Lola's Lurching Life Ch. 03 - Final

"I'm enjoying being educated like this, I think," said the driver.

"Excellent, but attempt to avoid ending with phrases like 'I think' as they either suggest you having really thought through what you are saying, or suggest muddlement or perhaps are being insincere."

"You mean even duplicitous?"

"Perhaps."

"Wow, I just don't think like that."

Lola said it was part of the baggage that one picked up over time and with determination can be erased, or practically so.

"Oh, I say," he said, sounding delighted. "We are almost there; time just flies when I'm talking to you."

"We all should attempt to be never boring," she said as Ritchie drove into the small off-street parking area and stopped.

He turned and kissed her, amid her sweet smile.

Lola, having been reminded that she felt overdue for sex, kissing him back lushly.

"What was that for?" he gasped, pulling away.

"For being with such a lovely man," she said coyly, and slowly swept a hand over a breast and, delighted, watched his eyes trail her moving hand.

"Shall we go?" she said, opening her door and thinking she liked possessing a touch of licentiousness when she was thinking of sex. But would he, or wouldn't he.

Before the meal ended, she was thinking he wouldn't. He really was a tad girl-shy and probably could blame his mother for that. The conversation remained a little stifled on his part but it gained better flow before the evening ended.

She hadn't been pestered by the public, and that was a relief, with only one middle-aged nodding at her and smiling sweetly which suggested passive recognition.

Outside her cottage, Lola remained seated to give her date time to dart around his mum's car. Ritchie opened the door with a flourished and she pulled her skirt up high to get out and suspected his eyes would be almost gyrating.

She stood close to him as he shut the passenger side door and, with satisfaction, heard racy breathing.

"Coffee?"

"Thanks, but no thanks. Mum gets nervous when I'm out at nights with her car," said mummy's boy but at least that indicated he respected his mother's feelings.

"I've had a lovely evening," she said - well, it had been very okay. "What are you doing tomorrow evening?"

"I'll think of something."

"Would you like to come here for dinner."

"Oh, yes, corker," he said enthusiastically.

"You best come on your motor-cycle arriving around 6.00, and the invitation extends to bringing your toothbrush and staying the night in my bed."

"You mean..." he said, and then tailed off speechless.

"Oh yes, and I'm capable of going for half the night, even longer as required."

"B-but we scarcely know one another."

"Then what better way to really turn that on its head," Lola said softly

He seized her and rained her face with sweet kisses and that ended in a lip-smacking finale. She pressed against his groin and felt evidence of some hardness.

Boom, boom, she thought smugly.

"Take care driving home," she said, thinking that sounded like a wife speaking.

"I will," he said as he walked around the vehicle triumphantly. "I'll pack condoms."

Lola left that comment unanswered, to possibly leave him wondering if she were too chaste to answer such a comment from a male.

Next day, Lola performed the reason why she was resident on Waiheke Island. She tended to her vines and that work including a few more dead or dying young vines and replacing them with leafing vines from her small nursery sheltered from the off-shore wind.

While working, she spent more time than necessary thinking about having sex until she ceased, having got herself to thinking if lovely guy Ritchie Duncan fucked like a dream. she may marry him.

Oh dear; she had it bad, or had she? At least that indicated something, she sighed.

At 11.20 on Saturday morning, Ritchie phoned and spoke rather hesitantly.

"I'm sorry, but I can't make it tonight."

"That's fine. Is everything okay?"

"Not really. Mum's been such a pain. I mentioned that I intended staying the night at your place, and she hit the roof."

"And?"

"I calmed her be saying I'd call off tonight's date."

Frowning, Lola asked was his mother disgusted that he'd been asked to stay the night with a woman."

"Oh, she certainly was and I can see where she's coming from."

"Well, tell her our association has ended abruptly. Bye Ritchie."

He yelled, "No wait!"

Smiling thinly, Lola cut the call by switching her phone off temporarily.

Seething, she changed quickly into her running gear and ran off to the 20-acre Stony Batter Reserve at the nor-eastern end of the island and gradually her normal good humour returned.

* * *

Almost two weeks after the collapse of her brief friendship with a marine biologist after only one date exposed him as a dedicated 'mummy's boy', Lola received a phone call at 6.15 am.

