Chapter 5

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Ben Meadows looked out across his fields towards the west.  From his vantage point on the front porch of his farmhouse the fields seemed to stretch on forever though he knew that all he had to do was stand and he could see over the rise and the end of his fields.  For the 31 years he'd lived in this house he'd played the same game - sitting on the porch imagining his fields going on forever.  He never got tired of it.  He didn't do it because he wasn't content with what he had.  Anyone who knew him very well at all knew that he was as content as any man alive.  Ben had never achieved any level of real wealth, at least in terms of money or things.  That wasn't important to him.  The wealth he did have though included family and friends who loved him and looked up to him.  Despite having no education beyond 11th grade he was sought by people all over for advice, not just on farming, but on every issue imaginable.  

Over the years Ben developed friendships with numerous politicians, from all parties and from all over the state, including a couple of US Senators.  They called him regularly for advice and to get his views on things.  He rarely made public any of his thoughts on politics and even some of his closest friends weren't sure whom he supported in most elections.  There were only two occasions that anyone knew of him openly expressing an opinion on a candidate and these were his strong support of Jimmy Carter and his strong dislike for Randall Baines, a democrat who ran several years for the house.

His iced tea finished, Ben took one last long gaze across his endless fields, stood, and stepped off the porch. He walked around the side of his house, past the baseball diamond that was now permanent after 18 years of continuous use, and climbed into his tractor.  Though he cared little for luxuries of things, his tractor, fondly named Betsy, was the exception.  Like the Betsy's before, this Betsy was the latest model with all of the trimmings.  He'd been chided on more than a few occasions for the fact that his tractor had a better stereo than his home.  A statement he acknowledged with a smile.  He started Betsy, pulled her into the barn, closed the barn door, and walked back to the house for dinner.  Why he didn't just pull Betsy into the barn when he was done working and before he had his iced tea even he didn't know.  This was just a habit he'd developed.  The day's work done he'd relax on the front porch with his tea and only once that was finished, as a final duty, would he put Betsy in the barn.  It really didn't make a lot of sense, especially for someone considered one of the most sensible and down to earth people in the county, but that's just what Ben did.

Walking in the back door to the kitchen he looked at the picture of Pam.  She was his only daughter and as everyone knew, one half of the center of his life, having taken that spot, next to her mother, 19 years ago - the day she was born. On either side of Pam's picture were Mark and Jason, Ben's sons.  Mark was 21 and a junior at South Carolina.  Jason was 17 and hoping to follow in his brother's footsteps next year.  Ben was as proud of his 3 kids as anyone anywhere.

Ben washed his hands, opened the frig, and looked at the Tupperware containers.  A couple of times a week he'd make a hotdish, eat part of it, and then save the rest for another night.  Looking at what was available, he decided that tonight wasn't the night for any of it.  That might be just as well he thought.  He'd heard Chuck Wells pickup truck coming up the drive.

"Hey Buck", Chuck shouted as Ben walked out to the drive.  "What's for dinner?"  Ben and Chuck had been friends since growing up together on adjoining farms.  They married in the same year, had kids all about the same ages, and, sadly, lost their wives on the same day 5 years earlier in an auto accident.  

"Fish hotdish." Ben replied as seriously as he could.  "Come on in and have some." He smiled.

Chuck contorted his face in an unmistakable look of disgust.  "You really need to find a new wife." Chuck said without smiling.  "I need to eat better."

Ben smiled and offered to make burgers and Chuck readily accepted.  They'd both inherited their parent's farms, but while Ben had taken a slow approach about any expansion, Chuck had been aggressive.  Chuck had a full-time staff of about 20 and operated what was the largest and perhaps most profitable farm in the county and probably one of the largest in the state.  Chuck was smart, but not as smart as Ben.  Like Ben though he possessed a wealth of common sense, instilled in him by his dad, and had never let his wealth go to his head or change much about him.  Though not as financially successful as Chuck, Ben had never been even the least bit jealous of his friends success.

"How's Pam doing?" Chuck asked as he flipped the burgers on the grill.

"Well, pretty good." Ben smiled.  "I guess her classes are a little tougher this semester than she'd like.  She said she's been studying night and day to keep up."

"Well, that's probably good." Chuck said.  As they finished grilling the burgers and fixing their plates they chatted about their kids and about the great weather they'd had so far this season - a conversation they had at least twice every week and never tired of.

"Got an interesting call from Lee this afternoon." Ben said.

"My, my, I hadn't thought about him in a while, how's he doing?"  Chuck perked up.  "Boy, he really changed while he was here didn't he." Chuck stated more than asked.

"He's doin good." Ben replied.  "Interesting situation he's got down there though.  Seems a friend of his from college, gal named Amy, wants him to help her get a brothel legalized."

"A brothel?" Chuck asked.  "Like with whores and stuff?"

"Well, that ain't the half of it." Ben continued.  "From what Lee tells me she's a really upright gal, real serious about church, don't sleep around, even gave up a high payin job to work for a mission.  He said he was floored when she told him."

"Sounds to me like she's gone looney." Chuck said.

"Well, not according to Lee.  I asked him that and he said that she's as sharp as a tack and has some pretty good arguments about why she wants to do it.  And it ain't for the money." Ben paused.  "Said she wants to do it to help the girls."

"Help them what?" Chuck said.  "What'd you tell him?"

"Well, it wasn't a very long conversation.  I think he'd already made up his mind and just wanted me to confirm it for him.  I guess she'd told him about a lot of girls who'd gotten beat up or something and were afraid to go to the police because they were afraid they'd get busted themselves.  She told him that the laws against it weren't doing any good and that making it legal wouldn't have any negative consequences but would have a lot of positive results."

Chuck looked surprised at the last statement.  "I'd like a front row seat when they start making that argument." he said.