Everything that Glitters Ch. 04

Everything That Glitters, Chapter 4

This story is the property of the writer known as Texican1830. There is no sex involving anyone under the age of 18.

If you haven't read the first three chapters this will be nonsensical. Ch. 1 is in Loving Wives where stories about cheating wives abide; Chapter 2 through 4 are in Romance, because they aren't about a cheating wife.

Fair warning: as noted in the intro to Chapter 2, my ruminations are about how a young mother could give up her daughter and husband so callously, and what became of her, and of them. This final chapter attempts to give glimpses into the events, large and mostly small, that shaped the final outcome for all three of them.

Chapter 3 ended with Zane and Cassie planning things so he can spend another year on the tour.

They worked through Casey's care, the help needed for the ranch, cattle, and horses, and the logistics of getting daughter with daddy as often as feasible. He could handle the business end of it from the road, but it who was Cassie taking on the big load back home.

"I'll have the same load you had for four years, minus the whole cheating-slut-wife thing to endure!" she reminded him.

He walked around the table to where she was standing, grabbed her by both arms, and, with gritted teeth said, "That's the last time I EVER want to hear something like that come out of your mouth! That was then -- this is now! You are the mother of our daughter, and you deserve credit and respect for what you've done the past two years, and especially this fall! You're taking on an even larger load next year, and giving up your dream to do it -- I don't want to hear anything else bad said about you! Is that clear?"

Her lip was quivering, tears were in the corners of her eyes, but she held he gaze and nodded. "My dream changed, Zane. I don't give an damn about winning, being rodeo sweetheart, or celebrity anymore. My dream now is to as good a mother to my daughter as you are a father!"

***

The next day they all loaded up in two Suburbans and went Christmas shopping at the outlet mall in San Marcos. The Simpsons were in one vehicle with their kids and Elle, Cassie's mom; Casey, Cassie, Zane, and his parents, David and Sue, were in the other. After a full day walking around the sprawling layout, and having settled for salads and sandwiches for lunch, they adjourned to Grins in San Marcos.

To hold off starvation until the ribeye and chicken fried steaks arrived, they tried the appetizer sampler, loved them all, and wolfed down another before their main courses came!

They spent the night at Embassy Suites, rode around the burgeoning Texas State Campus, and then took their shopping to Sam's Club and Barton Creek Mall in south Austin. They were through by two, so they visited the capitol and the Bob Bulloch Texas History Museum.

At Bulloch, Zane had his first brush with celebrity since the finals. A reporter for the NBC affiliate was at the museum doing a feature on a new exhibit about the French explorer, LaSalle. She spotted Zane and Cassie, and came over to say hello. When she was introduced to Brad and Carole, the girls, and the grandparents, she begged them to let her do a short feature on them as a group.

She was persuasive enough that when Cassie whispered how happy the sponsors would be, Zane relented. They actually were on camera for almost a half hour, what with interviews with the adults and kids, and the larger group. It became clear that she had a big crush on Zane, but she was respectful throughout, even exchanging personal information with him so she "could let them know when the feature aired."

The adults thought it was cute, but Casey, who had hammed it up for the camera, changed her mind when numbers were exchanged. "That lady was flirting with you, Daddy!"

It was getting late, but Zane wanted to visit the University of Texas campus and see the football stadium where his beloved Longhorns play. Sure, they hadn't been worth a shit since 2009, but he loved them anyway.

He pulled up his phone, got rooms at the ATT Hotel and Conference Center on campus, and promised the kids they would love the Natural History Museum, which had dinosaurs and stuff, when they visited tomorrow. He also promised to buy them Longhorn gear at the Co-op.

Everyone went on the campus tour with him, and he got to show them the Littlefield Fountain, the dorm where he stayed when he was selected for American Legion Boy's State, Gregory Gym, the Six Pack with all the statues, and The Tower. Like a lot of Longhorn fans, he knew all the lore, even though he had never set foot in a class there... or at any other college.

He had, however, taken online classes, and intended to continue. If he kept up his current pace, he would take five more years to graduate, but he didn't care. He was bright enough, having been valedictorian of his high school class, he enjoyed learning, and being part of online classes opened his eyes to other points of view and beliefs.

