Chapter 7: The First Day of the Rest

“FIFI, MY DEAR, I didn’t know you’d arrived.”

“You were rather busy, master,” she smiled. She stood to meet my embrace. “No one wanted to interrupt you when you were so focused.”

“It was my sister’s model and girlfriend today,” I said. “I’m so overwhelmed, I scarcely know what I’m doing.”

“Come to the hotel and let your pet take care of you for the evening.”

“Ah, that sounds fun. I need to check in with the family first, though.”

“I will still be here.”

I ran upstairs and found Ronda and Anna at the kitchen table, giggling.

“What’s up?” I asked.

“Oh! They ... uh ... weren’t too sneaky about it all this afternoon. Patricia was due to pick up Toni, but didn’t want to bring her back here while they were...”

Anna was interrupted by a high squeal from the guest room and my sister’s voice chanting, “Fuck, fuck, fuck! What are you doing to me?”

“Uh ... Perhaps I shouldn’t be here, either. You know Adrienne is in the studio?”

“Yes. We didn’t want to interrupt you with Anita, so we left her waiting in the studio. We packed a bag for you, so you can just go. Don’t forget to take a camera with you, just in case,” Ronda said.

“I love you,” I said, giving each of the girls a kiss. I grabbed my duffle and went down to meet Adrienne. Anita was gone.

In the morning, I took Adrienne out for breakfast and saw several familiar faces, even at the little diner we went to. That Scottish Café was really a weekend and Monday gathering place.

“Hi, Nate! I’m ... uh ... oh ... excuse me. I’m ... wow!” Lorraine had spotted me and came charging across the diner, only to be arrested by noticing Adrienne. “I didn’t mean to interrupt you. Excuse me, Miss. Wow! You are beautiful!”

“Thank you,” Adrienne said softly. “You’re very attractive, too. Are you one of Nate’s models?”

“Um ... models. Yes. I was just going to ask when I could stop by and see my proofs, but I really didn’t mean to just barge in like that,” Lorraine said. Something told me she had experience in interrupting men in a compromising situation.

“It’s no problem,” I said. “Adrienne, this is Lorraine. We did a session last week. She understudies Goneril in King Lear. Lorraine, my mistress, Adrienne.”

“M ... mistress? Just like that? You publicly proclaim you have a mistress? What about your ... um ... girlfriends?” Lorraine was figuratively dumbstruck. Unfortunately, her mouth hadn’t figured that out yet.

“Adrienne is our family’s mistress. We all love our pet,” I said, stroking Adrienne’s hair. She’d often told me she would do anything I asked, even in public. This was the first time I’d really tested that. She raised her head to make sure Lorraine could see her rhinestone collar that said ‘Fifi’ on it. “We’ll be back in the studio in a couple of hours. I don’t believe I have any sittings scheduled today, so stop by any time. We’ll select the best pictures and I’ll print a set for you and a set for Adrienne to take back to LA with her. Be sure to bring your resume. She’ll pass it on to our producer.”

“Are you an actress?” Lorraine asked, sitting on the edge of a chair at the table to gaze at Adrienne.

“No, Miss. I consult on the film and represent Nate’s interests when he can’t be there,” Adrienne said. “How soon could you be available for a screen test in Los Angeles?”

“How soon? Um ... I don’t think they’d miss me if I left tomorrow since I’m just filler for some of the shows. But it wouldn’t be very professional to just up and leave. My contract release date is September 24th. I have nothing planned for after that.”

“Excellent. I’ll take your resume and photos to Reg and Frank. I’m sure they’ll want you to come to LA the last week of September. We’ll be almost ready to start filming the studio shots then. The crew is currently hard at work on location shooting.”

“I’m ... I ... Wow! Thank you. Um ... I’ll see you this afternoon, Nate.”

Lorraine didn’t find a table or order anything. She just ran from the diner.

“She knows she’s beautiful, but says she isn’t really suited for stage work. I think she might somewhat regret having had her boobs done,” I laughed.

“Bert and Brent have written in several spot roles for women that won’t be filled until the production heads for the studio,” Adrienne said. “I think they just can’t entirely give up the concept of having a lot of bare breasts in the movie and in Lyle’s hands.”

“I don’t think they’d have any difficulty getting her to bare hers,” I said. “I certainly didn’t.”

Lorraine was ecstatic over her proofs and Adrienne made suggestions on which ones would sell the best in Hollywood. When we were finished, I spotted my sister at her easel in the studio.

