We Be Family You and I

By William J. Webbe Sr.

This story is fictional. It is about a sixteen year old boy Nicholas and his long time fifteen year old girlfriend Jennifer. It is about their awakening to their sexual feelings. It is about a mythical deer, the Lord Prince of the Forest. This deer has appeared in the forest of Nicks Grandparents for more than fifty years. Hunters throughout the years have at close range shot at it but no one can hit it.
Nick is living with his grandparents until his parents divorce is finalized and the battle for him is settled in court.
On Nicks sixteenth birthday both his parents come in separate cars to the grandparents for his birthday celebration. He receives a 35 cal. Marlin for his first hunt. Alone in the woods on his first hunt, he dozes off. He meets face to face with the Lord Prince of the Forest. Nick does not take the shot as everyone use had done. The Lord Prince of the Forest looks at Nick motionless eye to eye and by telepathy says We be Family you and I. Nick not knowing how or why, answers the same way, And let it be that all creators that walk, run, swim, crawl or fly, be your family as you and I. This starts a series of encounters and with angry attacking animals, and because of the Lord Prince of the Forrest, Nick is able to bring these animals under his control

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Dec 13, 2011
• ISBN: 9781465394972

William J. Webbe Sr.

William J. Webbe Sr. was born and raised in Flushing, Long Island, New York. He attended St. Michaels and graduated from Woodrow Wilson High, in Jamaica Queens. A year after graduation he enlisted in the Army for one year Universal Military Training. He was recalled in 1950 to serve in Korea with the 25th Inf. Division, 27th Inf. “Wolfhounds “ Regiment, Company M, Heavy Weapons. He was assigned to I Company Infantry as a Forward Observer for the 81mm mortars on the front line. . He returned home in October 1951 and was presented the Bronze Star Medal in March 1952 for action against the enemy. It was presented by Brigadier General Barringer at Governors Island in New York harbor. He married his High School sweetheart, Helen in June1952. They have two grown children Deborah and Bill Jr. and two Grandchildren Nicholas and Vincent. He worked for Gibbs and Hill Construction Engineers in New York City as a Jr.Pdraftsman. Gibbs and Hill was one of the builders of the Hydrogen Bomb plant in Oakridge Tennessee. He was on the Port Washington Police Force for four and a half years. He left that position to attend the Germane School of Photography. After graduation he opened his own photography studio, “Town and Country.” He was Office Manager for Conway Whittaker Inc, a Fleet Auto Leasing Company. The Chief Field Investigator for Whittaker Associates a member of the iii International Investigators Inc. After leaving both position he started his own Fleet Sales Company “H & A Fleet Sales Inc.” He retired from the Sullivan County Sheriff’s Department in 1992. He took the position of Executive Vice President and Chief Firearms Instructor for Security Concepts Training Academy in 1992 and retired from that position in 2002. He wrote his first short story, “My Brother and Me,” it was published in the Good Old Days Magazine. He has also written, “The Girl That I Married,” “Goodbye Good Friend ” “Safe at Home,” “Honor, Family, Vengeance,” “Valley Forge In Korea,” “Service To My Country” and a history on “Black Powder.”The History of Black Powder was used as a reference guide in the Bayville Public Library. He has completed his first novel,”We be Family you and I.” He has hopes that readers will enjoy his novel as much as he enjoyed writing it.

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Copyright © 2011 by William J. Webbe, Sr.

ISBN:          Softcover                                 978-1-4653-9496-5

                   Ebook                                      978-1-4653-9497-2

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

This book was printed in the United States of America.

To order additional copies of this book, contact:

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CONTENTS

Acknowledgements

Chapter One My Grandparents Home

Chapter Two Mom

Chapter Three Dad

Chapter Four The Lord Keeper

Chapter Five Second Sighting

Chapter Six Leaving

Chapter Seven Jennifer

Chapter Eight Homeward Bound

Chapter Nine Zero

Chapter Ten Telling

Chapter Eleven Sharks

Chapter Twelve Hounded

Chapter Thirteen Back To The Farm

Chapter Fourteen Arrived

Chapter Fifteen Farewell

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I’d like to thank my family for the help and encouragement.

My wife Helen, my daughter Deborah, my son Bill, grandson Nick, and special thank you to my grandson Vinny, without his help my dream would never get printed.

CHAPTER ONE

My Grandparents Home

I was staying on the farm of my Grandparents for the past few months. My Mom and Dad are divorcing. I’ll be living here for awhile until it’s decided by them who I will live with.

I know that I am at the age that allows me to choose who I will go with but I will not do that, I can’t. I love them both and I know that both of them love me and each want me with them.

I imagine by the way Mom and Dad have acted that there will be a bitter fight between them in and out of the court and it will all be because of me.

There is nothing I can do about it, so what will be will be, but it hurts me deeply just the same. I love my Grandparents and it’s a lot of fun being with them.

Gramps is kind of a character but lovable. He has so many interesting stories about his and Dad’s experiences in the woods and the good old days when he was a young lad like me.