He still relied on Cal and his business advisors, but he was learning to confidently research and identify potential investment opportunities.

They did enjoy the natural history museum, but the highlight was visiting Darrell K Royal -- Texas Memorial Stadium, originally constructed just after World War I, and named in memory of those who lost their lives in "the war to end all wars".

For once, Zane's celebrity worked for him. They were standing on the southeast corner looking through the fence at the field when one of the coaches came up and introduced himself. Turned out he was a rodeo fan from Taylor, a nearby small town, and recognized "The reigning All-Around Cowboy".

After introductions, he insisted on showing them around the dressing rooms, strength and conditioning area, and introducing them to head Coach Tom Herman and other staff members. "Coaches, you are in the presence of royalty: Cassandra is a three-time world champion barrel racer, Brad and Zane won the world in team roping this year, and Zane won the calf roping and All-Around tittles."

Zane responded, "We watched the win over the Sooners at the state fair on TV -- great win! I'm sure the loss in the Big 12 title game hurt, but from a fan's perspective, it was a great game. I'm looking forward to you guys upsetting the Georgia Bulldogs in the Sugar Bowl and getting 2019 off to a great start!"

Coach Naivar took them on a tour of the stadium, including going onto the field, and then surprised them by returning to the coaches' office.

"We appreciate you coming to visit, and supporting the 'Horns like you do" Coach Herman told them. "I don't know what your plans are for New Year's Day, but here are tickets to the game for all of you, and sideline passes for Brad and Zane. Sorry I can't let all of you on the sideline, but it's a dangerous place during a game. I suspect these two can handle themselves down there among the 300 pounders running around full speed, though, and I suspect they will enjoy being close to the action!"

They thanked Coach Herman profusely, and promised to be there wearing burnt orange and cheering madly.

***

"Let's see," said Cassie quizzically as they walked away from the stadium. "Sitting at home watching the ball drop on TV, or bringing in the New Year in Naw'lins, watching the fireworks over the Mighty Mississippi? I'm not sure which sounds better -- what do y'all think?"

That vote was unanimous, and sent Cassie and Carole about the almost impossible task of securing hotel rooms. With a cocked eye and a grin, an hour later Carole said, "Good thing you boys won all that money, because we just spent a bunch of it on plane tickets, rental SUVs, and two bedroom suites at the Four Seasons on the river!

"Don't give me that look, Zane Rhys: it was that or stay under a bridge! Everything is sold out!"

He doubted it, but, whatever it took to get on the field with the Longhorns!

They flew out of Austin at 4:30 am on the 29^th, leaving two days early because the airlines didn't have ten tickets on a later flight. They were flying back the afternoon of the second, so Carole and Cassie had searched for fun family-friendly things to do in NOLA.

They got there early enough to eat beignets and drink coffee at Café du Monde, and then rode the streetcars on the St. Charles line out to Tulane. The enjoyed seeing the Victorian homes along the route, and took a quick tour of the campus and the site of the "original Sugar Bowl", where they learned Tulane was a founding member of the SEC. That seemed incongruous with the path Tulane had taken to become "the Harvard of the South."

They took a streetcar back, and rode another along Canal to the City Park and Museum of Art. The park, situated along a bayou, was huge -- over 1300 acres with walking trails, fishing sites, and all kinds of recreational options, including tennis, Cassie's second favorite sport, and one in which she had been a state qualifier twice.

The art was amazing, but not as moving as the displays at the WW II Museum they went to later that afternoon, after eating authentic gumbo at The Gumbo House for lunch. David told them stories about his dad, a WW II veteran who survived the D-Day invasion and the liberation of France. They arrived too late to do it justice, but promised they would return when they had more time.

The kids were tired and hungry, so they went directly to the Hilton on Poydras to eat at Drago's Seafood Restaurant. David, Zane, and Brad went with the New Orleans Charbroiled Oysters that made the restaurant famous, while the others ordered more standard seafood plates. It was all delicious, but they had to order more Charbroiled Oysters because everyone had to try theirs, and then wouldn't quit eating them!

Stuffed, they walked along the river back to their hotel. The rental Suburbans had been left with valet parking at the hotel and their luggage had been taken to their room, so they formally checked in, got their keys to their top-floor suites, and those to access the top floor via the elevator.

