You. Owe. Me. A Conclusion

"Chris would you open the wine?"

Chris got the corkscrew from the cupboard drawer and opened the bottle. He poured two glasses and headed for the living room.

Laura heard the glasses clink.

"Wow this is really good Laura." Lisa said from the living room.

"Yes it is." Her father chimed in.

Maybe Dan was right, Laura thought, and there was some magic in that wine.

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Dan was Dan Naylor. He and his wife Susan owned Naylor's Winery and Vineyard. The same vineyard that Laura had seen in Lisa's paintings and had been photographing for the past year. She hadn't planned on going to the vineyard this morning; but she had spent most of the morning doing more crying than picture taking and found herself pulling into the driveway and parking by the combination office and tasting room.

"Hi Laura!"

She turned and saw Dan coming from the pressing house.

He noticed her red eyes: "Susan's in the tasting room you have to come in and say hi; besides you haven't seen what we've done with your present."

He gathered her in his arm and guided her into the building. Dan and Susan had immediately taken to her, when a year ago she had first asked permission to take photos on their property. They quickly had become surrogate grandparents.

"Look who's come to visit."

Susan looked up and smiled. She also noticed Laura's red eyes, but Dan winked to her.

"Hi sweetie."

"Hi Mrs. Naylor."

Pointing to the fireplace, Dan said: "So what do you think?"

Laura looked above the fireplace and there was her photograph with a soft piano light providing illumination. The picture was of a particularly interesting vine that had enormous character. She had taken it just after sunrise, but before the dew had burned off and before the sun had cleared the horizon. It just might be the best work she had ever done. She had it enlarged, matted and framed and had given it to Dan and Susan as a thank you present.

Her eyes grew moist: "It's beautiful."

Dan tightened his arm around her: "You have a passionate eye. You've captured the heart of this place with that picture."

Laura looked at him not understanding.

Dan directed her to the couch in front of the fireplace.

"Here, sit down and I'll tell you the story of that vine." He sat down next to her. "Well, to start we have to go back about 10 years."

"More like 12 years, Honey." Susan said from across the room without looking up from her bookwork. "He's a little vain about his age, especially around beautiful younger women."

Laura smiled; they were so cute, she always felt better when she visited them.

Undeterred, Dan continued his story: "I was turning fifty and had a successful business that I was good at but really didn't love. My whole life had been spent building and running my business. To this day I'm not sure what possessed me to take that trip, it wasn't like me at all. I had always suppressed my passions and done what I thought was expected of me. The trip was a five day, hot air balloon trip through the wine country of the Burgundy region of France. I landed in Paris and spent a day seeing the city alone. The next day the tour operators gathered the guests from around the city and drove us to Beaune and a wonderful 15 room inn, the "Hotel de la Poste". That evening they had a reception so we could all get acquainted and it was there I first laid eyes on that beautiful creature." He motioned toward Susan.

Susan looked up and smiled at him.

"Well," he continued, "We spent the next five days enjoying beautiful country from a balloon, wonderful wines and each other."

"Hey behave yourself." Susan looked at him with mock annoyance.

"She couldn't leave me alone." He whispered to Laura.

Laura giggled.

"I didn't want her to think I was a pushover so; waiting until the last day, I took her to the vineyard behind the hotel and in front of a magnificent 100 year old vine I proposed.

Laura's eyes again moistened: "That's so beautiful."

"I returned home, sold my business and bought this vineyard. A month later in this very room I married the love of my life and on our wedding day we planted a cutting from that vine; a wedding present from Madame and Mousier Chevillot, who owned the hotel and vineyard. The very vine you photographed."

He got up from the couch and walked over to an ornate antique wine closet. Opening the door he withdrew one of only three bottles remaining in the closet.

Returning to sit next to Laura: "This is the first pressing from that vine and I want you to have it." He handed the bottle to Laura.

"I can't accept this."

"Laura, anyone can make good wine; but, great wine, magical wine requires passion and magical wine can only be appreciated by passionate people. Share this with people you love."

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"Dinners ready." Laura placed the plates on the table and returned to the kitchen to retrieve the wine. When she returned everyone was already seated.

