Homeless Pt. 05

They'd asked if we were going to take a vacation. I'd kept my plans a secret to surprise Jennie, but between her pressure and questions from Andrea and Allison I gave in. "Four nights in London followed by five nights in Paris then we'll take the train to Amsterdam for a river cruise down the Rhine, Main, and Danube to Budapest. All told it will take us just under a month." I was about to ask Jennie if that was okay with her, but the expression on her face told me everything I needed to know. Her eyes were as big as saucers.

"Are you taking Lady," Allison asked.

"No...we can't. Countries have rules that require quarantine for animals to prevent the spread of disease so I think we'll have to board her with her trainer." I had barely gotten the words out of my mouth when Andrea and Allison were all over their parents, begging to be allowed to take care of Lady while we were gone. "I can't ask you to do that. It'll be a lot of work and time."

"You're not asking us, Doug. We're asking you."

I had no answer so I looked to Charlie for help. "Actually, that sounds like a good idea. I think we should do it." That's when I decided I could kill two birds with one stone. The Monday after they left I telephoned the President of Villanova University asking for an appointment. "It's about a sizable gift for the university," I told the secretary. Not surprisingly I got an appointment with no difficulty.

We drove to Philadelphia two days before we were scheduled to fly to Europe, staying overnight just outside Philly. I had an appointment at 9:30 the following morning and we were shown into the president's office almost immediately. I got right down to business after introductions. "We're willing to donate twenty million dollars to the university, but I'll tell you up front that there are some conditions. However, I doubt that you'll find them much of a problem. First, we expect a receipt, but other than that you'll record and publicize it as an anonymous gift. Second, you will receive an application from an Andrea Blasi who will be a senior at St. Anthony in Jersey City this coming year. She's a straight 'A' student and a wonderful young woman. We want her to be accepted and given a full scholarship. We'll give you an additional $300,000 to cover that expense. I've had our attorney prepare a simple agreement stating exactly what I've told you. Jennie and I have already signed and the signatures have been notarized. I have a certified check in my pocket that we'll sign over once you've agreed." I pulled the two copies from my briefcase and showed them to him.

"What's your interest in this?"

I explained how we had met Charlie and Toni and how we became friends. Mostly, we talked about what a wonderful person Andrea was and how we wanted her to have the best educational experience possible. I pulled out the check made payable to Jennie and me. He seemed to be amazed. "You're obviously a good friend. I agree." He signed both copies, his secretary notarized, and Jennie and I endorsed the check payable to Villanova University. We were back on the highway to New Jersey fifteen minutes later.

Toni and the girls greeted us eagerly when we pulled into the driveway. Lady jumped from the car, running to the girls as they knelt to hug and pet her. We spent a few minutes getting Lady's bed, food, and bowls into their house. David drove up with our limo a few minutes later. We hugged and kissed Toni, Andrea, and Allison before leaving, but I took a minute to talk about Lady. "Lady will come, sit, shake, roll over, and heel. Don't try to give her any nonsense syllables because you just might give her an attack command. She will protect you if necessary. You're both intelligent and responsible girls so have fun with her, but don't do anything you might regret. Having a dog like Lady is a real responsibility. You don't have her Service Dog vest so you can't take her into restaurants or the movie theater. Do we understand each other?"

"Yes, Doug," Allison answered. "You can trust us...honest." I hugged her again, petted Lady and told her to obey then I joined my wonderful wife in the limo.

CHAPTER 15

We were traveling first class on Air France—one of the better airlines in my opinion-so we were able to use their lounge at JFK for almost four hours until it was time to board. I could tell that Jennie was excited. She had my hand in a death grip and she wouldn't let go. She sat by the window so she'd have a view of the city after takeoff. She was still holding my hand as she leaned over to whisper, "I can't believe we're really doing this. I'm so excited—London...Paris...Amsterdam and a long cruise down the rivers through Europe. Did I bring my camera?"

"Yes, sweetheart—it's in your carry-on. Remember?" She sighed in relief then turned down the attendant's query about wanting Champagne. I accepted; Jennie took orange juice. We relaxed as the plane was filled with travelers. It had been a long, but satisfying day so I suggested that Jennie rest and perhaps catch a nap. Not a chance—she was wired.

