A Summer By The Lake

I had forgotten what a recluse I had been when I first moved there. It didn't seem like my life, looking back.

"The reason I called you, Harry, is I need your advice and maybe your help for a couple of days."

I explained about her ex, and how I didn't trust him.

"I need you to spend a night or two at the house, just until I'm sure he's actually gone. I'll pay of course, and as a bonus you get to spend time with an attractive woman your age. Will you help me?"

"Yes. It'll be good to work again. I'll call the sheriff, have him keep a closer eye on your neighborhood. He seems unstable from how you describe him. He may already be gone. I'll reach out to some friends, if he's still got the rental car we'll know he's still here. An attractive woman my age, you say?"

I laughed and described Jane.

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I went home and explained about Harry. I was keeping B.B. and Sarah with me. I had an alarm system at the house but hadn't actually turned it on except when I traveled. After B.B., I didn't turn it on at all. I checked it out and gave them the codes, telling them to make sure it was on if I wasn't there.

We teased Jane about Harry, telling her not to distract him with her feminine wiles.

When Harry showed up with a suitcase it was obvious after the first hour there was an attraction there. Sarah grinned at Jane when she decided to make her famous chocolate cake for dessert, and she blushed.

At two that morning Jane called us screaming. Ed was back, trying to break in. He had picked up a pistol somewhere and was threatening to shoot if she didn't let him in.

Harry identified himself, saying the police were on the way, telling him to drop the weapon. When Ed kicked the door in Harry shot him.

It didn't kill him. When he got out of the hospital, he was charged with felony trespass, breaking and entering, destruction of property[the door], possession of an unregistered weapon, assault with a deadly weapon, and communicating threats to a police officer.

He was evaluated and found unfit to stand trial, and remanded to the state correction facility for mentally unbalanced prisoners. He was there for two years. He lost rights to B.B. while he was there, and left for Chicago just as soon as he got out. No one knows where he ended up.

Spring came slowly, beating back the ice and snow relentlessly. Everybody got antsy as the wedding approached. My mom showed up two weeks early, dad joined her the next. Her parents came up at the same time, and things were hectic for awhile.

Jane asked Harry to stay with her for a few days until her nerves were settled. Six months later they determined she was still emotionally fragile, and he moved in permanently.

B.B. summed it up.

"That's great! You can never have too many grandparents."

Sarah was getting all worked up, insecure one minute, tyrannical the next. I just smiled and endured it.

My accountant nearly had a stroke when I told him there would be no prenup. He begged and Sarah said she didn't mind, but I was adamant.

I was worth about twenty million, give or take. Between the foundation for the library, the nonprofit charity we had started to establish the spiritual retreat, and the donations I had made to different charities, I had spent almost three millions dollars in a six month period. I thought about it, and gave my church a one time donation of one million dollars. That way it was separated from any control or influence from me, making it a true decision of the church board how and when the money was spent.

Finally the day arrived.

The church overflowed. We nearly wiped out two local florists. June was matron of honor, B.B., Sandy, and an old college friend were bridesmaids.

My dad actually cried when I asked him to be my best man. My local lawyer had become a good friend and was happy to be a groomsman. Harry and Sarah's dad Bill were the rest of the wedding party.

I asked Greg to be my best man but he surprised us by refusing.

"As much as it would honor me, I would rather officiate, if you don't mind."

Of course we didn't mind.

We did use the local seamstress for her wedding gown. It was shimmery and layered, and the bodice fit like a glove. She seemed to float down the aisle. June and Greg's daughter was the ring bearer, and Harry's youngest son was the ring bearer. The bridesmaid gowns were also made by the same seamstress, a light pink. I know bridesmaid dresses are supposed to be unattractive to make the bride shine, but in this case it didn't work. They were works of art in pale pink.

We used the auditorium beside the library for the reception. The twins didn't get to cater it because they were guests, but they didn't seem to mind. The orchestra started up, and we danced the traditional dances.

B.B was over the moon with happiness. As we prepared to leave for our honeymoon, three weeks in the islands, we pulled her to the side.

"I'd tell you to behave yourself, but with three sets of grandparents to watch over I don't think that'll be a problem. We have something for you before we leave."

I handed her two envelopes.

She tore them open and Sarah had to catch her before she fell.

The first envelope held her adoption papers, ready to be signed and filed. She would be Brittany Brianna Smith, at least until she married.

The second envelope contained tickets to the resort we would be staying at for the last week of our honeymoon.

"You didn't think we could stand being away from our daughter for that long, did you?"

When we in the car on the way to the airport, Sarah handed me her wedding present.

It was a camera, almost exactly like the one she threw in the lake a year ago.

"Now you can take all the pictures of me naked you want, pervert." she said giggling. It sounded like a fine idea to me, so I did until she tried to make me stop twenty years later. I refused.

"The day I stop wanting to see you naked is a long way off. Now, lose the bra."

She gave me a present from B.B. also, three pair of silk boxers with a note.

"Get with the times, Dad. You have a hot wife now, you have to keep her interested."

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Life went on. Our daughter grew up, went to college and got a degree in child counseling.

When my next book, A Summer At The Lake, came it out, it became my bestseller ever. The girls tried to pretend to be mad at me because it was basically the story of how we fell in love. The movie was ranked third all time in romance for twenty years.

The retreat was built, including a fifty space campsite that parents could use, sometimes alone, sometimes in conjunction with the children.

Greg and June became directors, jobs they held until they retired. He preached at our church on occasion, and also at the retreat in the big hall. B.B., Sandy, and most of his other children became staffers in the summer, guiding and watching over the eight to ten years olds. It led B.B. to her choice in careers, and when Greg retired she took over. Sandy became a minister like her dad. She actually served at our church for two years before she was moved.

When B.B. went to college Sarah went into a depression. One day I came home to find Sarah rocking a three year old girl in her arms, while her twin brother lay sleeping on my old bearskin rug.

I remembered them from the retreat, they came with their parents and Sarah was enraptured with then.

Their parents had been killed in a house fire, they managed to drop the children out the window before the smoke rendered them unconscious. So, at forty two, Sarah became a mother again.

B.B. was thrilled when she met her brother and sister for the first time. Bob and Bobbi are in junior high now, and Bobbi has a remarkable talent for writing. She told everybody that someone had to carry on the family business. Bob is a standard fourteen year old boy, starting to notice girls. He does love the outdoors, especially kayaking. He even competes in races, winning a lot. He says he wants to try out for the Olympics when he's seventeen.

All the grandparent were thrilled to have a fresh set of grandchildren, and most summers, one or both were gone most of the time. I don't like it but I don't complain. Much.

I still write, but at a much slower pace. Maybe one book a year. We have more money than we'll ever spend, and each child has a trust fund. We can't wait to see what life has in store for us.

Life has turned out well for us. Like a famous writer once said, life goes on.

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Once again, thanks for reading. Comments, good or bad, are always welcome.