Chapter 24: Life After Florida.

Whoops! Kay just brought our conversation to a dead stop. My parents looked at each other and then looked at me to see if I was going to answer Kay's question.

"Did I ask something I shouldn't have? Rob?" Kay had a puzzled look on her face as she, too, looked at me.

"Kay, we don't have a Christmas dinner, per se. As Jews, we don't celebrate Christmas; December twenty-fifth is just another day for us. It's the same for almost all the homes in this community, that's why no one has decorations up. I and my family, Mom and Dad, are not very observant, as Jews, and we even eat pork products like bacon or ham just like everyone else but we don't have any sort of fancy meal for Christmas. Are you okay with that?"

Kay's face pinked up some. "Oh, I'm so sorry. I'm so embarrassed, Rob told me weeks ago that you and he are Jewish and don't celebrate Christmas. I don't know what I was thinking when I asked that. I didn't mean to offend anyone."

My mother answered that. "You didn't offend us, dear; you just caught us by surprise."

Dad then spoke up. "We're not offended, Kay, but we don't want you to be deprived of something you may have been expecting. We can arrange a special meal if you'd like. If it's important we'll even go to church with you. It wouldn't be the first time any of us has been to church."

"That's not necessary. I think it would be hypocritical actually, on my part. Moving on, what are we going to do for the rest of our stay, Rob?" Her face still had a rosy color but it was fading.

"Tomorrow is Christmas day and there are a lot of people who came here, to this area, for the holiday. I don't think any one day will be better than any other for visiting the amusement parks. I know you want to go to Epcot and we're going the day after Christmas. I thought we'd spend the day there. It always makes for a full day and we'll eat there."

"Okay, what are we going to do tomorrow, Christmas day?"

"Your father and I have some friends here in the park we'd like you two to come and visit with us. There are some new ones you haven't met, Rob, they moved in during the summer."

I turned to Kay. "See, you're not the only one who wants to show me off. Only this time, you're part of the display. Mom, it was horrible in Kansas, she dragged me around so much you'd have thought I was a talking dog."

"Dani, has he always had this strange sense of humor? I don't remember if he displayed it in Kansas but every now and then it pops up back in California, at the strangest of times. I've even asked him if he takes his show on the road."

"Oh dear, Rob, I think she might have you. The question is what's she going to do with you?"

"Thanks, Mom, you know you're supposed to support me, your son, don't you? Dad, will you help me out here please?"

"I don't think so. If your mother is concentrating on you she's leaving me alone and I can use the rest."

"Great, that makes it three against one."

"No, Son, two against one and I'm neutral, kind of like Switzerland. You can do your banking with me."

"Hmm, I see where Rob gets it, Dani. Did you have to put up with it from both of them when Rob was growing up or did he develop his distorted sense of humor after he left home?"

"It was late developing but I had to put up with some of it before he left for college. One of the ways I learned to counter his comedy was to threaten to show his baby pictures to everyone. No matter what he thinks I do have that picture album and can get it out for you. If you want I can have copies made of the appropriate pictures for you to take back with you."

"Gee, thanks, Mom. Dad, can you reach over here and pull the knife out of my back. I hope Mom left enough handle sticking out for you to grab onto."

"It's not that bad, Son. You just have to learn not to pick on the women; they'll gang up on you, as you can see."

We had been talking while we ate and after the initial awkwardness from Kay's bombshell question and my answer, things were a lot more relaxed. We finished the meal and cleaned up the area before we went back to the house.

At the house we played cards, since there were four of us we played Spades, Kay and I against my parents. We started out well; at least I thought we had. By the end of the evening, my parents had cleaned our clock, but good. It was a lot of fun and the talk was easy but they won all three games, with the point gap getting larger with each game. We said our goodnights and went to bed around midnight.

I waited about fifteen minutes after going to my room and then went to Kay's. I knocked softly and then went in.

"Hi, Rob, I was waiting, kind of expecting you." She was sitting in bed propped up on the pillows. "I visited your room last night so I figured you might come to me this evening."

