Children of the House of Four Seasons: Maxi Skinner
by Atonia
Part 1 – Getting There
He’d made a sort of game out of it, taking whatever flight that came next that he could get a seat. Maxi had flown from Boston to Washington, DC, from there to Atlanta, from Atlanta to Chicago, from Chicago to Dallas from Dallas to San Francisco. It had been fun for a while, but he arrived in San Francisco with two days growth of beard and a little smelly. At the airport he rented himself a car, a sporty little convertible after all this was California, land of sun and fun. He was soon on the side of the road trying to figure out how to get the top back up.
Maxi found himself a nice hotel downtown and had a bath and took advantage of room service and enjoyed a meal, the first real meal he’d had since leaving the House of Four Seasons two days ago. His creature comforts satisfied he turned on the TV and poked around the brochures and things to do and see book in his room. Travel fatigue caught up with him and he fell asleep across the bed. He slept through the afternoon and the night waking to laughter and music on the TV, too early in the morning for that, he felt around for the remote and turned it off.
He had himself a cup of room service coffee and opened the curtains to his room and looked out, it was raining…nothing to see but tall buildings and beyond that fog as though the city drifted off into a cloud at the end of the street. It didn’t look like the brochures at all. It looked more like London. He wasn’t here to look at the city in a fog bank, it was time to make some kind of plan. He found the map he’d been looking at the night before and worked out his route. Two places he knew there were family wineries, one in Napa and one in Sonoma. The main family winery was in Napa; he remembered that from his Grandpa Duncan’s stories. Napa…he would go to Napa.
After checking out of the hotel he found his way to the bay bridge and crossed over. He’d programmed Napa into the GPS on the dashboard and followed the instructions. He smiled at an intersection thinking about his father’s attempts to follow the French to get to La Siroque. The truth was he missed him, it had only been three days, but he’d always been there. Maxi wondered if it would ever be like that again. All because of Rose…damn little minx. He’d never paid much attention to her, spending his time fantasizing about a local girl in Bonnieux, until that day he came upon her sunbathing without a top down by the lake at La Siroque. He had no idea she had such…breasts. She’d caught him looking at her and decided to apply a layer of suntan oil over herself.
Thirty miles outside of San Francisco the weather began to clear, still a bit misty enough to keep the windshield wipers going now and then. The further inland he went the warmer it became and finally he pulled over and put the top down on the convertible. He was in wine country now, not quite to Napa but vineyards fanned out on both sides of the road. It was the scale of them that surprised him. He’d seen large vineyards in France but this was something else. This was production on a large scale. He thought about his own at La Chambord and the vineyards at La Siroque and suddenly he wasn’t so sure of himself.
He arrived in Napa and found a hotel room and set out to explore the town. He kept thinking as he walked along and studied menus outside of the cafés and bistros that his mother might have walked these same steps. Later he found a bar and went in for a drink, carrying it out to the patio area frequented by smokers. He wasn’t a non-smoker but he never bought a pack of cigarettes, he bummed when he wanted one.
He was on his second pint of beer when a woman and two Mexicans came out onto the patio. He looked her over as he would do, noticing she was absolutely filthy, sweaty in her cut off jeans and tank top with no bra and rubber boots. She had a bandanna tied around her head, wet with perspiration and two long dirty blond braids. He followed their bantering back and forth in Spanish as best he could. He noticed how she turned her bottle up downing half a beer before stopping and wiping her mouth with the back of her hand, he’d never seen a woman such as this before. Soon the Mexicans left and she was on her second beer and turned around to him looking for a light.
“Gotta match?”
“Um no…lighter.” Maxi pulled out his Bic and lit her cigarette. She narrowed her eyes looking into his for a moment.
“Thanks. You just visiting?”
“Yes, having a look round.”
“Where are you from?”
“Provence in France.”
“I know where that is, you’re a long way from home.” She picked up her beer and moved over to his table and sat down wiping her forehead on the back of her arm. She was darkly tanned underneath the grime. “Sorry I forgot my manners would you like one?” she offered him a cigarette from a damp half squashed pack of Marlboros.
He overcame his sensibilities and took one, “Merci,”
“You by yourself or with a group?”
“I’m on my own, I uh, just came up from San Francisco this morning.”
