Before we go too far into our story, I should not gloss over George’s friend and in his mind at one time the love of his life. In his early years George would just up and go without ever intending to move on. His purpose for his wanderings as a boy and a young man was to help the family he lived with financially. When he moved in with Tiffany’s aunt, a well-known actress of her day and a good friend of one of his maternal aunts whom he had never met, he was thirteen. George had set about to helping which to the house staff was unheard of. Tiffany’s aunt being a lady from the south tried to curb him of that behavior and in the end they changed each other, he changing her more than her changing him. One thing that did change was George had learned to let down his wall and love first with his new mom and then came the day Tiffany came to visit. George kept his distance as they were paired together on his and his temporary mom’s travels but over time she had knocked down that wall just by her close proximity. Because he had been allowed more freedom in this house which included being allowed to go find work as he had always done and even being introduced to the world of entertainment first through the parties and then by tagging along to the set where he just started pitching in opened George to financial freedoms he had up to that point not known.
Tiffany like every other ordinary girl liked two things, shopping and boys. George was readily available for both and a fine specimen of the latter. When it came to teenage changes and her need to experiment she knew she had lead George on and he fell madly in love with her. It was his pent on learning something to perfection which had hooked her and kept bringing her back for more and then got her pregnant. For Tiffany that would not do and after telling George she was pregnant she borrowed the money from him to deal with it in private. She then moved on and in so doing had taught George a valuable lesson. Never let love blind you and until you are ready to have your heart ripped out of you do not open yourself to that kind of love, which had also sent him back behind his wall and caused him to leave the one woman who had closest came to being a mother. By then he was sixteen, had his own truck and a willingness to explore, which to others would be considered a need. George on the other hand had been a bit more pragmatic about needs; he needed food, air and water to live and if he had shelter and clothes that was fine too. From that day he left that palatial home on the cliffs above the sea, George had always done what he wanted, when he wanted and on his own terms, and what he wanted more than anything was to keep moving and learning something new.
The fact that moving took something more than the clothes on your back if you were to do it without stealing out of other folks mouths, something he would never do, caused him to move toward the jobs which were temporary and highly paid. By the age of twenty he had worked on an oil rig, on a crab boat out of New England, on several movie sets some of which if they had known his age or rather if the authorities knew his age would have brought the law down hard on the producers, for George it was a paycheck and a learning experience but because he tried to be helpful he had made friends and even helped several young ladies who wanted out of bad situations, to get out and to get reestablished elsewhere and in some cases had even played matchmaker he made friends. With Tiffany who in college had gotten into a bad scene it was more or less the same as far as helping her move on which is why at the point where the Queen entered his life she had been there in his apartment. Now that a few years had passed, she and the Queen had become friends of sorts; one reason was because Tiffany was an expert on George as she had studied him for her Thesis.
It was shortly after the day that George took his family on that outing that the Queen surprised him and more than that herself when she told him she wanted to move on from the desert. George had to take some time to wrap his mind around that as from everything he had gleaned over the years, women wanted stability. George at the moment she said that had been thinking of making some minor changes to allow him more time at home and the next day put into motion the first of those changes more or less by accident. Meeting a fellow at the gas station early one morning, a gentleman he had seen many nights he struck up a conversation about his line of work and the next night George was in business for himself wholesaling newspapers. Jenny who wanted a car jumped at the opportunity to help him if it meant she got a car. She had been thinking sports car but pickup worked just as well and on weekends went well with her bikini top. Amy Jo who had never owned her own company told George it was a bad idea. With a smile he persuaded her to give it a try and soon she too was helping. When her friends found out she was a newspaper delivery girl some of them gave her sass until they found out how much their little company was making within the first month as George just kept taking on, one more contract. Their debts were being taken down even lower and the attitude in the house changed as everyone got involved in the rolling of quarters by the thousands every Monday which also served as math class. Unlike the previous independent contractors who had treated their opportunity as a job, George and Amy as one treated it as an opportunity.
