The Sauna Part 133

We were roused by the sound of Jon’s cell phone and I glanced at the clock as he reached for it. It was nearly ten o’clock and I was stunned that we had slept so late. It was Richie who was already downstairs waiting for us for breakfast. I heard Jon tell him to go ahead and eat and we’d be down as soon as we’d showered and I heard Richie offer to have some coffee sent up. Jon thanked him and we hopped in the shower and got ready as quickly as we could.

I was still trying to dry my hair a little while Jon opened the door to the hall and retrieved the pot of coffee that room service had left. He poured me a cup and I took it, my mind still foggy from last night’s afterglow. Jon stopped my frantic attempts to do something with my hair and took my face in his hands as he kissed me.

“Darlin’, you’re beautiful just like that. Stop fussing” he said in a soft voice.

I relaxed and leaned against him as he brushed my hair tenderly and I marveled at how he was able to still me with just a few simple words. No one had ever made me feel so loved, so cherished, so special or so safe. I silently thanked the Goddess for the greatest gift she’d ever given to me.

We met Richie for breakfast and he smiled warmly as we joined him. Neither of us was particularly hungry, having satisfied ourselves quite fully the night before and Richie looked surprised. It was unlike Jon to skip a meal.

We had a quick cup of coffee and headed for the car show. It was obviously a bigger event than we’d realized and the place was mobbed. We parked a good half a mile away, having been lucky to even find a spot at all. Jon had his baseball cap disguise and both he and Richie had dark sunglasses and we blended in quite well among the throng of people.

There must have been over three hundred cars, or so it seemed to me, and they stretched out as far as I could see. We finally got to the admission gate and realized after looking at the program that this was one of the most famous shows in the southwest. The cars were grouped by category, and Jon and Richie debated where to start, as I had no particular preference. I was curious to see what the steam engine cars looked like however.

We wandered about the expansive grounds, and I found it rather interesting despite the fact that I wasn’t much of a car enthusiast. These cars weren’t the typical ones I’d seen at shows back home, although the muscle cars were all present and accounted for and I had a particular affinity for old Chevy’s. The ones I found really fascinating were some of the very old and rare models, like the Edsels, and a couple Duesenbergs, and I was completely flabbergasted by the prices on some of the ones that were for sale.

Jon and Richie talked about various engines and special features and we saw a couple examples of cars with “suicide doors” which I had heard of but never seen. I wished my father could have been there as he would surely have appreciated so much more than I could and he had been collecting small scale model cars for years. I hoped that perhaps this might be an area that he and Jon could share in common. Jon nudged Richie suddenly and pointed, grinning.

“Hey, c’mon, there’s somebody I want you to meet” he said turning to me with an impish look as I wondered who he saw that he knew.

“Jay” he called as he waved at a man standing beside an old classic.

The man turned around and I was taken aback as I recognized Jay Leno. I never knew he was a car buff, but it came as no surprise to Jon who explained that Jay had an extensive collection of rare cars and loved to restore them, even rebuilding engines himself. He saw Jon and waived us over.

“Hey, I didn’t know you were in town! Are you doing a show here?” Jay asked.

“Nah, we’re doing a special show in Florida next week. We’re just here to visit Richie” he explained as he proceeded to introduce me.

“So you’re the lady that’s taken him off the market? Well, good for you! None of us need the competition out there! Am I right, Richie?” Jay jibed and Richie nodded his agreement.

They chatted about cars and motors and such and Jay explained that he had two antique autos entered into a contest and was waiting for the judging. They talked a little about bikes and Jay mentioned there was a big antique bike show in a couple weeks, but we would likely not make it back for that. The guys chatted a bit more and shook hands and Jon agreed that he’d make time for an appearance on Jay’s show sometime in the near future and we went on our way.

It was mid-afternoon and Jon’s stomach was growling and I was a bit hungry by now too. There were vendors everywhere and we got some hotdogs, hamburgers and fries and I located an iced coffee vendor. We sat down in the shade to eat and rest a bit while we looked through the program. There were all kinds of car events and swap meets and even a demo derby in the evening.

By six o’clock we were pretty sure we’d seen everything. The steam engine cars were pretty special and I learned that Jay had several to his credit and even had a mechanic who worked exclusively for him just to maintain them. The demo derby started at seven, so we decided to stay and walked over to the stands to get a seat, but the bleachers were already filling up. We opted to stand near the fence in order to see and I explained that one of my friends had won a national competition for demos, but had since retired. Jon and Richie weren’t the only ones who knew a celebrity!

The derby was fun, as they always were, and I rather enjoyed the crowd spirit in cheering on certain favorites and booing the guy who kept taking cheap shots. Jon looked at me, a little surprised that I could appreciate the “sport”, but my friend and his wife had worked hard to educate me on the finer points.

