Chapter 25 Chapter Twenty-Five

One very pleasant day in June, we decided it was time to start harvesting our first shrimp.Sue and I got up at dawn and cast a net in the pond and dragged it sideways across the pond till something snagged the net.First Sue tried to lift the net, then I tried, and then we tugged hard together, and finally we figured out that the net wasn't snagged-- it was full of shrimp and couldn't be dragged! We harvested about 300 pounds of shrimp that day until early evening, and then spent the night sorting them by size.The next morning, we put the prawns in baskets and carried them to the boat.The prawns were so heavy that we nearly capsized on our way to the town of Beit River.

There's a seafood packing house in town, and Sue and I haul shrimp from the dock to the scale room.After the whole calculation, we got a check for 865 yuan!That's probably the first honest money I've ever made since playing harmonica in Cracked Egg. For nearly two weeks, Sue and I collected shrimp from the net every day and shipped them to the packing plant.When the harvest was at last over, we had a total of nine thousand seven hundred dollars and twenty-six cents.This shrimp farming business is a success! Well, let me tell you, friend, it's a big happy event.We gave an eight gallon crate of shrimp to Bob's daddy and he was so happy and said he was proud of us and wished Bob was there.Afterwards Sue and I took the bus to Bumbil to celebrate.

I went to see my mom at the apartment first, and after I told her about the money and all, sure enough, she was teary again. "Oh, Forrest," she said, "I'm so proud of you--a retard can get so far." Anyway, I told my mom about the plan that next year we will triple the number of shrimp ponds, need someone to manage the income and expenses, etc., and I asked her if she would like to do the job. "You mean I've got to move all the way to Beit River?" Mom said. "There's nothing exciting there, how can I spend myself?" "Count the money." I said.

Afterwards, Sue and I went down to town and had a good meal.I went down to the wharf and bought Sue a big bunch of bananas and fixed myself a big steak dinner with mashed yams and green beans and all.Then I decided to find a place to have a beer.As I walked, passing a dark tavern on the shore, I heard a loud curse and shout: even after all these years, I still recognize the voice.I poked my head into the door, and sure enough, it was Curtis from the university back then! Curtis was so happy to see me, and called me a jerk, a scumbag, a fucker, and every other obscenity he could think of.It turned out that after leaving college, Curtis joined the Washington "Redskins" to play professional American football, but he bit the team owner's wife's ass at a party and was terminated.He played a few more years with two other teams, and then he took a job as a longshoreman, which he said suited his little college education.

Anyway, Curtis bought me two beers and we chatted to catch up.He said that "Snake Man" originally played quarterback for the "Green Bay Cans" but was caught drinking a bottle of Polish yogurt during halftime of a game against the Minneapolis "Vikings." Extra.Afterwards, the "Snakeman" went to the "Giants" in New York, until one time he played against the "Rams" and in the third quarter he called out the "Statue of Liberty" tactic. "Giants" coach says no one has called "Lady Liberty" in professional football since 1931

Tactical tactics, "snake people" shouldn't use it at all.But actually, Curtis said: That's not the "Statue of Liberty" tactics at all.According to Curtis, in fact, "Snake Man" took medicine and was stupid. He completely forgot to throw the ball when it was time to pass.Anyway, Curtis says "Snake Man" is now an assistant coach at a small ball joint somewhere in Georgia. After two beers, I had an idea and told Curtis. "Would you like to come and work for me?" I asked. Curtis yelled and yelled, and it took me a while to realize he was asking me what I wanted him to do.So, I told him about the shrimp business and about expanding it.He cursed and yelled for a while longer, but he said "yes" to the effect of that.

And that's how we worked our ass off that summer, fall, winter, and spring, me and Sue and Curtis, and even gave Bubba's dad a job too.We made nearly 30,000 yuan that year, and the business grew bigger and bigger.It couldn't have been better—Mum had stopped crying almost entirely, and we even caught Curtis smiling a little one day—but as soon as he saw us watching, he stopped smiling and started cursing again.On my part, however, the mood was not as happy as it should have been, for I was thinking of Jenny a lot, and wondering what would happen to her. One day, I decided to deal with this.It was Sunday, I got dressed and took the bus to Mobil. I arrived at Jenny's mother's house, and she was sitting watching TV when I knocked on the door.

