Second Time Around

Chapter 7 - What a Day!

By Arli J

Edited by Radio Rancher
Based on Characters from Pinochle, by E Walk

I woke up Wednesday morning to sun shining in the window. When I looked at the clock, it was 6:45. I sat up, stretched, then got up and went to the bathroom. When I came back, I slipped on the clothes I had - finally! - remembered to bring from the bedroom last night. Then I went to the kitchen and put on coffee. When it was ready, I was just about to go wake Gregg, when I heard the bedroom door open. He went into the bathroom.

I poured two cups of coffee and brought them to the table. I was just sitting down when Gregg walked in. I picked up his coffee cup and handed it to him. He smiled. "Thanks! How are you feeling this morning?"

"Just fine, thanks, and you?"

"Great! I had a real good night's sleep. It's a good thing, too, I guess. We've got a busy day ahead of us, including a plane trip to Nebraska."

"Gregg, that's something I wanted to talk to you about. I've never been in an airplane, and I'm a little bit nervous about the whole idea."

"You don't need to worry! The take-off can be a little scary, if you're not used to it, but once you're in the air, it's like riding in a car."

"If you say so! But I'm used to riding in cars on the ground!"

Gregg laughed and took a sip from his coffee cup. "It's not that bad, you'll see."

We sipped our coffee in companionable silence. Then Gregg stood up. "I think I'd better make sure that I have everything packed."

"You? I've got to start packing, remember?"

"You don't need that much! We're only going to be staying a couple or three days, and then we'll be on our way back here. Just pack a few comfortable things for the trip."

He went to the bathroom to shave and shower, while I dug out my suitcase and packed a few things, following his advice. It made sense. We would be back in a few days, so why should I take a lot of stuff? When I finished packing, I picked up my bedding, straightened the living room, and took the bedding into the bedroom. Gregg had already made the bed, so I just dumped my pillow and blankets on it.

He came out of the bathroom just then, wearing only a towel. This was the first time I had seen him without clothes. Nice! I could feel my interest growing a little.

"I'm through. If you want to get in the bathroom, I'll get dressed and get my things out of the bedroom, so you can have it back." He chuckled.

I hurried through my shower, mainly to distract myself from the visions of Gregg in a towel and my curiosity about what I hadn't been able to see. I shaved quickly and went into the bedroom to get dressed. When I came out, Gregg was waiting for me in the living room. "It's quarter of eight. Should we take time for another cup of coffee, or should we go out for breakfast now?"

"Maybe we'd better go now. I don't want to be late, and we do have to be at the lawyer's office at nine." I went to the kitchen and turned off the coffee pot. We decided to come back and pick up our luggage later, so we left it in the living room.

We went to the State Diner and had a good breakfast. Since it was past the early rush, we were served promptly. When we finished, I left a tip on the table for the waitress and went to the register to pay. Gregg offered to buy breakfast, but I had already paid for it, so he just smiled and thanked me.

The lawyer's office was also on State Street, but at the top of the hill, so we had a straight drive, except for the detour around the Commons. Traffic was light, so we arrived and parked in front of his office about 8:55. We had just parked when Beau and Becca arrived with Kate in her Town Car. Ben and Grant followed in Beau's rental car. Sally was right behind them. Kate led the way into the office. She was smiling. "I'm glad to see that everyone's here on time! Hank likes to start his meetings promptly. He's a little anal about that!" We all chuckled and entered the office wearing big grins.

There was no sign of a receptionist in the office, so Kate led us straight into Lawyer Dolan's office. He was sitting at his desk, reading some papers, but he stood up and smiled. "Come on in! I'm glad to see that you're all here on time!" Kate winked at Becca and Sally, who were standing next to her. They both grinned, barely suppressing their laughter.

Beau got right down to business. He handed Mr. Dolan a stack of papers and explained that they were faxes he had received overnight, and that he needed five copies of each as quickly as possible. Mr. Dolan called one of his secretaries and explained what Beau needed. She took the stack of papers and disappeared into the next room. Mr. Dolan made it very clear that he preferred to be called Hank.

Hank asked why we had come. Beau explained what we had been going through the last couple of days, the store on the Commons, Kate's house, and the problems with Giulio Petrillo. Hank listened carefully, then suggested that it would probably be in their best interests to get contracts signed as quickly as possible, so that there could be no future misunderstandings.

