Rita Ch. 02.5: An Angel Awakens

"Hey, pretty mama. Let's party!" He yelled as he drove up the street.

Rita shook her head and kept walking. The truck took a sharp U-turn and stopped against the curb a few paces ahead of her. The loud-mouthed driver was a white guy in his late thirties. The passenger was a younger black man with a nice face.

"Hey girl, come here and talk to me." The driver said.

"No, thank you. I am very busy. Please move along." Rita said clearly and kept walking.

"Woo-boy! Did you hear that accent? Wait. Come back here."

Rita quickened her pace slightly and listened behind her. She heard the driver get out of the truck and jog up behind her.

"Slow that fine ass down and talk to me for a minute." The man reached and grabbed Rita's right elbow and spun her around; a move that he immediately regretted.

Rita turned into his tug and delivered a left jab to his solar plexus. She backed up two steps and watched him turn red, wheeze and fall to his knees. "I told you to move along." She said and turned to walk on.

Suddenly the younger man erupted in laughter. "I told you not to fuck with her." He said getting out of the truck, laughing. "Lady, I'm sorry. When he sees a beautiful woman, he turns into a jackass."

On the apology, she turned around. "Thank you. Remind your friend to breathe and then find better friends."

Faint laughter in her mother's voice echoed in the back of Rita's mind.

Rita smiled and walked toward Claude's. She was used to winks and flirts, but some guys just had to push it. With so much to do, she quickly put it out of her mind.

....

It was almost two hours before the "wine show" was to start. The parking area for Claude's was half full already. Through the windows of the smaller dining room, she could see people in dress casuals with little plastic cups "tasting" wines. She smiled at the strange normalcy of it all and slipped in the kitchen door.

Rita straightened her blouse and assessed the room before fully entering. There were cases of wine stacked everywhere. The kitchen was quiet except for a lady cutting vegetables at the prep table. There is always someone cutting up something in a busy restaurant. Robert and the marketing couple, Bruce and Megan were once again propped up in the "chef's table".

Just before popping up in front of Robert, Rita got the wild idea to act the seductress in place of the ass-kicker she needed to be. "Bon jour, Monsieur Renard."

"Bon jour, Rita. You are even more stunning than usual."

"Hello, guys. I need to borrow the attention of Papa Robert for a moment." Rita was using a sultry voice. She slipped into the booth and slid up against Robert. She put an arm around his shoulders and played with his tie. "Dear sir, I need you to tell me everything that is going on right now."

"I'm running everything from here." Robert bragged.

"OK. Where is Papa Claude?"

"I don't know." Robert reported.

"Where is Dennis?" Rita asked.

"I'm not sure. He might have gone home."

Rita kissed Robert on the cheek and slipped out of the booth laughing. "I will see to things." She dropped the sex-kitten voice. "Who is drinking in the small dining room?"

"Now that one I know. Our reps have some store owners in there pouring wine in them. Claude might be with them. Dennis and some guys fixed up the patio area for smokers. We can have a smoking area for a private party. Go check it out."

"OK, Robert. You need to spend time out front with the store owners. Your name is on the bottles. Tonight, you are a celebrity." Rita bowed sarcastically and chuckled.

....

Rita went to the main dining room. Tables were set in a horseshoe pattern. Bruce and Meagan would do their presentation from there. Phillipe and a pretty Hispanic girl were lining up wine glasses on a table inside the horseshoe. "Bon jour Phillipe. Hola Maria."

The girl turned around smiling. "Hola, Ms. Rita. You look very pretty." Maria said and spun around. "Look. I put my hair in a braid like yours. It's not as long."

"That's nice." Rita said, turning to Phillipe and putting her hands on his shoulders. "You cannot speak?"

"Rita, you are so beautiful that I know what speechless means." He kissed her lightly. "Papa Robert said that you and Tony paid for the classes with Master Chris. Thank you. I can return your money."

"No, little brother. We knew that it was something you wanted to do. Call it your birthday gift. The next time you run into trouble, there may not be a beer to throw." Rita chuckled and straightened Phillipe's tie. "Your new haircut looks very nice. Did you go with Tony to a barber?"

"No, Dennis took me to a shop run by some of his friends, very gay friends. He acted very familiar, and we spoke in French. They tried to get information from Dennis, but he let them think whatever they did. They were giggling and blushing. It was very funny. Nice guys, great cut. Dennis is cool."

"I wonder what they thought about your black eye. You are very handsome, Phillipe. Tonight, will be a great party. Have fun, little brother."