They are always great stories that he tells about the prices of things and how little it took to take a girl out to the movies. Fifteen cents and than buy her a cheeseburger with lettuce and tomatoes, French fries on the side, and a cherry coke, thirty-five cents. Fifty cents he would say, kind of a cheap date. Then there was a large pizza for a dollar and a pitcher of soda twenty-five cents. Two boys with their dates would split the tab and leave a ten cent tip that was 68 cents each, big spenders and expect a good night kiss besides. It was unbelievable that they spent so little money back in the good old days, and could make out too.

The best story that Gramps tells me is how he mat Granny for the first time. Gramps worked his first job at a five and ten cent store. Granny worked at the same store for one day and met Gramps. That’s it, short and sweet. I always like to hear that story, it’s so very romantic.

Granny is a sweet lady and next to Mom I love her the best. Granny is always there to help me with any of my problems. She has a way to smooth over my troubles and make them better. Besides that, she is a great cook.

In fact, it was Granny that taught Mom how to cook.

Mom’s Mother was away working she was a governess for wealthy people in New York City taking care of their children and she lived in.

Mom was in a Catholic Boarding School, I believe that it was in College Point on Long Island.

That’s when my Dad met Mom. She was still in High School and was only sixteen, heading for seventeen in a few weeks.

They always told me that they loved each other from the start. Although Dad said that he was a little hesitant at first because he had just broken off with a girl, her name was Dana. When he walked her home, he asked her for his ID bracelet back and got it. Giving your steady girl your ID bracelet was like pinning a girl in college. He also told me that he had sworn an oath to his best buddy Jimmy that he was through with girls and would never go out with another girl again, as long as he lived, this he swore. Dad was just eighteen years old at that time.

From Dana’s house to the Plaza Drug Store where he was to meet Jimmy was about a fifteen minute walk.

That’s how long his solemn oath lasted.

In front of the Plaza Drug Store was Jimmy and standing with him was a girl named Barbara who they both knew. She was a pretty girl but just a friend. When Dad told me about Barbara he smiled and said,

Neither one of us ever took her out, that’s probably why she was still our friend.

There was another girl standing with Jimmy and Barbara.

Dad said that he had never seen her before. She was blond and smartly dressed in a blue and white sort of a sun dress and from across the street where he was standing, he could see that she had a terrific shape.

When he crossed the street Jimmy introduced him to Helen, my Mom to be.

Dad said that Mom was a beautiful girl and had a great personality.

What was especially fantastic were her eyes. When she looked at me he said her eyes sparkled like diamonds lying in a field of light green grass. Another thing that Dad liked about Mom from the very beginning was that she could laugh at herself when she made some silly little mistake. She was just wonderful to be near.

Mom had told me that Dad was handsome and was a very kind and gentle boy and was considerate of her in every way, and that she loved him after that first meeting. Before Dad and Mom met, Dad had enlisted in the Army and had to leave Mom.

During basic training you could not get a pass nor have visitors on the post until after the fifth week. At that time Granny and Dad’s Cousin came to visit him, and he said that they brought Helen with them. It was great seeing his Mother and Cousin he said, but Helen was something else. She looked the same as I remembered her before I left for the Army. Five weeks hadn’t changed her. She looked wonderful, her smile and her eyes were still the same.

They came back again the seventh week and at that time Dad said when he and Mom were walking around the baseball field, that’s when he asked Mom to marry him.

So you actually were only with Mom for about four weeks. That was quick.

I asked Dad if he got down on one knee and proposed right there on the ball field.

Dad said, Well, I didn’t actually propose, I sort of suggested that we were going to get married. How can you ask a girl to marry you by suggesting it?

Well it happened this way, he said smiling. We were passing a dugout and there was a soldier and a girl in it kissing, Mom asked me if I knew the soldier and I said yes he’s in my squad and they are getting married." Mom asked me

Do their parents know?

I don’t know, but our parents don’t know that we are getting married either.

Wow, that’s some proposal, I commented, what did Mom say?

"She really didn’t say anything. She stopped and turned to face me. Then I said,

Well they don’t do they, your Mom stepped into me and put her arms around my neck and gave me a long and sweet kiss, and that was her yes answer to my suggested proposal. So Mom really didn’t answer my suggestion of marriage either

I loved their story, I believe it was a true love story and a story that I never got tired of hearing.

When Dad or Mom would tell me about their courtship I could feel the glow and warmth as they relived their past to me.

I don’t understand how these two people who were so much in love could wind up in divorce court and appear to hate each other. I can remember how happy they both were and me too before the breakup came along. The good times we had that I never thought would end, but, here our lives are, and I don’t see any happiness coming in our future.

I can’t believe this at all.

I wonder if I talked to Granny and Gramps about this problem, if they could shed some light on it. But I don’t think that either Granny or Gramps would have the answers of why their son and daughter-in-law are splitting up.

You know, sometimes it’s easier to talk to someone else that you know loves you rather than talk to your parents when you have a small problem. This problem is far from being small.