Sally had already drawn up contracts for the purchase of the house and of the store building. Hank read them over, noting with pleasure that Bob Wainwright had been the appraiser. Since they were all in order, he suggested that they be signed immediately. Ben signed the purchase contract for Kate's house, and Becca cosigned, since he is underage. Then Gregg signed the contract for the store building. It was very clear that he was still very nervous about Giulio Petrillo and what he might do, or try to do. Kate reassured him that, with Mayor Hawthorne interested in what was happening, there was little chance that Mr. Petrillo could do anything.

At this point, Ben interrupted. He explained that he and Grant had a ten o'clock appointment with Dr. Witherspoon, their advisor.

Hank looked really upset. "DonWitherspoon?" It seemed that Hank and Dr. Witherspoon might be something more than friends! Hank turned on Kate:

"You had a hand in this, didn't you?" We discovered that Dr. Witherspoon had a habit of practically adopting his advisees, and Hank wound up cooking for them on a regular basis.

Hank looked as if he were ready to explode, but Grant spoke up and made a rather impertinent remark to the effect that Hank would probably be cooking for them every evening now. He and Ben disappeared quickly, leaving the rest of us with our mouths open in shock. All except Kate! She found the whole situation hilarious. But then she got serious and suggested that we had better get down to the Commons to meet the Mayor at the store. She said that she expected Giulio Petrillo to show up, too. Hank decided to go along to watch the fun. We formed a sort of cavalcade down the hill, Beau in front, with Becca and Kate. Hank was next, then the boys, followed by Sally, and we brought up the rear. When we got to the foot of the hill, Beau turned into the parking garage across from the Commons. The others followed him. I looked at Gregg. "Damn! He knows how I feel about paying for parking garages!"

Gregg just shrugged and grinned. Since I had little choice or time, I swallowed my feelings and followed the rest of the group into the garage. We found adjacent parking spaces inside, locked our cars, and set out on foot across the Commons to the store. When we arrived, we found Bob Wainwright waiting for us.

Kate unlocked the front door, and we went inside. We had just arrived when Mayor Hawthorne came in, accompanied by four people, two men and two women, from her office. She introduced everyone, and said, "Well, may we tour the building?"

Beau suggested that Gregg and I take Mayor Hawthorne to the second floor on the elevator, while he escorted the rest of the party up the stairs. It was so like Beau to be concerned about our difficulties with stairs. He also suggested that Kate and Becca remain in the store, "just in case Giulio Petrillo decides to pay us a visit."

We toured the building. Mayor Hawthorne and her staff looked carefully at everything, but made no comments. When we returned to the first floor, it was no surprise to anyone to see Giulio Petrillo standing there, but he had the Chief of Police with him.

Mayor Hawthorne looked around at the assembled group, then focused her attention on Petrillo. Her voice was calm, and she had a rather stiff smile on her face. "The condemnation proceedings on this building are to stop immediately." Beau handed her a stack of faxes, which Hank's secretary had copied and notarized for him.

She glanced through some of them, and her face blanched. She had a look of suppressed anger that would have frightened even an innocent person, but Giulio Petrillo just looked at her with a rather smug expression.

Just then Beau's cell phone rang. From his side of the conversation, I gathered that it was President Smith, suggesting that we all leave as scheduled, because the State Police and the FBI were to arrive this afternoon.

Beau handed the phone to Mayor Hawthorne, explaining that the President wanted to talk to her. She was shaking when she took the phone, but it was from anger, not anxiety. She spoke briefly with him, then handed the phone back to Beau.

She explained that the President had suggested that Beau and Becca do a thorough check on her office and the people working there. The faxes had already linked a number of top city officials to Mr. Petrillo, and the President felt that Beau and Becca could help the Mayor to complete the housecleaning of her office. They would have a special interest, since doing so would make Ithaca a safer place for Ben and Grant.

Mayor Hawthorne turned to Beau and Becca and asked them, since they planned to be in the area next week for some business meetings, if they would be willing to check out her office. Before Beau could answer, Becca spoke up and told her that they would be happy to do so, and that they would bring two people from their Kansas City office. Then she added, mother to mother, that she was concerned about the boys and whether they might have been kidnapped by Dr. Witherspoon. The Mayor laughed, and we parted on a lighter note.

Nobody had noticed that, while our attention was focused on the phone calls between Beau and Mayor Hawthorne with President Smith, Giulio Petrillo and the police chief had slipped out of the building. Hopefully, we won't see any more of them!

