11: Finishing Touches

Dinner was a success. When Miss Polly walked in with Harvey, I about choked, though.

"Miss Polly! How nice to see you! I didn't know you were going to be with us tonight," I said. Rhonda looked at me strangely.

"Oh dear! Harvey, you said..." Miss Polly started. He cut her off with a kiss. What the fuck?

"You would think that after working with us for three years, he'd have figured out that we are married," Harvey laughed. Rhonda reached over and closed my mouth for me.

"You didn't know?" she asked. "I might have to take you back upstairs for another round so you get your head back on straight. Men," she sighed to Miss Polly, who laughed and was immediately greeted by Mom, Dad, and Anna. I was introduced to Lonnie's wife, Ellen, and when all the adults were there, I led them to the kitchen. Polly was ecstatic. She especially loved the curved breakfast bar where people could sit to watch me work. I was surprised to see Lonnie, Professor Phillips, unpack a camera.

"I thought we might do some test footage while you show us what you've got," Lonnie said. "Do you mind?"

"No, it's great," I said. I looked over at Rhonda. She stepped behind the kitchen set and suddenly the kitchen was flooded with studio lighting. The whole family and our guests applauded.

"I had my doubts," Lonnie said. "When I had a couple freshmen come in and ask to use university equipment to film their show, I really didn't expect this quality, even with Harvey's recommendation. Rhonda, I'm impressed. How did you manage this?" We started with a general tour of the kitchen and Rhonda pointed out each of the items.

"We are, as of today, a fully functioning production company, lacking only camera, sound, and editing," Rhonda said. "While that sounds like a pretty significant thing, we're confident in our prospects. Indiana University pretty much has a lock on television originating from Bloomington, but we have already received inquiries from two Indianapolis stations regarding a possible cooperative arrangement. Of course, our preference would be to work with the IU Media Department." I was so glad we'd worked out our stress before the guests got here. She was dynamite.

"The appliances have all been provided by Cortega, a name I'm sure you recognize as representative of top of the line kitchen supply. These and the cookware have been given to us for product placement and credit in our shows. The lighting is wholly owned by Hearthstone Entertainment. If you would step around behind the wall of the set, you will discover that the studio kitchen is not the entire extent of our setup. While a little larger in scale than most kitchens, the setting is still designed to resemble a normal household kitchen. But on a regular basis, we feed a family of nine to fifteen people and frequently have as many as twenty additional guests." Regular? Frequent? This was going to be the first real meal we'd cooked in our new kitchen!

"Oh my! You have an entire prep kitchen back here!" Polly exclaimed. "Harvey, I want to move our show down here! Or have them come and build me a new kitchen." We all laughed.

"There's no stove or refrigerator back here," Rhonda continued. "Instead we have two more dishwashers and a three-well sink. Brian dirties a lot of dishes." We all laughed. "It also gives us a way to have several of our hearthmates back here prepping ingredients and cleaning up without being on-camera. This was all part of the design created by Elaine Frost and Rachel Harris."

We moved directly into the demo then. Our guest audience was seated at the counter with Rhonda and Samantha as Elaine and I performed.

"It is mid-August in the heart of Indiana," I said. "Within two miles of us, there are seven roadside produce stands offering some of our favorite vegetables. But who likes Brussels sprouts?" Everyone laughed. And with that we were off and running. Elaine demonstrated shredding the tiny cabbage-like vegetable while I melted butter in our fifteen-inch skillet. Of course, we also had already shredded Brussels sprouts and I actually started sautéing before she'd finished shredding. Lonnie switched over to watching me. When we got the four dishes for tonight's meal all cooking on the stove, Rhonda slipped over to Lonnie and pointed up to the mirrors we'd carefully installed. He stepped back and switched to the mirror so he had a direct overhead view of the cooking food.

I shifted all the cooked items to serving dishes.

