Chapter 9

Adam used a sponge to spread suds over the top and hood of the Mustang. He heard his cell phone warbling for an incoming call, so he wiped his hands on a rag, picked up the phone and answered the call. It was from Kara’s cell number.

“Hi, Sweetheart,” he said. “What’s up?”

“Adam!” she said in an excited sotto voce, “My mom’s engaged!”

“Engaged?’

“Yes -- Arthur popped the question during a romantic dinner Friday night, and she accepted. You should see the ring she’s wearing. The stone is huge!”

“Congratulations to your mom and Arthur,” he said.

“Arthur is taking us to the Shanghai Palace for a celebratory dinner.”

“That’s the high-end Chinese place that serves authentic dishes -- not some chop suey joint.”

“Correct. I’ve never been there. Have you?”

“No, I haven’t.”

“Mom wants to meet you and she’s extending an invitation for you to join us.”

“Sure, I’d love to. What’s the dress code?”

“I’d say ... business casual would be fine.”

“Okay ... I think I can manage that. What time?”

“Whenever you can break free. Dinner reservations are at six and it’s probably a half-hour drive.”

He regarded the time on his phone. “It’s three now. I’m in the middle of washing my car. I’ll finish that up, shower and change ... Is your mom’s place anywhere near yours?”

“Not too far. I’ll text you the address.”

“I can probably be there between four and four-thirty.”

“That’ll be perfect. See you then. Love you.”

“Love you, too.” He canceled the call.

Adam resumed sudsing his car. He rinsed it with a garden hose. I was going to wax it, he thought. Screw that idea. He picked up his phone and saw Kara’s text of her mom’s address. Using a mapping app he formulated a route from the bungalow to there.

He headed inside, showered and shaved and then dressed in a pair of khaki pants, a patterned long-sleeved shirt and a pair of loafers.

Following the route he established Adam piloted the Mustang to an older subdivision on the outskirts of the city. He found the street and scanned the houses for numbers. Then he spotted Kara’s Buick parked ahead of a silver, late model Lincoln with New York plates sitting in the driveway of a small white two-story colonial. He pulled into the drive and parked beside Kara’s car.

Adam rang the bell and Kara answered. He regarded her in a black skirt and white blouse. “Hi, beautiful,” he said. “You look terrific.” He leaned toward her and gave her a quick kiss on her lips.

“Come in,” she said and led him into the living room. “Mom,” she said, holding his hand, “this is Adam Gowan -- my boyfriend. Adam -- this is my mom.”

“Pleased to meet you, Ms Lawrence,” he replied. Kara’s mom had the same shaped face as her daughter and soft gray curls framed it. Constance was shorter than Kara, and more buxom. She wore a pale yellow floral print dress with a hem that stopped above her knees. She struck Adam as an attractive woman who had aged well.

“Call me Constance. I’m very pleased to meet you. Kara has spoken of you.”

A tall, slender, silver-haired man sitting on the sofa stood up. He was wearing pin-striped charcoal dress pants, a white shirt and a matching pin-striped vest with a gold chain leading to the left pocket. “I’m Arthur Gallagher, Constance’s fiance.”

“Yes, Kara has told me about you. Pleased to meet you.”

“Kara has spoken fondly of you, Adam,” Arthur replied. “You’re obviously important to her, and that makes you important to us.”

“Congratulations on your engagement,” Adam said. “Have you set a date?”

“Not yet,” her mom replied.

“Did you have any trouble finding the place?” Kara asked.

“No. None at all. Is what I’m wearing okay? Should I have put on a tie?”

“No, you’re fine,” Constance said.

“So, Arthur -- where’s home?”

“New York -- Brooklyn to be precise. I have a townhome in the DUMBO section.”

“DUMBO?” Adam asked.

“It stands for Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass,” Constance explained.

“What brings you here?” Adam asked.

“Frankly -- to woo Constance.”

“Kara said you two met on-line.”

“Yes,” Constance said, “we were members of a dating site for seniors.”

“I saw Constance’s photo and I was smitten,” Arthur interjected. “I simply couldn’t stop looking at her face.”

Adam glanced toward Kara. “I know what you mean.”

“When I met Kara, I was gobsmacked. I was looking at a younger incarnation of Constance. They have the same face -- the same eyes, the same nose, the same lips...”

“The same goofy grin,” Kara interrupted.

