by Pam Richter
Jay banged on his glass with a fork for silence. Then he climbed upon a chair, so he could be above the crowd, and gestured dramatically at Robin. "This poor little rich guy wanted a woman who would love him without all the trappings; like career, wealth, famous relatives and wonderful friends like everyone gathered here tonight. He staged the Cinderella story in reverse. Julia truly believed Robin was a mechanic when they met, and he kept up the charade. Tony and I made a bet that he could never win the fair Julia. But he did. Then Robin gave Julia a ring she believed was fake diamonds. He was afraid she would toss it away. But Julia proved true and loved him through it all. I toast two truly wonderful people, Robin and Julia."
There was much hilarity from the good natured happy crowd.
More toasts were proposed to a successful prosecution against the drug lord, Aaron Quijada, which Tony and Jay would be handling from the District Attorney's office.
Julia was suddenly famished. This pregnancy was going to make her horribly fat, she thought. She was just picking up a cracker with salmon and chives, when Tony got on a chair and waved his hands for silence.
"Julia came to California to meet her brother, Brian, who was writing Quijada's autobiography. She found Brian in the hospital, almost beaten to death. Brian was only twenty-five years old when he died. Julia heroically went to work for Aaron Quijada to find out the truth about what happened to her brother."
Julia froze when everyone turned and looked at her with sympathy.
Tony went on, "Julia obtained the material that will put Quijada behind bars for the rest of his life. The recent drug arrests you have all read about in the newspapers occurred because Julia gave explosive material about Aaron Quijada to the District Attorney's Office."
"Now everyone," Robin said, holding up his hands for quiet, "my parents don't know about our engagement. And I want to tell them in a special way. So I'm asking you all to not say a word until after I make the announcement."
There were about seventy-five people in Robin's back yard and they all promised solemnly not to utter a word about the engagement.
Sarah slid through the crowd over to Julia. "All these people want to be your friends, Julia. You'll really have a wonderful life here."
"I could be a toad," Julia said laughing. "It's Robin they all like so much."
"They trust his judgement," Tony said, coming up beside Sarah and putting an arm around her shoulder. "Not even mentioning his taste in beautiful women."
If only Robin's parents would like her, Julia thought, the party would be perfect.
Several couples were dancing on a large hardwood platform that had been placed near the end of the pool, next to the live band. Robin came up to Julia. He had been looking at his watch anxiously, but he said, Let's go dance, and the two couples went to the dance floor.
Julia felt like she was in a happy dream with Robin's arms around her. She closed her eyes and wished this moment would never end. She had never felt so happy and content, startled again by how much she loved Robin. She had denied her feelings for so long that she felt profound relief to be free to love him for the rest of her life.
Robin stopped dancing. Julia opened her eyes and looked up at him. He was gazing at someone behind her. Then Julia heard a familiar voice.
"I assume this is Robin. The mechanic. And that he expects you to live with him. Here in La La Land." There was no mistaking who it was.
Julia turned around, her eyes widening with stunned, happy surprise. Charlotte was dressed in a beautiful gown with her white hair piled high upon her head.
"Only after we're married, Ms. Monay," Robin said, smiling charmingly.
"Mr. Chavier, thank you for inviting me to your party, but I must speak to my granddaughter. Alone."
Julia looked up at Robin and he smiled and nodded at her, giving her a little push in her grandmother's direction.
The two women went behind the pool area where there were tables where they could sit down comfortably. Julia wanted to hug Charlotte, but she could tell her grandmother was upset.
"I'm so happy you're here, Charlotte," Julia said. She felt a little nervous.
"Mr. Chavier called me last night," Charlotte said, without preamble. "He said he was planning to ask you to marry him. He asked for my blessing."
Julia looked at Charlotte, amazed. She was stunned by her grandmother's sudden appearance and shocked that Robin had asked Charlotte to come all the way to California without knowing the outcome of his proposal.
