As Vincent continued on with the children, he approached the entrance of the Dining Hall, Vincent then watched as the children all ran up to Lin, to respectfully greet her, before they continued on into the Hall.
Charmed so by the children, Lin smiled at Vincent, and said, "So precious, and energetic too!"
To which Vincent affectionately looked down at Lin, and said, "Yes, and it is a struggle to get back into a routine after the Holiday, however they are trying...and truth be told, so am I!"
As they entered the Hall together Vincent turned to Lin and insisted, "Of course...you will stay and dine with us Lin."
As Lin started to answer, a gleam appeared in her eyes, as she could not wait to tell Vincent she had just seen Catherine!
And so Lin proceeded to say, "This is the second luncheon invitation I must turn down today. The first invitation came from Catherine!"
Upon hearing Lin mention Catherine, Vincent inquisitively looked at her, and asked, "Catherine?"
To which Lin excitedly answered, "Yes, I just saw her at Poppy's. You see, last night Henry took me there for Dinner, right after I had seen you at Catherine's, and I had forgotten my hat there, you know, the one Mary made for me? So anyway, I went there to search for it, and Catherine was there, having lunch with a friend named Jenny."
As he heard about this encounter Lin had with Catherine in her world, Vincent looked downward, and introspectively said, "I see."
Surprised by Vincent's saddened mellow reaction, Lin thought she better clarify, and so she explained, "Vincent...she was having lunch with her friend Jenny, not with another man!"
To which Vincent then nodded, and as he expelled a troubled breath, he said, "I understand..."
Still confused, Lin asked, "So, what is it? Why should that sadden you?"
As Vincent took a moment to gather his thoughts, he tried to explain, "This is one of the issues that pains me Lin. The fact of the matter is, I can never do the things that are everyday status quo with Catherine."
As Lin stood, still puzzled, she asked, "Things? Like what things?"
With a troubled tone, Vincent continued, "Well, such as take her dancing, or take her to the Opera, or go to see Shakespeare in the Park, or just going to Poppy's for lunch!"
As Lin listened to Vincent, as he shared his worries, she could tell these were real issues for him.
And so Lin then kindly offered, "I do not pretend to know Catherine very well, however anyone can see, how she feels about you. I could not believe those mundane things would hold so much power for her...and I don't believe you do either...so, what are you really so worried about?"
Resignedly Vincent added, "I fear one day, when she realizes how much she has given up, and how much she misses these small pleasures...she may one day resent me...and grow tired of the limitations."
Lin's heart broke listening to Vincent as he voiced his fears. She wished there was something she could do to ease his pain.
When suddenly, Lin had an idea! There were a couple of lovely private dining rooms, they had in the back of their restaurant, which were held by reservation only. And one of the private rooms, was named, the "Moonlight Sonata room."
Lin knew it was open tomorrow during the lunch hour, and it was located in such a place in the back, that Vincent would be able to come and go undetected!
And so Lin excitedly asked, "Vincent...how would you like to dine with Catherine tomorrow at noon? I invited her to come to our restaurant for lunch, and we could surprise her by your being in the secluded Sonata room, waiting for her."
As Vincent looked up, feeling hopeful, he then astonishingly asked, "You would do this for me?"
Happily, Lin nodded, and said, "Of course! Oh Vincent, please say yes!"
Bolstered by this plan, Vincent answered, "I will be there."
Thrilled, Lin hugged him, and happily said, "I cannot wait to tell Henry! Leave everything to me, just be there at noon! See you tomorrow!"
Just as Lin turned to leave, Mary entered the hall, and as she walked in with her chest held high once again, she happily greeted her, saying, "Hello Lin, so nice to see you this morning."
To which, Lin cheerfully greeted her back, as she said, "Hello Mary! Oh you must try the tea William has steeping. My Father is very eager to see if the Tunnel community will prefer this blend over the other. He feels it has beneficial attributes for the nervous system. Please send him word once you decide, and have established a unified decision."
And because Mary has been dealing with issues of the heart since Jacob's departure, she anxiously said, "I do want to sample the tea, of course, however I will NOT render an opinion until Father returns! You understand he must approve of any such change for the community!"
Upon hearing Mary's urgent reply, Lin and Vincent shared a look, as they both thought Mary seemed to overreact, perhaps just a little too much, and so she soothingly said, "Of course Mary. Until Father's return then, please just enjoy it."
And then Vincent too added, "Of course Mary...it will be Father's decision."
Realizing she came off a bit harshly, Mary peddled back a bit, as she explained, "I am sorry Lin, what's wrong with me? Just nothing seems right when Father is gone..."
