The Sauna Part 172

The stars were twinkling high in the sky when we joined Gary, the owner and his wife, Claire and a few other guests. I could smell the coffee perking already as we took a seat on one of the old logs that were arranged around the fire pit. The kids were already roasting their marshmallows and a little boy in a cowboy hat approached Jon with a stick and a bag of them.

“Want some, mister?” he asked with a cherubic grin.

“Don’t mind if I do” Jon said affably as he speared a couple onto the stick and leaned forward towards the fire.

We spent the better part of an hour chatting with Gary and Claire and the other guests as Jon fed me marshmallows and we sipped on a brew that rivaled even Tim Horton’s. Gary went into the house and returned with an old six string which he proceeded to tune and asked if any of us knew any campfire songs.

Gary began to strum the notes for ‘Blowin’ in the Wind’ and we all picked up the verses as everyone knew the Bob Dylan classic. Next came ‘Our House’ by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young which was an old favorite of mine and I hummed a little as I knew I couldn’t sing. Gary had a deep, rich voice which sounded a lot like Johnny Cash and when he broke into ‘Folsom Prison Blues’, we all sat in rapt attention. He and his wife sang ‘Islands in the Stream’ and I could tell Jon was itching to take a crack at the old guitar.

“May I?” he asked, enjoying the fact that he could contribute without feeling like he had to perform.

To my surprise, the opening chords were not a Jovi tune at all but a favorite of mine by Harry Chapin. We all joined in on the chorus as he sang ‘Cats in the Cradle’ and Gary declined when Jon handed him back the guitar. Even though no one seemed to recognize him, Jon avoided any of his own songs, preferring to enjoy the anonymity and good company.

By midnight everyone was beginning to yawn and some of the younger kids had already fallen asleep by the fire. We thanked Gary and Claire for their hospitality as we stood and said goodnight. It had been a wonderful way to spend the evening.

Jon and I crawled into our bed and I snuggled against him, preserving the warm glow I was feeling from the fire, the coffee and the companionship. He kissed my head lightly and we soon fell asleep, my head on his chest.


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We slept in a bit the next morning and had a later breakfast before heading on our way back home to Wolf’s Creek Canyon. The sky had turned dark and the chill had returned to the air, so we dressed warmly and I was glad I had packed an extra pair of jeans. Jon loaded up the Lexus and he shook hands with Gary and I hugged Claire before we left. It had been a very special place to stay and we promised we’d be back again in the future.

The drive was rather uneventful and there were some rather dull stretches of desert before we began to hit more scenic terrain. The sky was still overcast and threatening, but the storm held off until we were almost home. We could see the torrents of rain coming down in buckets at the highest elevations and they literally looked like fingers reaching down from the clouds in the mountains. A storm out west was a sight to behold.

It was pouring when we reached the house and we got drenched as we ran from the car to the door. We didn’t even bother to grab the suitcases as we hurried to get inside. I took off my coat and shook out my hair, having tucked it up under my cowboy hat and Jon did the same just as a bolt of lightening lit up the house when it flashed overhead. I made a beeline for the kitchen to start coffee just in case we lost power shortly.

“Priorities!” I announced as I raced to the kitchen.

Jon grinned as he realized what I was up to and he busied himself with starting the fire in the living room. We were both pretty hungry as it was close to dinner time and I rummaged around in the frig to see what we had to work with once the coffee was brewing.

“Soup and sandwiches sound okay?” I called out to him and he nodded.

I started the soup on the stove and pulled out the other ingredients as I began to make grilled cheese to go with the soup. Jon slipped into the kitchen and nabbed a piece of cheese while I melted the butter and got out some dishes.

“I love grilled cheese” he said, grabbing another piece from the package on the counter.

“Me too” I agreed as I grabbed a slice myself and stirred the soup.

“Coffee’s done” Jon noted thankfully as he poured us each a cup and sat down at the table to wait.

Our dinner, such as it was, was ready in a few minutes and we took our plates out to the living room to eat by the fire. The hot soup and the sandwiches soon chased away the chill and the room was beginning to get cozy as we snuggled and talked about the trip. I was anxious to check in with Rick and see how the cats were doing and Jon wanted to call the kids and tell them all about the places we’d seen. I’d sent off a few post cards from Sedona, but it was unlikely they’d even gotten them yet.

I grabbed the phone and we called Rick first, but he wasn’t home and I left a message on Jon’s machine at the house to call us when he got in. Jon dialed the kids next and spoke to Dot first before she put the kids on the phone.

“So, I heard from your mother that she’s being replaced on Backstage with your new wife?” Dot asked, a little curious about all the rumors.

