August 9th (18 page)

Tess, please be healthy and happy.

Dear Tess,

On January 2
^nd
, Caroline gave birth to Nicolas Theodore Stone.

As with Emily the pregnancy and delivery went without a hitch and once again the entire family was at the UCLA Medical Center to welcome our latest addition. I don’t know where Reed finds those candy cigars but he passed them out again.

With a real estate market that’s still tanking and buyer’s finding it very difficult to qualify for a jumbo loan Caroline and Reed thought they might be stuck in their small condo even though they found a new house they loved. When they showed me the 5 bedroom, 4 bathroom, two story craftsman style home in a beautiful area of Santa Monica, I too, thought it was perfect for their growing family.

A week later I asked them to show me the house again. As we drove up Caroline yelled, “They sold it, there’s a
sold sign on it!” Then, as we were getting ready to drive away a Mercedes drove up. It was the listing broker. I insisted we all get out of the car and find out from the broker who bought the house and when it was sold. As we approached her she opened her purse and pulled out a set of keys. She only said one word before pandemonium broke out. Looking directly at Reed and Caroline she held out the keys and said, “Congratulations!”

One of the joys of my life is sharing all I can with my family and those I love. This house was a no brainer. The day after I saw it for the first time I met with the broker and worked out an all cash deal with the title in Caroline and Reed’s names. The day after they were handed the keys, armed with all the dimensions, Dad took his beautiful daughter and handsome son-in-law out for a furniture shopping spree. The thought that kept running through my mind as I bought the house and the furniture was how proud Maggie would be of what I had done.

As she did with Em, Caroline had Nick (the obvious choice for his nickname) tested for possible autism symptoms as soon as he was old enough. She was particularly concerned because the pattern was the same as with Ben, a boy followed the first child who was a girl. Thank God there are absolutely no irregular behavioral disorders and Nick is a perfectly healthy baby boy.

Hopefully we’re going to have a new President named Barack Obama. Although I’ve been disappointed he hasn’t taken a stronger stance on keeping us out of wars, and getting us out of Iraq immediately, he’s
certainly the only sane option considering our other choice is war hawk McCain. Besides, how can I not support a guy who graduated from Harvard Law and there’s no question he’s a very bright man with a beautiful family. It’s also about time we had a President of color.

Assuming he wins, he’s going to inherit a real mess. Our economy is probably in the worse shape since the Great Depression and correcting that humongous problem is going to be like trying to maneuver an aircraft carrier through a slalom course.

I’ve been training but not racing and surprisingly I’m thinking of an Ironman triathlon next year if I can qualify and my body can stand the training. I’ve joined a tri club and it’s been a great way to meet training partners since attrition has hit my old crew.

There’s also a very cute, very fit gal I met at the tri club who I’ve not only been training with but also dating. Sandy is an absolute sweetheart, very bright and she even laughs at my jokes. She’s forty-five with one son who’s a junior at UCLA. She’s been divorced for three years and is great company. Like every other woman I’ve dated she can’t believe I’m single. I’m beginning to believe what Caroline’s been telling me and that maybe I really am a good catch.

Our dating pattern is to follow a great workout together with a nice dinner. I know I’m never going to find another Maggie but I’m beginning to think maybe Caroline’s right and I should make myself more available. Luckily, Sandy is very understanding and is fine taking things slowly although she did say, “Will you
please kiss me like you really mean it. I won’t bite, oh, maybe just a little nibble.” Not surprisingly, I find myself constantly aroused when I’m with Sandy which she finds very appealing. She also takes full responsibility for solving that problem.

Unfortunately it’s only a matter of time until I say goodbye to my dear, dear friend, Sarah. Her mind has been taken over by the Alzheimer’s. She remains one of the most loving, giving people I have ever known. She made all our lives so much better and I can’t imagine what we would have done without her. I have tried to do all I can to help her and her family but it can never match the joy and happiness she gave us. I guess there’s symmetry of life in this letter as I started by introducing the joy of celebrating a new life and close by my sadness of having to say goodbye to a dear friend very soon.

Tess, I have learned much in my life and now I never fight back the tears. I’ve also learned to celebrate all that you have meant to me.

Dear Tess,

Sadly, our beautiful friend and family member lost her battle with Alzheimer’s in October. Even though we knew the day when Sarah was no longer with us was rapidly approaching it’s always difficult to say goodbye for the last time.

Caroline, Reed, Ben and I all flew up for the funeral and celebration of her life. Everyone was relieved that Sarah was now at peace and suffering no longer. Caroline and I both have a large framed photograph of her being hugged by Ben, Maggie, Caroline and myself at a surprise birthday party we had for her many years ago. That photo and what it represents is how I will remember Sarah.

On the other end of the spectrum called life Em, soon to be 5 and Nick, soon to be 2, are wonderfully healthy and so much fun to spoil. I love having them so close by and I’m back to answering questions, only now with
Emily. The conversation I really enjoy is when Emily starts bombarding her Mother with probing questions. Nick is very much like his Dad. He has no fears and must go through a box of those crazy colored kid band aids a week. Reed’s Mom, Carol, got out the photo albums of Reed when he was a toddler and Nick looks exactly the same.

I’ve assumed the role of being in charge of posting videos to the Brewster’s new family Facebook page. Speaking of Facebook, three or four years ago I had an opportunity to invest in the company and passed for a reason I probably choose to forget. That decision is especially painful since Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg fits my profile of brilliant guys who dropped out of big time colleges (Harvard) only to then change the world. Several good friends of mine from Silicon Valley did invest early on and should cash out big time when Facebook goes public.

BenScapes is now incorporated and profitable as Ben keeps churning out those beautiful abstract seascapes. The Santa Monica newspaper even did a story about him in May. They came out to the house and photographed Ben working alongside Phil in our backyard. The theme of the story was “Beyond Autism” and every week for a month a different adult with autism who has adjusted well into society was profiled. I have never been prouder of my son.

I guess you could call Sandy and I a couple, at least we’re exclusive. She’s a very special lady and has been very patient with me in so many ways. Her great sense
of humor has helped me get past some very awkward moments. Maggie was just about the only woman I ever had sex with until recently. I don’t count the casual relationships during my senior year of high school or the several college flings I had prior to meeting Maggie. Let’s say they pretty much adhered to President Clinton’s definition of not having sexual relations. I know I’ve conveniently left out the affair with Hope. That was not by accident but for reasons of guilt.

We had our first sexual encounter last September. We had dinner reservations at 7:00 and decided to go for a run about 5:00 from the house. Sandy pretty much has her own bathroom at the house but on this day she surprised me and walked into the shower with me. Besides being even hotter naked than I could ever imagine she was very playful. I tried to slow down and think of math problems or state capitals but she sort of overwhelmed me and I literally exploded. Luckily we were already very wet. When I told her it had been a long time she gave me a classic Sandy response, “I sure hope so because your powerful fire hose almost threw me into the wall. Luckily, I think I can adjust the nozzle. I’ll take it as my personal responsibility” How can any man not appreciate that response?

My Ironman triathlon will have to wait another year. In February I reinjured the hamstring I’ve had trouble with before during a long training run. It seems hamstrings have memories of their own and I had to take a couple months off. I’m back putting in more mileage and I’ll delay my first Ironman till next year.

Unfortunately, I’ve been very disappointed in President Obama. Not only are we still in Iraq but now we have Afghanistan to worry about.

Happy Anniversary Tess! The wonderful memory of what I saw in your eyes for those brief seconds in Anaheim have carried and inspired me for the last forty years.