Chapter 5

In San Francisco I became an amateur art dealer but I did it with a twist. I did not have the benefit of a list of buyers to whom I could sell paintings, so I started selling art works to corporations with considerable success.

Returning home one night, a month or so after our marriage, the lights in the apartment were dimmed, the aromas of Anita's cooking filled the apartment; the dining table was set as if for important guests. A bottle of wine was in an ice bucket standing by the table. The light in the kitchen flicked off as Anita entered the dining room.

"Did you have a good day darling?"

I froze. Panic gripped me. This must be an important day and I've forgotten it. It's not her birthday and it's not mine and knowing the peculiar way that Anita has of remembering little anniversaries I knew that I was doomed because no matter which way I tried to fit the dates I could not come up with an answer.

"Anita, what are we celebrating? Come here and tell me about it."

I decided that playing dumb and innocent was the only way out for me.

"No, after dinner I'll tell you."

I strode around the table and took her into my arms, she held me tight and we kissed tenderly. Soon we were lost in each other when Anita reached up and pulled my head down near her mouth.

"I'm pregnant," she whispered.

She pulled out of my arms displeased that she had told me too early.

"Damn, I can never keep a secret from you, I was going to tell you after we had eaten."

I was more than surprised, I was shocked but I reached for her and kept a firm grip on her. I suddenly felt unsteady on my feet.

"Pregnant, you mean I'm going to be a father."

It was a silly statement and I was struggling to make sense.

"Here sit down! I have to look after you, I'll serve dinner."

"Hey mister, let me go. Don't treat me like I'm sick, I'm only pregnant, let me go."

Anita wrestled out of my arms and soon after we were eating. When she uncorked the wine I tried to intervene.

"Maybe wine isn't so good for you now..."

"Paul, I have a good doctor who has told me what I can and can't do."

After dinner we retired early and in bed when Anita turned to me she licked me on the neck then her lips trailed up to mine and she reached and grasped my surging erection.

"My doctor told me that we do not have to deny ourselves."

She rolled on to me then her head tilted, her eyes bright with excitement and lust as she rubbed herself down my belly.

"You don't have to hold back I'm quite safe, I won't break either."

With that I entered her and it was the same chemistry, the same exhilaration and I could not stop.

Afterwards, as we lay together Anita announced:

"When our son is born I want to name him after you and my father."

"Son? What if it's a girl?"

"Don't call our son 'it', our child is a boy." With that she nudged her elbow hard into my ribcage.

I never argued again and I always held back. I never initiated sex with Anita but waited until she wanted to play, which surprisingly, she did more often than she had in the past.

Anita convinced her company that she was going to be a full time mother and gave them months of notice of her intentions.

Anita and I finally returned to New York with our son, Paul Richard, and Anita settled into life as a full time mother. And of course there were many trips to Chicago where Paul Richard was the center of attention but really he was spoiled. It would take all of our patience to bring him back to normal when we returned home.

Released from management of my company I continued dealing in art works, it became a passion that consumed me. I saw Susan only once, at an auction, she glanced in my direction, recognised me but she turned away quickly and soon after she left the auction.

When Paul was two-years-old Anita and I had a honeymoon. We went to Europe and in Paris I saw the works, amongst others, of Henri de Toulouse Lautrec in the Louvre. A comment on a plaque told of his interest in Japanese art and how it affected his style. So off to Japan we went. We had a lot of fun in that strange country, we got lost for hours unable to find our way. Our only salvation was our hotel card which we carried everywhere. When Paul Richard got tired we would simply catch a taxi, show the driver our hotel card and we were transported back to our hotel.

We took many conducted tours of art galleries where some of the artworks on display were over a thousand years old.

It was easy to see how Toulouse Latrec's style had changed after he had studied Japanese art; the thick black outline around people and objects doomed him early on as just another poster painter. But now he is acclaimed as a post-impressionist.

