Chapter 25

Jack Casey was ill at ease sitting in front of Mary Jefferson. It is not that she's black, he thought, It's her eyes! They look right through you. It's as if she can see through steel. He had heard of Mary Jefferson but had never met her. She was Emily Amelia Hardwick's heir and the richest woman in Chicago. She had asked to see him, but he still didn't know why. As the president of Northern National Bank, the biggest bank in the city, he couldn't afford to take chances. It might be a chance to take some business away from Chicago Trust which had been the Hardwick bank for generations.

Finally Mary came to the point. She said, "I'm carrying out an expressed wish of Emily Amelia Hardwick, Mr. Casey. First, I should tell you some history. Have you heard of Michael Casey?" Jack slowly shook his head. It was such a familiar name, though, he thought.

She answered her own question. "Mike Casey would be your uncle if he were still alive. Emily finally joined Mike after nearly fifty years apart. He's the reason she never married and the Hardwick family died. In her very last days she met your daughter, Kerry, and came to love her deeply. Mr. Casey, I invited you over today to ask you to give your permission for your daughter to marry Jim Vance. Will you give it?"

"I have no daughter," Casey replied stiffly.

Mary just shook her head sadly and said, "You are so wrong, Mr. Casey. Your daughter is one of the most wonderful young women it has ever been my pleasure to meet. She is a real lady."

Casey exploded, "Lady? Posing nude? Living with a man when they aren't married? That's a lady?"

"Mr. Casey, Kerry lives with Jack and sleeps with him. Nevertheless, she's still a virgin." She turned to Susan who was sitting off to one side and said, "Susan, you know Kerry Casey. What do you think of her?"

"Mary, you said it all. She's a lady in the finest sense of the word. She's a virgin still. Mr. Casey, for reasons that completely escape me, she loves you, respects you and will not go against your wishes. There's absolutely no legal reason why she can't marry Jim Vance today, but she will not marry him nor have they ever had sex together. It's killing that poor girl. We have been very fortunate in our acquaintances. Many of our friends are deeply in love. Yet no couple represents the union of two people the way Jim and Kerry do. It's truly remarkable."

Casey had folded his arms. It was apparent he was not listening and nothing could move him from his position. Mary said, "Thank you for coming to see me today, Mr. Casey. There's one more thing I would like you to do. Would you please accompany Susan and me to an art exhibit that just opened? It's one Susan is sponsoring and has done all the work on. It's our first effort and we would appreciate your opinion. The exhibit is entitled, Couples and Women. It should only take a few minutes of your time and I would be obliged if you would accompany us.

With ill grace, Casey agreed. They all rode in Mary's limousine, with Casey's following. Mary had been amused at Susan's arrangements for Jim Vance's first show. She wanted the show to be at a museum rather than a commercial gallery. Mary had listened to her on the phone and it was all she could do to keep her giggling from being overheard. When arrangements were complete at the second-ranking art museum in Chicago, she had said, "Susan Bradford, for shame! You were lying like a rug!"

While she was saying it, Susan could see the barely-suppressed laughter in Mary's eyes. In her haughtiest manner, she replied, "I beg your pardon? I merely said that Mrs. Jefferson would consider it a personal favor if a museum accepted the show. She's considering her annual contribution to the arts this week." Susan grinned and said, "What's wrong with that?" Mary just giggled.

The big car pulled up to a stop at the main entrance of the museum. Mary was impressed with the size of the turnout. When the three walked in, the first portrait they saw was that of Emily Amelia Hardwick.

Casey stopped short and looked at it. His eyes widened as he saw the medals and the expression on her face. "My God! She's a virgin! And ... it's Uncle Mike, isn't it?"

Mary said softly, "She's with Mike Casey now, Jack, in Heaven. She was so happy. She asked me if I thought she could lose her virginity there. Mike came for her." She saw that Jack Casey's eyes were moist.

They looked at portraits of the Cliffords and their families. When they came to the clothed portrait of Kathy and Bill Cartwright, Casey murmured, "My God! The suffering they have undergone! And yet they look so happy now. Why?"

