Finding Truth Behind Legends
by Wizardtho
Chapter 32:
Angie calls before the first trucks get here, asking if I want extra hands taking inventory. When I say that I’ll take all the help I can get, she laughs, “Good, because Melody and I are only 2 minutes away, and you’re about to be flooded with work, by the looks of it.”
She parks her car next to my truck, and the girls barely reach the front door before I see a line of 6 trucks -some hauling trailers- come into sight. I chuckle and thank them as they make their way up the front walk, then yell into the house, “It’s about to be ants on a cupcake! Man your designated stations!”
Melody chuckles, “Ants… on a… cupcake?”
I nod, pointing to the trucks, “Ants,” before waving my hands around my house, “Cupcake. Get it? The volunteers are converging on my house like ants on a cupcake. That means progress… and a lot of it.”
By lunch, the girls know exactly what I meant, because there has been a non-stop stream of things coming in and being inventoried. Dad and Leah have the framing done to close off both loft overlooks, plus the framing up for the divider wall between the loft and the new bathroom. The post and beam look is seamless with the rest of the house. We only need the drywall to cover the 2x4 studs between the posts/beams.
They also have the wall between the main loft and hallway open, where the pocket door used to slide into the wall. The door is free, the extra wall thickness is gone, plus new framing is up for the coming bathroom door. Seeing the loft door leaning against the open framing during our lunch break, I ask Dad, “Is there a way to sand this down to raw wood, cut it in half vertically, re-stain it, and make this door the french doors? I know we’ll need hinges and knobs and such, but could the door be cut like that and work properly?”
He rubs his chin for a second, then offers, “Shouldn’t be too hard. This door is solid, so that works in our favor. We might be able to take some of the hardware from one of the other sets of french doors to use on this.”
I grin, “So that’s a yes? You’ll try? If we have to end up using one of the other sets, that’s fine. I’d prefer to use this door in its rightful place, just as french doors instead of a pocket.”
Dad chuckles, “That’s a yes, Bells. I’ll try. No promises, but I think it can be done.”
My phone rings, so I answer it, only to hear Lily asking, “Bella? Can you please unlock the laundry room door? I’m going to have the boys unload your things, leave them in the kitchen, then help me unload at home. They’ll be back as soon as they’re done to help with the foundation.”
I say right away, “Absolutely. I have both the girls here. Do you want me to send one home with you?”
She chuckles, “You need them more than me. I hope you have enough freezer and pantry space because we went a little overboard.”
I shake my head with a smile, “It’s not like it won’t get used, Lily. I’m going to be feeding, at minimum, 25 people every day, for the next several weeks. I just hate that I’m stuck here and couldn’t go with you to help with all this.”
She shushes me, telling me to think nothing of it, then tells me she’s pulling in. I call out as the phone cuts off, “Food’s incoming. Please help get everything unloaded and packed away.”
Come to find out, Lily not only had Greg’s truck, but also a trailer being towed behind it. As soon as she opens the trailer, the 3 coyotes get to work handing off cases of canned and dry goods to us in the house. Bags of rice and dry beans, cans of tomatoes and cream soups, and cases of evaporated milk come in first. Next are boxes containing bags of flour and sugar, more cardboard cases holding all different types of pasta, plus a case full of red and white sauces.
Once all that is placed on the floor in the entry, the boys bring big boxes full of meat. Beef roasts, steaks, ground beef, premade burgers, sausage ropes, ground sausage, bacon, large pork roasts, then whole chickens. Last is a huge box of chicken leg quarters, then another huge box of bone-in chicken breasts.
Last, Lily personally shows me a vacuum seal system and several rolls of pre-sized vacuum seal bags, saying with a smile, “This is my present to you… as a coyote, as an imprint, as a sister. I don’t know if you have one or not, but this will save your life. It might seem like a lot of prep to seal each piece of meat individually, but once you get a system down, it runs pretty smoothly. By doing each piece on its own, there’s never any waste, and you never run short. You can pull out exactly what you need each time.”
Even though her arms are full, I hug her tightly and choke out, “Thank you sososo much. I didn’t have one, but I’m so thankful you thought of it.”
