Chapter Five
Chapter Five
A fter she delivered the boxes to the pantry, Natalie stopped at a liquor store to buy a bottle of wine. Her father wasn’t on meds, and the doctor said one glass wouldn’t hurt. In fact, he told her father that a glass of wine was far less lethal than the drugs people take for pain. “But just one,” he cautioned. “No getting tipsy on my watch.”
When she got back to the house, her parents were still out on another countryside jaunt. She set the groceries down and went to check on Mr. Meowzer, who was snoozing in the remaining sunlight.
“Well, hello there,” Natalie cooed. “Are you in the mood to explore the kitchen with me?”
He stretched, rolled over, and went back to his nap.
“I guess not. At least you are chillaxing here. I’m going to fix dinner for Grandma and Grandpa.” She scratched the top of his head and gave him a nuzzle.
Natalie separated her bounty and put the antipasto items on a platter, covered it with wrap, and set the dish in the refrigerator. She went into the pantry, grabbed two pots, and an apron. She didn’t know why, but she had an unusual giddy sensation. It had been an interesting day, and she had social plans. Good reason to feel uplifted. She smashed the garlic like Mr. Giambelli suggested and sauteed it in the extra virgin olive oil. He stressed not to have the heat too high. “You don-a wanna burn the olive oil or the garlic. Make it nice ana easy.” Natalie watched the cloves turn a light golden color and then removed them from the pan. She added some vegetable stock, and the fresh herbs from the garden.
As soon as the aromatics from her concoction filled the air, she shut the burner. She didn’t want to start the veggies before the pasta was ready, and she didn’t want to start the pasta before her parents got home. She put the pot of water on the stove, and turned up the heat so it could come to a boil. By then, everyone should be back and ready to eat.
Her timing was perfect. The car pulled into the driveway, and she could hear her parents coming up the porch steps. “You’re doing great, Robert,” her mother cheered him on.
“That’s because something smells delicious.” He chuckled. The two entered the kitchen. “This is very impressive,” he went on. “Where did you learn how to cook like this?”
“I got a few tips from Mr. Giambelli. By the way, he said to say hello.” She winked at her mother.
Her father let out a playful growl. “And did he say hello to me as well?”
“Not that I recall,” Natalie teased.
“Huh,” her father said with mock dismay.
“I told him that if he didn’t say hello to you, there would be a lot of flying pasta in the kitchen.” Natalie laughed.
“You didn’t . . . ?” her mother asked warily.
“Not exactly.” Natalie chuckled as she relit the burner, where the herbs were infusing the olive oil and stock mixture. “Do you have any white wine? I bought a bottle of red for medicinal reasons.”
“There’s some white cooking wine in the pantry.”
Natalie cringed at the idea of coming across the winking bee again, but then remembered she’d turned it around. She grabbed the bottle of wine and scooted back into the kitchen quickly, as if the dreaded bee would turn around like in a horror movie.
Natalie handed her father the bottle of red wine and the corkscrew. “I think you can manage this.”
“I’ll give it my best effort.”
She began to add the vegetables to the pan, then tossed a cup of grated cheese on top so it could melt into the mixture; then she popped the pasta into the boiling water. While everything was cooking, she brought the antipasto platter to the table.
“Holy smoke!” Her father beamed. “This is quite a treat.”
“Dear, this looks delicious! What can I do to help?” her mother offered.
“Sit. Relax. Mangia !” Natalie pulled the chair out for her mother, and then her father, who was waiting patiently to dig into the fresh mozzarella and prosciutto.
Ten minutes later, the pasta was ready to go into the vegetable mix. Natalie drained it, then mixed everything together. After she placed it in a large serving bowl, she grated more fresh parmesan on top, and garnished with a few sprigs of basil.
Moans and groans of delight filled the dining area. “Are you sure you have to go back to Jacksonville?” her father asked as he dunked his bread into the saucy vegetables.
Natalie didn’t know how to answer the question, since she wasn’t sure if he was joking. Instead, she said, “You’re not supposed to eat bread with pasta.”
“Then why is it on the table?” he asked, wiping a few crumbs from his face.
“That was for the antipasto.”
“Antipasto, pasta, pesto. It’s all going in the same place. My mouth!” He grinned and dunked more bread in his plate.
