On the day of the dinner party, the estate was buzzing with activity. Henry was flying around making sure that the grounds were manicured and in perfect order. Though no one besides him would care or possibly even notice, he was truly proud of his home and wanted it to look its very best. To him, it didn’t matter if the effort was for two guests or for the president of the United States. Inside, Millie was intensely focused on preparing the evening’s meal. As Henry entered the kitchen, she stood at the island assembling an entree in a large rectangular glass dish.
“Hey, white lasagna!” Henry announced with approval. “Man, I love that!”
“I know you do, that’s why I’m making it,” she explained as she carefully laid big flat strips of noodles on top of a layer of cream, cheese, and chicken.
“You didn’t have to go to all that trouble,” he said as he moved behind her and slipped his hands around her waist. He peeked over her shoulder to see her handiwork and then gave her a gentle hug and a kiss on the side of her cheek.
“Now, don’t start up with all of that, I’ve got a lot to do still,” she said as he released her and moved toward the family room to inspect the state of things.
“Ok, so what else is on the menu?” he asked.
“I’m making homemade rolls and going to put together a salad. For dessert, you get fresh baked apple pie with vanilla ice cream on top.”
“Wow, we should’ve invited Anne and George over for dinner a long time ago. How come we don’t always eat like that around here?” he teased.
“Because we’d both be as big as this house if we did,” she shot back with pinpoint accuracy. Henry nodded with a smile.
“You know, Millie, I’ve been thinking about something.”
“That’s good, Henry; they say men in later years need to keep using their brains to stay sharp,” she quipped.
“Ha ha, very funny,” he acknowledged as he took his usual seat at the island. “No, wise guy, I mean I was wondering, just wondering mind you, about someday when we get married.”
Millie’s head snapped in his direction, and she dropped her noodle.
“You just said when we get married, not if?” she asked with caution.
“I did. Let’s be honest, we both know where this is going, don’t we? I mean, we’re not kids here and everything this week has been so perfect. It just makes sense, doesn’t it?”
Millie shook her head with a growing smile as she went back to her work.
“Besides, how else do I ever get you into my bedroom?” he said with a straight face. Millie caught the joke and lobbed a noodle directly off of his forehead.
“Hey!” he protested.
“You deserved that!” she said pretending to be angry at his jest.
“At least you didn’t use a door this time,” he said as he rubbed the almost gone bruise above his eye.
“Not yet, anyway. But keep it up and we’ll see,” she warned.
“All right. Seriously though, I’ve been thinking about it. You know this whole living together thing is ok for some people, but I’m an old-fashioned guy. A man and woman sharing a house ought to be married as far as I’m concerned.”
“I agree,” Millie added.
“So, I’ve been wondering how I would ask you and how we’d get married, that’s all. I was just curious if you’ve thought about it too.”
“Of course I have, Henry,” she said as she poured a final layer of cream and cheese on top of her creation.
“And?” he asked.
“Like you just said, we’re not kids anymore, Henry. I used to dream about big romantic proposals and diamond rings and elaborate weddings and all that. You know, like little girls do? Then I got left at the altar. Now, I know that none of that means anything. What matters is who you love and being together with that person for the rest of your life. I don’t want anything fancy, Henry. It wouldn’t be us. Honestly, I think it would take away from what really counts. Sure, I’d like some kind of a ring of course but I want something plain and special, not big and expensive. You know, like a band? And when we get married,” she declared with emphasis noting his choice of words, “I don’t want a big fancy wedding, either. Just a private little ceremony with just us. None of that other stuff is important to me. All I really want now is to be with you.”
Henry listened intently to every word she said without saying anything. He had correctly guessed that she might feel this way because he felt he knew her so well but needed confirmation before taking any sort of action. Based on all that she had just said, he was now more certain than ever that she was the right girl for him and was destined to be his wife.
“What can I say, Millie? I feel exactly the same way.”
While he spoke, she opened the oven and placed the dish she had been working on inside.
“Come here,” he directed. “I want to show you something.”
Without hesitation, she stepped around the island to him as she calculated her next move to get dinner ready.
“I need to keep moving here, so you’re going have to…”
“What do you say, how about we turn this into an engagement party?” he asked as he dropped to one knee and held out a simple yellow gold band with his right hand. Millie’s face flushed, and she could feel the room begin to spin for just a brief instant. Gathering her wits, she held up her hand as tears began to pool in her eyes. Henry slid the ring onto her finger and stood.
“Yes! Oh yes, Henry!” she cried as she threw her arms around him.
Joe had been resting in her favorite box during the conversation, but Millie’s excitement had disrupted her slumber. She stood, stretched, and then peeked over the side to see what the uproar was about. Realizing that it was just Millie hugging Henry, which was becoming a common occurrence these days, she laid down and went back to sleep.
The remainder of the afternoon was a blur of frenzied preparation and joyous celebration. Before they knew it, it was nearly 6:00 p.m. and their guests would be arriving at any moment.
