Sagehen Mesa - Part 1- Introduction by Josie Williams

 (This is actually the Desert Mountains town I put together a little while back, but I thought it needed a better name.)

My name is Josie Williams, and I have lived here in Sagehen Mesa all my life. I guess you could call me an “old-timer.” There are a few of us still around, but not many. Other than myself, there are two brothers who live around the bend - Chuck and Ben Culpepper. I went to school with them, and if you didn’t know it, you would never guess they were brothers, they are so different. But we’ll get to them in a little while.

The task at hand is to introduce you to our little town. There’s not really much to it. It has a church, cemetery, a few stores, a coffee shop, a few bars, and a few fairly decent restaurants. We have the usual municipal amenities such as a firehouse, small hospital, town hall, and police station. I hear there is even a psychiatrist who has just moved to town and plans on putting out her shingle. (She may have her work cut out for her if you ask me.) We also have rodeo grounds and festival grounds and our own little celebrations for each season. 

                 

You might think this little corner of the world is crime free, but you’d be wrong. In recent years, some shifty sorts have taken a toe-hold, and our small police department has been unsuccessful in driving them out. One case in particular has to do with a no-good hooligan named Ralph Tackett. My neighbors across the street, the Roland's, had a late night visit just a few weeks ago.

The family was all asleep, but their horse Sonny spotted him and raised the alarm. Someone in the house must have heard, because the police were called.

In a flash, deputy Gandy was on the scene and apprehended the culprit in front of the family who cheered him on.

"Thanks for saving the day, Officer Gandy!" Jolene exclaimed. "Let that be a lesson to you sir; crime doesn't pay!"

Officer Gandy cuffed the perp and left him by the police car while he checked out the house for any accomplices. The tools that Tackett had swiped from the barn were returned.

"We appreciate your assistance, Officer. I don't know what we would have done without you!"

Mr. Tackett must have been given a light sentence, because it was only a week or so later that he made another attempt to steal from the citizens of Sagehen Mesa. This time it was the Mahon family who fell victim to Mr. Tackett's thievery.  

Cliff Mahon had been out for some late-night fishing when he noticed something was not quite right upon returning home. He called the police. 

Tackett was spooked, and ran for it. Unfortunately, the Mahon family lives quite a ways from the police station, and Officer Gandy arrived in time to see the perp drive off. 

Something was stolen, but I don't know what. Things could have been a lot worse, I guess. 

"Sorry I didn't make it here in time, Mr. Mahon. I was off duty and at a banquet when I got the call. We really need more manpower at the station. We're hoping to get some new recruits soon."

It’s said the criminals frequent an old shed out by the fishing pond near the Culpepper place. Chuck and Ben are none too happy about that as they have been fishing in that pond since they were little boys and don’t appreciate having to share the place with a bunch of hoodlums - especially when we don’t know how dangerous they may be. So far the criminal element hasn’t made too big of a mark - in addition to theft, there's been some vandalism, and rumors of an illegal marijuana (aka buzzberry) farm back in the hills - but there’s no proof of it, at least not yet.

Sagehen Mesa sits on the coast, so we have some small beaches for recreation, but no resorts or hotels. If you plan on vacationing here, you’d better know someone or bring a tent. We get more out-of-town visitors than you would think. Us townies refer to them as paparazzi, but really most of them work for online magazines and other platforms that tout the wonders of “simple living.” I guess it’s a step up from those folks who have taken to traveling the country in vans and RVs, living the nomad lifestyle. I just hope that “simple living” doesn’t get so popular that our town floods with a bunch of outsiders who try to change what we have going on. Someone once said, “Call a place paradise, and kiss it goodbye.” I hope that won’t be the case with Sagehen Mesa. Don’t get me wrong - I welcome newcomers; a town needs some new blood once in a while to breathe new life into a place. I just don’t like change, and some newcomers want to bring in all kinds of big city amenities and change the personality of the place. No chain stores and condos please!

(That's Sagehen Mesa in the distance. There are several other mesas in and around the town, including Central Mesa, and some mesas named for some of the founding families: Culpepper Mesa, Mahon Mesa, etc.)

As for me, I’m a God-fearing Christian woman who lives out in the farming area in a cabin that has been in my husband Joe’s family for years. Joe has gone to his reward, but I’m still hanging on. I’m getting up in years, and it’s been hard to keep the place up. I used to be known for my beautiful and bountiful gardens, but lately they have gone to weeds. I’m not the type to ask for help, but God is good and he provides. 

My lovely granddaughter Hannah has recently graduated from college with a teaching degree and has taken a job here at the local school. She has moved in with me and insists on helping me with the things that have become difficult for me. She is such a sweet girl. No one asked her to do this. Her parents live in the fanciest house in town, and they have plenty of room for her there, but she insists on being my live-in help. I don’t have much to offer her, but she can have my house when I am gone, humble though it may be. 

She's as fond of old cars as her grandpa was!

