The guests would be arriving in three days. Jill decided to hire a professional home staging company that specialized in wedding planning to help prepare her beach house for the wedding. James said, “I don’t want to have to spend the time cleaning and preparing the beach house for the wedding any more than you do. Your idea of hiring the work done is an excellent one. I will pay the bill since I am the one unwilling to do the work.” Jill laughed at him, but explained that they would share the cost. They had already started a joint checking account and each had put a large sum of money into the account. Paying the cleaning and staging bill caused either of them any hardship.
On the day that Jenny, Glen, Julie and Jill’s father, Timothy, were due in at the airport, Jill was a nervous wreck. James had gone to the office to insure everything was running smoothly before driving to the airport to pick up Jenny. Jenny was the first to arrive. James would make a later trip back to the airport to pick up the remaining guests.
When James spotted his sister in the baggage area, he wrapped his arms around her and hugged her hard. Jenny immediately began to cry and giggle at the same time. They had not seen each other in over a year. When Jenny’s luggage came down the carousel, James picked it up and escorted his sister to Jill’s SUV. Jenny asked what kind of car James drove. He looked her in the eye and said, “One so small that your luggage would not fit in the back. You would have to wrap the seat belt around you and your luggage to get it to Jill’s house.” Jenny smiled and said, “That is all well and good, but I heard through the grape vine that you have a Ferrari sports car.” James looked over at Jenny and said, “Those sound like the tattling’s of my soon to be wife. By the way, I have promised to sell the Ferrari if we decide to adopt a child.” Jenny looked at James and said, “You two are young enough to have a child of your own.” James laughed and said, “That is true, however, Jill was in an automobile accident when she was a teenager. She was badly injured and had to have some surgery. She can no longer conceive a child. We will use the adoption agency to find a child in need of some loving parents.” Jenny leaned over and kissed her brother’s cheek. She said, “I have missed you. We should both make commitments to visit each other twice a year. I know you are as busy as I am, but we should try.” James chuckled and said, “We will call this week your visit. Jill and I will come visit you in New York in six months.” Jenny said, “Try to come over the Christmas holidays. New York is splendid in December.”
When Jenny and James pulled into the long driveway of Jill’s beach house, Jenny giggled and said, “Jill is doing quite well financially. Will you live here also?” James said, “I moved out of my apartment a few days ago and moved everything I own, here. Jill has been gracious enough to let this beach bum move in with her.” Jenny giggled and said, “I like this new James. The one before the Vacation Writer job opened up was a little less liked.” James looked into Jenny’s eyes and said, “Sorry about that. I wanted to be free, until I was, then I wanted a free ride in some big company. I soon learned that there is no free ride and one has to work damn hard to make it in this world.” Jenny turned to her brother and said, “I am not judging you, brother. I have always loved you and idolized you. You helped me deal with our parents deaths and I love you for that. I will support you in anything you do and I am very pleased that you are marrying Jill. She seems like an incredible person. I am excited to meet her.”
James pulled off the expressway and drove to the bridal shop where Jenny needed to try on her dress so the seamstress could make any last minute adjustments. Once Jenny had the dress on, the seamstress quickly made two adjustments and then had Jenny try the dress on again. This time it fit perfectly. When the owner finished pressing the dress, she carefully hung it back onto the hanger. James paid the lady and then carried the dress out to the SUV. The dress fitting had only taken twenty-five minutes.
When James pulled up to the front door of the beach house, Jill walked outside and walked straight up to the passenger door where Jenny was sitting. Jill opened the door and said, “Hello Jenny. We finally meet face to face.” Jenny stepped out of the SUV and stepped up close to Jill. She said, “I think we need more than a handshake, I think we both need a hug. I hope my brother has been treating you kindly. I will throttle him if I find out otherwise.” Jill began to giggle while she was hugging Jenny. She finally said, “Your brother is quite the gentleman and he speaks highly of his little sister.”
Jill had planned for Jenny to stay at the beach house along with her father, Timothy. When James and Jill finished settling Jenny in her room, they fixed her a burger and a beer. She had not eaten since early morning and was quite hungry. While Jenny ate, James said, “I need to head back to the airport and pick up the rest of the gang.” Jill said, “I will go. You need to have some time with Jenny before she is too busy to talk to you. Besides, I am worried about father riding in that airplane for five hours.” James gave Jill a kiss as she walked out the door.
When Jill returned with their guests, James had food cooked on the grill. It was near six o’clock before Jill returned. James had talked to Jill a couple of times on her way back to the beach house and she explained that she had checked Glen, Julie into their rooms at the hotel, but planned to bring them to the beach house to meet everyone and have some food. As Jill was talking to James, she giggled and said, “I told Brother Glen that he could drive the Ferrari for the time they were visiting, since you seldom drive it.” Everyone in the car heard the silence on the other end of Jill’s speakerphone. Finally, she giggled and said, “Just kidding, James. I could not resist the temptation to tease you about your fancy car.” James said, “It is not a car. It is a Ferrari.” Jill began to laugh and said, “Does this mean we are having our first fight?” James heard the laughter coming from the occupants of the SUV, but managed to keep his composure over Jill’s teasing. He finally asked, “Are you apologizing for your rude comments?” Jill laughed and said, “Yes, James.” James said, “We will just have to have makeup sex tonight.” The speakerphone was still on and James heard the startled puff of air leave Jill’s lungs. Then James said, “Oh. I forgot. We are not married yet.” James wished he could have seen the look on the face of Jill’s father.