The view of the city was outstanding, and, before retiring, they made plans to see Jackson Square and the French Quarter tomorrow. The women had elicited a promise to take a tour of the plantations up the river, and the men and kids wanted to go on the paddleboat tour downriver, so they were glad they had come a few days early.

Zane's suite had a bedroom with a king bed and a bedroom with a double bed. Elle quickly claimed the small bedroom, leaving Casey, Cassie and Zane with a king bed. He gave Cassie a quizzical look, but she appeared totally innocent, so he shrugged and offered them the bathroom first. He turned on the TV and found a lessor bowl game to watch while the three women showered and prepared for bed. Casey and her mom got in bed with Casey in the middle, and informed him it was his turn.

After he finished his shower and donned his pajamas, he climbed in beside his daughter and gave her a kiss on her cheek. She preened, hugged his neck, and said, "This has been the best day of my life, and now I get to sleep with both of you!"

***

The buffet breakfast fueled everyone for the big day ahead, and they were waiting at Destrehan when it opened. From there, they traveled to the ornate and colorful Creole plantation, San Francisco, and then to the Whitney House, which had an educational exhibit on slavery. Oak Alley was next, and they were all impressed with the beauty of the mansion and setting, and by the number of movies that had been made there. The towering oaks hovered over the remains of the old path that led to the mansion, giving it the name "Oak Alley".

They at a late lunch at the Houma House buffet, which gave them the opportunity to sample many of the dishes from that era, and to understand why Louisianans make such a fuss over bread pudding.

As they learned on the tour, many movies had been filmed there also. The gift shop was excellent, and they left with even more mementos from their tour. David asked if they were going to have to ship all their purchases, as he didn't think the plane could hold everything.

They had been an amorphous group all day, but Cassie had somehow been around Zane most of the time. He certainly didn't mind, given the way she looked in her tailored pants and tight sweater. She caught him watching a few times, but he was relatively circumspect in comparison to the men, young men, and boys they encountered at each stop.

Cassie seemed not to notice, but he knew she would have to be deaf not to hear the group of college boys who followed her around at Oak Alley.

The weather was mild, the wind negligible, and the humidity pretty low, for Louisiana, so they decided to hit the Vieux Carre (French Quarter) when they got back. That was a great decision and timing, as the crowds were just beginning to show up. They were able to squeeze in at the Napoleon House where they shared Muffalettas Sandwiches, salads, and gumbo.

Even the kids felt like walking, so they explored the French Quarter. Up St. Louis Street to Royal, down Royal to Conti, and over to Bourbon, then back down St. Louis. They saw some interesting sights, heard some great music through open doors, and marveled at the laid-back atmosphere of the denizens and visitors. The kids were wearing down, but the adults had seen enough to know they wanted to come back, sans children, at a later date.

The next day began with the breakfast buffet, after which they proceeded to the paddle wheelers for the tour downriver that culminated at the site of the Battle of New Orleans. The Mississippi was crowded with ships heading into and out of the Port of New Orleans and at every dock along the river there was a ship loaded with scrap metal headed to China. Zane, Brad, and David had a discussion about the economy and intelligence of sending scrap to China to be turned into products that were sold back to us at a very nice profit; especially parts critical to the military.

The historical tour of the battlefield commenced as soon as everyone had disembarked at the dock, and it was both interesting and mind opening. The narrator brought the battle to life, but it was hard to imagine the 5300-man British army marching in formation directly into entrenched positions where the Americans waited with cannons, rifles, and muskets. Of course, the British awarded the honor of leading the advance to the brave tartan-clad Scots, well known to be fearless.

They advanced toward the American troops, who were behind stacked Cotton bales, sugar casks, and a 20-foot parapet they had dug. When the Scots advanced to within 500 yards, the 4 heavy cannons opened fire, diminishing their numbers; at 300 yards, the withering rifle fire devastated their ranks, and when they reached 100 yards from the entrenchments, murderous musket fire poured upon them.

The British had 5300 troops to Jackson's 4700, but the Americans massacred the poorly led Scots until one of the few surviving officers called a retreat. The retreat turned into a rout when those in back began running away from the site. The words to Johnny Horton's song ran through Zane's head: "And they ran through the briars and they ran through the brambles and they through places that a rabbit wouldn't go."

