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Lydia's Dream Ch. 11-12

By: memorable_event



Please read the chapters in order. None of the chapters are stand-alone. There is a very important message prior to Chapter One... please read it. Thanks.

Chapter 11

I didn't know what we were crying about.

*

The door from the garage opened and a smiling Pam and Rudy walked in. "He liked the car, Tom."

"No, I loved the car. That is some machine and she even let me drive."

"We took Angel down to I-75 and up a couple of exits and back. Two guys wanted to race us but I did what you said."

"She sure did, Tom. We only got up to 140 before the other guys gave up."

"RUDY! You promised not to tell Tom. Darn your hide!" They both started laughing so I knew it was a joke. At least I hoped it was.

"Pam, its 6:00. When do you want to eat? I need at least 20 minutes to grill the meat."

She looked at Ruth and they agreed that 6:45 would work. Pam was planning baked potatoes, asparagus and a tossed salad. I invited Rudy to join me outside on the patio and grabbed two beers and our jackets on the way. It was a very cool night, as Novembers normally have, and the sun had set. After several minutes of small talk about the city views, I turned on the gas grill and cleaned the grate.

Rudy asked, "How did you manage to get one of the McLarens? I know they were on allocation, even though they cost a half-million dollars."

"My dad went to school with a guy who's a dealer in Atlanta. Dad has bought many cars from him over the years. When the McLaren was announced, Lydia read a review and fell in love with it. Later on, when we found out she had cancer, I asked Dad to call his buddy and see what could be done. The dealer pulled some strings, I suppose, and he called Dad one morning and said he had one coming. The neat thing was that it was the paint color she wanted.

"We drove down and picked it up. She was so nervous that she refused to drive it home. I remember how cute she was debating with me her reasons for not driving it. I also remember the first time I heard that engine and felt the power under my foot. There was nothing like it."

"Pam surprised me when she stopped at a gasoline station and told me to drive. That car really scared me. The accelerator is very sensitive and it almost jerks your head off when you tap it too hard. I'm not familiar with the specs on that engine but it must have massive torque. Pam has learned to handle it well. I was impressed with her driving."

"Good, I worry about her every time she has it out. That car is a beast."

After several minutes of small talk, I said, "Ruth and I had a talk while you were gone. She told me about the baby she gave up for adoption."

"Yeah, she told me last night. It's a real shame she had to make that decision so young and live with it forever. But I think she did the right thing. I told her I was very proud of her for thinking of the baby first. I wish all pregnant mothers did that."

I replied, "She asked whether or not she should tell Pam and Jerri and I said to do it. Ruth needs to share the burden she's been carrying and know that others support her decision. It sounded like Richard wanted to keep the baby and that added to her feelings of guilt."

"I know. That must have been painful."

We sipped our beers and continued with small talk until Rudy said, "We're planning to get married in late March. It'll be just a simple wedding at the church. Would you consider standing with me?"

"Absolutely. I'm honored you asked."

"My brother will as well. We'll just wear normal suits, not tuxes or anything like that. Ruth wants it to be a simple affair."

"Sounds good. Let's get these steaks on. How do you and Ruth like them?"

"We both like medium."

"Pam likes medium also but I like mine a little rare." I put three of the filets on and waited a few more minutes before adding mine.

"If you'll watch them, I'll grab some more beers," I said.

I walked in and saw Pam and Ruth sitting in the library talking. I could tell it was a serious discussion and assumed it was about the baby. I pulled another Bud Lite and Stella out of the fridge and walked back to the grill.

"Rudy, we were trying to decide what you might like to see this weekend. We have a very nice aquarium. Of course, there's Rock City, made famous by all the painted birdhouses and barn roofs. We have two Civil War battlefields close by, Lookout Mountain and Chickamauga. There's Ruby Falls, a tall waterfall inside a cave. Also the old train station has been restored and it dates from 1909."

"All of that sounds interesting. Let's let the girls decide."

The steaks were ready in just a few more minutes. When I entered the kitchen, I saw the girls working on the salad and the potatoes were out of the oven and cooling. I glanced at Pam and our eyes touched. She winked at me and smiled.

Fortunately, the steaks were fine. During dinner, the ladies decided they wanted to go to the aquarium and then have lunch at The Meeting Place, one of my restaurants. We would do that on Friday and then decide what to do about Saturday. Ruth and Rudy planned to drive home Sunday after going to church with us.

The rest of the evening was devoted to the movies. Rudy wanted to watch "The Unforgiven," a 1960's western starting Burt Lancaster and Audrey Hepburn. I had forgotten I had that old movie on DVD. Dad must have given it to me. He liked the old westerns and gave me a box of them one time for Christmas.

It was fun to see a production from those years and how they had to do the photography without all the special effects they now use. We all cheered for the good guys and booed the bad guys. It was a real hoot and I thoroughly enjoyed watching it with them.

When we decided to call it a night and retire, I was a little surprised when Rudy and Ruth went into the same bedroom; but that was fine with me. When Pam entered, she immediately walked into my arms and kissed me like there was no tomorrow.

"Pam, I need some air girl. What's gotten you all turned on?"

She smiled and giggled, "They're sleeping together now. I think it's so cute and Mom was so embarrassed to tell me."

"There's no reason to be embarrassed."

"I know. She and my dad were old school, conservative and proper. At least I always thought so. But she told me tonight about having the baby before they were married and how she decided to give it up for adoption. So my dream was real. She told me she had asked your advice about telling me."

"How did she break it to you?"

"After you guys went outside, she asked if we could sit and talk. We went to the library and she started crying as soon as we sat down. Of course, that started me crying too although I didn't know what we were crying about.

"She eventually was able to tell me about the tough times they had growing up and how she and Dad fell in love when she was a freshman in college. They had unprotected sex a couple of times and she got pregnant. Since he was a much older guy, her parents never supported their relationship and made it known to them. They felt very alone but they decided to put their faith in God and ask for wisdom.

"Mom believed that God helped her decide to have the child and give it up for adoption through one of the Christian run adoption services. The service paid for all her health care and the doctor and hospital expenses. She and Dad were so poor they never could have paid that bill.

"After they eloped, which I never knew about, they moved in with his parents. Their finances improved when Dad got a good job in town and she was able to work in a local supermarket. She later tried to find out who had adopted her daughter but the adoption service refused to provide any details. She has always carried a heavy burden of guilt about giving away her baby and didn't want to let me and Jerri know it happened."

"Did you tell her about your dream."

"No. I didn't think that would add anything to our discussion. Maybe it was some sort of premonition I had. This world of dreams and messages is so difficult to understand."

"I know."

"Anyway, Jerri and David are planning to visit Mom and Rudy for Christmas and she wants us to come as well. She'll tell Jerri face to face about the baby and wants us not to say anything to Jerri until then."

"And you didn't say anything about Niki Lee?"

"No. But we do need to go to Atlanta and try to meet her. I'm now excited about that possibility."

"I understand. I asked your mom if the opportunity came to meet her daughter, would she want to do it."

"I hope she said 'yes'."

"She did."

"Tom, I'm just dumbfounded. I always thought my parents had the perfect marriage and that they never did anything out of the ordinary. Now I find just how difficult it was for them. I always wondered why we were closer to my dad's family than to Mom's. Now I know, her father never supported or helped them. That must have been terrible for Mom and Dad. They had to elope because her parents wouldn't attend her wedding. Can you imagine such a thing?" Tears welled in her eyes once again.

"No I can't. But none of us ever know what others have to go through until they give us a glimpse of it. Your parents obviously loved you two girls more than anything and they were always trying to protect you, even though you didn't know it."

