An Unexpected Reaction

The regulars were a little leery at first, but soon you could hear discussions and sometimes arguments over which farm provided the best produce, and which fresh herbs and spices complimented which dishes best. It was a riot to see two big bikers almost come to blows over which soup was better, pumpkin or butternut squash.

She also added a wine list, all locals, with Jacks' getting top billing. It was funny, in our state you couldn't serve wine in a place that had pool tables, so they had to go. Helen and Sam really didn't mind because that was usually where the fights started, and they could add eight more tables in the space.

Helen took the lead and worked a deal with a local brewer to feature their beers on draft.

A local food critic, hearing good things, paid us a visit. We didn't even know it until the review came out.

THE BEST HIDDEN JEWEL IN THE STATE was the caption, followed by an outstanding review.

"Sam's Bar and Grill, located on Swan Pond Road just outside of the city limits, has been around for seventy five years. A local favorite, the addition of minority owner Amanda Gooding and her recent upgrade of the kitchen has pushed it out of the shadows and into the limelight. I'm sure the regulars would have preferred it stayed local, but word has spread and there's no going back.

Blue collar, white collar, bikers, farmers, college kids, you'll find them all rubbing elbows in an amiable mix. The only time I heard raised voices was when two patrons disagreed over which herb should be dominant in the pork stew, rosemary or basil. I sided with the biker, because, well, he was bigger, and I've always liked rosemary.

It features simple fare, well seasoned and prepared, at a reasonable price. The service is excellent, the atmosphere relaxed, and it almost sparkles it's so clean. The sanitation rating is 102, just one point short of perfection. I complimented Mrs. Gooding, and she promised they would get the top rating in six months if she had to work her whole staff to death.

Being outside the city limits, all it offers is beer and wine, not liquor. Helen Conners, the manager and principal owner, along with her husband Sam, says they have no intention of getting a liquor license should the limits expand and include them."

"It's just so much easier without liquor," she said."

"The bar portion looks like an old time saloon, featuring local brews and wines, as well as a full complement of national brands. The staff is well schooled, and can explain the difference between a pilsner, a lager, or a bock, a dry white and a sweet red, with ease. It's a little out of the way, but worth the trip. I've been three times, gotten three different meals, and have been satisfied every time with the quality, the quantity, and the service."

"One more thing. I demand you try the banana pudding. It's a weakness of mine, and it's the best I've ever tasted, and I've tasted a lot over the years."

Helen and Amanda just looked at each other and grinned.

"I didn't know who he was," said Amanda, "I just thought he was a nosey customer with a little knowledge."

Celeste and I ate dinner there nights Amanda worked, and she always scheduled her break so she could dine with us. Celeste wanted to start working there when she got old enough for a child work permit, and I had no problem with it. There were a lot of families there now, most of the serious drinking was done in the bar. Thursday night was bike night, and the local Harley Owners Group showed up in force, along with guys riding all different kinds. They wanted to hold their meetings there, but we didn't have a private room. Amanda, Sam, and Helen talked about it, got an architect, and almost tripled the size of the place. Soon even that space was filled.

...

I was up to eight percent ownership by now in our agency.

Celeste turned sixteen, went to work after school and weekdays part time, learning how to cook along side her sister/mom. Her goal was to go to the local culinary school when she graduated from high school.

She wanted the Dart, but there was no way I was going to give a sixteen year old girl something that would go that fast. We got her a Mustang instead, not one of those turbo monsters, but one with a nice little V6. Still went pretty fast, though.

Amanda was almost twenty six, and I was ready to start our little family. She agreed, but wanted to wait until Celeste had graduated, so she could concentrate on the baby. Celeste laughed when she walked in our conversation.

"Mom, do I look like a baby? I can take care of myself. You should think about Dad, give me a little sister/neice or brother/nephew while he's still young enough to help take care of them."

I thought her argument had a lot of merit, but Amanda just laughed and said we'd talk about it later.

Our business was expanding as well. My ad campaign for Jack had led to a lot more business, especially among the local alcohol industries. We now handled two more wineries and three brewers, and were talking to a local distillery that was just starting to get some national attention.

I was at a regional conference when I ran into an old friend. I hadn't seen Aida in almost six years. Still an ebony goddess, maturity had added to her beauty. I saw her first, and slipped up behind her.

"Still got a thing about color lines? I got tired of waiting for you, but there's a lot of white boys in here right now practically drooling over you."

Of course, I had gathered her up in a big hug while I talked. Shocked at first, she returned the hug when she realized who I was.

"Jace! Man, it'd good to see you. How are you? Where have you been? You just disappeared off the face of the earth. I've missed you. There were times when I needed good advice and a sounding board."

We got a table and talked for an hour. She was divorced, her husband had cheated on her and she caught him.

