A House in the Valley and a Tricycle on the Lawn

      "Mom, did Pap Charlie really steal a bunch of money and not give it back for three years?" Jim had just walked into the kitchen when he heard his oldest son ask his mom a question. Sandy was at the stove cooking dinner for the Rockford clan and Rocky. "JJ(James Joseph), where did you hear that?" She asked the 13- year-old boy, who was a spitting image of his father, as Jim kissed her hello, "Hi honey. He whispered in her ear. "Well, that's what Grandpa Rocky told me when we were in the backyard playing catch." Their youngest son ran into the kitchen and wrapped his mother's waist in a hug, "Yeah, dad, did he really steal all that money? Why didn't he keep it? Does he know how many baseball cards he could buy with all that money? 7-year-old Nicky, the baseball-obsessed Rockford child, asked as Jim sat down at the table and picked his 4-year-old daughter, who was an exact copy of her mother except for the dark hair and eyes that were all Jim, and sat her on his lap " I don't think Pap Charlie was too worried about getting the Roberto Clemente card back then, Nicky," Jim said as he leaned over and ruffled the boy's light brown hair.

     Jim gave Rocky a look that said that they would have a less kid-friendly talk later, "Dad, why did you have to go and tell them about that?" Rocky looked bashfully at Sandy and Jim, "Well, we was talkin' about that bank in San Fransisco that got robbed, and it just kinda slipped out. I'm sorry" Sandy walked over and laid her hand on Rocky's shoulder, "It's okay, Rocky. Dad's not as upset about it as he used to be." Sandy pointed at her three children, "And you three are not to bring this up to Pap Charlie under any circumstances, do you understand me? Now, you three go get washed up for dinner" She heard all three of her children mumble a yes and assumed that was the end of the conversation.

     Later that evening Sandy was brushing her daughter's hair after bathtime while Jim was making sure the boys were getting ready for bed when the conversation from earlier crept back up. "Mommy," Raelynn asked, "did those bad men really kidnap you because Pap Charlie took that money?" The boys heard their sister and decided to go into their parents' bedroom and sit on the bed so they could listen. Jim leaned against the door jam in case he needed to take over for his wife. "Well, yes." She said setting down the brush and turning the little girl to face her, " but, your daddy and Uncle Dennis helped get me back from those bad men." She explained smiling up at Jim. 

     "Mom, how did Pap Charlie end up with all that money anyway?" JJ asked. Sandy took a deep breath and prepared to tell her children the truth about their Pap Charlie 'He was working for a company and he made a really bad decision when he was there by himself one night. He felt really bad about it and knew he needed to do the right thing and give the money back." It was Nicky's turn to ask a question, "Dad, did you really get arrested?" Jim walked over and sat down beside his wife, "Yeah, Nicky, I did" The three children looked at their father with wide eyes, they had no clue their father had been pardoned by the state of California. "No way, Dad!," JJ said "How did you get out?"

     Jim settled against the headboard, "Well, your Aunt Beth helped me out a lot. It helped too that one of the cops that worked with Uncle Dennis was one of the bad men that had your mom kidnapped." Jim watch his children stare at him with awe and wonder as he regaled the tale of saving the damsel in distress. "Once we figured that out, me and your Uncle Dennis chased them down and had a good old western shootout with those boys. Once they were in police custody, I went and got your mom" Jim said with a hint of pride in his voice.

     "Mommy, Daddy saved you just like the princess in my favorite story," Raelynn said with a smile. Sandy hugged the dark-haired little girl," He sure did, honey." she said, laying her head on Jim's shoulder. "So, he just gave the money back?" Nicky asked with a puzzled look on his face. "Well, by the time he was ready to give it back, the law says he couldn't get in trouble for it anymore." Nicky nodded. "But the cops told the government and he had to pay the taxes on it and that took almost all of it." Nicky's face fell, "So, he didn't get to buy a bunch of baseball cards with it." Sandy shook her head at her middle child's question, "No, honey, he didn't." She said. "Darn it! That would have been so cool." He said, getting up and walking sullenly back to his bedroom. Jim and Sandy looked at each other and laughed. Jim sent JJ to his room, and then met Sandy in Raelynn's room to tuck her in.

     Jim stood against the door frame of the master bathroom and watched his wife brush her teeth. "Ya know, when you came to me with Charlie's problem, I never would have guessed that it would lead to all this," he said. She wiped the toothpaste from her mouth, "Well, the moment you risked your life to save me, I just knew we would end up together." She said walking up to Jim and wrapping her arms around his waist. "Well, you sure got your man, your house in the Valley, and a tricycle on the lawn." She smiled up at him, "I sure did. I sure wasn't letting you go again, Mr. Rockford." She said as she leaned up to give Jim a searing kiss, proving that after thirteen years, the spark in their relationship still hadn't gone out. The couple went to bed that night forever thankful for that half a million dollars Charlie Blaylock stole sixteen years ago.