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Lydia's Dream Ch. 13-14

By: memorable_event



Like with the other installments, please read the story in order. There is a very important message for you prior to Chapter 1. Thanks for reading my story.

Chapter 13

Tough times arrive.

Returning to some normalcy on Monday morning with a jog before breakfast, we had cereal and fruit before leaving for work. I had several meetings scheduled with suppliers and our insurance company before going to the restaurants to continue meeting with employees.

Pam began her second week at the bank and was dreading the comments about the photos and article in Sunday's paper. We decided over breakfast to simply tell the truth if someone commented or asked. We would say that one of the models was Pam's sister who had been adopted at birth. They met for the first time on Saturday and got along great. There was conversation, not confrontation as reported by the local paper. And finally, Pam has never appeared in Playboy.

Pam received the credit card linked to my account and I transferred $5000 to her new checking account later that morning.

Arriving at the office, I checked with Cheryl and many people had responded positively to our party invitation. We had invited 90 people. The Bistro would be catering it so that Pam and I could spend all our time with the guests. She was already thinking about what to wear.

I checked with Ron and he had sent my response about the article to all the restaurant managers. They were covering all the employees in small meetings as they arrived for work. He said that on Sunday, only a couple of guests asked or made comments while dining. Their servers responded by asking, "Do you believe what you read in our local rag?" More importantly, there was no discernable drop in guests.

When I arrived home that evening, Pam was in a happy mood. Jason had asked to meet with her when she arrived. She explained the entire story to him. To his credit, he then called in all the tellers and customer service personnel and explained to them what had happened. It ended up being a non-event, as everyone knew how reporters exaggerate. They were all happy that Pam had found her sister.

We were sitting in the library talking when Pam's cell rang. It was Janie. I could tell from Pam's words and her expressions that things were going well. They talked for several minutes.

As soon as the call ended, Pam said, "Janie is having a wonderful time. She said she felt at home. She and Mom had spent most of the day talking about their experiences and life in general. They cooked lunch and dinner together. She said she loved to cook, which surprised me.

"They're going shopping tomorrow and she'll call again tomorrow evening. Of course, you heard me say we would drive over on Thursday."

Tuesday and Wednesday morning flew by and Pam and I were both very busy. There was still no apparent fallout from the article and very few people even commented on it. I did have to take a little ribbing on the Tuesday morning call with my team. It was all good-natured and we had a robust laugh over it. The sisters talked Tuesday night and Janie recounted their shopping experience and how excited she was to find such good deals at the outlet mall. The visit could not have been going better, and Janie was obviously impressed with her mother.

Wednesday afternoon, I received a call from our manager at The Rusty Rudder. He said a man had been in for lunch and was asking questions about Pam and me. He was looking for her. They didn't tell him anything.

That scared me. With the newspapers showing Pam's Associated Press picture everywhere, that policeman from Charlotte could have seen her.

I immediately called Brett, the district attorney, and he promised to email a mug shot of John Cramer to see if he was the one asking the questions. It arrived in a few moments and I sent it on to all three restaurants with a note asking if he had been in. All three came back with emails within the hour to say that this guy had been in at least once in the last two days.

I called Brett again and relayed that information. He told me that Cramer was violating the bail restrictions by leaving North Carolina and that an arrest warrant would be requested through the Charlotte district attorney.

I left for home early to be there when Pam arrived. I had no idea if Cramer had learned where I lived or where she worked but I didn't want to take a chance. I have an unlisted phone number but I could still be found. Arriving before her, I walked to my office to retrieve a Smith & Wesson .38 Special I kept there. Returning to the library, I waited until I heard Angel arrive.

When the garage door opened, I walked out to escort her in. She was petrified when she saw the revolver.

"Tom, what's going on?" Tears came to her eyes.

"Cramer is in town looking for you."

"OH NO! How do you know?"

"He's been to all the restaurants asking questions about you and me. He's trying to find you." I quickly filled her in on all the activities going on and that a warrant would be issued.

"That damn book. I should never have taken it."

"We can't worry about that now. Let's get you out of here."

"We're leaving tonight?"

"Yes, right now. Let's get our clothes together. We'll take Angel."

"I'm so sorry, Tom."

"We'll go to the cabin tonight and then on to your mom's tomorrow as planned. Let's hurry."

We were packed and out of there in less than 20 minutes with the house fully secured and the alarm system and cameras activated. On the way down the mountain, I called Brett to let him know we were leaving for a few days. He told us that the warrant had been issued and the Chattanooga and state police were now looking for him.

Pam said, "I'll bet he saw the article or photos from the Westin."

"I'm sure. The reporter identified me and the restaurants and he knew that one of those women had to be you. Damn newspaper reporters."

I reached for her hand. "We'll get this guy and put him in jail for a long time." She studied me with fear in her eyes.

I glanced in the rear view mirror several times on the way to the interstate and noticed a blue car about 100 yards behind us. After making a few turns, the car was still behind us. I didn't want to alarm Pam just yet and didn't say anything. I stopped at a Shell station to fill Angel and noticed the car sitting across the street. The driver was a white man but he was too far away for me see his features. He was not looking at me whenever I glanced his way.

When at the wheel again, I continued on to I-75 south and again saw the car behind me maybe 200 yards back. It appeared to be a Kia sedan, one of the cheaper models.

"Pam, I'm going to stop at the Georgia welcome center and I want you to go into the ladies room and wait until I come for you."

"Why? I don't need to go."

"I don't want you to stay in the car. There may be someone following us?"

"What? Where?" She turned to look behind us.

"There's a light blue Kia behind us and he's been following us since we left home."

"Oh jeez. I can't see who it is. He's back too far."

"When we get to the rest stop, walk inside with me. I'll see where he parks and see if I can get closer to him. If it's Cramer, he's after you, not me and I might be able to sneak up on him while he's watching for you. But in case he comes inside, you must be in the ladies room."

"Tom, he could have a gun."

"I definitely have one."

"Can't we call the police?"

"What if it's not Cramer?"

"Why then is he following us?"

