Chapter 27

“Come on old woman, it’s time to get up,” I said to Kelly as I hovered above her. I kissed her forehead and watched a smile form on her lips.

“Would you be a dear and get my walker for me? I have to get to the bathroom—again,” Kelly said with a chuckle.

I gave Kelly a smack on the side of her butt. She laughed and squirmed away from me. “Don’t get me started. We have to get up,” Kelly said.

Kelly and I showered, dressed, and went downstairs. Mom, Dad, Vince, and Donna sat at the table in the breakfast nook drinking coffee. Their suitcases sat near the door to the garage.

“Good morning,” I said. I went to get coffee for Kelly and me. Draining the pot, I started another one.

“Morning, kids,” Mom said.

Kelly and I sat at the table. Rob and Jenny came in as the coffee maker began to spurt and sputter. Jenny poured coffee into two cups and joined us at the table.

Everyone greeted everyone else. Jenny smiled and said, “I want to thank all of you again for what you’ve done and what you’re doing. I don’t know what else to say.”

“You’re welcome. We’re all glad you and Rob will be sharing the day with us,” Mom said.

Kelly and Jenny made waffles and bacon for breakfast. When we finished eating, Mom, Dad, Vince, and Donna said goodbye. We walked outside and watched them drive away.

Back in the house, Kelly and Jenny began cleaning up. I nodded to Rob and said, “Rob and I have to run into town. Do you guys need anything?”

“No, we don’t need anything. Jenny and I are going to study lighting for still photography so we’ll be ready when Vince sends the parts,” Kelly said.

“You guys should make a list of the equipment we’ll need too,” I said. “Rob and I will be back later.”

Rob and I took the jeep into town. On the way, we talked about our upcoming trip to Grand Rapids.

“How much money do you want to spend?” I asked Rob as I pulled into the parking lot at the bank.

“I don’t know how much a ring set will cost, Justin. I don’t think I want to spend more than a thousand dollars,” Rob said.

“Okay, I’ll get two grand. You can spend what you want on Jenny’s ring.” I chuckled as I shut off the jeep. “I know you’re good for it.”

I went into the bank and withdrew twenty five hundred dollars. I wanted to replenish the cash Kelly and I kept on hand at the house. When I came out, I handed Rob the money.

“Thanks. I don’t know how to thank you for this,” Rob said.

“It’s Kelly’s and my pleasure,” I said and then I pulled away.

I drove to the jewelry store so he could pick out a ring for Jenny. Rob looked over several different styles in his price range. On the way to the store, he told me he wanted to get something nice, but not too expensive. He said he could get something nicer when he could afford it. I wanted to tell him to get what he wanted, but I felt he was uncomfortable with the idea of borrowing money from me.

We looked at the rings the clerk suggested in Rob’s price range. He selected a nice yellow gold set. The engagement ring’s solitary one-half caret princess diamond sat in a simple mount with diamond chips on each side. There was a matching gold wedding ring. Rob asked how long it would take to size the ring to a size five. The clerk checked the ring, smiled, and told him it was a size five.

Rob counted out eighteen one hundred dollar bills. The clerk placed the rings in a small black velvet covered box and filled out the paperwork. The smile on Rob’s face as he picked up the small bag was priceless.

“When are you going to give Jenny her ring?” I asked. We were on our way back to the house.

“I think I will wait until dinner on Saturday night. I want to give it to her in front of everyone,” Rob replied.

“Maybe I should call Vince and tell him to get us separate rooms. You and Jenny will want to be alone after you give it to her,” I said and then I laughed.

“We can wait. I don’t want to take advantage of Vince’s generosity.” Rob chucked and said, “Jenny and I will hang a towel on the door.”

Rob and I laughed and made jokes. Suddenly, Rob stopped laughing. He reached over and put his hand on my arm and said, “Thanks again. I know this is going to mean a lot to Jenny. She has mentioned Kelly’s ring several times. Jen never asked me when I would get her one, but I can tell she wants an engagement ring.”

