by JJ Aughe
Bailey and Eddie helped Sean into the house and to a rear bedroom. While the men were making Sean comfortable in one of the twin beds in the room, Jessie, Carol and Melissa followed as Monica, sure the animal was hungry and thirsty, lead Kerry to the kitchen. She ignored the small food dish Melissa had brought in favor of a large stainless steel bowl she took from a lower cabinet, filled it half full with fresh, cool water and put it down for Kerry who needed no encouragement to begin drinking. Monica giggled as water splashed onto her tile floor, took the bag of kibble from Melissa and brought out another large bowl to give him his kibble in. Kneeling beside the dog, she stroked his beautiful red coat and talked to him while he drank and ate. Every time she stopped stroking his back or neck Kerry would turn his head, whine plaintively until she started petting again then calmly go back to eating or drinking making the women laugh.
Jessie glanced around Monica’s upgraded kitchen while Kerry ate. The last time she had been in Monica’s kitchen the counters and appliances had been late eighties to early nineties, but no longer. Jessie had known that Monica was considered one of the leading corporate environmental designers of her time but she must have surpassed that to be able to afford the luxurious appliances and amenities her kitchen now exhibited.
The kitchen was a gourmet chef’s delight.
A huge central island with a gold plated gooseneck waterspout and real crystal hot and cold water mix handles arched out over a glistening emerald-tone marble double sink, one side wider and twice as deep as the other. The sink was surrounded by gleaming white marble with milk chocolate variegated marble counter tops. Built into one corner of the marble countertop was a sixteen slot oak knife stand, every slot filled with gleaming bone handled stainless steel, never need sharpening, knives An enameled wire rack in white with various stainless steel pots, pans and long handled cooking utensils hanging from it hung from the ceiling above the island. An infrared stainless steel range with built-in side-by-side stainless steel fronted double ovens and microwave at eye level above, complimented by state-of-the-art stainless steel dishwasher and trash compactor appliances situated at each side for ease of use. An enormous walk in freezer in one corner put the finishing touches to the fabulous kitchen.
Hearing Bailey and Eddie’s voices as they came down the hall to the kitchen, Jessie’s curiosity got the better of her. Before the guys arrived she took Monica by the hand and let her other hand indicate the fabulous kitchen. “When did you upgrade to this amazing kitchen?”
“Don’t feel like you are the only one surprised, Jessie,” Monica answered immediately fighting back tears. “Jessie. You know how I love to cook and how I always wanted the perfect chef’s kitchen?” Including the other two women, she asked, “Have any of you ever had a surprise gift that just knocked your socks off? That is what this was and that’s just how I felt.”
“You see, I came home from work, on what would have been the tenth anniversary of my marriage to Ben, to find a contractor waiting for me. He introduced himself as Don Myron, owner of M. E. K. Renovations and handed me his card. I glanced at the card and discovered that the M. E. K. actually stood for Myron Exotic Kitchens. When I quizzically looked back at him he handed me a Paid in Full contract dated almost nine years before that day and signed by Ben.”
So as not to bore her guests, Monica used the short story of what Ben had done nine years before.
Two years before his tragic death Ben had been awarded an architectural design contract for a new office facility for the area’s leading aeronautics company. When he received his initial payment on those designs he decided he wanted to be sure to surprise Monica on their tenth wedding anniversary. He designed every aspect of the kitchen himself. Then, because some of the appliances he wanted to use had still been in the developmental stage, he hired M.E.K. Renovations, a firm he had used before, to do the ordering and storing of everything until their tenth anniversary. She had almost fainted when she saw the bottom line on what the kitchen had cost and the amount that still remained in the account he had opened just for that purpose. She wouldn’t tell the women what it cost or what was left in the account, but she did say that it was an enormous sum.
“I could never have asked for anything better if Ben had been there that day. But he wasn’t, and after Mr. Myron made arrangements to start work the next day and left I sat here in the kitchen and longed to have Ben here so I could show him just how much I loved him.”
Jessie saw the shine of the tears Monica was trying so hard to hold back and started to tell her to stop if the memory was too painful, but Monica rushed on. “But, guess what? Ben hadn’t been through surprising me. Not fifteen minutes after Mr. Myron left a currier delivered a dozen yellow roses and an envelope containing a Happy Anniversary card, two airline tickets and a four week, prepaid reservation affirmation card for two at a very exclusive resort in Hawaii.”
“Now what I’m going to say may make you all think I have gone off my rocker, but I believe it and that is all that counts.” Hurrying on, Monica finished. “Realizing how thoughtful and loving Ben had been to do all of that so many years in advance, I broke down and cried my eyes out. When I finally somewhat got myself together again I found I had our wedding photo in my hand. Through my tears I thought I could actually see his lips moving and hear him say, ‘I love you, Monica and I want you to always remember me. But I also want you to live a happy, love filled life.”