The plane had taken off and the pilot had switched off the seatbelt sign when the attendant began our dinner service. I had my choice of several decent wines as well as mixed drinks. Jennie laughed when I looked at her with a toast. "Go ahead...rub it in. I'll still love you." And to prove it she leaned over to kiss me. I enjoyed my filet and roasted potatoes and after the crème brulee I had one of those tiny bottles of Hennessey brandy. Now I was as ready as I could be for sleep.

My seat was reclined almost fully horizontal and my eyes were closed when I felt the seatbelt open. Looking up I could see Jennie joining me in the seat, placing her head on my shoulder and her leg over my thigh, the same position we used for sleeping every night. It was a tight squeeze, but she just managed to get the seatbelt closed and locked over us. I could see the flight attendant approaching to complain, but I stopped her by signaling with my hand. "My wife is pregnant and this is the only way she'll be able to sleep. We'll be fine." I wrapped my arm around Jennie, took a deep breath and closed my eyes. When I next opened them it was morning and time for breakfast. Two hours later we were on the ground and walking quickly toward Immigration and Customs. I was always amazed at how easy it was to pass through both in most foreign countries. Even Communist China was much quicker and easier than Immigration at LAX.

Our limo driver was waiting for us and gladly took Jennie's baggage cart. We each had two bags and a carry-on—more than a handful for the two of us. Traffic was as heavy as always so we spent close to an hour to reach the Guoman Tower Hotel where I had reserved a suite with a view of the Thames and the Tower Bridge. I had no expectation that the room would be ready and I wasn't disappointed. We left our bags with the bellmen and walked up the hill to the Tower of London. We had our cameras and took plenty of photos outside, but put them away when we went to view the Crown Jewels. Jennie laughed when she saw them. "I like mine better," she whispered. We bought a few souvenirs—umbrellas we had forgotten to pack, tee shirts for us and for Andrea and Allison, and a photo book of London. After the Tower we walked across the street to what is commonly known as a "shopping street" where we window shopped. We'd have much better opportunities tomorrow when I'd take her to the British Museum and Harrods just down the block.

We strolled along the Thames hand in hand until Jennie stopped me, then moving close, she hugged me fiercely. "Doug, this is a dream come true for me. I can't tell you how many nights I lay awake next to some sweaty, hairy stranger dreaming of my knight saving me and whisking me off to wonderful places like London and Paris. Now you've made it all come true for me. You'll always be my knight."

"That's me all right—Sir Douglas, Nerd of the Computer," I said as I put my left foot forward and bowed with a sweeping gesture of my right hand.

Jennie laughed, exactly as I had intended then added, "You may be a nerd, but you're my nerd and I'd take you over anyone else." She took my hand and we walked back to the hotel. Our suite was ready so we went up to unpack. Jennie and I had two sets of clothes—one for London and Paris and another for the cruise. Our suitcases were marked accordingly.

I was almost done with my bag when Jennie removed her jewelry from the carry-on. "I'd think these were real if I didn't know better."

I walked over to take yet another look. "Yeah, Harry Winston did a great job, didn't they?" When I had bought our rings and Jennie's other jewelry I had asked if duplicates could be made. I wanted Jennie to look good, but taking jewelry worth $100,000 or more on a trip was just stupid. These were identical necklaces, pendants, earrings, and bracelets except that the "diamonds" were actually white sapphires. The gold settings were real 14 Karat, but were only plated. Everything Jennie had with her, other than her engagement and wedding rings, cost less than $10,000.

Once we were done we caught a cab. "Monument," was all I said to the driver. Ten minutes later he dropped us off on Monument Street just a few feet from our destination, the Walrus and Carpenter Pub, and a short block to the monument to the Great Fire of London in 1666.

"I've eaten here before...several times, in fact. The beer is great and the food is good, too. I don't think it will hurt for you to have a sip. I'm sure our mothers drank all through their pregnancies and we managed to survive."

"I know, Doug, but I'm taking no chances and my mother is hardly a role model I'd want to emulate." We were shown to a table by the window where I ordered Belgian beer and Jennie, lemonade on the waiter's recommendation. I did allow her a sip. She approved, but told me the lemonade was also outstanding. She ordered a bowl of tomato basil soup and we agreed on the chicken and mushroom pie. I loved pub food and we'd have it every night in London if I had anything to say about it.