After the derby ended, we began walking back to the car. I was convinced we were heading the wrong way and I said so. They were both stubborn males and this also prompted Jon to tell the story of how I had gotten lost coming home from the airport. Since I couldn’t argue with that particular truth, I held my peace until Richie began to express his own reservations. Jon gave in without a fight when I suggested we ask someone who worked there to point us in the direction of the main gate.

It turned out I was right all along and I just smugly made duck lips at Jon. Rather than being irritable, he reached out and pulled me against him and kissed me, apologizing for being a pig-headed smart-ass. I thought Richie’s mouth would drop off as he expected a pissy response instead. Jon was indeed mellower than even I was accustomed to seeing.

“Man, bro, what’s gotten into you?” Richie wondered, staring at Jon.

“I’m just so ridiculously happy, Rich. I just can’t get wound up over stupid shit anymore” Jon confessed.

Richie stopped where he was standing and just looked at us. We stopped too and turned to look at Richie. It was the truth. We were both just deliriously happy and beaming like a couple of loons.

“Damn, somebody got laid last night” Richie speculated.

“It’s so much more than that, bro. So much more” Jon breathed.

“Yeah, man, I know. I’m really happy for you both” he said, breaking into a wide grin now too.

We walked back to the car and decided to head back to the hotel and get cleaned up and maybe have a late dinner there. It had been a warm day and we all feeling grubby, especially from all the dust at the derby. I mentioned how great a hot tub would feel and Richie admitted he got the room with a hot tub. Jon punched him in the arm playfully and wondered if that was a lame invitation.

“Hey, I’m always willing to share” he teased back and this time Jon didn’t seem disturbed by any ghosts from the past.

When we got to the hotel we all took a quick shower and changed into our swimsuits. Jon and I joined Richie in his room and we ordered room service instead of going down to the hotel restaurant for dinner. We were anxious to try out Richie’s hot tub and I was glad I’d brought my bathing suit along just in case. Even though we’d all seen each other sky-clad, the three of us soaking naked in a hot tub just wasn’t quite the same thing.

The hot, bubbling water was a welcome treat and I sank down, letting the heat surround me. Jon poured us each a glass of champagne and we all began to relax and pick at the dinners we’d ordered. I stole a shrimp off Jon’s plate and he slapped my hand.

“Remember what happened the last time I let you have shrimp in a hot tub?” he said, eyeing me playfully.

“I certainly do” I responded, keeping my eyes level with his.

And so we got to telling stories. We told stories about me and Jon and the guys told stories about the two of them and stories about the band. I reached for another piece of shrimp and this time Jon let me have it after extracting my promise to behave. I wished Lainie was here and thought about how much she’d have enjoyed the stories they were regaling me with and I wondered just how close she and Richie had become. Apparently Jon wondered the same thing as he voiced my own thoughts.

“So, bro, tell us about you and Elaine” he prompted.

“What d’ya wanna know” Richie said a bit evasively, but the champagne was kicking in and he was ready to talk.

“What are your plans?” I ventured.

“We haven’t really discussed any plans” Richie answered.

“No, Richie. I mean what are your plans?” I asked again pointedly.

“Truthfully, I wanna marry her. The traditional way, I mean. I wanna have more kids and I wanna be a family again” he shared.

“Have you asked her?” Jon wondered.

“Hell, no. I think it’s too soon and I don’t wanna scare her away” he explained.

He was probably right, I thought to myself. Elaine was a strange bird. As much as I believed she loved Richie, she was hard to read. And she had a way of sabotaging anything good that came along. I wished she’d just let go a little and take a few chances once in a while, but I knew that even having a relationship with Richie at all was a big step for her. It would take time.

“Whaddya think, Trish? Am I being too cautious?” Richie asked, turning to me.

“No, I think you’re being wise to go slow. Lainie’s skittish and she likes to be in control, but she won’t risk making the first moves. You’ll have to set the pace, but if you push her too hard or too fast she’ll bolt. Just don’t give up on her, Richie” I replied.

“I’m not giving up and I can be patient. Sometimes things worth having are worth waiting for, you know?” he said a little wistfully.

I nodded and looked at Jon. Even though our relationship seemed to move pretty fast, I’d actually been waiting my whole life for him. Many lifetimes in fact. And it was definitely worth the wait. Jon yawned and looked at me. His eyes were tired, but filled with such infinite tenderness that I yearned to be in his arms.

We excused ourselves and said goodnight to Richie, the champagne and the hot water having taken its toll and I wanted nothing more than to fall asleep wrapped in the warmth of his love. We walked across the hall to our own room, dropping the towels we’d wrapped about us and stripped off our wet bathing suits.

We crawled into bed and I curled up against him, wishing moments like this could just last forever. He unpinned my hair and stroked it, tossing the hair clips onto the floor. He stroked my cheek with the back of his hand and I nuzzled it before twining my fingers in his.

“I love you, wife, and I wanna show you how much, but I can barely keep my eyes open” he yawned again.

“No need to show me, my love. I feel you inside my very soul” I replied as I laid my head upon his chest.