The unshed tears misting Monica’s eyes broke through her resolve not to cry by the time she had finished telling the story. Jessie’s heart breaking for her friend, she pulled Monica to her and just quietly held her. Carol glanced at Melissa and, each having tragically lost loved one’s had silently watched as Jessie’s friend’s eyes misted over and an unnoticed tear slid slowly down her cheek then another and another. This was a woman they already felt close ties to because, even though Jessie had let her know that bad trouble was following them, she hadn’t blinked an eye before inviting them into her home for as long as was needed. Now, intuitively knowing that Monica needed a show of support and understanding, they joined Jessie to give the woman a silent, but heartfelt group hug.
Jessie held back her own tears as she said, “I know what you went through that day was heart wrenching, Monica. And I’m so sorry you went through it alone. I was attending an emergency meeting at the Pentagon but you were in my thoughts all that day, Sis. I wish you had called, because I could have, and would have immediately rescheduled or even canceled and come home on the next flight.”
Monica stepped back, breaking the group hug and searched Jessie’s eyes. “We have known each other since we were kids, Jessie. You know that I love you like the sister I never had. We have gone through happy times and sad times together. I understand that since your parents passed away you have had so many responsibilities that we haven’t seen that much of each other. But that hasn’t lessened the bond between us Jessie. I knew you would be thinking about me that day and that was enough.”
“Anyway, I knew where you were. I did call to ask you to have dinner with me that evening. Maureen told me you had received a call from some General at the Pentagon the evening before and you had to make a quick trip on a red eye flight to the east coast. As soon as she told me a General had called I made her promise not to tell you I called because whatever he had called you about had to be very important. So don’t berate yourself because you weren’t here for me, OK?”
Seeing the disbelief in Jessie’s eyes she hurried to say, “Jessie. You know how I feel about our country. You know I would do anything for it. I would suffer anything, even death before I would put myself before it. So I knew that whatever was important enough to this country to have that General at the Pentagon calling was more important than anything else. So don’t you ever regret not being here for me! You hear me?”
Though Monica’s back was to them, she sensed the men’s presence and, to change the subject to something more pertinent to their present situation, she shifted so she could
see them. “How is the patient?”
Unnoticed by the three women, Bailey and Eddie had entered the kitchen a little earlier. Seeing the women in a group hug they glanced at each other and quietly waited to be noticed. What had been said before was unknown, but what Bailey heard as he stood at the entrance confirmed what Jessie had told him earlier that Monica was a trustworthy friend.
Now, in answer to her question, he replied, “Other than being irritated that the good doctor here has ordered him to stay in bed, he should be OK for a while.”
“Just like a man,” Monica grinned as she eyed the two men. “He probably can’t stand it that he can’t be up and about. Seriously though, Mr. Gilmore, how bad do you think his injuries really are?”
Deferring the answer to the doctor, Bailey gently shoved Eddie forward. “Since I’m not qualified, I’ll let Doctor Parker answer that.”
Kerry finished eating his kibble while Eddie related his medical opinion of Sean’s condition and, surprising Melissa, trotted over to sit at Monica’s feet. Monica knelt, scratched his ears before deciding to give everyone a tour of her home. A twinkle in her eyes she glanced at Melissa who still had a surprised smile tickling the corners of her mouth.
“I think I should take Kerry on a tour of the house. How about it, Kerry? You want to see the rest of my home?” The dog wagged his tail and huffed. Monica laughed then said to everyone, “Come on! I’ll show you guys around.”
She led the way to her spacious dining room. An array of early nineteenth century china tableware Monica explained were heirlooms from her grandmother could be seen through the beveled glass doors of an antique maple sidebar along one wall. A crystal chandelier hung from the vaulted ceiling over an antique maple Claw-foot dining table with eight red velvet-backed maple captain’s chairs. A four by six foot oil landscape painting depicting a pastoral setting with an arched stone bridge spanning a stream that meandered through an open glade hung on the wall opposite the sidebar, giving the room depth and a peaceful, outdoorsy atmosphere.
Jessie noticed the initials KT in the lower right corner and couldn’t stop herself from asking, “Is that painting an original Kincade, Monica?”
Monica smiled. Everyone who saw that painting and noticed the initials always assumed it was an original Thomas Kincade. Usually she didn’t correct them. She couldn’t let her best friend think she owned something that she didn’t. “No, Jessie. It’s not. It was actually painted and given to me by Thomas Kapasky, a retired university professor. He painted that scene right after Ben died. When he brought it to me he told me that he had been a long time friend of Ben’s and, since this painting depicts a place that had special meaning for Ben, he wanted me to have it.”
“At the time I didn’t have the faintest idea why the place had special meaning for Ben. But a few weeks later I was going through some of Ben’s things and found a photo of Ben and the Professor standing in front of that very bridge. On the back of the photo Ben had written; ‘The day I realized that I loved Moni more than life itself.’ The reason I placed the painting here in the dining room after the remodeling was finished and on that particular wall is not so that every time I see it I will be reminded of what I lost when Ben died, but rather, so as I will know that even before he proposed to me he truly loved me.”
The emotion in her voice had Jessie immediately giving her friend a hug as she whispered what she truly felt. “I don’t think any man could love a woman any more than Ben loved you, Monica. He showed it in his very being and proved it with everything he did. I just hope that, one day you will find that same kind of love again.”
“I don’t think I will ever be able to fall in love again, Jessie. If I did, it would have to be with a man who exemplified what Ben stood for. And I don’t think that man exists.”
