Each day passed slowly, but finally it was the day of Todd’s arrival which found her extremely excited and unable to concentrate on things which she normally could spend hours doing previously. What a strange feeling to be so adrift. Perhaps it was just the planning and upset in her regular schedule. She got ready to go pick him up at the airport.
As she reached the entrance to the terminal, she saw him standing with his back to her tipping the porter for retrieving his luggage. The very sight of him sent a tingle through her and she was surprised and unready for that. Could this be love? Is it too early to feel this way? She was unsure of so many things these days, except that everything was different. She was not sure how to feel or act at this point. They had not really known each other very long at all but she had heard that such things do happen and must not rule it out. She pulled up and waited for him. Soon he turned around, saw her there, smiled and waved, and carried his luggage to stow in her car. It looked like he had planned to stay for some time, although, she thought, embarrassed at her expectations for his long visit, he had been on a business trip and had to bring quite an amount of materials as well as clothing with him.
He got into the car beside her and passed her a box, “Here is something for you. I hope you will like it.”
She took the box, a little surprised, opened it, and exclaimed with delight, “It is exquisite. It’s matchless. Such a versatile piece of jewelry; it will go with anything. You have wonderful taste. I could not have done better myself. Oh, thank you, thank you.” She reached over and gently touched his arm.
He informed her, “As I told you, I am a salesman for a jewelry company and will show you some of the designs I have dealt with on my recent trip if you like.”
“I would love that,” she told him smiling. She started the car and began to move away from the terminal. As they drove toward her home, they talked.
“How was your trip?”
“It went very well; I was satisfied with all the transactions. I will have some good things to report to my company when I get back.”
As she continued to drive, the scent of his aftershave floated in her direction and was nearly intoxicating. She had not been used to such an experience and found it exciting. She recalled it from their visit at the falls, which quickly flooded back memories of her trip there. She smiled and he knew she was having pleasant thoughts which made him feel more at ease. It felt so nice to be here but he was a little uncomfortable because it was new to him, as he knew it was for her. He was not sure what to expect, after all, they had known each other only a short time. He certainly wanted to do things properly and not be out of place in any way. He loosened and removed his tie putting it in his pocket.
“I left right after my meeting and no time to change.”
She liked his choice of ties. “I suppose ties are uncomfortable, but I really like them,” she replied. “It is one of the few things in a man’s attire which can stand out and be real special if chosen correctly. For women, it is jewelry.” She began to think about adding men’s ties to her designs.
They soon came to the road leading to her house. “I bought quite a large acreage here and had a house built on a special spot to fulfill my dreams of a lovely and special home. I love the trees which so pleasantly surround it, especially the big birches, both the gold and the white. These are my favorites, though maples are also abundant to give a showy foliage in the fall. You will have to see it. My dad helped me a lot with the choice, purchase, and planning of my house. It was very enjoyable to work together on the project.”
She drove up in front of the house, then took him around back to see the guest cottage. “I have prepared the guest cottage for you to stay in and you can stay as long as you like,” she told him, feeling a quick thump in her chest.
This made him feel more comfortable. “I do believe you’ll find everything you need here. It is pretty well stocked, but if you need anything, please let me know so we can go to town and pick it up. I will let you get settled, then you can come back up to the house and I will show you around. You will eat your meals with me and Nancy, my cook. She will be happy to get our meals for us. She is an expert cook. She knows of your visit; we discussed many things about food and meals. I am sure you will be pleased with it all.”
“Oh, great,” he replied. “You are so considerate and have made many plans for my comfort and I really appreciate it. You truly are a gracious lady. I am certainly impressed with your arrangements of the whole situation; you have done so well.” He glanced around on the way to his living quarters and said, “You have a lovely and wonderful country estate here. I know you love it because you have put so much into it.”
They stepped inside the cottage and she showed him where to find things he would need. He glanced about the living quarters and was pleased with everything.
“It is just fantastic; I will be very comfortable here. Thank you for all your efforts. I will change, then come up and let you show me around. I will get the rest of my luggage later.”
“I will wait for you at the house,” she told him as she started back. “I will tell Nancy when we want to eat. See you soon.”
Very shortly he returned to carry his luggage back to his quarters. He had changed into a more casual outfit. His dark blue slacks and light blue shirt, open at the neck, looked very nice on him, making his tan look very charming and appealing. He returned after taking the luggage back to the cottage and they began to walk through her garden. As they walked she explained the different kinds of flowers she had planted and how she worked out her plan for the garden. She was quite knowledgeable about flowers and plants. Soon they came upon a bench where they could sit down to look over the garden. Before them was a small pond with goldfish of different sizes and shades swimming about.
“What a magnificent garden you have put together. It is a marvelous idea. How did you imagine such a grand scheme,” he exclaimed, shaking his head in wonder.
“It seemed easy in a way. I have always loved flowers and tried to learn a lot about them. I collected pictures and ideas on gardens and chose some ideas, then added to them what I wanted. It has been a lot of fun and enjoyment.”