Rob reached in his pocket and pulled out the money he didn’t use. “Why don’t you hang on to it until we get back from Grand Rapids? Who knows, maybe you’ll want to buy something for Jenny,” I said.

Nodding, Rob put the money back in his pocket. He thanked me and then stared out the window. I pulled into the garage and closed the door. Rob hid the ring in one of the drawers of the fly-tying bench.

Rob and I found Kelly and Jenny in the office. They were researching lighting equipment on the Internet. After greeting them with brief kisses, we asked how things were going.

“We’re learning a lot about lighting,” Kelly said.

“No kidding, I didn’t know there were so many options,” Jenny added.

“Do you have a list?” I asked.

“Yeah, we have a long list. We thought we would decide what would be best after talking with you and Rob,” Kelly said.

The four of us reviewed the list of equipment Kelly and Jenny put together. They made notes next to each item with an explanation of its use and the benefits. Kelly and Jenny marked the items they felt we needed as well as the things they said would be nice to have.

“We’ll have to think about all this gear and decide,” I said as I perused the list.

The four of us worked for the rest of the afternoon. Before calling it a day, we checked the website of the hotel we would stay in over the weekend. Kelly pointed out the fact they had an indoor pool and said she was going to take a suit.

Rob and Jenny went up to their apartment for dinner. Kelly and I fixed some of the leftover pork shoulder and trimmings for our meal. After dinner, we relaxed in the great room before going to bed.

Rob and Jenny were waiting in the kitchen on Friday morning. Kelly and I brought our luggage downstairs with us and placed it next to the suitcases in the garage. We ate a quick breakfast and headed for the airport.

The flight to Detroit only took a little over an hour. We met Mom, Dad, Vince, and Donna near the conveyor where the luggage came out. Once we gathered our bags, we headed outside. Vince pointed at a Suburban in the parking lot. He told us to put our bags in the back with the others.

“How was your flight?” Dad asked as Vince pulled away.

“Quick, the way I like them,” Jenny said.

We all chuckled. Mom began talking about the wedding and the things remaining to be finished with the addition of Rob and Jenny.

The trip to Grand Rapids took just over two hours. Vince pulled up to the hotel and waited for the valet to take care of the car. A bell captain loaded our luggage on a cart and followed us into the lobby.

Vince checked us in and gave Rob and me plastic key cards for our room. We headed for the elevator and went up to our floor. I grinned when I realized Mom, Dad, Vince, and Donna were also sharing a room. I knew it wasn’t because Vince was trying to save money.

“You kids can take the Suburban if you want to visit your folks,” Vince said before we went into our rooms. “I think we’re going to relax for a while.”

Rob nodded and thanked Vince. I unlocked the door to our room. We went in and I tipped the bell captain after he placed our luggage in the room.

“Oh my God, this room is beautiful,” Jenny said. “After the prom, we went to a little mom and pop place just out of town.” Jenny hugged Rob and gave him a kiss. “Remember?”

Rob laughed and nodded. We checked out the room and then unpacked our things. Jenny and Kelly took out their cameras and started snapping pictures of the room. I flopped on the bed.

“Are you guys going to go see your parents this afternoon?” Kelly asked.

“Not until later. Everyone’s at work,” Rob said.

“Why don’t we check out the hotel then?” I said.

The four of us headed back down to the lobby. We explored the hotel’s shops, restaurants, and then checked out the pool. Kelly said she wanted to go swimming. I found a house phone and called our parents’ room. We agreed to meet in the lobby and find a place for lunch. I told Rob, Jenny, and Kelly. We headed to the lobby to wait.

Rob suggested a small restaurant near the hotel. We walked the three blocks to the restaurant and ate an enjoyable lunch. After lunch, we walked around and took in the sights.