Jessie stepped back and Monica glanced around at her other guests. “I hope my explaining the painting hasn’t bored you too much. It was just something I had to explain to Jessie. Now I will continue the tour by taking you to my study which is also my library.”
A double set of well stocked, floor to ceiling oak bookshelves lined two of the interior walls in the spacious room. A massive oak desk with an equally massive oak executives chair faced the exterior wall which sported two double sliding glass patio doors. A well kept up arboretum could be seen through the patio doors. The middle of the arboretum featured a double set of white, wrought-iron patio tables, each with two chairs, arranged in the center of a heart shaped red slate tiled patio and facing an enormous rockery with a waterfall that filled three large pools. The white ironwork armrests of two park benches were visible from the interior of the study but each bench seat was effectively secluded from view for privacy by Fichus trees and five foot Fiddle-leaf Philodendrons.
Next, Monica led them to her spacious living room with a charming nine foot wide, slate faced fireplace. Two overstuffed suede sofas in desert sand tan, a matching double recliner and two overstuffed chairs made up the furnishings with Native American crafts and ceremonial coordinating wall hangings and paint tones, giving the room a homey, yet Western Pioneer, individual appearance.
Down a short hallway were two doors leading to what Monica referred to as her guest suites. The two bedrooms with full baths actually had private entries into the arboretum. The larger of the two bedrooms was equipped with a Jacuzzi and an adjacent sauna. The Master bedroom was separated from the others by a recreation/gym room that completed the third side of the arboretum. Since she knew Jessie was fitness personified she let them all know the recreation slash Gym room was at their disposal for the length of their stay. At the rear of her home she informed them, as she led them back into the living room, stood a three car detached garage with an addition her late husband had added to house their thirty-four foot Motor Home.
Earlier, after they left the dog park Jessie had explained that Monica was a childless widow who had reverted to her maiden name when her husband had passed away. She also told them that the Melano and Radcliffe families had been friends since the early 60’s when their respective parents had been in high school together. Jessie assured everyone, especially Bailey, who had a skeptical expression on his face that Monica was trustworthy and they could talk freely in front of her. Jessie went on to explain that she trusted the woman because they had shared their deepest, darkest secrets with each other since they were children, and never, ever, had there been a confidence broken. Bailey now took Jessie’s words to heart and took this opportunity to bring Jessie’s friend up to speed on their whole situation, but had ended his narration when they arrived back in the living room.
Once they were comfortably seated on the couches, overstuffed chairs and recliners in the living room, Monica, sitting in one of the overstuffed chairs and lovingly scratching Kerry behind the ears with one hand while the other gently stroked him under his muzzle, glanced up at Bailey. “Don’t keep me in suspense, Mr. Gilmore! What happened after you found the second bug in Jessie’s bootstrap?”
Bailey grimaced at her formal, though proper, address to him, and decided he had to stop her from being so formal, at least with him. Adopting a most serious expression that would, hopefully, signify that he was being serious, he put huge emphasis on her name as he answered her.
“Alright, Ms. Radcliffe, I’ll finish the story. First though, you have to promise me something.”
“Sure!” That woman agreed. “Anything you ask. Please, just finish the story!”
Bailey gave her his best stern look as he growled, “My name is ‘Bailey’! So please don’t ever call me ‘Mr. ‘Gilmore’ ever again!”
Taken aback by his stern look and gruff voice, Monica stared at him for a moment. Then she realized that, though he was serious about the formal way she had been addressing him, he was actually joking more than anything. An apology was in order, so she bowed her head in remorse.
“I’m sorry, Mr., ah, Bailey! I apologize! It’s just that at my office everyone insists on formality and it has become a habit. Again, I
do apologize.”
Seeing her embarrassment Bailey felt terrible and found himself embarrassed too. This is Jessie’s best friend and I have upset her. I have to make it right. But what do I say now?
Jessie had been holding her breath wondering how long Bailey was going to allow Monica to be so formal. It was all she could do to keep from snickering when he finally acted. The way he went about it though had her clamping her teeth together to keep from bursting out laughing. Now, seeing his embarrassment at Monica’s response, she felt he needed some help.
“Monica,” she started. “Though I have only known him for a few weeks and don’t yet know all his personality quirks, I feel there is something I should tell you about Bailey.”
“Number one: Just take him with a grain of salt, throw it over your shoulder and hope it don’t hit the person behind you in the eyes.”
Monica’s eyes had been on Bailey, now she glanced over at her dearest friend, then at the others in the room. When she saw the twinkle in their eyes and the corners of Jessie’s lips twitching she realized Jessie was trying hard not to show she was about to burst with laughter.
“Jessie!” Monica laughingly cried as she playfully struck her friend on the shoulder. “I should have known! You’ve done that same thing to people so many times! And I fell for it! Hook line and sinker! You two are just alike! I pity the world when you two get married! There won’t be anyone safe around you two!”
Once she calmed herself she asked Bailey, “When are you going to marry this woman?”
“Just as soon as possible,” Bailey solemnly returned as he took Jessie’s hand, softly squeezing it.