"I told you you're smart. Anyway, I wanted to check with you, privately, to see if you're really okay with the Christmas dinner thing. It still isn't too late to make some arrangements."

"Really, I'm okay with it. I just had a brain failure. I didn't put two and two together to realize since you don't celebrate Christmas you don't have a Christmas meal. I felt like such a dummy."

"You shouldn't have. I'm pretty sure we're the first Jewish family you've met, beyond casually. Not celebrating Christmas is different from what you grew up doing, even if your family didn't go to church much."

"There is that, but still..."

"Don't worry about it. My parents meant what they said though. We'd go to church with you if you wanted to go. They wouldn't want you to forgo something important to you and they wouldn't want you to go alone."

"No, I really don't need or want to go. Now, are you going to spend the night with me?"

"Are you kidding? My mother would have a fit if she knew I was in here now. What'd you think her reaction would be if we came out of here together in the morning? You're a guest, she wouldn't say anything to you, but I would catch it, and how."

"Okay, I wouldn't want you to get in trouble."

"I'll see you in the morning, Kay."

"G'nite, Rob."

I left her room and went to bed.

We had a casual and relaxing breakfast in the morning. When we were all sitting and finishing our coffee I asked a question that had been bothering me. "Dad, how'd you guys beat us so badly last night?"

"Communications, Son, communications."

"Hunh?"

"Your mother and I have been together so long we know what each other is thinking when we play cards. It's stood us well, especially down here. We need it because it's a common trait of couples here, at least the ones that have been married for a while, like we are. You two didn't do too badly."

"I guess that's a matter of opinion. I thought you trounced us."

"Yeah, well, I was just trying to make it not hurt so bad." He and my mother had big smiles on their faces.

"Stop, Rob, my parents are the same way. You can't win in this conversation."

"Kay, you, too? I'm outnumbered again."

We spent the day visiting with my parents' friends. We ended up having lunch with one couple and dinner with another. Besides those friends there were four or five others. It took up the whole day but when we got back to the house we still set up for cards again. This time it was the guys against the gals. We split the first two games and the third was a knock down battle but Dad and I won it, barely.

My parents went to bed but Kay and I stayed in the living room and talked for a little while.

"Today has been interesting, hasn't it?"

"Interesting is one descriptor for today, tiring is another. Did you know all those people, Rob?"

"I know the people we ate with, both times. I also know two of the other couples; the rest were new to me. Was it all okay with you?"

"Oh, I didn't mind. I figure I may never see any of them again. Did you notice they all had pastries, cake or cookies at the ready? Did your mother let them know we were coming in advance or does everyone down here keep entertainment foods available all the time?"

"It could be either. None of these people work anymore so they spend a lot of time socializing, visiting each other. No one wants to be caught unprepared for company."

"I guess. It was actually kind of fun and some of those coffee cakes were pretty darn good, homemade, not store bought."

"The questions weren't too much for you? Some of them were a little personal."

"Oh, you mean like the one about was I going to work after I got married or the one about how many kids I thought I'd like in the long run?"

"Yeah, those were a couple of the ones I was thinking of, those and one or two others."

"I could handle them. I don't think they meant any harm."

"I'm sure they didn't. They were the same type of questions my parents would ask if they were presented with the situation. We were the entertainment of the day, maybe of the week."

"I actually had a good time. We don't do that kind of thing back in Kansas, no one has the time to, farms are a lot of work."

"I know but these people are all retirees. Most of them are from up North somewhere and moved down here for the weather."

"Even when someone retires on a farm, they're still there to help and usually do."

"That's the difference between an agricultural community and an industrial community, I guess."

"I think that when the time comes I want to retire in the industrial community way. It's a long, long time away for me, though maybe not quite as long for you. With it being so long away I'm not going to think about it now. I'm going to go to bed. I'm looking forward to tomorrow and I don't want to be too tired to enjoy it."

"You're right and I like Epcot, too."

We left early and had breakfast on the way to the park. We were there all day. It was a long twelve hours but we had a heck of a good time. Kay seemed to enjoy France best of all. I preferred England.