"Hi Lola, it's Cooper Roper. I'm in serious trouble; where are you?"

"Oh Roper, I'm sorry and I will help you. I'm at my home near the eastern end of Waiheke Island. Where are you?"

"I've had a mental relapse and signed myself into a recuperation centre but after five days I'm aware it's not working for me."

"And you think I'm your best chance?"

"Yes, and I'll reward you handsomely."

"I don't wish to be paid for assisting you, and that's all I can do, assist you to regain your confidence in yourself with love and support, leaving it to you to rebuild your mental capacity. Where are you?"

"This facility is on a working farm out of Taupo."

"Right, this is what I want you to do. Sign out of the establishment and go by cab to the Taupo Airport after arranging a light aircraft charter direct to the airfield on Waiheke Island. Phone me the details of your scheduled arrival and I'll be there to meet you. Do you have a hoodie?"

"Hell yes, it's still wintry down here."

"Then have the hood up when you arrive here and travel to my home in anonymity. I want all pressure off you while you're my house guest. Be aware thought, it's a tiny house."

"I understand. I'll begin making arrangement as soon as this place wakes up with the arrival of day shift staff and the executive-manager. Bye, Lola, um, and a huge thanks. Um, I can't remember what your surname as I just have Lola listed in my phonebook."

"It doesn't matter Cooper. Well start from scratch again when we meet at the aerodrome that is just a grass strip."

At the airport next day, Lola ran across the grass for greet Cooper who arrived just before noon in a single engine Cessna. He was wearing a hoodie as instructed and she held it up a little to kiss him.

"How bad are you?"

"I've been worse. I hit scatty periods when my brain slips a cog and for half an hour, even longer at times, I remember virtually nothing. My medics told me I appear to be on the verge of a breakdown, suffering over-work stress."

"Okay, that's enough, for the time being. It gives me a picture."

Lola said to the pilot, "Hi, I'm Lola Hunt, a former personal adviser to Mr Cooper. Could you please assist me get his things to my vehicle?"

"Sure, Lola. I'm Brendan Willis. Which vehicle is it?"

"The only vehicle here, a white Jimny. We are a village airport.'

"Oh."

"How was he on the flight, Brendan?"

"Calm, because he'd been given a sedative injection. He was lucid at times and then were drift into nonsense and then nothing at times and then, for no apparent reason, would return speaking normally saying he'd forgotten what we'd been talking about."

"And that's all."

"Yes, he remained mild-mannered throughout, and his memory lapses did not appear to trouble him."

Brendan assisted Cooper to step from the aircraft and he walked with Lola unaided.

"Looking ast the small SUV,Cooper said, "Christ, Lola, you deserve a better vehicle than this. Trade it in and I'll buy you're a Jaguar."

"No thanks. It's my choice for a work vehicle. I work in a nearby vineyard and it's very suitable for driving between the row sof grapevines."

"Ah, so you have achieved your desire to work in the wine industry. Do you like it?"

"I find it extremely satisfying."

It was a fairly short drive home and Lola drove beyond the cottage a short distance and stopped beside her small vineyard.

"Oh look, this grower has a windmill, to pump water to irrigate the vines, I guess."

"Great sea views It's so rural, so..."

Cooper was unable to complete the sentence and they sat in silence looking out into the picturesque gulf.

"Why are we staying on the side of the road for?"

She smiled and said, "I wished to show you something."

Cooper said, "Those are young vines leafing, everything looks very new in fact. Um do you have a share in it as an investment?"

"Good man, you almost hit the nail on the head. It's my vineyard lock, stock and barrel and financed by a hefty slice of that big chunk of money that you gave me when we went on our separate ways at Takapuna."

"Wow, that's brilliant, Lola. Have you remained school teacher?"

"I never was a school teacher, sweetie. You have me mixed up with someone else."

"I...I... sorry."

"It's fine. You're here to allow me to help straighten you out."

"Good. Um where are we?"

"Almost home. We go around up here a bit and turn in to my cottage."

"Oh look, a bit boat hauled out of the water near the railway station."

Cooper, darling, there is no railway on Waiheke Island. What you are looking at it my cottage. I recently purchased this piece of land and the cottage but not the boat that was sold to someone else. That old Land Rover is mine, too. Let's to inside for coffee. I guess the medics warned you off drinking alcohol.