"I will not drink tonight. Being the sober one can be useful sometime."

"Good, Phillipe. We need some people to stay sober and be designated drivers." Rita said.

"So, when ladies are too drunk, I can see that they get home safely." Phillipe smirked.

"Man-whore." Rita giggled and kissed Phillipe with enough pressure to send him back out front with some of her lipstick.

Maria picked up a napkin and started coaxing the lipstick from Phillipe's sore bottom lip. "You are in love with her, and she is with Mr. de Palma."

"It's OK. Rita is a friend and teacher. I pretend that she is my sister." Phillipe said meekly.

Maria laughed. "I know some people that would be OK with that kind of thing."

....

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Claude's Bistro and the annual Renard et Benoit Fall Wine Tasting. This is also the launch party for the new line we call 'Brothers Renard'. We have many wines to try and a bunch to give away. But first... You may have noticed a police presence in the parking lot. They are not here to arrest you; they are here to help everyone get home. If you don't have a ride, tell someone and we will handle it. Designated drivers are wearing yellow wristbands." Bruce paused and walked a microphone over to Phillipe who had raised his arm to show his yellow band. "Folks, this is Phillipe. He's not from here. Tell them where you are from."

"I live in Marseille, France."

"We don't get that many refugees here from the French Riviera. What brings you here, Phillipe?"

"I work for Renard et Benoit."

"You came to Ridgeview for the first time, yesterday and you are a designated driver." Bruce paused. Phillipe raised his yellow wristband again, this time to some applause. "If someone needs a ride, you don't know where you are, do you?"

"Yes. I am in Florida, USA." Phillipe said and raised his yellow band again, with laughter all through the room.

"So, folks if Phillipe drives you home, you'll have to get him a ride back... or else you are stuck with him."

Several ladies around the room held up their hands, including all of the WTF Wine club. They were joined by a gay couple sitting up front all laughing. Phillipe turned his back to hide how much he was blushing and how hard he was laughing.

Bruce got back into his business. "Remember, all the businesses with the blue tickets, get an assortment case. Those have an orange sticker on them. We will have a drawing for a few more of those. White ticket holders, we have bottles to give you. If there is something you really like, I can hook you up. If you'd like a real glass instead of the plastic..."

....

David Nichols walked out of room one-one-four of the Roadside Pioneer just as Rita was about to knock. "Hi, Rita. Looking sharp!" David looked back in the room. "Heads up girls. Robert's goon squad is here." David laughed.

"I am not the 'goon squad', silly man." Rita protested, smiling.

"Yeah? The other day I thought you came for a visit and see the baby. Then, I found out we were being interrogated." David commented, chuckling.

"Robert likes things laid out for him. He is a busy man. We call it a casual interview and I did want to see the baby. Is he here?"

"It's cool. Karen and the boy are in there. We got a room so Sandy would be close by and ready to go."

"I'm very happy for you guys. Take care of them, big man." Rita turned and entered the hotel room.

"Wow! Rita, you look fantastic. I'm glad you are here." Sandy Nichols was propped up on pillows on one of the beds. Her pregnant belly looked almost as big as the rest of her. Karen and baby Gregory were on the other bed.

"I should keep my legs crossed around here. I might get pregnant too." Rita grinned. She went to Sandy and sat beside her. "How are you feeling, dear?"

"I can't get comfortable. I think he's coming soon. Even with all these friends around, I'm scared."

"The doctor said she was beginning to dilate this morning." Karen said. "Sandy is right. You are stunning tonight." Karen handed Rita a large manilla envelope.

"What is this?" Rita asked and took a teen fashion magazine from the envelope. It was over ten years old. She opened it to a marked page and cackled laughing. There was a set of bikini photos of 'Teen Alysha'. Her mind recalled the shoot on a Spanish villa. "That was a lifetime ago. Where did you get this?"

"Dennis had it. You have been a beauty all your life. Look at all that hair" Karen said. There was a topless picture with Rita's hair hiding her breasts.

"You are both pretty ladies, yourselves. Did Dennis subscribe to this as a teen?" Rita asked, grinning at Sandy.

It took a few seconds for Rita's pointed question to sink in. "Oh, my God. That's funny, pull that one on Denny." Sandy said and tried to adjust her position.

Karen hopped up to help Sandy and give her a quick kiss. "Dennis said that you two had a summer romance a few years ago. This could all be your fault." Karen said and laughed.

