by Adams, Zoe
For once, a clear date was circled on the calendar. He would go to Lady’s fashion show and then begin the farming the following week. Del would stick to the plan come rain, snow, sleet, or shine.
He looked up the date in his books. It was a little later date than usual. In fact, he had never planted so late in the season. He hoped and prayed it would still be successful. There were meticulous record keeping books for the past fifty years, and Del wondered if any one of them contained the specific date of his choosing.
He didn’t have time to look them all up. He set down his pen and left the barn. Everything would have to wait. Lady required his presence. Del reasoned the farm could catch up on a lag, but humans were tricky.
Chapter 17
The last month before the fashion show went by in a daze. Del was Lady’s mannequin, assistant, and whatever else she needed. Del swore she would never cry again. He did everything in his power to focus on her and not the farm.
It was quite a change for him. He wasn’t the fashionable type, but for some reason Lady really appreciated his opinions.
Del helped her organize. When she was done with one garment, Del would clean up after it. He would pack the remaining fabric and matching thread in a clear Ziploc bag. Then they were meticulously filed in a laundry basket. Del even cut out cardboard dividers to keep them separate.
Lady thanked him properly each night and morning in bed. It didn’t matter what else she did. Del stayed busy. He immersed himself in fashion, and studied it constantly on the Internet.
He found an online course and began it right away. Once he realized he would be making patterns and stuff, he knew it would only get in Lady’s way. There was no way he would be leaving the sewing room to work in the kitchen or living room.
He liked to be right next to Lady. Because if she needed help it was right away help, or else something she needed five minutes ago. Del had to learn how to read her mind.
Lady reminded him of a visionary. She would hammer out the stitches for something, then stop. She would stretch her arms and crack her neck. Standing up, she would walk to the iron and press the project flat.
Then she would just stare at it. Whether it be resting on the mannequins or pinned up on the dream board, there was a definite pause in her work.
“What do you think?” she said after a moment.
After being in such close proximity to Lady for so long, he thought a good many things. And one good thing struggled to remain down. He exhaled his breath and fought to catch up with it.
“I think it looks good,” he said simply.
“But does it make you want to do something?” Lady pointed with a nibbled pencil. “What sort of emotion does it evoke?”
“Yes.” Del stood up quickly. “It reminds me of our first lunch in the field.”
“Good. It’s just like a picnic in the park.” She looked at him with dreamy eyes and smiled. “Who knew you could inspire a new romantic collection on the catwalk?”
Del did his best Elvis impression. “That’s what I do best.”
He resisted the urge to touch her, and the expensive fabric on the wall. He stuffed his hands in his pockets and breathed in her musky smell. She worked like a slave all day.
“If you need anything else, I’ll be right here, at your beck and call.”
“Yes, you are amazing.” She slid her arms around his neck and began to show appreciation. Her kisses were quiet, hot, and wet. They left a trail of cool across his neck. Del’s longing grew thick.
He let Lady kiss him for a while, but he could only not reciprocate for so long. Eventually his heart would start doing the talking as well.
For the moment, he let her lead and seduce. It was something she needed to do. It had to carry over from her office and into the bedroom.
For the moment, that was perfectly all right for Del. He only wanted to assist her, and she could push him back into the wall whenever she wanted. That was just fine with him. She could grope him and hold him as tight as she wanted. She could have done anything, or said anything. But what happened next totally shocked him.
Lady slowly bent over in front of him.
“Del?” She looked up at him with deep brown eyes.
He always got excited when she said his name in that tone of voice. But for once he held himself secure and let her lead.
“I want to marry you,” she said in a whisper. Her face turned crimson red. Once the words were out she floundered.
Del choked. He’d always had the idea in the very front of his head. He just thought she would be the one needing to be convinced.
Now he stood with his back to the wall. The coolness behind him brought him back to reality.
“Lady, please.” He tried to get down on his knees, but was so tall it was a haphazard sideways kneel.
“I want to marry you very much,” Del said, but didn’t make any other move.
Lady tilted her head sideways and narrowed her eyes. “You’re going to say no?”
Fire caught in his chest. “Have I ever said no to you before? I’m just a little shocked. I thought I’d be the one asking you. Or, actually, I thought I’d have to talk you into marrying me. But I didn’t see this happening so soon.”
“How long does it take to fall in love? I didn’t believe in love at first sight until I saw you.” Lady could flip and flop all over the charts. She was poetic then pragmatic.
“Of course I will marry you. But I kind of hope you plan a winter wedding.” Del quit being nervous when she smiled.
“Oh, thank you, Del.” Lady clapped her hands. “You already make me so happy, but soon I’ll be your happy wife.”
Del kissed her long and hard. “Yes, and I’ll be your proud husband.”
“We can announce it when we go to the city.” Lady stood up excitedly.