"Yes."

"While you are living with me, we'll both have a glass of white wine with our evening meal. I don't want feeling totally deprive. Does your wife know where you are?"

"My wife?"

"We'll discuss your personal situation over the next day or two."

"Very well, and you want me to be married""

"Out you get, Cooper. The code to unlock the front door is 4668. I'll say it again when you are at the door. Oh, you'll have to sleep with me as there is only one bed."

"Will I be allowed to place my hands on your body>"

"I don't see why not. It may assist you to relax and feel really at home. I really want you here, Cooper, and I really want you to feel at peace being here for me to help you regain mental peace and inner strength. Do you understand?"

"Yeah, sounds good."

"I work fulltime weekdays for a winery near here and can come quickly if necessary. I'd like you to permit me to employ a guy about my age to be your minder and companion on weekdays, you paying him $50 an hour for eight or nine hours a day for his companionship. Do you approve of that?"

"What about a female?"

"This guy does casual work for me at the lower rate of $35 an hour. But I want him to drive you about and take a real interest in you and guide you into planting 72 upright trees to form a partial shelter belt along 1¼ boundaries that I was going to have done on contract. I believe that having you in close contact with the soil could help you immensely."

"The young guy will give you instructions on how to use the motorised hired auger to bore out the 72 holes plus six spares. I would like you to do all the labour in the hope in working with the soil out in the open will be therapeutic for you. He might even take you out fishing. What do you say to that?"

"Yeah, it could help my mental state a little."

"His name is Todd Barnes, and is a nice guy. He's been laid off due to the business downturn. He had been working in corporate computer management and so you two may find much in common, perhaps not. I can't leave you alone all day and I only commenced my employment recently and so I regard you employing Todd is the best alternative than me perhaps having to quit my job. Todd is in need of male companionship too, I must say. I'll call him in a few minutes to check on his availability."

Cooper didn't comment at all about cottage, leaving Lola relieved he hadn't complained that the dwelling was too small and too spartan for him after being used to huge expensively decorated and furnished rooms.

He lay on one of the couches looking out the bay windows and Lola said, "Magnificent views, don't you think?"

"If you say so."

"I'm just popping outside to call Todd."

"Please don't abandon me."

"I promise I won't do that," she sighed, thinking Cooper was only a little better than the mental state he was when she first met him on the family property he'd inherited. She expected to learn details of his regression in due course.

It was cool outside and she slipped across and into the cleared big shed to make the call.

"Hi, Todd it's Lola. Just a quickie to ask if you're available for regular work from tomorrow, nine to five or a bit later."

"Yes, I can do that. So, what's up?"

"A male friend has arrived in a bit of a spot, on the verge of having a nervous break-down. His memory slips a cog now and again but he's placid. I assisted to help bring him back to good health when I used to live on the edge of Lake Pupuke. I'm worried that he might wander off when I'm away working fulltime at Classic Hills Vineyards and Winery. He's agreed to pay for a minder/companion at 50 bucks an hour."

"Yes, I am interested providing he's not dangerous."

"I have only one bed and he'll be sleeping with me, so obviously I don't consider he is dangerous. Actually, we did have a brief affair in the first encounter at Takapuna when he was almost back to normal. His name is Cooper Roper..."

"Omigod, the multi-millionaire. I read an extensive article about him and his recovery from serious trauma resulting from a motor-vehicle accident that killed his parents. Yes, I'd be most interested in chatting with him, perhaps playing cards and chess, taking him on walks and driving him around. It will be 100 times better than being by myself reading or watching movies at home and doing pathetic jobs for mum."

"Great and you might think fifty bucks an hour being a minder is poor pay from a multi-millionaire but I set the amount as being fair value for being a minder. There could be more in this association for you than a handful of dollars. He has about nine companies and if he likes you, in due course he may make you a job offer or at least have you interviewed for a vacancy, with his endorsement."

"When do I start?"