"I said I couldn't do that, without meeting him. All I knew was what you told me; that Robin was a mechanic and you didn't want to see him again."
"At the time, it was true," Julia said, trying not to smile.
"Robin had a courier at my home early this morning, with a plane ticket to Los Angeles. I need an explanation, Julia. I can see he's handsome as sin. I understand how you could be swept off your feet."
Julia started explaining the complicated story of how she met Robin and what precipitated their separation. It took some time.
Robin eventually came up to the table. Julia could see enigmatic emotions passing over his face. She could almost believe he was nervous. Julia smiled at Robin and stood up beside him. She took his hand and squeezed it as they waited for her grandmother to make a comment.
Charlotte was looking at her beautiful granddaughter and the handsome man standing there, both gazing at her expectantly. The fact that Robin was a prominent defense attorney and the son of a U.S. Senator had calmed her anxiety to a certain extent. She could see how her granddaughter looked at Robin. The girl was in love. There was no question about that.
Charlotte finally stood up and held out her hand. "You have my blessing, Mr. Chavier. But only if you promise to make Julia happy. And you must also promise to let Julia visit her grandmother in Boston occasionally."
"We'll both come often. In return, you have to come here and see us, too. You promise me."
Julia could tell that Charlotte was falling under Robin's spell as Robin insisted Charlotte have at least one dance with him.
As Robin turned toward the dance floor, Charlotte leaned over and whispered to Julia. "I think I like this man. But I do hope you won't be a thoroughly modern couple and put off having children for years and years. I would like some great grandchildren."
"I promise, Charlotte," Julia said, solemnly, "you'll have a grandchild soon."
"I'll hold you to that promise, young lady," Charlotte answered imperiously. Julia was laughing as she watched Robin guide her grandmother across the crowded back yard.
As he stopped occasionally to introduce his friends to Julia's grandmother, Robin was explaining that he urgently needed Charlotte's help with preparations for the upcoming wedding. If Julia hadn't known how sincere Robin was, she would have believed he was a very smooth operator.
Julia smiled as she thought of wonderful ways to show her thanks later tonight for Robin's thoughtfulness in inviting her grandmother to the party. And she had ammunition to tease him mercilessly. He had asked for her hand before he had even proposed to her.
CHAPTER 31
Robin stood in the living room with a few close friends of the Chavier family, waiting for the door bell to ring. Julia had positioned herself at the side of the entrance hall so she could take pictures when Robin's parents arrived.
Most of the surprise guests were hidden outside, by the pool. Jay looked outside and told them to be quiet. He had just heard a car coming up the drive.
Julia could feel her heart thumping with expectation, hard drum beats knocking against her chest walls. She knew Robin would marry her, even with parental disapproval, but she desperately wanted them to like her. She kept repositioning the camera and licked her dry lips.
This was an unusual situation because prospective parents-in-law usually met the intended over a few months, or even years, and knew what to expect. Her own grandmother had been shocked and appalled. Julia didn't know what would happen. Public figures were sometimes very diffe
rent than their portrayal in the media. Maybe the Chaviers would be miserable, nasty people, although that was a little hard to believe, knowing Robin as she did. Still, she was nervous.
Robin had handed out glasses of wine and everyone held them up as the bell rang.
When Robin opened the door, they all yelled, Surprise. Julia took a deep breath. She could feel herself pass calmly into her professional mode as she snapped pictures of the handsome couple moving inside and greeting the guests.
Senator Chavier was almost as tall as Robin. He had the same electric blue eyes, a craggy gaunt face, and looked even more handsome than the pictures she had seen of him on television and in the newspapers. This was the man the whole country loved, while they seemed to disprove of every other politician now in office.
Robin's mother was absolutely breathtaking. She had a youthful face and her white hair seemed a premature mistake with her glamorous appearance. Her beauty and queenly posture were almost forbidding, except when she smiled. Together they looked like a couple out of Camelot.
