After hours of boating around the lake, Jerry was seated on a lawn 
chair situated between Henry and his father on the port side of the 
houseboat. He was relaxing in the sun by drinking a soft drink and 
watching his bobber float on the surface of the lake. Behind him, 
Abe and Bill were arguing about who would catch the biggest fish. 
Considering the amount of noise they were making, Jerry didn't 
give either one of the boys a chance of ever catching a fish.

Henry sat beside him with his line in the water. Listening to a titter 
of laughter from the back of the boat, he said, "I can't believe your 
father-in-law chose sitting back there over fishing. I guess he's 
having fun. It's clear the women are having fun teasing him."

"Jenny said he's back there checking out Sharon in her white 
skimpy bathing suit," said Jerry with a wink. Henry laughed at the 
idea of Tom even trying to make eyes at Sharon in front of Sherry. 

Carl said, "I sure like Jenny. She's a great lady."

"I've got to say this, meeting and marrying Jenny is the best thing 
that's ever happened to me," said Jerry without the slightest 
hesitation or doubt. If asked, he would have said that getting to 
know his children was the best thing that ever happened to him. 
There were a lot of things in his life that fell into that same 'best' 
category and he would have been honest about each and every one 
of them.

"You've got a good future ahead of you. You're married to a great 
lady. You've gathered your family around you and, for some 
strange reason that no one understands, they actually like you. You 
turned down a hell of a promotion and got a hell of a promotion in 
return. Two houses, a part-time business, and now this boat. If I 
didn't like you so much, I'd be envious," said Henry with a 
chuckle. Of course, he wasn't going to mention that his life had 
improved significantly as well.

"Yeah, it is pretty good, but don't forget having some great friends 
even if one of them is a boat anchor," said Jerry provoking a bark 
of laughter from his friend. 

Jerry considered what Henry had said. He had never dreamed that 
life could be this good. In truth, it was better than good, it was 
great. There were lots of things in his life for which he should be 
thankful and he knew it.

His thoughts went back to the day when he had driven his Camaro 
home from work and hit a bumper. He could still see the lightning 
strike that had nearly killed him. He could still hear the thunder 
that knocked him on his ass. He tried to pin down the moment 
when his life had changed. Was it when he walked out on his wife? 
Was it when he bought the old truck? Was it the day he wandered 
into the Crimson Rose? Was it the day he was shot and the rage 
died? He couldn't pin it down. So many events had brought him to 
where he was at that moment.

He'd been given a wake up call by the thunder. Ever since then, 
he'd been sloughing off the bad things that made him miserable. 
He thought about the typo on the name of his Camaro, Lightening. 
With a quiet sigh, he said, "Thunder and Lightening."

"What is that?" asked his father not understanding the reference.

"That's the story of my life," answered Jerry secure in the 
knowledge that his friend understood the reference. A real sense of 
contentment filled him as he repeated, "Thunder and Lightening."

"So where are you in the story now?" asked Henry curious what 
his friend would answer.

"In a fairy tale, this is about the time when they'd say that they 
lived happily ever after," said Jerry. He looked down at the water 
in time to see the bobber disappear from view. He yanked on his 
fishing rod to set the hook as he prepared to have the only kind of 
fight he was willing to accept. The fish put up a magnificent fight.

The End.