"Sweetheart, I need your love tonight. Just soft and tender loving. Can we do that?"My answer was to slowly start removing her clothing a piece at a time and stopping to kiss her body as it was revealed. She stood there and gazed at me as each piece was laid aside. When she was undressed, she removed each piece of my clothing and kissed my body. We embraced and I slowly rubbing my hands up and down her back as our tongues touched.

I took her by the hand and helped her into bed. We continued to caress the other's body and look into our lover's eyes. Everything was in slow motion, just gentle loving touches and caresses.

After ten or so minutes of touching, stroking and probing, Pam straddled me and guided me into her. There was no erratic bouncing or the wild lust we often experienced. She sat on me for a full minute, just absorbing all the sensations of being one with each other. Her eyes never left mine. She gradually began to move up and down and I could feel the soft contractions as her body told her it was time. There was no moaning, no screaming and no grunting.

As her orgasm approached, she lay forward on my chest. I wrapped my arms around her and we kissed... slowly and tenderly. She suddenly closed her eyes and began gasping with shallow and rapid breaths. Pam stopped a couple of times and lay still; but I could feel her body continue to clinch and relax. The release of our passion was anything but slow. We peaked at the same time. I squeezed my arms around her and tried to get as close to her entire body as I could. I so wished that she could just become part of me forever.

We quietly lay there and experienced the afterglow before hearing some muffled screaming from next door.

"I think that was Mom." She started giggling quietly.

"You and she sound just alike," I said. The mood was broken and we climbed out of bed and walked to the shower.

****

Thanksgiving morning was a whirlwind of activity. Pam and Ruth were in the kitchen early, preparing the turkey and planning the desserts. When I walked in to get coffee, they were quickly looking through cookbooks and on-line to find likely recipes. The turkey was no issue at all, it was fresh, never frozen, and Ruth had roasted them dozens of times. The desserts were another matter as there were so many options. After much debate, they decided to make three of the old favorites: a pumpkin pie, a pecan pie and a coconut layer cake. Fortunately, Pam had purchased all the needed ingredients.

While they were pulling items out of the fridge and cabinets, Pam looked at me and said, "Why don't you and Rudy go do something? Mom and I have work to do."

This kitchen was huge and all I was doing was sitting at the far end of the counter and drinking coffee. Why did she want me to leave? But I knew better than to argue so I walked into the library and waited for Rudy. He came out about fifteen minutes later. We greeted each other and I told him to get coffee and go downtown with me.

We walked into the garage to Angel and I asked, "You want to drive?"

"Sure, but I'd like to see the engine if I could."

"Okay." I open the hood and Rudy broke into a big smile.

"That's a work of art. I like the way they designed the Mercedes logo to be the intake for that amazing breather. Just look at the precision design and finish. Tom, this is a world of engineering I know nothing about." He walked from side to side and tried to see where all the components were mounted and how the belts and pulley system worked. He then crawled under to see what could be seen from underneath. After a few minutes, he stood and just shook his head. "I've never seen anything like this."

I backed the car out around his. While he slid into the driver's seat, I gave directions to take us down the mountain.

"We are we going?"

"I want to go down to the Center City Shelter. Just turn left at the bottom of the hill."

"Why are we going there?"

"My restaurants always roast turkeys and bake hams for them on Thanksgiving morning. I just want to make sure our guys are on track and have what they need to get the job done."

"You do that every year."

"Yeah. Dad started doing that more than twenty years ago. It was one way he found to give back to the community. The people doing all the roasting and baking are our employees who volunteer to give up a few hours of their Thanksgiving to help out. Dad always felt guilty about letting them do it for nothing and one year he tried to pay them their regular wages for what they did. Every last one of them refused to take the money. One of them told Dad that he wanted to donate his time but he would never do it again if Dad insisted on paying him. Evidently, all of them felt the same way. They wanted to give back to the less fortunate just like Dad did."

We drove on in silence, or as silent as a 600 horsepower engine can be.

The shelter was a beehive of activity and dozens of community volunteers were preparing food and setting up for the expected crowd. Our people weren't there yet so I called Tim, who was the boss this morning, and checked on the status.

"Hey Tom. Our Bistro team left here about ten minutes ago. They have 18 turkeys and two hams. We're just cleaning up now. Bill's team called and they're leaving in about 20 minutes. They have 15 turkeys. They're waiting on the last of them to reach temperature. Judy's team is packing everything in their truck and will be on their way with eight hams in just a few minutes."

"Tim, give my thanks to all your guys. I'm at the shelter now and will be here when everyone arrives. I appreciate you, good buddy. Don't know what I'd do without you. Give my best to Laura and you guys have a great Thanksgiving."

Rudy asked, "Is Tim your general manager?"

"No, he's the chef at The River Bistro. He had volunteers in there starting very early this morning to prepare everything. The other two restaurants had either three or four volunteers each. It amazes me how they all love to do it."

The director of the shelter came over and shook our hands and thanked me for what we do every year. I told him about Gino's contribution this year, and he promised to write a note of thanks to him.

All at once I saw some activity at the back door. Tim's driver and helper had arrived, and everyone was helping carry in the turkeys and hams.

Once unloaded, the real work began to slice everything into serving sizes. Fortunately, there were other volunteers there to do that work. The driver and his assistant were free to go home to their families but I had a few words with them before they left. Both guys were as happy as could be to help out.

This was repeated two more times as our delivery trucks arrived over the next forty minutes. Our job was then complete and everything was on schedule for an 11:30 opening. The director said they expected to feed approximately 500 people that day. Not only the homeless who sheltered there but also others in the community who needed help came every year. It struck me as we talked that I should be doing more throughout the year to help. Maybe I could get Pam to brainstorm some ideas with me.

"Rudy, let's go home. I need a good cup of coffee."

After parking Angel in her bay, we entered the house and were greeted by the aroma all men love.

"Pam, my nose tells me that you remembered the biscuits."

"Yeah, I couldn't let your dad go hungry."

Ruth added, "I'm pleased you like her biscuits so much. Richard's mom always told me that you capture a man's full attention with your biscuits, not your makeup."

I smiled and replied, "Probably true, but both combined works even better." Everyone laughed.

Rudy and I walked to the coffee machine. I noticed that someone had also made sticky buns and the cake layers were baked and cooling. This was starting to look like a real feast. We helped ourselves to the sticky buns.

The beep on the alarm system warned me the front door just opened. Mom and Dad had arrived. I rushed to help them unload and Rudy followed me out.

"Hey Mom, Happy Thanksgiving!" We hugged and kissed around the large plastic bowl she was carrying. "Here, let me take this. Mom, this is Rudy. Rudy this is Sarah."

"It's very nice to meet you Rudy. I'm so glad you could come."

"My honor, Sarah. It's great to meet you and to be here."

"Rudy, why don't you take this bowl and introduce Mom to Ruth. I'll go out and help Dad." He had the trunk open and a few containers and a couple of platters were sitting on the driveway.

"Hey Tom. Happy Thanksgiving son."

"Thanks Dad. Happy Thanksgiving! It looks like you've been busy."

"Yeah, a few things needed to be done ahead of time. I see Ruth and Rudy made it. That's a nice car they're driving."

Rudy walked out and I introduced them. We carried all the containers and platters in and put them on the island.

"Dad, let me introduce you to Ruth." To my surprise, they actually hugged and he kissed her on the cheek. Dad was turning into a charming guy. What happened to him?

"Ruth, I'm delighted to meet you. I see where Pamela got her beauty." Mom and I looked at each other and I smiled. Where did this guy, who looked like my dad, come from? He'd never been this sweet to the ladies.

"Jim, it's a real pleasure. Pam has been telling me about you two this morning. I think she has a biscuit waiting for you."

"Oh, she does?" Dad reached for Pam and hugged her as she kissed him on the cheek.

"So you've been busy, Pamela?"