The senator and his wife were greeting everyone with happy enthusiasm, genuinely pleased by the small surprise party in honor of the senator's birthday. Robin handed them glasses of champagne from the bar that was set up near the fireplace, as they gazed at the decorations. They were commenting to Robin about the flowers and the huge banner which spread across the entire room.
"You even have a professional photographer," Julia heard the senator murmur to Robin, as she continued taking pictures.
Robin caught Julia's eye and motioned her over. "Julia is a professional photographer," he said as she came up beside him. Robin put an arm around her shoulder and then leaned down and kissed her cheek. In front of his famous parents! Julia felt tongue tied. She let go of the camera with one hand and reached out to shake their hands, saying she was so happy to meet them.
"We've been looking forward to meeting you, Julia," Senator Chavier said with an enigmatic smile she couldn't interpret. He was a politician, charming down to his very bones, and Julia was definitely charmed, even as she felt him looking her over speculatively and with intense curiosity. His quick eyes seemed to take her in, but she couldn't tell if the warm smile was that of a polished and canny politician, or if it was really directed at her with genuine feeling.
"Robin kept us up on the case against Aaron Quijada. It was quite audacious of you, taking his records and handing them to the authorities," the senator said.
Julia was struck for a moment by his eyes. They were just like Robin's, she thought irrationally, maybe a little darker blue. "At the time I was frightened out of my mind. I desperately wanted to find out the truth about my brother. But I implicated Robin in a dangerous situation."
"Everything worked out, though," Robin said. "Julia was very brave."
"Robin saved my life," Julia said simply, looking up at him and smiling. "Several times."
"I'm so sorry about your brother, dear," Ms. Chavier said. "Robin told us of his untimely death."
Her voice was so soft and sincere that Julia suddenly pictured her brother, almost felt him standing beside her, and she wished with all her might he could be here and alive. She could feel tears in her eyes. "Thank you, Mrs. Chavier."
Robin still had his arm around her and he gave her shoulders a tight squeeze.
Julia noted that the crowd outside was unbelievably quiet. The draperies were drawn, but the doors to the back yard were open. There wasn't so much as a cough or whispered remark to reveal the presence of at least seventy people waiting just outside the drawn draperies. The army of caterers in the kitchen, who had been banging pots and pans, making an unbelievable racket, was totally silent.
Julia could see Tony from the corner of her eyes positioning himself to pull open the curtains, which he did abruptly and with a loud, "Oh, look!" Julia backed up so she would be in position to take a picture of the senator's reaction.
Outside, the band suddenly began playing. Everyone was singing "Happy Birthday."
Robin's parents were startled and she got their response on film. It was a poignant moment, the crowd standing outside singing Happy Birthday, loudly and with enormous enthusiasm, swaying and holding up their glasses. She heard the senator laugh with surprised delight. Then Robin's parents were moving forward, through the doors, to greet their friends.
The band immediately went into a rousing rendition of, "For He's a Jolly Good Fellow."
Robin held Julia back for a moment and watched his parents engulfed by the well-wishers. He took the moment to kiss her cheek again. "I was hoping to surprise you. But you knew."
Julia nodded. "It made me more nervous, if that was possible, knowing your father is a famous senator. Your parents were really surprised when Tony opened the curtains."
"No they weren't," Robin said. "They knew."
"Really?"
"Yeah. The whole family's practically psychic. They expected a small party, so maybe the crowd outside surprised them a little. It's hard for me to shock them. I'm sure you'll manage to give them some good ones in the future."
Julia laughed, looking up at him, as they went outside. "All they'll have to do is count the months. You kissed me, right in front of them. That must have stunned them. I mean, they've never even met me before."
"It's impossible to hide how I feel. If they didn't guess before, and they probably did, they knew the moment they saw us together. They like you, Julia," Robin whispered, leaning down so no one else could hear, "I can tell. You seemed nervous."
"Did it show?" Julia asked.