“Kat, you remember Adrienne from last summer?” I said. “Adrienne, this is my little sister, Kat. Her girlfriend Julie is over there with some of her clothes still on.” I pointed to the fainting couch where Julie was reclining with a bouquet of flowers and a sheet partially obscuring her.

“Oh, hi, Adrienne. Anna said you’d be in today. It’s nice to see you again.”

“And you, Miss Kat. Miss Julie, you are even more beautiful than you were a year ago.”

I could attest to that, having carefully inspected the eighteen-year-old just the day before.

“I’m going to get Julie’s photos developed this afternoon,” I said. “You aren’t leaving yet, are you, Kat?”

“Oh, no. I mean ... not unless you need the room.”

“Great. We can go over the photos this afternoon and I’ll make prints for you to take to Minneapolis with you.”

“Could you take a couple more? Like right now?” Kat asked. “We set this scene on purpose.”

“Sure, I can do that.”

I got the camera loaded and set on the tripod as Kat moved her easel around behind where Julie was lying. There was a pretty complete sketch on the easel and a few splashes of color. I could see where Kat was going with her pose, seeing her with both the drawing and her girlfriend/model.

I moved the camera a bit and then adjusted both Kat and Julie. I also grabbed the 4x5 camera and transparency film. This was a beautiful portrait of the two of them, but would also make a beautiful portrait of my sister.

We worked together for about half an hour, as I shifted and posed and shot.

“Wait! One more,” Kat screamed when I said I thought we had enough. My sister knelt behind Julie and whipped her T-shirt off. Then she leaned forward to embrace her girlfriend. It was lovely, and none of my sister’s bits were really showing. You could tell she was topless but couldn’t really see her breasts. I took the last two pictures and deliberately turned my back on the girls as I removed the film from the camera and got the transparencies ready to go to Dave.

“May I walk with you, Master?” Adrienne whispered.

I had a feeling she, too, wanted to give the girls a little time to pull themselves together. I took her hand and we headed for Pro Photo Source for an overnight run to London.

Adrienne spent most of the afternoon in the darkroom with me. The door was locked and we were naked. That involved a lot of messing around, but no intercourse. We just enjoyed being together, rubbing together, and working together.

She got me all caught up on the news from the production company. The filming of the chase and crash in Tenbrook had gone extremely well. They used the same stunt company as they had for the flaming truck crash in the first movie. They’d had to build an entire sign for the restaurant and fabricate a derelict building. But the crash had been spectacular and they’d actually rigged bleachers just out of the camera’s sightline so the people in town could watch the chase and crash.

There were several other outdoor scenes in town, including a re-enactment of Avery’s dance at the edge of the water and falling in. Once again, stunt doubles had been called in for the water scenes so that neither Lyle nor Renée, who played his model in that scene, actually got in the river. But instead of rushing her to the car to get warm, the movie included a pretty hot love scene between the two on the bank of the river.

There was also a scene of Fran having made her way to the river and spying on the two from the bushes. She had her own little camera she used to capture the scene.

It was a fun afternoon. When we emerged from the darkroom, Toni was there to claim Aunt Addi for the night with Patricia. I took Anna, Ronda, Kat, and Julie out to dinner at the pub and showed the girls their pictures.

“I’m enlarging that one for our family gallery,” I said pointing to the transparency of the two of them at the couch.

“I think we each want one of them, too,” Kat said. Julie nodded. “And how can I possibly choose among these wonderful photos of Julie. Honey, you are just so delish!”

Eventually, we arrived at a solution and I set to work printing them that night.

Wednesday, we reserved the day just to get Kat and Julie ready for their road trip. It was fun and we all had little things for them to take with them, including a special lunch box we picked up from the café first thing Thursday before they pulled out.

Then Ronda and I had a play date with our pet.

The next week was a blur with moments of clarity, mostly revolving around Adrienne with one or more of us, taking our minds off all manner of responsibility. I had five clients in the next ten days, and I wanted new photos of Adrienne while she was here. And that was something the entire family wanted in on. Patricia, Ronda, and Anna all wanted bedroom photos of themselves with Adrienne. Putting the four sexiest women I’d ever met together in different combinations in bed was an experience I would treasure forever.

We capped it all off with a photo of all five of us in bed together, and then when Toni got home we restaged it with all six in our family.

