Celebrations With Jake and Joe

by Roger W Buenger

  This book is dedicated to my family, fans, friends, and followers. In 2013, when I began writing Meetings with Jake and Joe, I had a story in my head, a life-long dream to become a successful published author, and no clue how to go about it. Thanks to your incredible support, I am not only achieving that goal but am now embarking on a new journey. Due to the overwhelmingly positive reception that my debut novel has received, I felt I had no choice but to answer my readers call for more to the story of Henry Engel. I am humbled and grateful for the outpouring of affection for these characters. Henry, Millie, and Joe are family to me. I am thrilled to find that they are important to you as well. This novel becomes the second book in what is now the Jake and Joe series. Who knows where it all goes from here? However, because of you, their story continues.

  THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart for your incredible and generous support.

  Table of Contents

  1. Finding Peace

  2. Lost and Found

  3. Quite a Gal

  4. A Day to Remember

  5. The Inner Circle

  6. Uncharted Waters

  7. Quantity vs. Quality

  8. Transformation

  9. Breaking News

  10. It’s a Date!

  11. An Up and Down Morning

  12. A Beautiful Spring Day

  13. Carefully Chosen Words

  14. Girl Talk

  15. Clean Living

  16. Love and Pizza

  17. “The Zone”

  18. Change

  19. True Emotions

  20. An Engaging Party

  21. Building on a Strong Foundation

  22. A New World

  23. The Biggest Day of All

  24. D-Day

  25. Boiling Water

  Epilogue

  About the Author

  Chapter 1

  Finding Peace

  “My God, Henry, are you serious? Of course I have a minute!” George exclaimed, stunned by the news. “So tell me, how did it go?”

  “You know, it was really good. Really good.” Henry added extra emphasis on the repeated phrase as he recalled how it had felt to release feelings he had concealed deep inside himself for decades. He hadn’t realized to what extent he had been affected by the years of suppressed hurt and anger but now understood that it had been like poison in his system. Henry’s confession to Mary and the subsequent absolution he had received had lifted a terrible burden from him and given him a profound sense of peace.

  “Honestly George, it was like she was right there. I could feel her. I know that doesn’t make sense but… Does that seem crazy to you?”

  “Absolutely not. I can feel Claire’s presence all of the time,” George answered without hesitation, attempting to comfort him. “When I walk into a room, when I smell something that reminds me of her, when I hear a song she liked… she’s there. I swear to you, Henry, sometimes when I am lying in bed, I can feel her near me. Her touch, her breath. Heck, I talk to her all of the time. No, I don’t think you’re crazy at all.” George’s voice trailed off as the recollections of his wife briefly made him feel a bit melancholy. He quickly recovered.

  “Henry, I’m really happy you did that. I truly am. I’ve been hoping that you’d go and clear the air with Mary and that it would be a really good thing for you,” George offered with genuine joy in his voice. “I am eternally grateful that even though the good Lord took Claire, He gave me the chance to talk everything out with her. Nothing was left unsaid. Not one word, not an emotion. It has given me such a sense of peace about it all, and I wanted you to have that too.”

  “What can I say, George? You were right. I was kind of nervous this morning before I went, but I just knew that I needed to do it. After our talk yesterday, realizing what I’d done… It was a pretty tough night,” Henry confessed.

  “I’m sorry about that. I didn’t mean to upset you. I just thought you needed to hear the truth. I know what kind of man you are, and I knew that if you…”

  Henry interrupted before George could finish. “Don’t apologize. You were exactly right to tell me, and I’m glad that you did. I wish I hadn’t been so hard-headed all these years… Maybe things would have turned out differently. Anyway, that’s certainly water under the bridge at this point. The bottom line is that I got the chance to make things right with you and Mary, and it feels terrific.”

  Joe sashayed into the room and gently rubbed her body against Henry’s leg as she moved past him toward the fireplace. The contact diverted his attention from the conversation long enough to notice her, and it brought a smile to his face.

  With so much ground gained in such a short time, George couldn’t resist the opportunity to ask about the remaining elephant in the room.

  “So, my friend, where does all of this leave you with Bill?” he asked with mild reservation. The words had barely passed over his lips before he began to regret saying them. He was hoping he hadn’t just ruined the moment by touching on a topic that he knew was a potential land mine.

  “Funny you should ask,” Henry replied with a light degree of sarcasm. “Got another letter right here from him,” he said as he glanced over at the tri-folded single sheet of paper that was on the table beside him.

  “No kidding? And?” George asked anxiously, intrigued by Henry’s answer.

  “Well, I finally decided to open this one, just to see what the hell he had to say.”

  George couldn’t believe his ears. This was a major shift in policy for Henry, and he knew it. He was aware that Henry had been discarding these letters from Bill for years without ever having read one. He had often wondered why Bill seemed to be a special focal point of Henry’s wrath but during the time following their own reconciliation had never pursued the subject with him. In light of recent events, it made little sense to him why Henry wouldn’t settle things with his brother as well and move forward on all fronts. However, rather than interject something at this point and break Henry’s momentum, he stayed mute and waited, hoping to learn the details of what the letter said.