"We actually have a lot of people with us for dinner tonight, and I'm sure you noticed that I didn't really cook a main course," I said. "I haven't really figured out a way to cook for twenty-three during a half-hour demonstration. But I've used a lot more of our kitchen facilities that aren't on this tape tonight. Here in the oven, we have a prime rib, roasted in the time-honored Tally-Ho Restaurant fashion. Other members of our casa have been busy in the back preparing a huge Caesar salad. If our guests will take a seat at the dining table, members of Casa del Fuego will serve us here and then sit at the counter to have their dinner with us."

Rhonda, Elaine, Samantha, and I sat at the big table with our guests, the two Grissoms, the two Phillipses, the three Frosts, and Mrs. Gordon. Jennifer and Courtney knew how to organize a serving staff after our summer internship at the Tally-Ho. It seemed like there was a different server for every dish and when they had finished, every plate at the table was identical. Josh served wine to our guests from the bottles Elaine had bought and added just a splash to Rhonda's, Samantha's, and my glasses. He left the opened bottles on the table so the guests could refill their glasses. The rest of our casa sat at the counter and ate as well as the rest of us, though without the wine.

"Rhonda said I had to make a toast at the beginning at the meal. I'm not sure why she decided I should do it instead of having my awesome producer make this toast." I raised my glass to Rhonda and everyone in the room applauded. "I'm a product," I continued. "You all set up a manufacturing facility, hired workers, and made it possible for me to exist. You did the work that turned this old barn into this incredible home and studio." I lifted my glass this time to the eleven at the counter. "I cook. I make up recipes. I entertain people. I'm just a product of all your work. You go out and sell the product to the public. I guess most products in the marketplace don't have the opportunity I have to thank the manufacturers. I would only be raw materials without you. I love you all and I love each of you." We all clinked glasses and our casa applauded again.

Harvey grinned.

Lonnie affirmed that we had some details to work out, but as far as he was concerned, working in our studio was an experience he didn't want his students to miss. He said he'd get me a copy of the tape he'd recorded tonight.

Before they left, Harvey pulled Rhonda and me aside. We'd offered them one of the guest rooms, but Harvey said they had a room at a hotel in Indy for a rare night out.

"Brian, your toast was reminiscent of something Pol said to me years ago. She said she could provide the entertainment but I had to provide the audience," he said. "You've got a good product. And let me say that you chose a good producer, too. Congratulations. Rhonda, I hope I'll see you back at the studio sometime. I'd like you to show our staff how to run a production meeting." He grinned at us and headed for his car.

Donna walked her mom out to the camper where she was staying with Mrs. Owens. Mom, Dad, and Anna were still walking around the lower level and admiring the fireplace. We all gathered around.

"I'm so proud of you, Brian," Anna said. "All of you. You did such a remarkable job of making a showplace out of this old barn. We have some champagne that we brought and I'd like you each to have a glass so we can propose our own toast." We had a mad scramble to get champagne glasses and Dad opened three bottles. Josh and I helped pour the eighteen glasses.

"Everyone come over to the fireplace. It's too hot to actually light one, but I'm sure you will share this around your own fire when we've gone home tomorrow," Dad said.

"You all took a huge risk when you decided to remodel the barn," Anna said. "I had a long conference with the other parents and it was their faith in you, as much as my own, that convinced me that you could do this. And look at this beautiful space you have created. I just can't say how incredibly proud I am of you all. And the whole clan. But this involves just those of you who call yourselves Casa del Fuego." She looked at us each, one at a time. "Yesterday, we received an offer of settlement from the insurance company. We could have refused and probably have gotten twice what they were ready to pay rather than be sued. But what they were willing to pay was already much more than what it will cost to replace the original farmhouse. So we accepted the settlement."

"Yay!" we all cheered.

