Thank God for Irish Women Ch. 02

Emily walked out in a beautiful lace trimmed camisole with pajama pants. Her lack of a bra was obvious as she jiggled noticeably while walking.

"Good morning, Matt."

"Hey there. Is that the sleepwear you bought?"

"Part of it."

"It's very pretty on you."

"I thought you might think it's too revealing."

"It is, but maybe I'm becoming accustomed to you being here."

She flashed a cute frown as she went for coffee.

"Were you able to get back to sleep?" I asked.

"Yeah, but not quickly."

"I was thinking about taking you to the aquarium today. I've only been one time and their whale sharks are a must see."

"I'd like to go. The only aquarium I've visited is SeaWorld in San Diego; that was years ago. I don't remember anything about whale sharks. They probably don't have them."

"Atlanta is only the second aquarium in the world to display them. The other one is in Asia."

She joined me on the sofa to watch the news.

"Are you hungry?" I asked.

"Yes. But not too bad."

"How about cereal? I still have enough milk."

"That's fine."

"I've been thinking about places we might visit on the way to Des Moines. If we get away early enough, I think it'd be fun to stop in Chattanooga and go up Lookout Mountain. The Tennessee Visitors Bureau ran a commercial here showing the dramatic view. They have a steep incline railway we can ride up, or we can drive to the top.

"Another option is to stop at Lynchburg, which is between Chattanooga and Nashville, and see Jack Daniel's. I've heard they give very good tours."

"Lookout Mountain sounds good. I don't like whiskey."

"Beer is more to your taste?"

"Yes, when I have a chance to get it. In the dorm, it was everywhere. No one cared about my being underage. I just couldn't buy it anywhere."

"You said your grades were good?"

"Yes... dean's list every time. You're looking at the perfect student." She pointed her chin to the sky and blew on her fingernails before rubbing them on her camisole. We chuckled.

"I always wanted to see one."

"You want my autograph?"

"Not yet, but speaking of school, let's transfer that money to your account. I almost forgot about it. How do you want to do it?"

"Write a check made out to me and I can deposit it using my phone."

"I've not seen that app. Maybe my bank has one."

"Whom do you bank with?"

"Wells Fargo."

"I'm at Bank of America," she replied.

"Let me write the check and you can show me how it works."

She took it and logged on to her account using the app. After touching a few commands, she held the phone camera over the front of the check. As soon as it was in focus, the app took a photo of the front. She turned the check over to show the endorsement and held the phone camera over it. Again, the app took a shot when it was in focus. The deposit was confirmed in just a moment. That was neat.

"I've got to get that one. What other apps do you have?" For the next hour, we went through each others' iPhone apps and exchanged information about many that we didn't already have in common.

****

We were at the Georgia Aquarium by noon. Emily was enthralled.

The aquarium was composed of five major sections: Ocean Voyager, Cold Water Quest, River Scout, Georgia Explorer and Tropical Diver. We toured them all and were captivated by the four massive whale sharks and three huge manta rays. Both species were extremely rare to find in an aquarium. We saw cod as big as Emily, beluga whales and thousands upon thousands of other fish, king crabs, jellyfish, seahorses, sea dragons, and a very realistic coral reef with hundreds of colorful tropical fish.

Emily was virtually speechless when we entered the observation area for the 6.3 million gallon main aquarium tank in Ocean Voyager. This was the largest one in the world. We sat and watched the sharks, rays, and hundreds of other species of fish for almost 30 minutes. A sign said the viewing window was 61 feet wide, 23 feet high, and 2 feet thick, and was made from an acrylic polymer.

"Matt, I've never seen anything like this. Did you see the divers over there cleaning the smaller viewing windows? I'd love to do that."

"Do you scuba dive?"

"No, only snorkel. I've a good friend at home who dives, and he's promised to teach me. He's a certified instructor so I'd feel safe with him."

"Hey, it's 2:30. How about we get something to eat?"

She replied, "I'm hungry. That cereal didn't last long."

"What do you say we get a quick burger or sandwich here? I want to take you to a very nice restaurant tonight."

She smiled and asked, "Is this going to be like a real date?"

"I suppose it is. I need to show you a little of the cultured side of me. All we've done so far is eat at home and go to cheap places."

"You know it happened a week ago tonight."

"I know. I want to do what I can to take your mind off it."

"Thank you."

We walked to the food court and found an open table. While she saved it, I purchased sandwiches, chips and two diet colas.

As we ate, she asked, "How dressy is this place we're going?"

"I'll wear a jacket and dress shirt without a tie. That's seems to work nearly everywhere here."