She began thinking what else they could do, and she told George one day while at their weekly business breakfast she wanted to model again. George who had become aware that his Queen had once modeled began researching and came across her photo spread and with a little more digging some of the test videos. She had found him looking at the websites and had gotten mad and told him he was cheating. It took him the better part of two days before he could tell her the photos he had been looking at were hers and the whole idea of having other men fawn over his Queen did not sit well with him. George had been so quiet about the matter in his delivery she had to ask exactly what he would do and he said he was willing to go to jail for her and their daughters. With that he had gotten up and went out of the house. He barely said a word to her for two days, as a matter of fact he did not speak to anyone accept his own daughter who was now way beyond walking and was imitating his every move. The first moment Amy had the opportunity she grabbed the entire family including George who she thought would protest and drove them down to her first neighborhood after she first married and walked them all down to the beach. It did not get by him that it was a clothing optional beach and when she stripped down to the skin she was born with she went about doing what she always did at the beach and asked him to put sun tanning oil on her back. The youngest of five girls seeing mommy taking off her clothes like in the garden followed suit and then the four girls looked at George who shrugged.
George had been stopped in his tracks by Amy Jo’s way of making him either live up to his threat or get over himself. It was not so much they were without their clothes but what he knew other men were thinking. As they sat there on the beach Amy Jo and the girls who were used to sunbathing this way at home ignored what few men looked their way and George noticed that for the most part no one was looking their way. Giving up he apologized to her and decided he would go swimming. Stripping down to his shorts he went out into the water and started swimming. In the water with the steady movement of his swimming he let things go and concentrated on the rhythm set by the constant motion of his muscles and his breathing. When he finally made it back to shore the sun had set and there was no one on the beach except for a couple of lifeguards. It was then that he noticed the helicopter and the lifeguard boat. He immediately realized his wife would be mad. Being handed a blanket which he wrapped up in he was helped to sit down as more lifeguards and showed up. He was driven to the small headquarters where paramedics were standing by. Immediately he got worried and asked if one of his children got hurt. Amy, having pushed her way through the growing crowd of law enforcement and first aid personnel, was all over him asking if he was okay. After calming her down he looked at her and then the crowd and asked what was wrong. A well-tanned life guard with close cropped hair asked if he knew how long he had been swimming for. George shrugged and said since he needed to clear his head before talking to his wife about her idea of getting back into modeling.
When the paramedics gave the thumbs up after checking him over; George figured it was over and set about looking for his jeans and then his girls. The cameras which caught him and Amy brought him to reality and drove him back inside where he was handed a change of clothes in the way of a lifeguard uniform. George ignored the cameras which had come inside as he changed in front of everyone. When a young woman asked Amy if her son was single George jumped in before Amy did and apologized to the young woman but he was spoken for and let her see his tattoo and told her she should be honored to be in the presence of a Queen as he took Amy’s hand and got down on one knee. When everyone else did the camera’s caught it. Amy had to wave her hand and say she was not a real queen, which got the questions flying. She looked at George who smiled and looked at the lead lifeguard who gave him his card and mouthed for him to call him. After being driven to a hotel by the police where they barricaded themselves in a suite, where to George’s surprise his mother in law and a woman he had once known were waiting. Amy smiled and said she had another surprise; when George looked around she told George she had found his mother; he asked which one. Apparently that was the wrong answer as Amy glared at him and motioned to the woman. George looked at her, blinked and apologized to her. He told her that he was okay if she wanted to call him son like many others but he did not have a mother. Apparently that was definitely the wrong thing to say as Amy stepped in and told the women who was now crying she had to forgive her son but more or less raising himself he did not have very good manners.
George shrugged and looked at his mother in law and asked if she wanted to add to this dump on George moment. George was surprised when she gave him a hug. When nothing more was said George asked if he could see his children. Amy said that they were with Tiffany and her mom. George asked why and Amy told him when they saw the news that he had been swept out to sea they came down and grabbed the children. George laughed and asked why anyone thought he was swept out to sea. Amy’s mom told George it must have been a misunderstanding as those on shore had looked up and could no longer see him. George looked at Amy who he could tell was starting to get mad and sat down before he said something else. Collecting his thoughts he looked up and apologized to the woman he vaguely remembered for not remembering her and then to Amy for scaring her but if she did not mind he was thirsty and hungry, and would really like to see his children and go home as he had learned his lesson and she could model, even though he might not like it. Amy had to sit and ask if that was what this was all about. George said if she meant that whole seen they had just left and a strange woman showing up saying she was his mom, no but his taking a swim to clear his head to tell her that, yes. The woman spoke up and asked if he really did not know her. George shook his head and apologized saying there had been so many moms growing up he was bound to forget a few. Amy smacked his knee and he looked at her, she told him to be nice. George said he was being honest and he did not know this woman and unless he had proof otherwise he was not going to start calling her mom but if she wanted to adopt her as a part of the family that was her prerogative.
