Chapter 16: Brentwood, Tennessee

When our temporary sojourn was over, we returned and I dropped her off at the apartment that she had rented as her ‘Nashville’ residence when she was still technically with the Adam’s scion. I hoped that soon, even before we married, that she would join me in my house where we could start our life together.

But first, Aurora had to return to Chicago to tidy up the odds and ends of her PhD. She also needed to talk to her parents about finally planning her wedding; but not with the man who had been her affianced only a few short months before.

She expected her parents to be somewhat skeptical towards me — the interloper — to say the least. I offered to come back with her to see her parents with a united front, but she laughed at me and said that they could meet me after the initial shock had worn off. So be it.

She expected to be gone about two weeks and the thought of our being apart, even for that time, was traumatic.

But that is life, and we both expected that from the time that she returned we would begin a new life together.

I suspect that it would be necessary for anyone to live the extended life that I had to be something of an optimist. If one were a pessimist, they would probably have committed suicide long before they had reached my current age.

But without my Aurora, even for only two weeks, I was frankly in a funk.

Maria and Gary showed up at my house the Friday night after my first week without Aurora to cheer me up. I resisted. I fully intended to be depressed and in a bad mood.

“What in god’s name are you doing here, Maria? Is that Gary trying to hide behind you?” I growled at my colleague and friend. “Don’t you know it’s Friday night when young, randy people are off hitting the Honky-Tonks downtown and getting laid?”

“Doc, you have been in such a bad mood all week since your woman went back to Chicago, that we decided that our good deed for the week would be to come out and keep you company!”

Even as sour as I was feeling, I had to smile — at least a little bit. This pair of my subs were sacrificing their Friday night pleasure on my behalf. It was actually rather touching.

So in they came. We ordered some Thai food for them and I drank a little bourbon and watched and actually enjoyed their company. They were both intelligent and widely read (at least by modern standards) people who could discuss politics, art, music — whatever, and keep me amused.

We had a fairly pleasant evening together and I was feeling much better by the end of it.

Around 9:00 that evening I was about to retreat to my ‘private space’, my bedroom, sitting room/library, bathroom, suite. Maria approached me:

“I know that now that you’re emotionally tied up with that French witch,” she smiled as she said it, “so you won’t want to have a three-way with Gary and me, but if it would amuse you, you could watch! We do some pretty hot stuff you know. Even without you, spoilsport.”

“Thank you, my dear Maria, but I’m going to my study to reflect and perhaps read. You and Gary can just stay over if you want to.”

“Okay boss. But you just don’t know what you are missing!” she laughed as I closed the door behind me.

Then disaster struck.

From what I gathered later, at about 10:30 that night, the doorbell rang, and who should be there but Aurora. She was electric with excitement. She had finished everything up in Chicago and her parents were completely beyond pleased at the news that she was finally going to marry her man (even if it was a different man: “I always wondered about that boy,” her father said.) They were anxious to meet me.