* * *
The Portsmouth Inn appeared right out of an all-American novel with its' 1920’s facade. The owners, Ruth and Bert Hammersmith were adorable. I wanted to take them home as surrogate grandparent. It looked like I had found home base for the rest of my stay. They were on the lake and closing soon for the winter. There were always the leaf peepers in October but not much after that
Mine was one of fourteen units. The room was spotless, quiet and the bed was comfortable. I. didn't need much more than that. After unpacking and settling in it was time to see the beach. Water always brought me solace.
I grabbed a sweater and a bottle of water and started on my exploration. The town of Portsmouth appeared to have reached the 1920's and then the clock stopped. The huge homes that faced the water were not accessible to the public. If you were a guest at the Inn, you had access to more of the beach. The sun was going down and the wind off the lake was not as romantic as I had expected so after a brief stroll I started back and decided to settle for cable TV and my laptop for the evening.
Because there was, only one other guest at the inn Mrs. Hammersmith decided to serve a light breakfast the next morning. She was a delightful reminder of my own grandmother and a wonderful cook. Mrs. Hammersmith joined me for a cup of coffee and mentioned she enjoyed having someone to listen to her stories of the past.
The lake air was quite nippy for this Florida girl. When I left home, my wardrobe consisted of sleeveless shirts and shorts. I was not ready for this change. Nothing like a good shopping trip to make a woman's spirits soar. The memorial services were on the other end of town with a shopping mall in between.
I liked working at a boutique, the clothes were unique and I would get first pick. I didn't spend a ton on clothes but I didn’t like wearing what everyone else wore. Surprisingly, in this town out of the past the boutique sprouted modern designs. I killed some time and found a couple of winter type clothes that I could still use in Florida.
I arrived five minutes early for the memorial services, signed in and looked around. Spooky, not a place I’d like to spend a lot of time. A representative of the establishment greeted me and directed to the proper parlor.
Cecil greeted me. "I hope all is well with you. You look refreshed and renewed." he was close enough for me to detect his after-shave. Nice.
"Yes, thank you. This climate is great. I just wished it would stay this way all year. I might be inclined to return more often."
"Let me introduce you to Irene Ibonovich, Eula Mae's friend." Irene could have stepped out of a last century painting with her pink cheeks and perfectly coiffed hair and pinafore. This whole trip was beginning to feel like an eerie dream. Was I dreaming? Breathe, Gabby. Cecil agreed to take me over to meet "The Cat" after the services, which were thankfully short
I would still need to sign papers if I took "The Cat", so that might have been his real purpose for escorting me. I would like to think that he liked me and might have felt some sort of vibe between us. He certainly wasn't hard to look at, but then again, he was married.
When we eeached Irene's home I stepped back in time, again as I entered Irene's parlor, it matched her personal appearance with curios and antiques. A gorgeous shorthaired silver cat approached and rubbed against my legs. This must be "The Cat".
"You can pick her up. She likes being handled." Irene explained.
"She's beautiful." I reached down and picked her up in my arms. She immediately rubbed my chin with hers. Her purrs made me giggle. Not being used to cats behavior, I was enthralled.
"Her name is Dolly. She is 4 years old. She is a Burmese without papers, but she doesn't mind." Irene said. "I would keep her, but the place I am moving to will not suit her. They are not cat friendly.
Cecil looked at me and smiled. "Well, what do you think?"
"It would be hard to say no at this point. I don't think I need to think about it too long. I think she has made up my mind for me. I think we'll make a great team." She had made herslf at hom in my arms. He pulled out his briefcase with the papers for m to sign. After I signed them, he presented me with a check for $10,000.
"You knew I was going to take her didn't you? What would you have done if I said no?"
"I was pretty sure. However, one never knows another person do they? But there was a Plan B,"
"Irene, if it's not too much trouble, can I pick up Dolly on Friday. I need to make some arrangements. Dolly is going to change my life style and I need some advice from you as to what I need to make her comfortable on the ride home. I think I will cash in my return plane ticket and drive back to Florida. Never been crazy about flying anyways, Dolly, and I need some bonding time.
It was time to go and I kissed dolly on the forehead. "See you in a couple days partner."
"What are your plans for dinner tonight?" Cecil was still smiling and standing very close to where I could feel his body heat.
"None, did you have something in mind?" My mind was still trying to put the puzzle pieces together from the last few days.
"Not too far up the road is a great seafood restaurant. How would you like a nice drive and dinner, just as friends?" I made it clear that I was not into married men or one night flings. However, I appreciated the attention. It was also nice to know I still had the ability to attract attention. My love life with Jason kept moving in the wrong direction and did nothing for my confidence.