After I identified myself, she said, "Forrest Gump! I can't believe it, come in!" Well, we sat down and talked for a while, and she asked how mum and I were doing and all, and then I finally asked about Jenny. "Well, I hardly hear from her these days," said Mrs. Curran. "I suppose they live somewhere in North Carolina." "Oh, does she have a roommate or something?" I asked. "Oh, you don't know, Gump?" she said, "Jenny's married." "Married?" I said. "It was two years ago. She had been living in Indiana, she moved to Washington, and then I got a postcard saying she got married and they were moving somewhere in North Carolina. If she Do you want me to tell her something?" "No," I said. "Actually, it's nothing. Maybe just tell her that I bless her."

"I'll be sure to tell her," said Mrs. Curran, "I'm glad you came to see me." How to put it, I thought, I should have been mentally prepared for this news, but I was not. I could feel my heart beating and my hands were cold and wet and I just wanted to find a place to curl myself up like when Bob got shot and died, so I did.I found a bush in someone's backyard, and I ducked under it, getting tired into a ball.I also seem to start sucking my thumb, which I haven't done in ages because, my mom always says it's a sign of an idiot - unless he's a baby.Anyway, I don't know how long I was there, but I think it was nearly a day and a half.

I don't blame Jenny, she had to.After all, I'm an idiot, and while some people say their wives and husbands are idiots, they can never imagine what it's like to marry a real idiot.I guess my feelings were mostly self-pity, because somehow I actually believed that Jenny and I would be together someday.So when I heard from her mom that she was married, it was like a part of me died and would never come back, because getting married wasn't like running away.Marriage is a very serious business.At some point in the night I cried, but it didn't help. It was late in the evening when I climbed out of the bushes and returned to Beit River.I didn't tell anyone,.Because I don't think it would do any good to speak out.There's some work to be done on the pond, mending the shrimp nets and stuff, I'll do it by myself.When I was done, it was already dark, and I made a decision—I would devote myself to the shrimp business and do my best to do it.I can only do so.