She chuckles and nods, “You’re welcome. Angie and Melody have helped me tons of times, so they can get you started on how to use it. I’m going to head home and sort my own groceries, then I’ll be back to help out. You have a blender, right?”
I laugh that I do indeed have one, so she says, “Virgin pina coladas for the ladies while the men tend the grills. I’ll bring the goodies with me.”
She hands over my present, then waves and walks back to the truck. The coyotes follow suit, and they are gone in the truck as the trailer stays put. Taha tells me as he laces his fingers with mine, “The trailer holds all the supplies for the foundation. Do you need my help in here? If not, I can get started marking lines and digging holes.”
I shake my head, “Take Jake with you. I have Dad and the girls, and you’ll still be in hearing range. Do you want me to show you where I was thinking of placing the cabin?”
He smiles, “You can, but I saw your vision for it in your thoughts last night during the hunt. You want it angled with the forest, just off to the side of the main house, so the front porch is open to the backyard and main road, and the back door is easily accessible to the forest and garden path. I honestly think it’s the perfect spot.”
I tug the bottom of his tank with a grin, then kiss his lips before saying, “Alright then. Go do manly things and build us a shifter bunkhouse. We’ve got the inside covered.”
He smirks at me and nips his mark on my shoulder but says, “Jacob. You’re with me.”
After Angie explains the vacuum sealer to me, I set each of the girls up with their own bags and meats, so that I can seal as they get the pieces placed in the bags. Dad takes on the task of splitting the canned and dry goods between the pantry and the basement storage room.
Halfway through packing and sealing, Greg calls Angie’s phone. After looking at the caller ID, she wipes her hands and answers the phone with, “I love you, but if you send those trucks right now, I will shoot you. We still need another 20 minutes or so.”
Her expression changes, then she says, “Oh, okay. Yeah, she’s right here. Hold on.”
She lays her phone down, presses a button, then says, “Alright, Greg. Go ahead.”
He says right away, “Bella, do you happen to know how much drywall you are ready for? One of the newer coyotes, less than a year in, has a small construction business on the other side of the rez. One of his workers ordered too much drywall for the last job, but since he’s always needing it, it was kept. He’s willing to donate the drywall, but he needs to know how much he can bring now; he needs the storage space to hold supplies for his next job.”
I shake my head, completely clueless, but I hear Dad behind me saying, “Give me five minutes to run all the numbers, Greg, and I’ll call you directly. We have the space to store all we’ll need for the whole job, I just need to tally the cabin, the lofts, and the bathroom all up.”
Angie picks her phone back up after taking it off speakerphone, then tells Greg she loves him before hanging up the phone. Dad, in the meantime, asks me, “I have no layout for the bathroom, Bells. I need you for just a few minutes, so I can run these numbers.”
I wash my hands, grabbing the towel to wipe them on as I walk out to the main stairs. “Since we’re keeping the main loft and the bath transition, we won’t need to worry about the flooring and stuff for plumbing holes.”
He turns completely around on the stairs, asking with a raised eyebrow, “And you’ve asked permission?”
I chuckle and shoo him up the stairs, “I didn’t need to. Ahanu gave us permission to keep it as a nursery for any future wolves or coyotes you get to call grandbabies.”
I quickly have dad tell me measurements that will work for the layout, then sketch out a quick drawing for what I want… double vanity, private toilet with linen cabinet, tub, and separate shower. Dad nods, “That will work. We may have to open up ceilings or walls downstairs… to join the plumbing and electrical. I’ll add a few more sheets to the total to cover that. Do you want me to text this picture to Andy and Thomas?”
I nod as we make our way back downstairs, “Please. The girls and I are going to be busy with the incoming trucks again after I finish getting all the food put away. Are you going to be able to get that toilet closet framed today?”
He grins, “Yep. Now that I know the layout you want, it’ll be easy to do. Jake’s busy with Taha, so if you don’t mind, I could use Leah’s help again.”
I nod and tell Leah her presence has been requested, so she’s out of kitchen duty. She practically cheers but is quick to wash her hands and help Dad tally all the numbers he needs.
