A First Class Act

by Mildred Riley

“Only a few more miles,” he told her.

  “It’s been such a nice, scenic ride. I feel as if I’m on vacation, it’s so peaceful.”

  “I’ve always felt that way when I come down, as if crossing that bridge brings me to another country.”

  “I see what you mean.”

  “Honey,” he questioned, “would you like to stop for a cup of coffee? Maybe a muffin before we get to the site?”

  “Yes, that would be great.”

  “There’s a doughnut shop just up the road.”

  * * *

  Sam Perkins was waiting for them when they arrived.

  He stepped out of his SUV, carrying a cup of coffee. He was a tall man with smooth brown skin, gray hair cropped short, and he came forward to greet his clients.

  “Been waiting long, sir?” Drew asked, extending his hand.

  “Not long at all.”

  “May I present my wife, Mrs. Tyler? Dina, this is Mr. Perkins.”

  “It’s nice to meet you, sir.” She smiled, shaking hands with him.

  “Delighted, Mrs. Tyler.”

  “What do you think, Dina?” Drew waved his hand to indicate the plot.

  “Drew, it’s perfect!”

  There was a large grouping of tall pine trees in the area where the house might be located. There was the dirt road they had driven to the area, and across the road was a white sandy beach and, as Drew had promised, the blue-green ocean with urgent whitecaps that spent their energy on the shore.

  “Is this ours, too?” Dina asked, pointing towards the ocean.

  Drew grinned. “We have deeded rights to one hundred feet.”

  “Good Lord! That much?”

  “And we own an acre and a half of land as well.”

  Mr. Perkins seemed pleased with Dina’s reaction.

  “What type of house would you like, Mrs. Tyler?”

  “Three bedrooms, two and a half bathrooms, kitchen, dining room, living room with a fireplace, a finished basement, and…lots of windows to take advantage of this wonderful view!”

  “Two floors?” Sam Perkins asked. He had a large portfolio that he had taken from his briefcase. “How large a house?”

  She looked at her husband.

  “I’d say about three thousand square feet, and a two-car garage,” Drew answered.

  “Done and done!” the older man said. “Will draw up some plans for your approval, and we’ll go from there.”

  “About how long will a project like this take?” Drew asked.

  “Maybe four to six months, depending on many factors. But rest assured,” he looked at Dina, “we will do our very best.”

  They all shook hands and he left.

  Drew led Dina back to their parked car.

  “Might as well have our coffee and muffins.”

  “Why don’t we take a little walk through the pine trees?”

  “Good idea, Dina. I have a blanket in the trunk. I’ll get it.”

  They found a perfect spot where the ground was covered with pine needles. Drew spread out the blanket, tossed two pillows on the ground. “Knew these would come in handy someday.”

  Dina spoke up as she sat down. “You must have been a Boy Scout. Be prepared.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

  On their way back home from the Cape, Drew suggested they stop for some take-out for their evening meal. “What’s your preference?”

  “Haven’t had Chinese for a while. Do you like Chinese food?”

  “Sure do. Why don’t you make a list? We can call it in and it’ll be ready when we get there. I can run in, pick it up.”

  When he came out of the restaurant, he had two large plastic bags which he put in the back seat.

  “Got everything except something to drink.”

  “We’ve got plenty, wine, beer, tea, coffee, cold drinks. We’ll do fine.”

  “Okay, then home we go!”

  * * *

  Fried shrimp and rice, chicken wings, egg rolls, and fortune cookies were soon on the table in the kitchen, delicious odors rising from the opened cartons.

  “I didn’t realize I was so hungry,” her husband said as he served her plate.

  “Thanks, Drew,” she said, eyeing the food. “I think it’s being near the ocean that makes me hungry.”

  “Could be. Can’t wait for our house to be built. Think it might be ready by the time we get married?”

  “Do we dare hope?” she asked.

  “Why not?”

  They ate, satisfied with the day’s activity, enjoying their meal.