  “So… I read it. Oh sure, he feels bad all right. Wants to talk. Yeah, I bet he does. Well, I’m not interested.” Henry’s tone was firm and definite, as if he was dismissing an annoying intrusion from a telemarketer. Though he had made amends with George and Mary, his feelings toward Bill were hard and unmoved. With the aforementioned two, he had been mistaken and had dealt with them harshly based on flawed decisions derived from imperfect and inaccurate information. In short, Henry had been totally wrong and had directly caused them both much pain. Worst of all, he knew it. As for Bill, his brother had betrayed him in a way unimaginable and to Henry that was an unforgivable offense. No matter how much he had changed, or indeed was still changing, he had not evolved enough to see that perhaps one man’s sin was not necessarily worse than another’s.

  George could sense the resolve in Henry’s voice and decided it was best to drop the matter completely. It was a great day and not one to be ruined by greed for more. They could cross that bridge at another time. The men shared a lengthy and enjoyable conversation as Henry explained in detail how the events of the morning had transpired while George listened intently. It was rewarding for him to witness the difference in his friend, and he felt abundant satisfaction for the part that he had played in it.

  Joe silently observed things from her vantage on the cool stones along the base of the fireplace. She listened to Henry’s voice rise and fall as she leisurely bathed and groomed herself with keen precision. She couldn’t understand what he was saying, but she could tell that Henry was happy, and his presence pleased her. She gradually became disinterested with the proceedings and nestled her drowsy head onto
her paws.

  Just as Henry was completing his phone call with George, he heard the side door swing open. Millie had returned, and he rose from his seat to head for the kitchen to greet her.

  “Well hey there,” she said with a smile as they converged in the kitchen. “How was your nap?”

  “Just what the doctor ordered,” he answered, noting that he felt quite good and surprisingly rested.

  Millie set a small grocery sack on the counter and walked past him toward the front door to put down her purse and hang up her jacket. Henry stopped near the kitchen table and watched as she removed the long gray overcoat that revealed an attractive royal blue dress beneath it. It was a sleeveless V-neck that was cut just at the knees. A pair of matching high heels completed the ensemble, and they complimented her toned legs. It was then that it occurred to Henry that she was a very attractive woman. He had always been aware of this on some level, but from this moment forward there would be no doubt about it ever again.

  “Say, did you change clothes?” he asked, knowing full well that she had been wearing blue jeans earlier in the day.

  “Why yes, I did,” she replied with a giggle as she returned to the kitchen and walked past him toward the sink. This was her favorite dress, and she was fully aware that it flattered her curvy figure.

  “Man, that’s some dress!”

  “You think so?” she asked with feigned humility.

  “I sure do,” he affirmed as he took his familiar seat at the island while still looking her over.

  “Well thank you, kind sir. I figured as long as I was in town anyway I should swing by my place and change. You know it isn’t every day a girl gets invited to dinner at Oak Forest.” It was perhaps the understatement of the year as it had never occurred before, and they both smiled at the mention of it.

  Millie removed a full-length apron from a drawer next to the sink and began to put it on.

  “I’m going to start cooking. You gonna have an early meeting with Jake today?”

  He was more than a little mesmerized by her appearance, but her words and actions snapped him out of it. Cooking? He had asked her to join him for a dinner that she had to prepare. For the first time, he suddenly felt a little embarrassed about being her employer. It was one thing to have her tend to his daily needs but another to invite her to dinner in his home and then ask her to prepare it.

  “Geez Millie, I didn’t really think this thing through. You shouldn’t have to cook your own dinner. We could just go get something or eat some leftovers.”

  “Nonsense! I love to cook, and it’ll be fun to get to eat some of it with you,” she responded, a tad surprised by his sensitivity. “Now, since you know darn good and well that it’s killing me, how about you get a meeting with Jake going and tell me all about your big day!” she directed.

  “I was wondering when you’d get around to that,” he responded, perfectly aware that she was without a doubt quite curious about his meeting with Mary.

  “Well, you brought me flowers, so I was pacing myself,” she fired back with a wink. At that instant, she felt their warm furry friend at her feet. Joe had been roused from her slumber by their voices and was just now announcing her presence. As Millie looked down, Joe let out a distinct “meow” as a greeting.

  “Oh my sweetie, did I forget about you?” she cooed as she knelt to pick up Joe. “Correction, that’s a meeting with Jake and Joe, isn’t it, baby?”

  Joe’s eyes were closed tight in delight as Millie gently massaged her ears.

  Henry rose to arrange his meeting with Jake. “All right then, if I can’t buy you dinner, I’ll help you cook.”

  “Lord have mercy, I don’t think my heart can take it. Are you sure you are my Henry Engel?” she needled as she put Joe down gently so she could get to work.

  “It might surprise you, but I do know my way around a kitchen. I’ve never missed a meal yet,” he snapped back as he removed the whiskey bottle from the cabinet beneath the sink.

  “Oh I see, so you just play dumb then with me,” she teased.

  Henry laughed. “Well, I didn’t say I could cook as well as you, did I?” he conceded with false indignation.

