SELFLESS OR SELL OUT?

CHAPTER 3

APRIL 13, 1980

            John McQueen returned home from church at a quarter after eleven. He was surprised to see the old Ford Falcon that Mary Jean had driven to their interview sitting in front of one of his six garage stalls. But it was an older version of Mary Jean that exited the vehicle and glared at him.

            “Mrs. Patrick, I presume?” John asked with a smile as he approached her with his hand extended.

            Ellen Patrick ignored his hand and folded her arms defiantly across her chest. “Robber of cradles, I presume?”

            “I suppose given our age difference, that is a fair accusation,” John replied casually. “Would you like to come inside and talk?”

            “Right here is fine. I just came by to speak my peace. If you are a man God, a man of principles, you won’t pursue a young lady without the mother’s blessing. So I just wanted to stop by in person and say for the record that I do not approve of you wooing my daughter.”

            Three things flashed through John’s mind in quick succession. First was that he shouldn’t have let his old friend Max Morrison persuade him to continue his pursuit of Mary Jean. Second was that Mary Jean disobeyed his plea to keep his offer between the two of them. Third was that if she had told her mother, she would be seriously contemplating accepting his proposal.

            “Mrs. Patrick, please, come inside and let’s talk.”

            “Nope! I spoke my peace that no blessing from me will be forth coming. Now I’ll be on my way, thank you.”

            Ellen quickly climbed into her car, slammed the door, and turned the ignition. Only the car didn’t start. She continued turning the engine over until the battery became noticeably weak. She still didn’t stop cranking and pumping the accelerator. Finally the battery gave out and Ellen slammed her palm on the dash.

            “Mrs. Patrick, please take one of my vehicles,” John offered as he opened a garage door to reveal a shiny green Ford LTD.

            “You’re not gonna buy me, like you’re trying to buy my daughter. I know the only reason she is considering it is because of me and her brother and sister.”

            “I’m not trying to buy your daughter; I want to share everything with her.”

            “Oh yeah? If you’re not trying to buy her, do you think she’d be going horseback riding with you this afternoon if you were, say, an electrician?”

            “The reality is that I’m not. I’ve been very blessed in my business career and have acquired great wealth. Mary Jean will live like a queen if she agrees to marry me. The only reasonable reason you have to object is our age difference.”

            “I’d say that’s a pretty big reason.”

            “Once again, I’ve been blessed, and by that, I mean with good genes. My mother was ninety-one and my father was ninety-two when they passed away two years ago.

            Ellen had to admit, John McQueen was anything but a dumpy old bald man. He was tall, trim with a full head of salt and pepper hair, and he was movie star handsome. He also looked quite distinguished in his tailored suit.

            “Like I said Mr. McQueen, I’ve spoken my peace. Now I need to go before you’re date with my daughter.”

            As Ellen turned to walk down the long driveway, she wondered what she was going to do about her car. She had been wondering how she was going to pay her utility bills, let alone a tow truck. Thankfully a good friend from church was a mechanic. Maybe he could fix it right here.

            “You’re just going to walk home?”

            “Mary Jean has frequently walked home from your sister’s place.”

            “At least let me give you a ride if you won’t take my car.”

            “I want nothing from you, Mr. McQueen, not even a ride.”

            “Pride comes before the fall.”

            Ellen turned and marched angrily back to John. “What did you say to me! You yourself are so proud and arrogant you think you can sweep a teenage girl off her feet with your money.”

            She wanted to slap him, but she put her hands on her hips instead, glaring at him. To her surprise, his countenance was meek and sad. This not only surprised her, it disarmed her.

            “I realize the truth in your words. And since we’re speaking truth, know this. I want children, and I am still young enough to sire them. However, I am sixty-one, and the window is closing fast if I want to see my children graduate college.

            “That’s right, you are sixty-one, and that’s the whole point!”

            “Age is a variable condition, Mrs. Patrick.”

            “Meaning?”

            “Forgive me if this sounds vain, but I am a very young sixty-one, and you’re daughter is a very mature eighteen.”

            “She’s seventeen.”

            “She will be eighteen if we marry.”

            “That’s a big if. My goodness Mr. McQueen, you’re even more than two decades older than me, the mother of the woman… Girl you hope to marry.”

            John was beginning to feel irritated with this bullheaded woman, yet he admired her. She clearly loved her daughter, and he admired the mother’s protective instinct confronting him. He could tell she was a woman of character, dignity, and resilience. It was obviously where Mary Jean got her own traits of character. It certainly wasn’t her dad.

            “Mrs. Patrick, I’m glad you stopped and spoke your peace. Your blessing is very important to me. So I am going to make you promise. This afternoon when I take your daughter horseback riding, I’m going to tell her that your intersession has voided my offer. I will then pursue the woman who is my second choice if things didn’t work out with Mary Jean. Deal?”

            John extended his hand to shake, and he could see that Ellen looked stunned. Instead of shaking, she said, “Mr. McQueen, I may not approve, but it ultimately has to be her decision.”

