Chapter 11 - Me Cook?
“Rudy, where are you? We have a wedding to plan!” Abby screamed running through the mansion.
Rudy was in the dining room waiting for everyone to join him for dinner. He jumped up as Abby ran into his arms, and he twirled her around. Gracey and Stone walked in behind her holding hands and smiling. Stone was in admiration of the relationship between his parents. Even after thirty years, they were in love. Stone looked at Gracey. “That will be us someday,” he told her.
After dinner, the four adjourned to the great room to make plans. “A date, we need a date!” Abby insisted as she pulled out her calendar and turned it to October. “Late October would be beautiful; the leaves will have turned colors, and it will still be warm enough for an outdoor wedding.”
“Outdoors?” Rudy asked with concern. “I think we need to keep this small and intimate, and while an outdoor wedding in the garden would be perfect, I think we still have to think about Gracey's safety.”
The group took pause at Rudy's comment about safety. The giant pink elephant was in the room again. “I am sure everything will be fine,” Rudy added. “But I had to point out the obvious.”
Solemnly they agreed, trying not to put a damper on the happy tidings. “We will have an indoor wedding at the end of October; how about the last Sunday in October, the 28th?” Abby suggested looking around at her family. Everyone nodded in agreement, and Abby circled it on her calendar.
“This gives us four months to get everything together. Omigod, there is so much to do; the flowers, the dress, the cake, the decorations,” Abby started in a panic. “Omigod,” she exclaimed again.
Everyone in the room started laughing which caught Abby’s attention. Looking at them, she laughed in embarrassment. “Guess I am getting a little carried away,” Abby told them. They nodded in unison and laughed some more.
“I am tired. It has been a long and emotional day,” Stone announced. “I think we should wait until tomorrow and then reconvene to make any more plans.” Stone led Gracey out of the great room.
Abby and Rudy stayed behind. “Rudy, we need to talk. I know we agreed you would turn, but maybe now we can wait. Maybe you will not need to.”
Rudy sat looking at his wife, almost begging. “Abby, I am now sixty, and you are, well…” Rudy paused. “While you appear to be a young woman in her mid-forties, you were born sixty-seven years ago. We have had a terrific marriage and an incredible life together. If we are lucky, we have another twenty or thirty years together. But I want more. I want you to turn me so we can be together for another sixty years or longer.”
Abby was in tears at Rudy's proclamation of love. She leaned over and kissed him passionately. “And I heard the sex is…” Rudy whispered in a sexy tone.
“Let’s talk tomorrow,” Abby suggested, leading him to their bed.
As agreed, the family started making plans for the wedding the next day at breakfast. Or at least they called them plans. But no final decisions were made. No one could agree on the type of flowers, the color of the flowers, the length of the train on the dress, formal or semi-formal for the men, how many tiers of wedding cake, nothing. Laughter was in abundance as was the food.
Rudy turned to Gracey, “You know since you moved in, we have spent more time together has a family than in the past several years. We have even become more casual at dinner. I have thoroughly enjoyed spending time at home and with my Abby,” he said with a lustful grin looking at Abby. “I am thinking of spending more time working from home. Thank you.”
“Work!” Gracey exclaimed. “I need to go back to work.”
“Why?” Rudy asked her. “You have no rent to pay; no groceries to buy and from what Stone tells me, you have an account at Merriman’s. Why would you need to work?”
“I don’t take handouts, Mr. Rudolph!” Gracey exclaimed. “I am still a guest in your home. I am not really a member of the family; not yet.”
“Yes you are,” Abby said in a hurt tone. “You are almost my daughter-in-law. And you are related by blood already. You are more than a guest! I know you have your pride, but please try to enjoy the journey and have some fun while you’re at it.”
“I have an idea,” Rudy started. “You worked in our training department and from what Jim tells me you are quite talented. Can you cook?”
“You want me to be a cook?” Gracey screamed, offended.
“No, no!” Rudy replied, almost laughing, which made Gracey even angrier. “Stone, can you cook?”
Gracey answered for Stone, “He can make microwave popcorn,” and then she laughed.
“Well, here is your assignment. Teach this boy of mine how to cook.”
Stone looked at his father wide-eyed. “Teach me how to what?”
“You heard me, son. When I was growing up, my mother taught me how to cook. Granted, I do not cook anymore, but at least I can at least make myself a decent Spanish omelet. Can you?”
“But Dad!” Stone whimpered. “You want me to cook?”
“Stop acting like a spoiled brat. You are both on a paid leave of absence. If you both want to continue getting paid, Gracey will need to teach you how to cook,” Rudy declared.
Gracey went from insulted to arrogant in a matter of seconds. The reaction from Stone not wanting to learn how to cook made her laugh smugly. “Do I get hazardous duty pay?” Gracey asked and laughed. Stone was flustered. The joke was now on him. “We can start today. What would you like to eat for lunch?” Gracey asked.