When we arrived home we had been away for nearly three months and I was eager to start trading artworks again. The turning point in my art business came when I realised that I should import art from other countries. However, for the corporate niche that I sold to, the established artists were too expensive and that's when I hit the jackpot. Indigenous art. I started with art from Asia, and the dot art of the Australian aborigines. Soon I could not get the quantities of works that my customers were demanding. I opened a gallery and let Anita have carte blanche designing various theme rooms; her graphic arts designs made the gallery a talking point with our clientele. It was not long before I had a staff of seven and a salesman for our corporate clients.

I had learned my lesson well and withdrew from any hands on management of the gallery and this allowed Anita and I to tour Asia, Europe and South America. We added art objects to our products; some of them were very fragile made from a variety of woods and paper like the shadow puppets from Indonesia. I made easy sales to individuals of these shadow puppets and I never fully understood why.

We leased a warehouse close to our gallery and as Parkinson's Law dictates our product numbers soon grew to occupy all of our available storage space.

We tried to have more children but no matter which specialist we consulted no one seemed able to help us. Eventually we stopped longing for more children and together we immersed ourselves in the art gallery.

The years raced by and we grew closer. We tried to raise Paul Richard to value what we gave him but he turned against us accusing us of denying him the material things that his friends possessed. It was difficult trying to force him away from what I had branded the 'Wow - Yuk' generation. Through school we tried to get him to focus on the pathway that he would follow in college.

Without much conviction he decided that he would follow Law and I was encouraged by his decision especially when he gained entry to Columbia.

I have vivid memories of the night during his first year in college when he came home looking thoroughly beaten, full of despair.

"Could I see you for a few minutes in your study?" Paul Richard asked.

We had just finished cleaning up after our dinner and Anita looked at me with concern, the color draining from her face. She left the table and went to the kitchen.

"Let's do it now," I said and walked to my study not sure of what he was about to reveal.

I sat at my desk and turned to where my son was sitting, and waited for Paul to speak.

"I... um, I have just learned that Rebecca is pregnant," he said it slowly and his voice quavered.

It was not one of the things that I had guessed could be affecting him and I felt like a bomb had gone off right under my chair. I felt that in some way I was responsible and fleetingly I wondered what his girlfriend would tell her parents. Poor Rebecca I thought and this decided me to relax and try to help my son.

"Have you told her parents yet?"

"Ah, no, not yet. She told me today and I'm not certain what I should do next."

A light perspiration beaded on his forehead and upper lip and I started to feel sorry for him when Anita entered the study and sat beside our son.

"Paul has just told me that Rebecca is pregnant."

Anita turned on Paul, "What! I expect better from you Paul. You should not have let this happen," her hands flew to the side of her head and she started to weep and rising from her chair she stumbled out of my study.

Paul remained seated but he looked devastated.

"Don't worry about your mother's reaction, she's shocked and she'll need time to get over it. We can all be wise after the event but I want you to tell me how I can help you now that this problem exists."

"I honestly don't know yet... I'm feeling a bit lost. I thought that I loved her but I didn't handle it very well when she told me. We had one hell of a row and she accused me of just wanting her for one thing... I didn't... I um. She was very spiteful and said some very nasty things to me."

"Rebecca was simply reacting like your mother just did. You need to understand how she feels as well. When will she talk to her parents?"

"I'm not sure."

"Tomorrow I want you to make sure that she understands that you will stand by her and if she hasn't spoken to her parents I want you to go with her when she does so."

"That's a very personal thing and I'm not sure..."

"Not sure of what? That you're on her side. That you will go with her to tell her parents. Paul, this is your time to show what kind of courage you have and how responsible that you are for your own actions."

"Yeah," he sighed, looking despondent.

I got up and seated myself in the chair alongside of him and put my arm around his shoulder. His emotions boiled over and he wept and leaned his head on my shoulder.

Anita stormed back into my study, her face displaying the anger that was raging inside her. When she saw me holding Paul she looked at me and I frowned at her cautioning her calm down. When Paul became aware of his mother standing over him he pulled away from my shoulder and wiped the tears from his face.

"I've asked Paul to face up to this and to accompany Rebecca when she tells her parents. It will be a very difficult time for her and Paul should be there for her. Paul, I want you to give Rebecca a call now, and tell her what you want to do."