"We'll find out."

I parked Angel in a space near the handicapped parking area and helped Pam from the car. We walked together to the restrooms with the revolver tucked into the back of my belt, under a jacket. I glanced back and saw the blue Kia parked in a space at the end of the row where he could see people coming out of the building.

I waited while Pam entered the ladies room before walking through the building to the back entrance where truckers come and go. Walking down to the far end of the parking lot, keeping the building between the Kia and me, I crossed into the grove of trees and circled back, in an arc that would take me to the rear of his car. He was focused on the building and didn't notice me until I opened his door and pointed the revolver at this head. He quickly looked at me.

"Hello John. Keep both hands on the wheel."

He shifted slightly in the seat.

"Tom Sumter, I'm guessing."

"That's right. We all know why you're here but it's too late. Your little black book is already in the district attorney's office in Charlotte."

He looked down, appearing to be in thought.

"Why did she do it?"

"Do what?"

"Take that book."

"Revenge. You beat the shit out of her."

"That bitch has got to pay for what she did?"

"Don't you have to pay for assaulting her? She still had bruises a week later."

"She went through that book. I should have killed her on the spot."

As I held the gun to his head, I called 911 and reported the situation. I stayed on the line as directed.

"That book is important to me but it's also important to the people listed in it. If I don't get that book and destroy it, I'm a dead man and many very important people are going down with me."

I asked, "Why? Dealing drugs is not a death sentence and buying drugs is even less of one."

"There are judges, lawyers, other policemen and major business leaders listed in that book," he replied.

"The book is gone. We don't have it. There's a warrant out for your arrest because you violated bail when you left North Carolina. The police are coming for you. I suggest you just relax and wait with me."

"Sumter, you don't understand. I'm a dead man. Even if I'm in jail, I'm going to die. That book is not just about drugs."

"If it was that important, why did you keep it in a drawer in your house?"

"It was there only for a couple of days. It belongs to a friend and he asked me to keep it for him. He was tipped that a search warrant was being issued so I kept it for a few days."

"Just sit quietly like you are while we wait."

He stared straight ahead for at least a minute, obviously in deep thought. Even though it was very cool outside, he was perspiring. He never blinked as far as I could tell as he stared ahead.

"Can I reach in my pocket for a cell phone?" he asked. "I need to call my lawyer."

I cocked the hammer on my revolver and kept it pointed at his ear. "Okay, go ahead, slowly."

He reached in but quickly pulled out a small pistol. I jumped to my right to his backside just as one shot rang out. It happened so fast that I thought maybe I'd pulled the trigger. To this day, I don't know why I didn't. He shot himself under the chin and the bullet entered his brain. His limp body slumped forward onto the steering wheel.

When the shot rang out, Pam came running to me along with several travelers. She saw his body and immediately burst into tears, thinking I had shot him. When she learned the facts, she continue to cry as this was the first suicide she had seen. I held her for many long minutes as other travelers gathered around and waited with us for the authorities to come.

The Georgia State Police and emergency response teams began arriving in about ten minutes. It took three hours for our story to be told, all the reports to be completed, my revolver to be tested for recent firing, Cramer's pistol to be examined, the coroner to do his initial examination and the crime scene to be processed. Thankfully, my revolver was not an issue because it had not been fired and I had a conceal-carry permit that was valid in Georgia and Tennessee.

Once free to go, we returned to Chattanooga. The ride home was very quiet with short periods of Pam sobbing. She held my hand most of the way. Neither of us had an appetite so we sat in the family room in front of a burning fireplace and drank Woodford Reserve Bourbon until we were both drunk. Even as much as she hated him for what he did to her, she still felt great pain at his death.

We staggered to bed and crashed, totally wiped out.

****

Arriving at the farm around mid-afternoon on Thursday, we were met by Ruth and Janie on the porch. After hugs and kisses, we sat in the living room and visited.

Pam recounted the events of the previous day and a number of questions were asked and answered. Each of us speculated on the meaning of that black book. It would be months before we heard anything else about it. There was an article on the Charlotte Observer website that morning covering Cramer's suicide and recounting his previous arrest for drugs. Neither Pam nor I were mentioned, thank heavens.

Janie told us that she would be returning to LA Friday evening. Her company's jet was going to be in New York that day with several models doing a shoot. It would fly to Greenville and pick her up at 8:30 pm.

Pam and I were pleasantly surprised when Ruth announced that Janie had prepared dinner for us. She had baked individual beef Wellingtons with asparagus and risotto. I concluded after the meal that cooking ability must be genetic. How else could all three daughters be so good at it?

I didn't know if it was my wishful thinking or not, but it appeared to me that Ruth and Janie had taken major steps toward bonding, almost like they had never been separated. They deferred to each other and seemed very comfortable interacting. They even helped complete each other's sentences. Janie was starting to use Southern slang words and dialect and some of that New Jersey/California accent was even changing to the slower and more rounded tones of Southerners. Maybe her years in drama classes were showing results in her ability to speak with different inflections. I had never seen two women so happy together after meeting only four days earlier.

That evening, Janie joined us in Pam's bedroom and we sat on the bed and talked for a long time. She wanted to know more about me, my background and the restaurants. Janie also asked Pam dozens of questions about growing up and living on the farm. Pam asked her about the transition from student to model and how that happened.

Janie told us a summary of her story. "During my first year at UCLA, my girlfriend and I were at a bar one night. I know, we were underage but we had great fake ID's. A very fine looking young man was hitting on me, and I was interested. I'd always loved sex, and previous lovers always told me how beautiful and sexy I was. That gave me self-confidence and some guys really liked that in a girl.

"He invited me back to his apartment and I went. We had a great hookup and I liked him. After another date, he asked me about becoming an escort. Turned out he was recruiting for an executive escort service and wasn't so interested in me as he was my body as a business opportunity. After my initial shock of learning what he was really after, I listened. The kind of money he promised me just blew my mind. I had no idea people were willing to pay that much for sex.

