Summer Seasonings
At
The House of Four Seasons
By Atonia Walpole
Part 3:
Terry dropped Max and Jack off at the hotel and she and Terry went to the airport to pick up her Auntie.
“You’ve been chauffering all day,” she said quietly as they drove to the airport.
“It’s something I can do, Toni. I’m not much good for anything else right now.”
“You’re here with me and I’m drawing from your quiet strength.”
“You can have all of it. I give it to you.”
“There is no all of it, Terry. I’ve never found the bottom of you.” Toni was aware this conversation could not go on. She wished now someone else had ridden with them. She turned, looking out the window, trying to think of something besides the man behind the wheel at her side.
“How will you explain all of us to your Auntie?”
“I’m not sure, Terry. She knows Max and knows we’re married.”
He pulled into the airport and found a parking space. “Maybe you won’t have to explain.” He met her eyes briefly and turned and got out of the car. He came around to her side and opened her door, drawing her out and into him for a moment. Leaving his hands on the car door and the roof of the car, he kissed her softly. Employing all the control he had, he backed away and let her out of the car door and closed it.
“Let’s go find Auntie.” He took her hand as they walked into the airport.
She introduced him simply as Terry Thorne and he gathered their luggage and carried it to the car bringing the car up to the door. He was very good with her Auntie, helping her from the wheelchair they’d brought and stowing it in the trunk of the car, talking with her.
The conversation back to the hotel was about the arrangements and the songs that might be sung at the funeral. Terry called her Mum once and she loved that, stating that she never had any sons but that she might adopt him. Terry called ahead and Max met them at the entrance to the hotel.
“Hello, Auntie.” He gave her a kiss after transferring her to the wheelchair.
“Max, how good to see you. Sorry about this wheeled contraption but I can’t walk very far and Letty can’t carry me.” Her maid smiled and patted her shoulder.
“Looks a good ride to me,” he smiled and pushed her to the elevator. He’d managed to get a suite of rooms identical to the one he had on the same floor.
Max sat and talked with Auntie for awhile and Terry brought up the luggage, Lettie telling him where to put it. Auntie Sara looked from Max to Terry.
“I think you must be related somehow. Max didn’t you tell me you didn’t have any family left except a cousin or something?”
“Yes, Auntie, I did.” Max glanced at Toni.
Terry picked it up. "He has brothers, tries to deny us, but here we are. There are two others. I’m sure you’ll meet them tomorrow.”
“You have different last names?”
“Yes, mum. You see, Dad never married our mothers,” Terry smiled and left Max with it.
Toni had to look away and cover her mouth. That was clever of him.
“Oh!” Auntie’s eyes widened.
Back in their own suite Max shook his head. “Thanks, Terry, for clarifying our relationship.”
“Ta mate, anytime,” Terry smiled, shifting on the sofa to make room for Max.
“So what are we doing for dinner?” Max asked.
“The restaurant in the hotel looks pretty good. I had a look at the menu,” John suggested.
“Do they serve alcohol?”
“Full bar, Max,” John replied.
“Toni?”
“Sounds good. I’m not up to going out anywhere tonight. Kinda tired.”
They went down to dinner and afterwards Terry, Jack and Max went to the bar for another drink. John came upstairs with Toni.
He took her hand in the elevator. “You doing okay, Toni?”
“Yes, it’s stressful, you know, this whole thing. Mamam dying, all of us here, tomorrow there’s a viewing, next day the funeral. I’ll just be glad when it’s over and we can go home.”
“I think you’re holding up great.” He squeezed her hand.
“Want some coffee?” he asked when he shut the door to their suite.
“Seems strange you asking me that. Yes, I would like some.”
“It’s our turn to take care of you.” He got the pot going and sat down on the sofa with her.
“You are all doing a good job. So we’ve got magic for four more days?”
“Yeah, what did you think about the renewal this morning?”
“It happened so fast I wasn’t sure what was going on. We each gave each other a day?”
“Yes, that’s what happened, passing from one to the other though you and to you.”
Toni leaned her head back on the sofa. “That’s why it was done so fast.” She turned and grinned at him. “Why not just kiss each other?”
“What…we don’t kiss guys. We kiss you.” John kissed her, taking her face in his hand.
“Better watch out there, Biebe.”
“I can kiss you. I just can’t take you in there.” He nodded toward the bed and got up and poured her coffee.
“It’s not an easy thing, you know, having you all here. Magic rules don’t take away the desire.”
“No, they don’t.” He sat back down. “Just don’t ever break them, Toni…don’t.”
“I won’t, no, I wouldn’t want to. I’m Max’s wife now.”
“Max is doing the right thing with you. I wish you could have come sooner and visited when she was alive.”
“I know. I really regret that. I think they’re back. Max should have a key.”
“Aren’t we cozy,” he said, coming over to her. John got up. “We had a drink to your Mamam.”
“Did you? She would have liked that.”
“I need to take you to bed.” Max looked into her eyes.
“Yes you do, Max,” she said softly.
“Is it too much love?” he asked, taking off his shoes. “Having them all here?”
“Too much…stay close to me.”
“I’m going to do better than that, I’m going to love you until you fall asleep and tomorrow you will not be out of my sight.”
“Oh, Max, that’s just what I need…I need you.”
Max was true to his word. They visited with her Auntie in the afternoon and later as it grew closer to the time to leave for the wake, Jack and John and Terry came to her room.
“Well,” she said looking from one to the other, “you certainly must have had a handsome father.”
“We have come, Miss Stanley, to escort you to the wake.” Jack bowed and kissed her hand.
“I have never had such handsome men in attendance before.”
Toni smiled as they charmed and tenderly cared for her Auntie, helping her in the car and out into her chair. She looked up at Max and took his arm. He’d been at her side all day.