"I have a nice dress, but I don't have hosiery. Should I buy some?"

"With your legs, you don't need hosiery."

She smiled, and our eyes locked before I added, "Speaking as a brother." She giggled.

****

While watching a late afternoon TV show, I dozed off on the sofa. When I awoke, I could see Emily in her bedroom ironing a dress. She was in a bra and panties so she either didn't think I'd wake or she didn't care. She could have closed the door.

Emily had a gorgeous body... very curvy in all the right places. I had seen many girls in their underwear over the years, but never one shaped as perfectly.

I didn't want to embarrass her so I kept my head down and pretended to be asleep. I did peek out of one eye. As soon as she put on the dress, I yawned loudly and stretched my arms and legs. That got her attention.

"Hey Matt, is this dress going to be good for tonight?" she yelled from the bedroom.

She wore a beautiful light yellow one with a medium green belt. The color was perfect on her and the plunging neckline revealed her enticing cleavage. She had let down her lustrous hair, and it dropped well below her shoulders.

"Lovely. Not many women look good in yellow, but you do."

"That's nice to hear. Thank you. I'm going to shower and wash my hair, but the hair dryer I have isn't working well. I think it's about to die. Do you have one I can use?"

"Let me get it."

When I returned a minute later, she was in the bathroom with the shower running. I knocked and told her I had the dryer. As she reached for it, one breast was exposed. The fleeting glimpse I had stunned me. It was perfect, larger than I expected with a pinkish-brown puffy areola and a long nipple. She quickly closed the door.

****

We dined at Ray's on the River, an upscale restaurant on the Chattahoochee River, two miles north of the city. The valet took our car, and we were immediately seated at a good table with a river view.

"I've not been to a restaurant like this in a long time. Patrick could afford it, but he didn't like fine dining. We always went to chains or cheap places."

"I enjoy the occasional dinner at a place like this. Shows me what I can look forward to if I work hard and make good money."

"You don't seem too poor now."

"That's just your imagination."

"Well, I imagine that's an almost new Ford Explorer you drive. I imagine you have your own very nice apartment near the campus. I imagine you just spent six years at one of the premium engineering universities in the nation. Your clothes are top quality, I imagine. Let's see, you drink expensive beer and you just gave me $5,000 when I mentioned I needed it. Now which part of this is just my imagination?"

"You imagine I have money left after all that."

Emily frowned and replied, "Should I plan to pay for dinner tonight?"

"No, I'll wash their dishes." We smiled.

Following a delicious dinner of seafood, we sipped coffee and shared a piece of molten chocolate lava cake. It was a very pleasant evening, and the sun was just setting when I settled the bill. We walked along the river, eventually sitting on a bench to watch the rippling water.

After a few moments of silence, Emily said, "Sometimes I think my life is like a drop of water in a raging river. It's very insignificant and doesn't mean anything. Do you ever feel that way?"

"No. I think every life is important."

"Is that because of your religious beliefs?"

"Probably. I believe that each of us is here for a reason. I'm not sure I've discovered mine yet, but I will."

"Then why would your God allow Mom and Patrick to die so young? Didn't their lives have meaning and a purpose?"

"I believe they did have a purpose and meaning, but none of us know why they died so early. Someday, we will."

We sat in silence staring at the river for several long moments.

"I appreciate your taking me out tonight." She reached for my hand and held it.

"It's never easy to get through anniversary dates like a week, a month, a year, or that first Christmas without him or his birthday. You'll always remember him at those times and that's good. He was a very important part of your life and deserves to be remembered."

"Yes, he does." She dropped her head. Her chin quivered as she quietly wept. I took my hand from hers and wrapped my arm around her waist as she leaned into my chest. I handed her a handkerchief, and we sat there, again in silence, watching the water flow by.

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Emily seemed to sleep better. I was up for water at 2:30 and could hear nothing but normal sleeping sounds from her room. Later, I heard her cry out once and then silence. I again prayed that she would find the peace she needed.

I slept longer than normal but was still up in time for the early local news. I felt bloated from the heavy dinner.

Emily awoke at 7:00 and walked to the kitchen for coffee. She asked, "Are you dragging as bad as I am?"

"Yes. We ate too much last night."

"But it was good."

"Very good. But back to reality... you want dry cereal or toast with your coffee?"

"Toast. There's no milk left?"

"Not much, maybe a small glass. There are strawberry preserves."

"Yum. The moving company comes tomorrow, right?"

"They're planning to come at 8:00 so this is the last breakfast we'll eat here. I'll go out for doughnuts or muffins early tomorrow, and we should have coffee until they pack it."