"Apparently he wasn't as rigid over color lines as I was. A skinny little blonde with the figure of a twelve year old boy. I caught him, he promised it was over, we went to counseling. I was just abut sure we were over it when she rolled up pregnant. I never saw him again after that, he didn't even show up at the final decree."

I took her hand.

"Sorry, Aida, I know how it feels. Anyone in your life right now?"

"No, too early, I guess. I've been thinking about making a change, my agency was sold and I don't like the new owners. I think the only reason they keep me is because I'm so good at what I do. I really need a change."

I grinned at her, fishing out a card.

"Ever think about relocating to the sunny South? Think about it and give me a call."

To my surprise, she took the card.

Just before we left she asked me about my life. I held up my hand so she could see the wedding band.

"I literally thank God every day for the life I have now. I've got a great woman, a good daughter, an excellent job, and a large group of really nice friends. Here."

I fished out pictures of Amanda and Celeste. She looked at them in wonder.

"How in the world did you end with a woman this beautiful? And the daughter looks just like her except for hair color. And she looks so young. Did she have the daughter when she was six?"

I laughed and explained. She hugged me hard, genuinely happy for me.

...

I didn't think about it until later, but neither of us brought Becky up, not once.

My boss called me into his office two months later, tossing a resume at me.

"Look this over. She gave you as a reference, even said you trained her. Is she any good?"

I looked at it and grinned.

"I might have trained her, but she's a natural. By now she's better than I am. If we can afford her, we'd be idiots not to hire her."

He grunted.

"Hire her then. Have her report to you. Now, I got something serious we need to talk about. I haven't told a soul yet, and it doesn't need to leave this room."

"I'm sick, John Charles. It's pretty serious. I've got a tumor on my brain. They just found it, and it has to be removed or it'll kill me. There's a fifty fifty chance I won't make it. I talked to Gloria, and she agrees with me that you should run the place until I'm better, if I make it. If I don't, we still need you to take control, keep the place viable until Gloria can decide what she wants to do."

It shook up our little circle of friends pretty badly when he announced it. He and Jack were really close, had been for years. The day of the surgery, our whole office, even Gail, was there. Many of his friends were there as well. He called every one of us into his room to say goodbye, just in case. Ken, June, Amanda, Celeste, and me took turns holding Gloria. When we weren't holding her, we were in the chapel with the rest of his friends, praying for him. He was under for five hours. When the doctor came out, everyone held their breath.

"He's doing fine, so far. I feel pretty good about his chances of recovery. It'll be tomorrow before he's strong enough to allow visitors."

We shouted, we cried. We thanked the doctors and God.

...

Aida fit right in, to the point she became my right hand woman. Amanda and Celeste loved her, and she was soon a part of our group of friends.

Pretty soon the matchmaking started, married women have this thing about a single woman being in their circle. She fought them, saying she wasn't ready yet.

She spent a lot of time in the bar, and soon everyone knew she was our friend, and that made her their friend. I'll never forget the day another friend invited her to ride with him on a poker run.

He was huge, bearded, and white. And perhaps the gentlest man I'd ever met. Put him in a social situation where there were kids, and in half an hour they were clustered around him like he was the Pied Piper.

His wife turned out to be a cold, conniving bitch, having multiple affairs before he found out. It destroyed him, and she called him the biggest pussy she'd ever meet. Her new boyfriend thought he could get away with disrespecting him. Huge mistake. Sam and I bailed him out, got him a lawyer, and made it go away, but the damage was done. It had been eighteen months, and he still hadn't even thought about dating.

Aida surprised us all by accepting, if they went on a date first, to get to know each other. It must have been a heck of a date, because they smiled like crazy on the poker run. Eight months later she was sporting a really nice rock, and was three months pregnant.

My life took another dramatic change when I was contacted by a woman, Alice Johnson, to see if we were interested in doing a campaign for her. She even had it planned out. That gave me pause, clients rarely have good ideas, and some as so married to them they insist we do it their way. I usually steered them towards someone else, because when they tank they never understand why.

She was a personal manager, specializing in fighters. Her new sister in law was Bettina "Bang Bang" Burke, now Stewart, a middle weight MMA fighter, World Champion in her class.

The campaign wasn't for her, but a charity they both supported. I was hesitant but agreed to a meeting. Aida and I met her at the airport, had lunch, and she told us what she wanted. I had to admit, it was very clever. We tweaked it just a bit, did a few focus groups, and decided to go with it. Soon ads appeared, mostly in print and billboards.

It was a variation on the "Got Milk" campaign, only instead of milk they changed it to love.

"Got Love" was the official catchword of the National Adoption Coalition, a loose group of agencies designed to get children into loving homes.

