I have been learning about finance. My financial education growing up wasn’t much. You work. You get paid. You buy things.
My dad was a retired coal miner. I learned the ‘coal miners mentality’ concerning money. Coal mining is a dangerous job. Especially if you’re working underground. Dad’s unspoken philosophy was ‘if you got it, spend it. You may not live to see tomorrow.’ I understand where he was coming from. That doesn’t work when you get to retirement age and have to live off of social security and black lung.
We didn’t talk about retiring. Not buying stuff on credit. Not buying stuff on installments. There are two things that if you are going to have, most Americans buy on the installment plan: a home and a car.
I’m in the beginning stages of starting a business. I used part of my savings to pay off a high interest credit card. Because of the almighty credit score, I dare not close that card. It’s going to hang out (locked) in a safe place.
I got my business cards. Had a couple t-shirts commissioned. I’m rolling right along.
So hopeful, maybe – I’m getting it right.
With my poem, Waste Not. Want not. I’ve been sharing things I do (on a small scale) to save money in-order to work my way to being debt free. No matter where you are in your financial journey, keep at it. Plug away.
Max and Kol were walking the wall. “How’s Kessa adjusting?” Kol finally asked.
“I observe she’s disappointed, that’s the best word I can think of. Other than that, she’s doing well.”
Kol let out a long sigh. “I know this wasn’t what she wanted.”
“You know the queen; she will thrive. No one was ignoring your idea about the competition. We were planning it.”
“Yes, I know. Kessa doing this makes the most sense. When we went over to the island, did you appear out of the shadows and ask me not to hurt her? Or did I dream that?”
“I did say it, my king.”
“Why?”
“The queen and I rarely have personal conversations. There have been times that she’s come back from a visit with you that,” he thought about how to say the rest. He took a deep breath, stopped walking and said, “All I wanted to do was hold her and let her cry, scream, cuss, whatever she needed to do. But she never did. Never will.”
Kol turned to face him, “how do you know it had anything to do with me?”
“At first, I wasn’t sure. But the longer we were around each other, the more I knew.”
Kol changed the subject, “how are you and Lilly?”
Max blushed, “I’ve asked her to marry me.”
“And she said yes?”
“Amazingly, she did.” They started walking again.
“Has Kes spoken with you about her idea of seeing if Lilly would like to stay with and help Rajaf as he ages? We would like for him to move into the palace but I don’t think he will.”
“She has. All she can do is ask. If I may, I thought Frego was training with Rajaf?”
“He is. We are including more palace duties. He doesn’t get to spend as much time with Rajaf as he once did.”
They stopped to where they were overlooking the training field. Young trainees were fighting with seasoned soldiers. Learning all they could.
“Do you miss it?” Max asked.
“Sometimes. I’m so out of practice. I wouldn’t last 15 minutes.” He noticed Kessa with what looked like a book, walking around the yard. An arrow went sailing toward her. She caught it and said something to the trainer.
“What do you think she said?” Max was smiling as he spoke.
Kol laughed, “I’m not the target.” Both men chuckled. “She is so beautiful.” Kol voiced.
“When did you realize you had feelings for her?”
“When we fought the Zeede. I prayed God would help me not think about her if the timing was wrong. It’s been within the last 5 years that God has allowed me to see her again. Are you ever going to tell me what she said in the bell tower?”
“My king, are you going to order me?”
“No.” She looked up and saw them watching her. Smiling, she pointed to the ground beside her. “Shall we?” Kol motioned toward her.
When they reached her, they saw she was looking at a map of Mecca. It was rolled in such a way that the barracks was all that was showing.
“What are you doing?” Kol asked.
“Max has had the idea for years that we should expand the training field.” Max just grinned. “We have to take into consideration the wall, the river, and the ocean. If we expand, is it going to get washed away.”
“What about making the garden smaller?” Kol asked.
“Moving the garden?” Max thought.
She unrolled the map a little more, “where?”
They all three looked at the map; then at each other.
She looked out toward the ocean, “what if we broke the training field up?”
“What do you have in mind?” Kol asked.
“I’ll work it up and we can pick it apart.”
They all agreed. Max left.
Kol asked as they walked back toward the barracks, “is that a new garment?”
“Yes”
“How’s Marcus?”
“He’s in the garden right now. I don’t mind if he can’t totally let go.”
After dinner, Kol when back to the palace. Kessa stayed at the barracks. When she entered their chambers, Petro was sitting in a corner playing. Kol wrapped her in his arms and spun her around the room.
She eyed Petro before pulling Kol close to whisper in his ear. “What’s the occasion my husband?” She rubbed her fingers through his hair as they continued dancing.
“I don’t say thank you enough. I don’t say I Love you enough.”
Kessa winked at Petro. He bowed and left.
Kol stopped abruptly when he realized Petro had stopped playing.
“Remember what you said about what I wear?”