Halfway through the meal, Natalie mentioned she ran into Diana, and they were going to have a girls’ night on Tuesday.
“That’s wonderful, dear,” her mother said between bites.
“And it’s a trivia night.” Natalie raised her eyebrows.
“You may get run out of town,” her father joked.
“Ha! A former Jeopardy! contestant is going to be there.”
“A contestant, or a champion?” her father asked, still dunking away.
“A contestant. I wonder if I’ll recognize him. I think I’ve watched every episode in the past ten years.”
“As long as you have fun, that’s all that matters.”
“I totally agree,” Natalie said between bites. “Did you know about Diana’s flower business?”
“Yes, I often buy arrangements for the church from her. She does lovely work.”
“Oh? You never mentioned it,” Natalie questioned.
“I usually order over the phone, and have it delivered, so I really haven’t seen her in person for a long time.”
“She looks the same. Married with two kids and another on the way. I am going to her place first to get a tour of the greenhouse. Then we’ll head over to Clementine’s, grab something to eat, and to beat the pants off Mr. Former Jeopardy Contestant.”
“I’ve heard so much about her greenhouse. I am embarrassed to say I haven’t been there.”
“Her husband is an engineer and designed it for her.” Natalie went on to explain how the two met.
“That’s rather comical,” her father noted.
“I think it’s romantic,” her mother chimed in.
“She seems very happy, and she looks great,” Natalie mused.
“I’m so happy you have someone to go out with while you’re here,” her mother added.
“Me, too.” Natalie nodded and smiled.
After dinner, Natalie told her parents to relax while she cleared the table and cleaned up the kitchen. Just as she was finishing up, her mother appeared in the doorway.
“You know you can stay here as long as you like—even after your father’s physical therapy is over.”
Natalie gave her an “it’s possible” kind of nod. “You sure you can put up with me? I’m feeling a little guilty about Mr. Meowzer, although he seems content watching the birds and napping in the sun.”
“Are you going to see if he’s interested in investigating the rest of the house?”
“I’m just worried Dad might trip over him.”
“He’ll be fine. I’m sure your kitty will scoot far enough away from that contraption he uses, although the doctor said he might graduate to a cane in a couple of weeks.”
“Maybe I’ll give it a try tomorrow while you guys are out.”
The next morning, Mr. Meowzer was the first to wake up as the sun peeked through the curtains. He nudged Natalie in the head.
“Hey, bubbie, isn’t it a little early?” Natalie murmured as she checked the bedside clock. It was six o’clock.
He nudged her again.
“Okay! Okay!” She rolled out of bed and put a cup of kibble in his bowl. “What do you say we go on an adventure this morning? I’ll bring you downstairs when Mom and Dad go to church.”
He glanced up at her and gave her the cat version of a shrug, meaning he went back to eating his food. Since she was wide awake, Natalie decided to go downstairs and make coffee. It was another bright, beautiful day. The morning paper was sitting outside the front door. She smiled at the “old-school” tradition of reading a printed newspaper. When she was growing up, her parents would split the paper, with her mother reading the lifestyle section and her dad reading sports and international news. She poured herself a cup of coffee and took both her mug and paper to the patio and began to skim the pages. Even though there was much turmoil in the world, she felt a sense of peace and serenity where she sat. Was it the comfort of family? Being back in her childhood home? Seeing an old friend? Spending her afternoons doing something worthwhile ? As she pondered, she decided it was all of it.
As the sun began to rise, she was deep in thought. Life is filled with distractions, many of which can derail you from what’s profoundly important. We set goals for ourselves and become razor-focused. Diana, for example. They had been friends since childhood. They even attended the same college. But over the years, they drifted apart. Not because of anything in particular. It happens without any intent. She pondered the pros and cons of “going with the flow” once again. Natalie decided there was a time and a place for that philosophy. For now, she was going with the warm flow of feeling content.
An hour later, her parents joined her in the kitchen for coffee.
“I don’t suppose you’re going to spoil us with breakfast this morning?” her father teased.
“Oh, Robert. Stop being a pest. You know we’re going to meet the Mullans for brunch after church.”
“Dang! Foiled again.” He laughed. “Good thing they have a ramp at the club, although I really hate people watching me hobble around like an old fogey.”
“Dad, people younger than you have surgery all the time.” She stopped abruptly. “Wait right there.”
