I was reminded of why the leader is never supposed to lose their cool. Every living creature on the homestead was skittish around me the next morning, evidently I had cast that “Apex Predator” vibe when I came back through yesterday and even that stupid rooster called emergency and retreated with his hen into the coop when I approached.

Matilda and Michelle were both wrapped around me when I woke up. This would not do at all unless we got a bigger bed. Besides this wasn’t one of the things I really had on my want list in life. I could deal with it though, I’d figure out a way.

I decided the best way to get things back on track was to act normal. We ran through the morning routine and had breakfast as usual. Road cutting was at the top of the priority list still so off we went to keep cutting. We had gotten far enough in that it actually took us a while to walk to the face of our cut.

Obviously they had worked on after I left yesterday and the clearing crew was almost caught up with the cutting crew. I had actually made impressive progress the day before and we were near or past the halfway mark. It really wasn’t far from our homestead to the river but the woods really hampered one’s speed, a person averaged about 1mph walking through woods like these but easily does 3mph on a cleared trail.

I decided we should venture down to the river to see how much farther we had to go. We made our way down the game trail we were following and were at the river in under ten minutes, we probably had three or four hundred yards left to cut and clear. Mind you this cutting and clearing didn’t include stumps, we had to come back and do that, but it gave us a solid start. As soon as the spring waters receded I intended to head down river and pick up some vital supplies.

We went back to the face of the cut and got to work, it was back to the original routine and our progress was still good. We could work in any weather short of a downpour and we pushed on through the week, school classes were before supper these days to support our days out in the field. Reading outloud replaced movies as our entertainment.

By dinner time on Thursday we could hear the river clearly and we could see it through the trees by the time we broke for the day. Friday should be the breakthrough and culmination of two weeks of hard work.

**** ****

Everyone came down to the face of the cut for dinner on Friday, there were only a handful of trees left in our path and we’d fell them as soon as we’d eaten. The party atmosphere was envigorating and spirits were running high. They’d brought and laid out a great mid-day meal for us complete with cold beers and everything, we ate sitting on logs but the food was top notch.

After eating Holder and I went through the last few trees fairly quickly, we left one lone tree standing in the middle of our new road while we cleared everything else away. Clearing took another hour or so with everyone helping but we had a fairly nice looking single lane road all the way to the river. It wasn’t straight obviously, we had dodged the largest of the trees but it was refreshing to see after all that work.

That was it, the clearing was done and only that lone small tree stood between us and our finished road. They had brought beer and lemonade down so we each had drink to celebrate. We took a minute to thank the trees and then Michelle made the first cut, she handed the ax to Amos who deftly made the second cut, Holder was next with the third cut using the logging axe which he then passed off to me.

I stood back and looked around, then I just smiled and took the tree down.

The road was clear, it was a trip hazard with all the stumps, but it was clear. We all walked down to the river bank and looked at the Nemaha running fat and fast with the spring melt waters. This would bring change to our lives and not all of it would be good, any party traversing that river would see our road and know where we were.

**** ****

Things back at the homestead weren’t much better. Matilda had supplanted the cockerel’s cry with a couple of loud calls for Ralph every morning. Everyone walked on eggshells around Matilda and I except Michelle who still acted like my girlfriend; a very casual girlfriend but clear on the topic that we were together.

Well Friday night became a celebration of success, the liquid happiness was flowing a little freely and the fellas were buzzed enough to want answers. My first answer was to Holder to remind him that his little buddy Amos was going to be one sorry hungover sack of shit tomorrow morning, that sent them both off giggling for a while. The companionship between those two was pretty remarkable for this day and age. While they raided our meager beer supply yet again I found that we had the movie “The Lady and the Tramp” and put it on to distract the women while I gave the boys their answers.

That was the moment I decided I needed my own fire pit out and away from the women. That was the first thing I told the fellas when I pulled their silly asses off to the side. We took a walk out to the corral and I tried to explain to them how the Matilda thing happened,

“Fellas,” I started, “you know how you have those dreams in the night about ladies.”

They both reluctantly nodded.

“Well”, I said, “I’m a man too and I have those types of dreams sometimes also.

“My daddy told me he did too and they talked about them in our school so we’d know and not be embarrassed.

“Normal people all have those dreams, men and women; you don’t talk about them but you don’t need to be ashamed either.”

I looked that them both and they shyly nodded. I gave them a big grin and asked, “Do you really want those dreams to stop? I don’t, those are fun dreams!”

It took them a minute to deal with the concept and they’d probably be contemplating it for weeks but it was for the best.

“So what happened here,” I said, “is that Miss Matilda would sneak into my bed once in a while in the middle of the night. I always thought I was having one of those dreams so I just kinda enjoyed the dream.

“Well, I’d always wake up half way through the dream but it was always too late, that wagon was out of control and I was just along for the ride.

“The strange thing was Miss Matilda was always gone when morning came, but if I looked around carefully I could always tell that it had been her.

“I didn’t know how to make her stop without causing a fuss and besides I really didn’t mind, she is a fine woman after all. The only thing I was concerned about is what ended up happening and it’s too late for me to be worried about that now.”

The first question was the most obvious question and the one that would be hardest to answer.

“So,” Amos asked, “what about Miss Michelle?”

I decided that straight honest was best and gave it too them, “Women do their own talking and their own deals. Miss Michelle liked it when Miss Matilda came to bed, I don’t know why and it’s none of my business. They didn’t ask me for permission or tell me the why’s.”

They both considered that for a minute as we leaned on the corral fencing and stared up at the stars. I turned around and leaned back against the fence lighting a cigarette, when they turned around I asked them a simple question. “Would you have made a fuss?”

Well that left the conversation still for a moment and I eventually said, “Fellas, I suggest we leave the women’s business to the women. If we go getting caught up in their mazes we’ll be lost forever.”

“Now this is a strange circumstance but both of you know that everything about Miss Matilda is strange. She got on my wagon a couple of months ago, uninvited mind you, and hasn’t left since. I don’t think she’ll ever leave.”

With that said I tapped each of their beer bottles with mine and took a swig as I walked back to camp leaving them to discuss what I’d just said.