A Miracle at the Cabin Ch. 11

"Pamela, this is the finest biscuit I've ever tasted." The audience erupted! It was like Tiger had just sunk an eighty-foot putt. Pam looked at me with the biggest smile I had ever seen.

"Thank you, James. Mom taught me how to make them."

Dad looked at Ruth and said, "Do you by any chance run a bed and breakfast? We would love to come for a visit if you do."

"Jim, you two are welcome to come anytime. We would be honored for you and Sarah to visit us."

With the official biscuit tasting now over, everybody jumped into action. Ruth was icing the cake, Pam began making the pumpkin pie and dad was pulling everything out of containers and starting to work.

As he worked, dad told us he was making a green bean casserole with almonds, corn pudding, stuffing with sausage, apples and cranberries and potatoes with three kinds of cheese and bacon. His cranberry sauce was really a relish that I looked forward to every year.

All of us just sighed. It was going to be a feast worth remembering.

Mom put on an apron and started working (with Pam's blessing) to make the pecan pie. Mom has made some of the best pecan pies I've ever tasted so she was well qualified and Pam appreciated the help. Rudy and I were the odd men out so we headed to the library to talk.

About thirty minutes later, we heard singing in the kitchen. What was going on back there? It sounded a little like a Kenny Rogers and Dottie West concert.

Rudy and I rushed there while Pam was in the middle of Dottie's part of "Every Time Two Fools Collide," written by Lionel Richie. Then dad sang Kenny's part as he gazed into her eyes. They ended by holding hands and singing together the final lyrics as her eyes made love to him, as only Pam can do.

We were all just blown away by their voices and everybody applauded and cheered.

I exclaimed, "You two need to give a concert. I knew dad could really sing but Pam has only sung "Happy Birthday" to me. That was really special, sweetheart."

Pam laughed and said, "We were just standing here talking and James mentioned he loved country music. Of course, I do too. Then he said he really like Kenny Rogers, especially the duets with Dottie West. I love Dottie West so I started singing the lyrics to their most famous song. Of course, you heard the rest. He has a wonderful voice."

Dad responded, "Pamela, I will be thrilled to sing with you anytime. You are very talented."

Ruth added that Pam used to sing in the church choir and also at Furman in the choir. I was learning new and impressive facts about this young lady every day.

A little after 12:30, everything was ready and we all sat at the table with the feast in front of us. I asked dad, as was our custom, to give thanks for us. He stood and we all held hands.

"Our Father, to say 'thank you' is just not enough for us to recognize the gifts You have given each of us. We are here today because of Your grace and mercy. None of us can claim a right to anything in Your kingdom. But as we pause on this day of thanksgiving, I do want to recognize just some of the gifts You have given to those sitting at this table.

"Sarah is the greatest partner You could ever have given me. She blessed my life with three wonderful children and supported me through many tough times. She shows the world every day how a Christian should live. Her love has no limits and I thank You for her.

"Tom is a wonderful son and I'm thankful for him and the passion he brings to everything he does. Lydia was his perfect soul mate and none of us know why You took her home so soon. But we trust You and have faith that Your plan is perfect for all of us.

"Pamela has brought a joy and energy to this family that we have really missed these last few years. I know that You brought them together to be one in love and in life. Tom really needed Pamela to make his life complete once more. Thank You for their new love of each other. I pray for Pamela as all these new friends, events and surroundings may seem overwhelming at times. Hold her close to You and give her wisdom and patience.

"Ruth has been through many trials and tough times when only You were there to help her. But You blessed her and Richard with children who love and honor her and now support her as she and Rudy look forward to their new lives together. I think You for Ruth and the values You taught her and that she has taught her daughters.

"I thank You for bringing Rudy and Ruth together and giving them the love that will fulfill them and make their lives complete. Please give them patience as they learn to adapt to each other's ways.

"And finally, thank You for being with us everyday and for letting us help others less fortunate. It is in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit that I pray. Amen.

We all said "amen" and I quickly glanced around the table. Everyone was wiping their eyes, including me.

We then gorged ourselves. I had two full plates. There was just so much great food in front of us, it was hard to decide what we liked the best. The cheerful chatter around the table was as fulfilling as the food and the six of us thoroughly enjoyed being together.

