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From: "Mike C" <MikeC@NSpace.net>
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Subject: {ASSM} (new) JAMES 46 (mf+ rom)
Date: Sun, 17 Mar 2002 21:10:03 -0500
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(C) Copyright 2002. M.C.
All Rights Reserved.
All Reproduction for fee or profit forbidden.

Copies of my stories can be downloaded from:
<http://www.asstr-mirror.org/files/Authors/MikeC/>

Send all comments and suggestions to MikeC@NSpace.net

  =============

James
Part VII. Wandering Afield.

Chapter 46

Chuck poured us a Cabernet and we stood at the wide picture windows, "It's
hard to believe I'm standing in a Frank Lloyd Wright home."
   "Unfortunately, there're only about 200 of these remaining!" He shook his
head, "The greatest architect of all times, and they tore down over a
hundred of his originals!" After a pause, "You know something about Wright
too, why is that?"
   "I live in a house designed and built by his contemporary, Bertram
Mueller. In fact they worked together on the Guggenheim Project." I waved my
hand up at the swooping ceiling lines. "Mueller holds the patent on a number
of design innovations dealing with circular building elements and may have
influenced Wright with the rotunda structure, but we'll never know for
sure."
   I turned, "Chuck, in 2 weeks, we are officially unveiling the world's
first Mueller designed 'Wheel' building. His widow would be guest of honor
and I'd like to invite you as my guest to be part of the festivities." He
nodded quickly.
   "Furthermore, it will be used as the showroom of our Marina and it would
mean very much to me if you would let us represent your products." He nodded
again.
   "Finally, the young lady who is instrumental in the construction of our
Mueller structure will do me serious physical damage if I cannot beg an
invitation for her to see your beautiful house."
   Chuck laughed, "That's easy to arrange - especially if she is anything
like present company!"
   "Celeste would be thrilled, she is passionate about architecture..."
   "Did we hear someone mentioning our sister?"
   We turned and basked in stunned silence at the lovely visions the ladies
afforded. Brenda was in a chiffon skirt and loose top, while Sara was in a
slinky blue thing that was tight EVERYWHERE. Sherri's pastel flowing outfit
was frustratingly opaque but there was no doubt everything underneath was
nakedly hers.
   Chuck and I shared a low appreciative whistle.
   They presented Anna in a beige minidress. She had the tiniest bit of
makeup on and it was obvious she knew how good she looked. She glowed and
walked with a proud swagger into the room. While the others looked glamorous
and exotic, Anna's look CHALLENGED you to do something about it.
   "Sweet Jesus!" I heard Chuck murmur under his breath.
   Sherri glided over and kissed me, "What do you think of our gorgeous
young lady?"
   "Just amazing! Anna, you are absolutely mind-blowing!" she smiled and
glinted.
   "Anna, you know what I said about makeup?" Chuck suddenly said. Anna's
smile melted and she looked at Sherri.
   "Chuck, I'd like to ask for your indulgence, if I may." Sherri said.
   "No, my granddaughter is my responsibility..."
   "I'm not about to dispute that, but all I ask is for you to give full
consideration to what I'm going to say next, alright?"
   "Go ahead." He growled.
   "What I want to say is, Chuck, your granddaughter is not wearing any
makeup except lipstick."
   "So...?"
   "So, Anna comes down and you see this wonderful, lovely and confident
young lady and you automatically assumed it is the result of the makeup.
Think, man, it is not a trick, Anna IS a wonderful, lovely and confident
young lady!"
   "Well..." Chuck allowed.
   "Chuck, to be honest, the lipstick? It's more for Anna." Sherri turned,
"It's true, Anna. We fussed over you until you KNEW you must be gorgeous,
right? So, guess what, you fooled yourself - you even fooled your
grandfather!" Sherri smiled. "Chuck, let's do this. Anna will go wash her
face and, when she returns, you tell me if you can see any difference..."
   "That's fair..."
   "Anna, remember, you ARE who you are, even without the lipstick. You've
proved it." We watched as she turned happily and went upstairs.
   "I'll be shot down in flames when she comes back, won't I?" Chuck said
quietly.
   "You'll be pleasantly surprised, let's put it that way..."
   He sighed, "I've been dreading this day, since..." He took a breath, "You
