Honor Thy Mother & Thy Father Ch. 17

"He is always good to me Payne. He is always protective of me, and when we dance, it always is something special. Today he has outdone himself."

"You are getting married in a little more than five weeks, and Harold has not mentioned one word to you about a pre-nuptial agreement. I just want you to know that Harold is an extremely wealthy man. Men in his position have the woman sign a prenuptial agreement, before they give her the engagement ring. I see your ring is sparkling very nicely on your finger. He loves you very much, Callie. He is in this for the long haul. I don't think he knows any other way. Treat him with kindness, and honesty and he will love and defend you, forever, plus a day."

"Payne, I am desperately in love with Harold. I am not playing a game with him."

"Dycke misses Harold a lot. He said before I left home, 'If Harold lived in Charleston we would be having barbecues and dinners together every weekend.' Neither Dick, nor I expect you to move east, but maybe I can make your future husband buy an apartment nearby, so you can come to visit every so often."

"That would be wonderful Payne, I would enjoy it too."

"It would also give me an excuse to get into an airplane. I can hop into my Gulfstream, three hours later, I'm here in Sedona. I strap you folks into the back, and I am home in two hours and forty-five minutes. I know it sounds tough Callie, but we women have to learn how to put with husbands who make us so much money. It's a tough life, but we have to learn to live with it."

***

The meeting was held at Catherine Callaway's home, and everyone who attended was very excited. Payne and Catherine got along great, because she reminded her of her mother. Payne said the only thing that separated the two of them was her mother had an 11- year old girl running around her home.

Catherine was confused and asked how that happened, "Did she adopt the child?"

Payne laughed and said, "No, we were in Paris having our gowns fitted. A friend of ours took a picture of my mother, as she was getting ready to be fitted for her gown. She forwarded it to my dad. My dad liked it so much he had an enlarged to a room size photos. He put it on all the walls in his bedroom, bathroom, and ceiling. On the day we got home, my mother walked in to the bedroom, believing my dad was sick, because it was early in the day, and my dad never gets home before 8 P.M. She went in to the bedroom, and he turned on the lights to surprise her. There was this picture of her naked, all over the room. My mother was stunned. She has been molested by my father several times a day, from that day to this, and it shows no signs of letting up. A few months later she started not to feel well, and she went to the doctor. The Doctor told her she was two months pregnant. When she counted back the two months, it went exactly to the day she got home from Paris."

The six women in the room started laughing and giggling.

Payne said, "It worked out perfectly for everyone. One of my dad's security agents became pregnant, a month later, and I became pregnant, if you weeks after her. We kept the hospital's maternity ward busy, for months. My mom had a girl, Fiona and I had boys. The three of them are inseparable. They go to the same school. They challenge each other to see who is going to have the highest GPA at the end of each quarter. I am not talking about between the three of them individually; they want to be one, two, and three in the school. It is a cutthroat competition between the three of them, and it is fun to watch as a parent."

There was more general conversation and then Payne got down to business.

"Girls, this is the schedule; listen closely, or write it down, because the airplane leaves, with or without you, at 7 AM tomorrow morning. You will arrive at the airport at 6:15 AM, and check your luggage at the general aviation terminal for the aircraft with the tail number 6651 Tango. Weather permitting; we will be flying at 53,000 feet, at a speed of 600 miles per hour. That is much faster than any other aircraft in the sky, except military aircraft. From Sedona, we will be flying directly to Le Bourget airport in France, where we will land at a little after 10 PM. Dress very casually and comfortably. A pair of pajamas, and a robe for the flight, and bring a change of clothes, with you, for when we get off the airplane. It gets cool in the aircraft. Your body will tell you to go to sleep. Don't fight it; sleep as much as you can. You can watch television, listen to the radio, or bring a book to read. Meals will be served throughout the flight. The total elapsed time from takeoff to landing will be 17 hours. However, it is only ten hours flying time. Once we are on the ground, it will take us 40 minutes to clear customs, get into our limousines, and get to the hotel. There will be two occupants per room, you can pick your partner, anyway you like. I have two security agents with me. We will be getting two more, when we arrived in Paris. We will look like an all-female football team, and four of us will be professionals. Breakfast will be in your room at 7 AM. Eat it all, because you will hate yourself, later in the day if you don't. I will let Suzette read you the riot act, when we get to the salon.