“Well, just hold on now. Don’t be making a lot of plans. I can only afford to be there one week. Just long enough to help you with the Fashion Blitz. I have a farm to tend. At least this year I have to do it. We can talk about next month and next year later.”
Del smiled. “How about we announce it the last day we are there. Then, in a little while, we can come back for a weekend of whatever sort of things your family has planned for future in-laws and out-laws.”
Lady grinned. “I have big plans for you.”
Del picked her up and carried her outside to the teepee. “And I have big plans for you as well.”
The teepee was a special place for them. Somewhere only good memories existed.
The excitement of their legal joining made everything a blur for Del.
The night turned into day and Del became the other person she needed. He helped and fumbled around her business calls, emails, and hellishly tidy piles of things.
For the first time he felt inadequate. He looked at her working away at her sewing corner. She was so organized and concise. He would not, could not, let her down.
Del put his head back in the computer. He researched the venue for the show. He researched the entire area. He printed out maps of the streets and other key notes of interest.
He made himself a binder for all of his information. The things he took note of were probably mundane and repetitive. But he still felt better once they were all organized.
Del was starting to see the whole process. He knew where they would be sleeping, eating, and working. He even looked at vacant commercial and residential places in the fashion district.
In short, Del did everything the long way. But his confidence soared. He did everything he could for Lady, and sat back silently.
Sitting with Lady had a mesmerizing effect on him. His mind was put to rest and he let his eyes droop. The depth of his relaxation was almost like meditation. After a few minutes his eyes popped open with new information.
“The truck,” Del blurted.
“Huh?” Lady stopped what she was doing in alarm.
Del rarely interrupted, and when he did there were always multiple things to talk about.
He rolled his eyes at his carelessness. He’d almost forgotten the most important element.
“It’s the truck. It’s big enough to haul everything we need to the city, but what if it rains?”
Lady looked back down at her sewing and continued working, completely unconcerned with the dilemma. “I’m sure you can figure something out.”
Del rolled his eyes again. She had given him a typical rich kid’s response, with no thought at all. It bit at the tender heart inside of him. Fashion could consume someone so much. He found it annoying she considered it petty. But enough of that. Transportation was the man’s job.
Getting her from Point A to Point B safely was something he had signed on to do from his first look at Lady. But her expectancy goaded him.
It had been silent for about five minutes. Del had been deep in thought.
Lady groaned and threw a piece of fabric.
“If you’re going to do something about the truck, then go do something about the truck. I can’t take this tension. If you want me to, I’ll stop what I’m doing right now and book a flight for me and all my crap.” She sat back and crossed her arms. “That’s actually what I originally wanted so I could have an extra day to prepare.”
Del nodded. All this domestication was turning him into a sissy. “You’re right. I’ve just been planning a trip into town. Do you want to come with me?”
“Please spare me the boredom. I’m busy.” Lady waved.
Del smiled when he stood up. “Is there anything special I can bring you from town?”
“Just yourself.” Lady leaned her head back and received a quick peck on the lips.
Del left the house quickly.
He went outside and instantly felt manlier. The garage brought back even more testosterone. Del realized with a start how long it had been since the last time he had been in the garage.
He felt the twist of betrayal in the pit of his stomach. He turned on the overhead lights and they flickered to life. The ever continual dust was thicker. The air smelled of dirt and oil seeping into old concrete.
Del looked around slowly. A feeling of immense satisfaction lit a fire inside his soul. All of these things were his. They were cleaned, polished, and ready for use. He had taken the time to consecrate them to their specific use and they smiled back at him.
So what if planting season would begin a few weeks late. He was willing to take risks, even if meant being a game changer. The garage really needed to be aired out for a few hours.
Del had not left the barn open for years. Usually he locked up tight when going to town. Not since his grandparents were alive had he left the house unguarded.
It was a strange feeling. He felt a big tug and pull toward the lady inside the house. She was obviously miles away on a catwalk. How could he, in good faith, leave her and his things unprotected?
Del locked up the shop and drove to town. Lady would be fine. She would barely know he was gone. Driving the lonesome highway didn’t take away any of his trepidations. He silently vowed this would be a quick trip into town.
He stayed on course and went straight to the auto dealership. Del knew from first-hand experience that most of her gowns would need lots of room. The complexity of the situation doubled. There was only one thing he could consider.
Go shopping for vans. This was something he’d hoped never to do. He almost cried when he looked toward the section of taller vehicles on the car lot.
Only one commercial van had a sticker in the window. Del slowly walked toward it. The only thing bigger than the van was a school bus.
He put his hands into his pockets and walked slower. Del circled the van twice before a car dealer came outside.
“So. What do you think of the van?” A big moustache covered the dealer’s face.
“I’m not sure yet,” Del said, and opened the back door.
The first thing he did was check the clearance of its storage space. There was much more room than the truck. He silently reasoned he could hang things five feet, maybe even six feet long.
If he got creative, then he could do lots of things. Del already knew the simplest solution wasn’t always the best. So he gave the idea time. He got as much information from the car salesman as possible then left.