I just did it. We made seventy-five thousand dollars that year, not counting expenses, and the business was so big that I had to hire more people to help me run it.One of them was "Snake Man," a quarterback in college that year.He wasn't too happy with his current job as an assistant coach with a small team, so I put him in charge of dredging and flood relief with Curtis.I learned that Coach Fellers from high school was retired, so I gave him a job to work on the boat and dock with his two thug trainers who were also retired. Not long after, the newspaper got wind of it and sent a reporter to interview me, doing a report similar to "The Rural Kid Gets Famous".The report was published on Sunday, with a photo of me, my mother, and Sue, and the headline read: "Genuine Idiot Finds Future in Novelty Seafood Experiment." Anyway, shortly after the news hit the papers, Mom said we had to get someone to help her with some of the bookkeeping because, well, we were making so much money.I did think about it for a while, and then I decided to contact Mr. Tribble, because he made a lot of money in business before he retired.He was glad I called him, and he said he'd be on the next plane. A week after Mr. Tribble came here, he said we gotta sit down and talk. "Forrest," he said, "you've done a great job here, but the business has reached a point where it needs some serious financial planning." I asked him what financial plan?Di said this: "Invest! Diversify! Listen to me, as I see it, your profit for the next fiscal year will be about 190,000 yuan. The next year it will be nearly 250,000 yuan. Such high profits must be reinvested, otherwise the IRS will tax you. Reinvestment is the essence of American trade!" So we did. Mr. Tribble took care of everything.We started a couple of companies, one was "Argan Shellfish Company", another was "Sushi Stuffed Crab Company", and another was "Mama Crawfish Foods, Inc." In other words, the profit of 250,000 turned into 500,000, and after another year, it became 1 million. With such multiple growth, after four years, the business became a business with an annual profit of millions.Today we have nearly three hundred employees, including Poop and Vegetable, whose wrestling days are behind us, and we put them in the warehouse moving crates.I tried everything I could to find Dan, but he disappeared without a trace.We found Mike, the wrestling manager, and put him in charge of PR and advertising.He took Mister Tribble's advice and he actually got Marilyn Monroe to do a TV commercial for us--they dressed her up as a crab and she danced and said, "You haven't eaten crab until you've tasted Sue's crab! " In short, the business is doing very well.We have a fleet of refrigerated trucks and a fleet of shrimp, crab and fish.We have our own packaging plant, an office building, and have invested heavily in real estate such as communal communities, shopping centers, and oil and gas leases.We even hired Professor Quackenbusch, the English teacher at Harvard who got fired for molesting a student, and we made him a cook at Mom's food company.We also hired Colonel Gooch, who was kicked out of the Army after my Medal of Honor tour.Mr. Tribble put him in charge of: "covert activities". Mom went out and found someone to build us a big house.Because, she said that a business executive like me should not live in a shack. Mama said Sue could go on living in the shed and tending the pond.Now I have to wear a suit and carry a briefcase every day, looking like a lawyer.I'm in meetings all the time and listen to a lot of bullshit like Little black person Language and people call me "Mr. Gump" and all that stuff. Mobier City actually gave me the city key and invited me to be the director of the hospital and the symphony orchestra. One day, some people came to the office and said they wanted me to run for the U.S. Senate. "You're a no-brainer," the guy said.He wore a hand-tailored suit and smoked a large cigar. A former football star under "Big Bear" Blythe, a war hero, a famous astronaut, a close friend of two presidents—what more could be asked for? ' he asked. His name was Mr. Claxton. "Listen," I told him, "I'm just an idiot. I don't know anything about politics." "That would be more fitting!" said Mr. Claxton. "Listen to me, we need good people like you. Social hardcore, I tell you! Social hardcore!" I don't like the idea any more than I don't like other people's ideas for me, because other people's ideas often end up getting me into trouble.However, after I told my mother, she was teary and proud again, saying that if her son became a U.S. senator, it would be her dream come true. Well, here comes the day to announce the campaign.Mr. Claxton and the others rented a gymnasium in the Mobire, and dragged me up on stage in front of people who paid fifty cents to come in and listen to my bullshit.They first delivered a series of long speeches, and then it was my turn. "Fellows," I began.Mr. Claxton and others have written a speech for me, and there will be questions from the audience later.TV cameras panned, flashes went off, and reporters scribbled on their notebooks.I read the whole speech, it wasn't long, it didn't make sense—but what do I know?I'm just an idiot. After I finished speaking, a woman in the press box stood up and looked at her notebook. "Now we're on the verge of a nuclear crisis," says, "The economy is in ruins, the world condemns us, crime is in the cities, people are starving every day, families are dereligious, greed is in the land, farmers are bankrupt, foreigners invade and take us away." jobs, our unions are corrupt, slum babies are dying, taxes are unfair, schools are chaotic and desolate, disease and war are hanging over us like clouds of disease and war—in light of all this, Mr. Kimball,” she asked, “what do you think? Is the most pressing issue? "It was so quiet that you could hear a thin needle drop to the ground. "I need to pee," I said. The audience went