Sparring Partners (42 page)

That was another thing he hated about these
people. Their rumors and their lists. They rated everything from
restaurants and boats to how rich they were. No one seemed to give
a damn about anything they've
done
, just about how much they
had in their pockets, and who they were seen with.

"Hey slugger. Take it easy on that. You know
how I feel about high fructose corn syrup. Mixed with high doses of
caffeine, it's even worse." His mother's voice calmed him. So did
the quick hug she gave that he half-heartedly returned.

"Okay Gilbert-Grape, what's eating you?
You're tight enough to snap." She took his soda away, handed it to
the bartender and asked for a water. She handed him a bottle of
water taken from glacial ice or some other remote and exotic
location. He looked at it, shook his head and downed the contents
in five long swallows.

"Ten dollars worth of water, gone in less
than five seconds." He said.

"If it's not the water that's burning your
butter, what is it? I can't fix it if you don't tell me what's
wrong." Reed said, her tone echoing the concern in her eyes.

"You can't fix it, mom, and it's not worth
talking about." Jesse said, feeling guilty for worrying Reed when
she had enough to deal with, making excuses for Jordon's
non-appearance. Wow, the gossip mongers were sure loving that.

"Sorry." He said. "I'm not trying to stress
you out."

Read laughed and he smiled. He loved to hear
his mother laugh. She grabbed his hand and led him to the table
where Charlie, Sensei Schwartz and Thorson sat waiting for them.
Shay wandered around, taking his role as Reed's security,
seriously. He was never far away, and never too close that rumors
circulated about him. He was good at being an invisible threat.

"You don't stress me out, Jesse. You are my
son. Strong, funny, a little too quiet, but then, you're surrounded
with women who love to talk." She linked her arm in his and Jesse
was amazed at just how little she was, even in high heels. When he
first met her he'd have sworn she was six feet tall. Now, he knew
that was just Reed. She might be little, but her spirit was a great
and powerful thing.

He may have loomed over her, but she was
comfortable at his side as she leaned into his arm and smiled.
"You're a good man, Charlie Brown. I love you. You're the best
thing I ever did."

His heart flipped in his chest at her words
and the fact that she truly believed them. He'd lost one family in
his life, but he was never going to lose this one, the one that
chose him. He could feel himself blush and he didn't care. No one
was watching him anyway, although all eyes seemed to follow his
mother, tongues wagging right behind.

He guided her to the table, relived that for
the time-being no one else joined them. He could use some friendly
faces and friendly conversation. Charlie, who looked scholarly and
elegant in his tux, stood and gave him a quick hug.

"You look quite dapper, Jesse. I saw some of
the young ladies stealing looks." Charlie winked at him.

"Not the right kind of looks, Charlie, but
thanks."

"You wash up good, kid."

"Thanks, Sensei. So do you." Sensei grinned
at him and held up a glass with some sort of whisky, in silent
salute.

Not to be left out, Thorson added his two
cents. "You look almost as striking as your mother."

Jesse rolled his eyes, but Reed got a kick
of it, inclining her head regally toward Thorson. "Thank you, kind
sir." Then, she batted her eye lashes at him while fanning herself
dramatically. "To be compared with such utter masculine beauty
nearly steals my breath away." She said, in a completely
over-the-top Scarlet O'Hara accent.

Jesse held her chair out for her and tried
not to laugh. "Okay, mom. You made your point. Angry funk is
officially over."

"What's put a bee in your bonnet, kid?"
Sensei asked with his usual directness.

A chime sounded and everyone took their
seats in response, like cows lining up for the feeding trough after
the bell's rung. A conditioned response to a signal no one but the
cows and the rich and famous knew. Jesse smirked at his own wit,
pleased he didn't have to respond to Sensei's question.

Dinner was beginning.

Still no sign of Jordon.

Jesse gritted his teeth.

Salad was served first. Then some sort of
flavored ice. Then some tiny grapes and a small piece of warm
cheese with a zig-zag line of some sticky red sauce, on a plate
five times bigger than necessary, considering there wasn't enough
food on it to satisfy a gerbil. At this rate, he was going to
starve to death before dinner was actually served.

