The Landlord

Chapter 9

"What do you mean?"

She spoke in a whisper – as if scared of being overheard. "Well... even though Rick died a few years ago, Blake still has a hard time with it. He never got rid of his uncle's things. So every year, he has me go through it for the garage sale. My theory is that it's just too hard for Blake to get rid of his uncle's things."

"Yeah he told me a little about his past. Didn't say much about his immediate family, just more about his uncle," I said, fishing for more. Next, I pulled out a bunch of glass jars. Wow. Super useful. I tossed them in the garage sale box.

Uncrossing her legs, she stretched them out before her and put her full focus on me. "Well, he was closer to his uncle than his immediate family. None of them live around here anyway. Since Rick didn't have a wife or kids, Blake inherited everything when he died - including the things he wasn't ready for. Along with the house and some money, he inherited all the businesses that Rick use to run." She paused, and looked down, and spoke as if scared to be heard. "I don't have anything against his family, but they didn't help him with any of it."

"Like... wasn't there to help him with the businesses?"

"Yeah. He used to work for his uncle. Once he died, he suddenly was in charge of several businesses. It was a lot of responsibilities he didn't ask for. Blake even gave up working at the ranch."

"Ranch?"

"He loves animals. He used to work on his friend's ranch and took care of all the horses, pigs, sheep.... He didn't want to stop working there, but didn't have much of a choice. His uncle left too much for him to juggle."

Working with and loving animals seemed to fit him perfectly. The thought made me smile. "Guess that explains the bird."

"Naw, I think his loneliness is what explains the bird."

"Really?" I didn't expect to hear that.

"Well, cockatoo's are very social animals, so they are great company. They are very needy and require a lot of attention. Sherman is basically a fluffy five year old with wings. Makes it almost impossible for anyone to feel alone," she chuckled.

For being such a happy guy, he didn't act lonely. Then again, the kind of guy he is, he wouldn't show it. Not to mention, there was plenty of reason he would be lonely. His uncle died, and it sounded like he doesn't have any other family around here.

When I reached the bottom of the box, I learned there were more reasons he might be lonely. Pulling out stacks of photo albums, I set them on the ground next to us. The juiciness may have finally arrived....

Naturally, for the next hour, Mel and I skimmed through the pictures. Call us nosy, but then again, that would mean I was starting to fit in with the neighbors. Plus, it had a pretty good pay off. Every picture Blake was in drew my interest. Mel was more than happy giving commentary, which surprisingly I didn't mind.

Many pictures consisted of his uncle and other family I didn't recognize obviously. Most pictures showed family gatherings, nature shots, or hunting. Plenty of hunting. There were a few sections that highlighted Blake. One was a fishing tournament when he was younger. Blake looked just as carefree as he does now.

"Rick was a true outdoors-man. He loved hunting the most. If you couldn't already figure that out," she said, referring to all the mounts of antlers we found. "It wasn't just deer though. Duck hunting was his favorite."

"Does Blake hunt?" His love for animals, but being a typical country-boy, would make for an interesting answer.

She nodded. "Sometimes. I'm sure Blake will offer to take you sometime this fall."