“Doing a little wine tasting?” she smiled, brilliant white teeth in her tanned dirty face.
“Not yet,” he smiled back.
“I’m Deb Holloway, Oenologist.”
“Maxi…Duncan, vintner.
“Ah you make wine…is your family into it?” she looked him over he was fairly young.
“Yes my father and my grandfather. He’s passed now and I have his winery.”
“Oh ho lucky you.”
“I don’t know much about this area, where would be a good place to start?”
“Any of them really, most all have a stone room, tasting room, I’ve been working over at Buena Sierra this week. Damn hot work.”
“Yes I see it is,” he smiled a little and took a drink from his glass.
She laughed, “Yeah I know I’m a mess, but you don’t work like I do and come out clean. You have an Oenologist?”
“Yes he comes twice a year.” But he’d never seen him look like she did.
“I spent some time in France down in Bordeaux. Yeah I worked there for a couple of years.”
“How long have you been doing this?”
“About eight years now. Duncan…are you any kin to the Duncan’s over at Ellenridge?”
“I um don’t know…I’m from France.” He wasn’t sure why he’d given that as a last name.
She rubbed her nose, “I thought they had a brother that went over there…hey Rich another please.” She called out to the young man bringing out a tray of beer and drinks around the tables.
Ellenridge now he had a name. “Where is this Ellenridge?”
“Down toward St. Helens, you can’t miss it.” She wiped the top of the fresh bottle and took a long drink, “Are you staying around here?”
“There’s a hotel down that street; I have a room there.”
“What are you doing tonight?”
Maxi’s eyes widened, “I don’t know?”
“Well good…I’m taking you home with me.” She looked him in the eye.
Maxi blinked.
“Can’t have you running around on your own tonight, you’re too damn good looking.” She finished her beer. “Drink up.”
There was a little light that came into Maxi’s eyes, he’d never done anything like this in his life, he’d never been picked up and certainly never been accosted by such a dirty, sweaty female person on his worst nights in Paris.
He drained his beer glass.
Part 2 -The Pick Up
Deb took him home in her filthy beat up Ford Explorer, her work vehicle she explained half brushing off a seat for him on the passenger side. She had a bungalow tucked up in the hills; the road, she said led to the sea on one side and to the vines on the other, perfect place. It didn’t look like much on the outside but inside everything was painted white including furniture. Color came from the bright Mexican rugs and handmade pottery. Artwork on the walls was of the local scenery.
“In here,” she called him from the living room into the kitchen and opened a bottle of wine. “You can start on this while I clean up. It was a tiny little kitchen but the wine was good, he picked up the bottle and examined the label. It was a local wine…so much for Duflot he mused.
Maxi turned hearing the bathroom door open she walked naked from the bathroom to her bedroom, the dark patch between her legs quickly disappearing behind a closed door. He’d had a quick glimpse of long tanned legs and a small hand sized white spot on her bum, her hair hung to her waist, wet.
He smirked a little and sipped on his wine…tonight.
“What do you think of it?” she asked coming from her bedroom into the kitchen. She’d towel dried her hair, sun bleached and wavy, dressed in an oversized tee shirt and nothing else he could see at first glance.
“It’s very good, very light and crisp…I like it.” He looked her in the face seeing her for the first time without grime; she was an attractive woman, brown eyes and a wide mouth, dark brows knitted together now as she contemplated behind her fridge door.
“We can start with this,” she pulled out some cheeses, grapes, leaf lettuce, tiny tomatoes. Some bread from a metal bin and a dry salami that she sliced thinly. “I don’t usually eat much when I’m working, the heat just takes it out of you.”
“This is fine for me.” He bit off a piece of the salami.
“So…you’re over her all by yourself, why did you come?” she sliced one of the tomatoes in half and stuck it in his mouth the other in hers.
“Um…just to see.”
“Just to see,” she feed him a piece of cheese. “Come to see if we make wine or Hawaiian Punch.”
Maxi stopped chewing…
“I thought that was funny, saw it in a movie about Provence…what was it called um…A Good Year that was it.”
Maxi swallowed, “Yes I’ve seen that.” Oh he would have to be careful.
“How old are you Maxi?”
“Twenty-one…twenty-two in November.”
