Summer Seasonings
At
The House of Four Seasons
By Atonia Walpole
Part 2:
Warm summer days followed and they settled into a lazy time by the pool or on the beach.
“You’ve already got a tan going, Toni.”
“It’s from sailing. Can you imagine how cold the ocean is around here in April?”
“No, I shouldn’t want to think about it.” He dug his foot into the sand. “How far did you sail?”
“All up and down the coast. Sometimes we put in at a little village and walked around, found a meal.”
“Sounds like fun.”
“It was.”
“Did you ever go back and see your auntie?”
“No, but I did call and give her my mobile number. I have talked with her. She always asks about you and doesn’t understand why I don’t go to England and live with you.”
“It has occurred to me that I have never taken you anywhere.”
“We went to Boston.”
“That doesn’t count. We’ll think about it. Think about where you’d like to go.”
“Anywhere with you, Max.”
Later that evening she got a phone call from her auntie. Her grandmother was in the hospital and not expected to live. Toni was upset and torn as to what to do. Her grandmother lived in Richmond, Virginia.
“There is no question, Toni. You will go and I will go with you.”
“But, Max, we can’t. We’d have to fly.”
“Have you never been on a plane?”
“Yes, but it’s the time, Max.”
“Don’t worry about it. I’ll make all the arrangements…we’ll be fine, darling.”
Max went online and got their tickets. They were to fly out of Logan in Boston. Toni packed for both of them, aware she may never see this place again. She was in tears when they drove out of the gates.
“Pull yourself together, love. I wouldn't let anything happen to you.”
“It’s not me, it’s you, Max. This is dangerous ground.” Max smiled and took her hand.
It was early morning when they arrived in Richmond and took a taxi to the hospital. Toni conferred with the nurses before going into her grandmother’s room.
“Mamam, it’s Toni.” She leaned over the bed, alarmed at the number of tubes and wires protruding from the sheet.
The old lady opened her eyes and a light came into them. “Toni,” her voice was weak as she continued, “I never thought to see you again.”
“I’m so sorry I haven’t been to see you.”
“I’m glad you’re here. I’m not going to make it, Toni.”
“Don’t say that, Mamam. Sure you will.”
“No, my time has come. Who is this with you?”
“This is my husband, Max Skinner.” Max stepped forward and took her hand in his.
“Mrs. Stanley, I’m happy to meet you.”
“Mamam, I’m Mamam. Toni named me that when she was very young. I raised her, you know, after my son and her mother were killed in the auto accident.”
“I didn’t know. She’s turned out very well.”
“Yes, she has.” Mamam reached for her glasses and Toni handed them to her. She looked at Max for a long time, holding his hand, recognition dawning as to what he was but she said nothing about it. She smiled at him and tightened her grip on his hand. “I’m glad she has you.”
Max nodded his head.
They spent most of the day with her Mamam, only leaving once to check into the hotel. At the last minute Max had reserved a suite, with two bedrooms. Later that night Max left Toni in the hospital room and walked outside into a little prayer garden and sat on a bench. It was getting close. He summoned his brothers.
He explained the situation to them. “I’d like for you all to go up and meet her. She knows who I am.”
“How does she know? Did you tell her?” John wanted to know.
“No, but she knows.”
When they left the elevator and walked to her room, two doctors were coming out. Max walked in to Toni, “What happened, love?”
“She’s going, Max.” She bit her lip and buried her face in his shoulder.
“Your seasons are here. Would you mind if they see her?”
“They’re all here…? I wouldn’t mind at all.”
The four of them stood on either side of her bed with Toni at the foot. When she opened her eyes she gazed from one to the other and back at Max, who introduced them and called them his brothers.
“I know your brothers and I know you.” She looked at her granddaughter and with her last breath sighed contentedly, "I know where you are now.”
The room began filling with nurses and doctors and Max led a sobbing Toni from the room, his brothers following down to a small waiting room.
“How did she know us?” John wondered.
“She’s been to the house,” Jack replied. “At sometime in her youth, she was there.”
“I’m glad we met her. She’s at rest now that she knows where Toni is.” Terry sat down on the little sofa next to her. “I’m sorry, Toni.”
