Chapter 9

Early Monday morning, Carolyn and I exercised in the basement, and then I went to work with Grandfather. On the way to the office, Grandfather asked, "Are you ready for the wedding?"

"I think I'm ready. Brooks Brothers will have my tux ready tomorrow. I know Will's wedding will be very nice and much different from Thornton and Eunice's. Eunice had a large church wedding. The large church was almost full of their friends. Southern weddings don't have receptions with a sit-down dinner or band. The reception was much like a receiving line. There was a sign-in book, some punch, country ham on biscuits, and pastries on tables in the church social hall."

Thornton's wedding had been the first wedding I had attended. Carolyn had told me what to expect. She had lived in the South while her husband was in the Army. She also better understood why I liked the friendly easy-going nature of the South, though she thought I might find parts of Southern Society, and even some clubs, closed to a Yankee. There was a surface friendliness in the South, but the social structure was just as clannish. It seemed everyone was interested in 'Who were your people?' whether it was the South or the East.

Grandfather said, "Weddings here are mostly for the parents. I'm really happy for Will. I think Brooke will be very good for him. I wish you would find a nice girl your age."

Brooke was four years older than I was and five years younger than Will. Carolyn was older than Will.

"I understand. Carolyn's really nice, but she's already told me that when I go back to college, we become good friends only."

Grandfather nodded. "I think that is best. How are you feeling?"

"My leg and arm are getting stronger. I'm working with the therapist to be able to walk better by the time of Will's wedding. I'll still have limp, but I don't want to have to use a cane to go down the aisle. I won't be able to walk enough to be an usher."

"I'm sure that will be fine. How are you feeling?"

"Carolyn's been more help to me than any psychiatrist could have been. I feel good about the progress I've made. By the start of school, I plan to be off all medication. I'll still have physical therapy, but I should be much better by then."

Grandfather said, "Carolyn's a very fine lady from a good family. I had her account assigned to our best team of advisors. We got a substantial churning settlement from Merrill Lynch for her. They tried to hardball our advisor, but I called Winston and explained how that wouldn't be a good idea. I knew he didn't want a complaint coming from me, and we both knew that everyone on the street would know if I filed a complaint, by the end of the day I filed it. And I would have filed it personally, not her advisor. I really don't like to deal with people who don't have integrity. He had it resolved quickly, but the damage was done.

"I don't think we'll be syndicating with Merrill anymore. We will be moving to J.P. Morgan as our primary second, and Will is getting W & R in position to handle our commercial and backroom needs. We wouldn't have been able to keep Merrill and W & R anyway. It will cost us some business in the short run, but Will agreed to make the needed changes to reposition W & R. This summer you and I need to talk about how to position Jenkins and W & R. When I'm gone, I want you to be active on the board of Jenkins and I hope you will join the New York Bar and be a managing partner of the law firm too. If you do both of those things, I will be able to go in peace. I already see that you are more like your father than Will is. It's a shame you didn't get to work with your father. I regret that I didn't encourage you more along those lines. I'm so glad we have this summer together."

For the two weeks until Will's wedding, I job shadowed Grandfather in the mornings. While Grandfather napped after lunch, I took care of my counseling and medical visits, and applied the meds to my arm and leg. I exercised with Carolyn in the basement every morning and evening. We usually worked out in her bed later in the evening twice a week.

The two weeks were largely uneventful. Will went to Philadelphia the Wednesday evening before the wedding. I went early on Friday. I met Mother and her companion at the airport in Philadelphia. Mother's companion was a nice lady about mother's age. We were lucky to have found someone so nice, to look after Mother. The three of us checked into the Wallingford Bed & Breakfast, which our family had reserved for Friday and Saturday nights. All the wedding party stayed there, and we had the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner there Friday night. Saturday we had a buffet breakfast. On Saturdays the B& B's had a big lunch and dinner trade with outside patrons and we didn't interfere with that. We had also reserved the main dining room for an early Sunday brunch for the out of town wedding guests.