“How’s the table look? Is it ok? Are we missing anything?” Millie frantically called to Henry. He was standing at the front door on the lookout for arrivals and took a few steps back toward her to perform the requested inspection. Joe was at his feet peering outside, but she did not follow him. She preferred to continue to wistfully study the outdoors that she missed roaming.
Looking to his right through the doorway to the dining room, he was very pleased. As usual, Millie wanted everything to be perfect, and she had succeeded. He wondered why she was so concerned about the appearance of the table but then realized that it was no different than his obsession with the exterior of the estate. They were perfectionists and perfectly matched to each other.
“Very elegant. You know, I still can’t believe you’ve never eaten in there before,” he said, repeating an earlier revelation that the new lady of the house had never enjoyed a meal at the antique mahogany table.
“Nope, never have. But I sure am looking forward to it,” she thought aloud as she checked on the progress of the dinner rolls. Henry pondered the reasons why that was so, as he stood for a moment and admired the beautiful scene. The table was set for four with fine china positioned atop a snow-white cloth. All of the silver had been polished to a high sheen, and it glistened in the light provided by the antique chandelier suspended above it. Along the wall to the left of the entrance, Jake and all of the necessary accessories were waiting on top of a matching buffet.
“Did you fill the ice bucket?” Millie asked.
“Yes ma’am, just a minute ago.”
“Is Jake in there? How about a pitcher of water for you and George?” she questioned.
“Got them both,” he replied while looking at all of the items she was referring to.
“And your tumblers? Did you check to make sure they didn’t have any water spots on them?”
“Yeah honey, everything is in place,” he assured her. “You know, you’re already starting to nag just like a regular wife,”
he called to the kitchen.
“Just practicing, is all,” she cackled as Henry broke into a grin and shook his head. Just then, he thought he heard a car door close and turned to the front entrance. A second car door shut and he wondered if perhaps he was imagining things.
“I think somebody is here,” he said as he looked at his watch on the way to find out what was going on. It was exactly 6:00 p.m. on the nose. When he reached the storm door, he saw Anne’s Jeep parked directly in front of the house with George’s silver Mercedes right behind. It struck him as slightly odd that they would both arrive at the same time. However, he chalked it up to a happy coincidence and let the thought go. What was of more interest was that they were standing between the two vehicles having an animated conversation. They looked like two people who had met before rather than a pair of total strangers.
“It’s Anne and George all right; they’re here,” he called to Millie before stepping out onto the porch to greet them.
“Hi guys!” he called to his friends.
“Hello, Henry!” Anne replied blissfully.
“Hey there, Henry!” George chimed in as the pair walked up the sidewalk to meet him.
“Do you two know one another?” Henry asked with a curious look on his face.
“Us? No, of course not, just happened to pull in at the same time is all,” Anne stated with a somewhat peculiar tone. “I guessed that he must be your friend George that you talk so much about.”
“I just swung in right behind her and when she got out, I realized that it was Anne Francis Wagner, your author friend. I recognized her from her book covers,” George explained. “How come you didn’t tell me you’d invited her? I’d have brought some of my daughters’ books for her to sign.”
“Oh, you’re very sweet, George. Not to worry, I’m sure we’ll be seeing each other again, and I’ll be happy to sign anything your daughters would like me to.”
“Splendid! Thank you very much, Anne,” George gratefully replied to her gesture of kindness.
Realizing that he was making something out of nothing, Henry pressed the issue no further and explained that he had purposely not told either of them about the guest list as a fun surprise. Though they didn’t seem surprised, nonetheless all agreed that it was fun.
“Well come on in,” Henry directed as he stepped aside and pulled open the storm door.
They moved by him and stepped into the house. As George passed, Henry slapped his pal on the back and whispered, “Man, do I have some really big news for you!”
“Oh yeah?” George asked. “What gives?”
Rather than reply Henry pointed for George to head for the kitchen where the women were saying “hello” and complimenting each other on their attire.
“Millie, this is George,” Henry said as he introduced his best friend to his new fiancée. Millie’s face broke into a broad smile as she held her hand out to greet him.
“It’s just wonderful to finally meet you in person, George,” Millie exclaimed.
“Boy, I couldn’t agree more!” the older man declared. “I have heard such amazing things about you, and I can’t begin to tell you how happy I am that you and Henry have gotten together.”
“Thank you! That’s very sweet of you to say.”
“Wait a minute!” Anne shouted. “What is that on your finger?”
“Huh?” Millie teased holding up her right hand.
“Oh, no you don’t, let’s see the other!” Anne cried as she grabbed Millie’s left hand with her own and thrust it into the air.
“What?” George shouted as he swung around to Henry. “Is that the big news?”
Henry smiled and nodded as George embraced him.
“My God, you old sly fox! You sure played things cool with me. I told you to take her out for dinner, not marry her,” George proclaimed, completely overjoyed by his friend’s good fortune.
“Excuse me?” Millie interrupted him, making everyone laugh.
“No, no, I didn’t mean that the way it sounded,” he apologized and then tried to explain. “I was giving him some trouble a few weeks back that he ought to ask you out. He’s such a turtle that I never expected things to move like lightning. Turns out he fooled me, and he’s actually a rabbit. Believe me, I couldn’t be happier for the both of you.”
