Chapter 5
They pulled up into grandmother’s driveway and Jen said, “Such a big house. Does she live here all alone?”
“No, she has a housekeeper, cook and a man around to do the heavy work. All of them are old, but healthy and you will notice, hard working. They have been with her for years. They’re really not employees, more like family. They eat together and share stories.”
They walked up to the door and rang the bell. The housekeeper opened the door and a big smile was on her face the minute she saw Jen. “Come in, come in, grandmother is out back on the deck waiting for your arrival.”
They walked through the house and Jen noticed what a warm feeling the house gave off. Pictures adorned the wall. They looked expensive, but she really didn’t know much about art. The house smelled like fresh flowers and was cool on such a warm day in August. Grandmother was sitting at a table with a giant umbrella sticking out of the middle of it. She had glass in her hand and Jen wonder what was in it.
Grandmother heard footsteps and turned around and saw her grandson and stood up and said, “Todd, what a nice surprise, what do we have here. I see a girl in front of me. Where on earth did you find such a beautiful creature?”
She stuck out her hand and said, “Hello, my name is Lucky.”
Jen took her hand it felt nice and warm and was firm to the touch. Jen said, “Nice to meet you my name is Jen.”
Todd was a little taken aback as the introduction took place before he could introduce Jen. Lucky said, “Please have a seat and let’s have something cold to drink.”
As if by magic, two more glasses appeared, brought by the housekeeper and she set them down in front of Grandmother. Lucky poured some ice cold lemonade. Jen took a sip and remarked, “This tastes wonderful on such a warm day.”
A silence descended for a few moments as Jen and Lucky took stock of each other. As women do, they have a way of communicating without words between each other. Todd was always amazed at this attribute that only women seem to possess. Then Lucky smiled and looked at her grandson and said, “Todd, you did well. I’ve waited a long time to meet such a nice girl. Where did you ever find such a lovely girl?”
“Grandmother, you wouldn’t believe it if I told you. She appeared by magic in front of my office door.”
Then he went on to tell her the story and grandmother was full of interest. Todd went on to tell her about going sailing and then coming up here to visit and having lunch with her. He never said anything about being caught in the thunderstorm and spending the night in a cove. Some things are better left unsaid.
Lucky turned to Jen and asked, “My dear girl, I’m not sure it was fate or just good luck that the two of you came together is such a way. Now I'll tell you how I got my nick name, Lucky. When I was a little girl at the vineyard, all the kids seem to get hurt or get into trouble. I never got hurt and seldom got into trouble. By the time I was in high school, I had the best looking and smartest boy in school. Everybody said how lucky I was. Hence, the name Lucky soon became my name. Lucky Lincoln or L.L. is what some of my close friends call me. You can call me Lucky if you want. Now, Todd and Jen, are you ready for lunch?”
Having eaten such a big breakfast, neither of them was very hungry. “Not so hungry grandmother, but a light lunch would be fine.”
Todd went on to say they were happy to be here. “A salad would be fine with me, how about you Jen?”
Jen said, “Anything would be fine with me.”
Grandmother could tell there was some serious love between these two young people. She smiled to herself and thought that a wedding was in the near future and soon a great grandchild would be running around the house. Now her life was complete. She was sure a boy would be born to carry on the Lincoln legacy. They had named her right: Lucky.
After having lunch and a long visit with grandmother, they said their good byes and left for the city. Driving along Jen told him what a nice time she had and he was the one who was lucky to have such a nice grandmother. Todd appeared sad to her as she thought maybe he was thinking of his parents. Someday she knew he would tell her about the accident that claimed their lives. She broke into the silence by saying, “Doctor Todd, where are we going now?”
“My place or would you rather I took you home?”
“No, I want to go to your place. I want to see your home and how you live. I have a picture in my mind, but I’m very curious to see if the picture I have is true or not.”
He laughed and said, “Well, soon you will see, but don’t expect too much. I live a fairly simple life.”
An hour later they pulled into his parking garage under the building where he lived, walked to the underground elevator, put his security code into the steel door and soon the elevator opened up and they stepped in. He punched the button for the forty fifth level and up they went. She noticed that it was the top floor of the building. A few moments later the elevator stopped and they stepped out into the hall way. Walking to a set of double entry doors she noticed that looking both ways, no other doors were in sight. He scanned his card and the door clicked open. A man was inside walking up to them and Todd said, “Luke, I want you to meet a friend of mine. Her name is Jen. We will be in the library and would you please bring us some red wine?”
Todd took Jen by the hand and walked to another set of doors. They went in and Jen thought to herself, this is exactly what I expected. It is so ‘him’. I knew then the relationship was solid and nothing would stop them from becoming a permanent couple. She sat down and he said, “Excuse me for a minute while I check my mail.”