“You haven’t worn a thing yet that I haven’t wanted to take off you.” There was that sideways grin she loved.
Holmes and I were eating a mouth full of dinner. I was thrilled that Holmes was trying to eat. He said not a word since we returned from Wiltshire. There came a knock at the door, a visitor came calling.
“Watson,” Holmes sighed. “I have a pounding head,” his voice cracking with each word.
“Shall I send this person away?”
“No.” He sighed again. “Come.”
Mrs. Hudson opened the door to a mountain of a man. He had to stoop to fit through the door. He stopped once he saw that we were having dinner. “I do apologize. I will return after you have finished your meal.”
“No, do come in.” Holmes offered.
Our guest took off his hat. “Only if you are sure; this is not an urgent matter. It can wait.”
“Come, sit.” Holmes instructed.
“Only if you will continue your meal,” the gentleman offered.
I for one was more than willing to finish my meal.
Our guest had leather skin, browned like a biscuit; the signs of someone that worked outside in nature a great deal. Though a mountain of a man, he was gentle in his speech, and courteous in his manner.
“Could we offer you something,” I asked.
“No, thank you.” He stared at Holmes for a long time then back at me.
“Which of you is Mr. Sherlock Holmes?”
“I am.” Holmes half smiled. “My friend and colleague Dr. Watson,” Holmes pointed at me.
“I must say I am shocked that you are a real person.
Holmes raised an eyebrow. “Indeed?”
“I have only seen your name in print. I am a skeptical person and believe only part of what I see, very little of what I read.” He reached inside his coat and pulled out an envelope. “This is for you.”
Holmes opened the envelope. “What have I done to earn this?”
“Nothing, that is the kicker.”
“A man must do something to earn L7,000?”
Holmes stated. “That is a goodly sum.”
I stared at both men in amazement.
Our guest took a deep breath. “Gentlemen, I am John Paul Riker. My friends call me Ox. I build homes for a living. In the year 86’, I purchased a piece of land in Winchester to build a house sight unseen. A wager less than smart on my part. After viewing the property, I had me a good long drink at a local pub to drown my sorrow at such a folly. I struck up a conversation with a young man. The more I drank the more I began to share the state of my misfortune with the lad. I could no more tell you the conversation we had than I could tell you your ages. The lad took me back to this nightmare of a mess I had made and offered to help me fix it for half the price I got from the sell. No matter when I sold the home. I had already made one horrible blunder, half hung-over, I was sure to make another. But I took the offer. Not one sole upon this good Earth works for free. But there was someone offering, at the time, nothing less.
“We worked long hard days. Though as time passed my young lad turned into a young lass. Not to put too fine a point on it, we had us a go around over this. Though by this time, she had proven her worth. A point which she drove home. I could not have done this thing without her. I know that now.
“You come into the picture Mr. Holmes in 91’. This lady never would tell me her full name. I only knew her by Liza. She insisted. I came back from buying materials with a newspaper. Also at her request. We had worked through some sorry situations but I had never seen her behave the way she did that day. She was beside herself with grief. For a solid week, she touched no food or drink. I believe she slept none. She just wondered around like a lost child in a storm. One day she went into the woods by herself, when she came back, she was more like the woman I knew.”
It took me a moment to remember what happened in 91’. It seemed like such a long time ago. So much had happened since them. I stared at Holmes. He was somewhere else other than Bakers Street.
Mr. Riker pulled an old folded piece of paper from his pocket. “When the house was finished in the fall of 92’, she left. In her room, I found this.” He laid the paper on the table.
I took it, opening it. “Holmes!” I shouted.
“It is the report of my death over Reichenback Falls.” Holmes said in a dry flat voice.
“Yes, of course.” I gasped.
“This is how I connected the two of you. She never told me about you. I had no other lead of what I should do with her share of the money. I figured you must have meant something to her or she would not have acted the way she did over your reported death, or kept the newspaper article for that matter.”
Mr. Riker got up to leave.
I must ask, “Did you ever see her again?”
“No, I did not. That is why I sought you; I am a man of my word Mr. Holmes. She worked hard as I. Never a complaint nor pain. During times of bad weather, she taught me better words, showed me new ways of thinking, even doing things. I met my wife because she encouraged me. We now have a son that I named Lester. I would have gone to the end of the Earth to find a way to have made this right, Mr. Holmes.”
Holmes got up from the table and took his pipe from the mantle.
“I do remember one story that she told me,” Mr. Riker continued, “a couple nights after she came back from her journey into the woods. We were sitting on the porch. I asked her if she was going to be alright. She said to me, ‘Paul, we all have gifts that God gave us. Your gift is building. You have cut, bent, and tamed timber in order to build a lovely home. My gift is not as visible as yours. I had to go into the darkness and listen.’ What did you learn? I asked. She said, ‘that the words of men are misleading. Not with malice. The end result is a necessary one but misleading all the same.’ I am unaware of what this meant but it gave her peace.”