"Mom and I have, James. What would you like to go with it?"

"Not a thing. Great biscuits should always be savored, not hidden behind the sweetness of jam, honey or butter. He carefully chose one from the pan; but I had no idea how he decided to choose the one he did. He raised it to his nose. Then he broke off a piece and tasted the crusty top. He next put a larger piece in his mouth and closed his eyes. He slowly chewed and let the flavors sort themselves out on his taste buds.

Tension was running high. Pam looked at Ruth and shrugged her shoulders. Finally, a verdict was rendered.

"Pamela, this is the finest biscuit I've ever tasted." The audience erupted! It was like Tiger had just sunk an 80-foot putt. Pam looked at me with the biggest smile I had ever seen.

"Thank you, James. Mom taught me how to make them."

Dad looked at Ruth and said, "Do you by any chance run a bed and breakfast? We would love to come for a visit if you do."

"Jim, you two are welcome to come anytime. We would be honored for you and Sarah to visit us."


Lydia's Dream Ch. 11-12



As he finished the biscuit, everybody jumped into action. Ruth was icing the cake, Pam began the pumpkin pie and Dad began pulling everything out of containers and starting to work.

Dad told us he was making a green bean casserole with almonds, corn pudding, stuffing with sausage, apples and cranberries and potatoes with three kinds of cheese and bacon. His cranberry sauce was really a relish that I eagerly awaited every year. All of us sighed. It would be a feast worth remembering.

Mom put on an apron and began working (with Pam's blessing) to make the pecan pie. Mom had made some of the best pecan pies I'd ever tasted so she was well qualified and Pam appreciated the help. Rudy and I were the odd men out so we walked to the library to talk. Our work would come later.

After a few minutes, we heard singing in the kitchen. It sounded a little like a Kenny Rogers and Dottie West concert.

Rudy and I rushed there while Pam was in the middle of Dottie's part of "Every Time Two Fools Collide," written by Lionel Richie. Dad then sang Kenny's part as he gazed into her eyes. They ended by holding hands and singing together the final lyrics as her eyes made love to him, as only Pam could do.

We were blown away by their voices and applauded and cheered as they took a bow.

I exclaimed, "You two need to give a concert. I knew Dad could sing but Pam has only sung 'Happy Birthday' to me. That was really special, sweetheart."

Pam laughed and said, "We were standing here talking and James mentioned he loved country music. Of course, I do too. Then he said he really like Kenny Rogers, especially the duets with Dottie West. I love Dottie West so I started singing the lyrics to their most famous song. Of course, you heard the rest. He has a wonderful voice."

Dad responded, "Pamela, I'll be thrilled to sing with you anytime. You are very talented." Ruth added that Pam sang in the church choir and also at Furman in the choir. I was learning new and impressive facts about this young lady every day.

A little after 1:00 pm everything was ready and we all sat at the table with the feast in front of us. I asked Dad, as was our custom, to give thanks for us. He stood and we all held hands.

"Our Father, to say 'thank you' is just not enough for us to recognize the gifts You have given each of us. We are here today because of Your grace and mercy. None of us can claim a right to anything in Your kingdom. But as we pause on this day of thanksgiving, I want to recognize just some of the gifts You have given to those sitting at this table.

"Sarah is the greatest partner You could ever have given me. She blessed my life with three wonderful children and supported me through many tough times. She shows the world every day how a Christian should live. Her love has no limits and I thank You for her.

"Tom is a wonderful son and I'm thankful for him and the passion he brings to everything he does. Lydia was his perfect soul mate and none of us know why You took her home so soon. But we trust You and have faith that Your plan is perfect for all of us.

"Pamela has brought a joy and energy to this family that we have missed these last few years. I know that You brought them together to be one in love and in life. Tom really needed Pamela to make his life complete once more. Thank You for their new love of each other. I pray for Pamela as all these new friends, events and surroundings may seem overwhelming at times. Hold her close to You and give her wisdom and patience.

"Ruth has been through many trials and tough times when only You were there to help her. But You blessed her and Richard with children who love and honor her and now support her as she and Rudy look forward to their new lives together. I think You for Ruth and the values You taught her and that she has taught her daughters.

"I thank You for bringing Rudy and Ruth together and giving them the love that will fulfill them and make their lives complete. Please give them patience as they learn to adapt to each other's ways.

"And finally, thank You for being with us everyday and for letting us help others less fortunate. It is in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit that I pray. Amen."

We all said "amen" and I quickly glanced around the table. Everyone was wiping their eyes, including me.

We gorged ourselves. I had two full plates. There was just so much great food in front of us, it was hard to decide what we liked the best. The cheerful chatter around the table was as fulfilling as the food and the six of us thoroughly enjoyed being together.

Rudy and I decided we would take the lead in cleaning up the kitchen. Pam and Ruth helped by wrapping and putting away the leftovers. Mom helped by bringing all the used plates and silverware to the kitchen. Dad helped by going to the library for a quick nap on the sofa. He deserved it.

The afternoon was devoted to football games on the big screen in the theater room. While everyone started watching the game, I think I was the only one who wasn't sound asleep within 15 minutes in those big comfortable chairs. But then, the next thing I knew, the game was over and a movie was playing. I guess I also fell asleep.

Late in the afternoon, Donna called. They had just awakened from their nap and asked whether they could come over to greet Ruth and Rudy. I told her we would love to have them, just come anytime.

I went looking for everyone and found Ruth and Rudy in the library reading the paper and one of the books I had on the Civil War. Turned out Rudy was an avid reader of Civil War history and a student of battle strategies. They said that Pam and my parents had taken a walk to enjoy the beautiful sunset. I put on a jacket and walked outside just in time to see the sun set over the hill behind us. There were shades of orange, pink and red on the scattered clouds.

The walkers returned just before dark and I told everyone that Rick and Donna would be stopping by but I didn't know when. That set off a little scurry to put things in the house back in order. They arrived an hour later. Both Rick and Donna commented on how much Pam looked like her mother.

We had a very pleasant visit and snacked on the bountiful leftovers from lunch. All in all, it was a perfect Thanksgiving Day.

****

Later that evening, as we were preparing for bed, Pam gave more information about Ruth's baby.

"Mom told me this morning that she was born January 18, 1984, in the Greenville Hospital. Her doctor was named Jamison or Jackson, or something like that. She was never allowed to see the birth certificate or any of the hospital records for the baby. She never even saw her daughter; she only heard from the nurse that it was a beautiful little girl. Her hospital stay was only two days and her recovery was really fast. I guess when you're only 18, your body bounces back quickly. She went home to her parents but her dad was really upset with her and the whole situation. Her mother did support her carrying the baby to full term but was disappointed that Mom was dating such an older man and that she had been so careless.

"Mom had missed pretty much a full semester at college and it was difficult mentally for her to live at home. She eventually was able to move in with three other girls and she went another semester before her dad just stopped paying for her education. Richard got a pretty good job about then and he asked her to marry him. They eloped and got married with only his parents knowing about it. They moved into the farmhouse with his parents and had Jerri a year later.

"She rarely saw her parents until Jerri and I were a few years old. She took us to visit them one day and her parents seemed to appreciate that. But there was never any real love between them after all that had happened. I feel so bad about that. I never knew any of this had gone on."

"Are your grandparents alive?"

"Only Mom's mother is still alive. Her dad died from a heart attack when he was 69 and her mom remarried a couple of years later. She now lives in Florida but Mom hasn't seen her in years. We did go to my grandfather's funeral and I remember that quite well."

I said, "I checked again and Niki is going to be at the Westin Hotel on Saturday the third. The website says only invited guests will be allowed to the big announcement and all the hoopla surrounding it."

"How do we get invited?"

"I've no idea. Maybe we just go and see if we can see her for a few minutes. I don't know but it may work since you look so much like her."