"That has two implications. First, we will be able to rebuild. We'll start construction on a new house next summer. I'm looking over all the drawings that Rachel created and we'll be talking to Nappanee Manufactured Housing about creating the new house." We clapped some more. "I'll give you all first rights to the new house if you want it, and you can use this space strictly as a production facility." We looked at each other, and I saw some creased brows. "You don't have to move. If you decide this is where you want your home to be, then you can stay here as long as you want to. We'll probably rent out the new house, maybe to the next generation coming down here to go to school. But there is another implication that I know you are not expecting. Since I am receiving such a generous compensation for the house, I have decided to retire your entire $75,000 indebtedness on the remodel of the barn into this beautiful home. You deserve this and I am a richer woman by far because of it." She raised her glass and we lifted ours, too stunned to speak. "To your future," she said.

We all drank and then chaos erupted as we all tried to hug Anna, and then Mom and Dad. There was a lot of crying going on as I hugged each of my hearthmates and we slapped each other on the back. I found myself hugging Josh as we slapped each other on the back. He stepped away from me and Donna, Cassie, Mary, Elaine, and Nicki stepped up beside him.

"Brian, we want you to know—all of our hearthmates—that we are still committed to the casa and to joining you here eventually. We are still going to honor our commitment to provide $100 per month each. Just because there is no debt, doesn't mean that we aren't going to pay our part of our home."

"Josh, that isn't necessary," I said.

"Even without the debt, we still owe Anna $1,000 a month rent. There's utilities to consider and the fact that we will all receive a portion of the television production," Donna said.

"And I expect I'll be spending as much time here as in Indy this year, now that you are only an hour or so away," Elaine added.

"As of the minute I pick up my diploma in June, this is my permanent address," Mary said. "It's the place I plan to ... grow up."

"Me, first," Nicki said obliquely.

"Brian, it's fair," Cassie said. "You told my father this is my home. You'd damned well better believe I'm going to contribute my share." We were all shocked. I don't think any of us had ever heard Cassie swear.

"Um ... Mom, we're all going to bed now," Jennifer said to Anna. "I'd ... um ... suggest you close your door tonight. Tight."

"Well, of course," Anna said. "I don't think we'll be making that much noise."

"Well, we found out this afternoon that with the open floorplan we adopted, there aren't many barriers to sound," Rose said. "So if you are down here, you can hear just about everything that happens anyplace in the house. Like upstairs."

When did we make that discovery? I'd been so busy today. I looked around and suddenly Rhonda was crimson. Oh!

Cassie and Mary crawled up next to me on the big bed after our various celebrations had settled down. It was a great day. Both girls just wanted to cuddle with me, it seemed. Cassie and Josh would be leaving tomorrow afternoon. Classes at Bethel started on Thursday and there were two days of freshman orientation before that. Cassie kissed me and, while I held her closely, she put hope and longing into every touch of our lips.

"Never doubt how much I love you, Brian," she said. "I always want to be able to lie naked beside you and talk about life, and debate religion, or lament my parents, or celebrate my husband. And, sometimes, to share a few moments of intimacy when we let ecstasy overtake us as we make love. You are my anchor, Brian. You might not believe it all the time, but you are the rock we all seek for refuge. You are my rock and my..."

"Shh," I said. "Don't finish that quote. I can't even save myself. Please, just love me and think of me occasionally. You and Josh are something very special. I'm so happy you think you might join us next year. But if you don't, always know you still have a home here." We kissed some more and Cassie moved her hips to rub against me. But we didn't go any further. We didn't try to get each other off. We just held each other until she moved away.

"I want to go make love to my boyfriend now," she giggled. "I can't believe I want to do it all the time. I think my father is going to be glad when I move out. Besides, I want to give some special thanks to the girls that are currently lying all over him." Rolling over twice, she fell off the edge of the top mattress and I heard a muffled 'oof' as she hit the people below.

"Look at the angel that just fell from heaven," Josh whispered.

I didn't have time to listen any longer because Mary was crawling on top of me. What a surprise she'd been. I thought of all the girls in our casa and Mary was the only one that I really had nothing to do with until she joined the clan and our casa. The very first night she was with us, she asked me to help her take off her gi so she could join us naked. I was pretty sure she would one day be in a tight family unit with Josh and Cassie. The three of them were good together.