Chapter 7
Todd called out her name. She came in from the bedroom. He had on a very sad face. She gave him a big hug. “Come sit down and tell me about your friend.” He sat in an old rocker that might have been his grandfathers. She sat on the floor on a Mexican rug in front of him. Took his shoes off and massaged his feet. He leaned back and closed his eyes and enjoyed the feeling of her fingers on his feet. After a few moments, he raised his head up and looked at her. She was looking at him with a worried look on her face. He knew she was feeling his pain too. “What a woman,” he thought.
“Honey, John is dying. A few days at most and he will be gone. Lung cancer and he was never a smoker. He was and is a great guy. Like a second father to me. I spent many summers here with them playing with the other kids. He'll be buried in the family plot on the hill behind the house. He’s in no pain. Our nurse is with him and gives him regular pain medication. We had a good talk and even though his voice was weak, he words were clear to me. I promised to take care of Alice and he smiled and then he went to sleep. Now, I must call grandmother and fill her in.”
Jen got up and brought him a portable phone. He pulled his tie off and unbuttoned his shirt. She finished the job for him and ran her fingers through his hairy chest.
“Hello grandmother, I know it’s late back there but I wanted to fill you in on John’s condition. He has only a few more days and then he will be gone. He’s comfortable and will pass on with no pain. I’ll call you again in the morning.” He listened for a few minutes and then he said “Good bye” and put down the phone.
“Let’s take a shower before dinner,” She said with a smile trying to take his mind off the trouble with John.
“Good idea, but the shower is small and it will be kind of tight in there.”
She pulled him to his feet and into the bathroom they went hand in hand. After a pleasant shower, they laid on the bed talking about their future.
Todd and Jen discussed when they would get married and they decided a spring wedding would be nice. He said, “A small wedding would be best, but I understand the need for a larger one. The society pages will sit up and take notice as soon as it’s advertised we're to be married. The Lincoln name is big in some circles and I’m one of those ‘Most eligible bachelors’ you read about in the society pages. Grandmother has so many friends and business associates that'll have to be invited. You'll need a big truck to carry off the presents.”
She laughed and said, “My dad will be so emotional. He'll not be worth much, but mother will handle all the preparation work. If your grandmother will give my mother a list of guests, that will help her make a plan. I think we should hire a professional person to make the wedding arrangements.”
He agreed with her. “Now it’s almost time for dinner and I'll get dressed.” They both got up and put on some casual clothes for dinner. Maria knocked on the door and Todd said through the door they were on the way.
The food was good. Mostly Mexican food with some American dishes for the guests, such as, fried chicken and a beef barely soup. A large dining room held about twenty people and tonight it was full. A large chair sat at the head and it was waiting for Todd to sit in it. An empty chair stood next to his right and that was for Jen. Sadly it was a somber affair. Alice sat to Todd’s left and they whispered to each other throughout the dinner. Jen was so hungry she shocked herself by eating so much. She ate mostly Mexican food and marveled at the fine taste of it. She noticed standing back by the kitchen door a large Mexican woman was watching her eat. She was obviously watching to see if the special lady of Todd’s was enjoying the dinner.
After dinner they went for a walk around the compound. He told her about the vineyard and its parts that made up the place. First he told her about how many people worked and lived here. He said, “We have more than one hundred workers and their families. Most live to the north of here around the other side of the hill. We built small but nice houses for them. Water, power and septic system is in place. We even have a little market for them to shop at. Fresh food is brought in everyday. Like a company store in the old days. However, we only charge them cost plus what it takes to operate the store.”
They passed a building with the lights on and workers looked like they were busy with a whole bunch of golf carts. She asked him, “Why so many golf carts? Is there a golf course nearby?”
He laughed, No. no golf course. Workers use them instead of gasoline powered vehicles. Electric carts work well for us and the grapes don’t have to breathe the fumes of gasoline cars. There is enough pollution in the air as it is, why make more pollution.”
They walked on and she noticed a sign that said clinic on it. “What is that?” she said.
He told her they had a small clinic for the workers and their families. “A RN is on staff everyday and twice a week a doctor friend of mine comes up for some of the more serious cases. We find it is cheaper than providing medical insurance to the people.”
He had his arm around her and said, “Let’s go back to our house and make love.” She leaned her head on his shoulder and turned him around and they headed back for a night of love making and quiet talk under the sheets.
On the way back he told her that tomorrow he would show her a surprise. He would say no more and a feeling of well being flowed through her body. “Tomorrow will be an exciting day.” She said to herself.
Sizzling Romance New York Style Page 7