Kessa finally stopped at the river. “Please talk to me.” Kol pleaded. She didn’t say a word. “Were you trying to take my head off?”
“I was fighting with Max.”
“I am aware. Frego is the one who pointed out you were fighting with your emotions not your head.” He lowered his voice. “Kessa?”
“All this emotional stuff, I can’t handle. I just want to lay it out on the training field and leave it there.”
“Where does that leave me?”
“You deal with your issues in your own way. And I have mine.”
“I always come back around to you.”
She sat down and he followed. “The things I’m upset about; why can’t I feel them, process, and move on?”
“I love you. It hurts my heart to know you are upset.”
“I understand and appreciate that. I love you. These are my issues. It isn’t my desire to hurt you. Just let me work them out and leave them laying back there.” He never said a word. He only watched her.
Finally in whispered tones he asked, “I thought your struggle with God was over?”
“Ask me. Just ask me all the questions you want answers too. Ask me now. But I’m begging you; after this, let it go. Let them all go.” Tears rolled down her face.
He tried to swallow away the lump in is throat. “Me and you, are we okay?”
She hid her face on her knees. “We have always been okay.”
“But you are not. That means we are not.”
“Sometimes when you and I talk, I don’t always have all the information I need about things. Somethings, I still don’t know everything.” She took a deep breath. “I have learnt that each time Rajaf used the white liquid, there was a trade off. As you are aware, I have a weak arm now where I was shot with the arrow. My scars are white, where yours (for example) are light brown. The accident in the Forest of Shadows, I can’t have children. Honestly, I’m okay with that. I will be the loving grandmother if Frego will let me.” She sniffed, “I’m too old any way. I don’t have the energy to keep up with a child.”
“You spent half a day kicking both mine and Max’s behinds.”
She smiled, “that’s half a day. A child is constant. In the bell tower, I wanted to die. I was ready.”
“Kessa?”
“I had gone over that morning to check on dad. All day, I hung there all day. I wanted Max to get you out of the tower and just let the bell fall.”
His voice cracked, “that would have killed me.”
“I know that now.” She looked at him. Now he was about to cry. “Those dreams you shared with me; I have a function in this life. I’ve never questioned that. As you’ve told me, I’m good at my job. The rising tide, yes. I’ve sat there on that beach and let the tide roll in over me. Praying it would take me out with it. But it never did. I stood on the edge of that cliff praying the wind would blow me over but it never did. Satan uses my weaknesses against me. My feelings of loneliness, emptiness, incompleteness. My failures and my flaws.”
“Those rooms full of stuff at your dad’s.”
“His trophies, not mine.” She sighed. “I fought against being your general because I wanted something more than being a military figure.” He started to speak but she stopped him. “You made valid points. This isn’t on you. It just made sense.”
“Is that why you tried other interest? Trying to drown out the military?”
“Trying to find me. Maybe that was Satan as well. Maybe I was never lost.”
“You never intended to share this with me?” She shook her head ‘no’. “How many times have you said to me that my burdens were your burdens. Why say that to me?”
“Because I love you.”
“Am I not allowed to express the same care and compassion for my wife? The woman that is my rock.” She hid her face from him. He moved to where he was right beside her.
“The things you are going through are more defined. Why burden your heart with things I can’t process?”
“Because they burden you.” He hugged her up. “Kessa,” he moved kneeling in front of her. ‘God help me say the right words. He said a quick prayer ‘God help me say the right words.’ “You are the strongest person I know. You don’t have to be strong. Take off your armor.”
Her voice was so soft. She wasn’t sure she said it out loud. “How?” She sniffed, “I hate this.” She took a deep breath, “promise me you will not try to fix things. Somethings I just need to lay it out, process, then come us with a solution. Don’t take my feelings and inabilities personally. This mess that I am, you didn’t do this.” She couldn’t look him in the face. Instead, she laced her fingers through his. “I have discovered that it brings me great comfort falling asleep on your shoulder. Feeling your arms wrapped around me. I know in my heart that if I fall you will catch me. But my head hasn’t caught up yet.”
His heart was breaking. With a gentle finger he lifted her chin. Her eyes were red from crying. Tears streamed down her face. ‘How to respond? How to tell her all that was in his heart?’ He was a ball of nerves. “You have been here for me my entire life. Now, I’m here for you. We are here for each other.”
Cumberland Falls is the largest waterfall in KY and is located in the Daniel Boone National Forest. Known as the “Niagara of the South”, the waterfall forms a 125′ wide curtain that plunges 60′ into boulder-strewn gorge below. The mist of the Cumberland Falls creates the magical moonbow, only visible on a clear night during a full moon. The unique phenomenon appears nowhere else in the Western Hemisphere. Cumberland Falls is located in the Cumberland Falls State Resort Park.
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