Saturday afternoon and evening the weather was perfect for the outdoor afternoon wedding and evening reception at Brooke's home in Wallingford. The wedding was beautiful and the reception, which included a catered dinner and dance band, went off without a hitch. Brooke looked lovely. I was paired with Brooke's little sister in her sorority. She wasn't much older than me and was very friendly at the rehearsal dinner and during the reception. I was friendly and danced with her, but didn't break my promise to Carolyn that I wouldn't be with anyone else. The young woman seemed disappointed when I told her I was in a committed relationship.

Mother rose to the occasion and did well at the wedding. She and her companion made appearances at the rehearsal dinner and wedding reception, and Mother was in the wedding pictures. She was social and pleasant. I noticed she asked the same questions to everyone. After the brunch on Sunday, Mother flew back to Florida.

Sunday afternoon, Grandfather and I went back to the City. Brooke and Will left for Europe, where they planned to honeymoon until Labor Day.

While I was at the wedding, Carolyn and her sister stayed at the guesthouse in the Hamptons. Carolyn's sister was nice, but she had had a difficult time recovering from a messy divorce and often leaned on Carolyn for support. Carolyn told me they had a very relaxing weekend at the guesthouse and that Erin was very helpful. Carolyn got back early enough for us to exercise together Sunday evening, but because her sister was in her apartment, Carolyn and I didn't hookup. I sensed both of us would have liked to, but we restrained ourselves.

Thornton started at the law firm the Monday morning after Will's wedding. With Will gone, Grandfather had me working in the bank most of the day. The bank was interesting, but I doubted I wanted to be a banker, and I really doubted I wanted to be a New York banker. Grandfather and I went to meetings and lunched with some of the bank's largest clients. Grandfather was very smooth, always professional, and very proper. His clients were the same. It was interesting to watch him close a deal and I better understood why Will found 'deals' exciting. I watched Grandfather finalized deals to be the lead underwriter on a sizeable IPO and a large bond offering. On one M & A deal he negotiated, the bank took a substantial position in a client's acquisition in lieu of a fee. The deal was potentially much more profitable than taking a fee and saved the client upfront costs.

All through June, Carolyn and I exercised hard. I had lab tests regularly that monitored my body chemistry and followed the diet and med regiment exactly. I noticed substantial muscle gain and strength improvement. And I wasn't the only one who was affected by exercise; Carolyn followed her exercise plan and it did wonders for her body. Her muscles firmed and she lost weight and inches. She said that she felt much better. Her new wardrobe reflected that she had more confidence in the way her body looked. She dropped her reserve about sex and really became very active in bed. She even got some books on sex and positions.

Carolyn and I did another night of dinner and a Broadway play with Thornton and Eunice. The four of us had good time together. Carolyn had become Eunice's virtual older sister. About once a week, Eunice and Carolyn went shopping and had lunch together.

Thornton, the two other law firm summer associates and I went to a Yankee's game. Thornton and I really liked one of the associates and not the other. The second time we went to a game, I didn't invite the second associate. He got the message after one of the firm's attorneys warned him that he doubted if Grandfather would not hire someone unless I recommended the person and that a candidate had no chance if I opposed him.

Over the four day 4^th of July weekend, Carolyn had a group of her former Smith suitemates and their families to stay at the Hamptons house. She was proud to wear a swimsuit and show off her new body. She invited me to stay with her, but I thought I would be a distraction; and I wanted it to be Carolyn's time to shine. I was there to greet them upon arrival, but I didn't stay long. I invited my basic training friend, Bill Jensen, to come up for the holiday from Tennessee. Thornton, Eunice, Bill and I went to a Yankee's game and had dinner with Grandfather on the 4^th. Bill and I went to museums and ate at his favorite delis, where I went off my diet. Bill had dropped out of Milligan College and had a hard time emotionally.

I liked Bill a lot, but he didn't have much drive. I think his father had made him feel stupid, and Carla leaving him hadn't helped his self-image. I could see that Bill might be an Elks Club bartender for some time; not that I thought being an Elks bartender was bad. Bill was quiet and easy to talk to and probably made a good bartender. I couldn't see him being the third generation Jensen in Jensen Insurance and Reality.