They arose and continued the tour, and by the time they finished, it was nearly time for dinner so they started back toward the house to get ready to eat their first meal together here at her home.
“I am so glad I came here,” he remarked, “I am going to have a wonderful visit with you.”
She took him back to the south side of the house to a beautiful patio on the edge of a large oval swimming pool. An arbor covered with wisteria hung over the patio and they were in full bloom and beautiful. Some special lights hung like tiny chandeliers from the beams of the arbor.
“How do you feel about having dinner out here? It is a glorious evening. It is as if it is celebrating our being together.”
“That is a superb idea,” he replied, looking around at the beauty of the area. “It can be a most pleasant way to end the day, not that I want it to end.”
They sat at the elegantly decorated table and soon Nancy appeared with the meal.
“Nancy, this is Todd Noble, Todd, Nancy Collins, our cook.”
“Hello, Nancy,” replied Todd. “I have heard some marvelous things about you. You have a lot to live up to, but I have no fear you will come through with flying colors.”
Todd was surprised because the meal resembled the one they had on her patio back in Monaco. He was nearly at a loss for words but said to her, “What a marvelous idea, how lucky you are to have such a great cook.”
“It seemed like a good plan to have a meal resembling the one we had on the patio before I left, sort of like picking up where we left off. How difficult it was to leave and I missed you terribly, but now, here we are back together again. It is so pleasant and wonderful.”
They ate leisurely, and by the end of the meal it was beginning to get dark so they turned on the lights above the table, which gave everything a soft, romantic glow
. Since it was a pleasant evening, they lingered over their dessert and coffee. The lights cast a fiery gleam over the pool. Fireflies glittered in the bushes like tiny neon lights flashing on and off.
She looked at him and said, “Tomorrow I will give you a tour of the house. I think you will like the architectural design.”
“That sounds great,” he exclaimed. “I have had a few wonderful hours since I arrived here. I am so grateful. I feel it is time to go back to the cottage and go to bed, for I am a little tired. It has been a long day. I will say goodnight for now and will see you tomorrow. Sleep well.”
“All right. Goodnight, have a pleasant night. Maybe we can eat out here again in the morning if you wish. How does that appeal you?”
He nodded his head as he arose to go. He left and walked slowly back to his quarters, admiring the view in the night with the moon shining down in full splendor. He felt happy and calm and very lucky.
She watched him walk down the path to the cottage, then turned to go inside and got ready for bed. It had been a marvelous and glorious day and a lovely evening and she felt pleasantly tired. Once she got into bed she fell asleep right way. A gentle breeze swept over her bed cooling the air of the warm night, soothing her gently.
On Thursday she arose, showered and dressed, and went down to tell Nancy they would like breakfast on the patio since it looked like a glorious day was in store. He arrived shortly and they went to the patio to sit and wait for breakfast. Nancy brought them coffee and a small pastry to begin their morning meal.
“How did you sleep last night?” she asked. “I hope everything was fine in the cottage.”
“I slept wonderfully well,” he sighed and stretched. “I feel very relaxed and ready to face the day.”
Nancy arrived with three Cheese Crepes and Fruit Ambrosia made from fresh fruit. Coffee was already there and Triessa had passed him a cup. As soon as they finished eating they began the tour of the house. They entered through the front door, which was set in a small alcove decorated with lovely plants and blooms. Round wire frames and poles supported white and purple Clematis Vines on either side of the door. The door opened into a high, open room. Just inside the door was a wide semi-circular platform with two steps following the curve of the platform leading down to the main floor. Three large sky lights illuminated the area from above sending large sunbeams across the bright, shiny linoleum. A large library was at the left of the entrance which contained many books for she was an avid reader who loved to investigate various subjects.
On one side of the room near a large window was a desk and chair. Some books were lying on the desk near a notebook. She’d been doing some research about men’s ties and clothing with an idea of working on some in the near future. Some sketches lay on the desk and he glanced at them as he walked past.
“Do you mind if I look at them?” he questioned as he walked over to the desk.
“Not at all, I was planning to ask your opinion of them. How do they look to you?”
“They are just fine, but may I make a suggestion?”
“Oh, please do, I really want to know all I can so I can make them the best choices. You can supply the ideas for the masculine touch.” As he made suggestions, she made notes on her drawing with a quick little sketch, which she called her fashion shorthand. “Thank you, this is a tremendous help.”
They walked into a large living room at the opposite side of the entrance. It did definitely sport a woman’s touch, yet was not uncomfortable for a man. A grand piano stood in front of a large bay window which allowed rays of light to shine across the neatly arranged music on the keyboard.
He stroked the keyboard, “Do you play the piano?”
“Yes, I do, and I will play for you soon.”
At the end of the entrance was a grand spiral staircase with a burgundy rug on it. Two curved, spiral stairs, one on either side, ascended magnificently to the semicircular balcony surrounding the large opening below. She greatly admired the design she had seen in an elegant home in Europe and had it copied for her home. The only change was the color of the rug, from red to mauve, which seemed to fit better with her surroundings. She’d adopted many features from other lands and areas of the country.