"Yeah, he was a regular stressed out gay man, and you gave him a taste of pussy. Now he has gotten two women pregnant at the same time." Sandy tried to laugh.

"I was not his first girl, but I was his first woman." Rita said with exaggerated inflection and a grin.

"Hold up your hand if you've slept with Dennis." Sandy said. All three ladies raised their hands and laughed. "Now, how many think it was fucking awesome?" Unanimous.

"Dennis surprised me. I found out he was bisexual, and we were in bed an hour later. I was nervous and horny, and he made it special." Karen said.

"I must tell this to someone. I am feeling guilty. My old girlfriend invited Tony and I for a threesome weekend and I turned her down. I said I didn't want anyone to get hurt."

"That could happen." Karen said.

"Yes, but I knew it would be me that got hurt. Michelle and Tony are just alike. They think alike and work alike. They know each other, she works for us in La Rochelle. She is strong and pretty with a dry sense of humor. I think if a spark ever lit between them, they would be a super couple for life."

Sandy reached for Rita's hand. "You have nothing to worry about. I have seen how he looks at you, he's hooked."

"Do you have any pictures of Karen in her Wonder Woman swimsuit on your phone?" Rita asked

"I have some of them, friends kept wanting them. I keep looking at them wondering if I'll get my figure back." Karen said and brought up her pictures on her phone.

"You will do fine. Go running with Dennis or make David build a tennis court." Rita smiled when shown Karen's phone. "Send me the sexiest one and one that shows that pretty face. I want to send them to Phillipe if it's OK with you." Rita showed Sandy a picture of Phillipe walking out of the surf in his Speedo. "Girls on the beach followed him around like puppies."

"Holy shit! No wonder Denny came home gushing about a new guy working for Robert. Not much body fat and it looks like he's packing too." Sandy said. She had found a comfortable position on her side facing the others.

Rita went to the other bed and gently picked up little Gregory. She sat and cradled him close to her. "He is a handsome little man; a beautiful child." Rita's mind flushed with old feelings and new. "Few parents realize how tenuous the life of a delicate baby can be. Take care of these boys, ladies." She handed the baby to Karen. "Guard them with your lives. Things can go bad very quickly." Rita found a tissue and blotted a tear.

"Rita, what's the matter?" Sandy asked.

"I had a good job in a hospital, but I couldn't handle it when we lost some sick children. I actually felt my heart hurt. That's when I met Isabella and Robert." Rita said and composed herself. "Can I send anything from the party?"

"We are fine. Dennis brought stuff and so did David. Wonder Woman over there even got a big glass of wine, amazon asshole." Sandy laughed and grabbed her lower belly. "Oh, shit!"

....

Bruce took a break between products to talk to Phillipe some more. "So, Phillipe, Monsieur Renard brought you to the States to help us."

"Yes. To help and to meet everyone here. I also took some classes in Pensacola."

"You took some classes. Is that where you got the black eye?" Bruce asked.

"Yes. Mathematics can be very rough." Phillipe quipped.

...

Rita laughed and rolled her eyes when she heard Phillipe's joke on her way to the small dining room. Claude and Robert were still holding court in the back of the room. They laughed and signed bottles. They posed for pictures with strangers in front of a big wine display.

"Hello, Rita. How are we doing?" Claude asked and hugged her.

"Dennis is sending more food out. You men need to eat, and Dennis needs to come out of the kitchen. He is a Renard, also." Rita said.

The brothers looked past Rita and smiled. "Hello, dear. So glad you could make it." Robert said as he slipped off his barstool.

Rita turned around. Her core muscles tensed, and her feet took a stance. "Shit! Who let this bleach blonde bimbo in here?" She called out.

"Well, the Barcelona street urchin caught a ride over the pond." The attractive mature woman said.

"I see that you bought your plastic surgeon a new BMW." Rita quipped.

"No dear, just a new set of clubs. I see you are still skating by on your looks, young lady."

"Not so bad yourself, Old Woman!" Rita said and hugged Leslie Goodall. "I know it means trouble, but I'm glad you are here." She said in Leslie's ear and kissed her cheek.

"Not a bit of it. Now, I want some time with the Bobby. We'll talk later, Little Senorita." Leslie dismissed her.

"C'est la merde!" It was her version of "Ain't that the shit!". Rita snickered.

....

Rita found Tony on the patio. He was set up on the end of a bench in the corner with a laptop in front of him. "Hello, Beautiful Lady. How is it going?"