“I thought you were young. I’m twelve years older than you are…does that bother you?” she slipped a grape in between his lips.
“No…you look good.”
“Nah I don’t…I’m sun ravaged and wind ravaged but I don’t care; I’m healthy.” She slipped another grape in his mouth and he caught her fingers with his teeth.
“Ohhh you are so sweet, let me have it back,” she placed her lips on his and he tongued the grape back in her mouth. “You’ve done this before.”
“No,” he smiled shaking his head.
“I’m going to teach you some things,” she said running a finger down his neck.
She was so close he could smell her, she smelled of soap and shampoo and his crotch was swelling. He silently cursed himself, he was acting like a fifteen year old boy and he wasn’t. He knew a few things himself. He picked up a piece of cheese and fed it to her, she sucked his fingers…oh fuck.
Deb ran her hands over his slim hips and around to the front, “Oh, let’s go take care of this right now…then we’ll have the rest of the night…for fun.”
Maxi let her lead him to the living room to the sofa, she unbuttoned his jeans and slipped them down over his hips and took him in her mouth. It didn’t take long, Maxi was half there by the time she got his pants down
“Now there’s no hurry we can take it nice and easy for the rest of the night.” Deb kissed his nose and went back to the kitchen and refilled their glasses.
Maxi lay on the sofa for a minute and pulled his pants up. Once he got himself together he got up and went back to the kitchen, “I don’t know about this.” He said reaching for the wine glass.
“What don’t you know? Honey you’re in your prime, you are sweet.”
“I’ve never met anybody like you before,” he shrugged his shoulders. “You um, picked me up.”
“Yes I did, that’s a first for you? I don’t make a habit of it but there was something about you that said do it.”
“Do it?’ he grinned, “I’m not a virgin.”
“I didn’t think you were; oh no you’ve got something, Maxi, an innocence that’s sweet but not so pure. I wouldn’t want a choir boy.” She downed the wine and emptied the bottle into her glass. “ I don’t want you to do something silly like…start spouting things about love and all that crap.”
“No…I’m not ready for that. I’m too young; there are things I want to do, you know. I have my winery I want to make it the best and make it profitable. Make some money.” He grinned.
“You are so cute,” She touched his face.
“I don’t want to be cute. I put down the first vintage this year, mine; I blended and tasted and found what I wanted from the grapes. My grandfather taught me, he was very good.” Maxi finished his glass of wine.
“You’re serious…you really have your own winery…”
“Yes…why would I lie?”
“I don’t know…a lot of young men would...trying to impress me. You would not believe the stories I hear.”
“I have no need to impress you.” Maxi took the cigarette she offered him.
“That’s right you don’t, we’ll never see each other again that’s what makes this so special. I’ve been playing with you…I can’t wait to see what you’re made of.”
Maxi smiled a little, “You would not believe it if I told you.”
“Let’s go find out.” She led him into the bedroom and unbuttoned his shirt running her hands over his chest and up his back, “Um do you work out, go to the gym?”
“No, just work.” She was unbuttoning his jeans again; he helped, getting his pants off and his shoes. His underwear went and his socks, she now had full access to him. Her hands seemed to be everywhere she touched him all over his body. He began an exploration of his own pulling the shirt over her head, touching her breasts down her sides and between her legs.
She let him do what he wanted to do lying across her bed, he was sweet but he knew a thing or two about pleasing a woman. He kissed like no one she’d ever kissed before; when he entered her he teased her with his element, air, something he’d learned with Rose. He had no desire to make her his, just to let her know he was more than he appeared to be…more than cute.
She was up and gone before he woke in the morning. Rolling over in her bed and hugging a pillow he came alive slowly, not a morning person at all. When he did come alive he sat up in the bed and looked around getting his bearings. There was an empty wine bottle on the bedside table that accounted for the velvet tongue and head. He got up and went to the bathroom, took a shower, found his clothes and dressed.
In the kitchen he found a note telling him to make himself at home, she’d be back before dark. He helped himself to coffee and made some toast. Later he was walking down the road and got a ride into Napa where he claimed his car, paid for the hotel room he didn’t use and studied the map he’d taken from the hotel in San Francisco. Ellenridge…that was his destination today.
