The Sauna Part 76

I turned to Marissa, who was still standing in the doorway, sighing. It was nearly one-thirty and I needed to get some work done before I left at four.

“I hope you remembered to get your autograph?” I asked, seeing the dazed expression on her face.

“Oh, yes! Look! And he drew a smirk face for me too!” she said excitedly, waiving the paper at me.

“Alright then, let’s try and get back to work before the day is over” I winked at her.

“Okay boss! And thank you so much! You’re the best!” she giggled.

I was feeling pretty chipper after lunch and I went back to the mound of paperwork that awaited me with renewed zeal. Only occasionally did my thoughts stray to what just took place on that desk earlier today. I made a mental note to get a decent picture of me and Jon to replace the picture of the cats we’d knocked over accidentally.

At four o’clock I locked up and headed off to the airport. It was a long drive, almost two hours away, and I wanted to get there early in case Elaine’s flight came in sooner than expected. I was anxious to see her and meet her for the first time. I popped in a CD and settled in for the long drive.

**********************

Back home Jon had decided he couldn’t stand the rental car and he was sick of taking cabs everywhere, so he and Richie decided they’d go look at bikes or a car. Jon had seen a motorcycle shop on the way back home in the cab and they’d stopped in and found there was a Harley dealer right in Gowanda. They had the cab take them there and drop them off as Jon knew he’d find a bike he could live with there.

After browsing for about twenty minutes, Jon made his selection. He was partial to Softails and they had a couple on display and he chose the one he liked. The owner thought he was kidding after he tossed his credit card on the counter and said he’d take the one in the middle, the Softail Deluxe. It was a soft blue with white detailing and he added in a saddle bag and a couple of helmets, after asking if they could change the handlebars. By three-thirty they were on the road.

They arrived at the house and Jon opened the garage, thinking he’d surprise me by keeping it in there until he was ready. He got a surprise himself when he lifted the door and a startled raccoon ran out and he peered inside to see the assortment of junk I’d collected over the years.

“Shit! Look at all the crap in here!” he said, startled to learn what a packrat I was.

“Man, there might be room if we move this stuff around a bit. No wonder she parks in the driveway” Richie observed.

They set about cleaning the garage, moving things around, and in about an hour, they had cleared out a spot for the HOG. Jon pulled the door back down and they went inside to get cleaned up. They had some time as the flight came in at six and it was at least an hour from the airport to Gowanda.

“Where’s the other guest room?” Richie wondered as they went inside.

Jon stopped and considered. He didn’t know. He really hadn’t explored the house much, having no real need before then. There was no upstairs, so he assumed it must be in the basement.

“Maybe it’s downstairs?” he said, opening the door to the cellar cautiously after the experience with the garage.

Nothing came charging out of the basement, so he flipped the light switch and they started down the stairs. The stairway walls were lined with paintings and sketches, mostly rustic scenes and cat portraits and a few of people he didn’t recognize. He stopped short when he saw one he recognized.

“Holy shit, Jon. It’s you” Richie exclaimed.

“Yeah, it is. It’s me, about ten years ago. I think I recognize it, but this is hand sketched. I wonder who did it?” he said, looking for the signature.

Richie looked more carefully at the other sketches on the wall and noticed the styles were all similar. He looked back at the one of Jon and shook his head. It had to have been the same artist. He looked again for the signature, finally finding part of it just above the lower frame.

“I can’t quite make out the name, can you read it?” he said, pointing to the chicken scratch near the bottom.

“Nope, it’s hidden by the frame, but here it is a little clearer on this one” he said as he took a small portrait off the wall and brought it closer to the light. They both peered at it together.

“Shit. It’s Trish. It’s her signature. She must have done all of these. Wow, I had no idea”

“These are really good, Jon. Look at this. She did the paintings too” he said, stunned.

“She never said a word. I didn’t know she could draw”

“And paint” Richie added.

“I’m beginning to think there’s no end to her talents. I wonder why she keeps them hidden away down here” he remarked.