Sally and Bob Wainwright left right after the Mayor and her party. We went outside, and Kate locked the building. She handed the key to Gregg. "I guess you'll be needing this more than I do. I have another set, both for this door and for the stairway. You can pick them up any time, when you get back from Nebraska."

Gregg's eyes were full of tears as he thanked her. We all walked together to the parking garage. We got into our cars, paid our parking fees and went our separate ways. Hank was headed up State Street, Beau up South Hill toward Kate's house, the boys toward the Cornell campus and Sally toward her office. Gregg and I turned toward the Northside.

When we reached my house, we were surprised to see a State Police car parked in front of it. I pulled into the driveway and parked. As we got out, a State Trooper got out of their car and walked over to meet us.

"Good morning, gentlemen. I'm Sergeant Bill Anselman. My partner in the car is Sergeant Sam Peterson. We're here because we received orders from the governor this morning to escort you to the airport, to be sure that you get to your flight safely."

"What is the problem, Sergeant? Why do we need an escort?" Gregg was looking very worried.

"I really couldn't say, sir," the sergeant replied. "The orders came down, as I said, from the governor's office, so we're here. They don't always tell us why we are supposed to do something; they just tell us to do it." He grinned.

I spoke up now. "Our luggage is in the house. If we could have five or ten minutes to load it in the car and make sure that everything is shut down in the house, we'll be ready to go."

"That's fine, sir. Take your time. Our orders are to see you safely on the plane at noon. You've got plenty of time to get there."

He went back to his car, and I unlocked the door. By the time we got into the house, Gregg was shaking.

"What can have happened? Do you think we're in danger? I don't think I would have considered leaving Fremont if I had had any idea that something like this was going to happen!"

I put my arm around his shoulders and guided him over to the couch. "Just sit down and take a few deep breaths. I don't know what's going on, either, but I do know the New York State Police and their reputation for protecting the people of New York. Whatever is going on, we're safe." I wished that I felt as secure as I sounded, but he apparently didn't notice.

He took my advice and took several deep breaths. He was relaxing, a little at a time. He looked up at me. "Thanks. I'll be all right now. I'll get myself together and help you with the luggage."

"Hey, just relax! There's not that much; I can get it." He started to get up, but I gently pushed on his chest, and he sat back down.

"All right, but you realize don't you that you're building up a big list of things I owe you for, and I don't know how I'm ever going to pay you back!"

"Gregg, you don't owe me anything! I took you in as a friend of Beau's, but you've become a friend of mine now, and between friends we don't talk about who owes what. Friends help each other, just because they're friends. If you can do something for me some day, then you can consider the 'debt' you think you owe me paid in full. As far as I'm concerned, there is no 'debt.' But right now we've got two State Troopers sitting in front of the house, and if we don't get out of here soon, the neighbors are going to think it's a drug raid or something!" He was relaxed enough now to smile at that.

I picked up as many of the bags as I could carry in one load and took them out to the car. I opened the trunk and loaded them in. Then I went back for the rest. By the time I had them stowed in the trunk, Gregg was coming out the door. "I've checked the house over. There are no lights on, no water running, and I unplugged the coffee pot, dumped out what was left of the coffee, and rinsed the pot. I think we're ready to go."

I locked the front door and went over to the Troopers' car. "We're ready to go. What should we do?"

Sergeant Anselman smiled. "You do know the way to the airport, don't you?"

"Yes, sir, I do. I'm a native Ithacan."

He chuckled. "That's something you don't see often in this town! Well, you guys just go ahead, and we'll follow you. We'll meet you at the airport."

We got into the car and started out toward the airport. I'm usually a careful driver, but I was extra careful this morning. It was a weird feeling to have a State Police car on my back bumper. Sergeant Peterson was staying so close to us that nobody tried to pull in between us on the way up Route 13. When we turned off on Warren Road, just short of the airport entrance, they were still right on our tail. They followed us into the airport parking lot and pulled up next to us when we parked. They were out of their car before we could get out of ours, and they stood there with their hands on the holsters of their guns. I noticed that the holsters were unfastened, so that they could draw their guns quickly. I decided not to mention this to Gregg.

As soon as we stepped out of our car, three airport employees approached. Two of them opened the trunk and took out our luggage. The third slipped into the driver's seat, and as soon as they closed the trunk, he drove off toward the rental station. Sergeants Anselman and Peterson escorted us into the terminal.