We always found plenty to talk about and tonight-the first of our honeymoon-was no exception. Everything we saw out the window as well as everything that happened within the pub caught our interest. The food was as great as I had remembered and soon we were back on the street where we hailed a cab back to the hotel.

Jennie spent almost twenty minutes looking out our window at the tower bridge and the far shore. I pointed out Shakespeare's Globe Theater and the Tate Gallery on the opposite shore as I reminded her that we needed to get some sleep. We showered and went to bed, but not to sleep. Jennie was just as excited then as she had been all day. She wore me out, first orally and later by riding me as though I was a wild bronco. After that we slept like the dead until my watch alarm woke us at 7:30 the following morning.

We enjoyed a full English breakfast in the dining room and Jennie had her first cup of English tea. I suggested she try the Earl Grey or the English Breakfast Tea. She enjoyed both and we resolved to buy some to bring back with us.

After breakfast we walked up to the nearest Metro station at Tower Hill. From there it was a short trip to Embankment and north on the black line to Goodge Street station. From there we walked the two blocks to the museum.

One could easily spend a month just at the British Museum so we picked those things Jennie found particularly interesting—ancient Egypt, the Rosetta Stone, and India. We left around three and walked down Brompton Road into the huge store. Harrods is unlike anything we have in the States. We went first to Ladies Clothing where Jennie tried on and modeled several outfits before deciding she wasn't all that interested in anything for herself. She did buy some beautiful woolen sweaters and tops for Toni and her daughters and an off-white cardigan for Charlie. The golf shop, however, did grab and hold her. Only after buying caps, towels, and ball marker sets from St. Andrews as well as a few shirts for us and for Charlie was she ready to move on. From there we went to the tea shop where we bought several boxes of tea and jars of jam. By then it was almost time to eat. Harrods must have twenty small restaurants on its seven floors. We began at the bottom and walked our way up until we had covered them all then we went back down to Bentley's Sea Grill. The food was exquisite and so were the prices. After dinner we went upstairs to the Ice Cream Parlour for dessert.

We spent the following days on a "hop on-hop off" bus that took us through the entire city, stopping at Buckingham Palace, the Churchill War Rooms, and the Tate Gallery. We even rode the London Eye—the huge Ferris wheel with cars that can hold twenty people or more. Jennie and I left the following morning by train to Paris through the Channel Tunnel, or "Chunnel" as it's usually called. The trip is about five and a half hours so I bought premium tickets that would give us more room and enable us to eat a real meal en route. We checked in to the Hotel Da Vinci just across the Seine from the Louvre.

The next four days were a dream. Paris at any time is a dream, but for two lovers like Jennie and me it was even better. We did everything we could squeeze in to those four glorious days. The Louvre was first and we spent almost the entire day there. Leaving mid-afternoon, we walked across the bridge to Notre Dame Cathedral. I'd always found the architecture of European churches spectacular and apparently Jennie agreed completely. She raved about the cathedral—the marble columns, the huge pipe organs, the rose windows of centuries-old stained glass, and the size! The cathedral was incredibly huge and overwhelming in every way.

The following day we took the train to Versailles, touring the grounds and palace while Jennie took dozens of photos. We were on the return train at almost 9:00 when Jennie asked me why we still had bright daylight. "I'm sure you know that the farther north one goes in summer the more daylight there is. At the North Pole you have twenty-four hours. Well, most Americans think that Europe is just like the States, but it's not. Paris is farther north than any city in the continental U.S. Believe it or not, Rome is the same latitude as New York City." She looked at me in disbelief, but knew that I'd never lie to her.

We spent the following two days touring the city—climbing to the top of the Arc de Triomphe, riding to the top of the Eiffel Tower, visiting the Museum of the Army at Invalides—a fascinating museum that had once a hospital-and Napoleon's Tomb. We were tired when we walked into our room that night to pack, but I knew we'd have time to rest tomorrow on the ship.

There are twelve trains each day from Paris to Amsterdam and we had our tickets so there was no rush at the Paris Nord Station where a porter checked our bags and showed us where to board. The trip isn't long—only three hours—and the station in Amsterdam is close by the harbor. We had no trouble getting a cab to take us directly to the ship. I had booked the largest suite, a corner of the upper deck at the stern with rooms surrounded by a long L-shaped balcony and a glass wall in the living room that gave us fantastic views. Today they were of the harbor—tomorrow the Rhine!