crazy!People started shouting, cheering, waving.Someone from the back of the gym started chanting, and before long, the entire stadium was singing. "We're going to pee! We're going to be peeing! We're going to be peeing!" they yelled, and my mom had been sitting behind me on stage when she came and dragged me away from the mic. "You should be ashamed," she said, "to talk like that in public." "No, no!" said Mr. Claxton. "Very good! The crowd loves it. This will be our campaign slogan!" "What word?" Mom asked.Her eyeballs shrunk to the size of beans. "We're going to pee!" said Mr. Claxton. "Listen to them! No one has ever been so close to the common people!" But mother didn't believe it. "Who's ever heard of someone using a campaign slogan like that!" she said. "It's a disgusting phrase—and besides, what does it mean?" "It's a symbol," Mr. Claxton said, "think about it, we put it on billboards and signs and car stickers. And then make it into TV and radio ads. It's genius. That's it. We're going to pee to symbolize freedom from government persecution - the removal of all filth from this country...it represents anxiety and impending relief!" "What!" Mom asked suspiciously. "Are you crazy?" "Forrest," said Mr. Claxton, "you're going to Washington." That appears to be the case.The campaign went fairly well, and "we gotta pee" became the catchphrase.People shouted it in the street, from buses, from cars.Television commentators and newspaper columnists spent a lot of time explaining the meaning of this sentence to the public.Priests read it aloud from the pulpit and children sing it in schools.It looked like I was going to win, and, in fact, my opponent jumped the wall; changing his own slogan to "Pee, too!" was posted all over the state. And then it all fell apart, exactly as I had feared. The "I gotta pee" thing caught the attention of the national media, and it wasn't long before the Washington Post and New York Times sent investigative reporters to investigate the matter.They asked me a lot of questions and were very polite and friendly, but when I got back they started digging up my past.One day, the news appeared on the front pages of all major newspapers across the country at the same time. "A Senatorial Candidate's Life's Ups and Downs," read the headline. First, they reported that I had been dropped out of college my freshman year.Then they dug up Jenny and I went to the movies and I was dragged out of the theater by the police.Then they posted a picture of me showing my ass to President Johnson in the Rose Garden; A "possible incident of arson". What's more terrible-they actually investigated the fact that I was prosecuted for throwing a medal at Capitol Hill, and was sentenced by a judge to be sent to a lunatic asylum for observation.Also, they were very aware of my wrestling history and my nickname "Dumb".They even posted pictures of me being mummified by the "Professor".Finally, they mentioned that several "anonymous sources" said I was involved in a "Hollywood sex scandal involving a well-known actress." It's over now.Mr. Claxton storming into the campaign headquarters screaming "We're ruined! They stabbed us in the back!" bullshit.But it's over.I had no choice but to drop out of the race, and the next day, Mom and I sat down with Mr. Tribble for a long talk. "Gump," said Mr. Tribble, "I think you better stay out of the limelight." I know he's right.Besides, there are still some things that have been stuck in my heart for a long time, but I have never said them. When the shrimp business was first started, I loved the job, got up at dawn every day, went to the ponds to set the nets, and harvested, and so on, and Sue and I sat on the porch of the fishing shack at night, played the harmonica, and bought six cans of beer on Saturdays Get drunk. That's not the case at all today.I had to go to all kinds of dinner parties and eat mysterious looking things and the ladies wore big earrings and stuff.The phone keeps ringing all day and people keep asking me about the shit that's going on in the world.In the Senate, it must have been worse.I have absolutely no time for myself these days, and somehow a lot of things just slip by me. Also, now that I look in the mirror, I find that my face is wrinkled, my hair is graying, and my physical strength is not what it used to be.I know business has been going on, but myself, I feel like I'm spinning in circles.I wonder what I'm doing all this for?A long time ago, Bob and I had a business plan that is now far beyond our dreams, but so what?It's not as much fun as me playing ball with those Nebraska corn guys in the Orange Bowl or playing Cracked Egg in Boston Playing the harmonica during a show, or, for that matter, watching "Beverly Hillsmen" with President Johnson. Of course, I think my state of mind probably has something to do with Jenny, but since it's such an unavoidable thing, I might as well forget about it. Anyway, I realized I had to go.Mom was crying and wiping her tears with her handkerchief again and again, exactly as I expected, but Mr. Tribble knew all about my decision. "Why don't we tell everyone you're on a long vacation, Gump," he said, "of course, your business profits are always there, and you can take them whenever you need them." So I did.A few days later, one morning, I took some cash, threw a few clothes in a canvas bag, and went to the factory.I said good-bye to Mum and Mr. Tribble, and then I went out to shake everyone's hands--Mike, Professor Quackenbusch, The Shit, The Vegetable, The Snake Man, Coach Fellers and his goons, And Bob's dad and so on, everyone. After that, I went to the cabin and found Sue. "What are you going to do?" I asked. Sue grabbed my hand and took my bag to the door.We took a boat, rowed to the town of Beit River, and took a bus to Mobil.The ticket lady said, "Where are you guys going?" I shrugged, and she said, "Why don't you go to Savannah? I've been there once, and it's a great place." So off we went.