SHIPS CompanionSHIP, FriendSHIP, RelationSHIP

by K'Anne Meinel

  In the basement they had put in a sauna next to the Jacuzzi and they used it constantly those first few weeks to relax. Joan realized a fantasy of being made love to in the steamy sauna by Grace. They purchased some exercise equipment for them both to work out on and Joan bought a punching bag and a few pads to use as well. The entire eastern wall of the basement was windows and patio doors leading out onto a patio with steps leading off to the gazebo. More steps meandered down the hill to a dock that had been built for them on the river. On the patio a state of the art barbecue was set up and tables and chairs could eventually set out there. Back in the basement in the corner facing the patio they put the widescreen tv in the corner. A half circular couch they placed surrounding it. It had two pull out beds for extra guests. Behind the couch were the oak shelves for their books, tapes, and things. An entire entertainment arena. Across from this on the north and west wall was the spare bedroom.

  In their bedroom they could look west out through the windows on either side of their bed over the gazebo where they had another Jacuzzi. The gazebo was small and it’s lattice work beautiful. On the east side of their bedroom was their large open bathroom with it’s two person bathtub that allowed you to sink to below your shoulders. Next to the bathtub was a glass enclosed shower that if you closed the top slat of the shower it became a steam room. The shower heads could blast you away with their massage. Joan had insisted on a huge water heater and plenty of water pressure for these very purposes. A second heater had been installed for the rest of the household needs. Next to the bathroom was a huge walk in closet. Grace had insisted on California shelving and the clothes rods, baskets, and shelves were wonderful for storing all their clothes and shoes. On the north wall were windows that overlooked the front lawn with it’s circular driveway to the carriage house. Joan had placed her jewelry cabinet between the windows. In the corner between the walk in closet and the front windows was a stand for the TV and DVD/VCR combo. In the opposite corner nearer to their bed stood an electric fireplace. In front of the windows sat two chairs.

  The skylights strategically placed about the roof brought light into the house at all times in the studio and bedroom. In between the skylights were solar panels on the southern exposure of the house. These panels heated not only their water but the whole house. Joan had insisted on an enviro-friendly house if possible. A headache for Tom but one for which he had been amply compensated. Across the hallway from their bedroom was a set of closets that contained their stackable washer and drier. Joan had seen this once in a house and as most of their clothes would be upstairs anyway it made sense to have that convenience.

  On the main floor as you entered the house was a slate entranceway. Beautiful gray stone graced the floor on the outside and into the house. Two oaken doors opened into the porchway of the house. Colored glass within them and on both sides of the doorway. If you turned right you went into the kitchen past the stairwell to upstairs. Another right would put you into the powder room. To the left of the powder room was a little alcove that looked out on the front yard and contained their everyday table. Across from the alcove was the kitchen it’s gleaming pots and pans. Grace had insisted on these hanging from the ceiling and a chopping island in the middle for fixings. Beyond the kitchen was an arched doorway to the dining room.

  If you went left from the front doors you went down steps from the slate into the living room which was spread out and large. The couch circled around the fireplace in the north wall. Steps up led to an area that they put rocking chairs in, those cool gliding ones. Joan put her plants here in a charming disarray. To the right of this area was the dining room with it’s new table and display cabinets. Lining the entire length of the east wall were French doors leading out onto their deck. Stairways from each end of the deck let you depart for the gazebo on one end and the garage on the other.

  The garage was a departure from their chalet look. They chose as close a mix to a chalet as they could for the carriage house so it wouldn’t look odd and would somewhat match. A three room apartment was up stairs similar to the one in Malibu in it’s design. The carriage house was large enough for three cars and deep enough to accommodate the new longer vehicles. In back of the carriage house was two roll up doors at each end. A boat or a lawn mower could be put in either side. Over this building was a balcony for the carriage apartment. Behind this building was the log pile. Most of the wood just sat there and they would have to make arrangements for someone to cut it up into cords of wood.