Inside we found the group gathered, with four more State Troopers standing at a discreet distance, but obviously on guard. The two with us joined them, and they formed a large but protected circle around us.

Beau and Becca were already there with the boys. Kate Dolan, Maria and Inga were with them. We greeted everyone and thanked Kate for all she had done for Gregg and for the wonderful entertainment she had provided for all of us. She just smiled and hugged us. "Come back soon, and safely. I'll be looking for you. It's so nice to have new friends!"

Inga and Maria hugged us both, but they kissed Gregg on the cheek. I felt a little left out! Just then Sammy Cochran came running through the door. He ignored everyone else, but ran straight to Grant and Ben. He pulled them aside so that they could have a private conversation. He was out of breath, but it was obvious that what he was saying to Grant was important, because I could see the look of deep concern on Grant's face. He talked earnestly to Sammy for a moment, then did something quite out of character for the rather reserved young man I had come to know. He hugged Sammy and gave him a kiss on the lips. Even Ben was startled by that move, and I could see that it had affected the others as well. All of them were brushing tears from their eyes. Then Sammy hugged Ben, and the three of them came over to join the rest of us. The flight attendant came over and announced that our flight was ready to board. There was a big hugfest, as everyone who was leaving hugged everyone who was staying, except Sammy, who somehow seemed to stay out of reach. But he waved to us as we went out to board the plane.

It wasn't a large plane, like the jumbo jets you see in the movies. Gregg told me that this was a corporate jet owned by Beau's business. It was used for business flights all over the country. Inside the seats were arranged with two on one side of the aisle and one on the other side. This seemed odd to me, but then, I didn't know anything about airplanes.

Beau and Becca took the first two seats and suggested that Gregg and I take the two behind them. Gregg suggested that I sit on the inside, next to the window, since this was my first flight, and he thought I might like the experience of watching the countryside passing almost a mile below us. I wasn't too sure about that, but I slid into the inside seat. He sat down next to me.

When the boys came in, they started to take the two seats behind us, but the steward stepped in from the front of the plane and asked them to move to the other side to balance the plane better for take-off. Ben sat across from his parents, and Grant sat in the seat across from us. The steward instructed us to fasten our seatbelts; Gregg helped me with mine. I was getting more and more tense by the minute. By the time the plane started to taxi to the runway for take-off, I was clutching the arms of my seat, and my knuckles were white. I could feel sweat forming under my arms and rolling down my sides.

Grant noticed this and jokingly threatened to depants me. I was shocked, not so much by the idea as by the fact that he called me 'Dad Harley'! Where had thatcome from? But it worked! I was startled out of my nervousness, and we were in the air before I could recover. Gregg was right; it was like riding in a car, but I didn't feel much like looking out the window at the moment! I focused on Gregg's face; he looked more peaceful now than I had ever seen him to this point. Well, why not? He was going home to a place he knew and understood. The thought crossed my mind that I would like to see that same expression at home with me in Ithaca. I let it go as a hopeless dream. He might be in Ithaca, but I had the feeling that his heart would always be in Fremont, with Jerry. I settled back to try to enjoy the flight. But the thrill of the new experience was somehow dimmed a little.

The steward came in to lower the table. Everyone was turning their chairs to be in the proper position. I had no idea how to move my seat, and Gregg was apparently in the same position. Grant reached over and pushed a button on the side of Gregg's seat, and our seats suddenly began to move into the proper position for us to be seated at the table. I was startled by the move. Gregg put his arm around my shoulders. "Harley, it's okay. You need to get used to traveling first class."

Grant laughed. "Yeah, Dad Harley, if you are going to be my other Dad, you need to expect the unexpected." He went on, but I didn't hear what he was saying. "Expect the unexpected? My other Dad?" "Dad Harley" - again! What was going on here? Had Gregg been talking to the boys? Did he really have some feelings for me? I fought back a feeling of joy at the thought; surely this was all my imagination! But I had heard him! I heard what he said! Well, most of it, anyway; he had shocked me right out of the conversation.

The boys started talking about their experience with their new advisor. Then they switched the conversation to a couple of people from Fremont. I had no idea who these people were, and I didn't feel that their lives were any of my business, so I just looked out the window while they talked.

