“Heavens, you’re covered in grime, but pretty as the day you were born,” replied her doting father.
“Good thing it is an “Indian-Summer” day, because you’ll need more than a water fight to clean up. You’re going to need the hose. In fact, I think we’ll leave you two to that. I’ll take Candy over to the studio to catch Anya at her next break.”
Upon their return to Wayne, Charlene and James were reunited with Lacey, who had a great time with Grandmother Julia and didn’t miss camp one bit. The three of them were treated to a big reveal. The exterior of the suburban home was completely upgraded and emanated charm and grace.
The garden was sustainable, using local native plants and recycled decorative elements. Lacey was given a new play set, built into a tree, as a gift from her now great-grandmother, Camille. And, at the insistence of Julia, who threatened to give away the surprise if she didn’t get her way on this, there was some garden bling. A hand-carved tree stump in the shape of a rooster, several crystal wind chimes, and two stone fountains rounded out the décor.
The landscape was not a complete surprise to Charlene, but she was very pleased. However, she found the fountains and the stump carving to be ostentatious, and thus not entirely to her liking.
Chapter 23 - The New Normal
“It’s just another Manic Monday”
-Written by Prince, Sung by The Bangles
Isabella was daydreaming about Max and his exciting way with the trowel…
She had enjoyed getting to know Max, and was sad that he was returning to Los Angeles in a few days. He had been able to break through her tough exterior, and learn about the soft woman inside.
She thought with longing about Max, recalling the ways he kept limber to prepare the body for all the digging and bending involved. He had showed her some gardening stretches, and even demonstrated them for her at Jimmy’s site. She thought about Max’s tremendous physique, and how much power he amassed when he did physical tasks like edging and…She was letting her mind get away from her. He would be returning to his gilded television lifestyle shortly, and, for all she knew, a bevy of Los Angeles chippies.
But she thought it was time to return to reality and forget all about this romantic silliness. As she sorted through the “snail mail” addressed to the office, she saw several thank you notes from Charlene and Jimmy for the beautiful garden. Last week’s big reveal had been one of the highlights of Isabella’s life. Isabella placed the notes from her cousin and his new bride into a scrapbook, wishing that she would have more opportunities to bring her talents to her family.
Then, she switched to sorting through the faxes and emails, and forwarded the landscaping and tree service correspondences to Dan. She had not seen much of him lately; he seemed rather distracted and occupied, but he was doing his job professionally and amiably as always.
Isabella took care of the mail that was related to design requests and questions. She noticed an unusual query for a design project in New York City. While she had frequently received these requests, she usually referred these clients to another landscape designer she knew who made frequent trips for jobs in the Big Apple, Patrick Lanzetti. This particular job, however, was rather enticing. It was a sustainable rooftop vegetable garden, and it looked intriguing. Isabella set it aside for further consideration.
Then she resumed daydreaming about Max…
The man in question, Max, was sitting by the pool of the Ivy estate. He was using his wireless connection to contact his producers in Los Angeles, annoyed that it would take so long to hear back because of the darned time difference.
Finally ready to make significant changes in his part of the home improvement show, Max was hoping to use more environmentally friendly practices and sustainable materials. He thought about the cute way Isabella’s nose had crinkled when she had told him, with distaste, about the peat moss bogs, which took thousands of years to regenerate. Who knew?
And who would ever have known that the down-home spunky brunette would be on his mind 24-7? She was getting to be like a habit, and it would be tough to leave her to go back to the whacky entertainment biz.
In years past, returning to Los Angeles was a big relief. His parents and their snotty world was something of which he generally wanted no part. But, now he was stuck on a sweet hometown lady. Who would have thought that this could happen to him?
Julia, back at the main house, was not sleeping restfully.
She was delighted to have married off her only child to a very nice man, and to have a lovely step-granddaughter upon whom to dote. The whole wedding and garden reveal had been delightful, despite serious obstacles and setbacks.
She was tossing and turning, however, because of a responsibility that she keenly felt towards someone awaiting the wheels of justice. Julia was upset at the notion that it was she who was deciding the fate of Charlene’s wedding planner, Rochelle. Julia’s lawyer and good friend, Henry Marks, had encouraged Julia to press charges against the schemer, who had stolen $15,000 from unpaid wedding deposits.
Rochelle had pocketed the money, and quickly fled overseas to begin her lifelong dream of becoming a Lady Doll, her favorite and only toy while growing up in the projects and then in foster care. Through a rigorous set of physical enhancements, she would have the tighter, firmer, newer, better self and she could easily be a trophy wife for someone like Spencer Ivy, or, maybe even a political candidate. Who knows? All it took was the right body. Her body, right now, was currently in a prison infirmary, as she healed from her latest procedure and awaited extradition from the Caymans.