"I want to go. I just have the feeling that she's my sister. I've got to find out."

The rest of the weekend went fast. The aquarium was great, as always. Rudy was shocked at the size of the rainbow trout they had. Pam fell in love with the seahorses, especially the leafy seadragons. She said they were so ugly they were beautiful, whatever that meant.

Friday afternoon, we went to Ruby Falls and enjoyed seeing this waterfall a little over 100 feet high within a limestone cave. The advertising photos made it look a little more impressive than it really was.

Saturday, Rudy wanted to see the battlefields so we spend the day absorbing Civil War facts and seeing where so many men died for what they believed. It was very sobering to think of their sacrifices on both sides, often with brothers fighting for opposing armies. Slavery and the war was a very sad part of our history.

Sunday, Pam and I were up early to jog while Ruth and Rudy slept in a little longer than normal. We heard them again Saturday night really going at it and were sure they needed their rest.

The church service was very good. The minister spoke on God's blessings and how to be thankful in a world where we think we did everything by ourselves. Many of my friends and Pam's new friends stopped by to meet Ruth and Rudy and to greet Pam again.

After a quick lunch at home (more leftovers), Ruth and Rudy left for home. We planned to see them at least at Christmas if not sooner. Pam and her mom hugged a long time and shed a few tears. Ruth reminded her not to say anything to Jerri about the adoption.

We spent the rest of the day putting together a guest list for the Christmas party on Saturday December 17th. Most of the guests would be from the church and my company but a number of our neighbors as well as Gino and Sylvia would be invited.

On Monday, we both went to work. Pam had to be at the bank at 8:00 am and she decided to drive the Jeep. She was very excited and worried for ten minutes about what to wear. Her appearance was very important to her. She was very proud to be working again.

I spent the day meeting with suppliers and negotiating contracts for 2012, now just a month away. Ron and I worked a couple of weeks every year between Thanksgiving and Christmas focusing on contracts, prices and menu planning with our chefs. Insurance for our facilities, employees and our business liability is a big deal and negotiations on those are always difficult and time consuming. Monday afternoon, I was at The Meeting Place to meet with three employees who I had mistreated. Those meetings went well and I was glad I decided to take Pam's recommended approach.

I arrived home at the normal time Monday evening. Pam met me at the door wearing a big smile but not much else. She had on a white cut-out halter teddy that didn't hide much of anything. To say she was sexy would be a major understatement. This woman was just about perfect and I was so glad that she loved me and was totally committed to me. We spent an hour in bed and were totally exhausted as we celebrated our love. We gradually made it to the shower and that renewed our energy, at least to some degree.

I grilled pork chops and we ate leftover green bean casserole and corn pudding from Thanksgiving. At the table, the discussion was all about her job.

"I arrived a few minutes early and Jason let me in. Everyone was so nice to come and greet me. Jason had a training plan that we reviewed and we sat and talked for several minutes, just getting to know each other. I really like him. Evelyn is going to be my trainer. She was one of the tellers who interviewed me and she has family in Greenville. She's probably in her late 40's and has been a bank teller for a long time. She has three children, all grown and on their own. No grandchildren yet. Her husband works for TVA.

"We went through all the basics today and I observed her handing deposits and withdrawals for several hours this afternoon. She even let me greet some of the customers and handle a few of the simple transactions. She showed me how to verify identities and she let me count her drawer after she had done it just to make sure I could do it. I passed."

"How do you like it thus far?"

"I like it very much. The customers were nice, except for one elderly lady that was hard of hearing. She was mad at the world, Evelyn told me, and she is like that all the time. No one really knows why. I felt sorry for her."

"You're not going to miss serving tables?"

"Not for one minute. You were wise to recommend this. I get home at a decent hour. My clothing doesn't smell like garlic or cooking oil and I'm working with great people. What could be better?"

****

The rest of the week flew by. Thursday, Mom took Pam to two of the shelters for abused women and their children. Pam came home even more determined than ever that she wanted to volunteer. Both of the shelters asked for her help and she agreed to spend four hours one day a week at each one. She would be helping the ladies with job searches, interview skills and proper manners when dealing with the public.

On Saturday morning, all of our attention was focused on the Westin Hotel in Atlanta and our effort to meet Niki Lee. We didn't have any real plan of how best to get a meeting. We just hoped that it would be possible. Pam wore a navy blue A-line belted dress that stopped just above her knees and sheer fashion black back-seamed panty hose. It took forever to get those seams perfectly straight but we had fun doing it.

To complete the fashion look, she wore a Hermes silk scarf that was one of Lydia's favorites. When she emerged with the full glamour makeup and jewelry, I could do nothing but stare with my mouth open. I had never seen such elegance and style like this anywhere. If she couldn't get us a meeting with Niki, no one could.

We drove Angel down to Atlanta and the excitement began when we pulled into the Westin valet parking area. I couldn't believe what happened. 

Chapter 12

What do you mean funny? This is not funny!

As I drove Angel into the Westin reception area, an attendant rushed to open my door. I supposed it was the first McLaren he'd seen. He seemed very surprised when my door opened up vertically and he stood there with his mouth open.

The young man said, "Welcome to the Westin, sir. Are you planning to check in?"

"No, we're here to meet someone."

"Can I park your car over here next to the other Mercedes?"

Looking over, I saw two SLK's and agreed he could park her there.

I walked around and activated Pam's door and held her hand as she stepped out of the car.

Suddenly, photographers came from all directions and an explosion of flashes went off as each scrambled to get the perfect shot. She was surrounded, and people were trying to push me out of the way. It was scary.

Two men in dark suits rushed over and began pushing photographers out of the way. Three Atlanta police officers also came and blocked an area big enough to give Pam some room.

"Niki, where have you been? We've had security looking everywhere for you! You worry us to death sometimes." He took Pam by the arm and began to escort her inside as the police ran interference. Pam refused to move.

"I'm not Niki. I'm Pam Davis."

He turned and looked at her again, obviously exasperated. "What's with the Southern accent? Niki, please don't do this. I'm in enough trouble already and I've got to get you to the dressing room right now."

Pam looked at me. "Tom, would you give me a hand here. Please tell this gentleman I'm not Niki." He looked at me and I confirmed that she was Pam Davis.

As we talked, a black limo pulled in behind us and Niki Lee emerged. The courtyard was instant chaos when she stepped out. The photographers didn't know which way to point their cameras. The police didn't know whom to protect and the security guys were dumfounded with two Niki Lees.

One of the security guys pushed his way over to the recently arrived Niki Lee, who I could just barely see through the scrum of photographers. He yelled back to our guy, "I've got her Jay. This is Niki."

We had photographers still snapping Pam as fast as they could. I guess because she was so beautiful or they didn't hear she wasn't Niki. I looked over the scrum again and police were trying to force everyone out of the way so the real Niki could enter the hotel. Then she looked directly at Pam and stopped in her tracks. Her mouth flew open and she stared.

I suppose she asked her people to open a path to Pam because the whole scrum instantly changed direction and moved toward us. It took a while but she eventually was face to face with Pam and she stared again. The photographers were yelling curses, pushing and shoving, trying to get a photo of the two together.

Niki finally exclaimed over the din, "This beats anything I've ever seen! Did you have work done to make yourself look like me?" I could see her looking closely at Pam's neck and face.

Pam replied, "No, I've always been told I look just like you. I wanted to meet you."

Niki smiled and replied, "Can we talk a little later? I'm running really late." She turned and whispered something to her bodyguard and he nodded. The scrum then moved to the front door and Niki was able to escape into the safe confines of the lobby. The Atlanta police returned and stood next to Pam and me to keep everyone away, as much as possible. The flashes were still going off and blinding us.