should know about Deanna, Anna's mother." Another breath, then, "Deanna
was... smart, outgoing, and pretty." He pointed to a picture of a teenager
on the mantle. "She was seventeen when she had Anna. Still in school,
unmarried..." He sighed, remembering, "We had words... And I said some
things I shouldn't have - a lot of things I shouldn't have..." Brenda went
and took his hand and smiled encouragement.
   "Did I mention she was very proud too? Well, a year later, she left,
taking Anna with her." He shook his head, "But I couldn't let go, so I had
her tracked down and forced her to give up Anna. I realize now - I did it
out of spite, out of hate. She took my baby so I had to take hers. She took
my happiness..." He buried his face in his hands and was shaking as Brenda
put her arm across his shoulder. "The first few years, she'd come by to see
Anna, and then..." He choked into his palms.
   "And now you're afraid of history repeating itself?"
   Chuck looked up, "Yes, partially. You know me Sara, I'm not an easy
person to live with - all morning I've been wanting to strangle you... when
I wasn't wishing fervently I had a daughter like you..."
   Sara smiled, "Likewise, Chuck - only I was leaning towards strangling
MOST of the time." She blinked, "I think I can relate with your concerns,
Anna is fast reaching the point in her life where you feel helpless, where
you've made mistakes before."
   She waited, and when Chuck said nothing, she continued, "Without sounding
too trite, I'm happy with the way I'm handling life. I can face each
challenge because I have a weapon - and this has everything to do with you
and Anna." A deep breath. "That weapon is confidence. Confidence to try
things, confidence to finish things, and confidence to face failures..."
    She sighed, "Chuck, but this was not always mine. I had to find it, to
learn it." She took my hand, "And this man showed me. He made it happen by
being my support... He never yelled, never pushed - but he was always there.
I'd be flat on my face after a stupid mistake and he'd say, 'You have a
gorgeous butt, you know?' and help me up." She smiled at me, "With James,
you never fail, you're just getting there." She smiled dreamily and kissed
my hand. "So, Chuck, just be her support. Don't intrude, don't be too quick
either with your help, and don't give up because she isn't as appreciative
as you'd hoped. She has to try, and sometimes fail, in order to succeed.
Give her that confidence Chuck." She finished quietly.
   Anna returned, flushed and excited. And radiant. The 'Come Hither' look
was all over her.
   "Saucy..." I muttered under my breath.
   Sherri kissed my ear, "Plus all your other favorite 'S' words as well!"
   Chuck sighed, "Anna, I was wrong. You are without doubt a most wonderful
and lovely young lady... Just amazing!" He stood and kissed her hand. "I am
charmed to make your acquaintance, m'lady!"
   Anna blushed, giggled and made a curtsy, "Thank you M'Lord Grandpa!"
   "Shall we?" He offered his arm to Anna and, turning to us, "Dinner is
served," he announced.
   The dining room was on a raised dais at the other end of the open area.
Anna was absolutely thrilled when Chuck pulled out the chair at the foot of
the table and seated her.
   We started with salad and consomm , then white asparagus flown in from
Germany, lightly steamed and buttered, sprinkled with procuitto ham bits.
They were the ideal, prime size of 5 oz each, the size of large cigars, pure
white, succulent and perfectly textured.
   A lemon sorbet followed and then the entree: Cornish Hen and Rack of
Lamb, with baby potatoes and Rice Pilaf. The maid hovered behind to clear
plates and refill glasses.
   We had dessert of fresh fruit and pastries and they waited patiently as I
tried to finish everything. Finally Sherri took my hand and we returned to
the living room, sipping our coffee and watched the birds return to their
nests as the sun sank into the marshes.
   Anna had been inseparable from Sherri and now leaned on her, holding her
hand.
   "It's been a long time since we've had young people like you in this
house," Chuck said quietly, "And even longer since we had the joy you have
brought. Thank you." He looked at us, "I want you to know that this door is
always open for you. And I hope that you return often, if not for my sake,
then for Anna's." Anna was smiling delightedly.
   "Thank you, Chuck. It has been a very rewarding experience for us as
well." I said, "And I can guarantee at least one of us will be here every