Angie calls before the first trucks get here, asking if I want extra hands taking inventory. When I say that I’ll take all the help I can get, she laughs, “Good, because Melody and I are only 2 minutes away, and you’re about to be flooded with work, by the looks of it.”
She parks her car next to my truck, and the girls barely reach the front door before I see a line of 6 trucks -some hauling trailers- come into sight. I chuckle and thank them as they make their way up the front walk, then yell into the house, “It’s about to be ants on a cupcake! Man your designated stations!”
Melody chuckles, “Ants… on a… cupcake?”
I nod, pointing to the trucks, “Ants,” before waving my hands around my house, “Cupcake. Get it? The volunteers are converging on my house like ants on a cupcake. That means progress… and a lot of it.”
By lunch, the girls know exactly what I meant, because there has been a non-stop stream of things coming in and being inventoried. Dad and Leah have the framing done to close off both loft overlooks, plus the framing up for the divider wall between the loft and the new bathroom. The post and beam look is seamless with the rest of the house. We only need the drywall to cover the 2x4 studs between the posts/beams.
They also have the wall between the main loft and hallway open, where the pocket door used to slide into the wall. The door is free, the extra wall thickness is gone, plus new framing is up for the coming bathroom door. Seeing the loft door leaning against the open framing during our lunch break, I ask Dad, “Is there a way to sand this down to raw wood, cut it in half vertically, re-stain it, and make this door the french doors? I know we’ll need hinges and knobs and such, but could the door be cut like that and work properly?”
He rubs his chin for a second, then offers, “Shouldn’t be too hard. This door is solid, so that works in our favor. We might be able to take some of the hardware from one of the other sets of french doors to use on this.”
I grin, “So that’s a yes? You’ll try? If we have to end up using one of the other sets, that’s fine. I’d prefer to use this door in its rightful place, just as french doors instead of a pocket.”
Dad chuckles, “That’s a yes, Bells. I’ll try. No promises, but I think it can be done.”
My phone rings, so I answer it, only to hear Lily asking, “Bella? Can you please unlock the laundry room door? I’m going to have the boys unload your things, leave them in the kitchen, then help me unload at home. They’ll be back as soon as they’re done to help with the foundation.”
I say right away, “Absolutely. I have both the girls here. Do you want me to send one home with you?”
She chuckles, “You need them more than me. I hope you have enough freezer and pantry space because we went a little overboard.”
I shake my head with a smile, “It’s not like it won’t get used, Lily. I’m going to be feeding, at minimum, 25 people every day, for the next several weeks. I just hate that I’m stuck here and couldn’t go with you to help with all this.”
She shushes me, telling me to think nothing of it, then tells me she’s pulling in. I call out as the phone cuts off, “Food’s incoming. Please help get everything unloaded and packed away.”
Come to find out, Lily not only had Greg’s truck, but also a trailer being towed behind it. As soon as she opens the trailer, the 3 coyotes get to work handing off cases of canned and dry goods to us in the house. Bags of rice and dry beans, cans of tomatoes and cream soups, and cases of evaporated milk come in first. Next are boxes containing bags of flour and sugar, more cardboard cases holding all different types of pasta, plus a case full of red and white sauces.
Once all that is placed on the floor in the entry, the boys bring big boxes full of meat. Beef roasts, steaks, ground beef, premade burgers, sausage ropes, ground sausage, bacon, large pork roasts, then whole chickens. Last is a huge box of chicken leg quarters, then another huge box of bone-in chicken breasts.
Last, Lily personally shows me a vacuum seal system and several rolls of pre-sized vacuum seal bags, saying with a smile, “This is my present to you… as a coyote, as an imprint, as a sister. I don’t know if you have one or not, but this will save your life. It might seem like a lot of prep to seal each piece of meat individually, but once you get a system down, it runs pretty smoothly. By doing each piece on its own, there’s never any waste, and you never run short. You can pull out exactly what you need each time.”
Even though her arms are full, I hug her tightly and choke out, “Thank you sososo much. I didn’t have one, but I’m so thankful you thought of it.”