It developed a huge presence nationally. The ads featured famous people, all adopted as a child, with a group of children from various homes, usually in their home city. There was a plea to consider adopting one of the children, and local dairies were tied in, promising x amount of gallons donated to the homes for every successful adoption. We even worked in the milk mustache.

Soon we had spokespeople begging us to let them help. Rock and country stars, professional athletes, business giants, actors, Olympians, Nobel prize winners, all adopted, all literally begging to help. We featured many of them with their adoptive parents. Some had even adopted themselves.

Betty and Mark Stewart, who helped originate the idea, posed with their newly adopted son. It was an instant favorite.

It led to my company, High Country Advertising, winning a national award. Howard, my boss, was still to weak to travel, so he sent Aida and me to accept it. Of course, her new husband Roy and Amanda went along.

...

It was very gratifying to be there. We made our acceptance speech, and apologized to Alice Johnson, who we insisted attend and share the stage with us, for stealing her idea, then thanked her and the people present for honoring us.

There was a mixer after the awards, Aida and I had a bet going, the one who got the most offers had to buy the loser breakfast. I had nine, Aida had sixteen. I told her I wanted steak and eggs.

We were just about to leave. I was looking around for Amanda, she and Aida had gone to the ladies room, when I ran into her.

Becky.

She had a hesitant, half fearful look on her face.

"Hello, Jace. How are you?"

I looked her over. She was still beautiful, a little heavier, but not much. Her hair was much shorter, her lips seemed fuller, but otherwise she was the still the beauty I fell in love with.

"I'm good, Beck. And you?"

She waved a hand dismissively.

"Oh, I'm all right. Congratulations on your award, it's was good to see Aida again. She says she works for you now."

I answered the implied question. "I prefer to say she works with me. I'm a minority owner and current manager of High Country Advertising, been there since, well, since after. I like it. I like the area. And the people."

She looked down at my finger.

"Seems there is one there you really like."

I don't know if it hurt her feelings, but I smiled, rubbing my band.

"Yes there is. I see you found someone too."

She had what could be only descried as a rock on her finger.

She twisted it, a nervous gesture.

"I have, and I'm content. But, Jace, late at night, when you're lying there next to her, do you ever think about me? If you'd just forgiven me, we'd still be together."

I sighed. "I used to think about you, a lot. But then I met Amanda, and you became a distant memory. Oh, I haven't forgotten you, every once in a while something will trigger a memory of happier times, but it's fleeting."

She suddenly grabbed my hand.

"We could start over! I'd leave him in a minute if you'd take me back. I've never gotten over you. We were meant to be together."

I heard a sharp intake of breath behind me as I gently removed her hand.

"No we weren't, Beck. If we were, you would have never cheated, and I would never have found Amanda. There's more love and faithfulness in the tip of her little finger than your whole body. I'm sorry, Becky. Please, try to have a good life."

I started to walk off when I felt a small hand slip into mine.

"Who's your friend, honey?" asked Amanda, with a bland smile on her face.

"This is Becky, someone I used to know in my old town. Becky, I'd like to present my wife, Amanda."

They didn't offer to shake, just eyed each other and waged a mental catfight. I looked at them together, Becky in her midthirties, in a simple black dress, and Amanda, at twenty six still carrying the bloom of youth, her green floor length gown matching her eyes, the copper red hair cascading down her back, and was again amazed at how lucky I actually was.

Amanda broke contact and turned to me, smiling.

"Honey, I know it's early, but would you take me back to the room, I seem to be having an evening bout of morning sickness."

She stopped, put her hand to her mouth, and giggled. "Oops! I was going to surprise you tonight. Too late now. Congratulations, honey. It's a boy!"

I think I heard a gasp behind me but suddenly the only thing in the world worth my attention was right in front of me. I gathered her in my arms, kissing and crying while she giggled. She finally had to beat on my back to make me let me go.

...

There was a massive celebration at the bar. Amanda smiled and thanked everyone, but when we got home she grabbed my balls and squeezed. I thought I was going to pass out before she let them go, then stroked them gently.

"I'll kiss them in a minute, make them all better. I just wanted to make sure I had your full attention. I know who you were talking to in New York. If I EVER see you in the same room with that bitch again, I'll wear your balls for earrings. Do you understand?"

She was starting to squeeze me again. I made her a solemn vow it would never, ever happen again. She let go and purred in my ear.

"Thank you honey. And I heard what you told her. It was so sweet. Besides, you're gonna need those balls. I still want that girl."

...

That's it. I'm sure you know they lived happily ever after.

This should have been two installments, the failure of his first marriage and his success in his second, but I got on a roll and just kept writing. Forgive the mistakes. I think I may have actually been a little better in this one. I'm getting the advice of a really good writer, he's helping me with a couple of things already and I don't want to overload him. When the next story comes out, I'll thank him publicly for his suggestions and editing.

Q