month - so you'll have ample chances to regret your invitation!" I turned,
"And Anna, we've invited Chuck to the Marina in two weeks' time, I would be
very honored if you could be there as well."
   "Oh, could I?"
   "Of course, Anna, young ladies are expected to go see the world and
experience life." Chuck said solemnly, then he stared at the sky outside and
said, "I have some music that I'd like to share with you. It was my wife
Helene's favorite. She'd play it at her favorite time of the day - at
sunset..."
   He returned to the sofa as the music started.
   Suddenly Sherri said softly, "Anna, would you like me to tell you a
story?" and aside to Chuck, "The story just popped in my head the first time
I heard this piece - Beethoven's 'Pastoral' Symphony. And I made up the
words to go along with the music." She smiled, "If I do it right, my story
and the music should finish at the same time. And it sort of goes with the
occasion as well."
   Sherri relaxed on my arm, eased Anna on her lap and began.
   "Once upon a time, in a lovely valley full of blossoms, there lived a
beautiful little bird named Anna-bird. She lived in a little house
surrounded by beautiful flowers that had yummy nectar to eat and she would
wake up every morning and she would sing to Mr Sun, and Mr Sun would smile
and shine brighter, making it warm and lovely...
   "One day, as Anna-bird was flying in a new part of the valley she saw a
rainbow. She had never seen a rainbow before because it only ever rained in
the nighttime in the valley. She flew closer and saw a huge waterfall that
was making the beautiful colors, but the noise was so loud she was scared
away. But Anna-bird could not forget the sight of the rainbow and, even
though Mr Sun urged her to stay away, she kept flying back to look at the
wonderful colors.
   "Then one day, she flew too close to the waterfall, and before she knew
it, she was caught by the force of the water and she was pulled almost to
the river below before she could free herself. By then she was terribly
tired and could not fly back up the fall, but the sides of the river were
sheer and steep and she could find no place to rest. So Anna-bird followed
the river and kept flying and flying and it got darker and darker. She tried
calling for Mr Sun but he was too far away and could not hear her. Pretty
soon she could not see him any more. More than once, she thought of just
dropping into the water and going to sleep, but no, she said to herself, I
will be strong, I will not give up!
   "Then she smelled something, something different. It wasn't flowers and
it wasn't water, so she flew towards it and finally she saw a patch of land
and she had barely made it there before she collapsed...
   "Anna-bird woke to a wonderful taste in her mouth. She opened her eyes
and the most handsome bird was feeding her the delicious food." Sherri
smiled and squeezed my hand.
   "She found out that his name was James-bird and he was feeding her fish
he had been catching in the river when he found her. James-bird lived in a
small meadow and caught fish for a living. He had never seen anybody as
beautiful as Anna-bird and he fell in love with her right away." She smiled
down at Anna and stroked her face.
   "James-bird took care of Anna-bird and soon she was able to join him and
fly over the meadow to where the tall trees grew. She learned to dive into
the water and catch fish and she started to smile and sing her song again.
   "But Anna-bird was still very homesick for her Valley of Blossoms and
could not wait to be strong enough to return home. She tried to tell
James-bird about it but he'd only seen grass before and did not know how
lovely the flowers were. He didn't want Anna-bird to leave, but to stay with
him forever in the meadow.
   "But Anna-bird was very determined to find her way home. So as soon as
she was strong enough, she left James-bird a note to thank him and to say
goodbye before flying back up the river.
   "She reached the waterfall and she knew she had to fly straight up before
she got caught in the water so she flapped and flapped her wings, going as
high as she could. Higher and higher she flew but just as she thought she
could smell flowers, there was a huge lightning bolt, followed by a big BOOM
of thunder. Anna-bird had arrived in the middle of the night and a storm was
blowing. The lightning flashed and the thunder roared and Anna-bird was
never more scared.
   "Suddenly she heard someone calling in the wind and it sounded like,