"Several days later, I called him and said I would do one date just to see what it was like. The next day, he called me and told me where to meet the gentleman. He then asked me to pick a professional name as he didn't want to provide my real name to anyone. I thought for a few seconds and picked 'Niki' because I'd always liked that name, and I changed 'Li' to 'Lee.'

"Well, I had a great time. The gentleman was middle-aged and was so nice and gentle with me. We screwed for over an hour and he told me I was the best he ever had. I must have climaxed three or four times which I don't think he expected. He asked me to spend the night and I did. We bathed together, cuddled in bed during the night and had a marvelous breakfast that we prepared together. We did it again that morning. Turned out he was a studio executive and we talked for hours about acting as a profession.

"As I left, he surprised me with a $2000 tip and the service paid me $6000 for my appointment. In just one night, I made more money than I had made cumulatively in my entire life. I was dumbfounded and I thoroughly enjoyed the time with him.

"That was the beginning of my career. For the next three years, I went to school by day and slept with very rich men at night. Many of them were Hollywood stars or studio executives. Most were repeat customers and I was often invited to parties and to go on trips with them. I never had a problem with abuse or any of the problems prostitutes normally encounter. I guess when you're paying $10,000 and up per day, you don't abuse the merchandise. I also think that the guy who owned the agency was well placed and had major influence with the clients. I'm not saying he was mafia but he could have been from some things my clients said. Unfortunately, I never met him and don't even know his name. I found out later that in our agency, only six of us were getting that kind of money. There were maybe 35 to 40 working there.

"I was in high demand, often doing three dates a week and I saved everything except what I needed to spend on sexy clothes and food. I shared a small apartment with my girlfriend and we traded favors with the landlord for free rent. By the time I was 21, I had more than two million in the bank."

I asked, "How did you come to own a production company?"

"When I was 23, I had accumulated four million and began looking for opportunities to invest it. By then, I was doing photo shoots and video scenes. That was lucrative also and I enjoyed using my acting skills. The executive escorting was winding down as the agency only hired girls between 18 and 23 so I was getting old for them.

"I learned about the porn video business by being on the sets and listening to the director as he gave instructions to me, the cameramen, sound and lighting guys. I always did solos and girl-girl scenes. I've never done a boy-girl in front of a camera. I'm not a lesbian but I just didn't want to work with any of the guys in that business. They were really sleazy.

"The camera work sucked on many of the shoots and some of the help were so amateurish all they could do was stand there with their hard-ons and their tongues hanging out. Quality wise, it was really a two-bit industry making millions.

"I met a young director on one of the shoots who really knew what artistic porn should be. He insisted on professional cameramen, lighting and sound guys and used only the best HD equipment. He hired very sexy female and male actors. He paid more for the artists and crew but the websites paid more for his quality of work.

"I loved working for him. He was freelancing and I made him an offer to invest in his business. He took me up on it. We had a great relationship and he was very good in bed. I eventually bought him out and we expanded like crazy in 2008 and 2009. We put a company with four video crews in Eastern Europe and doubled our net. The girls over there are beautiful, love sex and work cheap. We're also establishing a company in Brazil to feature those lovely tanned ladies in Rio. I'll be flying down there in January for a couple of weeks to sign the final documents and interview the first round of models.

"My companies specialize in high definition glamorous sex. We use only the most attractive actors, both men and women, and we try to put the consumer so close to the action he or she could almost smell it. We want our consumers to hear the authentic sounds of sex and their actual moans and groans. Many of our models will have an orgasm on camera. But only an expert can tell a real one versus acting with most of the ladies we use.

"You remember that movie 'When Harry Met Sally' and Meg Ryan's character had the fake orgasm in the diner?" Janie asked with a broad smile.

I laughed and said, "That was funny." Pam hadn't seen the movie so I promised to show it to her later.


Lydia's Dream Ch. 13-14



"We have actresses that do an even better job of faking it than Meg did."

"That's amazing," I replied.

Janie continued, "We don't do enhanced models unless the girl is really gorgeous and can put on a great show. We prefer her boobs to be reverberating like crazy when the guy is pounding her. Guys like that. We also insist on realistic sex. We don't let the girls talk sex trash or encouragement to the guys trying to concentrate. That is not realistic and will not be seen in our work. We also put extensive effort into beautiful settings and backdrops.

"My companies shoot for at least 70 different websites but they each add their names to our work. As long as we get paid, we don't care which website is the buyer. We do enforce our copyrights and nobody messes with us or they pay up. We collect an average of over a million a year from copyright infringements.

"I started the third company two years ago to focus on older models that still sold. We have one model whose body has more mileage than the LA Freeway but she still sells. Some women just have it and it's hard to describe. Pam and I have it. Men love the way we look on camera and our bodies are perfect for porn. We could both sell well into our 30's maybe longer if we stay in shape. Tom, since she's four years younger, Pam could take my place on shoots and no on would notice," she joked.

I glanced at Pam and said, "Don't get any ideas." She smiled.

Later than night, Pam and I practiced artistic sex just in case both of us needed a job some day.

Friday was another beautiful day and we walked over the farm again. Janie mentioned that she had met Bobby and Fred on Thursday morning. She thought Fred was very cute.

The day went quickly and when it was time to take Janie to the airport, Ruth and Pam came along. There were lots of hugs, kisses and tears shed before she boarded her Citation Sovereign for the trip home. That was a beautiful plane full of beautiful women.

Pam received a text message from Janie in the middle of the night saying she was home and would be talking to us soon.

We headed home on Saturday morning. Ruth told us that Jerri was planning to come for Christmas and that she would tell her about Janie at that time. We also committed to be there.

****

The next week was work, work and more work. Even our sex life cooled off. Pam volunteered at the shelters two days in the mornings and worked at the bank three full days. The rest of the time was planning the Christmas party and getting the house decorated. The final count of guests was 78 but we still hadn't heard from one couple.

The party was on Saturday, December 17th and everyone arrived starting at 7:00 pm. It was wild. The Christmas outfits some of the ladies and guys wore were works of art... bad art.