Amy shook her head and asked what did he need, George said proof like maybe a DNA test which in his mind was a waste of time as though he might refer to her as his mom in his heart and mind it would be only a word as a mom does not abandon her children to be raised by others. With that he stood up and left the room, Amy hot on his heels. She was mad not so much at him but herself for thinking after they located George just swimming along headed back to shore that he might want to meet the woman Tiffany introduced as his mom. When she asked where he was going he told her to his mom’s house to see his children and after that he did not know. Amy grabbed his hand and said he was walking the wrong way. George said his mom lived north of Los Angeles and they were by San Diego so he had to go north. Amy had to laugh at his logic and when she could she asked if he was going to walk there to see his children. George said no he was walking to where they left the car. Amy stopped him and pointed to the hotel and then told him his mom’s new house was not anywhere near LA and she was sorry for thinking he might want to meet his mom. George shrugged and said it was okay he was just tired, thirsty and hungry. When she got him to his “mom’s house he watched as George hugged the actress who was once again on the top of the A list, not that George would know or care.
She asked how his meeting his birth mother went, George shrugged and realizing that what he was told was true confessed not very well; Amy said that was an understatement. George finally asked where his children were and was told Tiffany drove them home as they had animals to take care of. George half smiled and shook his head; her aunt told George he might as well know that she could not have her own children because of her little stunt so she was adopting his. George drank two sports drinks and then ate several pieces of fruit before speaking again and said he was sorry about that. Amy told him it was not his fault. George looked at her and she nodded, shrugging he told her was their nothing she did not know about him. Amy smiled and told him there was plenty but figured she had a life time to find out his many secrets. George looked down at the floor for a moment and asked if that was really the woman who gave birth to him. When he was told yes he said he owed her an apology. When he was asked if he wanted to know why she did not raise him; he said it would not change that she did not so it might be better if his mom kept that between her and her maker. Several minutes later Amy’s mom came by with George’s birth mom and he apologized to her but made it very clear that there would never be any relationship between them but if she wanted to pursue one with her grandchildren he would not get in her way.
Tiffany’s aunt got in his way and told him he could do better, George agreed and said he probably could but why bring out the thousands of questions he had growing up of why his parents did not want him. Amy saw the wall come up as did this woman who had helped raise him. She asked George if that was it. George said no he was going to see his children and if his mom wanted to tag along she could, and hopefully someone would drive as he was tired. His adopted mom asked if he really did not want to know, George said he really did not want to know but if his mom wanted to tell someone he was sure his wife would listen and one day when he was not ready would smack him upside the head with it instead of giving him some warning. That stopped the conversation and caused George to be found in a hug by the woman he had called mom in some rather very important development years. He could feel her tears and held her for some time before telling her if it meant that much to her he would listen all the way to his home whatever it was she wanted him to listen to. The drive back to the desert in the limo found George sleeping on the floor why Amy listened to his mom tell her story which was more or less one that could have been hers if she had stayed with her first husband. Looking down she doubted she would tell George as it would also mean telling him parts of her life she was not ready to relive. She realized that George in many ways was right to move on just as she had done without looking back and asking the what-ifs. In the end they did not matter as they never happened. When they arrived home the whole entire block was there along with more cameras and the girls had set up an award ceremony for George giving him a medal for being the best swimmer in the family, being the hottest dad they knew of and for loving their mom. Amy watched as George cried.