"Usually at 9.00 but could you clock-in at 8.00 tomorrow for me to make the introductions and then brief you on your duties as a minder. I've always liked him and had no hesitation to take him on again when he called asking for my help. Your assistance in rebuilding his self-confidence will be greatly appreciated by Cooper and myself. Always call him Cooper. He fits easily as being one of us, rather than acting the role of an aggressive busines tycoon. Any questions?"

"I'll probably come up with one or two overnight."

"Great and bye for now, lovely man."

Lola breathed a huge sigh of relief, confidant that Cooper now had the perfect care set-up.

After two weeks on the island, Cooper was showing slight improvements. He was still banned from making calls, to assist keeping his mind clear of problems. His senior staff had been well briefed by Cooper before he disappeared for 'some kind of medical treatment' and either Todd or Lola relayed messages between Cooper and his executives.

During that first fortnight, Cooper had two thoughts relayed to executives and the only message from staff, being advice that one of the companies had won a civil claim in court for failing to pay $798,300 for returning a shipment of faulty new machinery for on-selling and the company had been awarded $173,078 in damages resulting in loss of business plus its court costs.

In conversation with Cooper, Lola had learned about some of his problems. One of the companies he had been attempting to buy was found, under due diligence appraisal, to be close to becoming insolvent. He withdrew from purchase negotiations and a legal wrangle followed over several months and were abandoned when the company collapsed and the proprietor absconded and was the centre of an embezzlement inquiry.

She said to him carefully, "Obviously, you didn't marry the architect Meredith as it would have been all over the news media?"

Cooper said no, because her husband wooed her back. The divorce papers were withdrawn and they'd returned from a second honeymoon in Hawaii determined to make their second attempt at marriage work after elimination of their worst grumps about each other.

"I've had a succession of women, older and younger, living with me but none of those relationships lasted. I believe the only female I've ever perfectly carnally and socially with connected with, as if we were soulmates, has been you."

"I understand, Cooper, just as you have understood all long that it requires much more than a carnal connection from any guy that I'll contemplated marrying."

"I could change."

"Bullshit."

She said firmly, "Darling, you completely lack the finer points that helps take straight fucking into the realms of a romantic relationship."

"I'm not sure that I understand what you are alluding to."

Lola sighed deeply and theatrically and Cooper threw up his hands in frustration.

"At least can we have sex during this time I shall be with you?"

"Yes, certainly. But jerk off until you feel the fire that you know for sure is turning into lust. I'm not a fuck-bag for anyone."

"Well that's explicit enough and so direct that I'm unlikely to forget your instructions."

Lola said, assisting him into a mind switch, "Changing the subject, as your re-ignited personal adviser, I urge you start thinking of which of your recently acquired companies should you on-sell to reduce the size of your empire and thereby lessen your commitments that probably have resulted in your current mental regression."

"Also, find a female companion who you become aware leans more to thinking 'What can we do next for our mutual benefit darling Cooper."

"Hmm, I detected that broad difference between those two divisions of females, one wanting to play lovingly with me, the other type wanting me to dick them legless."

"Actually, to simplify it further, it's one keen to develop a friendship while the other thinks what's in this for me."

"Does it matter because it's all theory, really."

Lola was chuffed by that comment, as it indicated Cooper had retained at least some rationality in his thinking and a reminder it was his business interest that he passionately wished to associate with.

On the second late afternoon of Cooper's arrival, Lola said, "It will be dark inside an hour. I'll walk you through my vineyard."

As they walked off, Cooper said, "Um, that name on the signboard at the entrance to your driveway wrapped under sacking. I had a peek at it says 'Lola's of Waiheke". Is that the name of the vineyard or the proposed name of your bottled wine?"

"Both."

"Lola, I suggest you consult promotional experts over that name. As it stands, your decision could leave you, your wine and your potential customers totally unconnected and lead to your business ruination."

"Possibly."

"Does that mean you don't think so?"

"Possibly," she giggled. "I wanted my branding to show my distinction rather than be someone following the pack. 'Lola's of Waiheke' will mean just that to everyone looking at that notice with my winery in the background. With print advertising, behind the heading and text will be a background 'wash' of vines of ripe grapes."

"Ah, I get it, Lola and good thinking. But not so clever is having just 'Lola's of Waiheke' in the largest print, the entire focal point, without indicating 'Lola's of Waiheke' what?"

"What would that person involved be doing?"