We will leave the hotel at 10:30 AM and arrive at the salon just before 11 AM. From that moment, until the moment we are allowed to leave, you no longer are in control of your lives. Suzette, and her tiny women, all dressed in black; own your body, and soul. I have been through this once for my wedding, so I am prepared. You have no idea what is about to happen to you, and nothing I say can prepare you. Put your purses into the room safe and lock them up. You will not need them at all during the time we are being fitted. I know you will feel naked without them, but it will be safer if you do not carry them. When we start shopping you can carry your purses with you. My husband, Dycke and Callie's fiancé, Harold has ordered us to spend outrageous amounts of money on ourselves. We objected fiercely, to this demand, but we lost. Therefore we have to spend their money, to buy new summer and winter ensembles. We both feel terrible about this, but someone has to do it, and we will do our best.

They also said we must spend some of their money on you, although not so generously. We will do our best to figure out exactly what the limits of that statement mean, and if we are wrong; it is an awful long way to make a return."

"It is time for us to take Callie to the hotel, especially if you want a captain for tomorrow mornings flight. We will be at the airport at 5:30 AM to have the airplane ready for you when you arrive at 6:15 AM. There will be a buffet breakfast at the terminal for everyone, good night."

***

Following Payne's directions, five women showed up at the airport the next morning dressed for bed. Callaway's bridesmaids, Elizabeth, Joanne, and Terri, came straight from the hospital after working their 12-hour shift. Now they were on vacation until they came back. No one knew the exact date that would be. They were dressed in hospital greens, with heavy green and white slipper socks. Catherine was in pajamas and a robe. However the show was stolen by Claire. She was wearing a one-piece bunny suit, without the ears. Her husband, Doctor Ted Vincennes was walking around the buffet area, with his video camera. None of the comments he received were complementary. For the first time, in his memory, his mother-in-law threatened to kill him, if he did not turn that infernal machine.

At 6:45 AM, their flight was called, and everyone moved towards the aircraft. Harold held onto Callie, a little longer than he was allowed.

"You have no idea how much I love you, and I am going to miss you. Every day I am without you is going to feel like a year. I want you to have the best time of your life. When you come back, I want you to tell me everything you did. One day we will go back together, and do it all over again."

Callalily started crying. "I love you Harold. I want you to go to Charleston and buy an apartment. Payne told me Dycke misses you a lot, and I think she and I are going to become very good friends. She said she would fly here, take us to Charleston, and fly us back. I think it will work out beautifully, for both of us."

"As soon as you are in the air, I will call Dycke and see if he has any spare time this week. If he does, I will fly there and stay with him for a few days, while I look for an apartment for us."

"I love you, Harold; I always will."

"I have waited a long time for you, Callie. You were very well worth the wait. Come on, the airplane will leave without you, if we don't hurry."

When they arrived at the steps to the aircraft, Payne was walking down them. She said, "It's 7:02 AM, did you two enjoy your time in the bathroom together? Did you at least give her time to clean up after you ravished her on the floor?"

Harold said, "To quote a friend of mine Payne, 'It's a tough life, but someone has to live it.'"

"Yes, Harold, Dycke uses that quote a lot. He also walks around with a lot of bruises on his body after he uses them. Would you like to join him?

"No thank you, Payne, if I get bruises, I'd rather Callie, give them to me."

"Callie, kiss the man goodbye, get on my airplane and strap yourself in. We leave in five minutes."

After kissing Harold, Callalily scurried up the stairs into the Gulfstream, and strapped herself in. She never sat in first class on a commercial jet, but the inside of this aircraft was beyond luxurious. She looked at her mother, sister, and bridesmaids, and said, "If they all turn out like this one, I think I'm going to have Harold make more phone calls in the future."

Payne moved closer to Harold and said, "Dycke is waiting for your phone call. If you are available, he will take off Friday and Monday. You two can have a long weekend looking at apartments together."

"How did you know about the apartment, already?"

Alexis and Willie said, "Good morning, Mister Chase," as they walked past him, up the staircase, and into the aircraft.