When Jill drove up to the front door of the beach house, James and Jenny went out to help bring in Timothy’s luggage. Jill had set up the spare bedroom with the private bathroom for her father. The room had a television, a nice reclining chair and a view of the ocean. She hoped he would be comfortable. He was also far enough away from the noisy parts of the house that he could take a nap and find some quiet time while all the wedding activity was going on.
When Timothy returned to the kitchen, everyone had filled their plates at the kitchen island and sat down to eat. Jill insured her father found everything he needed and then made him some coffee. She showed him how to use the coffee pot so he could make his own coffee whenever he wanted some. As they ate, the stories flowed like water. Everyone wanted to know how Jill and James had met and where they worked. When Jill told her guests that she could take them for a ride on her sailing ketch, Jill’s father asked, “What other secrets are you keeping from me?” Jill giggled and said, “Probably more than I care to admit. I will tell you about most of them before you give me away to this wonderful man who just prepared this lovely meal we are enjoying”
When the grandfather clock in the den struck eight o’clock, Glen looked at James and held out his hand. James looked at him with a sideways glance and asked, “What?” Glen said, “If you will hand over the keys to the Ferrari, Julie and I will be on our way to the hotel.” James got a funny look on his face and then turned to Jill. She tried her best, but she could not hold the laughter inside a moment longer. She started to giggle and then asked, “Are you going to be a stingy fart with my brother?” James walked over to the drawer beside the refrigerator and located the key. When he handed the key to Glen, Julie began to laugh. Her face turned red and she put her hands over her mouth. Within seconds, everyone in
the room, except for James was laughing. Jill finally managed to say, “That was the funniest thing I have ever seen. I thought James was going to cry.” Glen handed the key back to James and said, “I cannot believe you actually gave me the key. If that Ferrari was mine, I would never let anyone touch it, never, never, never.” James laughed at Glen’s choice of adverbs.
Jill walked Glen and Julie out to her SUV and sent them on their way to the hotel. They had agreed that they would return to the beach house around eight o’clock for breakfast.
When Jill returned to the house, her father was ready to go to bed. Jill made certain he had plenty of towels, showed him how to turn on the television, and then left him to fend for himself. When she returned to the kitchen, Jenny asked if Timothy was okay after his long flight. Jill smiled and said, “He is fine just very tired.” James asked, “Your father is not very old, does he have health issues?” Jill said, “He has congestive heart failure and the doctors have given him six months to live.” James walked up to Jill and let her settle into his arms. She said, “I promise I will not cry. I have had many months to come to peace with his imminent death.” James said, “We should have traveled to New York and had the wedding there. He did not need this long journey.” Jill said, “If you remember, I made that offer, but he refused. He told me that he would rather come here and see the ocean one last time before he died. I promised him I would honor his wishes.” James asked Jill if she had considered allowing her father to live out his time here at the beach house. Jill smiled and said, “I may have convinced him to do just that in the SUV. However, I do not feel it fair to burden my future husband with the care of my aging father.” James said, “Jill, I would love to have him here with us so we can help make his final days as enjoyable as possible. You must remember that all of us must die at some time and no living creature should die alone.” Jenny stood up and said, “Before you two make me cry, I am going to bed. I will be up very early and start breakfast so it is on the table when Glen and Julie arrive. Jill, take whatever time you need in the morning to insure your father follows his normal morning routine. That is most important. I hope Timothy decides to stay here at the beach house. What a wonderful place this would be to spend his final days.”
James began cleaning up the kitchen. There was little work left to do since the guests each rinsed their own dishes and silverware and placed them into the dishwasher. All James had to do was wipe off the table, stove and counter tops. When he was done, he opened a beer and walked outside to sit at the patio porch table. Shortly, Jill joined him. When she sat down, she said, “This has been a fun day. Thank you for all your help and support. I enjoyed teasing you and being your best friend today. You make my life complete.” James looked her in the eyes and said, “There is one thing that would make my life complete right now. I hope you can convince your father to move in with us here at the beach house. I like him and I would like to spend as much time with him as possible. If he is well enough, we could take him on some short day trips in the ketch and catch some fish for our meals. He told me that he always loved the sea and loved fishing. I would like him here with us instead of alone in New York.”
Just then, the sound of the refrigerator door opening interrupted the conversation. Jill got up and went inside to see if she could help her father find something. James heard her laughing and then she and Timothy walked outside. Timothy sat his bottle of beer on the table and sat down. Then he looked at James and said, “I heard part of your conversation with Jill. I was not intentionally listening, but I still heard what you said. Jill and I discussed me living here for the few months I have left, but I was concerned that my presence would disturb the newlyweds living here. After hearing your words to Jill, I may reconsider my thoughts and take you up on your offer. I hate New York in my later years and living here would be enjoyable. The only concern I have is how to get my belongings here. I don’t have much, nothing that would not fit in that wonderful room you put me in this afternoon. Could we work out a truck to move my things here?” Jill put her hand on top of her father’s and said, “Father, you just made my day complete. I love you more than you can imagine and I worry about you every day. Having you here with us would lift a great burden in my life. I can arrange to have your belongings shipped here on a truck anytime you make the final decision. You would never have to return to New York again, if that was your wish.”