“Actually that one is true” Jon admitted as he rolled his eyes at me.

He went on to explain what had happened and I gathered from the sound of things that Jon’s mom had told Dot quite a tale of woe. Dot and she had never been close and she had taken the news with a grain of salt as she knew Carol could embellish the facts. She was surprised to hear about the Handfasting, but didn’t take it too seriously until Jon told her that we were planning a legal wedding when we returned.

“Are you planning to include the kids in this ceremony? What about the press?” she wanted to know.

“We’re going to make it very private and have the ceremony at the house-no press, no party, no fuss-but we want the kids to be there if they’d like to come and we’ll invite a few close friends” he explained and Dot knew that meant Richie and maybe the band.

“What about Trish’s family? Are they coming for this too? Have you told your mother about it yet?” she asked with a chuckle.

“No, and please don’t say anything to her. It’s not a big deal and you know there’s no way it would ever be a secret if mom got wind of it” Jon begged her.

“Okay, okay. I just couldn’t resist teasing you. What about me? Am I ever going to meet my replacement?” she asked a little more seriously.

“Uhm, well … I, we …” Jon stammered uncertainly as he covered the phone and whispered to me.

“Trish, Dot wants to meet you …” he said hesitantly to me.

“Geez, Jon, I’m not a monster, you know” I heard Dot’s voice laughing over the phone and I had to laugh at that myself.

“Tell her I’d love to meet her. I think I’m gonna like her” I grinned at him as he twisted uncomfortably.

“Trish said she’d like to meet you. Dot, I …” he groaned and I heard her laugh again.

I was beginning to smirk now myself as I started to think that this might actually be rather fun. I could tell she was enjoying making him squirm a bit and I already felt we had a common bond in our shared dislike for his mother. Hell, she was taking this all rather well, I thought, and I knew she must be a remarkable woman from the things that Jon had already shared about her. Maybe we could even be friends after a fashion.

“Jon, put Trish on the phone” she laughed again and he handed it to me with a helpless look.

“She wants to talk to you” he said as he closed his eyes and held his breath.

“Hi Dot, I’m looking forward to meeting you. Anyone who can make Jon lose his composure like you just did is someone I know I’m going to like … and respect” I chuckled as Jon pouted at me.

“Well, Trish, I’m looking forward to it too. I’ve heard a lot about you from Stephanie and from Jesse and I won’t deny the fact that I rather enjoyed catching Jon off guard, but I am curious to meet you myself. I’m also hoping it might help Jake to adjust better if he sees that we can all get along. Do me a favor, though, will you?” she asked.

“If I can; what can I do?” I replied, a little anxious now as I wondered what she might want.

“Would you ask Jon if I can bring a date?” she asked with a barely contained giggle.

I burst into laughter at the question and I knew instantly that I had nothing whatsoever to worry about from Dot. Not only was she quite a character herself, but she hadn’t been idle either since the divorce. Jon was looking at me now with a truly perplexed look on his face as he tried to imagine what Dot had said that created such a reaction and I wondered if he even had a clue that she’d been dating someone.

“Hang on a minute Dot” I said as he tugged on my sleeve like a little kid.

“What’s so funny?” he demanded, looking a bit petulant now.

“Uhm, Jon, is it okay if Dot brings a date to our wedding?” I asked loudly so she could hear me.

“A what? A date? Give me that phone now!” he sputtered and I could hear Dot giggling in the background.

“Dot, are you kidding? Are you really seeing someone that you’re that serious about?” he asked her.

“Actually, Jon, yes, he’s planning to move in with me. It would be great for the kids to see us all getting along and it would help them realize that we still love them even though we love other people. I was going to tell you anyway, and I’m sorry, but I just couldn’t resist the temptation here” she chuckled.

“Shit, Dot, you really took me by surprise, but yeah, bring him. Awww hell, maybe we’ll have a small party after all” he said, laughing finally too. “What’s the guy’s name, anyway?”

“Seriously now, it’s John. Honestly, I swear to God, really” she laughed harder.

“Oh fuck” Jon said as he whispered an aside to me and we all laughed until we could barely breathe.

Dot got the kids and put them on the phone then and Jon explained to them what we were planning when we returned to Jersey in a few days. He decided to forgo the discussion about the trip as there’d be plenty of time to tell them later and show them the pictures. This was really more important. He learned that the kids had all met John and they seemed to like him, although Jakey didn’t say very much. Stephanie wanted to know if we could go shopping for a dress when we got back and I decided why not? We might as well make this whole thing as much fun as we could!