The last night Bill visited, we got a little drunk and he talked about Carla. I told him a little about Dallas and what happened during my last days in Vietnam. Since Bill knew Dallas in high school, I felt more comfortable talking about what happened. Only someone who was in the unit could really understand, so I didn't go into much detail.

Eunice invited some of their Alabama friends to come up during July. Their friends came in on Friday for ten days, until the next Sunday. They stayed out at the Hamptons main house and had a good time. They went to a Broadway show, did a Gray Line Tour, went to a Yankees game, and enjoyed the beach. Carolyn and I joined them both Saturdays for cookouts. A couple of the women were fascinated with Roselawns and the main Hamptons house. Roselawns had been in my mother's family since before the Civil War. The Hamptons house had been in my father's family since before the turn of the century.

Grandfather and I talked about the bank every day. I worked in several areas of the bank and sat in on the policy meetings.

At the end of July, I flew to San Francisco to be reevaluated by Dr. Sharapova, the physiologist who had seen me before. She scheduled me to taper off the meds during August. It would make a nice story to say that a miracle happened and that I starred on Alabama's football team; but the reality was that I felt fortunate to get back eighty percent of my normal strength and most of the rotation in my arm. Dr. Sharapova was pleased with my progress and complimented me on staying on my diet, exercise plan, and being diligent in administering the meds.

During August, Carolyn and I cut our heavy exercising back to twice a week. We walked and did low impact exercises most days. I was able to the physical therapy exercises with minimal supervision. I saw the therapist once a month.

Also during August, I ate all my weekday meals with Grandfather. After Grandfather went to bed, I went to Carolyn's and stayed all night with her. Most weekends Carolyn and I stayed at the guesthouse in the Hamptons.

Over the summer, Carolyn and I changed physically and emotionally. We made love often and became very close. In late August, when I mentioned that we could adopt, Carolyn stopped me immediately.

"I will always love you, but Bobby, we are in different places in our lives. Please, I don't want to go there? It's hard enough."

I said, "I needed to know if you had changed you mind, I wasn't pushing."

She gave me 'the look'.

I smiled, "Okay, I was pushing a little, but it was a gentle push."

She said, "I know and I'm thankful. I wish it were different."

After a few minutes, she said, "I've upset you. I didn't mean to."

I snuggled against her.

She asked, "What is it? I can tell something is bothering you."

I asked about what had concerned me for some time. "Do most women cheat?"

"I've been faithful to you and since we had our agreement, you've been to me. I never cheated on my husband. I got lonely when he was gone for extended periods, but I never considered having an affair. Are you thinking about the real estate agent in Alabama?"

I nodded. "And Mary too. She was engaged and said the sex was better with me."

"Sex isn't the only reason to marry."

"But shouldn't it be better with someone you love?"

She said, "Sometimes you feel taken for granted or you may feel you need a little excitement and passion. That happens to quite a few people after a few years of marriage."

I asked, "Would you marry someone if sex with him wasn't as good as we have?"

"I would hope the lovemaking would be good, but that's not everything."

"You didn't think about being with other men."

"This summer, you have got me thinking about the kind of man I need to be happy. You have made me very happy this summer. I didn't believe I could feel again like you made me feel. When I was married, I thought about other men sometimes, but not seriously. If I were lonely or felt vulnerable, I was extra careful not to get in situations where something could happen."

I frowned.

"Like being alone or drinking around men. I stayed away from situations that caused trouble. It might have been harder if I had been working and been around attractive men."

"Dorothy and Mary still bother me. I hope Brooke doesn't cheat on Will."

Carolyn said, "Or Will on Brooke; that's more probable."

I nodded.

Carolyn asked, "Does that girl at Brooke's wedding still upset you?"

"Not really, she seemed interested in me, but I told her I had someone who I was faithful to. I think she felt left out and needed someone to get her through the weekend. All of the other bridesmaids were married."