  It took months to settle in. It was the following February before they felt that enough was enough and threw a large party. They invited everyone they knew and their kids. They hired caterers to handle the food and the clean up. Grace introduced Joan to people from work. They had heard about her from Grace but few had actually met her. Many were left very impressed with the artist. Joan invited her boys and their families. Adam was able to get Gwen to come. Bryan brought a date but no one he was serious about. As a surprise to Grace, Joan arranged for Joanne, Tracey, and Addie to come. She had invited Ken and Tina as well but both had refused. She sent a ticket to Madge and her assistant Amy. She invited Jack but he declined. Allan and Yoshi came.

  The party was a huge success. Everyone had a lovely time. Kids were thrilled at the entertainment center downstairs. Men flocked to see it. Their wives weren’t as enthused about it. A lot of people enjoyed using the jacuzzi and steam room. Several even tramped out through the snow to the gazebo to brave that jacuzzi. Refreshing was the word.

  Joan unveiled three new pieces which thrilled Allan, Yoshi, and Madge. More work for all of them and it was beautiful. Inspired by their lovely new house Joan was painting frantically when she could. All that bottled up from last year when she could not.

  The surprise for Grace was absolute. Seeing Joanne, Tracey, and Addie was wonderful. They even were able to stay the weekend with them. Their respective spouses weren’t able to come but it was fun for the friends. No one felt awkward at the party. No whispers about lesbians or gays. It was a bunch of people just having a great ole time. The house was beautiful and shone at it’s best.

  Tom had received a lot of business because of it. He couldn’t claim the design but the book Joan had given him of pictures made a great impression on people. A few from the party that lived locally talked with him about creating their own places. Business was good for him these days.

  The party started on a Friday night and some people didn’t leave until Saturday night. Locals and Craig and Jane left and came back, Adam and Gwen stayed over, Bryan would have stayed but for his date.

  ~ CHAPTER 22 ~

  At the end of February they decided to get a part time housekeeper. After several rotten interviews Joan threw her hands up in disgust and let Grace handle it. Grace took off a day from work and scheduled several. The third one was an older woman, a Mrs. Richardson that she immediately liked. After finishing interviews that day she called and hired her.

  Her duties weren’t too strenuous. Neither Joan nor Grace had time to clean house so she did that. She’d get there in the morning as Grace would be leaving. She’d wash Graces breakfast dishes and prepare breakfast for Joan. Grace was adamant about Joan eating breakfast. She’d lightly clean and putter around the house until lunchtime. Somedays Joan would eat lunch but most days she forgot about it while she worked. She would do their laundry or shopping in the afternoon. Late in the afternoon she would start supper to be sure it was done for when Dr. Monroe came home. Very often Grace would walk in and sit down just as it was finished. It was uncanny how punctual it all was. Then Mrs. Richardson would leave for the day. Joan and Grace could manage to put their supper dishes in the dishwasher and put the leftovers in their refrigerator.

  Every Friday Mrs. Richardson vacuumed. Their hardwood floors were fairly easy to keep clean and with their central vac unit they kept things fairly neat. Upstairs they had wall to wall carpeting. She even took over watering Joan’s plants as well as making sure the water remained pure in
the Jacuzzi’s. She’d take their cars in and sit while they were tuned up. A very efficient woman, very capable. They were all pleased with their arrangement.

  ~ CHAPTER 23 ~

  In March Joan and Grace went to Milwaukee to the boat and sports show. They took Aaron with them to give Jane a break and to give Craig time with his wife.

  Aaron was about to turn four and he was so excited about the trip. They took the Mercedes. Neither car was good in the snow but the roads were fairly clear if it didn’t snow again. They stayed at nice hotel near the sports arena where the show was to be. Aaron was thrilled to have a couch of his own to sleep on in the suite! Joan and Grace indulged him as Grandma’s should. Grace no longer felt the pang of not having one of her own. Aaron’s absolute acceptance of her cured her of that. She was co-grandma and he adored her as much as his real Grandma Joan. She could live with that happily for she adored him too.

