What created the dark cloud?
Billy and John had been best friends since grade school. Everywhere you saw Billy, you saw John.
Billy was a tall, lanky boy with straight yellow hair. Billy wore a size twelve dress shoe, a white button-down shirt, and black slacks.
John was a tall, stocky boy with straight, unkempt hair, and he always wore boots. His feet were small for his size, and the bottoms of his shoes were covered with dead bugs. If John ever saw a bug, he would follow it. Smash! It was dead!
For twelve years, the boys rode their bicycles to school. In the summer, both boys worked as lifeguards. Once, John saved a petite, red-haired, freckled-faced girl from drowning. John's father owned the local hardware store.
While Billy's father was a partner in the local bank called the Smith and Barnes Branch Bank of NY. Billy's father and John's father were well-liked and very active in the community.
After graduation, Billy went away to Harvard to study law, and John went to Cornell to study Agriculture.
Cornell is one of two private land-grant universities.
After John earned his PhD in Agriculture, he returned home to begin his career, but he was not sure whether he wanted to teach at the university or plant his feet in the soil of farming.
Meanwhile, his best friend, whom he had not seen or heard from in years, was working for one of the top law firms in New York.
John worked with large farms, helping them secure government grants. Billy hated what he called 'second-class citizens' and did everything he could to harm them. The Blue Collar worker, he called them!
John had gone to Washington, DC, to get a bill passed to help the farmers.
While debating his bill in the Senate, John saw Billy, now called William James Smith II, I, Attorney at Law, sitting on the opposing side.
Before that day ended, John and Billy would become mortal enemies. The harder John fought to pass the bill for the farmers, the more Billy fought to block it. Billy was acting as if he never knew John, making John look like an ass in front of his peers.
John wanted to take a gun and blow Billy's brains out right there on the Senate floor.
The debate went on for several days, bickering back and forth; finally, the farm bill passed the Senate. But needless to say, Billy and John became mortal enemies.
It was like they were living on opposite sides of life's fence. How could someone whom you had grown up with and spent endless days playing together have changed?
How could this be? When did they change?
By the end of the debate, a dark void, emptiness, had fallen over both men. A dark cloud followed both men as they left Washington, D.C.
Sally's Distrust
Greenport, NY, a town where fresh air does wonders for the appetite, no smog, no pollution, and the only thing you carry to school is your lunch.
Greenport extends its arm to Gardiners Bay and the Atlantic Ocean, offering sailing, swimming, boating, and fishing.
Sally's dad was a sailboat designer, and his love of sailing won him many sailing contests.
On Sundays, John's dad would close his hardware store to go fishing on his sizable boat.
Mr. Smith was a man of leisure, and he enjoyed his luxury yacht. This was Billy's dad.
So, as you can see, many hours were spent at Gardiners Bay or on the Atlantic Ocean, where
Sally, Bill, and Johngrew up.
Billy was the number one quarterback at Greenport High School, and their team was the number one football team in the state.
Sally had been a cheerleader since she could walk and was always cheering for Billy. John was a reporter for the high school newspaper.
To get his foot in the door at the Suffolk Times, John would get up early every morning to deliver their newspapers, as he aspired to be a reporter. But that was not to be!
Seems like yesterday as John sits at his office desk listening to Sally on the telephone.
Sally was not a gossip but liked to know what was going on in her hometown.
Sally received a scholarship to study at Harvard in Cambridge, MA, where she earned her PhD in Education and went on to teach History.
Sally had married while they were at Harvard.
After Billy passed the bar exam, he started his own law firm in Cambridge, and he and Sally began a family with two sons, Thomas and another boy.
The next twelve flew by, and everyone was happy.
One day, Billy received a telephone call offering him a partnership at Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, the most prestigious law firm in New York City.
Billy accepted without asking Sally. Sally was upset!
Billy commuted back and forth from Cambridge to New York City for many years.
There were many parties, long hours, and many nights without coming home, and these were the times that Sally called John.
John really enjoyed talking to Sally, but hated the sound of her voice as she spoke of Billy. John began to develop a dislike for Billy's lifestyle. Was this when the cloud appeared, or was John secretly in love with Sally?
Sally's passion for History got her a scholarship from History South Africa. She would be helping and observing the ways of life of the people in Africa, especially the children.
Her plans were to live in Africa for one year.
Sally was delighted about her upcoming trip and could not wait to tell John.
Sally and Billy had been estranged for many years, and their boys were now rambunctious teenagers.
Her sons, Sam and Thoma, were thrilled about living in Africa.
Both boys loved creatures, both great and small, especially the endangered animals.
The family would be leaving at the end of the boy's school term, which ended May 30.
March was a bitterly cold month, and Sally had just a couple of months to make sure that she and her boys had everything they needed for their upcoming trip.
They would need several shots to prevent diseases and passports for travel, which sometimes can take several months to receive.
Sally was going to miss her weekly calls to John.
Sally secretly hoped that John would accept the position the university was offering.
Cambridge University wanted to send someone with a PHD in farming to Africa.
They wanted to teach the local people to farm and harvest their vegetables using irrigation.
John had just received a package from Cambridge inviting him to join the farming research in Africa.
Sally had said that she was going to Africa to teach, and her boys would be there to help whoever went on the farming scholarship.
Would John have enough time to get his passport & shots and fly to Africa with Sally and the boys?
John was troubled about making the right decision.
Should he go or should he stay? His mind was muddled right now; he should probably sleep on that thought.
John did not want Sally and the boys to go alone.
He knew she could take care of herself, for she had taken several self-defense classes, and the boys were big and strong.
John loved farming, the environment, and people.
This would be an excellent opportunity for him.
John could experiment with his new farming techniques on fertile and infertile soil.
John would receive a grant from Cambridge while also keeping his current position.
John tossed all night, thoughts running through his mind.
The sun came streaming into his bedroom window. It was time to get up.
John had made his decision.
Going to Africa
John was on his way to Africa along with Sally and the boys.
Living in Africa would be very different from living in the States, but they were all up for the challenge.
The African children were thrilled to meet the boys, and the boys fit right in.
The boys could speak many foreign languages, and most of the African children could speak some English.
No more suits and ties, Burma shorts and T-shirts. This was the life!
They would believe the Atlantic Ocean, and the boys loved swimming, fishing, and surfing. Fun in the sun all day, but first the boys had to do their chores.
Living in Africa would be hard work because there was no modern farm equipment to use.
The boys did not mind as long as they could spend their free time at the beach.
John spent long hours planning his teaching techniques for the locals.
Sally spent most of he time getting the small schoolhouse ready for the children.
Sally would not only be in History, but also in many other subjects
The children would have to share a book, for Sally had not brought enough books to go around.
No, I Pads here!
In the distance, the sounds of gunshots and missiles
In many parts of Africa, there was violence.
Hopefully, the rebels would not come within distance of where they were living.
The rebels hate Americans and Europeans.
It could be fatal if one were captured by the rebels.
The big cats have been driven out of their land, and farmers have found the carcasses of their cattle and goats.
The big cats had not harmed humans yet!
The rainy season had begun, and many animals had started migrating toward the once-dried-up water hole, which was now overflowing.
Now was the right time to start planting crops.
Out of the blue, Sally's husband Billy appeared!
What was he doing here?
This was so out of character for Billy!
Billy always wore a suit, but wait, what was he wearing?
Had Billy come to stay?
Had Billy come to ask Sally for a divorce?
Did Billy know that John was here with his wife?
What a dilemma for John!