            “So we would have your blessing then?” Ellen looked away with a puzzled frown and squeezed her folded arms tight against herself. “Well, although I don’t approve and will not attend a wedding between you two if one would occur, it needs to be Mary Jeans choice. I believe in free will. So I guess that is sort of a blessing.”

            “Mrs. Patrick, I’ve always tried to be a man of honor, honesty, and integrity. I guess by having money, I have taken things for granted. Although I am much older than your daughter, I assumed you would be pleased that she would not only be secure, but you and your other children would be also. Not only would Mary Jean be secure, she would live like a queen.”

            “That still wouldn’t change the fact that she would have to sleep with a man old enough to be her grandfather,” Ellen said stubbornly. Yet John could tell her anger had lost quite a bit of steam.

            “Mrs. Patrick,” John began with a coy smile. “I’ve got a little challenge for you. How about you get down and do as many pushups as you can. When you finish, I’ll do twice as many. If you win, I will tell your daughter my offer is void, and say nothing of your visit here today. If I win, I get to proceed in courting your daughter, and marry her with your blessing if she is willing.”

            After she processed his challenge, she couldn’t help herself and grinned. “You’re on!”

            Ellen dropped to the ground and began doing pushups. But she quickly saw her dilemma. Her nine to five job at the courthouse issuing licenses had her on her feet a good portion of the day. Her evening job waitressing at a truck stop had her on her feet even more. So she was strong with great stamina and endurance. But she couldn’t remember the last time she did a pushup. It used different muscles than the ones she used, walking, standing, and carrying trays of food.

            Before she even got to five, her arms trembled, and her back arched.

            “You can go to your knees instead of your toes,” John offered.

            “No,” Ellen groaned, determined to get to at least ten. As soon as she reached double digits, she gave up. Rising to her feet, she rubbed her burning arms.

            John dropped and gave her twenty in less than a minute, the last five he clapped in between. After he arose, he detected that she was concealing a smile. Despite herself, she was beginning to like John McQueen. However she scolded, “You set me up.”

            He shrugged. “I was just trying to make the point about age being variable.”

            “Fair point, I guess.”

            “Now let’s discuss vehicles. How about we trade? Your Falcon, for my LTD?”

            “No! I’m not gonna be tricked again, and I’m not gonna be bought.”

            “Mrs. Patrick, please hear me. Whether this afternoon is the last time I spend time with your daughter or not, I would like to not only give you this car but pay off your debts. You would not be the first person I have helped, but your pride and stubbornness have put me in a position to tell you of my intentions. I prefer anonymity.”

            “How dare you call me proud! What do you call an old man that can marry a young woman due to his wealth?”

            “In my case, blessed.”

            “Blessed! How arrogant! That’s another reason I don’t approve of you wooing my daughter. We obviously have different views of God.”

            “I believe Jesus Christ is my Lord and Savior. How about you?”

            “Of course I do,” Ellen replied meekly. Then she said bitterly, “Look, I need to go before Mary Jean shows up for her date.”

            “We’re just going horseback riding, it’s not a date.”

            “Whatever,” Ellen said as she began a brisk walk down McQueen’s long driveway.

            “Mrs. Patrick?”

            Ellen stopped and turned. John said, “Just say the word, and I will put the kibosh on possibly romancing you’re daughter.”

            Ellen felt like she could throw up in her mouth a little at hearing him actually say romancing her daughter. But she said, “Mr. McQueen, I believe in free will. So you and my daughter have my blessing, I guess, just not my approval, if that makes sense. Because it doesn’t even make sense to me.”

            “One more thing, Mrs. Patrick,” John began as gently as he knew how to speak. “Please, at least borrow my car. It is just going to be sitting here. I usually drive my old pickup truck. Plus I have three other vehicles. If it makes you feel better, just return it with a full tank of gas.”

            Ellen relented, and John pulled the car out of the garage. When he got out, he thought about giving her a slight bow, but the fiery redhead would probably feel it was condescending, rather than fun loving.

            “Thank you, Mr. McQueen,” Ellen said stoically as she climbed behind the wheel. Surprisingly, she came away from this encounter liking him. She had been concerned that her dislike of him would turn to feelings of hate after their conversation. She also found him quite attractive. She had never seen him up close before. She was surprised at how trim and fit he was. Plus distinguished and handsome.

            Ellen decided she would date him herself if he had asked. Even consider the marriage proposition. But after a hysterectomy, she could bare him no children. But it definitely wouldn’t be bad coming home to this spread after… Oh, that’s right, if she was married to him, she probably wouldn’t have to work for anybody.

            It was actually modest for a multi-millionaire’s home. But still it was like four or five ranch houses rolled into one with lots of trees and flowers, plus several barns and machine sheds. Not to mention acre after acre of pasture, corrals, and timber.  The long driveway she drove down must be lined with a hundred trees, all beginning to bud with flowers. Yes, this was quite a place!

            She hated to admit it, but John McQueen was quite a man. But a sixty-one-year-old man that wanted to marry her seventeen-year-old daughter! What was she doing borrowing his car? A scripture came to her mind.

            THE RICH RULES OVER THE POOR, AND THE BORROWER IS SERVANT TO THE LENDER (PROVERBS 22:7)