The next night it was back to work for George who could not help but notice the pictures on the front page. Seeing his wife and family eat up the attention he could not help but smile but there was nothing more that he would like to do but just move on. He had gone for a swim, something he had done many times end of story. When she made the arrangements for all of them to go and get their portfolio taken he did not complain. George though began making plans and after several shoots he told her he was done as he would not be the puppy in the window. When she asked what he wanted to do he told her he was moving to Colorado. When she asked what he was going to do there he told her he already had the equipment to outfit his truck for welding on the pipelines and he also had all of his farrier gear and could easily start a business training horses. When she asked about her and the girls he told her he hoped she would come along and he would be glad to hire her to model for his company. When she asked what about the wholesaling company he told her he could have a buyer within the week. Amy told George she would make him a deal. She would move to Colorado if he did on photo shoot with her. George smiled and said he agreed. He did not realize he would be the camera man for part of the three day shoot. It was not George’s first time behind the lens and it showed. Before they could make the final arrangements to move or any further arrangements they received some visitors in the way of the San Diego Naval Training Command who wanted to offer George a job, as an instructor which also meant he would have to undergo naval boot camp and enlisting but in the reserves as a non comm. Instead of Colorado they went to San Diego. George also took a job with the county life guard service that worked out better than the Navy as even though George flew through basic and did well in the physical aspects of his advanced training, sitting in classrooms as a student was not his thing but having made it with some help in the way of an old black colonel who also ignored rules and weaseled his way as an instructor during George’s training.
In the end he never got his non comm and instead worked as an independent contractor for a short time, but that finally did not pan out either as George just did not dance to someone else’s beck and call. The lifeguarding thing actually lasted a full two years and opened up opportunities for travel to compete which brought them back down to Australia as a family except for Jen who stayed in San Diego as she was going to school and had also started her career as a model and a lifeguard. Little Michelle was five when they went to San Diego. That was also the year Amy found herself carrying their sixth thanks to George’s improved temperament in Australia, a moonlit sky aboard a friend’s boat, a bottle of wine and a camera for their own private photo shoot. When they got home Amy wanted a change and they finally moved to Colorado where he took over the dude part of the ranch he had spent some time on as a child. While they were there it seemed all they had were one woman’s group after another. Amy got tired of watching women salivate over George who more or less ignored the childish behavior and talked to those grown women like he would a group of recruits going through boot camp. Amazingly instead of turning the women off it had quite the opposite effect and turned them on. When Amy went into model for a writer who needed a pregnant woman on her cover she saw George and they started a new line of work modeling for the cover of romance novels. No one knew who they were which George liked. That came to an end when at about four months she had issues with her pregnancy and had to be hospitalized for the remainder of her pregnancy. George never left her side. When girl six was born he had been holding his breath as it was touch and go.
Amy Jo came out of the ordeal changed. She had worried about the finances which as she figured with two more children in college were wiped out as neither of them had been working and the hospital bill George paid with credit cards as well as the house he had bought north of Denver to be near the hospital thinking he would have to leave every night. As they talked George surprised her with one last purchase as he had studied anatomy while she was in the hospital and realizing her having another child would not be good he opted for a surgery of his own. He would not be having any more children at least not without yet another surgery. Amy could not be mad and told George that was the sweetest thing anyone had ever done for her. The fact she was told she should go back to lower elevation caused George to short sale the house and take a loss which did help lower the debt but facing a huge pile of bills and the need to save money they went east to South Carolina and Amy with a newborn put behind her modeling days. How George alone managed to buy a thousand acre hay farm, keep it going, while working on movies and working on the oil rigs she did not know but with the pile of debt from three girls going to college, her many months in the hospital, and of course the several vehicles he gave back while she was in the hospital meant he had no real choice. Then he started another business a local transportation business geared at the entertainment production world. Without his having the time she opted for him to sell the hay farm which had an old orchard he had brought back to life and then they moved to Florida which did not last long for either of them but did see number four into college and then it was off to Texas, Nevada and finally Washington.
Their motto as a couple was to move on forever to see what was over the next horizon. As Amy lay in George’s arms thinking back to how nuts they had been to raise four girls and almost two more always moving on she had to wonder what friends and family thought about their behavior, until she also realized there were hundreds of more friends they would have never met and she would not have found her passion in the horses she now raised albeit on someone’s borrowed land. Listening to his heart she knew what he was planning and was looking forward to once again moving on.
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