Mary explained about the fourteen-year separation and Casey just shook his head. When he saw the portrait of Ali and Bill Clifford, he shook his head in disbelief. "It's impossible!" he said. "Two people can't possibly love each other as much as they appear to."

Finally they came to the nudes. There were six showing Kerry. Jack just looked at them in amazement. He whispered, "She is a virgin! The poor kid. The wanting! I can feel it." Then he came to a semi-reclining nude portrait of Ali Clifford. Her slender fingers were on her slit, and her eyes were focused to the left of the artist. He asked, "What happened here?"

Mary laughed and said, "Bill was standing where she's looking. It was a long sitting, I understand, with frequent breaks for their lovemaking."

Finally, they came to the picture of Kerry and Susan, reclining back-to-back, and next to it, a figure study of Susan. He looked at them and then looked at the girl. He shook his head and said, "But ... But you're a lady. And a virgin, aren't you? Why did you pose?"

"It's a Christmas present, Mr. Casey. My boyfriend has had more slaps in the face than kisses. I don't want him to get too discouraged. The picture is what I think of as incentive. If he behaves, he gets the real thing," Susan said with a broad smile. "Do you like it? I think it's much too flattering." Casey disagreed. He thought, if anything, she was even more beautiful than she appeared on canvas. She gave him a brilliant smile.

As they walked toward the exit, Mary said, "You remember the portrait of the couple and the woman alone, nude? Do you know who they are?" He shook his head. "They are Bill and Allison Clifford. You may have heard of William H. Clifford? I believe his net worth is pushing $10 billion."

Casey's jaw dropped.

She continued, "I think you passed over the portrait of Dave and Judy Chapman. Incidentally, Judy is planning on posing nude and giving the painting to Dave for Christmas. You have heard of the Chapmans, I trust?"

Casey was in a state of shock. He said, "You're telling me that Jim Vance did all of those portraits? You're also telling me that they include portraits of some of the richest people in the United States. Is ... Is he making a living?"

"Do you remember the portrait of the two young people you commented on as having suffered so much?" Casey did. "They are Bill and Kathy Cartwright. The painting you saw is one of a pair. The other is the same pose with the two young people nude. It hangs in their bedroom. I happen to know Bill Cartwright has a personal net worth of about $500 million. They paid $50,000 for the pair. I think it took Jim almost a month to do them both."

Casey's jaw dropped. "Do you mean to say he can make $50,000 in only one month?"

"Sometimes he does better than that," Mary replied. She stopped and turned to him and asked, "Have you changed your mind about Jim Vance?" Casey just shook his head in bewilderment. He was utterly stunned. Mary smiled and said, "In that case, will you please come for dinner this evening? Cocktails at six?" She looked at him with her piercing eyes and added, "Kerry and Jim will also be invited." Jack Casey was still in a state of near-shock and could only nod his head. He went out to his waiting car.

Promptly at six, Casey was announced by John Smith. When Mary greeted him he appeared recovered but was still shaken. A few minutes later, Smith announced Miss Casey and Mr. Vance. Jack rose to his feet as his daughter entered the room.

Suddenly, something snapped and he rushed to take her in his arms. It had been almost four years since he had last seen her. As he hugged her, Kerry could feel wetness from his tears on her cheek. He whispered, "Kerry, I'm so sorry! God, I've been such a pigheaded fool. Can you forgive me?"

Kerry pushed away and Jack saw she was crying but trying to smile at the same time. "There's nothing to forgive, Daddy. You didn't think Jim could make it and you were almost right."

They sat down and talked. As they talked, Jack Casey realized how truly beautiful his daughter was. And she was a lady. He remembered some of the portraits which showed her very thin. In one, her ribs showed. She just shrugged when he mentioned it and said, "Waitressing doesn't pay very much ... I had lost too much weight on top to be able to work topless ... and artists' materials are expensive, Dad."

Then Casey remembered something else. He said softly, "Kerry, I just realized something. You never failed to remember my birthday, Fathers Day, and Christmas." The tears began again and his voice cracked as he said, "You and Jim had nothing yet you always sent me something. It was always a very thoughtful gift, too. And I gave you nothing, ever!"

