Chapter 12

I knew I had upset Pris. I wanted to say something to comfort her, but I was afraid I would make her feel worse. I didn't want to engage the autopilot, leave the pilot seat, and go back to her. It was too dangerous and she seemed to want to avoid me.

The Barin Signal Group tested very sophisticated communications equipment including some classified Army equipment. They had installed some special radar and communications equipment on my Aero Commander. I rarely used the special communications equipment, but I used it to call Barin and had them patch me through to Lib.

After they had connected me with Lib, I said, "Lib, Pris would like to talk. Can she come to the Plantation and talk right now? She is very upset with me."

Lib asked, "Did something happen at Summerdale?"

"No, I upset her when we in the plane."

Lib asked, "You didn't talk about Karen did you?"

I said, "More serious than that."

Lib said, "Dorothy?"

"That's part of it."

Lib asked, "Not Freddie and Howard?"

I said, "Bingo. We're a little over thirty minutes from the Plantation airstrip. Do you have time to see her?"

Lib said, "Key the radio to turn on the lights when you're five minutes out. I'll get things ready and meet you at the strip."

Pris and I hadn't talked since she changed seats. When we were five minutes out, I told Pris we were about to land and keyed the radio which turned on the airfield lights.

I landed and taxied to the parking strip. There were several cars at the airstrip. Lib, Hub, Sally, and a man I thought I recognized from Summerdale waited for us. I shut the plane down and opened the Aero Commander's door. Pris deplaned.

Lib said, "Welcome." She hugged Pris. "Sally will take you to the guest house so you can freshen up. I'll be there soon and we can talk."

Pris left with Sally.

Lib looked at me and shook her head, "If you ever need to unburden yourself by confessing your sins, talk to me first. I'll see what I can do with this mess you created."

I said, "Yes ma'am."

Hub walked with me back to the plane. He said, "Nobody loves you like your mother."

I smiled.

He continued, "Go home. We will make sure Pris gets back to Oxford. I have a pilot laid on and Rudolfo will see she gets to the sorority house safely."

I handed Rudolfo Pris' things and took off for Tuscaloosa.

Telling Pris was a chance I had to take. Freddie and Howard are too important for her not to know.

In the guesthouse at the Lauder's, Lib waited for Pris to come out of the bathroom. When she did, Lib asked, "Can I get you anything?" Pris had washed her face but her eyes were puffy and she looked upset.

Pris answered, "No thanks."

Lib asked, "What did Rob say or do that upset you?"

Pris said, "Not long after we were in the air, he said he had something he needed to tell me. What I remember is he said he had an affair with Dorothy, which may have resulted in her getting pregnant. He said he had been with a number of women and that he had strong feelings for several. I asked, and he admitted having affairs with Carolyn, but not ever anything with Eunice or Brooke. I never expected that from Rob. He said there were a lot of others, but he didn't have strong feeling for them now."

Lib said, "I'm sorry he hurt you. I'm sure he didn't mean to. Rob is a very loving person and usually cares deeply about the women he is close to."

Pris said, "I know Rob isn't a mean person. He probably didn't intentionally say those things to hurt me, but it did. I'm certainly not Rob's first."

Lib said, "I don't mean to hurt you either, but we need to be straight with each other."

Pris nodded.

Lib said, "Rob isn't the son of the bank president in Jackson Tennessee. He is a multi billionaire with income that I know of that is at least two million a day, and I only know a small part of his assets. While he was a freshman, he took drugs for war wounds that affected his behavior and changed his personality temporarily. During that time, he and Beau went though coeds like Sherman went through Georgia. Not many coeds turned them down and that was while he was just rich like Beau.

"At the same time, he foolishly risked his inheritance on high risk investments and was lucky they were successful. But as a result his net worth increased exponentially. Those women that had sex with Rob and Beau were interested in Beau and Rob because they were attractive. But Rob isn't like Beau, relationships were more important to him than sex, and after he recovered from the drugs, he limited the women he was with to women he cared about.

"Still, women throw themselves at him; married, those in relationships, single, it doesn't matter. Men, who have his kind of money, and who are young, handsome, and nice, draw women like flies are drawn to livestock. It's not surprising that he had a number of women. Hub and Beau were the same way. For a major player to give up all those women for you is the ultimate compliment.

"And for him not to walk away from those he really loved, and still loves but in a different way, or children who may be, and I stress may be, his offspring is a credit to him. I doubt if he has ever admitted about Dorothy to anyone but you; not to me, Carolyn, Eunice, Brooke or anyone else. Of course I suspected, but he never acknowledged it.

"While I think it was foolish for him to put the burden of knowing about his past loves off on you, I'm sure he did it so you would understand why they will continue to be important, second only to you. If you can't handle his past and trust him in the future, you need to walk away. You have to be secure in knowing it was you he chose and he is committed to."

Pris said, "It made me feel like another notch on his bedpost."

Lib said, "If that's what he was interested in couldn't he have taken advantage of you earlier?"

Pris nodded.

"If you decide you want to go back to Ole Miss and forget about him, he will be hurt, but he will survive. He thinks you are special. I want you to think about how rare a man like him is. You won't find a better more loving mate."

Lib continued, "When he came to offer you the lavaliere, he decided he didn't want to give you up. You have to decide if you want to give him up. If you go back, I suspect it will be over. I think you can get past this afternoon, but Rob doesn't handle rejection well."

Pris said, "I understand."

Lib said, "We have a pilot who can fly you back to Oxford. If that is what you decide, I would hope you would call Rob and tell him. Neither of you needs a messy breakup."

Lib hugged Pris. "I'll leave you here. When you're ready, come over to the house, or call and say goodbye if you want to go back in a hurry. Stay here as long as you need to or to use the phone."

Pris gathered herself and then picked up the phone.

She called Rob's house. "Rob, I'm in the guesthouse at the Plantation. Lib and I had a nice talk. I'm sorry I didn't respond better to what you said. You may not want to be with someone who can't handle things better than I did."

I said, "Considering what went on at Summerdale, I should have realized I was unfairly piling on. And I didn't explain myself well."

Pris asked, "Do you think we could go to Oxford and spend the night at the lake house? I really want to be with you tonight."

I said, "I'm on my way."

Pris called the housemother at Kappa. It wasn't the first time a Kappa needed to stay out an extra night.

Pris called Lib. "Rob is coming for me. I appreciate all your help."

Lib said, "Anytime. Rudolfo will take you to the strip and wait out of sight. You'll have to get used to people like Enrico, Rudolfo and Sally watching you all the time. They are there to protect you. There are a number of adjustments you'll have to make."

Pris called her mother. After a brief talk with her, Pris rode with Rudolfo to the airstrip. For the first time, she noticed the Kalashnikov Rudolfo kept near him. They hadn't been at the airstrip long when the field lights came on. She heard the Aero Commander as Rob approached the field.

I saw Pris in front of the parking area. I thought it strange she was alone. Then I saw Rudolfo and Enrico standing in the shadows. She about jumped into my arms. We hugged.

I said, "I love you so much."

Pris said, "Can we stay together at our house tonight?"

I said, "There is no place I would rather be."

I picked up her bags and carried them to the plane.

We landed in Oxford and took the car to our lakefront house. As soon as the front door closed, we made a mad dash for the bedroom, discarding clothes as we went.