Chapter 8

Without saying a word, Stephen, Maggie, Peter, and Ruth all stood up and with car keys in hand my mother said, “Put your suitcases back in the car, please?

A three-car caravan, with the Tremaynes leading the way. St Louis, Missouri has a metro area in excess of three million people. Part of that growth was the easy access to the HMS. Exactly what Michael Thomas had in mind, I am quite sure.

We eventually stopped at a very nice and recently painted apartment complex with the name Kensington West on its stone wall.

We were all following Stephen who had walked to apt 79, and took out a key and unlocked the door, but before it was open, he said, “We knew that after nearly a week of living like you were married that you would need someplace special, so – here it is!”

Rather dramatically, he opened the door, flipped on the lights and showed us a most spectacular two-bedroom space, with a large living room, a nicely sized kitchen/dining area, with a glass door opening the master bedroom to a good-sized grassy area, (with room for a big enough spa to invite the parents [moms] over.)

Completely furnished, except for a breakfast table, I heard bags and boxes being brought in from their cars, so I got the suitcases from ours.

After an hour, we were mostly done, then I invited them to join us for dinner at the Sugarfire Smokehouse I noticed passing by.

Our caravan, now with us leading the way, traveled only a mile to the east. Luckily, it wasn’t terribly busy, as I walked in asking for a table for six, laying a twenty in his palm.

We told the folks the story that we were never carded, everyone assumed we were over 21, making my Dad very proud and Stephen glancing at his daughter saying, “I can see it, she is easily as gorgeous and her mother was at her age.”

Everyone ordered something different.

“There seemed plenty of room in the back yard to place a nice spa, don’t you think, Maggie? With enough notice, you and Ruth would be invited to come over and chillax,” I offered.

‘Chillax, I never heard that word before, Paul?” Stephen said.

“It is a portmanteau of ‘Chill out’ and ‘Relax,’ future Dad-in-law,” I responded.

“Your son is very smart and well adjusted for being only 16,” Steven said to my Dad!

“I already know that Daddy,” Melody said leaning over and giving him a kiss on the cheek.

Our food arrived by two servers, a boy and a girl, with smiles from them both. Everything looked good, correct, and complete and they left us to eat.

The conversation got quiet as we all ate.

Afterwards, I paid the bill, Steven paying the tip, and we were off on our separate ways after getting all the keys to apt 79!

The only thing missing was some sort of work out equipment. I used the workout room at school but something at home would help me maintain my strength and my endurance, for my Melody.

I looked up home work-out center on Google, and it wasn’t nearly as expensive as I had been expecting. With the approval of my fiancée, I ordered a Home Gym for only $600 plus a nice treadmill, that was on sale for only $900. That way we can work out side by side.

She did approve of a treadmill, telling me that it was her favorite device to work out with.

It all arrived within 3 days and was installed just outside the back glass-doors, only ten to twelve feet from where the spa would be.

Stephen took it upon himself to find a good deal on a Hot Spa. You can spend as little as $500 up to $5,000 and higher.

Two days after our workout equipment was installed, we had a knock on the door; it was Stephen.

He had a gentleman with a corporate logo for Discount Hot Tubs, and they walked through into the back yard. At seeing the workout center, I said to him, “I needed to work up my endurance, Stephen.”

He said nothing, and it was established the best place to put the new spa was exactly where I assumed it would go.

Stephen stayed there, as the other gentleman walked out the front door. Nothing much was said, until we heard a diesel engine truck come up the alley behind us.

In a matter of moments, our eight-person spa was coming over the back fence and the gentleman from before was running and came back to take hold of the attached cable to guide it into place. With some Spanish being said, it was placed in perfect position, and unstrapped.

I had seen these being built on TV and had always wanted one. It was quickly filled with water and plugged in to a separate circuit I didn’t know I had.

The truck left, and we were given verbal instructions, and a pamphlet as well, with a box of chemicals that should last us at least three months.

He and Stephen both said, “Adios, amigo mio.” As the gentleman left, I couldn’t hold back and gave my future father-in-law a big hug for what he did for us. Melody gave him a kiss on the cheek, and he left seem9ngly very self-satisfied.