“This seems to be a good time for an announcement,” Patricia said as we all cuddled together. “I found a doctor here in Stratford. You know, I haven’t really had a doctor since we moved to Chicago, though we have a pediatrician for Toni. I saw Dr. Marquette on Tuesday and she confirmed that I am pregnant. Toni, honey, in a few months, Mommy and Daddy are going to bring home a new baby sister for you.”

“Baby sister?” Toni exclaimed. “No shit!”

We were all stunned to silence by Toni’s exclamation, and then she slapped a hand across her mouth. What could we do but all start laughing?

A baby sister. No shit.

Adrienne left to fly back to LA on Sunday and we all kissed her goodbye. It was hard to say when we’d see her again. We had no idea what our schedules would look like in the coming months. Adrienne reminded us that she could travel to anywhere we went and would absolutely come to Chicago to comfort those who weren’t traveling. She was almost as excited about Patricia’s news that she was pregnant as the rest of us were.

She’d spent a lot of time the night before, holding Patricia and kissing her tummy. She kissed several other parts of Patricia as well. So did the rest of us.

Sunday afternoon, I answered the phone to the voice of my little sister.

“We made it!” she said brightly. “We’re in Minneapolis and Mr. and Mrs. Hannity have shown us to our rooms. Tomorrow, I have to go to MCAD to register and Julie has to go to the University to start freshman orientation. This is it! We’re really doing it!”

“Well, do it quietly so you don’t wake up the Hannitys,” I laughed. “That’s really wonderful, Kat. I’m so proud of you.”

“I’m so scared! What if they find out I’m not good enough? Am I going to have to go back to high school? Find a job painting signs? What if the professors just don’t like me?”

“Easy, Kat. You know, every question you just asked is one I asked right before I started at Columbia. Every single one.”

“But you are so talented!”

“So are you, little sister. They accepted you into MCAD over a year ago! And think of all you’ve learned and accomplished since then. You are a much better artist now, even though you were great then. But I’ll tell you the secret,” I said.

“A secret? What secret?”

“No matter how I progress and how much I improve, I still have more to learn. There are still people who know more than I do about photography. There are still photographers who capture better images than I. Every single one of them has something to teach me. And the same is true of you. You aren’t in college to show how good you are. You are there to soak up every bit of skill, technique, and process that you can. Drain your professors and instructors of everything they can teach you. You are there to absolutely absorb everything you can learn. In three or four years, when you graduate from MCAD, you will be ten times the artist you are now. I’ll be bragging to everyone who will listen that my sister is a master.”

“Oh, Nate! You are such a good big brother. I promise I will learn everything they can teach me. I promise!”

“Okay, everything is set. Leanne has the design and supplies. Kathleen and Damien have approved use of the Black Swan for the performance Friday night. And Miss Sullivan—excuse me—Yvonne Renninger will be here on Wednesday afternoon. We have a rehearsal on Thursday and performance Friday night,” Anna said.

“Is that enough time to get it right?” I asked. I hadn’t seen Leanne’s concept for this one.

“Leanne said that even if you mess something up, it won’t matter. It’s kind of cubist inspired,” Anna said.

“And if you falter, there are three or four women who are ready to step in and torture her,” Ronda said. “I can’t believe you kept it a secret for nearly four years before you let us know you were taking photos of her. Anna, Patricia, Judy, and I would all love to remove all the clothes from our one-time business teacher, Miss Sullivan.”

“And she’s going to be so convenient to us since she will be staying with us,” Patricia laughed.

“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” I asked.

“Oh, yes,” Anna said. “She’s excited about it. Don’t forget that the performance on Friday will also be the end of your five-year moratorium on releasing her photos. You’ll be making prints this week to display pictures no one has ever seen before.”

“You know I wouldn’t show any pictures of her that she doesn’t want released,” I said.

“Believe me, she wants the pictures to be shown,” Anna said. “Her new yoga studio is opening Labor Day weekend in Chicago. She has already asked for large photos to display there. Mostly, she wants pictures of her yoga poses.”

“Well, I guess I’d better make some of the prints she wants, then,” I laughed.

“And she’ll want some new photos besides just the one from Friday night. I think you’ll be busy all weekend,” Ronda said.

“Yvonne, I’m so glad you could come to visit us in Stratford,” I said when she arrived Wednesday just before dinner time.

“Thank you! Oh, what a pretty place!”

“Pretty chaotic at the moment,” Anna said. “We have a lot of seasonal props being transferred back to the theatre this week.”

“Seasonal props?” Yvonne asked.