Her mother, my daughter Lucile, doesn’t seem too keen on Hannah coming back home and moving in with me. I think deep down that she wanted Hannah to find a rich husband and “marry well” as they say. Hannah didn’t go to school to get her M.R.S.  degree - she hunkered down and studied hard, and I’m really proud of her. Lucile, bless her, has always been a bit of a social climber. Joe and I managed to scrape together enough money to send her to college, and she met Winston Baum, a medical student aspiring to be a surgeon. They married soon after he graduated, (she never did finish college), and she’s now living the dream of being a doctor’s wife. After working in the big city, raising Hannah, and sending her off to college, Winston and Lucile decided a slower pace was in order and moved here. They built the biggest, fanciest house just outside of town along the shore. “Fancy Pants Estate” is what I call it, and love to see Lucile get all riled up about it. 

Lucile and I get along just fine despite all my teasing, and Winston is very good to her, so I can't help but like him as well.

My house, as I said, has been in my husband’s family for years. It was built by Joe’s father during the Great Depression. It originally didn’t have indoor plumbing, but Joe made sure I had a bathroom and water available in the kitchen sink once we moved in. This house is small and dated, but then so am I. It’s full of things I love and things that remind me of Joe, and that’s how I like it.

Joe was a mechanic and owned a gas station and garage which has since been bought and turned into a bar. I’m not sure I like that, but there’s not much I can do about it.

It’s kind of a social hub, so I admit I go there once in a while - just for dinner and to see my neighbors, mind you. I’m a teetotaler through and through. Let the others get rough and rowdy on a Saturday night; I’ve got church in the morning. 

I admit the church isn’t that well attended. We have been between preachers, so I have had to step up as lay-preacher and give the Sunday sermons. I do my best, but I’ll be happy when someone shows up to take over. Mostly the congregation consists of me, Hannah, Chuck Culpepper, this sweet little girl named Guadalupe Coy, a young man named Anton Dexter who plays the piano, and Tess Mahon. We get the occasional visitor, but this is the core congregation.

I think Chuck’s main motivation for showing up on Sunday is that he’s sweet on me.

Guadalupe seems like a nice girl, but doesn’t share much about her life. Maybe she will once she gets used to us; she’s fairly new to town.

Anton is a rather talented musician and has aspirations of becoming a professional photographer. He's fairly new to town, so I don't know him well, but he's polite and respectful. Guadalupe recruited him to play piano for us when she first came to church and saw the need. She and Anton share a house, but from what I can tell, there's no romance between them.

Tess is not a Sagehen Mesa native, but she married one. I think she struggles in her marriage, but doesn’t talk about it - at least not to me, but the whole town knows because her husband Cliff is prone to causing scenes in public.

Tess married a rather mean-spirited sort who has a reputation for being cantankerous and abrasive. I remember Cliff was being an ornery kid, and he doesn’t seem to have grown out of it. 

Hannah should be home soon, and I like to have a little snack ready for her after she’s spent a long day with a bunch of little rascals, so I'll get back to you soon.

******

Hannah came home rather glum. She was hesitant to tell me what was bothering her, but a

little pumpkin pie finally coaxed it out of her. 

“I think I made a terrible mistake, and now I’m in an awkward situation that I don’t know how

to get out of,” she confided. “It has to do with Ben Culpepper. He works at the school and is

technically my boss. He seemed like a sweet old man, a little flirty, but it seemed all in fun.

Well, he made a flirtatious comment about my figure, so I blew him a kiss. I didn’t think he’d

take it seriously - I thought we were just having a laugh. But now he keeps saying he wants to

take me out on the town and is telling everyone that I’m his girlfriend. I just don’t know what

to do.”

“Oh that Ben! He’s always been inappropriate! Don’t blame yourself, honey. The women in our

family are simply irresistible to men. We can’t help it. It can be a strength and a curse. You’re

just going to have to tell Ben you aren’t interested in him that way,” I replied.

“Oh, I’ve tried! He says he’s taking me out to the bistro tonight. I told him I was busy, but he

insisted and told me he’d be here at seven.”

“Good! This will give you the opportunity to break the news to him away from the workplace,

and I’ll be around if you need back-up,” I encouraged. 

Sure enough, Ben arrived at seven on the dot. “I’m afraid this could cost me my job!” Hannah

cried. Nevertheless, she went out to meet him.

“Trust the Lord, Honey. These things tend to work themselves out.”

"Mr. Culpepper, I feel really bad if I misled you, but you see, I don't really have romantic feelings for you. You are a sweet man, but I'm just too young for you. You have a lot of life

experience, and I have very little. It just wouldn't work between us. I hope you understand,"

she said.

Ben was clearly upset by the news. "You made a fool of me, young lady! You really shouldn't

string people along and play with their hearts! Shame on you! I'm the best thing that could

happen to you! If you would spend my remaining years with me, I'd leave you a big fat

inheritance! I would have treated you like a queen! That is your loss! I wonder how you sleep

at night!" he huffed. Then he stormed off.

Hannah came back in the house clearly shaken. "Even if I don't lose my job over this, I don't

know if I can go back and work with that man!" she sobbed. "Maybe I need to find a different

job. Maybe I could be a coach for little kids' sports, or I hear the buzzberry farm could use a

few more workers," she said sarcastically.

"Now, now, don't get so dramatic! Tomorrow is a new day. Things will look better in the

morning. You'll see," I assured her.