The only persons that can answer my question why are my parents, and they were not talking, at least not for now. Even though I am enjoying living with my Grandparents I still miss my own home and really that’s where I long to be. I would much rather be at home with my Mom and Dad in surroundings that I know and friends that I’ve grown up with.

Before I moved in with my Grandparents, my Mom and Dad had me transferred from my school back home.

I am now attending Woodrow Wilson High, the same high school that Dad had attended. It was strange at first. I had to meet new school chums and also get use to new teachers. It only took a week or so for things to settle down at school.

Even the teachers were nice to me. It felt good to be at the same High School that Dad had attended, as I walked through the halls and sit in the classrooms, I think Dad might have done the same things that I am doing right now.Perhaps walked down this same side of the corridors and sat in the same seat as I am.

There is one person that is extremely friendly, and that is Susan.

I think she’s a cheerleader, although I haven’t seen her cheer, but, she sure looks like she is or she could be. She’s a pretty girl with a great figure. We have some classes together and the same lunch period.

At lunch Susan always finds a place next to me even when there isn’t one open. Many times when a girl or boy is sitting next to me Susan would stand behind them and, whoever it was next to me would get up and change their seat and Susan would sit in their place.

Some people might think that under her sweetness that she was a bully. But, I never heard her utter an unkind word to anyone. No one has come to me and complained that Susan had threatened someone to give up their seat at the lunch table.

Although Susan is very pretty and her smile is friendly and warm and she seems to be very interested in me, at this point, I’m not ready to start anything up with a girl.

There is a girl named Jennifer back home that I like, and have known most of my life.

I’ll be leaving here sooner or later to return home and will be living with the parent that wins out in the custody battle. So everything now has got to be on hold.

My grandparent’s farm is beautiful and I love it.

They have 50 acres that they’ve owned and lived on for most of their lives.

Both are retired now and the farm is their retirement home and haven. Dad told me about many wonderful times and many hunting experiences that he and Gramps had together. He said that his Mom was always there when he came home from school with a snack of cookies and a drink, hot or cold. I won’t be able to have that feeling like Dad did as I will grow up in a broken home.

Whoever I am living with when I get out of school will probably be at work. So I know that if I want cookies and milk I’ll have to get them myself.

Next to my Grandparents acreage is 2000 acres of, as Gramps would say, The best damn hunting area in the whole damn state. Well, that’s what he says. From all the stories I’ve heard about Dad and Gramps taking so many deer off his property, I have to believe it must be the best damn hunting area in the whole damn state. Hopefully on Monday, I’ll find this out for myself.

In a few days deer season will open, and in a few days I will be sixteen years old, old enough to hunt on my own. Dad and Gramps said that if I wanted, they would both go with me on my first hunt. I had declined their offer. I wanted to do this on my own. I had already taken the Hunter Safety Course and I can get a Big Game hunting license in my own name.

Dad had promised that on my sixteenth birthday, he would buy me a 35 Marlin lever action rifle, I guess that won’t happen now. With all the confusion of Mom and Dad’s divorce, and the heartache and emotional strain that I can see on both their faces, I believe that something as unimportant as a rifle would be the last thing they would be thinking about.

It was Friday, my birthday is Sunday and opening day is Monday, I couldn’t have planned it any better myself. If Dad did remember, and I doubt that he would, there isn’t any time left for him to get the rifle to me for my birthday.

Putting all my thoughts a side I spent the morning in the woods looking for a good hunting spot. Gramps said that seeing I would probably not get my rifle I could use his. He had taken many a deer with it. It was a 35 cal, Marlin and the best damn hunting rifle there ever was. I guess that’s what I’ll have to do, but it breaks a long family tradition and I am sorry it had to be me that did it.

Looking for a good hunting spot is not as easy as one would think.

It takes a lot of consideration and planning to pick the right spot. There are many things you have to consider. One thing in particular is the wind. A deer has a sensitive nose and can pick up a scent on the slightest breeze. It’s important to stay down wind of him so he can’t smell you.

His eye sight is even keener, so cover is very important, so that he can’t see you.

The slightest movement could set the deer running. The third essential is a good shot path or in other words, visibility in all directions.

It’s no good to have two of the essentials, wind and cover without the third.

I tried out several spots but none had the three necessary factors that I was looking for.

There were two places that I guess would do if I couldn’t find the perfect spot. But I’d hate to take second best on my first hunting expedition. I believe that I need all the help that I can get. I don’t want this to be a disaster.

I’ve listened to all my relatives tell stories about their great hunting skills and they all start out with picking the right location that the deer would be sure to come.

It was the first thing that you had to know, reading the deer signs in the woods is the only way to insure a successful hunt. I walked back to the house for lunch. I told Gramps about my mornings search and the areas that I thought would be good.

Gramps advised me to look for a spot directly north of the house, about one hundred yards from the kitchen door. He said that he and my Dad had taken many deer out of that area for many years, and that there is no better damn spot around.

While we were having lunch Gramps went over a few more details on how to find the perfect spot.

Having a full belly and some great advice I started out again.

After I checked three more spots with no luck, I decided that with an early start Saturday I’d find the perfect location. I still