As they arrived at the foot of the stairs, he saw his roses atop stands on either side of the stairs. He looked at her and smiled. They climbed the stairs to face three doors around the arc of the semicircle. He stood looking around and down at the area below.
“What an elegant design. Where did you ever come up with such a grand idea? It is simply marvelous.”
“I have collected pictures for years from many available sources, such as magazines, videos, trade journals, and the like. I combined many of them to produce what I wanted. Some ideas were my own. I decided where I wanted the rooms and how large I needed them for the use I had in mind. Then I planned my garden to be visible from the rooms. I had a picture in mind and worked with it, with help from my father and brother.”
Her bedroom was on the right overlooking the pool and part of the garden, above the patio. Several large windows allowed the moonlight to flood in at night to shine over her bed and a large area of the room. This was a special part of her plan so she could enjoy lying there looking up at the moon and the stars when they were visible on a clear night through a large sky light above the bed. This helped her relax after a busy day. Being on an upper floor, there was no need for heavy drapes. She used lavender filmy curtains, blending beautifully with her pale yellow walls, adding a lovely touch and letting in more light which was very important to her.
The door in the center led into her office, a medium sized room, tastefully adorned and well equipped to cover her needs. Correspondence was lying in neat piles on her desk, some being recent responses, stamped and ready to mail.
The left door led into a large spare bedroom. It had the same window arrangement as her own bedroom with a view of the garden and bench near the goldfish pond.
“The rooms look like they had been done by an interior designer.” He turned to her, “Who did the rooms for you? The design is beautiful.”
“I did it myself. It was one of my hobbies. I have been interested in it even as a child. I love to do it. After all, most design principles are the same in all fields: lines, color, and patterns to fit one’s needs and put together with harmony and function. When you are interested in so many things, you just notice, absorb, and learn how to use them. It seems so natural and gives such enjoyment. The hard part was knowing when to stop and get on with other things. It is like a painter, when do you to stop and say enough? Time to add just the signature. The only thing that helped with this was to develop a plan and stay with it, using free time to absorb and learn ideas other than those which naturally came with the doing. Does this make sense to you at all?”
“Yes, it does, and knowing you, makes it seem so right and natural because it is you. I am extremely proud of you. You truly are a very versatile woman with a full diversity of interests. I like that.”
As they left the room she took him around to the other side of the semicircle and opened a beautifully decorated door which, as she opened it, revealed another set of stairs built in a spiral design with a landing midway up where one could look out of an ornate round window. She turned to him as they began to ascend.
“This leads up to my most favorite room in the whole house, my studio, where I work, dream, and relax. Many times I sit in the window to think and remember and I did that when I returned from my recent trip. I relived our experience there.”
He was pleased and reached out to take her hand in his for a moment, they looked at each other for a brief moment and began to climb the stairs again.
“It sounds wonderful, I am anxious to see this special room that means so much to you. I want it to become really special to me also. I want to learn all I can about you. You are such a remarkable person.”
The studio was spacious allowing for all she did in her designing and planning, plus many other d
reams that might occur along the way. On a large desk in the center of the room was a fully equipped computer she used a lot in her work. She began with design software and now had put some of her own designs in it with plans to sell some of them in the near future. She needed to develop the plan and set it up in her computer. There was a large window in the wall near the desk which let in a lot of natural light to assist in her work. The true colors showed up better in the daylight. Over the desk was a large Tiffany lamp that a very close friend did for her. She was extremely capable and knew how to design just the right effect for Triessa. She really knew her, and seemed to capture well the essence of everything. It worked like an umbrella, pushing the light down onto her work.
Cupboards were built nearby to contain her materials, fabric, and notions. They had wide doors to expose large areas at a time making everything easily accessible while she worked. This was a big help to keep her ideas flowing once they started without having to get up to look elsewhere. Inspiration came as she looked at the material. She planned for the least distraction and delay.
Nearby, in front of another large window, was a modern, thoroughly equipped computer-controlled sewing machine she used to try out some of her ideas as she captured them through her designs. Evidence of some recent work remained there waiting to be finished.
In the wall directly opposite the door was her large curved window which overlooked her walk-through garden. This was the place where she sat to look, meditate, and dream. A well-padded window seat looked inviting and warm.
“This is where I sit to think and dream,” she explained. “It is very inspiring as I look out over the garden to see the wild life.”
He looked at her, then out at the garden, “I agree that it surely does lend to dreaming. It is a beautiful spot. It is tailor-made for your life.”
An easel stood to one side with several large sheets of art paper ready to capture any ideas as soon as they came to mind. Multiple ideas kept making footprints on her mind. A pretty floral smock hung on a peg on the wall at the end of the window. Some inset shelves were at the right of the door where she kept some books on fashion design, some material, and sketch pads. There were also books on nature, for this was a perfect place to observe it when she sat here to look around. It helped her identify the birds and small animals that abounded in such natural surroundings. A book on butterflies had been removed out of the neat arrangement and lay open on her seat. She had been perusing it the last few days to study her abundant varieties of butterflies.
Once Within A Lifetime Page 4