Westpoint Tales - Afterword.

Toddy and Jinks moved in together as soon as they finished school. Life was good until the day Toddy did not come home. Jinks was worried almost to death. No phone call no nothing and no one had seen him. Then a couple of days later he showed up with a girl. Jinks was devastated. His worst fears had come true. He had become another notch on Toddy’s bed post. The boy he loved had moved on and Jinks lost not only a lover but a friend. There was quite a scene. Toddy said that he didn’t need this, grabbed his things and left.

Jinks waited, hoping against hope that Toddy would return, but could he forgive him? A day later Grant came by asking what happened. He told Jinks that after staying the night at his old home, he packed his bag, and left saying goodbye, that he was leaving Westpoint and never coming back.

Jinks resigned himself to living without the love that he wanted just as he had been doing much of his life. He threw himself into his work and for a while that helped. He became a very successful horse trainer and did very well. However, he kept to himself. He avoided contact with his friends even though they tried to help. He just didn’t want to be reminded of Toddy. One day Christian Squires came by looking for a job. Christian did not know it, but he was related to Jinks. Each had a mother who was a Carver. However, Jinks’ mother did better with her choice of husbands than Christian. He wanted to help Christian but the only job he could offer was mucking out the stables. Not much of a job and it did not pay much, but Christian was grateful for it. Jinks was surprised when Roman Dallas came by looking for Christian. It did not seem like they would have anything in common. He was even more surprised when he learned how they felt for each other. Roman would come by and help Christian all the time. You had to really care about someone to help him shovel shit. They were both very interested in horses and Jinks taught them what they wanted to know.

When they finished school, they came to him and told him of their plan to refurbish/restore the farm where they were living in to a resort ranch, Carver’s Ranch. Would he help them acquire a stable of houses? He was glad to do it but seeing the love that Christian and Roman had for each other was a very painful reminder of what he lost. He decided that he could not stay in Westpoint any longer. George had stayed forty years waiting for Jeremy but Jeremy returned in a coffin. Stuff that. Besides, George did not know his Jeremy all his life like he knew Toddy. Everything and everyone in Westpoint reminded him of Toddy. He had to get away. When he was finding horses for Christian and Roman he learned of a trainer’s job in Britain. He decided to take it. Sixteen years after Toddy left, Jinks left for England.

He was successful in England and developed quite a reputation as a horse trainer there. As Disney keeps telling us in song, it’s a small world, and one day after the races concluded at Newmarket, Jinks was walking from the grandstand to the stables across the lawn where corporations set up hospitality tents, he saw him. He stopped in his tracks and stared at the still blond man who was packing up after entertaining clients. Toddy sensed that someone was there and looked up. They stared at each other for what seemed like hours.

Toddy said, “Is it too late to ask for forgiveness?”

Jinks replied, “Forgiveness? I waited sixteen years for you to return. You never did. Every day I hurt because I still love you. I left Wespoint because I every place and every person reminded me of you and I couldn’t stand it anymore.”

“Jinks, I am all alone. I have been alone every since I left you. I could never get up the courage to ask you to take be back after what I did. I have no right to ask you for forgiveness but you should know that I still love you as well. I guess I always will and I guess I will always be alone because there can be no one but you.”

The conversation went on. Slowly the hurt began to heal. They got together on a trial basis that became permanent. Finally, after years of mutual hurt, life became good again. They pursued their careers and never thought about going back to Westpoint.

When the king died, they were reminded of their own mortality. They confessed that they would like to be buried in Westpoint and promised each other that which ever of them survived, the other would take them back to Westpoint for burial. Then they began to think, why wait? They were wealthy enough to retire and they had sufficient income to live on without working. Why not move back now?

They sold the flat, tided up their business affairs, and booked flights back to Westpoint.

They landed in Wellington in the evening and were booked on the morning flight to Westpoint. As they approached the caught their first glimpse out of the window of the eighteen passenger jet of the place they left more than fifty years before. The town looked the same. The racecourse and Britannia Square were clearly visible. But they could not believe the development in North Beach or Carver Beach. There was huge building on North Beach. They couldn’t imagine what it was.
After they landed they asked about getting into the town. There was still no real taxi company but Duncan Motors did provide car and drivers when requested. One had just brought some people to the airport and was about to return to the village. The driver, Alex Duncan, introduced himself and offered to take them to town.

“Where do you want to go?” asked Alex.

They were not sure as they had not given any thought to where they would stay until they found a permanent place. They asked him to take them to the Adelphi, hoping that it was still there.

“Be glad to,” said Alex.

“Are you one of the Duncan’s of Duncan Motors?” Jinks asked.

“Sort of,” said Alex. “The company was started by my father’s uncle. I am named after his brother, my grandfather. My family owns a restaurant and gallery on Cape Foulwind.”

The car arrived at the new Adelphi, the huge building they had seen from the plane.

“What’s this?” asked Toddy.

“This is the new Adelphi, where you wanted to go,” responded Alex.

They walked into the lobby and approached the desk. To the right was a huge ball room being decorated for some sort of event.

“Do your have a room for us?” asked Jinks. “We do not have a reservation.”

“I am sure that we can find something. How long will you be staying/”

“We are not sure, until we find a permanent place to live.”

Toddy commented, “Looks like you are getting ready for some sort of celebration.”

“Yes sir. Today is the owners seventy-fifth birthday and there is a big party tonight.”

“Who are the owners?”

“The Reynolds brothers.”

“Superboy and Iceman own this place!?” Toddy said to Jinks.

The desk clerk overhead the comment and said, “Excuse me a moment while I check on our room availability.” He stepped into the office adjacent to the front desk and dialed the number of the owner’s quarters. Billy answered the phone.

“Mr. Mathesion, this is David at the front desk. There are two gentlemen just checking in who I suspect might know the Reynolds brothers.”

“What are their names?”

“They signed the register as Kevin Jenkins and Barney Todd.”

“Is the Carl Douglas Suite available?”

“Yes sir.”

“Put them in it and make sure they come to the party tonight. And David, ask the decorating crew to put up another banner, ‘Welcome Home, Toddy and Jinks’.”

David returned to the front desk with two key cards. He gave them to Jinks and Toddy and told them they were invited to the party that evening.

Jinks said, “I do not think we can do that, we would not want to impose.”

David responded, “The owners will be very upset and upset with me if you do not come. These cards are the key to your room. The lifts are to your left. Insert one of the cards into the slot in the lift marked ‘Suites” and that will take you to your floor. You are in the Carl Douglas Suite which is to your right as you exit the lift.”

“Thank you,” said Jinks looking as the clerk’s brass name tag, “David, is it?”

“Yes sir, David Mathews. I was named after my grandfather.”

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