Payne smiled and said, "A few birds told me."

Harold thought for a second, and remembered seeing the two young women, clearing away the remains of the buffet breakfast. He did not think they were close enough to hear Callie's private remarks, but with a little electronic help, nothing was privileged anymore.

"Very sneaky, Payne, but that means I get first shot at your husband. He may not live for you to get revenge."

"Wait until after you marry Callie to do anything illegal. I need a very rich friend to keep up with my lifestyle. She has no idea how wealthy you are. What is even more remarkable about that young woman is, 'She doesn't care.' You could be the son of a shoemaker and all she thinks about is how happy and secure you make her feel. The girl is a keeper Harold; don't fuck this up."

"I have no intention of doing that Payne. Keep an eye on her for me. Please bring her back to me in one lovely piece."

"Will do Harold; look at the time, its 7:07 AM. I am running 7 minutes late, already. Do you know what that means, Harold? It means I am going to have to fly faster than usual to make up for those lost minutes. Say goodbye Harold, it's time to get this bird in the air."

"Goodbye, Payne, have a safe flight."

****

Two hours and 30 minutes after Payne took off, another Gulfstream 650 landed in Sedona. Bob Short walked down the steps, retrieved his bag, and walked towards the terminal. Before he got there, the big jet spooled up its engines, and taxied towards the runway for its continuing trip to San Diego.

Bob believed this assignment would take him no more than three days. The Callaway's had lived in Cottonwood, for more than 30 years, and in a little town, everyone knew everything about everyone else's business. He drove his rental car directly to the Public Safety Building, announced that he was entering with a firearm, which he had permits to carry. He walked up to the desk commander put his gun on the counter and presented his Federal Credentials. Corporal Timmins ran them through the computer to verify they were legitimate, and they came back clean. He handed them back, and told Bob to have a nice stay in the area.

Amanda walked over to the desk and asked Timmins, "Who was the last man who walked in here with Federal Credentials?"

"Alan Robbins; he almost died in here, even though he worked for the FBI. This guy works for a private outfit."

"Run those credentials again, and see who we works for?

"After 20 minutes of trying, they kept running into a stone wall. One time the computer said he worked for General Motors. The next time it said he worked for General Electric. Then it was General Dynamics, General Steel, General Tires, and General Welfare."

Amanda said, "Do you have a feeling we are being jerked around?"

"No Amanda, I don't have a feeling, I am sure of it. Whoever he is, he is being covered by someone very big."

(Note: Dear readers, I will not go into everything that happened in Paris at this point. If you have read my story, "Having Fun with Dycke and Payne, you will remember, there were four young women that were sent away to a Catholic University in upstate New York. You will also remember the reason for this isolation. The one constant request I get is to bring them back into the fold, in another story. Although this story is not finished, I am attempting to build an outline that will bring these four women together with Payne, quite accidentally, while she is in Paris. If I can accomplish this, with enough new material to make it interesting for you, that will be my next story. Prolonged_Debut10)

***

74. Freedom.

The words Patricia Parent wanted to hear desperately came Saturday morning, not Friday afternoon as she had hoped.

Patty turned, looked at Doctor Nall, and said, "Do you mean I'm free?"

Doctor Nall replied, "Yes Patricia, you are free to go. However, you still owe me a game of chess."

"Name the time and the place doctor, and I will be there."

"Do you mean that, Patricia?"

"I do not lie, Doctor."

"Here and now, Patricia. The board is set up in the cafeteria, and people are waiting to watch you lose."

"Very cute doctor; you set this up knowing that I would not turn you down. Lead the way; I will try not to be too hard on you."

As they entered the cafeteria, it looked like half the staff was there to watch the two combatants play. The hospital's closed-circuit television camera was set up to broadcast the match.

As they sat down to play, Patty said, "The choice of color is yours doctor."

Doctor Nall chose white and the match was on.

Doctor Nall opened with Pawn to King 4, which Patricia answered with Pawn Queen Bishop 4.

After two more moves Doctor Nall looked at Patricia and said smile. "You are going to play the Caro-Kann Defense."

Patricia nodded.

Doctor Nall laughed, and said, "You are a dead woman."

"How much would you like to wager Doctor?"

"I will go for the damn ride in the glider."

