August and Beyond
by
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Morgan Fields stood with hands on hips. His head nodded from time to time as he watched Augie drive a diesel engine back and forth on the same track where Geronimo had taught Augie to drive a steamer years ago.
Augie waved from the cab at Morgan as Randolph sat in a switchman's seat watching his pupil's every move. "Don't wave! Don't wave!" Randoph yelled. "Keep your hands on the controls. Wave from your car if you want but not from a train's engine."
"Lots of engineers have waved at me when I was growing up and waving to them from my back yard," Augie shot back. "What if some kids wave at me when I go by them? Kids like trains, ya know."
"Smile and nod at them," Randolph replied as he wrote something on a paper attached to a clipboard on his lap. Augie could only guess that he was getting a bad mark for his wave at Morgan.
While Randolph didn't approve of Augie's habit of waving to train-watchers, it didn't affect Augie's becoming a diesel engineer. Randolph highly recommended Augie for the job and Morgan was more than happy to accept the New Yorker's recommendation.
A four-axle GP-15 yard switcher, however, would not be powerful enough to haul 100-plus loaded freight cars to and from Chicago on a daily basis. Augie next would have to practice driving a N.Y.C. six-axle diesel, namely a SD-40-2. The size and power of those engines quickly impressed Augie on the importance of being alert at the controls at all times of such monsters.
Willie and Charlie, meanwhile, were wrapping up switchmen's training in the Junction yards. Each complained of small cuts and bruises to their hands and arms. They were none too happy about having their hands and clothes looking dirtier than Augie's either.
After the final day of training for all three, they shook hands and patted one another on the back. It also led Willie to comment, "Look at Augie's finger nails, Charlie. They're clean as a whistle. Ours look like hell. The dirt is so deep under my nails I could grow taters down in 'em."
"It's just part of your job," Augie countered. "Don't blame me. Learn to become an engineer."
"Maybe I'll do just that, Aug," Willie grumbled. "Just might be takin' over yer job one day. But for now, I think the guy with the cleanest hands oughta treat the others to a round of beer. Don't ya agree, Charlie?"
"I sure do. I'm thirsty as all hell. That sun out there today was a bitch. Let's stop over at Sadie's for a cold one."
Augie shuffled his feet. "Gee, guys, I really oughta be gettin' home. It's almost 5 o'clock. Ruthie likes to have us eatin' supper by 5:30 when I'm in town."
"Dammit, Aug, don't tell me yer so henpecked that ya can't even stay out with the boys for one stinkin' beer once in a while," Willie challenged his younger cousin.
"It's not that, Will. It's just that I try to be home on time when Ruthie has supper ready. Don't ya do that for Cleo?"
"Hell, no. Dammit, Aug, I'm the man of the house in my family. What I say goes. If I want to stay out to midnight, then Cleo cooks my supper at midnight. Right, Charlie? Ain't that the way Loretta does for you?"
"Sure does, Will. Us guys gotta let them dames know who's the boss in the house."
"Okay, okay," Augie surrendered. "One beer, but that's all. Just one."
"Yer car or mine?" Willie asked.
"Let's drive our own cars to the tavern," Augie responded. "I want my car handy when I decide to go home. I don't trust ya two guys settling for just one beer."
"Hear that, Charlie? Aug don't even trust his own train crew. I'm not sure I wanna work with a guy like that. He probably won't even trust us to hook up his little freight cars every day." Willie giggled all the way to the N.Y.C. parking lot.
************
Sadie's Tavern sat along the north side of Page Avenue, hardly a stone's throw from the Junction rail yards. Its old, wooden building was painted a dark green, with an enclosed stairway on the west side that led up to the second floor of the structure.
Sophie was correct about the railroad workers patronizing the area's taverns and saloons. Sadie's already had a near-capacity crowd of fellow railroaders when Augie, Willie and Charlie walked in the front door.
Smoke filled the room. As did noise from an upright, floor-model juke box, which pumped out nothing but country songs. "Play 'I'm Walkin' the Floor Over You' again, Barney," a voice shouted from a stool at the bar as a man wearing a N.Y.C. cap approached the juke box.
"Here's an empty one," Willie yelled out as he commandeered the last vacant table. "Sit yer butts down and let's do some serious celebratin'. It ain't often I pass any kind of class." Willie snickered.