Julia fell back restfully to sleep, having made the decision to drop the charges. A crowded prison was not the right place for someone in the midst of healing. And, who was she to stand between someone and their dreams?
Cyrus woke up early, which was his preference, and checked his messages. He had friends in all levels of law enforcement, and was eager to check his machine to see if his contacts had resolved any of the discrepancies in this new investigation. Her off-beat intensity about the environment had him thinking that Isabella Albero was knee deep in banana peels.
Who would have thought that his research into the sending of banana peels signed by “PETE” would have resulted in the prime suspect being his boss’s new love interest?
An enigma, this Isabella woman was.
On the surface, she appeared quite like a paragon, a status-quo God-loving, God-fearing Catholic, Julie Andrews-climb-every-mountain type of girl. A church mouse, a quiet, non-rule breaker, she was someone who would be off the radar screen of any sort of investigation.
It was only when he looked beyond the veneer that some discrepancies began to appear in her bio.
He decided to mix business with pleasure and look into his suspect by meeting with her spicy best friend, Jade.
Jade had worked through the weekend, since movie making was an intense proposition. As assistant producer at a King of Prussia film studio, she was expected to be living and breathing cinema.
Her glamorous but intense job entailed making vital decisions about which scenes to keep, and which to leave on the cutting room floor. Even though everything is digital now, it still meant that someone, an actor or a writer, usually, would be displeased to find out that a particular moment or whole scene was eliminated from a production. And, those disappointed, pissed off people would feel like they were being left on the cutting room floor. Well, Jade wasn’t making any friends at “Philly Cinema,” but she was getting “The Forecast” to the quality of film noir that made Academy Award dreams a possibility. In the end, all would be forgiven!
The movie was sure to be an attention-getter. It was a terrifying look at what the world would be like in 30 years if alternative sources of energy weren’t developed and widely implemented.
She pushed her chocolate-colored ringlets out of her hazel eyes, and wiped the perspiration from her brow. This was exciting work, and it made her projects at film school look like child’s play.
<
br /> All of a sudden, she felt a climate shift in the room. It was as if her neck was tingling and the hairs were standing on edge. She turned around and saw a devastatingly handsome man watching her closely.
“I hope you have good insurance,” He said, his smile indicating that this was a barb.
“Oh,” she drawled, “Why’s that?”
“With scenes like that, people are going to be having heart attacks in the theater,” said the mystery man.
As he got closer, Jade recognized Cyrus, the beefy bodyguard from the shore. But what was he doing in the studio?
“Hi Jade. You’re just the person I came to see. I’m doing an investigation for Max,” he said, with a toothy grin.
“I have a lunch break coming up, can you meet me in the break room?” she asked. “It is down the hall to the left. Help yourself to a soda can.” Jade said.
“Never touch the stuff. And, from where I come from, it is called by another name. But thanks just the same,” Cyrus explained.
A few minutes later, a freshened up Jade walked into the lounge bursting with curiosity and anticipation. She passed the hard-bodied, suited-up stud a bottle of water.
“Thanks, Jade. I’d like to ask that we keep this conversation confidential.”
“Depends what is being said. I don’t keep secrets from my home girl; we’ve been through too much for that. Besides, it is just too tough to keep things from someone’s best friend. It is about Isabella, right?”
“I assure you that it is in her best interest to cooperate; I wouldn’t want the police involved,” Cyrus replied.
“What? You’ve got to be kidding. I thought you were going to ask me about the whole virgin thing. That’s what is usually on a guy’s mind when they ask me about Isabella. She’s not anyone’s criminal, I assure you.”
“Well, I want to show you a letter that was received at Max’s producer’s office in LA. He hasn’t seen it yet, and, hopefully, this matter can be settled quietly.”
Jade took a look at the letter, which was written in handwriting that looked like chicken scratch. She read it aloud, “Prune this, you sucker! You’ve bleated the peat out of the environment, deadheaded the good wood, and changed things that were just fine the way they were, you moron! Deadhead this, PETE.”
“It sounds like a fan on mushrooms; you can’t be taking this note seriously,” Jade responded.
Accompanying the bizarre note was a pair of pruning sheers, which, technically could be construed as a weapon.
“The pruning sheers were traced to a purchase made by Albero Enterprises, the company home of Albero Landscaping, and Isabella’s company,” said Cyrus.
Jade abruptly appeared to change the subject.
“Do you like animals?” Jade asked Cyrus.
“Uh, what do you mean, like as in eating? No, I’m a vegetarian,” he said.
“No, I mean, have you ever given money to help keep animals from harm?”
“Sure,” said Cyrus.
“We do a lot of work with that animal rights group, PETA, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, when on film shoots. Most film projects have animals involved, and I’ve actually worked closely with PETA to ensure that animals are not harmed in any way during a production,” explained Jade.
“You’ve lost me on this,” Cyrus said.