She was glad for the pause to look around and see what made up this Todd Lincoln. Big heavy chairs sat in a semi circle around a large wooden coffee table where neatly stacked magazines lay. His desk was a heavy wooden item and it looked like it was well used. Looking at the walls where floor to ceiling bookshelves were full of hardbound books. What few wall places not with bookshelves hung prints of boats and ocean scenes? When she walked she noticed her bare feet sunk into the thick carpet. Behind his desk a large window looked out onto the city. Walking around the giant globe of the earth, she stared out onto the city with its large skyscrapers and she could see the bridges crossing the Hudson River. What a view, she thought. Her thoughts were broken when the door opened. She moved back to the sofa and sat down. Todd put the mail down as Luke came in with the wine and Todd came over and sat by her putting his arm around her while she nestled against him. “Sleepy,” he asked her while kissing the top of her head. ‘
“A little,” she replied.
He suggested they retire to his bedroom and take a nap. She stood up and he led her to his bedroom which was next to the library. “I want to take a long shower. The boat shower was nice, but having water run all over your body is much nicer.”
“You’ll find everything you need through that door. Make yourself at home. I need to talk to Luke for a little while.”
He left and she went into the bathroom. The color blue was everywhere: walls, floor and the towels. All items were different shades of blue, including the bath tub, which was separate from the shower. ‘Typical man,’ she said to nobody.
She stripped down and got into the shower. Turned the water on full and let the hard spray torture her body and it felt so good. She shampooed her hair and after, she put a heavy rinse on it. Next she soaped up and stood under the shower and let the hot water run across her body.
A few minutes later the shower door opened and he stepped in. A big smile was on his face. “A friend of mine said that to save water, shower with a friend. I’m all for conservation, how about you?”
She laughed and this was first time she had seen him naked. She never gave a thought to her nakedness. It felt natural and she handed him the shampoo. “Let me wash your back,” she said.
He rinsed his hair and turned around to let her wash his back. She took a wash cloth and soaped him up and scrubbed his back. It felt so good and he remarked, “Pl
ease don’t stop.”
She moved down and washed the rest of his lower back and legs. “Turn around,” She said softly.
She soaped up his chest and arms one by one. Then she moved lower and washed the parts so important to both of them for the future; not to mention the present. He rinsed off and they both stepped out and toweled off. She combed her hair and he did the same. He went out to the bedroom and put on a shorts and T-shirt. She asked him walking out of the bathroom and looking at him, “Do you have something I can put on?”
He smiled and went to the closet and picked out of the drawer a pair of his pajamas. “Here, try these on. Maybe a little big, but you will not have to wear them long,” he said with a big smile.
He pulled back the covers and took off his shirt and crawled in. She did the same and he put his arm around her and pulled her close. She put a leg on his and snuggled up and purred like a kitten. Soon she was asleep and he laid there staring at the ceiling for what seemed a long time, but in reality, it was only a few minutes and he was asleep too.
He was dreaming about her running through the park and he was on a bicycle for two, with their little girl riding on the back. Her pony tail was swinging back and forth and he noticed what a fine figure she had even after having a child. “Gods been good to us,” he said to himself. “Please God, don’t let this end.”
He woke up quickly. She stirred and opened her eyes and said, “Anything wrong?”
“No, just a dream.”
She got up and went to the bathroom and came back, slipped off the pajamas and got into bed. She climbed on top of him. “Well, doctor, I’m not feeling so well, what do you prescribe for a cure?”
“I have a temporary cure for you.”
He put his arms around her and she moved down to his open lips. A few minutes later, she came up for air and said, “What about Luke? Will he hear us?”
“No, I sent him home for the night. He will be back in the morning, but you won’t hear him. He’s the soul of discretion. He came from California and has been with our family for as long as I can remember.”
Drawing her back down to his waiting lips this was much different than the first time on the boat making love as it was kind of awkward. This time they took their time, slow, but intense and it was a long while later when they both woke up for the second time. “Hungry,” he asked.
“Yes, famished. Making love makes me very hungry. If I start gaining weight, what will I say to my mother?”
“How about I call a restaurant I know and we will have dinner here.”
“Great idea, I want to call my mother and check in with her.”
He crawled out of bed, slipped his shorts on and went into the library to call for dinner. Meanwhile, she took her phone out of the bag and called her mother. Mother was a little anxious on the phone, but once Jen assured her that all was well and that she would tell her everything in the morning, her mother relaxed and said to have a good time. Todd came back in reporting that dinner would be here in about thirty minutes. Jen went to the bathroom and took a quick shower and put on his pajamas. She rolled up the sleeves and pants legs and went out to find him. She found him in the kitchen making coffee.
The kitchen was huge. Almost twice as big as any kitchen she had ever seen. Stainless steel appliances and counter tops of marble. An island in the middle with a stove and grill; copper pots and pans hanging from above; and a knife block full of knives. He was busy grinding coffee and water was boiling on the stove. He finished grinding and prepared the pot for dripping through the filter. “It will be ready in a minute honey.”
She nodded and continued to look at her man. She said, “It is obvious you like to cook, or do you have someone to cook for you?”