Our bags were delivered and we unpacked our second suitcases—the ones with our "cruise" clothes, although, to be honest, they were just jeans, short-sleeved shirts, and sweaters. There was no "formal night" and no expectation of fancy dress on this cruise.

Once done we walked forward to the lounge. There were four couples there, grouped around a table chatting. Jennie is an extremely gregarious person—outgoing and likable. It's probably how she survived on the road. She walked right up to introduce us. "Hi, I'm Jennie and this is my husband, Doug." They invited us to sit as they continued their conversation which centered mostly on the travails of air travel.

"I can't believe how they had us crammed in like sardines," a woman named Marlene commented. "And these cabins aren't much better. The shower is tiny and the room isn't much bigger. Don't you agree, Jennie?"

"Um...I guess I really can't. Doug and I flew over first class into London and we have one of the big suites at the rear of this deck. It's really nice."

"Don't you mean you flew here...into Amsterdam?"

"No, we stayed in London four nights and then took the train to Paris for five and we came here by another train. The train is fast here and we had lots of room."

"I hesitate to ask what the two of you do for a living. This trip must be costing you a fortune."

"Well," Jennie responded, "I have no idea what Doug is spending, but I don't work and Doug is retired." Jennie continued. Eventually, the story of how we met, fell in love, and married became the topic of discussion as Jennie bragged about me. "Doug's a computer nerd. He's really smart...really. Have you ever heard of those 'Idiot' programs? Like 'Spanish for Idiots?' Doug wrote all those programs and owned the company until he sold it last year. Lucky for me he did, because we'd never have met otherwise."

I noticed that the bar had opened so I asked if anyone wanted a drink. "You buying?" It was Steve, Marlene's husband.

"Why not? It'll be a good way to start off the cruise, don't you think?" I stood and walked to the bar. A minute later the bartender followed me to the table. "Let's have a round and put it on my room bill. Have anything like chips or nuts?" Of course they did. Two minutes later he had written down our orders and five minutes after that we held our first drink of the trip. I raised my glass for a toast, wishing for good fellowship and better weather much to the group's amusement. It was obvious they'd never been to the Netherlands where the weather is often cold and wet before. Jennie toasted with her ginger ale. Before long all the women were giving advice on how to handle her pregnancy. I just sat back in my chair and laughed.

We broke for dinner, but not until I offered a tour of the red light district. "Don't worry, we're not stopping and they don't give free samples. We're just going to look. I've been there before, but I was only looking then, too. It's not very far from our dock. I'll bet we can get some of the cruise directors to join us."

"I don't think any of us speak Dutch," one of the husbands commented.

"Doesn't matter, almost everyone in Europe speaks decent English and I speak German and French, both of which are in frequent use here. Anyway, if you like we can meet after dinner. I see we have a meeting and muster drill before. We'll have to bring our life preservers."

I had prayed for an idyllic time on board, but it was not to be—not at first, anyway. The meeting was interrupted by two couples who did nothing but complain. They went on non-stop and loud enough for everyone to hear. Personally, although I held my tongue, I'd had more than enough by the time we broke for dinner. Jennie and I walked in and looked around for some seats. Soon Jennie saw Marlene and Steve standing and waving—inviting us to join them. The food and wine were quite good in my opinion, but those four idiots almost ruined the experience for all of us. Why did they even bother to come?

As promised, we met our new friends and about twenty others at the gangway and were just about to leave when the "Nasty Four" as I had already dubbed them asked where we were going. "That's disgusting. I'd never..."

"Good," I replied, "then you won't be joining us, will you?" I rarely lose my temper, but not even six hours into our trip and I was fed up with their behavior.

The tour went exactly as I had anticipated. You can't really see anything you can't see on a beach—maybe even less. The women are all dressed in bras and panties or really short shorts and show their wares in a plate glass window surrounded by a red neon tube. You can see the actual bed where they work in the background, but you'd never see any real sex through the heavy drapes. The first women we saw were mostly eastern European or Asian and not terribly attractive, but that changed as we walked farther down the street. My theory was that the rents were higher in the center so only the more attractive and higher priced workers were to be found there. We returned laughing to the ship about an hour later. Jennie and I waved to our new friends as we walked up the stairs to our suite.