  “You know, Drew, I’ve been thinking.” She had just placed their empty plates in the sink.

  “What’s on your mind?”

  “Well, now that we’ve started our house project, maybe we should focus on our wedding….”

  “Honey, name the date! You know I’ll be there with bells on!”

  “No, Drew, I’m serious.”

  “Oh, God, I am too! You know that, Dina.”

  “How about your football training camp?”

  “We start in August. The season starts in September. Usually runs through January. Hopefully we’ll make the Super Bowl. That’s usually end of January.”

  “So now it’s only two weeks before training camp?”

  “That’s right. May I make a suggestion?”

  “Of course, it’s your wedding, too.”

  “My idea is that you should decide what kind of wedding you want to have. I have only one goal: to make you happy. That’s all I care about.”

  She told him then that she had been thinking about the chapel at Boston University. “That’s where I received my first degree.”

  “BU it is then. Now, what date?”

  “Got to be after the season is over. How about February 6?”

  “Is that a Saturday?”

  “It is, and it’s also my birthday!”

  “Fantastic! A day for two celebrations!”

  He noticed a thoughtful look come over her face.

  “And I want Nora to be my only attendant. She’s my closest friend, and I would like her to be matron of honor. How about you?”

  “My dad. I think John would rather be an usher…he’s not that much for formalities.”

  “Have you thought about the number of guests? I have only a few colleagues from Waverly, but you do have family.”

  “Yes, aunts and uncles, you know, my parents’ siblings, and some cousins and a few close team members. Maybe forty, all told. And, Dina, how about we let my mother plan the reception…with your input, of course.”

  “I would appreciate that. What I know about receptions…”

  “She’d be pleased to be involved.”

  Sitting across from each other at the kitchen table, Drew was elated that at last their plans were finally under way.

  Dina heaved a long, drawn-out sigh.

  “What’s wrong, honey? We’ve just made some wonderful decisions. Aren’t you happy?”

  He leaned over to grasp her hands. Then he saw the tears in her eyes.

  “Tell me, what is it?”

  “I…I’ve been thinking that I should invite my father and his family….”

  He jumped up from his chair, pulled her to her feet, put his arms around her, kissing her trembling lips. She clung to him.

  “I knew you would come to that decision. And I also know it wasn’t an easy decision to make, but believe me, I’m so proud of you! You are truly some kind of woman!”

  She looked up at him.

  “Maybe he won’t come?” she said softly.

  “I’m betting that he will.”

  * * *

  Vanessa Tyler was one excited woman when the couple reviewed their wedding plans with the Tyler family. Even John, now a college freshman, was thrilled.

  Even though the wedding was a few months away, she got busy, consulting caterers, checking with her husband about using his lodge hall for the reception, and helping the couple select and design their wedding invitations.

&nbs
p; It was an exciting day when Dina and her future mother-in-law selected her wedding gown, a simple white satin gown with long sleeves, an empire waistline, with a short train.

  “Mrs. Tyler?”

  “Could you call me ‘Mom’? You’re going to be my daughter, you know.”

  “Yes, ma’am…I mean, Mom. Thanks for helping me with the gown.”

  “Oh, my dear, it was my pleasure. You are going to be a lovely bride.”

  “So, how about it? Are you up for lunch?”

  “I’d be delighted!”

  They found a restaurant nearby, not far from the bridal shop.

  “I expect many a bride has come in here to chill out after buying a wedding dress,” Vanessa said as the hostess seated them at a table.

  “I’m sure of it. Look at all the young women and their mothers.”

  “And future mothers-in-law, I suspect.”

  “Mom?”

  “Yes, my dear, what is it?”

  They had just ordered their lunch, soup, and sandwich, and were waiting for the order to be served.

  Vanessa sensed that Dina had something on her mind, and with a mother’s intuition, decided to be patient.

  Her face flushed with the anxiety she was experiencing, Dina blurted out the troubling problem she faced.