Carolyn said, "Weddings are emotional times. Weddings and holidays are the worse for loneliness. Maybe I would have felt differently, if I had felt that I had missed something before I got married; but I didn't. Maybe Mary and Dorothy felt they have."

"I don't know what it was. I guess I don't understand women. I'm not much lady's man. I know I'm really going to miss you when I go to school; and not just us making love."

"Me too, but we aren't going there. You would hate the New York social scene and I want to be a part of it."

I nodded. I kissed her and we made love; nice and slow with a lot of feeling.

As we cuddled, Carolyn said, "I think women know what they are doing. I don't think men fool them. You are a very handsome young man. You were handsome before you shaped up your body; now you are really something. You won't have any problems attracting women. You will learn to read their signals."

If you had said you would go with me, I would have been very happy to take you to Alabama with me. Not long ago, I would have been happy with Mary. I don't feel that way with Dorothy and she is drop dead gorgeous. There is something about Dorothy that makes me want to turn her around, bend her over, raise her skirt and really screw her hard. I don't know exactly why.

Thornton and Eunice went back to Tuscaloosa the week before Labor Day. I waited until Brooke and Will were back from Europe to go to Tuscaloosa. Roselawns' renovations weren't completed, so Will and Brooke moved into the Hamptons house, until the renovations were finished. We had a nice combination, welcome back, going away, and Labor Day party at the Hamptons. It was nice to see Will and Brooke, but Carolyn and I spent most of our time with Grandfather. I hated to leave Grandfather and Carolyn.

Tuesday morning I flew to Birmingham. I took three large suitcases of clothes. Grandfather told me to buy anything else there if I needed it. Grandfather had the Ethan Allen store in Tuscaloosa furnish the downstairs of the house. The Jacuzzi and dressing room were completed during the summer. Grandfather suggested that it would be better if I bought a car in Tuscaloosa.

Vietnam had taught me a bit about putting things behind me. I used the trip on the airplane to get a little emotional distance from Carolyn and New York. Grandfather's health was a concern. Yet, I felt going to Alabama was right for me. I really didn't think I wanted to live in New York City and going to the University of Alabama provided the separation I needed, but it was harder than I thought it would be to get on the plane.

It helped that Dorothy met me at the airport in Birmingham. She looked even better than I remembered.

I looked at her. "I had almost forgotten how beautiful you are."

She said, "We need to talk."

I gave her a short kiss and gave my baggage claim tickets to a porter.

An airport porter put my things in Dorothy's car.

Dorothy got in the driver's seat. After I got in the car, I kissed her.

She said, "I had all worked out what I wanted to say. You really look good. You've gained weight and walk normally. It's harder than I thought to say what I had planned."

She drove away from the airport. "I don't want to mess up my marriage."

I took her hand. "We'll have to be careful."

"Please, you are making this very difficult. I don't think I can work for you."

I said, "We can work it out. You said you had some things for me to consider."

She sighed and looked at me. I knew she had made up her mind then. I wasn't going to plead if she wanted to end it, but from the way she looked at me, I didn't think she did.

When she said, "The best things I found are along the Gulf Coast and on Mobile Bay. There are some nice properties down there. I found a Chevrolet dealership in Daphne that looks like a good buy."

I knew she had decided not to end our affair. I tried not to seem excited or gloat.

I asked, "How far is Daphne?"

"About five hours. We need to be there most of the day to go down to the Gulf and see the dealership in Daphne."

"You want to go down tomorrow after my orientation session, or get up very early and go down Wednesday morning? What would Fred say if you went tomorrow and stayed overnight?"

"We talked about it. He understands. Which would you prefer?"

I said, "I think I'd rather go after orientation tomorrow. You need to call the Chevrolet place to make sure the owner will be there that late tomorrow afternoon?"

Dorothy pulled into a service station and called Daphne to Higgins Chevrolet. She walked back to the car.

"We have an appointment to see Mr. Higgins at six-thirty tomorrow evening."

She drove south toward Tuscaloosa. On the outskirts of Birmingham, she said, "The Gulf front property I want you to consider is owned by General Development Corporation. They have listed almost a mile of Gulf front property outside Gulf Shores and several hundred acres inland from the beach. They had planned a housing development inland and condos on the beach with a marina on the Gulf for inland residents."