He went to the one place he could think. He swaggered into his brother’s bar. Ted was behind the counter, and a sight for sore eyes.
“Hello, brother,” Del said with gusto.
He didn’t realize how much he missed him. The brothers hugged with a manly pat on the back. They both sat down with a bottle of rum in between them.
Within minutes the brothers were staring at a napkin. Del laid out plans in a compilation of scribbles and straight lines.
“See. All I’ve ever seen of people transporting clothing is like a businessman and his shirts. You know where they put a steel rod across the back seat of a sedan and then hang all their clothes on it.” Del looked up and winked at his brother. “There’s no way that’ll work for Lady.”
Ted smiled and a set of dimples peeped in his cheeks. “I’m sure you have something planned.”
There it was again. First Lady, then Ted acted like nothing big rested in his hands.
Del nodded. “I just looked at a van.”
“Well, I’ll drink to that. You might be the only straight man in history to buy a van for transporting clothes.” Ted guffawed and took a drink. He set his drink down and considered his brother carefully. “But there’s a girl involved.”
Del held up his finger pointedly. “Or more exactly, it’s Lady.”
Ted gave his brother a resounding whop on the back. “Well, yes, but there’s a lady behind all of our whims.”
Del could appreciate his brother’s honesty. This astute observation had been handed down from the sages of bartending.
Del clinked glasses with his brother. “Have you ever considered opening a bar in the big city?”
“Hell no. Why would I ever leave this place?” Ted looked around in true pride.
“Because a lot more people could benefit from you,” Del replied tartly. “You are a kind sage of wisdom.”
Ted looked at Del with something new in his eyes. “You know, I never thought of it that way. And it’s all right. I can see I’m losing my small town brother to a big city girl. This is something I’d thought of, but now I don’t mind coming to terms with it.”
Del smiled as he appreciated his brother’s candor. He’d said what Del had been wanting to say. He thought about telling his brother about Lady’s marriage proposal. He considered it, then quickly tossed aside the idea. It was her proposal to him, and she would be the one announcing it. They would do it together with a lot of planning and forethought.
Covering the windows of the van would be essential. Lady needed as much privacy from pirating eyes as possible. Everything he thought of only seemed to draw more attention to what was inside.
He thought of a stiletto shoe, or a mannequin. But he couldn’t drive a van like that. It was too feminine.
Instead he thought of something he liked. Del was always drawn to their first night together. He sketched a teepee on the napkin. It didn’t say Lady in any way. He tossed it aside. A moment later it caught his eyes, but this time it looked like an arrow. Del drew an arrow this time. The potential for the design ended a big problem for him.
He would make an arrow. It would transport him and everything he loved safely. All of their things would only be the best, because either he or Lady made sure they were.
The brothers talked more about the upcoming trip. But completely kept from discussing their relationships with women. The conversation started to wind down as the bar began to pick up the pace.
Del left his brother and continued his trek for supplies. The hardware store had the parts he needed. He even bought parts he wouldn’t need. The back of the van would become a revolving closet. The clothes could come forward with a push of a button.
Del suddenly wondered if they could drive a van into the co
nvention center. That way they would have a moving closet on wheels, and complete privacy. Del knew it would confound anyone but him if he tried to explain what he was doing.
Instead he bore the questioning gaze of the stores associates. Having a rotating closet made perfect sense to him. It even eliminated the worry of a steel pole hanging from the ceiling and coming loose in a wreck.
Del drove to the bank. He was ready to buy the van. Del knew it would be easy to get the loan for the van. He had a lot of collateral, and this should be an easy stop. But as banks would have it, they were never quick and easy. He wanted money on his house, but that could take weeks.
Del bit the bullet and signed a high interest loan with the dealership instead. Before he even drove the new van off the lot he knew what updates it would need. He put on shiny rims to replace the alloy stock wheel covers.
The van had a lot of windows and would need a vehicle wrap. Del knew whatever he put on the vehicle would instantly brand Lady. He wanted the outside of the van all done, so the inside could be prepared.
He left the van at a shop that would wrap it in his own design. They promised to do it right away. The outside of the van would look like grass. Lots and lots of grass, as green as the printer allowed. Then on each side and centered on the back would be Cupid’s bow and a straight headed arrow.
The van didn’t need any words, names, or trademarks. Lady could add one whenever she wanted.
A week later the van was done. Del had done it, and everything else he wanted to do. Then he did a little extra. The van was still a van, yet nothing like a family car. He’d planned everything concisely, making it turn out better than imagined.
Chapter 18
Things between Lady and Del steam rolled along at a fast pace. It matched the movement of days through the calendar flip. The runway event loomed ever larger before them.
This would be Lady’s first public display of her creations. Del recognized the importance of the situation. The proving ground of hopefuls would be brutal, quick, and life changing. Lady’s name and family reputation marked generations of delightful input.