“We get a number of things from the theatre each summer that they won’t be using in their shows during the season. They let us borrow set pieces and costumes and props to make photos more interesting. We take photos of all the shows and provide prints for fundraising. It’s a nice arrangement,” I said. “Let me grab your bag and show you to your room upstairs in the apartment. We don’t make guests stay in the studio or the store.”

I grabbed Yvonne’s bag and led her upstairs to the apartment. We hadn’t had a houseguest since Kat and Julie left, so everything was clean and fresh. Yvonne spent some time exclaiming over how nice the place was and when Toni got home from daycare, we all headed out to the pub for dinner.

“Are you sure you’re prepared for the show on Friday?” I asked as we were relaxing.

“Hmm. I’m not sure anyone can truly be prepared be stripped in public and painted by her former students,” Yvonne sighed. “At the same time, the idea really excites me. I am absolutely no longer considering anyone a student and am not avoiding any circumstance because it might reflect poorly on me as a teacher.”

“I’m sure Julie regrets not being here this week,” Ronda teased.

“Julie?”

“Julie Evans. She graduated this spring. She’s Nate’s sister’s girlfriend,” Ronda explained.

Yvonne gulped and took another drink from her beer.

“That is a little close in time,” she said. “But if you intend her to be here, just don’t tell me about it, okay?”

“Julie and Kat moved to Minneapolis last week to begin studies at the University of Minnesota and the Minneapolis College of Art and Design,” I laughed. “They aren’t driving all the way back here for your performance.”

“Besides,” Anna said, “we have plenty of pictures of Julie we could show you.”

“I seem to remember that when your sister showed her paintings at your exhibition, there were several that bore a striking resemblance to Julie,” Yvonne said. “It was quite a shock at school this spring when she brought Kat as her date to the prom.”

“I’m surprised they allowed that,” I said.

“You broke the ice with Ronda and Chris,” Yvonne said. “The school has become quite open since your graduation and that of the next two classes. Once they started filming in Tenbrook, the school board had a huge meeting with the community to make a list of the values they would like portrayed in the school system. They actually brought in a consultant to moderate the meeting and make sure everyone was heard. The number one attribute that was put on the list was ‘tolerance.’ Everyone pretty much accepted that there were four different churches in town and they didn’t always agree with each other. Using that as an example, the principle of tolerance for people with different religious opinions took root. The rest grew out of that.”

“I’m amazed,” Patricia said. “After everything Tony went through, it’s hard to believe the watchword of Tenbrook is now Tolerance.”

“Your mother- and father-in-law spoke up together in the meeting and reminded the community of what happened,” Yvonne said. “They made a moving appeal to their community and reminded them that their son lay in the village cemetery. Patricia, I can’t imagine what you went through the past five years, but your impact on the town was profound. Mr. Reichman stood up in the meeting and told about the lesson he learned from your pregnancy and nearly making the mistake of having you expelled. He announced a new support program for unwed mothers that will allow them to finish school and graduate with their class.”

I reached over to touch Patricia’s hand and could see the tears running down her cheeks as we remembered that very difficult time.

“I’m so sorry,” Yvonne said. “I didn’t mean to upset you.”

“I’m just glad something good has come of all that time beside my beautiful little girl,” Patricia said.

“Mommy thinking of Fadder,” Toni said. “Don’t cry, Mommy. Toni is here.”

“Oh, my sweet baby girl,” Patricia said, hugging her daughter.

“I not the baby now! Baby in Mommy’s tummy,” Toni announced. Yvonne gasped.

“You’re...?”

“Yep. Nate and I are adding to our family,” Patricia said.

That called for a round of toasts and hugs.

“We’re going to have a baby!” Anna squealed. There was no question that the child might be borne by Patricia, but she belonged to the family.

Once things had settled down again, Yvonne continued to explain what had happened.

“You must have noticed the banner in the gym when it was filmed in the movie and again when you made your presentation there last spring. Which, I might add, was extremely well done. It hangs at the end of the gym and spells out TRIBE. Beneath the letters are the words Tolerance, Responsibility, Integrity, Bonding, and Enthusiasm.”

“Bonding?” I asked.

“Not everything spells out a nice convenient acronym,” Yvonne sighed. “The original concept was ‘brotherhood,’ but they didn’t want something that restricted the gender. It was meant to represent the idea that friends in school were friends for life. The students finally decided that the concept was best represented by being a bond among them. It’s like the E meaning enthusiasm. The concept was school spirit, but that was the best they could come up with.”