As Lin told Mary she totally understood, Mary reached over to give Lin's hand a grateful squeeze for being so understanding, and said, "Thank you Dear!
And it was then, Lin tried to make Mary smile, as she excitedly added, "Oh, and I want you both to know, my family and I, are most anxious for Winterfest! And in fact, Henry even said, I may purchase some silken material, to sew a new Winterfest dress this year!"
Upon hearing of Lin's plans, Mary thoughtfully smiled, as she said, "What a lovely idea! You know, I believe I could use a new garment myself! I think I will get busy on a sewing project as well! Oh, yes...there is some material left over from that gray coverlet I sewed for a bed in one of the satellite chambers."
Oooo, Gray material! Lin cringed at the thought of a "Gray Holiday Dress!" And so as she looked up at Vincent, they again shared a quick astonished look, trying not to show their adverse reaction to the material Mary had in mind!
And so Lin carefully mentioned, "You know Mary, I have several yards of a peach brocade left over from a previous project. May I send it down for you later today, so you can use it for your Winterfest dress?"
As she heard about the material, Mary's eyes lit up, and she slapped her hands together, and said, "Oh yes Dear, that sounds lovely."
Lin smiled, relieved and happy to see she had not offended Mary by suggesting something other than the material she was going to use.
And so Lin told Mary, she would be sending it down directly, and then she bade both Mary, and Vincent good-bye.
And it was upon Lin's departure, that Vincent said, "What a good friend Lin is to us..."
To which Mary nodded and said, "Yes she is, and to think I snapped at her as I did, and she is still wanting to send me a bolt of material!"
And then Vincent, with a low key excitement, shared, "And she would like to provide a place within their restaurant, where Catherine and I may share a meal tomorrow..."
With curiosity, Mary asked, "You mean a luncheon date?"
And so Vincent told Mary, about the SURPRISE lunch date, Lin offered to set up for he and Catherine at their restaurant, and of what this meant to him.
And because she saw the look in Vincent's eyes, warmly, Mary expounded, "How delightful! A date at Pai's sounds very nice Vincent...very nice indeed!"
And then Mary clarified, "So you say this is a surprise for Catherine?"
To which Vincent explained, "Yes, Lin and Catherine crossed paths, and made plans to meet for lunch tomorrow, and so, I must be there tomorrow at noon. May I count upon you, and I shall ask Pascal too of course, to fill in for me in my absence?"
To which Mary expounded, "Of course you may!"
As Mary began to really grasp what this meant to Vincent, she gave him a motherly embrace, and then said, "Ah yes, Lin is a good friend, from the sample of tea, to the bolt of material, and a surprise luncheon date for you and Catherine! What a doll Lin truly is!"
With a nod, Vincent agreed, and then as he escorted Mary onward into the hall, he asked, "I trust you found your garment within my chamber?"
To which Mary took a deep breath, and said, "Oh yes Vincent, I did. And to think that before you informed me of your possession of it, I planned on spending the afternoon constructing a new one! Now, I may spend the afternoon sewing my Winterfest dress instead!"
And as Mary thought more about sewing a new dress, she then relayed, "You know...I can just hear Rebecca now, wanting to do the same. Luckily I have the gray material I may offer her to use for her dress!"
Upon hearing the Gray Holiday Dress Idea, has not yet died, Vincent remained speechless, and hopeful, Rebecca would think better of it!
And so it was then, Mary switched topics, as she sadly sighed and pondered aloud, "Well I cannot help but wonder how Father is doing in the world above...it is hard for me to imagine him navigating through that world. And I cannot help but worry...well never mind, Vincent it may sound silly to you if I were to vocalize my private concerns."
Knowing Mary had much to say, Vincent stopped, and encouraged her to speak her heart.
And so with an understanding tone, Vincent said, "You should not hold things inside. Tell me what your private concerns are."
As Vincent's kind words, seem to open up a flood gate, Mary tearfully said, "Well, it is just that...well I fear, Father may enjoy himself so much, he will no longer be content here below in our world."
Upon thinking Mary's concerns held no credence, Vincent softly pleaded, "Mary...please don't invent such concerns..."
To which Mary anxiously replied, "It IS a valid concern! Father only created this world because he was disillusioned, not because he could not make it successfully above."
As Vincent pulled Mary's chair out for her, now he too was worried, as he wondered what would become of the tunnels, if Father ever wanted to return above?
And so, with a tone of confidentiality, Vincent then asked, "Please keep this between us, I would not want this concern to run irrepressible throughout the community."