Sensei leaned over and whispered in his ear,
"We'll sneak out for pizza as soon as these blowhards stop
talking."

Jesse's stomach rumbled in response and he
resisted the urge to lick his plate. The sideways glances sent to
their table were embarrassing enough, he didn't need to add to
them.

Between each miniature course, another
person got up to speak. The speeches were all the same. How great
Jordon was. How lucky, or devious, his mother was to land such a
catch. Yada, Yada, Yada. He'd had his fill by the time the chilled
yogurt soup arrived. Who ate yogurt soup and miniature grapes and
one piece of cheese covered in red goo anyway?

And, where in the hell was Mr.
Wonderful?

Nowhere. That's where.

Still, his mother was here, taking their
crap and smiling.

Before he knew what was happening, Jesse was
on his feet. Worse than that, his mouth was working and he had no
idea what he was saying. His voice was calm and steady, pleasant
even, as he listened to himself speak from somewhere outside of
himself. Never had this happened to him before.

"Excuse me. I've been listening to all of
you speak about my step-father and my mother, for three days now.
You all seem to know Jordon. I thought I knew him pretty well too,
but the man I know is not the man you describe. The Jordon I know
plants gardens, cuts grass, and fixes things that need fixing. He's
funny, he's honest, and the only time he cares about money is when
he's trying to figure a way to make Potters Woods more efficient.
I've never heard him talk about the benefits of teak versus mimosa
rubbed mahogany as trim for yachts. The Jordon I know wouldn't give
a shit."

The feigned outrage at his language made him
smile, Lily's not-so-subtle thumbs up sign made him stand
taller.

"It's also quite clear to me that none of
you took the time to get to know my mother at all. If you had,
you'd see that it's Jordon who's lucky to have her." He looked at
his mother, who sat there at the table with a quiet dignity and a
glimmer of pride in her eyes. She didn't try to stop him, for which
he was grateful. Charlie winked at him, and Jesse started again,
looking from table to table.

"Had any of you bothered to open your minds,
you would have seen a woman who is gracious and kind. She's
certainly been kinder to all of you than you deserve. She's funny
and warm, and she can carry on a conversation about more than just
designers and diamonds."

"While all of you look around and only see
what you've got, compared with everyone else in the room, my mom
looks at what she's done. And she's done a hell of a lot. She's
made the lives of everyone at this table better. She and my aunt
started a home for the aged, where everyone is treated with dignity
and respect, and gets the care their bodies and their spirits
need."

Jesse felt Sensei standing beside him.
Charlie and Thorson were standing too. Shay came and stood on the
opposite side of Reed while two more people joined them. Since they
were directly behind him, and he didn't turn, he didn't get to see
who it was. Jesse was on a roll, and he didn't seem to be able to
stop.

"My mother, this woman you see and look
right through because she doesn't fit in your world, does more than
write checks to charity. My mother saves people. She actually makes
their lives better. That's who she is. Jordon saw that, and that's
why he married her. That's why he loves her. He's not the man you
all seem to think he is. He's better than that. He's just like my
mom, that's why they're so good together. I'm just glad he hasn't
been here to see you all look right past her. My guess is, if he
had been, he'd be choosing new friends."

Jesse felt two strong hands on his
shoulders, startling him.

"It appears that my son speaks more
eloquently than I do. Thank you all for coming. I'm sorry I wasn't
here to greet you today, but there was a family emergency which
required my immediate attention. Please stay and enjoy your dinner.
I'm taking my family home."

Jordon spun Jesse around and enveloped him
in a strong hug that took his breath away. "I'm proud of you,
Jesse. I hope you will let me call you my son. I know Charlie calls
you son too. Maybe we can take turns."

Jesse didn't know what to say to that, so he
said nothing, and hugged Jordon back as hard as he could.

"Come on guys, let's go home."

CHAPTER FIFTY-NINE

...Intellect and compassion are ladders we
climb,

and there are other ladders as we walk

the night hearing a voice that talks of
forgiveness...