Gregg had been right! The landscape, seen from a mile in the air, was breathtaking! Fields stretched out as far as I could see, dotted with houses and little villages here and there. It reminded me of a huge Monopoly board. The roads that cut through the fields had tiny cars on them. I was reminded of my favorite toy from my youth, a model railroad. My Dad had worked with me for hours on end, enlarging and improving the board. It had roads where I could push my toy cars, being very careful at the railroad crossings, so that my cars wouldn't be hit by a train chugging by. It was wonderful! I was startled out of my dream when the steward set a cup of coffee in front of me. As I came back into the present, I realized that he had served everyone else.

The conversation continued, and I went back into the little world of my childhood, aided by the passing scene so far below me. I was forced back into the present when Gregg tapped me on the shoulder and told me that we were getting close to Omaha. He helped me get my seat back into position and leaned across me to point out different things he recognized that told him we were nearly there.

I was puzzled. The countryside we were passing over now seemed to be nothing more than one huge grain field, cut into large chunks by roads, with houses here and there along the roads. In the towns we passed over, I saw huge structures that looked somewhat like the silos of my youth, but much bigger. I asked Gregg what they were.

"You're in the heart of the wheat belt now. Those are for storing the grain after it's harvested, until it's sold and trucked off to the mills."

Soon we were circling the Omaha airport, awaiting our turn to land. I felt the giddy downward movement as we approached the ground. The plane landed, and we got off. Ben went to the parking area and brought back Beau's van. Beau and Grant loaded the luggage, which had been unloaded from the plane and brought to the front of the terminal. Then we all got into the van. Grant sat in the front seat, next to Ben, who was driving. Beau and Becca got into the middle seat, and Gregg and I crawled into the back seat.

Ben is a good driver. His father must have taught him well, because he drove the thirty odd miles to Fremont as if he had been driving for twenty years. He stopped in front of a two-story house on a tree-lined street. "Well, here you are guys." Gregg and I got out of the van. Ben and Grant hopped out and pulled our luggage out of the van. Gregg hurried up the walk and opened the door, and the boys brought the luggage into the house and set it down in the front hall.

Beau called to us from the van, "Why don't you guys plan to have breakfast with us at the club in the morning, say about nine o'clock?"

Gregg waved to him. "OK, we'll see you then!" The boys hugged us and said good night. They hurried back down the sidewalk and got into the van. As they pulled away from the curb, everyone except Ben waved to us.

When they were gone, we went back into the house. Gregg dropped into a big, overstuffed chair in the living room. "It's over! Thank God, it's over!" He motioned me to another chair facing the one he was sitting in. "Sit down! I should think you'd had enough excitement for one day!"

"For one lifetime, I think." We both laughed.

"Yeah, I have to agree with you on that. The lunch on the plane wasn't very filling, was it? Are you hungry?"

"Not really, but I'll bet you can guess what I wouldlike."

"Coffee coming up in just a few minutes! Do you want to join me in the kitchen, or are you comfortable where you are?"

"I'll join you, I guess." He led me down a hall to the kitchen. It was a large, bright and cheerful room. Gregg pulled out a chair from the table. "I don't often have guests, so this is a real treat for me."

I sat in the chair offered, and he bustled around the kitchen, getting the coffee brewing and pulling cups down from the cupboard. "Oh, damn! Not only is there nothing in the house to eat, but I don't even have cream for your coffee!"

"Relax, Gregg! Have you forgotten that I drink my coffee black, the same as you do?"

"Oops! Silly me!" He laughed. "I knew that! Can't imagine what I was thinking about! It must be the feeling of being home again!" He was happy; I could see that, but this strange feeling washed over me. He's home again, home with people he knows and loves, home with his memories of Jerry. Harley, be careful! You could really make a fool of yourself here!

When the coffee was ready, he poured out two cups, set one in front of me and walked to the other side of the table. He sat down facing me. "It's only a little after three now. We've got the whole evening to ourselves. How would you feel about taking a little stroll around our fair city? It's not all that big; it won't take to long to see everything worth seeing."

"That sounds like a great idea! From the air it looked absolutely charming, something like Ithaca, but with its own personality."

"Since I don't have any food in the house, and we're going out to the club for breakfast, why don't we plan to have dinner at a nice restaurant? And it's mytreat this time! No arguments! You've already done so much for me, I'd like to do this for you."

"Whatever you say, boss! You're the tour guide here; I'm just a visiting fireman!" We smiled at each other across the table. He has the most beautiful smile!