  They looked for hours at different boats and different vacation packages. Before they realized it they had been there for hours. They sat down to lunch and to discuss what they had seen thus far. There was even a trout pond at the show with running water. What would they think of next? Discussing the possibility of buying a boat Joan teased Grace about the docks she had outside her apartments but without a boat to put there. In turn Grace said she’d show Joan and buy one today. She was true to her word. Not only did she buy a 15’ boat she bought two wave runner’s and the trailer to haul them with. She made arrangements for the accessories and the boats to be delivered at the end of May. Joan was astonished and argued with her about paying for it. Grace was grateful for everything Joan brought into her life but stubbornly refused to let her pay for everything. In this case she wouldn’t accept a dime. It became a bone of contention between them but Joan tried, truly tried to understand it.

  Driving home late that night they tried to hash it out but Grace was stubborn about it and Joan was non chalant about the money which bothered Grace and made her more stubborn. She felt she should contribute financially as much as Joan did. Joan argued that the house was 50/50 why shouldn’t the boats be. Grace argued that Joan owned the land the house was on, the land surrounding it, and when they had purchased the furniture hadn’t thought twice about hauling out her credit card to pay for things. It wasn’t equal but then no relationship is always equal. They both realized they were being foolish and let the issue go. They had worried little Aaron a bit but they had for the most part been able to talk over his head and he didn’t have a clue. Driving back he was soon asleep anyway. They kept him at the chalet until Sunday afternoon.

  His first words when he entered his house to see his parents were “Grace bought a boat, Grace bought a boat” he sing-songed. Craig looked up startled and started to laugh. Jane looked up from where she was trying to nurse the baby and laughed. Her hormones were still jumbled but she had calmed down considerably with this baby. She talked enthusiastically about having another one next year. Craig didn’t mind as he wanted a large family. They could certainly afford it.

  Joan and Grace filled them in on the show and told them about their new acquisitions showing them the brochures. Grace grandly told them they were welcome to use them anytime much to Joans secret delight.

  ~ CHAPTER 24 ~

  That summer was fantastic for everyone. Long rides out on the river with the boat. Playing with the wave runner’s. Joan found a blow up one for Aaron to use near shore. Grace found a trampoline that they anchored near the dock for everyone to bounce on and jump into the river off of. Barbecues on the patio.

  Joan contracted with a guy to bring a load of sand to the rivers edge. She got in trouble with the DNR for altering something or another. She had to pay a large penalty but at least they had a sandy beach near the dock. It was all so ridiculous. The sand did no harm but supposedly she should have checked first, got a permit, and then let DNR supervise or some such. She didn’t bother to tell them about having the weeds removed from the river around their dock and swim area.

  Joan was cranking out some beautiful art work. She couldn’t seem to work hard enough or fast enough to take her sketches from the previous year and make them into works of art. The time consumed in digitizing and making prints she now resented and had Yoshi handling all of it. She gave her a big increase in pay and they arranged for an assistant for all the additional work in filling print orders. A museum contracted with them to sell certain prints out of their gift shop. It was an exciting time for them. Allan was pressuring Joan to take the world tour. She just couldn’t see where or when she could fit in it. It was a major commitment. With all her new works and the many more she wished to create she just kept refusing. Instead she worked with Allan to open a third gallery in Miami. They found a wonderful site in an artistic community where a lot of tourists flocked. It was a run down building that Joan purchased outright. She had Craig handle the details but she herself flew down to hire the architect and eventually a competent manager named Richard. It was so very different from her other two galleries. She liked that it had it’s own unique flavor. It inspired her to create different art work that she felt would sell better in that market. Within six months it was declared a success and she was thrilled with the response not only in Miami but in Malibu and through the website of the new designs. She was at the top of her game, it couldn’t get better she thought. It showed not only in her work but in her life.

  Grace was loving her job. It had been an excellent change from LA for her. A small town with people who appreciated her and her work. She received compliments on her professionality and compassion. Things had never been going better. Most days she would leave work at 5 and be home by 5:30. Joan may or may not be still working but it was so nice to go up to the studio and find her absentminded, absorbed in her art. Grace was relieved that Joan was enthused by it again. Sometimes she would find Joan at the easel at three in the morning, finishing a detail that had awoken her. There was no sign of the depression of the previous year.