Mom said she wanted to check out some of the shops in the hotel. We went back and told the adults we would see them later. Kelly, Jenny, Rob, and I went up to our room so we could change into our bathing suits.

Kelly and Jenny took their suits to the bathroom. When they came out, I whistled. I didn’t get to see Kelly in a bathing suit often, and she looked hot. She wore a purple bikini and it showed off her breasts and butt.

The hotel provided terrycloth robes. We put them on and went down to the pool. Rob and I dropped our robes and jumped into the water. The girls removed their robes and got in slowly from the shallow end.

“Damn you look good,” I said to Kelly as I put my arms around her waist.

Kelly gave me a kiss, and said, “Thanks.”

We swam in the heated water for a little while. There were others in the pool, but all of my attention was on Kelly and Jenny. Like Kelly, Jenny wore a bikini. Her bright blue suit was as revealing as Kelly’s bikini.

“Too bad it isn’t warmer. I would like to get some sun,” Kelly said as she toweled herself.

“It won’t be long before you’ll be able to lie out on the deck,” I said.

Jenny grinned and said, “Yeah, and we won’t have to wear our suits at home.”

“Jen and I would like to have you and Kelly come with us tonight,” Rob said. “I know our parents are anxious to meet you.”

“I don’t care. Kelly, what do you think?” I said.

“We can go if you guys want us to. What time are you planning to go see your parents?” Kelly said.

“We can go after dinner. I thought we’d head over to Jenny’s house first. We can go see my parents after,” Rob said.

“Rob and I aren’t as close to our families as you and Justin are. We all get along, but we don’t do much in the way of socializing,” Jenny said.

“Why don’t we go to the photo shop this afternoon? We can grab something to eat and then head to your parents’ houses,” I said.

“Sounds like a plan to me. What time do you want to leave?” Rob said.

We decided to get ready and go. The four of us went up to our room to get dressed. Jenny and Rob showered first. After Kelly and I finished in the shower, the two girls shared the mirror to do their hair. Rob told me we could wear jeans and it wasn’t necessary to dress up.

I called my parents room. Donna answered and got Mom for me. I told her our plan and made sure it was okay to use Vince’s Suburban. She said they planned to go to the pool and hang around the hotel.

Rob turned on the television. We sat on the beds while we waited for Kelly and Jenny to finish getting ready. As they moved around the room getting dressed, they talked about the things they wanted to look for at the photo shop.

Seeing the two of them in various states of undress became common place. Kelly and Jenny paid little attention to Rob or me while they put on their underwear and clothing.

Jenny pulled a photo album from her suitcase. She told me she and Kelly put together pictures of the house so they could show Jenny’s and Rob’s parents where they lived. I flipped through the album. Many of the photos looked like they could be published in a magazine. It was obvious the girls spent time taking them.

“This is great,” I said. “We should keep adding to it.”

We left the room, went down to the lobby, and asked for the car. The valet called Vince to make sure it was okay for us to take it. Rob drove because he knew his way around Grand Rapids.

“I didn’t know Grand Rapids was this big,” Kelly said.

“It’s the second largest city in Michigan,” Rob said.

Rob drove to the photo shop downtown. We went in and found someone to help us. Rob and I watched and listened as the girls told the clerk what they wanted. He made several suggestions and showed us what they offered.

The clerk began by showing us an adjustable table we would use for photographing small items. Next, he showed us backdrops and stands. The man was very helpful. He answered Kelly and Jenny’s questions and offered advice.

“If money was no object and you were setting up a studio, what would you buy?” I asked.

“Well, the most important thing you need is good lighting. None of the other equipment matters if you can’t light your subject properly. If it were me, I would have both strobe and halogen units. You can use the same soft-boxes and other accessories if you buy the right system.”

The clerk showed us kits consisting of four strobe heads, stands, barn doors, reflectors, and other accessories. He also showed us adjustable halogen light heads from the same manufacture. We learned the halogen lighting is for video as well as still photography.