“Well, maybe ‘Pete’ is really an acronym of PETE, and it means People for the Ethical Treatment of something like, I don’t know, the Environment, the Ecosystem, something like that,” Jade explained.
“Interesting theory, Jade. It certainly bears looking into. And, you’re an interesting girl. I think, as part of this investigation, we should discuss this further. What are you doing for dinner tomorrow night?”
“Well, I did have a date with the Eagles quarterback, but for you I’ll change it to another day. Where did you have in mind?” she queried.
“You’re a savvy local, you chose the place, just don’t make it too casual, I’m not a t-shirt and jeans guy!” Cyrus was inwardly chuckling at the girl’s audacity, knowing that the football player she mentioned, while handsome, was currently dating a supermodel.
“How’s seafood sound, then?” She inquired. She selected a noteworthy seafood place in Manyunk, and they set a time to meet.
“Oh, Cyrus, two other things,” Jade drawled, “First, Isabella has impeccable penmanship, and, secondly, there are a lot of people who think your boss is a moron.”
Chapter 24 - Through the Main Elevator
“There’s only one way into these buildings for us landscapers, through the service entrance.”
Patrick Lanzetti to Isabella, explaining how things work in New York City
The next day, Isabella kept looking at the request for the rooftop garden project. This was a once in a lifetime opportunity, and she finally decided to take it. Besides that, she could use a diversion from the upcoming departure of her new love interest. She needed something to occupy her thoughts besides Max, who had also been starring in many dreams of late, too.
She wrote an email back to Mrs. Amy Crescent, who was creating a
rooftop garden in the Chelsea section of Manhattan. She was looking to grow a sustainable, environmentally friendly vegetable garden. It sounded like a fun project.
Isabella had to see about the weight limits that the rooftop would allow, and it might mean a consult with a structural engineer. Crescent was willing to pay any expense that the project required, and she was also interested in using vertical elements, such as hanging plants and trellises.
Isabella decided to get started right away on the project, and she recalled that Patrick had worked on a similar rooftop. She decided to stop by the Lanzetti family compound to see if he was around.
As she turned the corner of New Devon Avenue, which was due east of her offices in Wayne, she noted that the geraniums were in bloom in front of the Lanzetti property. There must be thousands of these annuals lined up in front of the family compound and plant nursery. Pat’s mom was proud of the homey touches that the flowers provided to the shared work and residential environment.
Patrick was outside, pruning a rose bush for his mom. Long-limbed and lanky, he walked with an unusual grace for a man who made his living in a blue-collar trade. Pat was well-read, well-groomed, and rather fussy about his clothing.
Isabella was wearing one of her new floral sundresses from Marissa, since she didn’t have to do any digging today. There was no need to wear mud pants and boots. Her hair was freshly washed and combed, as opposed to its usual disarray. Her black dress was covered in flowers, and the strappy sandals she had bought at the shore matched perfectly.
Patrick looked up briefly from the rose and was astounded by what he saw. The demure church mouse that he had known for years was transformed into a vision of loveliness.
As she explained the reason for the visit, Patrick realized that something must have happened to instill this new confidence and daring in his colleague. However, he didn’t really care what the reason for it was; he was just thrilled by her new look. “You know, Isabella, I have been going up to New York twice a week now, and I’d be happy to have some company on the ride up. We would need to stop at the tree farm in Doylestown on the way, but it would be a great way to catch up on things and get your project underway,” Patrick said.
Isabella was familiar with the tree farm, as it featured the healthiest plants at the most affordable rates, and had a terrific web presence. She had not visited the farm in years, so this was going to be a real treat.
“The customer already mentioned that Tuesdays and Thursdays would be possible, so, I’m going to say yes.” Isabella replied.
Isabella didn’t know how people managed to drive in New York City, it was so congested and the drivers were so impatient. She said a silent prayer for a cyclist that was stopped at the intersection along with what seemed like hundreds of other motorists. She was grateful that Pat was at the wheel, even though she prided herself in her various drivers’ licen
ses. There wasn’t a type of vehicle that she didn’t have the ability to drive, including monster trucks and motorcycles. However, she was intimidated by the sheer volume of movement, colors, lights, and sounds. It was overwhelming.
When they drove into the parking garage of the Ames high rise, Pat explained that it was customary for the building staff to bring the landscapers up the service entrance. He said that he rarely was in contact with the actual upscale urban dwellers that constituted his client base in the city.
As they approached the entrance to the parking garage, they saw an attendant dressed in a jeans and a white t-shirt emblazoned with “Ames Enterprises.”
“Patrick Lanzetti,” he said, extending his hand for a firm handshake. “We’re here from Albero Landscaping, hired by Amy Crescent for the rooftop project.”
Expecting to be shown to the service entrance, Patrick was surprised when they were lead to the main elevator and told to go to first floor.
Prune, Plant, or Plunder? Page 11