He put on his sunglasses and thought about Deb for a little bit, she had taught him a few things, but he hadn’t left her wanting, he knew that for a fact. It had been fun; he was smiling as he pulled out of the parking lot of the Best Western.
Part 3 - Ellenridge
He pulled into the first winery he came to that had a sign out for wine tasting, it was still early; they didn’t start until 10:30 so he spent some time walking around and having a look at the operation. Walking through the vineyards at designated areas he tasted a few grapes, pulled a few leaves and smelled them, tasted them, took note of how the vines were trimmed and trained. Still it was the size of the operation that amazed him. Acres upon acres of vines.
By 1:00 he’d worked his way through three wineries and with only a piece of toast in the morning he was beginning to feel a little heavy. There was no chance of a place to eat around there and he’d about decided to turn back when he saw the first little discreet sign posted along the road for Ellenridge vineyards. He pulled over to the side of the road and just stared at it, it was endless. He continued down the road, vineyards on both sides and then a sign announcing the winery. He pulled onto the road between yet more vines. It continued on over the low rolling hills winding about and finally trees and grass and rose bushes. He pulled into the designated parking area and parked alongside other cars.
Maxi didn’t have a plan; he didn’t feel he could just walk up and announce himself, he wasn’t that well acquainted with the American Duncan’s. He’d met his great Uncle and a few others, names he couldn’t remember, relationships he couldn’t remember. He’d been seventeen when his grandfather Aubrey Duncan passed away and obsessed with Rose at the time. He hadn’t thought he’d ever see these relatives again, hadn’t thought he’d ever need to.
He went into the tasting room and was given a card with the wines that were being served. He glanced at it knowing he didn’t really need any more wine until he’d eaten something. Someone handed him a glass and the next thing he knew he was sipping wine. He took several sips letting it roll around on his tongue, something about it familiar, he’d tasted this before or something very similar. He went through two more selections before he needed air…outside. He carefully sat his glass down and made for the door. He’d just cleared the walkway when he felt it coming up.
“That’s probably going to kill that rosebush.”
Maxi looked up an elderly woman handed him a bottle of water. “Merci,” he took the bottle and a small sip, “I’m sorry.” He shook his head a little.
“That’s the problem we see all the time, young people coming through these wineries with nothing on their minds but to drink themselves silly. No appreciation at all of what they’re drinking, just trying to get drunk.”
“No, no…I wasn’t” Maxi straightened up hoping his stomach was through and looked beyond her where two men were talking , the smaller of the two he knew, his Uncle James Duncan, Aubrey’s older brother. He rinsed his mouth out with the water and looked at the woman again, “I know him…he is my grandfather’s brother.”
She stared at him a moment, “Aubrey?”
“Oui.”
“You’re Connie’s boy?”
“Yes, Maxi Skinner.”
She turned around, “James…somebody here you might want to see. Come with me, Maxi.” She led him over to the two men. “James…this is Aubrey’s grandson, Maxi.”
James Duncan looked over his glasses, he was smaller in stature than Aubrey had been, same piercing blue eyes and white hair, though not as much as he’d had at the funeral. “Maxi? What in blue blazes are you doing here?” there was a light in his eye and Maxi smiled back.
“I came to see.”
“He’s been puking on the rosebushes.”
Maxi blushed.
James laughed, “What were you drinking?”
“I don’t think it was yours, I’ve been stopping along the way.”
“What are you doing here? Are you with your father?”
“No, I came alone…I just wanted to…see.”
“Where are you staying?’ the woman asked him.
“Um nowhere right now, I was in Napa last night.”
The woman looked at James, “We’ll put him up.” She turned to Maxi, “I’m your great Aunt May, James’s wife…I’m glad to meet you; are you parked down here somewhere?”
“Yes just there…”
“Get your car and follow me, I’m in the golf cart.”
Maxi couldn’t believe his luck, but it had embarrassed him, upchucking. He ran down to his car and backed out following May in the golf cart up a narrow pebbled road.
The old house appeared in sections, first the tall center portion made of stone sitting high on a hill, the closer you got wings appeared haphazardly off to the sides; the grounds were heavily planted with shrubs, rose bushes and trees some very old and gnarled. They stopped in a graveled area behind the house. Maxi got out of his car and looked at the view…vines to the horizon.