Rumi,~13th Century

Irma's funeral was supposed to be a small
ceremony, family for the most part, some friends she'd made from
day programming, and others from church who wished to pay their
respects. Most everyone in town knew Irma, and as crotchety as she
could be, most everyone liked her.

There was a small announcement in the
Burlington Press giving the time, date and location. They asked the
minister from Irma's church to come along with the pagan priestess
who Irma enjoyed intellectually sparing with when she held
workshops on the grounds. Peter was there too, just in case a bit
of Buddhism or Zen was needed. All in all, it was to be an eclectic
service of joy for a life long and well lived. Not a long, formal,
or fussy ceremony. Irma hated fussy. What she wanted was her ashes
swimming with the fishes, and her family seeing the deed done.

Just in case they underestimated the number
of people who may attend, Reed and Finn ordered food for fifty,
thinking they could always donate the leftovers to the woman's
shelter.

The morning of the funeral celebration,
exactly one week from the day she died in Jordon's arms on the
pier, dawned temperate and clear. It was warm, but a cool easterly
breeze flowed through the air, sounding the large wind chimes in
the meadow near the pond, sending resonate vibrations through Reed
and Finn as they set the food out in preparation, large screened
covers keeping deerhounds, cats and bugs out of the breakfast fare
until the service was complete.

They planned for twenty-five, bought food
for fifty, and by the time the service began more than five hundred
people made their way into the meadow, with more coming.

"Henry, calm down." Henry spun around when
Reed touched his arm, tapping his right ear as he spun toward
her.

"Copy that." He wasn't talking to her but to
one, or all, of the men he had stationed in the crowd. "Don't sneak
up on me Reed, especially when I'm working."

Reed rolled her eyes. "You're always
working. And I don't sneak. I do however have a plan to save you
from having a heart-attack and joining Irma."

"Let's hear it."

He was humoring her, and she knew it.

"You've got twenty men, right?"

"Yes. Not nearly enough. Not with this
crowd."

"So don't worry about the crowd. Shay's
here, so are William's men. Put all the family in one spot and do
your pit-bull routine on us. You can protect us much more easily if
we're all together. Right?"

"That would be true if you and that
hard-headed aunt of yours stayed put."

"Will you calm down if we do?" Reed
asked.

"Yes."

"Fine." Reed looked over Henry's shoulder at
Finn and tapped her own right ear.

"Mission accomplished. Junk yard dog with
the program, over."

"Copy that." Came Finn's reply, right behind
Henry.

"Cute. Very cute ladies. If this weren't a
funeral, I'd take you both over my knee."

"Irma would get a kick out of seeing you
try." Finn said, kissing her husband. "Go ahead, give it your best
shot."

Shay came up and took both women by the hand
and led them down to the pier where Jordon, Jesse and Charlie were
waiting to spread Irma's ashes. "If you ladies will come with me-"
he glowered at Reed, "-and
stay
with me until this is over,
we can begin."

"You look very nice in your suit, Shay."
Finn said.

"Flattery will not keep me from doing my
job, no matter how beautiful the woman is." Shay responded.

"Stop flirting with my wife, O'Shay, or
we'll be doing more than a few rounds in the ring when this is
over." Henry said.

"Copy that, boss."

...

The ceremony was lovely. Jordon didn't cry,
he'd save that for dusk, when he and the rest of his family said
their private goodbyes to Irma. Reed and Finn buzzed efficiently
all week, settling as much of Irma's estate as possible. As it
turned out, she left most of her money, and she had a lot, to
Potters Woods in trust. Some went to her church, some to the pagan
church, and the rest, over half a million dollars, went to
Jesse.

The kid was stunned. But that was Irma,
unpredictable, always stirring the pot, and unfailingly generous to
those who least expected it.

Every person Lily invited to the cottage for
Jordon and Reed's reception last weekend appeared. Jordon chose to
believe that most came because they had a change of heart after
Jesse's impromptu speech. He wasn't naive enough though to believe
that's why they all came.