Everyone slept well that night and breakfast was late the following morning, nobody objected. Kay was actually the first one up. When we were all up, we went out for brunch. The day was spent relaxing with a good portion of the day pool side.

The next day was another day of visiting friends. Late in the afternoon Kay and I broke away to visit my closest friends, they lived in the area. He was my competition but a friend as well. We were school chums from years earlier and saw each other at conferences on the equipment we both used. I had called him to make arrangements for us to spend the evening together. We met at a club.

I greeted them as we joined them and introduced Kay to them and them to her. William and Mary were my age; we'd been in school together. He may have been surprised by Kay's age but didn't let on. Mary was very gregarious, just as she was at the conferences, she didn't care about anyone's age. I don't think she ever met someone she didn't like or couldn't make friends with.

"How's business, William, still cheating your customers? Mary, how do put up with him? He's still keeping you in rags." Mary had on a very nice, full red dress and was done up to the nines.

"Nah, I leave that to you, Rob. How you manage to keep anyone's computers up is beyond me. Are you still stealing from everyone west of the Mississippi? Kay, is it? You poor thing, did he abduct you? I can provide rescue service if needed."

"Oh, no you won't!" exclaimed Mary. "Don't pay any attention to him, Kay. If I let him, he'd find reason to rescue every pretty woman that crosses his path, whether she needed it or not. In that dress I'm sure YOU don't." Kay was in a black sheath dress with her pearls, simple, elegant and gorgeous.

"Rob, you have to protect me." She looked at William. "There are strange men here in Florida and I don't know what they'd do if you weren't around to protect me." We all had a good laugh at that.

We had a good time. William and I talked shop while Kay and Mary discussed everything else. When we weren't talking we danced, changing partners back and forth. Kay and I were ready to stay out to the wee hours but they needed to get home, their newly married son and daughter-in-law were visiting the next day.

When we got home after midnight my parents were already in bed. We talked in the kitchen.

"Is he much of a competitor for you, Rob?"

"Not really, although we do pretty much the same type of work. I don't do much east of the Mississippi and that's the portion of the country he concentrates on. We've actually consulted with each other on occasion. We're rivals but friendly ones. I wouldn't hesitate to call him if I was in a bind and I'm pretty sure he feels the same way."

"Something like what farmers do, I guess. If someone has a piece of equipment fail, anyone in the community would help him out and lend him whatever he needed to get his work done. It's not so much a rivalry as a cooperative effort when necessary."

Kay continued. "I had a good time talking with Mary. Did you know she has her MBA? She works with William in his business."

"Yeah, I knew it. Did she tell you their story?"

"Some of it, but she was more interested in mine, mine and yours. She was very nice but she asked a lot of questions. Not personal enough to be offensive but enough to know she was interested in you, how you're doing and where I came in."

"She's a sweetheart, always worried about me and that I might end up alone for life. I told you I was a geek in school; he was, too, but somehow didn't look like one and wasn't treated like one. I never figured that out. We three were good friends all through school. Are you interested in hearing about them?"

"Sure, I like good gossip, as long as it isn't hurtful."

"We met in school and they were married before they graduated. He got started building his business after he graduated and she continued her education to get the MBA. When she graduated with the MBA she became a homemaker, a good one. She also became a mother.

"They had two kids, a girl, and two years later a boy. Meantime he was working away and not doing too badly. They lost their little girl; I think she was eight or nine when it happened. She was playing in their yard on a Saturday morning, with a little friend, when a guy, drunk at ten in the morning, jumped the curb and killed both girls."

"Mary was never the same; she blamed herself for letting their girl play outside. It wasn't her fault but no one could convince her. She wouldn't stay in that house. William had to set his business aside for three or four months while she went to pieces. He held it together, but barely.

"He sold their house and moved them to a new state, that's how they came to be here, in retiree land. He took care of their son and hired a nanny a month after they moved here. Mary had intense grief counseling for the first several months and then for the next year or so. When she came out of her deep funk she wasn't the same around kids."

