The Typewriter

Chapter 19 or Day 19 of NaNoWriMo 2012 (1,673 words)

Chapter 19: The Sheep in Baldwin's yard

"Baa Baa Baa" the sound of a sheep interrupted retired Brigadier General Max Baldwin's sleep. He sit up in bed, then reached over to the bedside stand, and turned on the light. Picking up his watch, he checked the time. Three hours before reveille, he thought. He got up, walked to the window, parted the military blue curtains and looked out. The yard was empty, at least what he could see of it without putting on slippers and a robe to go outside. He shrugged his shoulders and went back to bed, where he drifted off into a dream.

In his dream, General Baldwin was walking through a grove of apple trees carrying a iron pick and a gold shovel. He could smell the sweet aroma of the ripening apples and blooming trees. The pick and the shovel were extremely heavy and he was getting tired, so when he came to a silver veined granite bench he lay the shovel on the ground, the pick on the bench, and sit down to rest. As he sit there, he heard "Baa Baa Baa" and a white sheep, carrying a platinum apple blossom in its mouth walked past.

"Baa Baa Baa" again the sound of a sheep woke him up. He sit up, turned the light on, and walked to the window. From the vantage point of his bedroom he could see only the emerald green grass of his backyard. He started to go back to bed when he heard the sound of a sheep again. He checked the time and then put the watch around his right wrist. Slipping his feet into a pair of pea green slippers and a matching rob he left his bedroom. Refusing to turn on a light, he felt his way down the hall to the front door. The yard was empty, he started to go back to bed when he again heard a sheep bawling.

Leaving the door open, he stepped out onto the white wood porch and negotiated his way down the wooden oak steps onto the front walk. As he stepped onto the walk, he heard the door slam shut and a loud click as the lock engaged. "Weird sound for a sheep to make," he muttered. He stepped onto the dew wet grass, stopped, and stared at the huge white sheep eating the blossoms of his prized dawn pink rose bush. He stood, with his mouth open, staring at the sheep while the dew soaked through his slippers. The sheep looked up at him, bawled again, and then went back to grazing on the rose bush.

"Damn livestock," he turned around to go into the house to get his gun, but when he stepped onto the stone walk his wet slipper caused him to fall. "Shit," he removed his slippers, got up, and climbed the steps onto to porch. He tried to open the door and found himself locked out. He looked down, but the mat that usually lay in front of the door was gone. Looking around in an attempt to find the mat or the key, he noticed that the screen on one of the front room windows was off and the window open, so he climbed in.

He turned on the living room light, then went to his gun cabinet, where he found the key to the cabinet in the lock. Shaking his head, he opened the cabinet, took out the shotgun and loaded it. He went to the front door and opened it, but this time he placed a chair against the door to make sure it stayed open. Again he went down the steps and taking aim at the sheep fired the gun. He managed to completely destroy the rose bush, while missing the sheep entirely.

"It's a bad dream," he growled going back into the house. Instead of closing the door, he laid the shotgun on the military blue satin. He stumbled though the hall to his bedroom and, without taking off his robe or removing his watch, he lay down. It took him only a few minutes to go back to sleep. An hour later his alarm clock sounded reveille.

Aching all over, he set up, without opening his eyes. He reached over to the nightstand, feeling for his watch. "Who stole my watch," he shouted. He raised his right hand to brush what little hair he had out of his eyes and saw his watch. "I didn't think I had that much to drink last night," tried to find his slippers, but gave up when he heard a noise in his living room. He went down the hall and entered the living room, before he got three paces into the room he stepped into a pile of warm sheep's dung. "Shit," then he saw the sheep asleep on his couch next to his shotgun.

Turning his back on the living room, he went to the bath and run hot water into the tub. Once the tub was filled he removed a washcloth from the towel rack and stepped into the tub. Taking the bar of soap that lay on the tub close to the facet, he rubbed it on the washcloth and then began scrubbing his feet. An hour later, after he was sure his feet were completely clean, he got out of the tub and began to dry himself off,.

"General Baldwin," a woman shouted and pounded on the bathroom door.

Without wrapping a towel around him waist he unlocked the door and opened it. "Yes, Tina," he said.

"General Baldwin," she stared him straight in the eyes. "When I took this job, I told you that there was certain things I will not do." She pause for breath, "One of those things is cleaning sheep dung off your living room carpet." Then she looked him up and down, "And another is letting you flash me. I Quit!" She started to walk away and then turned around, "I'll send my husband to pick up my final paycheck."

Going back to his bedroom, Baldwin got dressed and then left the house through the backdoor. Going around the house he stopped at the rose bush, picked a large pink rose off the ground, and then went to the front porch. He picked up his slippers, which appeared to have been gnawed by something, and then climbed the steps onto his front porch. For two seconds, he stare into his living room shaking his head. Going to the cushion covered porch swing he sit down and placed his head in his hands.

"Mr. Baldwin," said K. C. coming out of the garage with hedge clippers. "Are you all right, Sir? Is something wrong?"

"K. C,." Baldwin glared at him. "My maid just quit because she thinks I flashed her. I have sheep shit all over my spider silk living room carpet. There is a sheep sleeping on my satin couch next to my personalized shotgun. I killed my prize rose bush and I think I broke my tail bone." He sighed, "Does that answer your question?"

"Sir," K. C. climbed the steps to the front porch. "Why don't you let me take you to the hospital? Where are your car keys?"

"On a hook just inside the living room door. Don't close the door, maybe the sheep will leave while we're gone."

"Sir," K. C. reached in and removed two set of keys, one set went to the car and the other locked the front gate. "Do you have your ID?"

"Yes," Baldwin grimaced as he touched his back pocket.

He helped Baldwin to the car and buckled him into the seat on the passenger side. Then he went around to the driver's side and got in. Once outside the front gate, he stopped the car, got out and locked the gate. When he got back in the car, he started to hand Baldwin the gate keys, but decided that might not be a good idea.

They entered the Emergency Room and went to the first open window. Baldwin sit down in the chair, screamed and got up immediately. "Are you in pain, Sir?" The receptionist smiled.

"Sir," K. C. said. "Why don't you take your wallet out of your pocket and give the lovely lady your ID?" Baldwin complied with K. C. request, but did not sit down again.

"Ah," the receptionist said loud enough for everyone to hear. "Retired Brigadier General Max Baldwin; will you be using your military insurance? If so, may I have your insurance card?" He removed his insurance card and handed it to her.

Five minutes later, she returned his ID and insurance card. "Please have a seat in the waiting room, an orderly will be with you shortly." An hour later, when Colonel Whitehead entered the ER, they were still waiting.

"Colonel Jeffry Whitehead," he extended his hand.

"K. C. Wainwright," he shook the Colonel's hand. "I'm General Baldwin's groundskeeper."

"What happened, Mr. Wainwright?"

"Please call me K. C." he took a deep breath. "I'm not sure, Colonel. When I got to work this morning, he was sitting in the porch swing, with the front door wide open, and not making very much sense."

"Why is he here, K. C.?"

"He says he broke his tail bone," K. C. removed the gate keys from his pocket and handed them to Colonel Whitehead. "The front gate is locked, but the front door is opened. He didn't want it closed."

"I'll take care of the house," he put the keys in his jacket pocket. "Is there anything I can do for you, K. C.?"

"Yes. Could you inform Morgan Holloway, the foreman at Gray Landscaping, where I am. He'll be checking on me sometime today."

"Of course." Colonel Whitehead left the ER.

Two hours later, an orderly brought out a wheelchair, with a foam cushion, and took General Baldwin, with K. C. following to ER room 15. Where the waited for another hour to see a doctor.