In just a moment, the bodyguard returned. "Miss, I've been instructed to escort you and your associate into the conference room for the reception and announcement." He then walked with us and our police escort into the hotel and directly to the conference center. All along the route people was gawking at Pam and trying to take her photo with all the little digital cameras and smart phones.

We arrived at the reception room and immediately knew that everyone there thought Pam was Niki. They were applauding and trying to get close to her for an autograph and photo. The bodyguard told us to follow him and he took us to a front cordoned-off area where only the dignitaries were allowed. He leaned over and spoke directly into my ear. "You'll be safe here. Don't go anywhere. When the show is over, I'll escort you out. Niki wants to speak with you."

I now had a chance to see if Pam was okay.

"Tom, I never imagined this would happen. I'd hate to be such a public person and have to endure this every day. How does she do it?"

"I don't know. We could have been injured out there."

We sat marveling at all the energy in the room. When seven Playboy models showed up in one place, the world noticed. In just a few minutes, a man who turned out to be an announcer, walked onto the stage and welcomed everyone. The music started, and the ladies walked in and onto the stage to the beat of Tom Petty's "American Girl." They were gorgeous, elegant, classy, stately, sultry, or any other word you could think of to describe feminine perfection. They all wore form-fitting gowns of various colors. Pam and I were stunned at their beauty. There was a loud murmur in the crowd when Niki walked out. They thought she was already sitting in front of them.

Top executives of Playboy Enterprises, Inc. followed the ladies. The reason for the major announcement was that Luxembourg adult entertainment giant Manwin was acquiring Playboy TV. The two companies wanted to use this opportunity to describe the strategy and introduce the Chief Operating Officer of Manwin who appeared via Skype. And, of course, when you can parade the best of the best models in front of everyone, you get attention to your message.




Lydia's Dream Ch. 11-12



After the executives, the ladies were introduced one at a time to wild applause, a flood of flashes, and catcalls from the less sophisticated in the audience. I was surprised that Niki had appeared in Playboy nine times including five in their famous holiday editions. This lady was a legend but the other six were just as famous.

The whole event lasted maybe 30 minutes including the Q&A period. The ladies were ushered off the stage and we waited for our security guy. He arrived in a couple of minutes with another bodyguard and they asked us to follow them. We went backstage, where the models had gone, but no one was there. They led us down a long hallway and onto an elevator. We were taken to the 41st floor and were met by another security person when the elevator door opened.

"Miss, Ms. Lee has asked for you to come to her suite. Please follow me."

We walked down the long hallway to her room and the security person knocked. A man we had not yet seen opened the door and invited us in.

He grinned and said, "Hi, my name is Robert Adams. I'm Niki's manager. What are your names?" He politely offered his hand to me as I introduced Pam and myself.

"I can see why Niki is anxious to talk to you, Pam. You're an exact copy of her. This is the most amazing resemblance I've ever seen."

As we talked, Niki walked into the room from what appeared to be a bedroom. She had changed into an elegant silk blouse and black pants. I introduced Pam and myself. Niki was all smiles and asked us to be seated on a lovely sofa. She sat in an overstuffed leather chair across from Pam and stared at her for several moments.

"Pam, forgive me for staring. I'm totally shocked, and I mean totally. I've heard we all have look-alikes somewhere in the world but this goes far beyond a resemblance. When I saw you out front, I almost fainted. You look just like me but maybe a few years younger. Do you think there's anyway we could be related?"

"Niki, thank you for inviting us to meet with you. We drove from Chattanooga just on the odd chance we could meet. I think you're my sister."

The smile disappeared. Niki became agitated and said, "That's impossible. My mother told me that my birth mother died giving birth to me and that I was her first baby."

"Where you born in Greenville, South Carolina, on January 18, 1984?"

There was stunned silence.

Niki turned pale white. The blood had drained from her face and her hand quickly moved over her open mouth. Her eyes showed fear as she turned to Robert. He shook his head for some reason.

She replied, "No one knows that, how did you find out?"

"My mother, who's very much alive, told me over Thanksgiving."

Again, there was silence for a moment.

"Are you implying that my mother lied to me?"

"I'm not implying anything. But it wouldn't be unusual for an adoptive mother to try to discourage their child from looking for their birth mother. Is there anyway you can ask your mother about it?"

"I wish that were possible. She and my dad died in a plane crash ten years ago."

"Oh no. I'm so sorry." There was silence for several moments as Niki continued to stare at Pam.

"A few years ago, I received a letter from a fan in South Carolina. He said that he was going to school with a girl who looked exactly like me. I wondered about that since I knew I was born there. He enclosed a picture but it was obviously taken in a rush and was not in sharp focus. Until now, I'd forgotten about that.

"I don't know what to say, Pam. You may be right. But we can't be identical twins. How old are you?"

"Twenty-three."

Niki sat there for a long time thinking through her emotions, it seemed. She then stood and came to Pam and held out her arms. Pam stood and they hugged with all the emotion you would ever see between two sisters. They both cried as they hugged. I glanced over at Robert and saw tears in his eyes. Robert handed tissues to both Niki and Pam.

For the next 30 minutes, they talked about their mothers and how they were raised. Pam told Niki about Jerri and that their father has passed away. She then recounted the terrible decision that Ruth had to make and the reasons Niki had been given up for adoption.

"Pam, my given name is Janie. You two please call me that. Again, only a very few people know my real name. Is your name Pamela?"

"Yes. And Jerri's is Jeraldine. She was named after Dad's mom."

"All of this is going to take a while to sink in, Pam. So I have a family that I never knew about and a mother who loved me so much she put my interest above her own. Do you realize how few mothers these days would even think about carrying an unwanted baby to full term?"

Janie looked down for a moment as she dabbed her eyes. "Do you think she'd be willing to meet me?"

"Tom, why don't you tell Janie about your conversation."

"Ruth told me over Thanksgiving about your birth and all the heart breaking decisions she had to make. Pam and I had known about you and how much the two of you looked alike so we thought there might be a possibility you were Ruth's daughter. I asked her if she'd be interested in meeting her daughter should the opportunity arise. She said that she would love to. I know from talking with her that she has carried the burden of her decision since you were born. I think being able to meet and talk with you would mean the world to her."

Again, there was silence for a few moments. Janie stared at the floor until she reached a decision.

"Robert, cancel all of my commitments for next week. I need to take care of some family business."

"But Niki, we have two personal appearances and two photo shoots scheduled."

"Robert, pretend I'm sick and need some recovery time. Get Karina, Holly or Shae to do the shoots. They've been begging for work anyway. Anybody that looks good and has been in a men's mag can do the personal appearances. Get Madison, she's the hottest new girl out there."

I wondered, was this Madison the one I knew?

He stood there and glared at her.

"Robert, I'm serious."

"Okay, I'll take care of it."

Janie turned to us and asked, "You live in Chattanooga?"

Pam responded, "Yes, but Mom lives near Greenville."

"Can I stay with you until we decide how to approach her? This is going to be a major shock to her."

Pam responded, "We would love to have you."

"Robert, call Jackson and tell him I want to be dropped at the Chattanooga airport on the way back tonight."

"Yes, Niki." He walked into the next room.

Pam whispered to Janie, "Why does he always call you Niki?"

"Because she's the bitch he manages. He doesn't manage Janie."

Pam and I glanced at each other. That was interesting.

Janie explained that they always have to travel by corporate plane and that there was a dinner tonight she had to attend with the other models for one of the major investors.

Robert returned and said, "It's taken care of. He's going to file a revised flight plan and will drop you off at 10:15 assuming we can get out on time."

We stood, as the meeting appeared to be over. Janie and Pam hugged again for a long time and whispered to each other. Both shed tears. I assured Janie we would meet her at 10:15. As the sisters separated, Janie looked at Pam and smiled.