“Goofy grin?” her mother asked.

“Yeah, Mom -- you know ... The one that makes us look like Alfred E Neuman. Go on, Mom -- I’ll do it if you’ll do it.”

“I’ve seen this,” Adam said.

Kara sat beside her mother and they both made wide, artificial grins. Adam put his hand to his mouth to suppress laughing, but Arthur laughed out loud. “I hope you don’t want your ring back,” Constance said.

“Not at all ... That was amazing ... two peas in a pod.”

“If you give her a compliment ... like telling her she has pretty, bedroom eyes,” Adam remarked, “there -- you get the shy, half-smile that makes me feel like I’m melting inside.”

“Constance has that same smile. That’s the look that’s been burned into the backs of my eyelids.” Arthur pulled a gold pocket watch from his vest. “I think we should be on our way.”

The four headed toward the silver Lincoln. Arthur manipulated a key fob to unlock the doors. Adam and Kara sat in the back seat. He reached for her hand and they locked fingers.

Kara leaned toward him and mouthed the word, ring. She pointed to her left ring finger. Adam glanced toward the front seat at the ring Constance was wearing. He nodded to Kara so she knew he had spotted it.

Arthur drove toward the restaurant. They stepped inside and were led to a table set for four. Their server greeted them in heavily accented English. Then, Arthur spoke to her in Mandarin and she replied in kind. She turned and headed away from their table.

“I was asking if they had any huangjiu,” he explained. “It’s a Chinese grain wine -- quite nice and quite different.” Arthur flipped open his menu. “I was thinking it would be nice to have the dim sum. The place is renown for it, if I recall what I read.”

“Fine with me,” Adam replied.

“They’ll bring around different dumplings and you take what you want. The server will keep a tab going.”

Their server returned with a tray holding a bottle, the label of which was covered in Chinese characters, and four glasses. She opened the bottle and poured. Arthur spoke to her in Mandarin. She bowed and left.

“I told her we were all having the dim sum.” He picked up his glass. “To the ladies -- Constance and Kara,” he said.

“I’ll drink to that,” Adam said and lifted his glass and sipped. “This is different ... I think I like it.”

Kara and Adam stood in her mother’s living room with Constance and Arthur. Adam shook Arthur’s hand. “Thank you so much for dinner. It was a far cry from the chop suey places I know.”

“Very pleased to meet you, Adam.”

He turned to Kara’s mom and she embraced him. “I really enjoyed getting to know you, Adam.”

“I’m sure we’ll be seeing more of each other.”

Kara embraced Arthur and her mother. Holding hands she and Adam headed out the door. “Follow me to my place,” she said to him and he nodded.

Adam backed out of the drive and followed the white Buick to Kara’s ranch house. He parked beside her in her drive and they went inside. “Well?” she asked. “What do you think?”

He shook his head. “Wow -- that’s all I can say.”

“Did you see that ring?”

“I did. The rock in it is at least three carats. It would have to be upper four to lower five figures.”

“That much?”

“Easily if it’s a quality stone. And, if it’s genuine.”

“What do you mean?”

“I bought a pair of earrings for my ex with stones that size. They cost me seventy-five bucks and they were cubic zirconia, and Laura loved them. I’m sure a gem expert would spot them right away, but to the average guy they looked terrific -- great fire, great clarity. It would be good to get it appraised. Maybe convince her for insurance purposes.”

“What do you think of Arthur?”

He shook his head. “I dunno. He’s either the greatest catch or the greatest fraud -- I can’t tell which. I do know he has good taste in women. I love your mom.”

“I love her, too. There are times I can’t stand her, though.”

“Your mom’s a beautiful woman. She’s as pretty as you are...”

“You know,” Kara replied, “a few weeks ago I’d have considered that an insult.”

“ ... and, she keeps herself in shape like you do. They say if you want to know what your girl will look like when she’s older, look at her mother. If that’s true -- I could be one lucky mofo.”

“If you play your cards right.”

“I dunno about him. I see red flags but I also see signs he’s genuine. And, speaking Chinese to that waitress.”

“He does regale us with stories of his exploits. He told us about an adventure in Costa Rica, and he had pictures, some with him in them. They did not look ‘shopped to me.”

“I’d keep an eye on him,” Adam said. He turned toward her. “Did I tell you how nice you look in that dress?” He embraced her and they kissed.