  “This is something I feel I should share with you. Of course I’ve already told Drew, but as his parents, I feel you should be aware of my situation.”

  “My dear child.” Vanessa reached for Dina’s hand, found it cold and trembling. She squeezed it firmly as if to impart some warmth.

  “Just tell me, dear. It will be all right.”

  “It’s so hard,” Dina said, her voice faltering a bit, as if it were difficult to find the words she needed. But she swallowed hard and began.

  “My father gave me away when I was two months old. Did I already tell you that? Anyway, after all these years of not knowing about him, he wants to meet me. I’m wondering if I should invite him to the wedding?”

  Without a moment’s hesitation, Vanessa grasped Dina’s hands more firmly. “Absolutely! By all means. Everyone deserves a chance to right a wrong.”

  * * *

  Dina sent a brief note.

  Dear Sir,

  I am to be married on February 6, which, as you know, is also my birthday. Would you care to attend?

  Sincerely,

  Claudina Raines

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

  Dina had established a website, and with Drew off to training camp, she spent most of the day at her computer. Not only did she need to acquire the needed credentials from governing nursing boards, but she needed to locate the proper institutions that might be open to her educational seminars.

  The email came from Henry Lawrence within a few days.

  My dear daughter, it read, you have made me so happy. Would be delighted to share this important day with you. May I bring the family?

  Sincerely,

  Henry Lawrence.

  When Drew came home that night, she showed him the email.

  “At last, he calls me his daughter,” she said.

  “Tell me, honey, how you feel about this.”

  “It’s funny, but I feel relieved, as if a heavy burden has been lifted. Almost freer, somehow…”

  “That’s my girl! I was hoping that you’d feel that way…no longer hung up on a problem not of your doing.”

  “Thanks to you, oh wise one.”

  “So, are you going to let him bring his family?”

  “Why not? ‘In for a penny’…”

  “I know, ‘in for a pound.’ Like I’ve always said, you are one smart cookie! I’m proud of you.”

  “Hope you’ll always be proud of me.”

  “I will. Look, I picked up something from the mailbox when I came in.”

  “What is it?”

  His smile widened as Dina, ever ready for news, eyed the bundle of mail he put on the kitchen table.

  He scooped up a large metal tube. She peered at the address. “Sam Perkins!” she exclaimed.

  “Yep! It’s the floor plans for our new home. Let’s go in the living room.”

  Impulsively, Dina swept the books, magazines and other stuff off the coffee table. Drew spread the blueprints over the top.

  “Hon, look at this! Everything we asked for…hardwood floors, granite for all the countertops, a double-faced fireplace between the living room and the family room….”

  “And all the windows! We’ll be able to see the ocean from every room in the front of the house. Drew, it’s going to be so beautiful!”

  “You know, my love,” he said thoughtfully, “today is August 6. Hopefully on February 6, our wedding day and your birthday, our home will be ready. Wouldn’t that be something?”

  “Dare we hope?”

  “Don’t see why not.”

  * * *

  The letter arrived from Norfolk, Virginia. Henry Lawrence had included a picture of his family.

  Dina looked at it for some time, then turned it over. Her father’s wife was a sweet-faced, brown-skinned woman with dark eyes and a warm smile. Her name was Charlotte. Dina’s half-siblings, a twelve-year-old boy, Henry, Jr., and a ten-year-old girl whose name was Jeane, completed a very attractive family. Dina was surprised to see the gray temples in her father’s otherwise black hair. She figured he could be in his fifties.

  She shared the photograph with Drew. “A very nice looking family, don’t you think?” he commented.

  “Seems to be….”

  “Don’t fret, honey. Everything is going to be fine, trust me.” He understood how uneasy she was about meeting her father and his family.

  The plan was that Drew would pick the Lawrences up at the airport and bring them to his apartment, where he and Dina were living. She would have lunch for everyone and then Drew would take them to their hotel in Boston.

  Earlier that morning, thinking about the stress that Dina might experience, he suggested that he take the Lawrence children to the store.