Rudy and I decided we would take the lead in cleaning up the kitchen. Pam and Ruth helped by wrapping and putting away the leftovers. Mom helped by bringing all the used plates and silverware to the kitchen. Dad helped by going to the library for a quick nap on the sofa. He deserved it.

The afternoon was devoted to football games on the big screen in the theater room. While everyone started by watching the game, I think I was the only one who wasn't sound asleep within 15 minutes in those big comfortable chairs. But then, the next thing I knew, the game was over and a movie was playing. I guess I also fell asleep.

About 5:00pm, the phone rang. It was Donna. They had just awakened from their nap and asked if they could come over to greet everyone. I told her we would love to have them, just come anytime.

I went looking for everyone and found Ruth and Rudy in the library reading the paper and one of the books I had on the Civil War. Turned out Rudy was a avid reader of Civil War history and a student of battle strategies. They said that Pam and my parents had taken a walk to enjoy the beautiful sunset. I put on a jacket and walked outside just in time to see the sunset over the hill behind us. There were shades of orange, pink and white on the scattered clouds.

The walkers were back by 5:30 and I told everyone that Rick and Donna would be stopping by but I didn't know when. That set off a little scurry to put things in the house back in order. They arrive about 6:30 and I introduced them to Ruth and Rudy. Both Rick and Donna commented on how much Pam looked like her mother.

We had a very pleasant visit and we all snacked on the bountiful leftovers from lunch. All in all, it was a perfect Thanksgiving.

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Later that evening, as we were preparing for bed, Pam gave me some more information about Ruth's baby that she learned that morning.

"Mom told me this morning that she was born January 18, 1984, in the Greenville Hospital. Her doctor was named Jamison or Jackson, or something like that. She was never allowed to see the birth certificate or any of the hospital records for the baby. She never even saw the baby; she only heard from the nurse that it was a beautiful little girl. Her hospital stay was only two days and her recovery was really fast. I guess when you're only 18, your body bounces back quickly. She went back home to her parents but her dad was really upset with her and the whole situation. Her mother did support her carrying the baby to full term but was really disappointed that mom was dating such an older man and that she had been so careless.

"Mom had missed pretty much a full semester at college and it was difficult mentally for her to live at home. She finally was able to move in with three other girls at their school and she went another semester before her dad just stopped paying for her education. Richard did get a pretty good job about then and he asked her to marry him. They eloped and got married with only his parents knowing about it. They moved into the farmhouse and had Jerri about a year later.

"She rarely saw her parents until Jerri and I were a few years old. She took us to visit them one day and her parents seemed to appreciate that. But there was never any real love between them after all that had happened. I just feel so bad about that; I never knew any of this had gone on."

"Are your grandparents still alive?"

"Only mom's mother is still alive. Her dad died from a heart attack when he was 69 and her mom remarried a couple of years later. She now lives in Florida but mom hasn't seen her in years. We did go to my grandfather's funeral and I remember that quite well."

I said, "I checked again and Nikki is going to be at the Westin Hotel on Saturday the third. The website says only invited guests will be allowed to the big announcement and all the hoopla surrounding it."

"How do we get invited?"

"I have no idea. Maybe we just go and see if we can see her for a few minutes. I just don't know but it may work since you look so much like her."

"I do want to go. I just have the feeling that she's my sister. I've got to found out."

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The rest of the weekend went fast. The aquarium was great, as always. Rudy was shocked at the size of the rainbow trout they had. Pam fell in love with the seahorses, especially the leafy seadragons. She said they were so ugly they were beautiful, whatever that meant.

Friday afternoon, we went to Ruby Falls and enjoyed seeing this waterfall a little over 100 feet high within a limestone cave. The advertising photos make it look a little more impressive than it really is.

Saturday, Rudy wanted to see the battlefields so we spend the day absorbing Civil War facts and seeing where so many men died for what they believed. It is very sobering to think of their sacrifices on both sides, often with brothers fighting for opposing armies. It's a very sad part of our history.

Sunday, Pam and I were up early to jog while Ruth and Rudy slept in a little longer than normal. We heard them again Saturday night really going at it and were sure they needed their rest.

The church service was really good. The minister spoke on God's blessings and how to be thankful in a world where we think we did everything by ourselves. Many of my friends and Pam's new friends stopped by to meet Ruth and Rudy and to greet Pam again.