"What would you like from me, doctor?"

"The way that big oaf behind you is smiling, why would I bother asking."

"He could be wrong."

"You cook me dinner for a week."

"That is acceptable."

After the next move, Patricia wrote something on a piece of paper, folded it, and handed it to Stephano. He peered at it, smiled, and kept it in his hand.

Twenty-three moves later the end was in sight, but the doctor refused to give in. She knew there had to be away around the juggernaut she was facing. Nine moves later, she tipped her king over in defeat.

Patty asked Stephano to give Doctor Nall the piece of paper she had given him after the fourth move of the game. She opened it, saw the number 35, and threw it on the board. She checked her sheet, and counted her moves. She screamed, "How could you possibly know you were going to beat me in 35 moves."

"It was very easy, Doctor. It is all in knowing your opponent."

"Get out of my hospital, before I throw you out."

"With pleasure, doctor, and thank you for everything you've done for me."

"I will see you in one month in my office for your follow-up."

"I will see you in 6 weeks; at my wedding. No excuses allowed doctor. You can come by glider if you want."

"OUT; Get Out Now; before I start testing you for a phantom disease."

***

William and Jemma kissed Patty goodbye, before they headed back to New York City. Bruno and Victoria had been taken back to Fort Polk earlier in the week. This left just the two of them for the first time, since she had come out of the coma.

To Stephano, the silence was deafening. To Patty, she had everything she needed; 'Him.'

He did not realize how much he had come to depend on those around him to help him survive the weeks she was in her extended sleep. Now he had to refocus his energies on her. He had a surprise waiting outside for her the hospital. He hoped she would enjoy it. Instead of taking her out through the main entrance of the hospital, they took her out through the delivery entrance. Parked there, with the motor running, was her motorhome. She looked at him and said, "How did that get here?"

"Would you believe I read the manual?"

"No."

"Would you believe I read the manual, and took lessons?"

"Did you scratch my home?"

"How would you be able to prove it was me, not another driver, or the fire?"

"I could tell by the side the scratches were on and stop trying to put the blame on someone else for you are inadequacies."

"In that case, there are no scratches on your motorhome. Do you want to sit in the wheelchair all day, or do you want to get into that monstrosity, and drive us home?"

"You drive; I want to watch you make a fool of yourself."

"Strap yourself in, madam. The best bus driver in all of New York State is going to take you to Glens Falls, New York."

"Stephano, you can't even drive a stick shift."

"That thing out there is an automatic."

"That coach is not a thing. It is my home, and you better not hurt it."

"If I hurt it, you won't fool around with me anymore. I will be extremely careful with it, because I love playing with your body."

"Men, they all have a one track mind."

"This is a bus, Madam, not a train. It goes on a road, not railroad tracks. Sometimes I wonder how you women survive."

"Stephano, you better start driving, before you get in more trouble than you can get out of."

Stephano drove onto Interstate 87, and headed north. 203 miles later, he parked the motorhome, next to the water, electrical and sanitary hookups behind the area the new barn was being built. He went outside to make sure the concrete blocks were in the correct place for the hydraulic jacks to lift the vehicle off the ground, and stabilize it. He connected the hookups, returned to the inside of the bus, and pushed the lever that lowered the jack stands, raised the vehicle of the ground, and leveled the vehicle perfectly. Everything went by the book, and the motorhome was back where Patty had originally placed it.

Then he realized he had not seen or heard a word from Patty, since they arrived. He walked to the back of the bus, and opened the privacy screen, for the bedroom area. There she was lying on the bed, as naked as the days he was born.

She said, "I knew you would miss me sooner or later. Would you care to join me?"

Stephano replied, "All your horses could not keep the away. You look so beautiful Patty. In my heart, I never thought I would see you this way again. I thought I had lost you forever."

He undressed, and lay down beside her.

As they cuddled close together, she said, "I heard you calling me, Steph. I heard every beautiful word you said to me. I just could not reconcile the thought of those people attacking me, attacking you, or attacking our children to get even, someday in our future. I wanted to die, but you kept calling me back. You would not let me go. Then you tricked me with your story about Jemma. You called me back with a story about one of the two other people in this world I cared about, almost as much as you."