“Hey Jon, look here. I think this is her” Richie said, pointing to a small picture on the other wall.

“And so it is” he said, looking closely.

“Rich, let’s go upstairs. I’m guessing the other room is down here, but I don’t feel right poking around. I just think I’d rather wait until she shares this with me herself, you know?” he said, feeling suddenly like he’d trespassed where he hadn’t been invited yet.

“Yeah, okay man. I know what you mean. It feels private. I’m sure she’ll show them to you” Richie agreed.

They went back upstairs then and settled in the kitchen and Jon made a pot of coffee. He and Richie put away the dishes from the dishwasher, neither saying much. Jon was absorbed in his own thoughts. So she’s an artist too. There’s so much I don’t know yet, he thought to himself. But I want to know everything; I want to spend the rest of my life learning about her he mused, smiling silently.

*************************

I got to the airport at quarter to six. The traffic had been light until I hit rush hour closer to Buffalo. I checked the flight schedule and the plane was expected on time. I knew it would take a while to get through customs so I grabbed a coffee and sat down to wait. I took out the phone and called Jon.

“Hi babe” he answered cheerfully, seeing my number on the caller ID.

“Hey, love. I’m at the airport. Lainie’s flight looks to be on time, so we should be home by seven-thirty if she doesn’t get hung up at customs. Whatcha doin’?”

“Just made some coffee and put away the dishes. Hey, where’s the other guest room anyway? Should I make up the bed?”

“It’s downstairs, toward the back. It’s not exactly a guest room, more like a family room with a pull out couch. But there’s a TV and a bathroom there too, so she’ll have a little more privacy. She’d die if you or Richie saw her getting ready in the morning, and she’s a late sleeper, like Richie.”

“Do you want me to make up the bed? Tell me where the sheets and stuff are and I’ll get it ready for her” Jon said, looking for an excuse to get permission to go downstairs.

“Don’t bother, love. It’ll only take a minute and I’m afraid the cats will get stuck down there if you open the door. They tend to sneak down at every opportunity. We’ll do it when I get home.”

“Okay, then. I miss you.”

“I miss you too. Remember, Lainie won’t know a thing about you or Richie when we get there. I don’t want her to have a heart attack, so don’t yell surprise or anything, okay? Just try and be sitting at the table in the kitchen when we walk in” I added.

“Got it, I’ll make sure Richie knows too. See you soon, babe. I love you.”

“I love you too Jon” I smiled and hung up as I sipped my coffee and waited.

************************

“Shit, Richie, we gotta find the cats. And make sure there are five of them. She was worried they’d sneak into the basement” Jon said nervously as he hung up the phone.

“Well, there’s one here” Richie said, pointing to a sleeping Zeke on his lap. “C’mon, little buddy. You gotta get up” he crooned, hoisting Zeke onto the floor.

Jon was in a panic now, worried that there’d be trouble if a cat was missing. He went in the bedroom and saw Eddie on the bed. A quick check in Richie’s room revealed two more on his bed. Someone was missing. Floyd, the slasher.

“Shit. One of the black ones is missing” Jon said, exasperated, when the first search did not uncover his whereabouts.

“Hey, got any treats? Shake the can or the bag” Richie suggested, obviously having experience with this sort of thing.

Jon rummaged through the cupboards and found a can of treats. He shook the can. Nothing. Richie took the can and shook it more gently and called his name. Slowly, Floyd ambled into the kitchen and Jon breathed a sigh of relief. Richie opened the can and fed everybody some treats and handed it to Jon.

“Here, try this. Maybe they’ll warm up to you” he smirked.

“I’m not above bribery” Jon grinned and fed them some treats and even Zeke came up for one.

***********************

I recognized Lainie immediately as she came through the gate, wearing a cowboy hat so I’d be sure to spot her. I ran up and gave her a hug, her hat falling off as we embraced. She was much prettier in person than her pictures had revealed. I picked up her hat and she stuck it back on her head.

