Chapter 10: The End of the Beginning

Catherine skipped the Coeur d'Alene tournament in late August. We were in the middle of final design drawings for the clubhouse and decisions needed to be made. I couldn't get away and Catherine wouldn't accept anyone else on her bag except me, so we opted out. There was still the Southern Oregon Open the third week of September and I thought we might be able to sneak away for that. It was to be played on the new Centennial Golf Club in Medford, potentially a 7300 yard monster that would undoubtedly be cut back to a more sensible length for the women.

James assured us the final drawings would be ready for submission to the council before the end of September, so Catherine went ahead and sent her entry in to the organizers and we promptly got on with other things related to Bending Willows.

With Scotty's help and connections, we found a greenskeeper who came well recommended from a private club in Montana. He wanted to get away from cold winters and an ex-wife we were told. In his mid-fifties, he was no youngster, but he could do the job and it was an important one. We were still looking for a teaching professional.

Catherine's two wins had not gone unnoticed and she had been invited to resume her residency at Ghost Creek but politely declined, reminding them that she was now an employee at the soon-to-be-rebuilt Bending Willows course.

"Employee, huh?" I snorted. "I think executive would be more appropriate."

"You've been eavesdropping, Terry. Besides, I didn't want to burn any bridges. We may want some friends in this business from time to time and we can't start building those links too soon."

"Tell me what these relationships can do?"

"Simple, when we're overbooked we can contact other courses to see what's available, and vice versa. Also, some of the bigger promotions can book three courses for a weekend. We may want to participate and if we have good relations with the other people, it makes it that much easier to get cooperation. If we get closed for any freak situation like a flood or something, we need to find places for our members and guests. That sort of thing."

"Okay, you've obviously thought this out so I bow to your superior experience and judgment."

"Wise decision," she smirked.

I had not pursued any more talk of marriage since I first brought it up. I thought it might be smarter to wait until the big project we worked on was complete and then, when we had some time to ourselves, I could ask again. Hopefully this time I would get a positive response. Just the same, I felt we were living and acting like a married couple so I really wasn't missing anything from our relationship.

In Mid-September, James and Brett scheduled a meeting with Catherine, Scotty and me to give us a preliminary look at the finished plans for the clubhouse, pro shop and out buildings, integrated into their locations on the new course. It was an exciting moment that afternoon when we gathered around the big plywood table that we had made for just this purpose.

No matter how good the computer graphics were, they still couldn't do for me what a set of design drawings could. Brett and James had worked together to integrate both the course and buildings to show everything we could imagine, including the pathways, parking areas, drop off locations, putting and chipping greens, and driving range. As they rolled back the top sheet of the plans, I was holding my breath.

It took me a few seconds to focus on what I was looking at. The more I looked, the more I saw, and the more I saw, the more excited I became.

"Incredible!" I said to no one in particular. "It's better than I imagined it would be. Fantastic! Great job, guys."

"It's wonderful," Catherine echoed.

Scotty was nodding his approval. "First rank, lads. First rank," he declared.

"Have we got all our bases covered for the approvals?" I asked.

"Yes, as far as I know we've got everything just the way they wanted it," James said. "I can't see any problem in council with this, especially if Ms. Sandoval is on our side."

"How much more work has to be done before we can present this as a complete set of plans?" I asked.

"Electrical and HVAC are still at the sub-trades for their review but I'm sure there's less than a week's work to finish," James said confidently.

"We've already got approval on the irrigation, drainage, and sewer system," Brett reminded us. They're happy as hell we won't be putting any strain on the county systems since we have that spring water to use."

"Wilford Contracting has most of the estimates completed and they don't expect any surprises from the electrical or HVAC," Catherine said. "We're in a soft market right now so it's a great time to build."

"That's great everyone," I smiled. "Well done! I can't wait to get started."

"Aye, Lad," Scotty said seriously. "It will be a grand day when we open once again."

We left for Medford on Tuesday, knowing it would be a full five to six hour drive including our stops. We chose the Marriot Courtyard since there was no Embassy Suites in the town. I guess we were getting spoiled but it wasn't about the facilities at the hotel that mattered, it was about the golf. As it turned out, the hotel was just fine and there were several very nice restaurants to choose from as well.

Catherine didn't win the tournament but she did finish tied for third. She played well but somehow didn't seem to have the fire in her belly that she did in Seattle. I didn't expect her to win everything she entered but I thought something was missing this week and I couldn't put my finger on it.

"So, how do you feel about the tournament," I asked as subtly as I could on our drive back to Portland.

She turned to me. Looked at me for a few moments, shrugged, then turned back to gazing out the windshield.

I was about to rephrase the question when it dawned on me she was lost in thought.

It took her a few minutes before she said anything.

"Did you mean it?"

"Did I mean what?" I asked, not knowing what she was referring to.

"About being with me for a lifetime. You said that, you know, back in July."

"Of course I did. I meant it then and I mean it now."

There was an exit to Roseburg that I almost missed before deciding to turn off.

"Why are you turning off here?"

"Time for a break and a conversation. Would you like a coffee or something else? Something to eat?"

She shook her head, still not looking at me. "No thanks. Coffee's fine."

I found an espresso shack just off the entrance to town and pulled over in an unoccupied area near the shack. I got out, but Catherine stayed in the wagon, still lost in thought I guessed, judging by the expression on her face.

I passed her the usual latté she would order and I had my dark coffee with three creams as I got back into the Audi.

"Talk to me, Cat. It's like this has been bothering you all weekend ... even before that maybe."

"Terry ... I ... I've ... I've never been in love before. I don't know if it's real or not. I don't know what to do," she sobbed, tears now trickling down her cheek.

"There isn't anything to do. It happens. It is ... I mean ... it's not a tangible thing. It's in your head and in your heart. It won't let go of you. It's there all the time, just like you are with me all the time. I don't have a minute that I'm not thinking about you and wondering about you. Even when I'm asleep, you're in my dreams. I can't help it. There's nothing I can do about it. I'm in love with you, Catherine. I want to marry you. I want you with me for the rest of my life. Yes ... yes ... I meant it then and I mean it now."

Both of us had put our coffees in the holders or otherwise there would have been a pair of scaldings to deal with. She had released her seat belt and turned to me, almost lunging across the center consol and wrapping her arms around me and kissing me with great force.

"Yes. That's my answer. Yes. Yes I will marry you. When you explained it ... I mean ... how you felt about me, I knew it was the same for me. I guess I really am in love with you, Terry. But it's weird. I should be really happy but ... I think I'm scared. I don't know what to say or do ... except ... I've made up my mind. Yes," she smiled through the drying tear tracks.

I held her tightly, happier than I'd been in a long, long time. My new life was great and I was excited by my tomorrows, but never so much as having Catherine with me at my side every day. I couldn't think of anything special to say. I'd already said it so I did up my seat belt, turned the car back toward I-5, and headed home.

I don't remember much of the drive home. We stopped one more time for a bathroom and snack break before finishing the trip. We held hands along the way. I think both of us were emotionally and physically exhausted by the time we reached the townhouse. I made a sandwich and heated some canned soup for each of us while Catherine unpacked and had a shower.

She returned to the kitchen in a t-shirt, shorts and barefoot. She wrapped her arms around me from behind and hugged me to her. I think it was her way of telling me she wasn't having any second thoughts. We kissed before I excused myself to shower and change. I don't sing in the shower because I shouldn't, but that evening I was very tempted. To hell with the tournament, I had won first prize.