Natalie headed out the back, past the herb garden and fruit trees, and wiggled her way into the garage. Just as she remembered, her old bicycle was leaning against the far wall. She squeezed past pieces of furniture, boxes, and an old lawn mower. “Geesh. This place is packed with all sorts of no-longer-needed stuff.” When she finally reached the bike, she unhooked the classic trumpet-style horn from the handlebars. She gave the rubber bulb a little squeeze and giggled at the whomp sound it made. She dusted it off with her pajama top, squirmed her way back to the door, and moved quickly to the house. When she returned, both her parents had curious expressions on their faces. Natalie bent over the walker, attached the horn, and gave it another squeeze. Whomp! Whomp!
Her father burst out laughing. “I like it!”
“Since you can’t ignore the fact that you are temporarily impaired, you might as well announce it,” Natalie proclaimed.
Her mother was also on the verge of hysterics. “That’s very funny.” She turned to her husband. “But are you sure you want to go to church with that?” she asked.
“I promise not to interrupt the pastor’s sermon.”
“I shall pinch you until you are blue, if you do,” Sally made an empty threat.
It was almost eight when Sally announced she was going back upstairs to get ready. “Service starts at nine.”
While her parents were in church, Natalie would be at the food pantry. It’s not that she didn’t believe in God, she just preferred to worship in her own meditative way. She lit candles when people were ill, or to celebrate a birthday or anniversary, and said her morning prayers every day. She believed God loved her no matter where she prayed. She once said to her mother, “As long as I have faith, He’ll watch over me.” Her mother couldn’t argue with that, and neither did their pastor, Reverend Brooks. He knew Natalie was a good person and appreciated her volunteer work with the food pantry. He also believed that actions were often more important than words. It was your deeds that really mattered. While some friends and neighbors were in church, she was serving food, and making bundles for families to take home. It was all good.
* * *
Her father had already taken his shower and was dressed. Even though getting up and down a flight of stairs was manageable, it also required some oomph. He didn’t want to tire himself out at such an early hour.
Robert gave his new toy another honk. “This is going to be fun.”
“Try not to embarrass Mother, please,” Natalie said, giving him a side-eye.
“I’ll do my best”—he raised his eyebrows—“but can’t promise you anything.”
“I’m going to get Mr. Meowzer. Don’t go anywhere,” she instructed her father, who seemed content where he was.
“Don’t forget to bring down my roller skates,” he joked.
Natalie went back to her room, where Mr. Meowzer was sitting on the windowsill, his head bobbing up and down as he followed the flight of the birds.
“Hello, Bubbie. Want to do some exploring?” She picked him up, slung him over her shoulder, and carried him into the kitchen, making sure all the doors were closed. “Say hi to Grandpa.” She bent toward her father so he could give the kitty a pat on the head.
“I forgot what a big boy he is.”
Mr. Meowzer didn’t seem to mind the attention and change of scenery. Natalie eased him onto the floor, where he quickly began to rub against her father’s legs. “Be careful there, buddy. We don’t want Pops to trip over you.”
The cat began to do what cats do. He sniffed around and meowed loudly. “What do you want?” Natalie asked.
He turned his face up to her and gave her a look that seemed to say: What do you think? Food, lady. Get busy. Natalie laughed out loud, as if she actually could read his thoughts. But, then again, she did. “Food? Did you say food?”
He responded with another loud meow.
“Impressive. Your cat speaks English,” her father said dryly.
“True. There are no communication issues between us, which is more than I can say for my ex-boyfriend.” Natalie realized that was the only reference she had made about Alec since she first told her parents about their breakup.
“Tell me something, sweetie. Did that guy break your heart?” her father asked compassionately.
Natalie paused for a moment before answering, “No. He made me angry. Angry, because it was obvious that our relationship didn’t mean much to him, and he wasted a year of my life pretending he was interested.”
“I know you can’t get that time back, but now you will be more cognizant of the early warning signs.”
“Yeah, apathy for one,” she cackled. “I knew, in my heart, we weren’t in love. It was more of a matter of convenience, and to be honest, laziness. We had gotten into a routine, and neither of us had the energy or the guts to move on.”
“Sweetheart, you are young, vibrant, and smart. If you want a relationship, you will find one.”
“I know you’re right. I just have to pay more attention the next time, and not be afraid to make a change.”