  “All right then, I accept, Chef Henry. You can peel the potatoes,” she directed as she slipped into the pantry to retrieve the bag of russets that would soon be under Henry’s knife.

  “So, enough already. Spill the beans!” she implored from the other room.

  “Hey, do you want to talk to Jake too?” he called back to her, trying to be hospitable as well as taking the opportunity to delay a bit and thereby antagonize her.

  “No thanks, not right now,” she answered as she re-entered the room. She put the bag of potatoes on the island and came back at him again. “Now, you quit your stalling and tell me!” She was perfectly aware of his diversionary tactics and wasn’t about to let him delay any longer.

  “OK. Well, you know George came over here yesterday, right?” he asked as he moved back to his seat and took a drink from his glass.

  Millie nodded her head as she pulled bowls from a cabinet.

  “So, he’s been wanting to talk about things from the past for a while now. He’s relentless. He’d bring it up, and I’d shoot him down. You know me; I can be a bit hard-headed once in a while.”

  Millie snickered a bit and then caught herself. “Oh, sorry,” she said meekly as she realized that Henry wasn’t making a joke this time.

  Henry smiled. He wasn’t offended by her honest reaction to his obvious shortcoming.

  “So, we’re looking at our coins and having a great time. We were having a pretty good talk with Jake too and then George gives me this incredible George Washington book that once belonged to his grandpa! Well, you know how I like Washington, and it makes it extra special that this was his grandfather’s. I really admired that man a lot. He was the one who gave me this silver dollar I always carry around.” He pulled the 1921 Morgan Silver Dollar from his pocket and held it up for Millie to see.

  She nodded as she was indeed aware of the coin. Over the years, it had occasionally found its way into the laundry by accident. By this point, she was fully engaged in his story. She deftly slid a paring knife through a juicy green apple time and again dividing it into equal slivers as she listened.

  Henry placed the coin on the island in front of him. He then picked up a potato and a knife and began to work on his own assignment.

  “You know, George still has his coin too. All these years, we’ve both been lugging them around. They are pretty worn out by now, kind of like the guys who carry them,” he joked as he admired the well-worn piece that had lost much of its detail from years of handling. After pausing and pondering that statement for a moment, he turned his attention to the potato in his hand and resumed the story.

  “By that point I was feeling terrific, and George could’ve asked me to go to the moon and I’d have gone. That’s when the dirty dog is the most dangerous,” he declared in a sarcastic voice with a smile. “I never even saw it coming. All of a sudden he says he needs to talk about ’53; you know, all the stuff about Mary?”

  Millie nodded. Now they were getting to the heart of the matter. She dared not speak for fear of missing a juicy detail.

  “What could I say at that point?” he asked, recalling how George had set him up before letting out another small laugh at the memory of his friend’s cunning. “You know, he’s almost as sneaky as you are,” he added.

  “Ha!” Millie cackled. “That’ll be the day!”

  “Like I said, almost.”

  “I’m gonna have to get to meet George one of these days. He sounds like my kind of guy,” Millie quipped.

  “Yeah, I don’t know. The two of you together might be dangerous for me,” Henry countered. “Anyway, that’s when he finally told me his side of everything. The real story of what happened. The whole shebang.” Henry’s eyes dropped to his hands, and his mind drifted for just a moment as he engaged the memory of how it had felt to learn the truth. />
  “And?” Millie blurted out after it was clear that Henry had become distracted.

  “Oh, sorry.” Henry realized that he had left her hanging. “Well, let’s just say I screwed things up royally. There was no affair. Ever.”

  “No-o-o!” Millie blurted out in shock. She couldn’t contain her curiosity now. “Well, what was it then? What about the calls? What about the sneaking around? What about the hotel?” Her questions spewed forth like lava from an erupting volcano.

  “Hold on, cannon ball!” Henry responded to the bombardment with a quick interruption. “If you let me talk, I’ll tell you.”

  Millie had nearly come out of her shoes at the news but now was regaining her control. She did, however, decide that the heels should come off for the moment and slid her feet out of them. She nodded and allowed him to continue.

  “Turns out it was all a huge series of misunderstandings. Mary was trying to get Bill and me back together. Some goofball psychic or preacher or something had told her that she was responsible for our falling out and that because of it God was punishing her. She thought it was because of that she wasn’t able to have a baby.”

  Millie shook her head in disbelief. She hadn’t anticipated this to be the story she was going to hear.

  “Good Lord, that’s a load,” she mumbled. Henry nodded his head in agreement.

  “OK, I’ve got lots of questions about all of that, but let’s get to Mary. How’d that all come about?”

  “Well, after George told me the way things really were, I was floored. My God, I ran out on my wife and divorced her, and she hadn’t done anything. I quit my job, ditched my best friend, and left St. Louis. It’s a helluva lot to digest, you know?”

  “Yeah, it is. I can certainly understand how you felt. But you didn’t know any of that back then, Henry. Anybody would’ve come to the same conclusions you did,” she consoled him.

  “George thought it best that I go clear the air with Mary. He was convinced that it would make me feel better and be good for both of us. I thought about it all night and this morning when I got up, I knew he was right. So I went.”