We said our goodbyes after dinner and Cecil made it clear that he would be open to more discussions between us in the future...
There was a number of phone calls that I needed to make in preparation for my journey home. First, I had to cancel my flight back to Florida. Except for the delay in getting an agent to help me, because I couldn't seem to get it done online, there was no problem. Since I had paid a premium for the tickets in the first place, there were no restrictions about cancellations. Next, I called the car rental agency. Because they had offices in Florida, they would allow me to drive that car back but I had to pay a premium one-way drop off charge. I didn't care at this point. I would be leaving first thing Friday morning.
Between these calls, my cell rang. I looked at the display but didn't recognize the number; it was from the Tampa area so I answered
"Gabby, it's Brenda." No niceties or how are you's. "I just wanted to inform you that your job will not be waiting for you when you get back to Florida. The store has been so slow that I will not need you and I will be working your shift until things get better or I will have to sell the boutique."
"I guess there isn't much I can say then is there. I will be in to pick up my last check next week after I get back."
"Okay." That is all she said. Wow, she was a cold bitch. How did I not see that before?
I broke into hysterical laughter after she hung up. Sometimes the smallest things can change your life; like a cat. The rest wasn't so small, like the money. This was going to make a huge difference to my lifestyle. I had no idea what was going to happen next but I was sure everything was going to be fine.
I still had to make a shopping trip to get the things I needed for Dolly. I called Irene and asked if she wanted to go with me. Before I could make another call, my phone range and this number, I recognized. It was Jason. He wasn't exactly the person I would be expecting to call, but we were still on speaking terms.
"I just called to see how things were going; and find out when you were coming back. When you left you didn't give me your return flight information."
"Things are going fine. A lot has happened since I left, all good. More than I can go into on the phone. I'm leaving tomorrow. I changed my plans slightly. Instead of flying back, I will drive my rental car. I can't say exactly when I will be back, because I don't have a boyfriend or job to rush back for."
"I'm sorry. Really I am, but as long as you are okay. Sounds like you should be back sometime next week."
"Maybe, I'm just not going to speculate at this
point. I will call you when I get there."
"Have a safe trip, and Gabby, you know that you can call me, if you need anything. Again, I want to be your friend."
"I'll keep that in mind. Thanks for the offer."
Irene loved the idea of going on a shopping spree for Dolly. I picked her up and we headed to the mall. We had a great time picking out toys. She already had a carrier, but I couldn't resist some of the cute gadgets that I saw. We had lunch together and when I returned to her place, I spent some time with Dolly. She was very playful and loving. When I left I told her that I would send her pictures on occasion to let her know how we getting along.
My last night in this time warp and I wanted one last walk on the beach. I picked up a bottle of Shiraz along with a few snacks for the night and headed for the beach. I would have at least an hour before the sun set and I planned to polish off the bottle. I brought my MP3 so I could stay until I couldn't take the lake chill any longer. I'm not going to get to see the old homestead. It didn't seem important anymore. Cecil indicated that he would like me to keep in touch, and that he and his wife would not be together in another year. The practice was the only thing that kept them together. I wasn't about to give him a glimmer of hope, even though I did appreciate his advances.
I slept well that night. I was packed and ready to leave in the morning. I wasn't in a hurry. I had breakfast with Ruth and Bert and then picked up Dolly and said my goodbyes to Irene. I looked back at Irene as she waved goodbye. It seemed that when you lose one friend, if you look hard enough, another one is there as a replacement,
* * *
Author's Note:
Please read "You Can Run, But You Can't Hide". Both Gabby and Dolly have a cameo appearance and the reader will find out what has happened in Gabby's life.
About the author:
Her 35 year residency of Florida is evident in her stories. Her stories are about ordinary people having extra ordinary occurrences in their lives. She hopes these stories will please the reader as much as they pleased her to write them.
She is recently retired but still an active artist. She dabbles in painting, photography and macramé for relaxation. She has been writing poetry and short stories since her late twenties. Most of her poetry survived, but her short stories kept evolving. Through study and reading, she now is able to spend the time to improve her craft and share it with an audience.
How A Prank Turned Into a Crime
Last House on Flamingo Road
Now You've Done it
Pirates Demise
Shame on You!
The Cat's Dowry
The Last Straw
The Statistics of Winning
The Sum of Who I am
Two for the Price of One
Where Rubber Meets The Road
You Can Run, But You Can't Hide
A Flash In the Pan
Connect with Yvonne online:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/yvonne.remington
Blog: https://yvonnemremington.blogspot.com
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