"How long will they take to load everything?"

"Their rep said it'd take about four hours so they'll be gone at noon or thereabouts. We need to put all the bags we're taking out of their way. The Comcast person is also coming in the morning to pick up their equipment."

"Where are we staying tomorrow night?"

"I reserved a room at the Hampton Inn just up I-75. I must be back here early Friday morning for final inspection."

"I know you talked about doing something today but could we stay here and veg? I need to spend time on the phone and computer and get caught up with many friends. I've been dreading talking to them, but it's time. I'll probably be on the phone all morning."

"Tell you what; let me leave you alone this morning and do some things I've been meaning to do. I'll bring lunch home for us and see how you're doing. It's probably going to be tough talking to all your friends."

"I know... but I must. I should have done it before now but just didn't have the strength or courage."

"Is there anything I can do for you while I'm out?"

"Just pray for me. If your God is real, He probably listens to you."

I nodded and leaned over to kiss her on the cheek. She looked into my eyes but didn't smile.

****

My first stop was the Apple Store at Lenox Mall. The iPad had been out for a month and the supply was finally catching up to the demand. I played with it, liked it, and bought one as a gift for Emily.

Next was a music store to look for a few country CDs to play for her during the trip. I wanted Emily to hear some of the great artists like Alan Jackson, Kenny Chesney, Martina McBride, and Lady Antebellum so she would understand why I liked it so much.

Shortly before noon, I called her phone, but it went straight to voicemail. I guessed she was still talking and quickly said a prayer for her.

My last stop before lunch was to have the oil changed ahead of the long drive.

For lunch, I bought two large salads with grilled chicken. When I walked into the apartment, I was surprised. There was music coming from her room. I knocked and peeked in. She was sitting cross-legged in the middle of the bed, expertly typing on her laptop and listening to classic rock.

"Hey, Matt."

"Wow, you look happy."

"I am. My friends are the best. All of them said just the right words. I could sense their love for me, and it was wonderful. I'm feeling real emotional relief. I told them about you and what you've done for me. They can't wait to meet you."

"I'm glad it went well. I wasn't sure what I'd find when I returned."

"I know. I was really, really dreading it and thought I'd not be able to control my tears. And the first few minutes were like that, but then we started talking and recalling good times we've had and talking about the future. They were all thrilled that I can go back to school. Two of them go to Stanford."

"So my prayers were answered?"

She paused for a moment and stared at me. "You know, come to think of it, they were. See, I told you that your God would listen to you."

"I didn't think you believed in God."

"I'm just covering all the bases."

"Sure you are. I brought a nice salad with grilled chicken for you."

"OH BOY! I'm hungry. That toast didn't last two minutes. But, I need to take a shower."

"I'll set the table. What do you want to drink?"

"What are you having?"

"I was thinking about one of those last two beers."

Her eyes opened wide. "Could I have the other one?"

"I suppose. But don't ever tell anyone I gave it to you."

"Promise." She giggled. I don't think her smile could've been wider.

She took her time and returned wearing electric blue shorts and a white blouse with her hair wrapped in a towel turban.

As we ate, she asked, "What's the plan for this afternoon?"

"If you'd like to go out, I want you to see the World of Coca Cola. It's their museum of Coke's history, and the neat thing is that they have an area near the end where you can taste at least a 100 of the products they sell around the world. Some of the flavors are weird, to our taste anyway."

"That sounds like fun. I'd love to go."

After finishing the salads, I said, "We'll grab something quick tonight because I'll need to clean the range, fridge and all the cabinets and pack for our trip. We won't have much time in the morning."

"I'll help," she replied.

****

The tour of the museum was fun indeed. It was crowded, but the lines moved quickly. We saw the entire thing from the top to the bottom and talked to many volunteers who were on duty. Almost all of them were retirees of Coca-Cola, and they loved their company.

There was an original soda fountain from the early days on display with a soda jerk working there to recreate the experience. The demonstration bottling operation was interesting as it wound its way throughout the first floor area. The tasting room was the hit of the tour. We must have tasted 60 or 70 different products. Some of them we couldn't expel and dump fast enough! Ugly stuff to us but popular in distant places. We left with a free bottle of Coke from the demo bottling line.

I noticed how relaxed Emily seemed to be. She interacted with many people, as is traditionally done in the South. I would miss Atlanta and its friendly people.

Dinner was at a Krystal hamburger place on the way home. She had never been to one. Those little calorie-filled cheeseburgers were very good.

When we returned to the apartment, she reached for me once the door was closed. Our relationship quickly took a major step forward.

The End of Chapter Two