After a quick lunch at home (more leftovers), Ruth and Rudy headed home. We planned to see them at least at Christmas if not sooner. Pam and her mom hugged for a long time and, again, shed a few tears. Ruth reminded her not to say anything to Jerri about the adoption. We spent the rest of the day putting together a guest list for a Christmas party on Saturday December 17th. Rather than have Pam address the 45 or so invitations, I planned to turn that job over to Cheryl since she and her hubby and Ron and his wife were invited. A lot of the guests would be from the church and my company but a number of our neighbors as well as Gino and Sylvia would also be invited.

On Monday, we both headed to work. Pam had to be at the bank at 8:00am and she decided to drive the Jeep. She was very excited and worried for ten minutes about what to wear. Her appearance is very important to her. We left together and she was so proud to be working again.

I spent the day meeting with suppliers and negotiating contracts for 2012, now just a month away. Ron and I work a couple of weeks every year between Thanksgiving and Christmas just focusing on contracts, prices and menu planning with our chefs. Insurance for our facilities, employees and our business liability is a big deal and negotiations on those are always difficult and time consuming. Monday afternoon, I was at The Meeting Place to meet with three employees who I had mistreated. Those meetings went very well and I was really glad I decided to take Pam's recommended approach.

I arrived home around 6:30 Monday evening. Pam met me at the door wearing a big smile but not much else. She had on a white cut out halter teddy that didn't hide much of anything. To say she was sexy would be a major understatement. This woman was just about perfect and I was so glad that she loved me and was totally committed to me. We spent an hour in bed and were totally exhausted after three orgasms for her and a massive one for me. I really don't know where all that semen came from. We gradually made it to the shower and that renewed our energy, at least to some degree.

Later, I grilled pork chops and we ate leftover green bean casserole and corn pudding from Thanksgiving. At the table, the discussion was all about her job.

"I got there a few minutes early and Jason let me in. Everyone was so nice to come and greet me. Jason had a training plan that we reviewed and we sat and talked for several minutes, just getting to know each other. I really like him. Evelyn is going to be my trainer. She was one of the tellers who interviewed me and she has family in Greenville. She's probably in her late 40's and has been a bank teller for a long time. She has three children, all grown and on their own. No grandchildren yet. Her husband works for TVA.

"We went through all the basics today and I observed her handing deposits and withdrawals for several hours this afternoon. She even let me greet some of the customers and handle a few of the simple transactions. She showed me how to verify identities and she let me count her drawer after she had done it just to make sure I could do it, I suppose. I passed.

"So how do you like it thus far?"

"I really like it. The customers were so nice, except for one elderly lady that was hard of hearing. She was really mad at the world, Evelyn told me, and she is like that all the time. No one really knows why. I felt sorry for her."

"You're not going to miss serving tables?"

"Not for one minute. You were so wise to recommend this. I get home at a decent hour. My clothing doesn't smell like garlic or grease and I'm working with great people. What could be better?"

The rest of the week flew by. Thursday, mom took Pam to two of the shelters for abused women and their children. Pam came home even more determined than ever that she wanted to volunteer. Both of the shelters asked for her help and she agreed to spend four hours one day a week at each one. She will be helping the ladies with job searches, interview skills and proper manners when dealing with the public.

On Saturday morning, all of our attention was focused on the Westin Hotel in Atlanta and our effort to meet Nikki Lee. We didn't have any real plan of how best to get a meeting so we just hoped that it would be possible. Pam wore a navy blue A-line belted dress that stopped just above her knees and sheer fashion black back-seamed panty hose. It took forever to get those seams perfectly straight but we had fun doing it. She hadn't put her bra on yet and her boobs were lovely as they dangled while she worked on the hosiery.

To complete the full fashion look, she wore a Hermes silk scarf that was one of Lydia's favorites. When she emerged with the full glamour makeup, I could do nothing but stare with my mouth open. I had never seen such elegance and style like this anywhere. If she could not get us a meeting with Nikki, no one could do it.

We drove Angel down to Atlanta and the excitement began when we pulled into the Westin valet parking area. I could not believe what happened.

End of Chapter 11. Please forgive me for leaving you hanging like this. There are just two more chapters to go and they are coming very soon.