“I’m so glad to see you! How was your flight? Are you hungry?” I barraged her with questions.

“I’m so happy to finally meet you! The flight was short and I had a couple of chocolate bars on the plane!” she said in her lilting Scottish accent.

“Did you have any trouble with Customs?” I asked, noticing the large carry on bag.

“No, I came from New York City, remember? Only had to go through Customs when I arrived there yesterday morning”

“That’s right, I forgot. Let’s go get your bags” I said excitedly as we made our way to the baggage claim area.

I hugged her again, excited to have the chance to finally meet in person. I could hardly wait for her bags, thinking about the surprise waiting at home.

“It’s about an hour from here to the house. Are you sure you’re not hungry?” I asked again. She looked too thin to me.

“Nah, but I could use a decent cup of coffee if we pass near a Tim Horton’s” she smiled.

Besides our love of Bon Jovi, we shared a love of coffee and Tim Horton’s in particular. Elaine had discovered it here on a previous trip to the states and even ordered it and had it shipped to her in Scotland. There was a place on the way if I altered the route slightly. I was always ready for Timmy’s.

“That can be arranged!”

“So, tell me. You’ve been keeping me in suspense for weeks. How was the show? And how did the conference go?” she asked.

Lainie grabbed her bags and we headed out to the car as I told her bits and pieces about the conference first, knowing it was the concert she was really dying to hear about. I had to find a way to avoid blurting out my news entirely and spoiling the surprise. I told her about the shows as we drove, explaining that I ended up seeing a couple since I’d extended my stay. As we neared home she asked what happened that made me change my plans and stay longer.

“Lainie, I met someone” I said simply, thinking I could tell her about the “Jon” I’d met without actually telling her the whole story.

“It must’ve been serious for you to have stayed an extra week” she observed.

“Well, not at first. We met in the hotel sauna” I began.

“What happened? Forget the show. I want details on this guy” she prodded me.

I told her the whole story, basically, just not the one detail she would have died to have known. She peered at me over the rim of her coffee cup as I continued to fill her in on some of the steamier aspects of the romance as well as some of the more tender moments as well.

“He’s got a Harley, too? Holy shit, girl! You really got lucky!”

I grinned as I elaborated on our other adventures, recounting the storm and near tornado, the beach, the private dance in the hotel room, the elevator and my trip to the spa in the city. I left out many of the details and particular pieces, knowing I couldn’t tell her about the party or the hot tub in the penthouse, at least not yet.

“So, how serious is this? You said he lives in Jersey?” she asked, cautious as it sounded like a wonderful fling, but she couldn’t imagine how it would work long term.

“Oh, Lainie! It’s very serious. I told him all about Wicca and he really knows me. And he loves me. And he wanted to get married” I said, catching my breath.

She raised her eyebrows then in question. She knew well how I felt about marriage. And she knew even more than Jon did about how my first marriage failed miserably and why. She reached out and put her hand on my arm.

“Trish, what did you say?” she asked, holding her breath.

I explained what happened and where we’d left it, and that we were planning a Handfasting ritual instead, maybe while she was here. I wanted her to be part of it, but I wasn’t sure how she felt or if the timing was right yet.

“You mean I might get to meet him then?” she asked excitedly, still not yet quite certain about all this happening so fast.

“I think that’s highly likely since we’re living together” I giggled.

We were almost home now and I was glad. I didn’t know how much more I could say without spilling the beans. And I was dying to tell her everything. This was by far the hardest secret I’d ever kept from anyone and it was killing me.

“What does he do for a living? Trish, please tell me he has a job and that you’re not supporting him!” she said, sounding worried because she knew my history.

“Yes, he has a job. He’s sort of self-employed” I laughed, not really lying as we turned the corner onto my street.

“What’s his name for God’s sake?” she asked as we pulled in the driveway, realizing she was about to meet this man she’d just now heard about.

“Jon” I said as we got out of the car and she followed me up to the back door.