  Joan was so happy that she showered it over her family. Her lapses into frazzled artistic absentmindedness were rarer these days as she was focused. She took the time to spend with each individual as they came into contact with her. Even Jennifer would giggle upon seeing her Grandma. At one she was so fun to play with. Aaron loved spending time with his Grandma and Grace. He wanted to spend every hour of every waking day there and Jane finally had to tell him no, feeling that they were imposing. Grace and Joan welcomed them though. Craig, Adam, and Bryan brought friends. It was an easy and fun time.

  It began to slow in September. Aaron started kindergarten. Everyone buckled down to work and the parties were rarer. The wave runner’s and the boat were winterized and put into storage. Grace found with the slow down in summer activities that work picked up at the hospital. People didn’t have as much to amuse them and had already started worrying about the holidays.

  Joan finally felt she was catching up on her sketches and the work generated from Miami. She did a few different pieces from her norm and much to her amazement one caught her attention from all the others. It was an abstract that she normally wouldn’t have considered but it consumed her time day and night for a month. When she felt she was done she didn’t know why it had consumed her but something had compelled her to create it. It was attractive but she didn’t know why the obsession. Grace was there for it’s unveiling and her reaction was somewhat unexpected. It sent her into a high state of excitement. She and Joan ended up making wild and passionate love right there on the floor of the studio. Joan felt almost as though she had been attacked. Not knowing that the picture had caused Graces state, she assumed it was something from work and doubts made her worry that Grace perhaps had met someone. Grace didn’t know why the picture had affected her so but several times they found that it did indeed affect her that way. Joan finally removed it to have it digitized at the gallery. Yoshi complained that it too affected her but she wouldn’t say how or why. Joan was at first amused about this result but then alarme
d. What if by some weird chance of fate she had painted some sort of aphrodisiac. Was that possible? No. Something though stimulated the people who were coming in contact with it. She sent a digitized photo to Allan, Madge, and Richard for their evaluation. All Allan would say was that it was fantastic. Madge complained that it gave her a headache. Richard giggled every time she brought it up. She wasn’t sure what she should do about it.

  She discussed it with Grace and they both shrugged it off to other influences, but one night they went out to dinner and Joan needed to stop by the gallery for some signatures. Unlocking the door they went inside, locking it behind them. Joan went to the office where Yoshi had left the prints to be signed. As she signed the prints Grace wandered around the gallery. They were considering expanding it as they took on more artists. Joan’s work was of course displayed prominently but she wasn’t an egomaniac about it. Grace went into the digitizing room and saw the abstract original sitting on an easel there. Looking at it intently as it sort of drew you in to do so she could actually feel herself getting aroused. Her nipples hardened and after awhile she could feel a definite tingling between her legs. Desire ripped through her lower abdomen. Her breathing became altered. Just then Joan came around the corner to ask if she was ready to go. Seeing Graces flushed face she asked her alarmed if she was okay. Grace grabbed her and kissed her passionately shoving her against the wall, hard. She began to fervently caress Joan’s body. Seeing the abstract on the easel behind Grace, Joan pulled her out of the room, turned off the light, and shut the door. Grace again tried to kiss her and fondle her. Joan backed away alarmed. Grace was usually more subtle than this. The abstract didn’t seem to affect Joan the same way as everyone else. Finally Grace seemed to get a hold of herself. Ashamed she held herself and leaned against a wall, moaning. Joan allowed herself to take Grace in her arms and calm her. When normal breathing and sanity had returned Grace asked her to take her home, please. It was quiet in the car as Joan drove. When they got home Grace hopped out of the Mercedes and went into the house, saying nothing. Joan left the car parked in front of the house and followed, worried. She found Grace upstairs in their bedroom sitting on the edge of bed. She was so embarrassed at her behavior.