Jim Vance hadn't said anything. Finally he said, "Mr. Casey, I've never had the opportunity to meet you before now. Now that we've met, I would like your permission to marry your daughter, Kerry."

Jack looked at Jim and saw a very good looking young man. In spite of all he had done to the young people, there was no apparent bitterness. He got to his feet and went towards Jim who rose from his chair to meet him. Jim didn't know what to expect. What he received was a surprise.

Jack took him in his arms and said, "I now know how much my daughter loves you, Jim, and I can see in your paintings how much you love her. I've been such a blind fool! Jim Vance, there's no one I would rather have as a son-in-law than you." The two men shook hands, and Jim beamed with pleasure.

Kerry jumped to her feet and kissed Jim passionately, saying, "Darling, at last!"

Then Jack Casey surprised everyone by saying, "Jim, could I commission a series of paintings?"

Jim looked puzzled but said, "Of course, Dad!" He looked embarrassed and said, "I hope you don't mind if I call you Dad?"

Casey beamed again and said he loved it. Then he said, "The paintings I want are a series showing Kerry monthly through her first pregnancy. They will be the definitive work showing mother love. I want her nude, of course. I want to see her belly swelling with my grandchild. Will you accept the commission?"

Kerry smiled and said, "Dad, we're getting married on Saturday. Jim can do the first painting next week. I have a feeling I'm very fertile and I've been dreaming for years of carrying his children." Then she grinned and said, "But Dad, you didn't ask how much Jim is going to charge."

Casey replied, "You're right. I didn't. I assume you'll send a bill, and I'll send you a check."

After congratulations were exchanged all around and champagne was served to celebrate, Kerry said she was very serious about getting married on Saturday. There would be only Jack, himself, and a handful of very close friends. She said, "Dad, I'm asking Mary Jefferson to be my matron of honor. She literally saved our lives, built Jim's career, and has now arranged for the wedding to take place. I can't tell you what I think of this woman. I owe her my life and our happiness."

Jack Casey studied his daughter and liked what he saw. She was a real lady. From the pictures he had seen it was apparent she was a wanting virgin. Finally he asked, "Kerry, I was totally wrong about Jim Vance, and you were completely right. You're an adult. Why didn't you just marry him? I haven't given you ten cents in years, so it wasn't money. What was it?"

"You're my father," she said simply. "You said I couldn't marry him, so I didn't. Dad, thank you for giving your permission. Perhaps it's just as well we waited," she added shyly. "I think my wanting is going to make me love him even more. Although honestly, I don't think that's possible." Jack swallowed hard and looked down at the table top. There was nothing he could say.

Then Mary said, "Mr. Casey, I believe one of the Ten Commandments says 'Honor thy father and thy mother.' That's what Kerry has been doing."

Jack just shook his head and his tears were now very visible. He said, "How could I be so wrong about my only child? She's a far better person than I deserve. It makes me feel so humble."

Later, at dinner Kerry said diffidently, "Dad, there's something else you should know. We bank at Chicago Trust, not Northern National."

"It's a fine bank," Jack replied, "But why?"

"Because it's Mrs. Jefferson's bank. She arranged it. Also, the owners of the bank are all clients of Jim's. They have been very good to us."

"Well, when you're introduced by the richest woman in Chicago, it's no wonder they're good to you."

Mary Jefferson started to chuckle and slowly shake her head. "Kerry didn't explain it quite right, Mr. Casey. I'm not Mary Jefferson at Chicago Trust, I'm April's mother. Nothing is too good for April Jefferson or her relatives and friends. I don't think most of the people there think I have ten cents!"

Kerry grinned and said, "Dad, it's really true."

For the first time, Jack Casey paid attention to April who was sitting at the end of the table. He had only met her for the first time that evening and had been preoccupied with Kerry and Jim. Now he looked at her and realized for the first time what a beautiful young woman she was. He asked, "I gather you work at Chicago Trust, Miss Jefferson. What do you do?"

"Please call me April," she said with a warm smile. "I'm a lending officer," she said with no further explanation.

"April, if you will excuse me for saying so, with a black female lending officer, I'm surprised Chicago Trust isn't in the community lending consortium with the rest of us." He grinned and said, "What's wrong? Can't you come up with the million bucks?"