"They kept the nanny and Mary occupied her time by getting totally involved in William's business. She completely took over everything except the actual computer work; between the two of them they built the business up and now it has a very sizable client list. They're not hurting, I can guarantee you. They're doing as well or better than I am and he doesn't have to travel as far."

"You already know their son is recently married. I don't think he even remembers that he had a big sister anymore. To help Mary they removed every bit of anything that might remind her of the girl when they moved. I don't know how or what William and Mary are going to do when their first grand-child comes along. I don't know if Mary'll be able to be around the kid."

"Wow, that's so sad. Why didn't you tell me all this before I met them?"

"I didn't want anything to come up that they didn't bring up. It's painful for Mary. She still goes to counseling. If she doesn't, she falls back into her depression and it can be bad. At this point I think she'll be going to counseling for the rest of her life. William loves her, totally. He'll do anything he can to protect her, even if it's from herself."

"I don't know what to say. She didn't give me signs about any of this."

"No, she wouldn't and he won't say anything either, again to protect her. They're great people and this is another case of life isn't fair, life just is. Up until now, their parents, both sets, and I, are the only ones who know the whole story I think; now you do, too. I've never even told my folks. I shouldn't have told you all this, but I'm tired."

"I'll never say a word, Rob, I promise. Thank you for sharing the story with me. You must trust me."

"I do and this is just another indicator of that trust. Are you ready for bed? I'm tired."

"Yeah, I'm ready, let's go."

We went to bed then but before we did Kay gave me a big hug, in sympathy for William and Mary, I think.

The remaining six days of our stay in Florida went well but too quickly. We got in a day at Universal Orlando and another at Busch Gardens, both made for enjoyable days. I gave Kay my cell phone and had her call home. After speaking with each of her family she handed the phone back to me, her mother wanted to talk with me. Janice thanked me again for taking care of her little girl. Robert got on to thank me for the network I'd set up in their home and for the computer we gave to Tommy, he was making good use of it.

We didn't want to leave but had to get back to California. The flight back was uneventful but six hours in the air is a long time. Kay and I both appreciated the first class accommodations. I never used the internet on a plane, it's too expensive, but we did watch a movie on my laptop.

Kay and I also talked, how much she liked meeting my folks, how great Epcot Center was, how much she liked meeting my mom, all the fun at Universal Studios, how much she liked meeting my dad, how big the Clydesdales are and how much she liked meeting my friends. She seemed to really enjoy meeting the people in my life, it made me feel good, SHE made me feel good.

We were tired when we got to the house but we went right back out. Neither one of us felt like cooking so we went to the diner for dinner. We also went to the cattery to get Sammy and Sandi out of hock; I hated leaving them there any longer than absolutely necessary.

When we were all back and the front door was locked for the night, Kay and I went into the hot tub to just listen to some music and relax before bed. We no longer wore suits in the tub when we were alone and hadn't since before Robert visited us. I asked Kay about playing cards after we went back in but she was too worn out from the trip and in reality, so was I.

We went to bed, alone I thought, as we had in my parents' home. After settling into bed, I once again had company. Surprise, surprise, she was still comfortable to cuddle with and I was glad she was there. While we were in Florida, Kay had worn pajamas to bed; now that we were home she was back to her tee shirt and panties. I still reacted when I saw her and I didn't try to hide it, she knew what she did to me, so what was the point.

"Starting this again, I see. You know you can get away with this every time. I've given up trying to send you away, not that I ever really wanted to."

"I know that. The only reason you've always tried to send me away has been to protect my honor. I also know you'll never hurt me or abuse me so I'm safe here with you. I was just naked with you in the hot tub and was safe there, so being in your bed is no big deal.

"I don't know how to thank you for the trip, for meeting your parents, their friends and your friends. For taking me to the amusement parks that I don't think I'd have ever gotten to go to otherwise. This, my being here, isn't anything other than me wanting to share some physical closeness with you to go along with the emotional closeness I've been feeling for you. Now put your arm under me so I can cuddle up and go to sleep. I don't know about you but I'm tired."