“After we get married, I’ll have to let you know about the turtle or rabbit thing,” Millie quipped to everyone’s delight which brought on another round of laughter.
“Well then, I’d say we’ve really got something special to celebrate tonight!” Anne said gleefully.
Henry was in complete agreement. “How about I get Jake and Joe and let’s get this party started?”
Everyone agreed that it was a lovely spring evening, and they gathered on the front porch for their celebration. Henry moved a pair of chairs outside for Anne and George to complement the bench he shared with Millie. Several rounds of conversation with Jake took place as Joe looked on from the other side of the storm door.
“So, how goes your new book?” Henry asked Anne. “Are you still in the zone?”
“Good heavens, yes! I’m writing day and night like a woman possessed! I hate to sleep and sometimes even forget to eat.”
“That sounds thrilling,” George offered.
“Indeed it is. I hate to admit it, but it was hard for me to put things down and get ready to come here tonight. It’s all just going so well and keeps getting better that I don’t want to lose it,” Anne confessed.
“What kind of book are we talking about?” George inquired.
“Sorry, top secret. But I can tell you, it’s unlike anything else I’ve ever written before, and I think it could be my best work ever,” she proclaimed.
“My, that is exciting!” Millie praised as the men agreed.
“It’s a shame you’re off to New York on Monday. I guess that will interrupt things for a bit,” Henry lamented.
“Oh, that’s right,” George chimed in.
“Huh?” Henry said while shooting a curious look at George. “How did you know about that?”
“Umm… well, Anne just mentioned it while we were chatting out front when I first got here,” George explained unconvincingly while looking weakly at Anne.
“I say, Joe sure is plumping up nicely,” Anne interjected out of nowhere referring to the little face looking back at her through the glass door.
“Yep, that’s right,” Millie jumped in immediately. “Just gonna be four or five more weeks and we’ll have kittens!”
“Fantastic!” George declared. “I’m pretty excited about having a new friend at home. My grandkids are going to love it too.”
Henry wasn’t sure what had just happened, but he knew that something was going on. However, before he could carry the thought further, his mind became distracted by talk of Joe’s motherhood and the new arrival of kittens.
Following their cocktail party, Millie served dinner, and all went off without a hitch. Everyone loved the meal and raved about Millie’s white lasagna. Not to be left out of the fun, Joe was spoiled with an evening saucer of milk in the dining room and found it to be very satisfying. Long after the last morsel had been eaten, they sat and sipped coffee as Henry and George slipped back in time and entertained everyone with stories from their youth. Anne and Millie were captivated as the men spoke of similar evenings at the Schuetz’s table with George’s father and grandfather. They pulled their matching silver dollars from their pockets and remembered the night they had received them as gifts from Joe Schuetz. Henry then went on to explain how his coin and George’s grandpa had combined to determine how he’d selected the name for a certain stray Siamese cat that was now part of the family. One story led to the next, and the festivities went deep into the night. In particular, Anne seemed to be having a superb time as she listened intently and probed for more and more details of Henry’s past. It was a perfect dinner party highlighted by terrific company and engaging conversation.
Finally, realizing how late
it had gotten, the guests gave their thanks and said their farewells. Henry and Millie attempted unsuccessfully to convince George to spend the night rather than drive all the way home to St. Louis. He assured them that since Claire’s passing, he had become a bit of an insomniac. He liked to listen to talk radio late at night and was actually looking forward to the lengthy trip back. As Henry closed the door, Millie walked toward the kitchen to put a few things away.
“I sure feel sorry for George, having lost his wife, and now he’s gotta go back to an empty house,” she commented.
“Yeah, I know what you mean.” They each had lived alone for a great portion of their lives and knew all of the aspects to it. One of the downsides was returning alone at night to an empty home and an empty bed knowing that no one would be there in the morning. It was a feeling of solitude unlike any other and very hard to grow accustomed to. For George, it was still a very new and unpleasant reality.
“But he seems like he’s handling it as well as anyone could. That’s just the way George is,” Henry said as he sat down at the island. “He always lands on his feet. You know, while we’re talking about him, I got the weirdest feeling all night that Anne and George have met somewhere before. I just can’t put my finger on it, and they both denied it, but…”
“Nope, I didn’t get that at all,” she interrupted abruptly and then quickly changed the subject. “You know, that man lands on his feet because of you.”
“Huh, what do you mean?” he asked as he watched her wipe the counter with a yellow and white dishcloth.
“Well, if you hadn’t saved his life, he wouldn’t even be here, and I think what you did gives him courage.”
“Oh, that. Yeah, that was a long, long time ago. He’s saved me more than once since then.”
“He’s a good man, isn’t he?” she asked.
Henry smiled and nodded. He knew that George was the best kind of man and his very best friend, this side of Millie.
“He said something earlier when he helped me carry in the dishes from the other room that got me to thinking.”
“Oh yeah, what’s that?” Henry asked.
Celebrations With Jake and Joe Page 22