"Is the beach there like the one in Panama City?"

She said, "It's a nice white beach, but I don't think the sand is as deep or as white as in Panama City."

"Tell me about the car dealership."

"Mr. Higgins, the owner, has cancer and needs to sell. He wants one hundred thousand above the book value of the property and used car inventory for the dealership, and he wants the buyer to assume the liabilities for the floor plan on the new car inventory."

I nodded. "Where are we staying?"

Dorothy said, "The Grand Hotel is the old dowager showplace. There is the usual assortment of motels. I didn't make reservations. I didn't know what you would like."

"The Grand Hotel sounds good. Make the reservations. Pick me up at the student center. It's supposed to be over at two. I'll try to get away around one."

For the rest of the trip, Dorothy told me about the appraiser course that she had taken at the community college and about the licensing exam. When she passed the exam, she joined the professional appraiser group and signed up for advanced classes in Birmingham. Over the summer, Fred had finished his dissertation and was promoted to assistant professor.

She said, "I would like to continue to work, but I want to have a child soon. Will that be a problem?"

I responded, "I don't think so. You don't have to be full time. I'm sure you will be a good mother."

I could see she was relieved.

"I worked with Grandfather this summer. It was interesting to see how he works. My brother got married and honeymooned in Europe all summer. I really like my sister-in-law. My guess is that she got pregnant in Europe. Will wants children soon."

"I wish Fred did. I'm going to have to work on him. He been so busy with finishing his dissertation, I think he wants a break."

I nodded. "It was nice having Thornton and Eunice around this summer. Thornton, Eunice, a widow in our apartment building and I did things together. I really liked Carolyn, the widow; her husband was killed in Vietnam. She helped me with my exercises and therapy, and we had a nice summer together; but she told me when school started, we would be friends only. She is a classy woman and I hope she finds someone who can make her happy."

I saw Dorothy gulp. I doubted if a man had every talked about women that openly with her.

"Fred is a good man. I don't want to hurt him or break up my marriage."

"I understand."

We came into Tuscaloosa before she could say more.

I had sent Dorothy the things I ate on my diet. She had stocked my pantry and refrigerator, and had the air conditioning on at the house. I took my three suitcases and hanging bag in the house. Dorothy didn't go in with me.

I unpacked my clothes and hung them in the closet. Richard knew how to pack and not wrinkle clothes. The clothes all made the trip in good shape. I put some food in the steamer, undressed and got in the Jacuzzi. I took a pitcher of ice water to drink while I was in the Jacuzzi. I called Grandfather from the Jacuzzi.

"The house looks nice. I appreciate the furniture and the office setup." We chatted then I asked about the dealership. "There is a Chevrolet dealership for sale in Daphne, which is across the Bay from Mobile. The owner has cancer and he needs to sell it. He wants one hundred thousand above the value of the real estate and the cost of the inventory on the cars. It's the only Chevrolet dealership in Baldwin County."

"At that price, you couldn't get hurt much, as long as there are no other liabilities. But what do you know about running a car dealership? It takes a lot of experience to run a dealership and do you really want to be a car dealer?"

"I was thinking of it as an investment. I don't know anything about being a car dealer and don't want to learn."

Grandfather said, "It would be better if you were interested, but you certainly have the money. If you decide to do it, find out what bank they use and I'll wire transfer the money."

"Thanks, I'll see about it. I'm looking at some Gulf front property and a few hundred acres inland near the Gulf property. It's for sale by General Development."

He said, "Watch yourself there; land development companies can be a mess."

I wrote the questions Grandfather thought I should ask about the dealership and General Development, and then we hung up. My Tuscaloosa house was comfortable and I went to sleep quickly. Alabama was on the eastern edge of the Central Time Zone. I went to sleep early and got up early.

My orientation group included mostly out of state students and some of the students who planned to go through rush. Our group was scheduled just prior to rush. Rush went through the Saturday morning before school started. The first football game was Saturday in Birmingham against Vanderbilt.