Toni wiped her eyes with the tissues Max handed her. “Thank you, Terry, thank you all for being here.”
John walked out into the hallway and met her grandmother’s doctor who wanted to talk to her. Jack and Terry joined him while Toni and Max talked with the doctor.
“This is going to take a while, you know,” John commented, pacing back and forth. “There will be a funeral. She’ll have to be here.”
“That’s why we’re all here.” Jack leaned against the wall.
“How long do you think, John?” Terry asked.
John stopped pacing. “Funeral's usually within two or three days, then there will be her estate to settle. She might be able to do that from the house. I hope she had a will. That will make it easier. Either way we’re looking at another trip down here.”
“We need to arrange for some mode of transportation. Who has a driver’s license?” Jack asked.
John and Terry both spoke up. “Mine’s English,” Terry added.
“It might be better if you see about renting a car. I need to update mine,” John remarked.
“You’ve been driving about with an outdated license? You a sheriff?” Jack raised a brow.
John shrugged and Terry pressed his lips together suppressing a smile.
“Take my phone, Terry.” John handed it over. “We’ll get one for you tomorrow.”
Terry walked away from them and got in touch with a car rental agency. “They’re going to deliver it here, take about an hour.”
“Good man.” Jack stepped back to let the doctor out of the room. They all followed him back inside.
One look at Toni and Max told Jack they needed some rest. “Terry has a car coming. I suggest we go down and wait for it. I assume you have booked accommodations, Max?”
“Yes, I have a suite, two bedrooms and a pull out. I’m afraid you'll have to make do.”
“We've bedded down in much worse, have we not, Terry?” Terry nodded.
Once back at the hotel Max put Toni to bed and joined the others for a drink, he’d been up for nearly thirty hours.
Terry raided the mini bar and grew the bottles to a more useful size as he poured them each a shot.
“You should go to bed, Max. You’re asleep on your feet,” John observed.
“I am. I just wanted a moment to let you know…"
“No words are necessary, Max. We all know why we are here and what we must do together. Go to bed, man.” Jack knocked back his shot. “Pray what was that vile liquid?”
Terry grinned, “Johnny Walker Red.”
Max swallowed his drink and winced. “I’ll see you later. You can sort yourselves out for sleeping.”
They flipped a coin for the sofa bed and Terry lost. Jack and John took the two beds in the bedroom.
Max and Toni slept in the next morning and when John and Jack emerged from their room it was to find the sofa bed put back in order and Terry gone.
“What could he be up to? He should know what must be done this morning.” Jack paced over to the window while John made a pot of coffee.
“He’s probably running, Jack. He does that every morning according to Toni.”
A knock on the door proved to be a hot and sweaty Terry. “Ta mate, forgot about the door being locked.” He came into the room and looked at Max’s bedroom door. “Still at it?”
John turned around, frowning, and Jack smiled, “Yes, haven’t surfaced yet.”
“I’m for the shower.” Terry went into their room to wash.
Max was slowly coming to life and placed his hand on Toni’s hip. She was spooned against him. He looked over at the small clock radio. They had a little time yet. Toni moved against him and he kissed her neck.
“Morning, love.”
“Umm…coffee?”
A cup appeared on her beside table. Max noted her magic was still strong but unless they renewed themselves it would not be for long. “We have to wake up, love.”
Toni finished in the bathroom and Max donned a robe. “Come, love, there is something we must do.” He opened the bedroom door.
“God damn, man!” exclaimed Jack. “Have you looked at him this morning, Toni?”
Toni still not really awake looked over at Max. “Um, yes, he always looks like this in the morning. Cute isn’t he?”
Max smiled pleasantly and walked over to his brothers.
“Toni, we are going to renew our magic,” Jack began. “Each of us carries twenty-four hours, but for it to work each of us has to touch you. You will be kissed and passed from one to the other very quickly. Do not fight it.”
“Just go with it, Toni,” John added.
Max took her in his arms and kissed her, turned her to Terry who did the same thing, quickly turning her to John and John to Jack.
Jack released her, her eyes wide. “Do you feel it, Toni?”