  “I think just meeting your dad and his wife will be traumatic enough without the kids wondering what’s going on. I’ll drop the folks at the door, tell them I have to pick up something at the store. Is that okay by you?”

  She agreed with him. “Thanks, Drew, that will make it easier.”

  * * *

  Drew carried a sign, LAWRENCE FAMILY, and it wasn’t long before he spotted a man with a military bearing herding a woman and two children ahead.

  “Mr. Lawrence, over here,” he called out.

  With an acknowledging smile, the man stepped forward, extending his hand.

  “Drew Tyler?”

  “Right you are, sir! It’s a pleasure to meet Dina’s dad.”

  “Nice to meet you, too. May I present my wife and children?”

  He turned to his wife. “This is my wife, Charlotte. Our son, Henry, Jr., and Jeane, our daughter.”

  Drew shook hands with each of them.

  “Let’s head down to the baggage area.”

  “We brought two bags,” Henry Lawrence told him.

  “Well, I brought Dina’s SUV, so we’ll have plenty of room for the luggage.”

  As they waited for the luggage, Drew wondered, having met this attractive, well-groomed family, how his wife would react to them.

  The youngsters were quiet standing between their parents, but Henry Junior moved nearer to Drew. Looking up at him, he said, “Dad says you’re a football player. Are you?”

  “Indeed. I’m a wide receiver for the Anchors….”

  “Wow!” the boy exhaled. “Never met a professional player before!”

  “Do you like football?”

  “My favorite!”

  “Would you like an autographed football?”

  “Yes, thanks.”

  Smiling at Drew, Mrs. Lawrence touched Drew’s arm. “You’ve made a friend for life.”

  “My pleasure, ma’am.”

  Mr. Lawrence thought he spotted their bags, but he was
mistaken. He said to Drew, “Lookalikes, you know. So you and Dina are to be married Saturday?”

  “Yes, sir, at noon.”

  “I can’t wait to see her. It’s been a lifetime.” His voice quavered with the emotion he was feeling.

  Drew could see the tension building in the older man.

  “Mr. Lawrence, Dina and I thought it might be less stressful for all if only you and Mrs. Lawrence meet her for the first time, so if you’ve no objections, I’ll drop you two off and take the children with me to the store. Would that be all right?”

  “Very considerate of you, sir. Thanks.”

  * * *

  Driving out of the airport, Drew asked Mrs. Lawrence, “First visit to Boston?”

  “Yes, my first, and I’m anxious to see it. The children are as well.”

  He pulled the car into the driveway to allow the parents to get out of the car.

  “Don’t worry about the bags, they’ll be safe. We’ll be back in about fifteen minutes.”

  As he was backing out of the driveway, looking into the back seat, he saw panic and fear on the children’s faces as they realized that they were separated from their parents, with a man they had just met.

  Anxious to allay their fears, he said, “It’s all right, kids, we’re not going far. Have to pick up some ice. When we get to the store, you can get something. I’ll buy. What would you like?”

  “Chips and coke for me,” Henry said.

  “Me, too!” his sister echoed.

  * * *

  When she opened the front door, Dina faltered, taking a step back at her first sight of her father.

  His arms outstretched toward her, his face flushed, tears flowing freely from his eyes, in a husky voice he said, “I’m so sorry, so sorry.”

  He appeared to be struggling to maintain some sense of equilibrium.

  As he continued to sob, “Please, please forgive me,” Dina led him and his wife into the living room.

  They sat down on the sofa, with Dina on her father’s right and his wife on his left. He thanked his wife for the tissues she handed him.

  Wiping his eyes, blowing his nose, he said, “Dina, you look so much like your mother. So much.”

  “My mother…my adoptive mother, used to say that.”

  “Dina, this is my wife, Charlotte.”

  Dina leaned forward. “It’s nice to meet you, Mrs. Lawrence.”

  “Charlotte, please, and may I call you Dina?”