Pam wore a stunning dark red pants suit with lots of gold jewelry and a scarf that made her even more beautiful than normal. Her makeup, nails and hair were perfect. Every man at the party wanted to talk to her and she was the perfect hostess, circulating among all our guests with ease. We glanced at each other several times during the evening and she flashed me her famous devious grin. We hadn't had sex in more than a week and I could tell she would be great in bed that night after being surrounded by testosterone all evening.

About 11:00 the party was still loud and exciting as some people danced and others gazed out the window onto the lights of the city. Still others were in the kitchen snacking on the remaining desserts and drinking everything in sight. I looked around but didn't see Pam. I thought she might have gone to freshen up.

I walked to our bedroom and heard a noise. After cracking open the door to see which of our guests were there, my heart broke.

Pam was there with Brady, Wendy's boyfriend, and they were kissing. Her belt and pants were open and he had his hand down her panties. She was moaning with pleasure. It felt like the whole world just fell in on me.

I was stunned and my mind raced. Should I just close the door? Pam and I were not married, thank heavens. Yet, she had given me her word. She betrayed me and I was devastated. I felt rage and hurt. The anger suddenly took control. I quickly opened the door to confront them.

Brady and Pam jumped and he quickly pulled his hand out. Total shock and fear showed on both their faces.

"How could you, Pam?" I asked.

"Tom, uh, uh. I'm sorry." She began wailing and, in her anguish, dropped to the floor.

Brady was muttering something about being sorry but I couldn't focus on him. The love I had for Pam just seemed to die instantly. I was numb but the pain was still overwhelming. I had a terrible lump in my throat and fought to hold back the flood of tears.

"Brady, gather your stuff and leave immediately. You are to break up with Wendy and get out of her life or else I will tell her what happened here. You do not deserve her love. You understand me?"

"Uh, yes."

"And if word of this ever gets out and I hear of it, you're a dead man. I will make sure you never draw another breath. You understand?"

"Yes. I'm sorry Tom."

"I am too. Now leave my house. I expect to never see you again."

He walked out of the room and I stood looking down at Pam as she bawled on the floor. A small part of me wanted to console her but I turned and walked out. Anger and hurt was consuming me and I would certainly have hit her had I stayed.

I went back to the party but everyone knew that something was wrong. I apologized and said Pam was not feeling well and that we needed to call it a night. Everyone understood and began gathering their belongings. Each stopped to thank me for such a wonderful party and to wish me a merry Christmas. Brady and Wendy had already left.

While the team from Bistro cleaned up the rooms and washed all the dishes, I returned to the bedroom. Pam was still lying on the floor, in a fetal position and weeping.

I sat on the floor beside her but didn't say anything. What could I say? My emotions were so conflicted that I couldn't think logically. After a few minutes, I walked out and thanked the guys for their hard work and gave each of them a nice tip. They finished in about fifteen minutes and I glanced at my watch. It was midnight.

I went to another bedroom and collapsed. For the second time in my life, the one I loved with all my heart was gone. Just gone. At least I had some time with Lydia to prepare for that.

I took two sleeping pills and wept until I fell asleep.

****

The next morning, I walked to the master bedroom. Pam was not there and her suitcases were missing, along with her clothes. On the nightstand next to my side of the bed was a note.

"Tom, please forgive me. I lost control for just a minute and it happened. Rather than prolong your agony, I have decided to leave. A taxi is picking me up and by the time you read this, I will be out of your life. I am very, very sorry this happened. I do love you with all my heart, Pam."

I sat and cried. My pain was almost unbearable.

All day long, I was a zombie... more dead than alive. How could I deal with this again? I actually yelled at and cursed God for letting this happen. I stared out the window but the valley was full of rain clouds. The house was empty and so was I. All of my future hopes and dreams had been focused on her. Now there was nothing.

The phone rang but I didn't answer it. I didn't want to talk with anyone.

About an hour later, I noticed the message light on the phone and I listened to the recording.

"Tom, this is Janie. Pam is with me here in Santa Monica. She told me what happened and she's totally devastated. I'm very worried about her. Give me a call on my cell phone and let's talk. Please."

I debated whether to call. I was just too hurt and mad. There was a large part of me that was glad Pam was devastated. But, the very small part of me that still loved her convinced me to at least consider calling.

I prayed to God, who I had cursed earlier, to give me wisdom and help me understand what I should do. Several minutes later, I picked up the phone and called.

"Tom, I am so relieved you called. Pam is upstairs in a bedroom and she's hardly stopped crying since she's been here. She called me this morning from the airport and I rushed to pick her up. She was a mess and you know how she is about her appearance. We drove home and she explained what happened. She asked if she could stay here a few days.

"Tom, she loves you and is totally shattered. She really needs your forgiveness. I understand if you can't forgive her. She screwed up big time. But can you possibly fly out and just talk to her?"

I didn't respond for several moments as I debated what to do. I was sure Janie could hear me sobbing. As I sat there, an amazing sense of peace overcame me and I knew what I needed to do.

"Janie, I'll come. Let me see if I can get a flight tomorrow and I'll let you know. I'll take a taxi to your house."

"Thank you. I'm not going to tell her you're coming or she might take off. She knows she has just killed you and she is so ashamed."

We hung up and I called Delta. They had a seat available and I booked it to LAX. It would arrive at 10:08 in the morning their time. I called Janie and told her I was coming and when my plane would land. She gave me her address in Santa Monica and thanked me again.

****

A taxi dropped me at her house and Janie met me at the door.

"Tom, thank God you came."

I hugged and kissed her.

"She cried off and on all night and I'm very worried about her. When I walked in to check on her during the night, she had found a bottle of my prescription sleeping pills. I took them away from her and locked up all the other pills I have around here. Thank goodness, she hadn't taken them."

Janie walked me to Pam's bedroom. She was in bed and had her back turned to the door. She was quiet and seemed to be sleeping. I quietly walked in and went around to the side she faced and dropped to my knees beside the bed.

She soon opened her eyes and a look of fear, anguish and total exhaustion stared at me. We didn't say a word for a few moments as her tears flowed again. I reached out and moved her matted hair off her face before leaning in to kiss her damp cheek. I couldn't help it. I still loved her.

