Globusz^® Publishing 

JIM WALKED BACK TO THE counter and placed his money on top of the bill: “Can you tell me what’s so special about this coffee?” — he asked.

The waitress laughed and said: “Mr. Barkley is like a lot of the old timers around here. They grew up during the depression. The coffee they could get was more chicory than coffee, but they developed a taste for it. Also, the way they made coffee back then, there were always grounds in the bottom of the cup. I’m not sure I should share my secret with you because everybody over sixty comes here for the coffee.”

“Ma’am, I’ve just got to know. I’m working for the Barkleys, and I will do anything to make them happy. I’m so sorry I didn’t introduce myself. My name is Jim.”

“Hi, I’m Judy. If you promise never to repeat it, I’ll tell you.”

“I promise.”

“I put in a half teaspoon of freshly ground coffee beans. That gives the coffee the bite in taste people are looking for, and the grounds in the bottom of the cup.”

“Your secret is safe with me. I’ll see you later.”

As he walked up to the front door he could see Mrs. Barkley had returned. When Mr. Barkley came to open the door for him, he handed him his coffee.

“Is that a park or something, across the street?”

They walked to the corner of the building across the street, a large white house located at the center and towards the back of the lot. The property had neatly cut grass with not a single tree. The street across from the post office had six concrete steps climbing to a 5-foot wide walkway that ran up the middle of the lot to the front steps of the house. The walk was more than one hundred feet in length. The yard sloped downward from the walk and met the side walkway. It appeared that when it was built, the house was probably the largest in town, if not in the county. It had been designed with a great deal of pride and looked like a castle that had been deserted by its knight.

Mr. Barkley looked as if he was thinking back to his childhood. “Big Red Foster built that house before I was born. He is the grandfather of all the Fosters in the county and he was well liked by everyone who knew him. Big Red started the empire. At one time he had lumber supply yards in every town for fifty miles in any direction. The lumber supply he started here is located on the north part of town next to the ball field. When we were kids, Big Red would have picnics and games on the front lawn, as he called it. This would go on all summer long. He liked being around people. He even built a large public pool for all the kids to swim in during the summer. Blue Ridge was a great place for kids to grow up. They had to close all the pools down in the county back in the 1940s when we had an outbreak of polio. Public pools never came back, never did. People began to spend time on Lake Blue Ridge. You wouldn’t believe it, but Big Red knew everybody that worked for him by his first name. At one time the number must have been over two thousand people. He was the most humble and honorable man I have every known.”

“If Big Red was so respected, what happened with Mr. Bob?”

“That was the problem. Everyone that knew his father liked him, respected him and looked up to him as the leader of the community. When he passed on, Mr. Bob wanted the same status as his father. A better statement is that he demanded the same respect as his father.

“Son, respect is something you must earn, not demand.” Mr. Bob never learned this lesson. In fact, the more he demanded it, the more the people lost respect for Little Bobby. Little Bobby was a nickname the people gave him. When he would hear them call him that he would go into a blind rage. He put out an order to everyone that worked for him that they would address him as Mr. Bob. This order was to apply to the employee’s family as well.”

“Didn’t the people object?”

“Oh, a couple of young men refused to call him that.”

“What happened?”

“He fired both of them on the spot. Most of the older employees complied with little complaints. However, the younger men did not like being talked down to, or sideways for that matter. The people around here have a lot of pride and do not like to be walked on. One of the young employees said something that day that has proven to be true.”

“What was that?”

As the young man left the work area, he looked at Mr. Bob and said: “Little Bobby, you don’t realize we don’t need you. You need us!“

“What did Mr. Bob do?”

“He went into another blind rage, and looking around he fired anyone that laughed or even smiled. The downfall of the lumber mill began right there and then.”

“What a tragic end to a great man’s legacy.”

“That’s true, son, but believe it or not it gets worse. During the depression and the great World War Two, times were hard on the merchants around here, like real hard. Mr. Bob was quick to loan them money of course, as much as they needed. At the time, many thought him a Godsend. It seemed he had truly changed and was becoming a community leader like his father. Then the truth really came out ? the real Mr. Bob popped up his ugly head.”

“And?”

“In the loan papers that he required the merchants to sign was a clause stating if they missed as few as one payment he would become the majority owner of their businesses ? mind you, just one delinquent payment.”

“It’s hard to believe the businessmen would have overlooked such a clause! All it would take is one person to see what was really going on and the word would have spread like wildfire.”

“Yes, true enough, but they were so desperate for cash they would have signed their wives away.”

Mr. Barkley took a long drink from his coffee and said: “Judy Adams made this coffee.”

“How did you know?”

“Because she makes the best coffee in town. It has bite. Thanks.”

“You’re welcome, sir.” Embarrassed to have brought up such a touchy subject, he turned back to Mr. Bob’s yard and asked: “Do they have picnics now?”

“No way! In fact if you walk on one blade of grass, Mr. Bob will set his dog Butch on you.”

“Butch?”

“Oh, yeah... Indeed, he went to Atlanta looking for the meanest dog he could find.”

“Does he hate people that much?”

“Not people. Kids mostly...”

“Kids?”

“Yes. The elementary school is located on the hill right above his house. Come to think of it, the only thing he wasn’t able to move, eradicate or otherwise manipulate. The kids loved to walk on the grass and take shortcuts across his lawn to get home. After all, why not... right? Mr. Bob used to shout at them but the kids eventually ignored his threats ? until he found Butch, of course. He brags that Butch has bitten over twenty kids and scared more than a hundred.”

“Doesn’t anyone complain to the police?”

“Why, what good would it do? He owns the city sheriff and the judge. If the thing ever got to court, it would be thrown out anyway.”

“No one should be able to control other people’s lives like that, no one...”

“That’s funny. That’s exactly what Michael wrote in his last letter to us.

“Mr. Barkley, trust me, maybe that will change some day.”

“I hope so, Jim, it’s about time you started calling me Mike. What do you think? You calling me Mr. all the time makes me feel old.”

“Thank you Mr. ...I mean, Mike. I would like that. What should I call Mrs. Barkley?”

“She would love for you to call her Mother Barkley, all the youngsters around here do. After a while, if you would like to just call her Mother. Would put a sparkle in her eyes. She would love it.”

“Thanks, Mike.”