He laughed and said, “No, I do the cooking for myself. I love to cook. I make a list for Luke and while I’m gone for the day, he goes out shopping for me. I also cook for him and his wife. They live down on the next floor and he takes dinner down to his wife and they eat there. I usually take my dinner in and watch the news on the television.”
“Isn’t that kind of expensive for them to live here?”
“No, I own the building.”
He brought two hot mugs of coffee flavored with Hazelnut. They sat down at the breakfast nook next to a window that overlooked the city. The lights of the city twinkled at them and she could see cars in the distance cars crossing a bridge. She asked him if he could have seen the Twin Towers before the destruction by the terrorists.
“I wasn’t here then, but yes you could see the Trade Center from here. This building was in its final stage of construction. Actually, my grandmother and I jointly own this building. All of the properties and business are in the Lincoln Corporation. Grandmother takes care of most of the business. Everything she touches turns to gold. That is another reason to call her Lucky.”
Just then the door bell rang. “Ah, dinner is here,” he said.
Dinner was stuffed trout and baby peas: salad with olive oil for dressing; and garlic bread. Garlic was alright now that they both knew they would sleep the night through and their breath would not be noticed. They had a glass of wine with dinner and he said, "The wine would make them sleep well." They had just finished dinner when the phone rang. He picked up the portable and listened to the one-sided conversation and then said, “Ok, let me call you back,” and hung up. He was very quiet and she could tell he was thinking deeply. She wanted badly to ask him what the problem was, but remained quiet knowing he would tell her when he was ready.
He looked at her and said, “Jen do you have any vacation time coming, I have to fly to California to our vineyard. It appears there’s a problem out there and I need to spend a few days taking care of it.”
“No problem, I haven’t taken any time off since my last trip to France to visit my sister and that was more than a year ago. I would need an hour or two to call some clients and make some arrangements for them to contact me in case of some problem they had.”
“That is good, but I didn’t even ask you if you wanted to go with me.”
“Todd, you know I want to go with you. You’re my life now. If you want me and need me, I’m there for you always.”
He picked up the phone and made a call and told his grandmother he would leave the next morning. Next, he made another call and told that person he would be at the airport at noon and that they would be flying to Napa. He told Jen, “Our caretaker is very ill and the wife called grandmother and asked me to please come and confirm what was ailing the husband.”
He went on to say that they were just like family and he must go out and see what he could do for him. “Anyway, grandmother is getting older and it would seem that I should be taking a larger part in running our business.”
She cleaned up the dinner dishes while he sat there thinking to himself. After she finished with the dishes, He said, “How about a movie in the TV room and we can relax awhile before a busy day tomorrow?”
“I would like that.”
They went to the TV room and while he put in a movie, she sat down on a large sofa with many pillows. He brought the remote and sat down next to her. Pushed play and the movie came on. The movie was ‘Titanic’ one of her favorites. She curled up on the sofa and put her head in his lap. He put his arm on her hip and reached under the pajama top and rubbed her back, lightly running his finger tips up and down her back. “Keep that up mister and we will not watch much of this move.”
He laughed and stopped his hand moving, but kept his hand on her hip. She seemed to totally relax and about half way through the movie, she said to him, “Todd let’s go to bed, I’m really sleepy.”
He turned the movie off and they made their way to the bedroom and as soon as they hit the sheets, both were sound asleep.
Todd had the same dream as before. She was running and the little girl with him on the bike. This time it went on a little longer. They were talking and laughing and then the scene switched to a hospital room. S
omeone was very sick and through his eyes, standing next to the bed, he couldn’t quite make out who that person was. Tears were streaming down his face and a little girl was tugging at his coat. He sat up in bed. Sweat was running down his face. He looked over at Jen and noticed she was sound asleep. He looked at the clock and saw it was five thirty am. He slipped out of bed quietly, slipped his shorts on and went to the exercise room.
Jen woke up an hour later and reached out to him, but her hand only hit empty sheets. She got out of bed and went into the bathroom. Brushed her teeth and washed her face, then went looking for him. She found him in the exercise room, sweating from working out. He smiled at her and said, “Good morning.”
She ran up to him and gave him a bug hug. “Jen, I’m all sweaty.”
“I love it,” she said.
“I’m about finished.”
They both headed for the bathroom and took another shower together. It was a repeat of the last one, only this time she finished the job: bringing him to the top and over into that mystical momentary place of no time or space.
They had a quick breakfast. Luke was there and had most of the breakfast prepared when they both went to the kitchen. Todd told him his plan and Luke nodded and said, “See you when you get back.”
In the elevator on the way down he said to her, “I’ll drive you home and then go to my office to make the arrangements for taking the week off.”
“No”, she replied, “I’ll take a taxi and you can pick me up when you’re ready.”
She gave him her address and he said he knew about where she lived. They parted with a kiss at the door and he walked to his car and she to a waiting taxi.