In reply, Mary worriedly, promised, "Of course."
Just then Rebecca approached, and sat down with Mary and Vincent, and after taking in a deep breath, she said, "Well good news! I finally have the correct shade for our Winterfest candles! So Mary, I will take you up on your offer to help dip the candles! Today is the day!"
Hesitantly, Mary looked downward, as she asked, "Oh Deary me! This afternoon?"
To which Rebecca nodded, and said, "Oh yes I have everything ready, and I thought today...we can put the sweat bands to the test!"
Upon hearing a reference to sweat bands, curiously, Vincent asked, "Sweat bands?"
Assuredly, in reply, Rebecca excitedly, explained, "Yes Vincent, you know how hot it gets within the chamber when ever we are candle making! Well Mary came up with the idea of keeping our eyes free from the nagging sweat balls, which had plagued us in the past! And so she knitted some sweat bands to defeat the problem."
And after she took another deep breath, Rebecca looked toward Mary, and said, "So I have everything set up, now all we need is the stamina! You up for it Mary?"
It was then Rebecca realized, she had not received an affirmative response as yet, and so she quizzically, asked, "You did say you wanted to help with the dipping?"
To which, Mary guiltily said, "Yes I did...and I will help...it is just that Lin is sending down some material for me to make into a Winterfest dress, and I must confess I was most eager to get sewing. But that can wait. The candles are more important than a dress to adorn my person with."
Wanting to help out, Vincent then offered, "What if I were to help instead? That would then enable Mary..."
As Vincent started to offer, Mary interrupted saying, "No I won't have it Vincent, you have enough to do with Father gone!"
And then Vincent, suggested, "Well then, suppose I were to help too? Then the afternoon would be freed up for us all."
Pleased with this solution, Rebecca and Mary looked at one another, and Rebecca then said, "Yes Vincent, we accept! It will be nice to have you help us. I only wish I would be making a new dress too! Oh Mary, I am going to be so envious!"
To which Mary quickly assured Rebecca, "I have the situation under control Rebecca. I have a lovely bolt of material just screaming "Holiday dress" And you may use it to make yours!"
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And so, in their two perspective worlds, the afternoon flew by for both Vincent and Catherine, both existing only for the moment they would be together again.
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And so above in Catherine's world...she returned from lunch, and stepped back into her Father's shoes. She attended meetings, delegated cases to the appropriate lawyer, and after a three way conference call between Charles, his partner and Catherine, she began the process of training Harvey to take her place.
Yes, it was unilaterally decided, that Catherine's coveted position would be given to a very dedicated Harvey. Who when informed, was quite honored and overcome with gratitude, that it would be he, who was chosen to fulfill this elevated position.
So Catherine, who was now, THE go to person, quite capably, and handily filled the role during her Dad's absence. And before Catherine left for the day, she planned tomorrows docket, and said goodnight as the last of the hard working associates left for the day.
And as Catherine gathered her coat too, she took a moment to go over her grocery list, and added a few more items, so she could make something special for Vincent tonight!
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Meantime, below in Vincent's world...as the trio prepared to dip the candles, Mary passed out the sweat bands she had made, and yes...Vincent had to wear one too!
And without any concern or thought about sweat band color, Mary handed Vincent a pink one to wear...and he with a touch of humor requested, "Since there appears to be a color choice, perhaps the green would make less of a statement, if you please."
To which Mary started to laugh as she exchanged out the sweat band, and replied, "Of course Vincent...the green definitely behooves you more so than the pink. Just give the pink one to Rebecca!"
Happy to hear she would be getting the pink head band, Rebecca excitedly said, "Oh yes please, I love the pink one!"
And as they then progressed onward past the topic of fashion, they inspected the wax colors Rebecca had mixed, the three of them agreed they were just right, with Mary delightfully saying, "Oh Rebecca, you have outdone yourself, the colors, are just perfect!"
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Meanwhile down in Florida, Peter and Charles, left Jacob behind to enjoy the sunshine, as they went downtown to close up Peter's Mother's estate.
So as Jacob stepped out onto the sandy beach, he took a deep breath, and decided to go for just a short stroll along the shore line. So with cane in hand, he set out on his way, and happily gathered some seashells as he did.
Jacob had not gone far, or passed very many of the other Beach front homes, when suddenly he heard someone call his name, "Jacob...Jacob, is that you?"
To be continued
Chapter Nineteen
| Protector of my Heart! By Sharon Holtz Chapter Eighteen ____________________________ |