Robin nodded and smiled down at her. "It was cruel of me not to reassure you before. But I knew they would like you even better if they could see how much it meant to you."
"It does mean a lot," Julia admitted. "I've lost my whole family, except for Charlotte."
Julia took roll after roll of photographs, until dinner was announced and everyone sat down at the banquet tables outside under colorful paper lanterns. The waiters served a sumptuous three course meal. The band was still playing traditional songs softly as everyone savored the lavish feast.
After the dinner there were many droll birthday toasts to the senator. Finally Robin stood up and announced that he was giving a present to his father. Everyone who wanted to could come and see. He grabbed Julia's hand as the whole assemblage followed them out the front door. The crowd was so large some of the people were standing inside, looking outside through the front room windows.
There was an enormous, amorphous lump under a huge yellow tarp, which had been placed in the middle of the circular driveway. A gigantic yellow bow had been positioned on top of the strange looking edifice.
"What in the world...?" Senator Chavier murmured.
Robin strode over and stretched up, pulling off the ribbons on top, which he threw to his mother. She caught it in her arms. The yellow bow was so large it appeared as though she was holding a big bouquet of bright yellow flowers.
Tony and Jay took a position at each end of the tarp and grabbed hold. The drummer from the band had come out with one of his instruments, There was a grand drum roll, as Jay and Tony slowly pulled the tarp off of the gigantic yellow truck.
Julia gasped in astonishment when she saw what Robin had done to the huge, ugly monstrosity she remembered. It was shiny, and all the dents had been removed. The inside had been recovered in beautiful soft white leather. The chrome gleamed. The enormous tires were polished a bright, shiny black. From the front, the grill appeared to be smiling brilliantly. It wasn't pretty. But it was unusual, outlandish and very cute.
There was a collective gasp from the crowd. Then a moment of stunned quiet, followed by a burst of laughter from the senator. He walked over and opened the passenger door. Everyone, following his lead, began laughing uproariously.
"I love it, Robin. A real vintage, by the looks. I can hardly wait to house it with the other ancient wrecks."
"Yeah, Dad, I thought it would fit right in with the old metal toys," Robin said, r
eferring to the rare collection of antiques vehicles that the senator adored and always called his 'grand old hunks,' or 'vintage wrecks.'
The senator was still peering inside and he picked up the keys from the dashboard. "Custom interior," the senator remarked. He had controlled his laughter with some obvious effort. "This is very unusual, indeed."
Robin handed him the pink slip. "Now I need the keys, Dad."
"Oh. Are you planning to take my new truck on a little joy ride?"
"Yes Dad," Robin said.
"You will be careful? Not stay out too late tonight. Remember, son, you have a curfew and I expect you to be home at a decent hour for once in your life."
Julia understood they were happily reenacting a scene which had probably taken place many times during Robin's adolescence.
"You can't be serious, Dad," Robin said, in a complaining, aggrieved tone. "I'm grown-up now. Even taller than you."
"I am totally serious, young man," the senator remarked sternly, holding the keys up and waggling them under Robin's nose. "I want to know where you're going, and who you will be with tonight."
"It's going to be a long trip, Dad," Robin said. He looked serious all of a sudden, after the hilarity with which the truck was received. "Probably fifty or sixty years. And I'm taking Julia."
Julia didn't know that Robin had planned to make his announcement in this way. He hadn't raised his voice. But now he walked over to her and put his arm around her shoulders, guiding her until they stood together in front of his parents. Julia could feel her knees shaking. She could hear the Chavier's friends behind her repeating excitedly to the other guests what Robin had told his parents.
Now the senator and his wife did look surprised. They were glancing back and forth at Julia and Robin. Julia thought they might be stunned speechless. Nobody moved or said a word for a long moment. Then the senator stepped forward and enveloped her in a tight, rib cracking hug. After a moment he loosened his grip and looked down at her. "Welcome, Julia. You're a beautiful addition to our family. It's the best present I could ever have for my sixtieth birthday."