She chuckles and nods, “You’re welcome. Angie and Melody have helped me tons of times, so they can get you started on how to use it. I’m going to head home and sort my own groceries, then I’ll be back to help out. You have a blender, right?”
I laugh that I do indeed have one, so she says, “Virgin pina coladas for the ladies while the men tend the grills. I’ll bring the goodies with me.”
She hands over my present, then waves and walks back to the truck. The coyotes follow suit, and they are gone in the truck as the trailer stays put. Taha tells me as he laces his fingers with mine, “The trailer holds all the supplies for the foundation. Do you need my help in here? If not, I can get started marking lines and digging holes.”
I shake my head, “Take Jake with you. I have Dad and the girls, and you’ll still be in hearing range. Do you want me to show you where I was thinking of placing the cabin?”
He smiles, “You can, but I saw your vision for it in your thoughts last night during the hunt. You want it angled with the forest, just off to the side of the main house, so the front porch is open to the backyard and main road, and the back door is easily accessible to the forest and garden path. I honestly think it’s the perfect spot.”
I tug the bottom of his tank with a grin, then kiss his lips before saying, “Alright then. Go do manly things and build us a shifter bunkhouse. We’ve got the inside covered.”
He smirks at me and nips his mark on my shoulder but says, “Jacob. You’re with me.”
After Angie explains the vacuum sealer to me, I set each of the girls up with their own bags and meats, so that I can seal as they get the pieces placed in the bags. Dad takes on the task of splitting the canned and dry goods between the pantry and the basement storage room.
Halfway through packing and sealing, Greg calls Angie’s phone. After looking at the caller ID, she wipes her hands and answers the phone with, “I love you, but if you send those trucks right now, I will shoot you. We still need another 20 minutes or so.”
Her expression changes, then she says, “Oh, okay. Yeah, she’s right here. Hold on.”
She lays her phone down, presses a button, then says, “Alright, Greg. Go ahead.”
He says right away, “Bella, do you happen to know how much drywall you are ready for? One of the newer coyotes, less than a year in, has a small construction business on the other side of the rez. One of his workers ordered too much drywall for the last job, but since he’s always needing it, it was kept. He’s willing to donate the drywall, but he needs to know how much he can bring now; he needs the storage space to hold supplies for his next job.”
I shake my head, completely clueless, but I hear Dad behind me saying, “Give me five minutes to run all the numbers, Greg, and I’ll call you directly. We have the space to store all we’ll need for the whole job, I just need to tally the cabin, the lofts, and the bathroom all up.”
Angie picks her phone back up after taking it off speakerphone, then tells Greg she loves him before hanging up the phone. Dad, in the meantime, asks me, “I have no layout for the bathroom, Bells. I need you for just a few minutes, so I can run these numbers.”
I wash my hands, grabbing the towel to wipe them on as I walk out to the main stairs. “Since we’re keeping the main loft and the bath transition, we won’t need to worry about the flooring and stuff for plumbing holes.”
He turns completely around on the stairs, asking with a raised eyebrow, “And you’ve asked permission?”
I chuckle and shoo him up the stairs, “I didn’t need to. Ahanu gave us permission to keep it as a nursery for any future wolves or coyotes you get to call grandbabies.”
I quickly have dad tell me measurements that will work for the layout, then sketch out a quick drawing for what I want… double vanity, private toilet with linen cabinet, tub, and separate shower. Dad nods, “That will work. We may have to open up ceilings or walls downstairs… to join the plumbing and electrical. I’ll add a few more sheets to the total to cover that. Do you want me to text this picture to Andy and Thomas?”
I nod as we make our way back downstairs, “Please. The girls and I are going to be busy with the incoming trucks again after I finish getting all the food put away. Are you going to be able to get that toilet closet framed today?”
He grins, “Yep. Now that I know the layout you want, it’ll be easy to do. Jake’s busy with Taha, so if you don’t mind, I could use Leah’s help again.”
I nod and tell Leah her presence has been requested, so she’s out of kitchen duty. She practically cheers but is quick to wash her hands and help Dad tally all the numbers he needs.