"Baby sister, I need to touch you up. Come with me." They walked into the bedroom and were gone for several minutes while Robert was on the phone and I stood there like a knot on a log.

When Pam and Janie returned, Pam looked as good as new... elegant, in other words.

Robert walked us to the door and we shook hands again. The security men were outside the door and they escorted us down the elevator and to the front entrance of the lobby. Before they led us out into the scrum again, they had Angel brought around. The police and private security guys surrounded Pam and me for the walk out.

We were very relieved when the car doors shut and locked. The police cleared a way for us and we headed back to I-75 and Chattanooga.

As soon as we found the entrance to the interstate, Pam exclaimed, "I never thought she would be so nice. Can you imagine how she must have felt seeing me for the first time? I've had years of looking at her images and seeing myself. She had just a few seconds."

I replied, "I was impressed by how professional and strong she was. I just imagined that adult film models were victims and took whatever came their way because of the money and power behind the money. She was not weak at all and I certainly didn't see a victim."

"We have to figure out how best to break all of this to Mom. I have to work Monday through Wednesday again next week. Maybe on Thursday or Friday we can drive over and see her with Janie."

I asked, "What do we do with Janie until then?"

"Maybe she'd like to just relax at the house and have some downtime. We'll see her every morning and evening."

"Maybe so."

"We exchanged cell phone numbers. She said if they were late tonight, she'd call me. She also told me, when we were alone, that you were very handsome and she liked the way you deferred to me during the discussion. You impressed her, in other words."

"So now all three sisters think I'm special, huh?"

"There's the number three again. We must all think perfectly or completely alike."

****

We arrived at the general aviation terminal at the airport a little after 10:00 pm and saw one plane land a few minutes later. Hopefully, it was carrying her. Pam's cell phone rang about a minute later.

"Hello.

"Oh. Hi Janie.

"Yes.

"No problem.

"Hey, no problem, we understand.

"See you then.

"Bye.

"She said they're about 10 minutes out and apologized for being late. She asked if we were already here. Their dinner ran late."

When her plane landed things happened fast. Janie appeared with two guys carrying her luggage in just a minute. She walked into the terminal and immediately hugged Pam and then me. The guys said "Hi," set the luggage down and were off in a flash.

"I'm sorry for making you wait. I've been running late all day and that's not like me."

Pam replied, "We're just thrilled to have you here, Janie. It's much more than we ever anticipated."

I carried her two suitcases to the car while they chatted about the day. As we drove home, Pam asked about the photographers and whether or not that was normal.

"Unfortunately, it's that way whenever events like today are announced. In LA, we can get around without a lot of attention, as there are just so many other targets for them. In Atlanta, our appearance is a much bigger deal. It just comes with the territory, as they say."

Pam responded, "It scared me."

"It can be rough sometimes but the police and private security did a good job today."

I asked, "Were all the other ladies on the plane?"

"Only Heather, Hanna and Lindsey. The others had commitments in various parts of the country so they took off in different directions. I was supposed to be in New York on Monday but Robert was able to book Madison in my place."

"Where's Madison from?" I asked.

"She lives in Santa Monica now but I think she's from somewhere in Kansas. I haven't met her yet but one of my production companies has her booked for two shoots the end of next week."

I had to probe a bit more. "I know a Madison from Kansas City but I think she'd be too old for this business."

"How old is she?"

"Thirty-one, I think."

"Actually, the times have changed and lots of models that age are still very popular. It used to be that your career would be over around 25 or 26. Only young ones were popular. I guess as our consumers have aged, so have their tastes in women. The youngsters sell, of course, but the older ones also sell. We shoot anyone over 18 who sells."

I asked, "It sounds like you own a production company. Is that right?"

"Actually, I own three. One only works in the Czech Republic and Hungary. The other two are in LA."

Pam asked, "Do all the girls change their names?"

"Oh yes. You would never use your real name in this business. Makes it too easy for some pervert to find you."

"So Madison wouldn't be her real name?" I asked.

"Lordy no! I don't know what it is but it certainly is not Madison." I felt instant relief.

We arrived home and I carried her luggage to a bedroom down the hall from us. Janie walked around the main part of the house and saw the library and kitchen.

"I love this house. Pam, did you do the decorating?"

"No, Tom's wife, who is now deceased, did it."

Janie looked at me and asked, "Accident?"

"Cancer."

"What a shame."

Since it was only 8:30 pm according to her body clock (LA time), Janie asked if she could stay up and read in the library. I asked which authors she liked and we found several by her favorites in just a minute. Pam and I headed to bed after another hug from Janie.

After we closed our bedroom door, Pam said, "Her personality seems so normal. I'm not sure what I expected but it certainly wasn't normal. She's an entrepreneur and owns three companies. That's not normal. She's only 27. But she's also a top model and has shown her assets to the world many times. I guess I never thought a person would be capable of doing both, especially at her age. But she is so well grounded, not the least bit arrogant, at least not with us. That's impressive."

I had to agree. Janie was not what I expected. We showered and crashed. It had been a very long and tiring day.

****

I was the first up Sunday morning. It was cold and looked like it was going to rain most of the day, according to the weather report. After making a cup of coffee, I walked out for the newspapers. I subscribed to both the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and the Chattanooga Times Free Press.

Sitting in the library, I quickly perused the AJC. All the normal stuff like murders, drug arrests, local politics and advertising circulars took up at least 95% of the paper. As soon as I turned the page in the local section, I gasped. Staring at me was a picture of Pam and myself along with Janie. We were standing beside Angel and the two girls were facing each other, obviously talking. The headline read "Famous Playboy Model Niki Lee Confronts Look-Alike."

"Before the Playboy TV-Manwin merger was announced yesterday at the Westin Hotel, an angry confrontation occurred between model Niki Lee and a woman who looked exactly like her. Niki accused her of having reconstructive surgery and told the younger woman that she would deal with her later. The police and hotel security were seen escorting the young look-alike and her male companion, later identified as restaurant owner Thomas Sumter of Chattanooga, into the Westin for their own safety. No additional information is available at this time."

Oh shit! I read it again just to be sure it really said that nonsense.

I reached for the Chattanooga Time Free Press. At the bottom of page 2 was the same Associated Press photo plus a second photo of the police escorting us by the arm into the Westin. The headline read "Local Restaurant Owner Detained for Questioning."

"Local restaurant owner, Tom Sumter, and an unidentified woman were detained for questioning following an angry confrontation outside the Westin Hotel in Atlanta Saturday afternoon. Two models that have appeared numerous times in Playboy Magazine were also involved. Mr. Sumter owns The River Bistro, The Meeting Place and The Rusty Rudder restaurants. He was later released. No additional information is available at this time."

I was stunned. How could they tell such lies?

For the next thirty minutes, I sat and stared at the wall of clouds outside. What was I to do?

Pam came from the bedroom and went to the kitchen for coffee. When she came into the library and saw me, she asked, "Tom, what's wrong?" I showed her the two newspaper articles and she went ballistic.

"HOW COULD THEY?" she screamed. "What a bunch of crap. I've never been in Playboy. The police were escorting us, not detaining us! Niki was not confronting me. How do they come up with this stuff?"

"Pam, the big problem is that I'm now tied to two apparent men's magazine models in an angry confrontation. The people of Chattanooga will not like that at all."

"Tom, I have to go to work tomorrow at the bank. What do you think Jason and my co-workers are going to say?"

"Maybe the biggest problem we have is your mom. She is certain to see this sometime soon. People in Greenville also get the AJC plus that is an AP photo that can show up anywhere. Others will recognize you and me."

(Little did we know at that point, but John Cramer was also reading the story in the Charlotte paper. He had to get that black book and finding Pam was critical. He now knew where to look.)