'Anna-bird, Anna-bird, where are you?' Then she heard it again, closer,
'Anna-bird, Anna-bird, where are you?' It was James-bird, he had read her
note and decided to follow her. He was scared by the storm too but he was
determined to save his beloved Anna-bird.
   "'I'm here!' Anna-bird cried out, so glad that he had found her. 'Oh!
James-bird, I'm here!' He flew up to her and they were so happy to see each
other, they were not afraid of the dark or the storm anymore.
   "'Fly higher!' James-bird said, 'Higher!' And soon they flew over the
storm clouds and they could see Mr Sun just starting to light up the sky and
chase the rain away. Slowly the land grew bright and cheerful again. They
circled to the ground and James-bird was amazed, 'So this is a flower,
smells so sweet, and the nectar tastes so good! And it is so beautiful,
almost half as beautiful as you!'
   "'Oh, James-bird,' Cried Anna-Bird, 'I'm so glad you came and found me,
now we can stay here and live happily after! And I'll never leave again
because I'm home...'" Sherri blinked her tears and whispered, "'And I've
found my Forever-Friend...'" she took a shaky breath, "The End!", just as
the music finished.
   "Ooh, that was just wonderful!" Anna sighed. "I'm sorry I made your dress
all wet!"
   "That's perfectly all right." Sherri said softly, "I'm glad you like the
story..."
   "Thank you. For the beautiful story, and for sharing James-bird with me."
She sat up and looked around, "I think I will go to bed now... Goodnight
everybody." She stood and kissed Sherri on the cheek. "I will think about
your story tonight." She kissed Chuck and left.
   As we watched her go up the stairs Chuck said, "Yes, Sherri, thank you
for giving life to that music. I will treasure it as well."
   We watched the sun set in silence, then Chuck turned to Brenda, who had
stayed beside him, "You mentioned that Celeste is your sister, is she..."
   Brenda laughed, "No, she's not really my sister, but we - " She waved her
hand about, "Celeste, Sara, Sherri and James, all of us who work for JamPC
share many of the same goals - not the least is to better ourselves and
maximize our potentials." She shrugged, "And be nice people."
   "But how do you juggle your work? You have a marina, you model, you
consult and... what else?"
   "Oh, we study too, but that's about it. We're busy but it keeps us
motivated."
   "You certainly are... And your intelligence and insight has me
dumbfounded."
   "Well, thank you," Brenda laughed, "We like to learn and do things. And
as Sara said, we have strong support from each other."
   I rose, "Chuck, please excuse us - we have a long trip ahead and we have
to get up early in the morning. Thank you very much for your hospitality."
   "And if you'll excuse me as well, Chuck," Brenda added, "I'd like to see
them off tomorrow."
   We went up the stairs and behind us, 'Pastoral' started up again.
   Sara turned into her room and pulled Brenda in with her, "I'm still the
boy...". They blew us a kiss and closed the door behind them.
   Anna stuck her head out and waved us to her room.
   She looked at us, "I-I just want to say goodbye if I don't see you
tomorrow..."
   Sherri smiled, "That's very nice of you." She took her hand, "Why don't
you climb into bed and James and I will tuck you in... After all, we still
have you as our daughter until midnight..." Her voice caught in her throat
and she held my hand as we waited for Anna to slip into bed.
   Sherri knelt down, "Anna, remember, we're friends. Whenever you need us,
we're just a phone call away. And Brenda will be here - and she's our
Forever-Friend, that means anything you want to say to us, you can say to
her too. And you can use our secret code..." Sherri took Anna's hand, kissed
the palm and leaned her face into it. "This means you want to talk to her as
a Forever-Friend and she will understand..."
   "Like this?" Anna repeated the gesture, tightly holding Sherri's hand
against her cheek. "Thank you... for everything." Anna smiled sadly,
"Goodnight..."
   "Goodnight, sleep tight, my Anna-bird."


  =============

(C) Copyright 2002. M.C.
All Rights Reserved.
All Reproduction for fee or profit forbidden.

Copies of my stories can be downloaded from:
<http://www.asstr-mirror.org/files/Authors/MikeC/>

Send all comments and suggestions to MikeC@NSpace.net

-- 
Pursuant to the Berne Convention, this work is copyright with all rights
reserved by its author unless explicitly indicated.
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