DKE rush was mostly pro forma. The actual rush took place at the homes of alumni in Birmingham, Mobile, Selma, Huntsville and Atlanta during the summer. Men were given and accepted informal bids then. Thornton had told me that rarely was anyone taken during formal open rush.

Orientation started with a large group presentation then we were broken into groups. My group had ten men and ten women. Mostly it was a waste of time. The good part was that I met with a transfer student advisor, who helped me select courses. With his help, I decided to take private pilot training as my substitute PE course. Veterans were exempted from PE and ROTC but had to make up the hours with other courses. There were several activity courses that were popular. Pilot training was more expensive than most students could afford, and some weren't interested because they wouldn't have access to a plane after the training. It also took a great deal of time.

Mostly the men and women were excited about rush and the first football game. I wore a long sleeve Brooks Brothers blue oxford cloth shirt, khaki pants, Weejuns, and a leather belt. I wasn't supposed to wear my fraternity pin. My Weejuns were polished and I wore socks, both of which were not 'cool' things to do. I was a bit overdressed. Many of the guys had on short sleeved bleeding Madras shirts, khakis and Weejuns without socks. I felt a little old in the group of mostly freshmen. They seemed very immature.

I was drawn to the two girls in my group from Demopolis: Jeanette Elliott and Carol Cooley. Carol had on a Villager dress, Weejuns, and her hair looked styled. Jeanette had a nice figure, but her hair and clothes 'said' she didn't have money.

During a break Carol asked, "Why did you transfer here from Yale?"

"I was assigned to a unit of Alabama Guardsmen in Vietnam. I liked them a lot. My former Commanding Officer is in law school here and in a Guard unit in Demopolis. When I visited him and his wife here, I decided I wanted to come to school here."

"Are you going through rush?"

"I was initiated into Delta Kappa Epsilon at Yale."

Carol was clearly impressed. "They're one of the best, if not the best, fraternity on campus. They were the first fraternity on campus."

I said, "I've learned fraternities are about friendship, not prestige. The best one is the one where you feel like you fit and like the people the best. I hope I'm a good fit here. My CO was in the chapter, now he's on alumni status."

Carol said, "I'm hoping to get a bid from Tri-Delt or Kappa."

I looked a Jeanette. She had tears in her eyes.

I said, "I didn't mean to upset you."

Softly Jeanette said, "My father was killed in Vietnam."

I embraced her briefly. We pulled away from the group a little. I said, "I'm so sorry."

"He was a career Army NCO. He was one of the first KIAs. Before he went over, I promised him I would go to college. Even with my survivor's benefits, it's a sacrifice for my mom. She's a bank teller in Demopolis."

"Are you going through rush too?"

She nodded. "Mom wants me to 'do' college. She and dad didn't go to college. They got married right out of high school and I came along soon after. I have a younger brother and sister."

"Good luck. Any group would be lucky to get you."

She smiled. I think both of us knew that she was a long shot to get in a sorority. They were too status conscious and it would be hard for her to afford the dues.

Freshmen and transfer registration was Friday noon.

I said I had a medical appointment and skipped out at one. Dorothy was waiting when I came out. I got into Dorothy's car and put an overnight bag in the back seat. She drove to Daphne.

"How was orientation?"

"About four hours too long. I think I have a good schedule worked out. I hope I get the classes."

"Do you want me to ask Fred if he can help?"

"Thanks, but I think I'll be okay."

Dorothy had a couple of properties she also wanted me to look at in Fairhope. One was a house on the Bay and it seemed very reasonably priced for a bay front house. It was a fraction of the renovation cost for Roselawns. The other property was a two story storefront with second floor offices in the downtown commercial area. Dorothy had comparables on both properties and they seemed good values.

We got into Daphne on time. Mr. Higgins was a short man. His skin color had a jaundiced look. He was very proud of his dealership and wished he could have kept it in the family. I felt for him.

I asked all the questions Grandfather suggested. Mr. Higgins' answers seemed right. It felt right, so I offered to buy it for his asking price.