Time can be a strange thing, it can move so slowly or it can fly. This evening, for Laura it was flying. It seemed they had just sat down and everyone was finished.

"Instead of coffee tonight how about sambuca?" Laura was standing picking up her plate and her fathers.

"Great idea." Lisa handed her plate to Chris, who had gotten up and picked up his plate.

"Are you sure this isn't my birthday?" Jack pretended to furrow his brow in confusion.

"Dad." Laura chastised him with her eyes.

"Chris would you help me?"

"Sure thing."

Lisa and Jack shot each other another glance.

Chris got the bottle from the cupboard, while Laura got the small snifters and began putting in the coffee beans. She poured the liqueur and put the cap on the bottle.

"It's time?"

"Yes, It's going to be ok."

"A kiss for luck?"

Chris leaned in and kissed her softly on the lips: "I love you."

Laura drew in a deep breath and slowly exhaled: "I love you too, let's go."

They entered the dinning room each carrying two snifters. Chris sat one at his place and handed one to Jack. Laura sat one down for Lisa and placed one at her seat but rather than sit down she walked behind Lisa to stand next to Chris. She found his left hand with her right and held on tightly.

"Guys," Chris began, "Laura and I have something to tell you."

Lisa and Jack stared at Chris.

He'd been rehearsing different versions all through dinner and again he couldn't remember a single one.

"Laura and I have fallen in love and we want to be together." Not the best version, but simple and true.

"I see." Jack spoke first.

Chris couldn't read his face. He had a blank expression.

"You do realize that some people will talk and this might be unpleasant?"

"Yes sir, but I can't imagine being without her."

"I see," Jack's expression hadn't changed. "Have you thought about Laura, people will talk about her as well?"

That stopped Chris, he hesitated, he hadn't thought about how rough this might be on Laura. He suddenly felt his resolve slip. He never wanted to see her hurt. He would do anything to protect her. He loved her.

Chris's hesitation was all the answer Jack needed. It's one thing to say you love someone, quite another to be willing to give up the one you want to protect them. That to Jack was the test of real love. He looked from Chris to Lisa.

Lisa's eyes had filled with tears and they were streaming down her checks.

"Mom, we never meant to hurt you."

"No sweetie, you don't understand." Her voice cracking. Lisa had seen the same thing Jack had seen. "I knew you were growing up, but until this moment I didn't realize how much of a man you've become."

"So you're ok with this, I mean us?" Laura stammered.

"Oh sweetheart, your father and I discussed this before we got married. You guys are the most important people in our lives. With your ages being so close it was a possibility and we had only one thing we agreed to insist on if it did happen. It had to be real love."

Now Laura was crying. Lisa stood and hugged her.

"Well, do you guys want to celebrate? Champagne or sambucca?" Jack held up his glass.

"Dad, If it's ok, could we have a rain check? It's been a really long day. I think we're going to turn in early."

Laura bent over and put her arms around Jack's neck and kissed him.

"I love you, Daddy. Thank you"

"I love you ,honey."

Lisa kissed Chris on the cheek, "Goodnight baby."

Lisa hugged Laura, "I'm so glad he found you. We'll talk in the morning."

Chris and Laura left the dinning room holding hands. When they reached the bottom of the stairs they kissed and almost floated up the steps.

"Wheeew," Lisa wiped the tears from her eyes.

"I guess you were right after all." Jack was smiling at Lisa. She had said on Friday night that something was going on between the kids.

"Yes, I was and I believe you lost the bet, mister." Lisa smirked playfully at Jack.

Jack smiled; he had made a bet with her on Saturday night at the play. He didn't mind loosing bets to Lisa; because payment usually involved performing her favorite sex act, which was constantly changing.

Jack stood up and picked up his glass.

"Just leave it for the morning," Lisa's eyes were now smoldering with passion, "I'm pretty sure we'll both calling in sick tomorrow!"

Jack sat down the glass and pulled Lisa into his arms and kissed her. They walked to the base of the steps and he turned off the downstairs lights. They began to climb the stairs and Lisa kissed his ear and whispered: "You.Owe.Me."

The End.