She struggled to speak, "Tom, I'm so, so sorry. I don't know why it happened but it did." She was hoarse from crying so much.

"Pam, we both knew such a thing was possible. We both knew about your addiction to sex and how it has controlled a part of your life for so long."

"I know. I don't understand myself; but I do love you, Tom. Can you please forgive me?" I didn't answer. "Please Tom." Her crying became louder and her plea more urgent.

"I'm very hurt. You betrayed me, our relationship and everything we've meant to each other. You betrayed yourself, Pam. But I believe in forgiveness, no matter what happened. I can forgive you but we must talk and decide the best path forward. Continuing as we are is not going to work.

"Now, let's get you up and in the shower. I want to see the Pam I really know come out of this bedroom." She finally smiled a little through the tears.

I walked to the door and saw Janie was standing in the hallway. "Did you hear what I told her?" I asked.

"Yes. Had I been you, I wouldn't have been so easy on her. You're a more forgiving person than I am."

"Let's give her some time. I want to spend a few hours with her and talk through it."

"Good. I've got errands to run and will give you privacy. Call me when the coast is clear."

While waiting for Pam, I called Ron and told him I had to make an emergency trip to help a friend in LA. He said he had been wondering where I was and asked if there was anything he could do to help. I told him no and that I might be a few days.

I called Dad and told him the same thing. He didn't know I had any friends in LA so I lied and said it was a friend of Pam's. Since Pam was not scheduled to work at the bank until Thursday, we had some time to decide what she wanted to do about the job.

In about an hour, Pam emerged. She was dressed nicely and looked decent for not having slept for two days. Her makeup was okay, not perfect, and her eyes were very bloodshot. I stood and held out my arms to her. She walked quickly and hugged me but began weeping again with her head on my chest.

"Pam, please stop crying. It doesn't look good on you." She laughed but the tears continued.

We sat on the sofa and held hands. She was shaking. Tears welled in my eyes but I was determined to be strong.

"Tom, you're always advising people to just be honest and tell the truth. Can I do that?"

"Yes. I want that."

"At the party, Brady noticed me right away and became very friendly. I didn't want to embarrass him in front of Wendy so I put up with it. As the night went on, he got more and more friendly and I knew what he was trying to do. I think he was drinking too much. When I went to our bedroom to freshen up, he followed me. When I saw him there, I didn't know what to do. I told him to get out but he wouldn't leave. I tried to leave but he blocked my way and grabbed me. He kissed me and something within me just clicked. I lost my head. He undid my belt and pants. It was like I was in a daze. When he reached to fondle me, you walked in. I was not going to have sex with him, but I don't expect you to believe me."

"All I know, Pam, is what I saw. You were definitely kissing him with the passion you usually have for me. You were aroused and moaning and I believe he would have been in you in a few more minutes. And I believe you would have enjoyed it."

She began whimpering again and dropped her head.

"Pam, although I'm really hurt and angry with you, I still love you. I don't want to end our relationship. Do you?"

"No, I don't; but I've hurt you so much, I think there will always be a wound in your heart that will never heal."

"Pam, I've also messed up, maybe a lot more than you have. That's why I've spent the last three weeks apologizing to many of my employees. As I was flying here, I realized that you slipped just like I've done, but in a different way. What you did hurts me but what I did hurt many others. We can't let that slip destroy our future. Lydia told you in the dream that troubled times would come and try both of us. She knew we would have these issues, it seems, but she still supported you and told you to be my biggest helper. That was proven to be a real message from her."

"Lydia also told me that your love has no limits. I'm afraid I tested that and I am so ashamed."

I replied, "You once said to me that with God, anything is possible. I believe that. But we have work to do. We've known each other for less than two months and we know now that we have a lot to learn about each other. In many ways, it's been unrealistically easy for us. I want you to go back with me tomorrow. And I'd like you to agree to go with me for counseling with our minister. We must work on this together. However, I think the first thing you and I need to do, right now, is to ask for God's forgiveness.

"Why you?"

"I called Him some pretty bad things yesterday."

"Oh."

For the next thirty minutes, we were on our knees with our hands on the sofa praying for help, mercy, wisdom and forgiveness. We had to pause and cry several times but it was the most important thirty minutes of our lives. Her words were sincere and I knew for a fact Pam believed what she was saying to God. Our lives were changed during that short time and we knew then that we would need God's help forever. I truly loved her and she truly loved me but that was not enough.

I called Janie and she returned in the mid-afternoon. We shared a great three-person hug before sitting at the table to talk with beers in our hands.

"Janie, I appreciate you being here for Pam. What happened hurt all three of us. We've talked and committed to each other and to God that we will learn from this and move ahead. I think I relaxed too much, got too comfortable and started taking Pam for granted."

Pam stopped me and said, "No Tom. It wasn't your fault in any way. There's no excuse for me letting another man touch me while I'm committed to you. You asked me one time if I could be faithful to just one man. I thought I could until this happened. I can't explain it but it's like something takes over inside me when I get the least bit aroused."

Janie replied, "Tom, I'm the same way. I need a lot of sexual stimulation and I'm not the sane person I normally am if I go without it for more than a week. From what Mom told me, all us Davis women are like that."

"Mom said that?" Pam asked.

"Yes. We were sitting in front of the fire one evening talking about our lives. I didn't hold anything back and told her all about the escort business and doing it with women for the camera. Mom said that she also enjoyed sex and keeps several toys in her bedside table. Shocked the hell out of me." We all laughed. "Now my companies shoot women her age many times but I never thought about my own mother doing it with toys until she told me." We all laughed again.

Pam added, "As Tom will confirm, she's also a screamer. You should have heard them going at it over Thanksgiving weekend." We laughed once again.

"Ladies, I've not had anything to eat today. Can I take you both to dinner."

"Cool. Do you two like seafood?" Janie asked.

Pam replied, "We love it and I'm starving."

"There's a very nice restaurant called The Lobster on Ocean Avenue. It's a neat place with a great view. Their raw bar is the best around."