"All is well, my love." Rita said. She kissed him and sat close on the bench. "Did you know Leslie Goodall was going to be here?"

"I saw her come in. No, babe. I didn't know." Tony had cameras watching the front door and the small dining room. They were displayed on the laptop. He could see the main dining room through the side windows of the building.

"She and Robert seem very familiar. She brushed me aside and went to "Bobby" with a sparkle in her eye."

"Curious. Bruce has had Phillipe telling old jokes. I can't hear much but it looks like a good show." Tony said and wrapped his arm around Rita's shoulder.

"It seems that 'little brother' is also a comedian." Rita turned to him and rested her head on his shoulder. "Why is she here, Tony?"

"I don't know, baby. Whatever it is, we will handle it together." Tony said and quickly turned to look at people coming out onto the patio.

Rita knew that she could trust Tony absolutely. It was a fact that formed the foundation of her present life. But she was developing a feeling that things were going on behind a curtain that she could not see.

Dennis came onto the patio with a platter of snacks, sampling different dishes they had prepared to pair with the wines. "Here are some goodies, kids. There is plenty in there, but we have stopped cooking." He said with some wobble and slur to his voice.

"Dennis, stop drinking. Sandy has had some pain and a little blood. She will be in full labor soon."

"Did you examine her cervix?" Dennis asked, wiggling two fingers in vulgar fashion.

"No! Dennis do not be an ass, it's not you. Stop drinking and go help close the presentation down." Rita scolded.

"I should bitch about you bossing me around, but you're right. When I can get the front locked up, I'll go to Sandy and the rest of you can party back here." Dennis got up and hugged Rita.

"Good plan, baby. Don't let Robert give away the wrong cases... again." Rita said.

Dennis and his friends had decorated the patio with strings of white mini lights and candles in hurricane lamps. Some tables that were moved for the presentation were set up outside, complete with white tablecloths. A few indoor chairs, lamps and books along with other decorations had the old slate patio looking classy, weather permitting. Two local musicians were setting up to play an acoustic set near the back of the building.

Rita gave Tony a kiss that he recognized as stressful. "I'm going to check on things."

"...and recon the Leslie Goodall situation?" He asked without need of an answer.

....

Later in the evening Tony made it back to his perch on the patio. It was beginning to get quieter and more informal. Some people wandered out of the bistro onto the patio area. Among them were Rita a two familiar faces. Eldridge Patterson was accompanied by an attractive lady, an inch taller than Rita. Tony stood to greet them. "Hello, Katy."

"Hello, de Palma." The lady put her hands on Tony's shoulders and kissed him warmly. She pulled away slowly with a smile, and then slapped him with moderate force. Tony's mouth fell open and he held his head back. Then they hugged for a long time.

Rita burst out laughing so hard she almost pissed herself. "Oh, I like this girl! I think you can do better. Try again." Rita returned to laughing.

"You must be the lady that Eldridge told me about, he said you were pretty. He hasn't shut up since he saw you guys Monday." Katy said.

"Rita, this is Commander Katherine Harris, aka Peaches. Katy, this is my lady Alysia Valadez, aka Rita." Tony said.

"Enchante, Commander. Tony has told me absolutely nothing about you, so you must be special to him."

"We worked together in the Navy. There were times I wanted to kiss him and times I wanted to slap him. I couldn't do either in the Navy, so I did it now that he is out. He's a good man."

"You could have, Katy. I wouldn't file a report. Peaches was my CO for a couple of years. We did some good work back then." Tony said and put his arm around Rita. "So, are you the 'other clown' that she is with now, Pat?"

Patterson blushed. "Yeah, I hope so. Katy wanted to surprise you. You said you were busy all week, so were we. I hope you can spare a day or two next week."

"I think that is do-able. We have to get this place cleaned up and back to normal." Tony said. The group found seating and a fresh glass of wine.

"I hope you can come down for a couple of days. We can take the boat out. Eldridge has some good fishing spots marked." Katy said.

"Only his mom calls him 'Eldridge'. You guys must have something good going." Tony observed.

"Nothing gets past you, Peanut." Pat took Katy's hand. "Friends for years and suddenly I just had to kiss her."

"Suddenly I let him kiss me, once he was out of the Navy." Katy said, blushing. "You two look great together." She said, nodding a Rita.

"Thank you. We have been close for a few years, but I started feeling attached to him. There is no medicine for the problem." Rita said giggling. She gave Tony a kiss. "I am going to look in on the Renard's and the white witch."