With tears in her eyes, Pam pleaded, "What are we going to do, Tom?"

We sat and fumed for the next hour but could not come up with a good solution or even a plan to get one. We were devastated.

Janie came for coffee just after 9:00 am. As soon as she saw us, she knew something bad had happened. We showed her the articles.

"This is funny," she said.

Pam exclaimed, "What do you mean funny? This is not funny!"

"Pam, the old saying is that the only bad publicity is no publicity. We can deal with this. You should see some of the bullshit we put up with in LA."

I responded, "Maybe I'm missing something. How do you propose we deal with this?"

"The biggest problem is with Mom. We have to advance my meeting her to today. Can you call her and see if she's home? We can be there in a couple of hours."

I responded, "It's going to take an hour for you two to get ready. We can't drive there in an hour."

"True, but we're going to fly there. What's the phone number for general aviation at the airport?" I turned on the laptop to find it.

Pam immediately called her mom and put her on speaker.

"Hello."

"Hi Mom. This is Pam and I have you on speaker. Are you going to be home today?"

"After church, I'll be. What's wrong sweet?"

"Mom, we have someone we want you to meet and it must be done today."

"Oh my. Why so urgent?"

"Mom, we'll explain it when we get there."

"Pam, you're worrying me to death. Tell me what's going on."

Pam looked at me and then at Janie. We both nodded.

"Tom and I have found your other daughter."

We heard the phone drop and the faint sound of wailing at the other end. Of course, the girls on our end began crying and I also had tears in my eyes. It took a couple of minutes before anyone could speak.

"Mom, she is with me and Tom now."

Janie spoke in her best New Jersey/California accent, "Hi Mom, this is Janie."

Through her tears, Ruth finally responded, "Hi Janie. I just don't know what to say."

I replied, "There will be plenty of time for that. We're trying to arrange a private plane to fly us over in a few hours. We need to do this today because of several time constraints. I'm really sorry that we had to break this to you over the phone. It just couldn't be helped."

"Do I need to pick you up at the airport?"

"No, we'll get a rental car."

"Okay, I'll be here."

Janie called the airport and booked a plane and pilot for takeoff at 11:00 am. Turned out that Janie was also a certified pilot.

"Pam, I know you and Tom have to work tomorrow. I'll pack a few clothes and things I need and see if I can stay a few days with Mom. We have a lot of catching up to do. Do you have any sweaters or sweatshirts I can borrow? I only brought a lot of dressy stuff and this one pair of jeans."

Pam and Janie walked to the bedroom to chose clothing for the trip. I picked up the phone to call Dad.

"Hello son."

"Hi Dad. There's an article in the Chattanooga paper this morning about me. It also shows Pam in a picture. I just wanted to tell you the true story so you know how slanted that article is."




Lydia's Dream Ch. 11-12



"I saw the article and knew you'd be calling. I think it's funny."

"That's what Niki said."

"Who's Niki?"

For the next ten minutes, I reviewed the entire story for Dad and brought him up-to-date on our plans to visit Ruth.

I asked, "What do you recommend we do to correct this article?"

"Well, first of all, anyone who knows you and our family will know this smells funny. If there was a confrontation, they'll know it was one you should have had. As for the Playboy models, you're probably the envy of every guy in town."

"Seriously, is this going to hurt our business?"

"Of course not. It may give people a few more things to talk about for a while. We might even get more business from people coming to see any models that might be hanging around."

"I hope you're right. I'll call Ron this afternoon and ask him to put a note out to our staff briefing them on the situation."

"That sounds good. Have him send me a copy so I know what to say if anyone asks."

"I will. Can you tell Mom what happened?"

"Sure, I'll take care of it. She probably will be upset."

We hung up and I walked to the bedroom to get a shower and shave. When I entered the room, Janie and Pam were at the entrance to her closet. Janie was only wearing bikini panties and was trying on slacks.

I apologized but Janie said, "No need for that. I strip for photo shoots all the time and five guys are usually in the room. They see a lot more than you just did." I watched as she continued trying on different outfits and accessories and ended up with several combinations that were both comfortable and looked good on her. Like Pam, she had an amazing body.

After walking to the bathroom, I stripped and entered the shower. In a minute or so, Pam came in. At least I thought it was Pam. She had stripped to join me. These two looked identical, especially when they aren't standing together. Only Pam's additional height and voice differentiated them.

"Sweetheart, I think I have her situated. She's as nervous as can be about meeting Mom. I can't imagine the thoughts running through Mom's head."

****

The check-in at the airport went smoothly. We met our pilots and they reviewed the flight plan with Janie and briefed us on the safety features of the Cessna Citation Mustang, a beautiful little twin-engine jet we'd be using. We learned later that Janie's company leased a Citation Sovereign which seats nine and has a 3000 nm range. She was qualified to pilot several of the Cessna Citation business jets but the Mustang was new to her.

Janie went inside the business office and provided her billing information and a credit card number as security for the payment. I have no idea how much it costs, but it was not cheap. The plan was to fly us there and then the plane would deadhead back to Chattanooga. It would return to collect Pam and me at 9:00 pm.

What a wonderful way to fly. That little jet was fast and quieter than I thought it'd be. We landed only 35 minutes after takeoff. Although there was light rain in Chattanooga when we left, it was dry and only overcast in Greenville. Our rental car was waiting and we drove up the lane to the farmhouse at half past noon. Janie had not said more than a few words the entire trip. I could tell she was pensive.

Ruth walked out with Rudy and waited for us to get out of the car. The two girls got out at the same time. I looked at Ruth just as she collapsed. Fortunately, Rudy caught her and eased her down to the porch floor. The girls ran screaming to her and dropped to the floor next to her prone body. They checked her breathing and gently shook her.

In a moment, she recovered enough to sit. Rudy went inside and brought water and a wet washcloth. We asked her to sit still and sip the water until she felt well enough to stand. In a couple of minutes, we helped her up and Rudy and I walked her into the house.

When she was seated, both girls kneeled on the floor in front of her. Ruth looked at them and cried her heart out. The girls hugged her as all three cried. Rudy and I were certainly not immune.

There was not a word said for several minutes. The emotions said everything at that point. Rudy and I walked into the dining room and sat at the table to give them privacy.

"Ruth has been a nervous wreck since you called. As much as she wanted to meet Janie, she was afraid to meet her. She was very worried about what Janie would think about her."

"I can understand that. Janie has been very positive about meeting her but I know she was also very nervous."

"How did you find her?"

"Pam and I knew for some time that there was an adult movie actress that looked just like Pam. As you can tell, they're almost identical. Guys at Furman used to hit on Pam thinking she was Niki Lee, the professional name for Janie."

"Janie is a porn star?"

"Yep. One of the very best, in fact. She was in Atlanta yesterday making a personal appearance for Playboy. We went down to try to meet her and had some problems that I'll tell you about later; but we did get to talk with her. She confirmed that she was born in the same hospital on the same day as Ruth told us she was born."

"What luck."

"No, this was a miracle. Thank God she looked like Pam and was a public figure else we never would have found her. I can't explain it but I think God decided to give Ruth another daughter just like the one she decided to give up. How else can you explain having two identical girls four years apart? What are the odds of that?"

We heard voices in the living room so we returned. Pam was telling Ruth how she found Janie. Then Janie began telling Ruth about her parents.

"I was adopted by Joshua and Naomi Li. They were originally from Hong Kong but had come here as children with their parents. They met and were married in 1970 and lived in Paterson, New Jersey. That's west of New York City. My dad owned a restaurant and six dry cleaning shops.

"They were unable to have children and fourteen years after they were married, they were able to adopt me. I knew from my earliest days that I looked nothing like them so it was always known that I was adopted. My mom told me when I was about five or six that my birth mother had died giving birth to me. I remember being very sad about that but sadness doesn't last too long when you're that age.