"It sounds like fun. Let's go," Pam said, "but I need a few minutes to dress."

Janie replied, "You look very tired. How about a nap first? I need to get you a fresh set of sheets also."

"That sounds good. Thanks."

"I need to make a call to the airline. We need to book seats home tomorrow."

Janie replied, "You're welcome to stay as long as you want."

"Thanks sis, but I need to be at work on Thursday so we should go home tomorrow," Pam replied.

I asked, "Can you come to Ruth's for Christmas. Jerri is going to be there and we wouldn't miss it for anything."

Janie replied, "You can count on me. I've already arranged the trip and look forward to meeting Jerri and David. Mom and I have talked several times about it. Our company plane is due in for extensive maintenance next week, right after Christmas, and we will be flying some of my team to the Carolinas on Christmas Eve.

"We're dropping two off in Memphis. If you'd like, we can pick you up at Chattanooga and go on to Greenville together. The two pilots are from Greensboro and Raleigh, and we'll have their wives on board and maybe one of their daughters. This is a perfect time for them to spend Christmas with their families."

"Who's doing the maintenance for you?" I asked.

"It'll be done at the Charlotte service center by Pratt and Whitney mechanics. It should be finished by New Year's Day, and the pilots will pick us up on the way back. This will be the first time I've celebrated Christmas since my parents died."

"It'll be the first real celebration I've had since Lydia passed away," I said.

"And it will be the first real one I've had," Pam added, "since I left home three years ago."

****

Arrival at the restaurant was interesting. Janie drove her new black Mercedes S550 and found a spot on the street two blocks away. The ocean view was spectacular with just a few rays of the setting sun skipping across the waves. As we walked, many people did double takes at the two identical blondes. I was very proud to be walking between them.

As the hostess opened the door, an African-American gentleman at the desk greeted us. Janie had been there several times so she was well known.




Lydia's Dream Ch. 13-14



"Hey Niki, great to see you again."

"Ben, it's always nice to see you." She kissed him on the cheek. "Let me introduce you to my sister Pam and her friend Tom. They're here from Tennessee."

"It's very good to meet you folks. Niki, I had no idea you had an identical twin."

"What about that?" Niki asked as she winked at Pam. Then she added, "Ben grew up in Nashville."

I replied, "We're in Chattanooga. What brought you out here, Ben?"

"The Navy. I was on ships out of San Diego the last few years of my career and got to know how great Southern California is."

Pam asked, "Were you career?"

"Yes ma'am. I served 25 years."

"Thank you for serving," Pam replied as he smiled.

Ben took three menus from the desk and asked us to follow him to a great table with an oceanfront view. Just after we were seated, a lovely girl walked up and leaned over Pam's shoulder and kissed her cheek. Pam jumped and turned just as the girl noticed Niki sitting beside me.

Niki laughed and said, "Hi Madison, I see you've met my sister Pam." All of us broke out in laughter as poor Madison turned red."

"I'm so sorry. Pam, I was focused on you as being Niki as I walked over. You two are truly identical. This is crazy." Pam smiled.

"Madison, this is Tom, Pam's friend. Guys, Madison is one of the hottest new stars."

I stood and said, "Very nice to meet you, Madison." We shook hands and smiled. She was a striking and very sexy brunette with a cute nose and dimples. I could see why she was a hot model.

Madison said, "Niki, I just wanted to say hi. Your guys treated me like a queen last week and I look forward to working for you again."

"You will, sweetheart. We're putting together the shooting plans for the first two weeks of January and have penciled you in for two days. Brian will be calling you soon to confirm. He wants you to do two scenes with Whitney and one with Hanna."

"Thanks Niki. I appreciate it. You guys have a great dinner. The Dungeness crab is delicious."

The entire meal was special... some of the freshest tasting seafood I've ever had. I wished my restaurants had access to this quality. As the meal wound down and coffee was served, Ben stopped by.

"Niki, there are several paparazzi out front. Madison gave them several shots but they know you're also here. Do you want to go through the kitchen and out the back?"

"Who's out there?"

"The only ones I know are Donald, Trace and Jenny but two or three others are with them."

"Please tell them I'll be glad to give them a few shots but only if they promise not to follow me and my guests down the street? If they don't promise, I'll go out the kitchen door. I don't want us to be pestered for two blocks."

"Okay," he replied.

He returned in a couple of minutes and said, "They all promised."

"Why don't you just go out the back?" I asked.

"Publicity is always good in my business... just as long as they spell my name right. I know the three people Ben mentioned, and they're pros. They'll also help keep the others in line. Pam, walk with me. Tom, take up our rear and feel free to glare at anyone following us. Don't hit anybody or their cameras else it'll get ugly."

After paying our tab, the girls led the way out the front door and dozens of flashes went off.

"Which one is Niki?" someone asked.

"She's the blonde," another said. Everyone laughed.

"Hi Jenny, Trace. Donald, how are you doing sweetheart?"

"Just great, Niki. I trust your clone is an identical twin."

Jenny yelled over the din, "I didn't know you had a twin."

"Yeah, she's new to this scene so be nice to her."

The flashes continued on and on as the girls stood and talked with the photographers Niki knew.

"Guys, my sister's name is Pam and she lives in the South. Isn't she the prettiest thing you've ever seen?" Everyone laughed again as Niki rolled her eyes.

They talked for at least a minute to let everyone make their photos and maybe earn a little money. Pam charmed everyone with her South Carolina accent.

Niki said, "Now guys, the reason we came out is that you all promised to not follow us for the next two blocks as we walk to the car. I trust you not to do that else I'll be very mean to you next time. Understand?" Everyone nodded as Trace and Donald glared at their competitors.

We turned and threaded our way through the photographers as they snapped shots of the girls' rears walking away. I was astonished that no one followed us. Since when did paparazzi act like humans?

Pam and I slept together that night but the only body contact was our normal cuddling. We talked about our feelings and ideas of how to improve our relationship and ourselves. I was as guilty as she of coming up short of perfection. The three-hour time difference affected both of us and we were soon asleep.