Augie waved his hand to brush smoke away from his face. He coughed lightly. He was about to complain about the smoke and beer spills on the table top when a voice called out to him.
"Augie! Augie Kruger! What in the world are you doin' here? Yer sure a sight for sore eyes! I thought they put you in prison as a draft-dodger."
After looking up, Augie's face turned bright red. "Dottie ... Dottie Mae ... what ya doin' here?" Augie stuttered. "I thought ya worked at the Rail Spur Tavern."
"I quit that dump, honey. Now, I'm right here to take my lover's order. You are old enough to drink, aren't you? You still look just like a little boy," Dottie Mae giggled and wiggled her hips. "Wanna meet me upstairs after I get off work, honey? I can take you on a trip to paradise."
"I'm married, Dottie Mae."
"Yes, yes, I know. You married Ruthie. You've told me a hundred times. So what? All the men I see after work are married. No big deal." Dottie Mae ran her fingers through Augie's hair.
"Thanks, Dottie Mae, but I gotta be home by 5:30," Augie said, then immediately wished he hadn't used that as an excuse.
"Dottie Mae, little Augie here must be home for his supper or he'll have to sit in the corner the rest of the night," Willie chuckled. "That Ruthie is a holy terror when Augie's a bad boy."
"I always thought Ruthie to be rather mousy," Dottie Mae remarked. "Marriage must have changed her for the better. I'll have to invite her up to my apartment for a drink some time," Dottie Mae said as she tapped a pencil on her order pad.
"Ruthie don't drink," Augie quickly advised.
"Too bad. I'd like to have a drinkin' buddy. I've been drinkin' a lot since Freddie and I got divorced and Freddie got killed in the war. He gave his life for his country, Augie. What did you give?"
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About the Book
World War II has ended and the people of Jackson Junction are getting on with their lives in peacetime.
Well, let's say the war has ended for most of the town's residents. However, not for August "Augie" Hans Kruger. He returns to Jackson Junction only to find himself haunted by his encounter with his German cousin during a secret mission in France during the war.
That was an encounter in which Augie spares the life of his German cousin, Rudolph August Kruger.
Several events lead Augie to believe that cousin Rudy not only survived the war but is now living in America ... maybe even as close as the Detroit area.
Augie has to know for sure. He has to know exactly where to find Rudy. There's something mysterious about Rudy.
Never one to pass up an opportunity to solve a mystery, Augie and his American cousin, Willie, begin a search for Rudy that leads them to visiting "the beyond", a world ruled by psychics and their mystical powers.
However, it's not as easy as that. Mainly, because Augie is haunted by yet another person of his past. One Dottie Mae Reardon Cox, who has made it her goal in life to destroy Augie any way she can. That sends Augie into perhaps the scariest adventures of his life, dragging Willie right along with him.
And, as in "August in Paradise", Augie again finds disaster and despair in Chicago, a city he vows never to return to, even if it means giving up his paradise of being a railroad engineer.
Adventures and mysteries have been a part of Augie's life since he was 8 years old. They're not about to stop for him as an adult. "August and Beyond" more than proves that point.
What lies "beyond" for August Hans Kruger? Much more than he ever expected.
About the Author
ROBERT A. FREY confesses to being an addict of hometown history, railroading, mysteries and creative writing.
The latter has led him to write several books on one or more of those subjects. However, it wasn't until 2002 that he had his first novel published, August in Paradise, by 1stBooks Library.
The satisfaction of writing that novel led him to write August and Beyond, which, as a sequel, continues the adventures and challenges of August "Augie" Hans Kruger.
"I just couldn't let Augie's adventures end in one novel," Frey says. "He's too much of an interesting character, as are those who are part of his family. Besides, the first book ended with a certain dilemma for readers. There had to be a second book to wrap up some loose ends ... and then send Augie off on more adventures and mysteries to solve."
Frey has been a professional writer since age 17, when he was hired by a local daily newspaper, the Jackson (Michigan) Citizen Patriot, as a part-time sports writer. He continued in that role until he graduated from Michigan State University in 1955 with a major in journalism.
The day following his graduation, he was hired as a full-time employee of the Citizen Patriot. After a stint in the U.S. Navy, he returned to the Citizen Patriot and worked there until his retirement in 1988. During his tenure at the newspaper, he covered the police, school, government and state beats until spending about thirty years as a writer, copy editor and page designer for the sports department.