Sally returned to the kitchen. “Mr. Meowzer. So nice to see you out.” She leaned over to give him a long stroke. She turned to Natalie. “What kind of change are you talking about?”
“Life. Men, or in my case, boys. I was telling Dad that I wasn’t heartbroken over Alec, but I was angry at both him and myself. I should have moved on, or at least out of the relationship when I knew it was going nowhere. You know what I mean? That little nagging voice inside that screams, ‘Run! Run as fast as you can!’ I made a promise to myself that I would pay more attention to my intuition.”
“That’s a good plan, honey,” her mother replied.
That word again!
Her parents left a few minutes later while Natalie kept an eye on her fur baby. He was tentative but not skittish. A good sign. Natalie had always thought her cat was well adjusted, considering he came from a house where a hoarder was arrested because she had almost thirty animals in the house under terrible conditions. That was two years ago, when Mr. Meowzer was a little over a year old. Natalie concluded that the cat was relieved he had been rescued from a hellacious menagerie, and therefore showed his gratitude by being mellow and affectionate. She watched him slowly walk from the kitchen to the living room, stopping to sniff a few things. When he reached the bottom of the stairs, he looked back at Natalie, then jumped up the steps and headed to the bedroom as if this were something he did every morning: Go downstairs, sniff, eat, go back to the window . Natalie followed him as he got back on his perch. Natalie could understand his position. It was like watching an IMAX National Geographic special on local birds. The cat was thoroughly entertained.
Natalie changed into her work clothes, which consisted of her cargo pants and a T-shirt. She checked herself in the mirror and made a face. A little makeup wouldn’t hurt. And she should do something with her hair. There is no shame in connecting with your feminine side, she said to her reflection. She may be doing grunt work, but she didn’t have to look like one. She found a headband that matched her T-shirt. She took another look in the mirror. “Respectable, yet functional.” She gave her cat another hug. “See you later. Behave.” Natalie closed the bedroom door. Even though the kitty seemed to be relaxed roaming the house, Natalie didn’t want to take any chances.
The shelves at the food pantry were organized as if it was a small market. Natalie’s job was to walk people through and help them with their items. There were limits on some of the goods due to shortages. It was important to monitor the milk, eggs, and meat. Natalie was touched by the humility and gratitude people showed. She was humbled by the experience, as well.
By four o’clock, the weekly truck from a local supermarket arrived. That meant restocking the shelves. Every Sunday, the largest grocery store chain delivered several pallets of canned and dry goods. The pallets had to be broken down and the items shelved. It usually took a little over an hour, depending on how many volunteers were left. That particular day, there were enough to get the job done quickly.
Before she headed home, she phoned her folks to see if they were interested in pizza, although Natalie couldn’t think of a place that had good pizza. She realized she hadn’t ordered pizza here in over fifteen years. Maybe she should call Mr. Giambelli. If anyone knew where to find good pizza, he would.
He was delighted to hear from her and was more than happy to suggest his nephew’s place, Sal’s Pizzeria. “He’s-a from-a New Jersey. It hasta to be good!” Mr. Giambelli joked. More good food! Natalie was in culinary heaven, even if it was something as simple as pizza.
Her parents were all in favor of no cooking or pots and pans, so Natalie placed her order with none other than Sal himself, who suggested a plain Margherita pizza with fresh tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil. “No sauce!” She also ordered a Caesar salad to make sure there was something green on the table besides the basil. She punched the address into her GPS and made the five-mile trip to Sal’s.
It was a typical bistro-sized restaurant with red and white tablecloths and straw-clad Chianti bottles holding melted candles at various stages. It was warm and inviting, and the aroma was divine. She introduced herself and was handed a large, insulated bag chock full of eatery delights.
“I slipped some garlic knots inside,” he said, and winked at her. Was winking a thing in Sumter County? she wondered. She didn’t find it offensive, just interesting. And it was more of a friendly gesture than a flirty one. Besides, Sal’s wife was working the register. “You can give my uncle the bag on Saturday. We have over a dozen. We want every pie to be piping hot when it gets to the table.” He helped her with the door. “Ciao! Hope to see you again!”