She stood very quietly for a moment, still a little rattled from all the kissing, but she did feel it flowing through her and she smiled, “I do feel it…do all of you feel it?” They did.
“Okay, that’s five days, ” John said, picking up his coffee from the counter in the little kitchenette.
“She has to contact her grandmother’s clergyman this morning and make the arrangements for the funeral,” Max explained, looking for a cup in the kitchen. Not finding one, he made one appear and poured a cup of coffee. “We should be able to leave after that.”
“Auntie Sara will want to come, Max. Mamam was her sister-in-law.”
“Where does she live?” Terry asked.
“Boston. I’m going to call this number the doctor gave me for her clergyman.” Toni took out her phone and went back to the bedroom.
“I didn’t know she had a relative that close by. We might have visited.” Terry also was looking for a coffee cup.
Max turned, “I’ve met her, a very sweet lady, wonders why Toni doesn’t come to England and live with me year round.”
“That might get a bit tricky, then, if I took her to visit.”
“You’re good with words, Terry. I’m sure you could come up with something, perhaps grow a beard, buy some spectacles.”
“No mate, that’s not on. Where did you find that cup?”
Max snapped his fingers and grinned. A cup appeared in Terry’s hand.
“Card tricks next?”
“I shouldn’t be wasting magic, my brothers, we may need all we have before this trip is over.” Jack had dressed and was tying his hair back.
Toni came out of the bedroom, “Okay, I’ve an appointment with the clergy at 11:00. After that we have to choose a casket at the funeral home and I’ve called Auntie. I said we’d make her travel arrangements for her and her maid and call back and let her know when to be at the airport and so forth.”
“I’ll make the arrangements for her." Max pulled out his phone.
“You’re the driver, Terry,” John stated. “I’m going to take a shower.
“I could have driven,” Max said, getting into the car.
“Not when it’s on my permit. Ya get pulled over and try explain that.”
“I’d tell them I’m you only better looking. Do you have any idea where you’re going?”
Toni handed the instructions over the seat to Max, who navigated.
“Are you coming in?” she asked Terry when they pulled in front of the parsonage.
“No, luv, I’ll come back for ya.”
Toni gave him her phone. “Max will call.”
Terry went back to the hotel and picked up John and Jack.
Max walked out to the end of the drive and called Terry to come and get them. He’d been fed tea and biscuits and that had only reminded him that he’d had no breakfast.
“We stop at the funeral home,” Toni said as they got into the car, she in between Max and John in the back seat.
“For lunch? Oh, can’t we eat before we go there, Toni? I’m starving.” Max moaned from the back seat.
“I think I’d rather eat before, too,” John spoke up.
“We don’t have to go in there,” Terry said over the seat. “How long could it take?”
“I’ll go in with you, Toni,” Jack said, “the rest of you can sit in the car.” He got out and opened the back door.
“Thank you, Jack,” Toni murmured as they walked inside. “I don’t like this place, Jack, a place who’s business is death.”
“It’s not a very pleasant thought. What we do at sea is much better, I believe.”
Jack was at her side while she completed her choice and made arrangements with the home.
“Now that’s completed we can feed your husband,” Jack said as they walked through the door. Toni stopped and looked at him.
“You’re my husband, too.”
“Not this season, my pet. You’re wearing Max’s ring. You belong to him.” He
kissed her lightly on the cheek and led her to the car.
Once back in the car Max took her hand. “Sorry, darling…for being a pig.”
“You aren’t a pig.” She leaned against his shoulder, looking down at her left hand where the diamond circlet graced her finger. “You’ve been here for me every step of the way, taking the initiative and making things happen.” She glanced at John’s hands on his knees beside her. He wasn’t wearing his wedding ring.
They found a place for lunch and then stopped off at a mall to find Terry a phone. As they walked though the mall heads were turning in their direction. “We should get out of here.” Toni said. “These people go to movies.”
Jack, dressed casually in a pair of jeans and a white shirt with his hair tied back, was getting smiles from passing ladies. “I think you are correct, my pet.” But he did smile back, Toni noticed.
It gave her a bit of a rush walking with all four of them, each so handsome, each so different, each belonging to her. She was quite proud of them.