The following morning, while everyone else ate their breakfast, Jill worked the phone to make arrangements with the building manager of her father’s apartment complex. He agreed to find a moving company, help pack and load everything in the apartment. He said, “Once I have all of the charges worked out, I will send the receipts to you and you can simply write me a check. You and I have worked together many times settling your father’s finances and I have enjoyed having Timothy as a tenant. He is a fine man and I love him to death. I will begin making the arrangements this afternoon.”
When Jill walked out into the kitchen to fix some breakfast, Jenny sat her down with a cup of hot coffee and said, “I will cook your breakfast this morning. I will not hear of you working so hard on the eve of your wedding.” Jill laughed and placed her breakfast order. As Jill sat talking to James and her guests, she looked into her father’s eyes and said, “Father, I hope you were serious about our discussion last night. I called your landlord and he has agreed to follow through with your wishes. If you have changed your mind this morning, you need to tell me so I can cancel the moving truck.” Timothy looked into his daughter’s eyes and said, “Thank you, Jill. I have not changed my mind. I love you dearly and I also thank James for allowing me to stay here.” James said, “There are two conditions that go with living here.” Timothy said, “Oh?” James laughed and said, “You have to promise me that we can take the ketch out whenever you are feeling up to it and that we catch as many fish as we can possibly eat.” Timothy smiled and extended his hand. James shook his hand and then said, “I need to go to town for some ice. I would love to have you join me. We can discuss everything you want to know about California and the wonderfully warm weather here. I will even begin filling you in on all of Jill’s little secrets.” Jill punched James on the shoulder over his words and Timothy began to laugh. When James looked at Jill, there was a tear running down her cheek. James continued to look at her and she turned to face him. James pulled her into his arms and held her tight for a moment. Then she whispered in his ear, “I love you, James.”
When James and Timothy were on their way home after loading the bags of ice into the coolers and placing them in the SUV, James asked, “Do you ever stop at a bar and have a cold beer in the afternoon?” Timothy laughed and said, “I can only have one. Taking heart medicine you know.” James pulled the SUV into a small pub. They walked up to the bar, ordered two beers in thick frosty glasses and then sat down at a table where they could see the baseball game. As they sipped their beer, James asked many questions about Jill and her life before she moved to California. Timothy was quite open with most of the questions, but when James asked about Jill’s past boyfriends, Timothy laughed and said, “For the answer to those questions, you will have to ask Jill. I know she has dated a few guys, but I cannot say she was ever serious about any of them, until now, that is. She tells me that you are the one she has been waiting for. I personally think the two of you are perfect for each other. It is a shame it took so many years for you two to meet.”
When James and Timothy returned to the beach house, James unloaded the ice in the garage freezer. As they worked to fit all of the bags of ice into the freezer, Jill walked out to talk to them. When she stepped up next to her father, she giggled and said, “Okay boys. I suspect I smell beer on the both of you. Did you guys stop for a beer along the way?” James looked at Jill and said, “The temperature is very warm out there and Timothy and I got a little overheated hauling all that ice.” Jill giggled again as she headed back into the house with one of the bags of ice. When Jill walked back into the house, Timothy asked,
“Do you think it bothers Jill that we stopped and had a beer?” James laughed and said, “She does not care. If we had too much to drink, she might have something to say. Besides, we are grown men and can have a beer whenever we want to.” Timothy laughed and said, “Good point. I have had two beers since I arrived here. I probably will have another at the wedding reception.”
***
Donald and Karen walked down the sandy foredune and dipped water from Lake Superior. While on the beach, they built a tiny fire from driftwood and boiled their water. It is essential that every hiker carry the facilities to either boil or filter and chemically treat their drinking water. With giardia, cryptosporidium and E.coli running rampant in most water sources, proper treatment was an absolute must.
On their last day in the backcountry, Karen and Donald shouldered their packs and moved back along the trail they had hiked yesterday. As they turned north along the river, they heard the sound of a wolf howl off in the distance. Within a moment or two, an entire pack began to howl. Two hikers that were walking up the trails stopped near Donald and Karen and said, “The sound of those wolves howling is troubling.” Donald turned to them and said, “The wolves will do you no harm. They are well fed and besides, they have the same fears of you as you do of them. You have nothing to worry about.”
As they hiked along the trail towards their hotel, Karen walked along side of Donald and said, “I guess you figured out by now that I still have not started my period.” Donald chuckled and said, “Yes, I figured that out. I am not certain if the stress from sleeping with the wolves and the exertion from hiking might have contributed to your missed period. I personally am hoping that one of my fast swimming sperm managed to penetrate your defenses and fertilized an egg.”
Vacation Writer Page 11
