The next day Gopher returned to Santa Fe with a renewed interest in how food should be prepared. The Friedmans had no idea of how good or how satisfying a well prepared meal can perk up even the most mundane, miserable day.
Able and Kirsten continued with their busy schedule: the two of them at the restaurant and he as the on-call Mayor. Gopher took up his old part-time job with Olson’s lumber mill but spent nearly all his free time in the restaurant learning new and exciting methods of food preparation.
To his surprise, minor league base ball was alive and well in Santa Fe. When he was younger, the thought of watching a game or participating never occurred to him. Had he not sought an escape from Ellen Nielsen’s unnerving attentions, he would never have become involved with base ball in Denver at any level.
Santa Fe’s local team was good enough to be quite competitive in the New Mexico League and he couldn’t wait to attend some of the regularly scheduled team practices. Like most teams, the players came from working backgrounds and played on weekends and holidays mostly for the fun of it. Serious teams like the Leadville Blues took the game to extremes by recruiting and hiring professional major league players.
The chance of playing against either of his former teams was remote, and that saddened Gopher because he had truly come to appreciate some of his fellow players, even Lefty Clarkston, the Blues manager that had testified in his behalf.
The Santa Fe team was thrilled to know one of their own had played for the Denver Grizzlies and the Leadville Blues. When the manager found out Gopher had an arm like a cannon and could handle any outfield position with ease, he was invited to join their team. Gopher failed to mention he had once hurled a three-pitch strikeout for the Blues. Hurling a rock-hard ball just a few feet from a determined man with a hardwood bat bothered him greatly and he was in no hurry to stand in the hurler’s box again. His fear was founded in sound reasoning, for he had seen good hurlers cringe at the sight of a heavy hitter coming up to bat. In addition, Gopher had witnessed firsthand the hatred batters held for hurlers with talented deliveries. He had no burning desire to assume that position any time soon.
With the Olson delivery job, his restaurant duties and trying to find time to play ball on weekends, Gopher had very little time for anything else.
Once in a while he considered taking a ride all the way out to the Friedman place to see Grenda, but during the return to Santa Fe, she seemed aloof and distant; not at all what he had come to expect. To make matters worse, she freely discussed boys in her school that she was interested in. He knew the “good old days” of her showing him a little skin were over. She had moved on to new pastures, leaving him with nothing but fond memories.
One day, out of the blue, came a letter addressed to Gopher G. Piddington, care of the Honorable Mayor of Santa Fe New Mexico. The return address was from Denver Colorado and from none other than Ellen Nielsen. It read:
My Dear Gopher,
I hope this letter finds you in good health.
Some interesting news has come to light regarding your search for that Double Fairlie locomotive you were trying to locate.
Mister Abernathy at the assayer’s office did some additional checking around and discovered that the Fairlie name was merely that of the inventor and patent holder in Scotland, who freely leased his design to other locomotive manufacturers for a fee.
The engine you sought was made by Mason Machine Works and is currently operating in the Leadville area under the name, Mason-Janus. Had you known that you would have located it right away, as it is registered under that name but currently operates under the Janus name.
Enclosed is a photograph of the double ender you came so far to see, compliments of Mister Abernathy.
I hope this helps with your quest.
Sincerely, Ellen Nielsen.
So, Gopher now knew where the Fairlie was operating. He sorely wished he had known about the shared design and the fact that any manufacturer purchasing the rights to build their own rendition of engine named their finished product after whatever they chose with no allegiance to the original patent holder.
Able came to his boy and put his arms around his shoulders. “Well, son, from the content of that letter I’d say your next move is pretty clear. When are you planning on returning to Leadville?”
“Father, I’ve been thinking about that and a lot of other things lately. For some reason, it no longer seems quite as important to me as it was just a few weeks ago. Don’t get me wrong, I would still like to see such an unusual locomotive in action, but I guess just knowing it’s out there is enough for now.
“After all that has happened recently, I think I’ll stick around Santa Fe for a while. But one thing in particular struck me about Denver, and I would like to do something about that.”
“What might that be?”
Gopher told of the beautiful city park across the street from the city hall. “Wouldn’t it be nice to have just such a park right here in Santa Fe?”
“Well now, you have come full circle, haven’t you? First you embrace my teachings in the restaurant, then you choose to put your childhood dream aside, at least until a better time comes along. And now you propose an impressive civic-minded project that has merit.
“I’m proud of you. You left home as a mere boy, filled with boyish dreams. You embarked upon a quest that flung you through many dark and dangerous tunnels of exploration, foolishness and ignorance. You entered those unknown regions as a boy and emerged as a man.”
THE END
AFTERWORD
Most boys develop an impetuous nature with little concern for such mundane attributes as common sense and thoughtfulness. THE ADVENTURES OF GOPHER PIDDINGTON reflects what most of us went through as we grew up. Boys will be boys. There is no way to alter that ingrained fact. We taunt, chase and hurt each other. We also forge strong bonds of friendship (or hatred) that can endure unaltered for a lifetime.
Without our knowledge or consent, once puberty sets in, we are pre-programmed to pay attention to the human female form. This newfound direction soon engulfs our otherwise idyllic existence.
For some, sports are all-important; for others, trains may hold one’s attentions. But whatever drives us as boys remains inside us throughout our youth and well into the autumn of our years.
Joints and limbs can fail with age but the memories gained and the lessons learned as boys remain intact and untarnished forever. Our vision may be clouded but our mind’s eye can clearly recall the most distant, insignificant and delightful of events.
Such are THE ADVENTURES OF GOPHER PIDDINGTON. May he and his adventures live in us all while we’re still young enough to remember when we were boys.
-David Michaelson
David Michaelson’s Books
Available through online booksellers including: Barnes & Noble.com. Amazon and Virtualbookworm.com
“RAPSCALLION SUMMER”
“THE BURNTWATER COOK’S KITCHEN GUIDE”
(Silver Medal Award)
The “HAS BEEN” Cookbook
“THE CENTAURI INTERVENTION”
(Honorable Mention Award)
(Recommended Reading List)
“BITTERSWEET COLONY”
(First Runner-up Award)
“BITTERSWEET TAMED”
“TRAIL COOK”
“THE TRAIL COOK CHRONICLES
(Recommended Reading List)
“THE PIDDINGTONS”
“BUTTERFLY DUST”
(Pen Name, Nubby Grumpins: Author of the Month)
(Recommended Reading List)
“BROTHERS LOST”
“THE PATRIOT ELEMENT”
“ANNALS OF THE ELEMENT”
“THE ADVENTURES OF GOPHER PIDDINGTON”
Visit David’s website:
www.emjaypublishing.com
The Adventures of Gopher Piddington Page 20
