voice carried the emotion that we all felt.
“I love you Elena.”
Lu joined the very short conversation within our huddle.
The three of us had developed a true love for one another and our get together was always remarkable and very satisfying. The reconnect repaired the damage that our being separated caused.
It was nearly automatic that we tried to show our appreciation, one for the other by working to kiss and further touch the others. I felt them kissing me; Michael focused on my neck and Lu had her lips on my cheek. I kissed them in return, not caring where my lips landed.
Eventually we separated from each other but were graced to keep, at least for awhile, all of the rich and rewarding feelings that our connected bodies gave to us. The peacefulness and love were carried by each of us into the following hours.
Emotion was so strong that a sphincter squeeze couldn’t hold back my tears as I looked at their fabulous faces; not realizing just how much I had missed them until that very moment.
Michael’s scent was of wild honeysuckle and musk and totally delicious to me. Lu was beyond pretty, she was beautiful and glowed from within. Everything about her was precious and missed by me. Listening for any sound that she made or any words that she spoke with intensity in order to hear her accent, I waited to get the feel of fun that she gave to every sentence.
We struggled with my purse, laptop, and sketch pad because we tried to remain connected while going through customs and gathering my luggage. It didn’t take long until we were in sync. We knew it to be true as soon as we heard our stomachs growl at the same time. We laughed.
“Good thing we’re going to dinner,” Michael said.
We were non-stop dialogue; we had so much to say and so many questions to ask. They bombarded me with need for information about the family and my designs and the catch web business.
“Elena,” Lucy started. “Please, how is the children?” Her accent made me miss the question all together.
Lu tried again with, “Ollie, Kevin, and Margarita?”
“Sorry Lucy, I’m just so happy to see you and hear you that I’m not really listening.”
“Well, let me see, about my kids – Ollie’s become the official legal representative for both the ‘Three Women’ design mechanism and ‘The Catch’ business. He was instrumental in getting ‘The Catch’ into the Olympics. Because of the work he did to entice the committee into accepting “The Catch’; I also got to endorse the catch object for the games. You guys will be glad to know that the object that I gave you all those months ago is the very first one in existence and probably considered quite valuable.”
“Kevin, with Kathy at his side, spearheads the ‘Web business’ for the catch objects. He expanded the business to meet the crazy demand that’s grown substantially since the kids did ‘The Catch on Tour’ and took the catch to schools across the states. About the only involvement I have with the objects anymore is that they still allow me to design new ones and to design the objects for the catch in a number of schools. Kevin bought the house next door that used to belong to Mr. Mendel; so, he’s close if we need each other.”
“Margaret’s finishing up school but when she’s home she works with Kevin and Kathy designing objects. I think she’s taken over most of the requests from schools for their individual catch objects. She’s really focused and makes me proud. She and Ollie also have an alliance and plan to open a law practice together as soon as she completes school. When she’s home, she stays in the cottage on the property.”
“They have some big plans coming up that have to do with the United Nations that will include all of them. I don’t have the details but I don’t think that all of the details have been ironed out.”
Michael was chomping at the bit with a question of his own that I didn’t seem to be getting to fast enough.
“And, Denice, how’s she doing?”
Both Lu and I laughed at his eagerness.
My sister had always been a favorite of Michael’s. She isn’t anything like me except that we both have a great passion for design. Denice is a beautiful woman both inside and out. Everyone, both men and women alike, are taken with her as soon as they see her. She practically radiates goodness and love; she makes people feel good about themselves and about her. She’s talented and exudes confidence most of the time; she’d only show her insecurities to me because we’re close and she knows that she’s safe with me. I love her more than seems possible; she draws it out of me. She’s my rock and I’m the same for her.
“Denice is completely in her element and as happy as I’ve ever seen her. She and Sam have a beautiful home in San Francisco and spend most of their weekends in Monterey where they just bought another place. Sam sold his business and retired so now he’s a ‘house husband’ but helps us out with the design business when she asks for it. It’s not unusual to see Sam at the store front down town covering things when there’s a need.”
It didn’t get past me that they hadn’t asked after Charlie or Tut, for that matter. That’s only odd because Charlie and Tut are as much a part of my family as are my children. Being more connected to them on a daily basis than any others gives them the privilege of being called family.
At the local restaurant we sat and continued to talk even after we’d finished our meal. They filled me in on what was happening in their lives. Lu was working a lot because she was on a weekly TV show and she had also just signed on for a big movie. She said that most of the time all she did was read lines, memorize lines, and read more lines.
I asked after her musical career but she said that there was no time left to put into it.
“Michael, is the new release ready yet?” I asked.
“Nearly, there’s still some studio work to be done on it but it is ‘in the can’ so to speak. I’m pleased with it and I think you’ll like it, too.”
“In one of our conversations you mentioned that you were putting in a swimming pool; how are the plans coming for that?”
“The pool’s in and I use it nearly daily. My parents still can’t figure out why we wanted an indoor pool but then they don’t live in London either.” Michael chuckled.
Our conversation went on, non-stop as we drove home and while we were getting me set up in the guest room which I considered to be my room while I was visiting. We spent the rest of the evening talking and laughing and in general being happy people trying to catch up in each other’s lives.
As I was leaving to turn in for the evening, Michael asked, “How’s 10 a.m. for our meeting in the music room to get started?”
“Michael we didn’t hook up so I’m not sure what we’ll be able to accomplish without the help of our complete connection.”
Informing Michael that he may be disappointed in my participation due to a lack of that kind of reconnect was important.
“Oh God, I completely forgot.”
Michael confessed, but he had a solution that would suffice.
“How about we meet up tonight; say