The story was presented as a great victory led by General Andrew Jackson, but even the narrator expressed sadness at the plight of the "British" troops slaughtered there.

The afternoon was dedicated to the kids, who absolutely loved Audubon Park and Zoo, located on eclectic Magazine Street. The 58-acre zoo showcased everything from bugs to Asian Elephants, with a random Dinosaur statue thrown in.

Since it was New Year's Eve, they had a nice meal at Acme Oyster House, and then adjourned to the hotel so the kids could get some rest before the fireworks started shortly after 11 pm. Carole, Brad, Cassie and Zane walked across the street to Harrah's Casino to try their hands at the slots, but were back with less money by 10 pm.

There was a viewing area at World Trade Center, where the hotel was located, but they walked over to the river to watch the fireworks, which were set off on a barge in the river. Of course, the folks on the West Bank started early and continued to join it from time to time, but the show from the barge was truly spectacular!

It was, after all, New Year's Eve, so when the pretty blonde beside him tilted her head up the stroke of midnight, the kiss they shared was simply ceremony. The "ceremonial kiss" somehow left them breathless and aroused, and sleep came slowly, even with their princess lying between them.

The next morning they visited the nearby Audubon Butterfly center, then the shops on the river. They took the Riverfront Streetcar to the Café du Monde French Market, and then walked to Jackson Square and St. Louis Cathedral. Each of the women bought an oil painting she just could not live without from one of the artists around Jackson Square, and arranged to have it shipped home.

Their final activity was a buggy tour of "Haunted New Orleans" that detailed the history of the French Quarter as well as pointing out the locations of ghost sightings over the years. The adults decided that the next time they were there alone they should try the Haunted Pubs of New Orleans tour and crawl.

It was getting closer to game time, so they returned to the hotel via the streetcar to rest up and get ready.

Everyone was clad in the colors of the Texas Longhorns, with the kids and grandparents wearing jeans and sweatshirts. Brad and Zane, who would be on the sidelines, wore jeans, white pullover UT shirts, burnt orange sports coats, white cowboy hats, and custom, hand stitched Lucchese boots featuring a white longhorn on a deep orange background.

They looked sharp, but Carole and Cassie stopped traffic in their short, white-trimmed, burnt orange dresses with matching boots featuring a Longhorn head.

Their group drew notice when they piled out of the hotel's small bus, and loud comments and congratulations once the Texans in the crowd figured out who they were. Of course, Cassie and Carole drew the most attention from the predominantly male crowd, and they strutted their stuff all the way through the crowd to the VIP gate, where they would be admitted as guests of the Longhorns.

Zane had to agree that they deserved the adoration of the crowd, but he wasn't too happy about the loud invitations being shouted with the kids present. Fortunately, they were chatting away and taking everything in, so they didn't seem to have heard.

Cool as a cucumber in front of a massive rodeo crowd, even at Houston, Zane was all but overwhelmed by being on the sideline with his 'Horns at the Sugar Bowl. The Superdome was huge, the crowd raucous, and the players were excited and loud. As they stood with the trainer watching the team go through warmups, Zane told Brad "the Horns came to play tonight!" Turned out he was right!

Quarterback Sam Ehlinger scored on runs in the first and second quarters, and Cameron Dicker kicked two field goals to give the Longhorns a 20-7 lead at halftime, and then Sam scored again early in the fourth. They went for two, and he completed a pass to increase the score to 28-7. Texas substituted freely after that, and the Bulldogs got a score with 14 seconds left to make the final a respectable 28-21 score, but the 'Horn had dominated throughout the game!

Early in the game, Zane and Brad overhead a Georgia receiver tell the cornerback covering him, "We didn't expect you guys to hit like this!" in a dismayed voice. That was the icing on the cake to Zane, who hated the meme that the SEC played tough ball while the Big 12 teams played finesse ball.

They had been told they would likely have a cameo appearance during the game, and they were spotlighted and introduced by the announcer and the TV crew after the third quarter. They appreciated the roar and knew their sponsors would be thrilled, but even as they waved their hats to the crowd, Zane was telling Brad how much he was enjoying being on the sidelines with his favorite football team.