“This way,” she said and opened a door.
Maxi followed into the tiled hallway; it was cool in the house, dark and shadowy until they reached the front rooms where the light poured in from two storied windows. He followed her up a curved stairway to the second floor and down another hall to a room.
“We’ll put you in here.” May stood back and looked him over as he walked by, placing his bag on a bench at the foot of the bed.
He went to the window, “I’ve never seen so many vines, you know?”
“That’s not all of it…have you eaten?”
“Um no, only some toast early this morning.”
“I thought so; lunch is over here but I imagine Maria can find something for you, follow me…oh the bathroom is right there across the hall.”
“Thank you.” She was a short spare woman in her bright blue rolled up cotton pants and yellow knit top. Her rubber soled shoes made a squeaking sound every other step. Her steel gray hair was cut short, no nonsense style that suited the woman.
Once he was settled with a chicken sandwich some fresh fruit and a glass of iced tea she sat down across from him at the tiled kitchen table, “You said you came to see…see what Maxi?”
Maxi swallowed his sandwich, “I came to see if I could find something of my mother.”
“Connie…you never knew her did you? You won’t find her here in this place, they never lived here…over in Sonoma at Ellensgate. That’s where Aubrey lived with Sylvia. Our sons are living over there now. You look like your father, I met him when your Aunt Penny got married in Paris.”
“You didn’t come for the funeral of my grandfather?”
“No I’ve got an inner ear problem keeps me from flying. James went and the boys. I expect you’ll want to go over to Ellensgate, I’ll let ‘em know you’re here. You’re welcome to stay here for as long as you want just make yourself at home, supper is at six and we don’t dress for dinner. I’ve got work to do so I’ll leave you to yourself.” She got up from the table and gave him a pat on the shoulder and a little smile.
“Thank you…thanks very much.” Maxi watched her walk out of the kitchen. He finished up his meal and went outside wanting another look at that fantastic view.
Maxi spent the afternoon wandering around the house and grounds trying to get the feel of the place. It was nothing like La Siroque or Chambord; although the house was old it was new by his standards. He’d been up and changed his shirt and cleaned up a bit before dinner. Coming back down the stairs he heard his Uncle and went to find him in his study.
“Ah, Maxi come and sit.”
“Sir.”
“Maybe we’ll get a chance to talk for a minute before dinner, sorry I’ve been busy today you should have let us know you were coming.”
“I didn’t know myself until I was on a plane, and then I didn’t know how to contact anyone.”
“May says you’re trying to find something about your mother.”
“Yes, I never knew her you know and I only have photographs and a book she started when I was born. A baby book. My grandfather didn’t talk that much about her.”
“Umm, I remember her she was a quiet girl unlike her sister Penny. She favored Aubrey in looks, Penny looked like her mother, Sylvia. I believe she was in her early twenties when she left here. Married that English feller.”
“Not my father…”
“No his name was Smythe came over here for some kind of a meeting in San Francisco and ended up here on a tour. I don’t know all the details but I reckon they fell for each other. He went home and then came back and asked her to marry him and off she went to England, never came back. She and Bill were about the same age, Bill’s my oldest…lives over at Ellensgate.”
“Who was Ellen, everything is Ellen…”
“Ellen was my great grandmother, there’s a little booklet…” he reached over to the book lined shelves behind him and came up with a soft cover book, “you can keep this if you want, tells the history of the wineries and how they came to be.”
“Thank you…I am amazed at the size of this place…the vines.”
“Yeah it’s quite extensive, what you see here is only part of it, there’s two more vineyards one in Sonoma and one down toward Ruthford. What we have here is Zinfandel, old vines these are. Along the road you probably passed vineyards; one is a white zin and the other is newer still working on that one, but it’s a chardonnay.”
“I’d like to see where you make the wine.”
“I’ll set you up a tour. Now Aubrey had a pretty good set up as I recall, are you still working it?”
“Yes, I came into the chateau and vines last year. I have already put down a vintage.”
“Have you, hmm you’re a young man to be making wine already.”
“I had a good teacher; my father manages the estate and I have help you know.”
James smiled, “I wish you luck with it, Aubrey made some good wine.”