Chapter 14

You loved me into loving you.

We were up early courtesy of jet lag and greeted Janie with a hot breakfast.

"I need to keep you guys," Janie said. "I rarely wake to hot coffee and breakfast waiting."

Pam replied, "Speaking of that, I'd like to come back sometime and experience LA the way you know it."

"Little sis, you're welcome anytime. I'd love for you to come and hang out with me. Together, we could freak out my work associates."

"I'm sure you need to be at work this morning," I said, "so we'll take a taxi to the airport."

"Yeah, both companies are shooting today. We have 22 models in two houses up in the hills. I want to be there as a second set of eyes and help the directors as much as I can. It'll be a busy day."

Pam replied, "Sounds like a logistics nightmare."

"It was at first but we're to the point now that everyone knows their job and they take full responsibility for doing it well. It's obvious if someone is not performing up to my expectations and I occasionally have to deliver a stern message. Most of the time, it's smooth sailing."

I asked, "How do you manage to get 22 models together at one time?"

"Believe it or not, that's the easy part. We have a roster of about 300 girls that we've approved. That list is changing every day, of course, and we have two women in our office that do nothing but work that roster to find available girls for the days chosen for the shoots. At any one time, 25% will not be available due to biological reasons and our schedulers dial that into the plans. The girls get a week's notice of the shoot so they have time to get themselves ready."

"How do you pick the sites?" Pam asked.

"There again, we've developed a list of sites available for rent by the day. We like extravagant and elegant locations with nice views and secluded grounds. Fortunately, there are many available up in the hills and along the coast. We take our own bedding, props, and sterilized toys and have a crew that goes in before sunrise to set up everything in the rooms we'll be using. The logistics of the setups, lighting, sound, cameras and planning the shooting schedule and the food deliveries, makeup, costumes, etc. is very complicated. That's one area that separates the great production companies like ours from the rest of the heap."

"This is all interesting and something I never though about," I said. "What's a typical day in the life of a model?"

"Let's start with a non-shooting day. The girls work on their tans, either outside or in a tanning salon. We like a pleasant tan with no tan lines. Definitely no chemical tans. For redheads and some blondes, we don't expect any tanning, as their skin is very delicate and sensitive to sunlight. The clean, porcelain skin is just fine for them.

"Their diet is very important. We expect them to maintain their weight within two pounds of their hiring weight. Unlike fashion runway models, we like normal body types, not skin and bones. That girl-next-door look sells. Twiggy doesn't.

"We don't want to see bruises, cuts, blemishes or the like on the girls. They have to refrain from sports and avoid contacts that would cause those. It's their responsibility to inform us if something happens in time for us to schedule someone else in their place. A bad case of pimples or a rash is the worst and so avoidable. We can cover it up in photos with post-production editing but there's nothing we can do for video that would not be obvious to the consumer. If the girls don't inform us and we think they should have, they may not get future bookings. Nothing makes me angrier than having a crew and equipment and a house that together cost me $4000 per hour and not have a girl to shoot.

"The girls know before they come exactly what scenes they're going to do. It may be solo, girl-girl, boy-girl, three-way, or group and what kind of sex they'll have. It's their responsibility to come prepared both mentally and physically. This is an occasional problem with new girls. No matter what we do with preparing new talent, they may surprise you on set. We've had girls totally freeze when they see the cameras, five or six production staff, the lights glaring on them and hear all the muddle of preparing for each shoot. And when the male actor shows up with a big throbbing tool pointing straight out, they run screaming for the door.

"There's nothing sexy about sex on the set. It's business. We're manufacturing a product that is using raw materials, energy, creativity, technology and human resources. We have the same challenges as other businesses with getting the best people who make up a productive work force. The only difference is that some of our human resources are naked."

I replied, "That's kind of a big difference."

"Not to us. When you do this for a while, nakedness is just ignored as part of the background noise. It becomes part of your normal environment and actors and actresses become numb to it."

Pam asked, "Do you provide food at each shoot?"

"Yeah, that's a necessity. We usually offer fruit, yogurt, cereal and pastries for breakfast and a nice buffet for lunch. There's stuff to snack on all day. We contract with a catering company who supplies all our shoots in the LA area. If we're shooting somewhere else, our scheduling team finds a good caterer for us in that area."

Janie continued, "I was talking about the girls. Again, the younger and less experienced ones have a steep learning curve and most girls will never be successful. I'll bet that only one in 50 girls that we interview have the mentality or aptitude to handle it. Most are very pretty, some absolutely gorgeous, and have great personalities but are terrible on a set. A young woman has to really want to get into this world. None of this is easy and it's not fun. If you want fun, find a good friend and spent your time together and have great sex together. Stay away from this twisted world."

"What would the schedule be on a shooting day?" Pam asked.

"Like I said, the setup crew would arrive at the house by 4:00 am and move in the lighting, sound, cameras, furniture for the sets, sheets, pillows, makeup cases, makeup chairs and lighting, computers and the toys, props or anything else the director specified. The director would have made his or her list three days ahead of time so the setup crews have time to prepare everything.

"Around 6:00 am, the models begin arriving two at a time in 20 minute increments along with the makeup artists, lighting, sound and camera operators. The first shoots would be scheduled for 7:00 am in various rooms of the house. We do the solos first and plan to have them finished around 10:00 am. The actresses would then do the girl-girl scenes or multi-girl scenes between 10:00 am and 2:00 pm using at least two of the bedrooms, sometimes three plus outside in gardens or around pools. Avoiding background noise is critically important so we try to schedule the scenes to avoid high-energy shoots in adjacent rooms. We can edit out some of the noise, but I prefer not to do that to preserve the realism. The boy-girl scenes would start at 3:00 pm after a lunch break and continue until 8:00 pm or even later. With the 22 girls today, we should end up with material for 30 to 40 videos and about that many photo sets."

"How many male actors do you have today?" asked Pam.