“Surprise me! But it better not be microwave popcorn,” Rudy insisted.
Shortly after meeting with Stone and Gracey, Rudy and Abby met with Elmer and Jim in the great room. "I need you to go to Colorado," Rudy started. "We need to find out how big Rafer's pack is. You will leave tomorrow. I need you back by Tuesday."
Rudy went to work, virtually, of course. He had a private office in the main house in which he could manage his company. He first talked to HR and ensured Stone’s and Gracey’s leave of absences would continue until further notice. Rudy then called his vice president and assistant to announce he would be working from home indefinitely. After schedules and calendars had been synced, and expectations set, Rudy opened his email and started reviewing reports.
He was curious about the assignment he had given Gracey and laughed. Stone is not going to have fun. Maybe I will have him make his own bed next.
“Time for a break?” Abby asked, coming in.
“Abby, you are the most beautiful distraction I could hope for; a definite perk of working from home. I should have done this long ago. Shall we finish our discussion from last night?” Rudy asked, with a sparkle in his eye and moving closer to Abby. “I still want you to bite me. I want to have as many years together as we can.”
“Can we wait one more month? I know this is what you want. But right now I can empathize with Gracey. I want to know we are doing it for the right reason. So we can be together forever,” Abby pleaded. “But in the meantime, why don’t you take a break,” she suggested with a wink and led him upstairs.
Gracey and Stone were in the kitchen for lesson number one; cooking basics. While Stone was a wiz with numbers and spreadsheets, his knowledge of kitchen measurements was deficient. Ms. Maple and the kitchen staff were kept in tears all morning, laughing at Stone’s mistakes. But Stone soon learned a coffee cup was not eight ounces, and a teaspoon for measuring was not the small spoon on the right side of the dinner plate. Gracey was having too much fun at Stone’s blunders.
By the time Stone and Gracey started preparing lunch, Stone was knowledgeable on measurements and how to read the ingredients list from a recipe. “Let’s start with something simple,” Gracey suggested. “What do you want for lunch?”
“I had been thinking about a nice chef’s salad with homemade raspberry vinaigrette and some grilled salmon, but now I am not so sure,” Stone sulked.
“The boy is going to learn the bo
il an egg!” Ms. Maple announced to the kitchen staff. The laughter was almost deafening. Stone almost ran out of the kitchen mortified and humiliated.
Gracey pushed Stone back toward the prep table. “Now ladies, it is not Stone’s fault he does not know how to cook. He has been raised…well, privileged. Let’s help him out, and maybe he will treat you to breakfast one morning.”
“So let’s get started,” the ladies agreed and one by one they stepped in with prep tips and tricks. They taught him how not to cut himself while slicing and dicing; how to make the homemade vinaigrette using fresh berries and herbs. The ladies even taught him how to make the perfect hard cooked egg. Then they taught Stone how to cook the salmon. “Salmon can be tricky,” Gracey advised. “There is nothing worse than overcooking salmon.”
The ladies then showed Stone how to plate his creation for an aesthetic presentation. Failing to show Stone how to set the table properly, the ladies took care of it for him. But tomorrow would be lesson number two, setting a formal table.
Lunch was announced, and the family sat down to eat. Stone looked frazzled and exhausted. Rudy ribbed him a little. “You made this?”
“Well, the ladies helped, but I am learning. They made sure the food was appetizing. But I did most of it. There is so much to do to put a meal together,” Stone confessed humbly. Rudy nodded in admiration.
Stone shared his adventure in the kitchen during lunch, and Gracey piped in with the humorous details. “So, what is for lunch tomorrow,” Rudy asked Stone.
“Tomorrow? I have to do this again? I thought you were just kidding about Gracey teaching me to cook! I am worn out. I need a nap!” Stone sighed.
“I will grab a couple of cookbooks from the kitchen, and we can look over some recipes. We will find you some easy ones,” Gracey told Stone. “It is my job to teach you how to cook, so I will help you plan the menus. But first I think Stone needs a shower and a change of clothes. You are a mess Stone.” Then Gracey laughed uncontrollably.
Abby thanked Stone for lunch, proclaiming it was near perfection and she and Rudy excused themselves. “Do I have to do the dishes too?” Stone asked in fear.
“No, I think one mess is enough for one day,” Gracey answered and pushed Stone out of the dining room.
After a shower and change of clothes, Stone joined Gracey in her suite. They propped up the pillows for an afternoon of perusing the cookbooks Gracey had brought with her, to plan lunch for the next day. Gracey made a few suggestions, and when Stone did not reply, she noticed he had fallen asleep. She smiled and then shook her head in disbelief. She quietly left the room while he napped.