Tommy Makes It Rich

Chapter 14. 23 January 1967

23 January 1967

I awoke with the sunrise. Fran was in the bed next to me. I quickly slipped on my shorts and headed for the kitchen.

“Hi Dad” I said.

He whipped around like someone had shot him with a pea rifle. “Jesus, thank the lord. Your mother is going spare in there. Joyce! Joyce !” he yelled. “He is here!”

 Mum and Fran came running out of their bedrooms. Mum had tears in her eyes but a smile on her face.

“You’re back!” She said.

 “I didn’t know what to think when I saw you melt into the bed last night. If I hadn’t seen it I wouldn’t have believed it.”

“I know, mum.” I said as she wrapped her arms around me. “I did tell you I would be back and not to worry.”

“It’s my job to worry. I am your mother and God knows you give me plenty to worry about.”

“It’s all right though I know what to do.”

“What do you mean?”

“I know what I did wrong in 1900 and how to fix it. This time next year we will be living in a big house on the ridge and own all this side of the creek.”

“That’s nice dear.” Mum said in her disbelieving tone.

Fran piped up with, “Why do we have to wait a year? I am sick of being poor.”

Dad said, “Come on we got work to do. You have got school today so lets get cracking.”

“Can we have a cup of tea and sugar on bread first?” I asked.

“You can have tea. But if you want sandwiches for lunch you can’t have any bread now. But breakfast will be ready when you get back from milking. You wont go hungry.” Mum said.

“Do you need milk today?” I asked. Mum smiled and handed me the billycan.

 “You are learning, son.” She said.

"Just milk the cows and then give it all to the pigs except for some of Esmeralda’s milk for the house. That’s the way we do it every day except when we make butter, and I did that yesterday.”

When I got back to the house after feeding the pigs, mum had breakfast laid out. There were fried eggs, bacon, and fried tomato. “This is great,” I said. “How come we only had porridge yesterday?”

 “We alternate.” Mum said. “We only have tomato at the moment because they are growing in the veggie patch.”

“Where do the eggs come from?” I asked.