"I had a wonderful childhood. I was the only child, of course, and my parents were great. They always told me how beautiful I was and that I could do anything I wanted in life. Their encouragements made me want to study hard and be successful, just like Dad.

"I graduated at the top of my class in high school and had a perfect score on my SAT's. I was offered hundreds of scholarships by universities. One of my best friends wanted to be an actress, and she applied to UCLA and was accepted. She talked me into going there with her and the university gave me a full scholarship. I really didn't know what career I wanted so I went into the drama program with her.

"I traveled out there to find a place to live and get settled in early August, 2001. My parents decided to fly out on September 11 and visit me after spending a few days in San Francisco with mom's brother. They were on United Flight 93 out of Newark. Of course, you know what happened.

"After their deaths, I withdrew from school for a semester and returned to New Jersey. The estate was not settled until after I had already turned 18 so I didn't need to have a guardian appointed. They didn't leave a will so a judge decided how to settle the estate. I ended up with everything but didn't know anything about running a business like that. With the help of Dad's lawyer, we sold the business and, after all the bills and taxes were paid, I had about $200,000.

"While that seemed like a lot when I was that age, it was nothing like I really needed. I returned to UCLA and threw myself into drama. One thing led to another and I ended up in the business as an adult performer. I'm not proud of that, but it was a way for me to survive.

"By the time I was twenty-one, I was pretty well off. By age twenty-four, I owned a movie production company that was very profitable. Today, I've no idea how much my business is worth but I have three production companies that bring in a lot of money every year. So life has been good to me financially, but it also brought the worse pain possible when I lost my parents."

Pam asked if she had married.

"No. When you perform in adult movies, relationships don't last. I don't know of anyone who has made it work."

I asked what her plans were for the future.

"Tom, I don't know." She leaned over and laid her hand on Ruth's. "For the next week or so, I want to hug my real mom every day and just talk. There are 45 years of her life that I want to know about. After that, I'll let you know. But I will say, I'm very tired of my business and would love to get out. I owe it to my employees to make it an orderly transition so it won't be anytime soon. After I'm out, I have no idea what I'll do; but my acting days will be over. I have enough money to last me several lifetimes and I don't need any more."

Pam asked why she was still doing personal appearances. Janie said, "Contracts."

I asked if I could go get lunch for everyone. We decided on sandwiches from a deli about four miles away. Ruth had one of the deli menus so we could each pick what we wanted. I called in the order. Janie stayed and talked with Ruth and Rudy while Pam and I drove over and picked up the food.

They were very good sandwiches and the bread was amazingly fresh for a Sunday afternoon. During lunch, we explained what had happened in Atlanta on Saturday and showed them the awful news accounts and photos. Ruth was as mad as Pam had been.

After talking for more than an hour, I suggested we take a walk and get some fresh air. Pam told Janie she would be glad to introduce her to a bull we had met on the last trip. Janie glanced at Ruth, who shook her head, and then politely declined.

I said, "Janie, Pam is just joking with you. That bull could have killed us and we are staying away from him. Come and walk with us. It's a beautiful farm."

The three of us donned our jackets and walked down the lane toward the barn. Janie was very interested in everything we saw. She had never been exposed to anything like a working farm and it intrigued her. We walked into the barn and showed her around. We climbed into the loft and looked at the many bales of hay. She liked the fresh hay smell.

I noticed that the bull was in a corral next to the barn and was safely contained. Janie walked over to the fence, along with Pam, and the bull came to them. He snorted a few times and moved closer. He appeared to be very docile, for some reason. Janie didn't know better so she leaned over the fence and scratched his curly-haired forehead between his eyes. I wanted to yell, but something told me to wait and see what happened. He stood there and accepted her attention for a least a minute. She was thrilled, and I was relieved.

Since it was safe to go into the pasture, we walked down to where the cattle were grazing. Janie said they were the first cows she had ever seen in person. She was fascinated and asked Pam many questions about their habits and taking care of them.

Next, we walked down to the creek and the blue heron was there again. Janie was excited to see such a beautiful bird. As before, it warily watched us and finally decided to go in the other direction. She remarked on how graceful it was.

I could tell that Janie was a little overwhelmed with the beauty and tranquility of this place. She remarked several times on how quiet it was and how fresh the air smelled... the exact opposite of Los Angeles.

After returning to the house, Pam asked Ruth about the status of her decision to sell the farm.

"I asked a real estate agent to list it starting in January for $2.5 million. The offers we had were from other farmers and they wanted to buy it much cheaper than that. I think a developer would pay more than a farmer and the agent is going after them to see what attention we can get."

"That means we would see this whole farm full of houses?" I asked.

"Yes, that's the highest and best use of it, according to my lawyer and I think he has my interests in mind. He's helped us for more than 20 years."

Janie replied, "That's probably true but it's a shame. This land is beautiful."

We talked the rest of the afternoon about many different things, including Ruth and Rudy's plans for the wedding. Ruth asked Janie to be part of the wedding party and there was another round of tears shed. It would be the first time for Janie to be a bridesmaid. Before dinner, I carried Janie's luggage to the bedroom that I had used and Pam showed her the bath and how to adjust the heat upstairs.

We grilled steaks for dinner, with Rudy serving as the grill master. It was a delightful meal and the dinner conversation was robust and lighthearted. Janie pulled Pam aside before we left for the airport but I would have to wait until later to find out the reason.

There were many heartfelt hugs all around as we departed. We waved back to Ruth, Janie and Rudy standing on the front porch as we drove down the lane.

The plane arrived just as we were checking in the rental car. In just a few minutes the pilot welcomed us aboard and reviewed the safety features once again. The co-pilot came and offered us drinks for the return flight but we declined. He said that they would close the door into the cockpit before takeoff so we would have privacy. I glanced at Pam and she asked, "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

We said, "mile high club," in unison. Pam looked thrilled and so was I. Although we had only thirty minutes, we would make the best of it. As soon as the door closed, we began shedding a shirt, a blouse, and a bra. Being restrained by our seatbelts, all I could do was suck her nipple until takeoff.

When the plane left the runway, she unfastened her seat belt and knelt on the floor between my legs. Her mouth was like a vacuum cleaner. Her eyes never left mine and the warm firm pressure from her tongue drove me near the edge only to have her then squeeze the base and settle my passion just enough to delay the release. I was stroking her lustrous golden hair the entire time.

She could tell from my face that I was getting close, too close in fact. She stood and shimmied down her trousers and panties and bent over with her bottom facing me. Over the hum of the engines, I could hear her moan and squeal with pleasure. 

I moved out to the front of the seat and pulled her bottom down to allow penetration of her warm body as she straddled my legs. For the next few minutes she rapidly jackhammered my erection. Her moans became much louder. She stopped a couple of times to rest and feel the fullness in her tunnel.

The orgasm began and her lungs left her with only short shallow gasps. Pam squirmed and rubbed herself harder. Her free hand covered mine and forced it into her left breast. I could feel perspiration running off her face as she squirmed.

Her moaning and involuntary twitches continued until my explosive release began. Pam leaned forward, off my chest and rammed herself down as hard as she could on my erection. She sat upright, straddling my legs. Her back was glistening with perspiration.

The pilot came on the intercom and announced we would be landing in five minutes. We separated and I walked to the toilet and brought a handful of tissues for us. We laughed and cleaned ourselves as quickly as we could before putting on our clothes. We were now 'official' members of the club.

As we left the plane, the pilot asked if the flight met out expectations and we assure him it most certainly did. We all smiled. I wondered later if there was a security camera in the cabin.

*

End of Chapter 12. Please vote and leave comments.