Chapter 4 - Page 32 - 2000 Acres

   The waitress looked at Jim with the pad and pen in her hands. “Do you know what you want for breakfast, sir?”

   Jim thought about it for a second. “I think I’ll just have a bowl of oatmeal,” he replied.

   “I’ll see if we have any oatmeal, sir.” The waitress looked at Jackie. “And do you want oatmeal also?”

   “No ma’am,” Jackie said, “I’ll have two eggs over easy, bacon, hash browns and toast, please.” Again Jackie looked at Jim and lifted a skeptical eyebrow. “You’re from Texas, and you ordered oatmeal for breakfast?”

    Jim grinned. “The rest of the world orders eggs and bacon . . . ” All three of them laughed. The waitress put the pad and pen in her apron pocket and took the menus from Jim and Jackie.

   “So Jackie,” Jim asked when he’d finished his breakfast, “can you tell me anything about this property?”

   Jackie had just bitten off a piece of toast with grape jelly on it. He chewed quickly, swallowed, and took a drink of coffee. “Jim,” he said, “when I heard about you and the work you plan to do, I knew this land was what you needed. In the center of the land is a large cleared area. It’s a perfect location for a village.”

    They waited while the waitress deposited a tray containing Jim’s change on the table, then Jackie leaned forward. “A dirt road runs across the middle of the land and connects with a main road that leads to a village.”

   “Tell me more,” Jim insisted as Jackie ate the last of his hash browns, then drank what coffee was left in his cup.