As she drove home, Natalie realized she had a huge grin on her face. She was quickly easing her way into the friendly and casual lifestyle of Sumter County. Had it changed since she was a kid? Or, did she forget? Had she become jaded living in a city? By the time she meandered through those thoughts, she was pulling into the driveway. She carefully brought her bounty into the kitchen, with a waft of deliciousness surrounding her. Plates, napkins, and forks were lined up on the counter.
Natalie fixed a plate for her father and carried it to the patio.
“That looks and smells delicious.”
“It’s from New Jersey,” Natalie joked.
“I’ve heard that’s where you get the best pizza,” her mother chimed in.
“It only cost three hundred and fifty dollars,” Natalie said with a straight face.
“Huh?” Her father squinted.
“Airfare. It’s gone up quite a bit,” Natalie teased.
When they finished stuffing their faces with their latest food find, Natalie cleared the table and put the dishes in the dishwasher. “Anybody need anything else?” she asked. Natalie realized she still hadn’t checked on the bee guy’s Internet presence. That was something she was itching to do. “I have a few things I need to check on.”
“We’re fine, honey. You do what you have to do.”
Honey! Ugh! Then she reminded herself to be nice, until he gave her another reason not to. “See you in the morning. Sweet dreams,” she called, and blew her parents a kiss.
“You too, sweetie.”
* * *
Natalie slowly opened the door of her bedroom and discovered Mr. Meowzer dozing on the bed. He lifted his head, blinked, and went back to sleep. “Aren’t you the enthusiastic one?” She snickered. Natalie pulled the chair from under her desk and powered up her laptop. There was one message from work. Another band needed a website update. The Sledgehammers. Swell . She sighed and marked the message as unread. She’d get to it during the regular work week. It was still Sunday, and she wasn’t going to work on the weekend.
She opened the search engine and googled Bee-Cause Honey. A very rudimentary site popped up. One page with a contact form to sign up for the beekeeping demonstration. There were a few sentences about Garrett, a short mission statement about the importance of pollination, but little else. There was no place to order the product. She jotted that down. First was to enable it to generate income. Wait. What was she doing? She wasn’t hired to update their website. I guess I could do it as a favor. For Georgia, of course. But what if they didn’t want to expand that far? She jotted that down, as well. She’d ask her first before she offered her advice. She moved on to the more important matter at hand—Bee-man, himself. Just as she was about to search “Garrett Webster,” her phone rang. It was Diana.
“Hey girlfriend! What’s going on?” Natalie said with a smile, and closed her laptop.
“Just wanted to chat a bit.”
“Everything okay?”
“Oh yeah, everything is fine. I had a few free minutes and thought we could have some girl talk. I know we’re going to see each other on Tuesday, but we may not have time for ourselves. It gets pretty rowdy, especially if there are guys shooting pool in the other room.”
Natalie faked concern. “Oh, my. Where are you taking me?”
Diana laughed. “It’s a nice place, but you know how a few beers and some competition can raise the decibel level.”
Natalie chuckled. “I do, indeed.”
“Any more dirt on that cad of a boyfriend?”
“Nope. And I really am okay with it.” Natalie paused, then continued, “Is it that hard for some people to believe? The fact that I didn’t cry or get depressed? Embarrassed, yes. POed? Yes. But sad? No. Like I said, it wasn’t love.”
“Okay. Not that I didn’t believe you, but sometimes people put up a false bravado.” Diana was being kind.
“Have you met me?” Natalie said dryly.
“The Natalie I remember always put on a good, strong face. Just checking,” Diana said warmly.
“It may be years since we palled around, but I still consider you one of my besties. I’m sorry we drifted apart.”
“It happens without any ill will,” Diana stated.
Natalie let out a chuckle. “I was thinking the very same thing.”
“I’m glad we reconnected,” Diana added.
“Me, too.” Natalie wanted to talk to her friend about an extended stay in Sumter County. Would it be a good idea? She decided she should spend more time thinking about it before she started talking about it. That was going on her check list. Think. Talk.
The two women chatted about nothing, and laughed at several somethings, when they realized they had been on the phone for almost two hours. “Jeepers!” Diana exclaimed. “We’ve been blabbing forever. I better go check on my kids and my husband.” Diana laughed.
“Okey dokey. I shall see you Tuesday. Looking forward to it.” Natalie ended the call, got into her pajamas, gave Mr. Meowzer a kiss, then pulled the covers over her head.