"I think we have 12. We have 75 give or take on our roster. Most of them work regular jobs and do this on the side. Men don't get paid near as much as women and I'm very picky about whom we shoot. I only want great looking guys with flat or six-pack abs. They will probably do two scenes a day and not many guys can keep it up that long without help from Viagra. Like the girls, they get tested every two weeks for STDs.

"All of this sounds like a production assembly line," I said.

"In a way it is. After the shoots are wrapped for the day, the setup crew returns and clears everything out. They restore the house to the way it was when they arrived. We rarely have any damage issues but my insurance covers anything that happens."

"How many days a week do you shoot?" Pam asked.

"Usually four. The crews work hard and many of their days are 14 hours; so I give them a three-day weekend unless we're busy with orders. Right now, with the holidays coming, we're not that busy."

"You mentioned working with new models who have little or no experience in front of a camera," I said. "How does that whole process of finding potential models and training them work?"

"In many ways, that's the hardest part and the one carrying the biggest risk to my bottom line. We get on average 30 applicants a day. Let's say that a girl named Natalie from Chicago sends us an application along with photos. If we like how Natalie looks and the application is well written with logical responses to the 20 questions, our scheduling assistant will call her and talk. On the call, which we record, we'll assess Natalie's voice, and personality, and go over any of her responses that need additional information. Once she jumps those hurdles, we pay for her to fly to LA. At that point, I've invested maybe a $1000 in her.

"One of my crew will meet Natalie and bring her to the office. There, we'll interview her again, usually with me involved along with one of the directors. If she passes that, we'll do the full casting session. That involves a lot of camera time, full makeup, personal grooming, an on-camera interview, and a strip tease to music so we can assess the movement and agility of her body. We do a complete photo session and video of her solo scene. Then we bring in a male actor and do a complete hardcore shoot. By that point, I've invested $5000 or more in her counting all our personnel time that I must pay.

"Once that is edited and I approve it, we will sign a 30-day contract with her and work her into the schedule as soon as possible. At the end of that short contract, we assess her performance and review it with her. Assuming she's got what we need, we suggest she find an agent if she wants representation. If she doesn't, we'll offer her an additional 180-day contract that specifies what scenes she'll do and how often, usually a minimum of three per month and she'll be paid by the scene. We'll renew the contract if all parties agree.

"If Natalie doesn't want to live here, we schedule her in for two, three, or four days in a row. That saves her travel money and allows her to fulfill the minimum requirements of the contract. But it's hard to do several days in a row on camera with two or three scenes per day and look like you're enjoying it. Let me add that our contracts allow her to perform for other studios which means that she may be doing many more scenes than we know about."

Pam asked, "Even after all of the work to assess her talents, you can still end up with a dud?"

"Oh yes and it happens more than I want to think about. It's sometimes easy for a girl to do well in one casting shoot when it's all about her; but when she comes on set, it's a whole different world. There are models everywhere in various stages of undress, working scenes, getting their makeup, etc. Many of them are very experienced and a lot prettier and more confident than Natalie.

"There are male actors everywhere getting showered, shaved, and masturbating to get ready for a scene. When Natalie walks into that house, she can be shocked as it looks like an orgy. Insecurity overwhelms her and she freezes. Like I said before, for every one girl that actually does well in this business, there are at least 50 that got an interview.

Most of the girls only make $50,000 a year so this is not a gold mine for them. On the other hand, they may only work 30 days the entire year so on a per-day basis, it's good money. The very top models make between $250,000 and $400,000. My company has maybe 20 of them on our roster. When I was younger, I was doing much better than that since I was dancing in strip clubs and escorting until I bought the companies."

After breakfast, we talked about the next weekend. Janie's plane would land at the Chattanooga airport and we would meet her there. She was unsure of the arrival time and we left it that she would call Pam once she knew. Janie took off for her shoots and we left for the LAX airport. The flight home was uneventful, but infinitely better than the ones Pam and I had to LA earlier.

****

Wednesday was again a busy day for us. Pam had her hair done and a mani pedi at her favorite salon. I worked to finalize contracts for 2012. Ron was a very big help, as usual, with the negotiations. Christmas shopping for Pam took my lunchtime.

That evening, we had a nice dinner at Bistro and visited with many of the staff to learn their plans for Christmas. Everyone was off on Sunday and Monday for the holiday. Being closed a second day for Christmas was a tradition started by my dad and I've continued it. The employees enjoyed that time with their families and came back rejuvenated.

Pam returned to work at the bank on Thursday. The Meeting Place had an unannounced health department inspection that same day. For the fifth consecutive time, the restaurant received a 100 A+ score that we proudly displayed near our entrance. I went there with Ron and congratulated the entire staff.

The Christmas bonuses appeared in the employees' pay on Thursday and I raised it from $250 to $350 in recognition of the outstanding year we had. I must have had 25 calls and emails from our team members to thank me. That giving experience warmed my heart and helped me get into the Christmas spirit more than anything else I did.

Pam and I had a very passionate evening. We were lovers once again. As we lay in bed afterwards, Janie called to tell us her plane would arrive at 2:00 pm on Saturday. She and Pam talked for a long time but Pam went to another room for that. She was up to something, I was sure.

****

We dropped by my parents' house Saturday morning to wish them a Merry Christmas. We had stopped giving gifts to each other years ago. There were so many great ways to use that money on people who really needed it; and we chose to do that instead.

Arriving at the Chattanooga airport some thirty minutes early, we had coffee in the General Aviation terminal and visited with a few of the guys there while we waited. One of them had been a frequent guest in the restaurants and he recognized Pam from the news article.

The jet landed on time and we watched as one of the pilots came inside to collect our bags and us while the plane was refueled. Janie met us at the door of the jet with very warm hugs, kisses and smiles. As she said, there were several others on the plane and we enjoyed meeting and talking with them on the short flight to Greenville.

Driving into the lane at the house gave me chills. As we approached the parking spot, Jerri came quickly down the steps and almost ran to our car to greet Janie. They hugged and kissed and cried for many minutes. I joined David and introduced myself and stood with him and Rudy on the porch as the three girls and Ruth visited together at the car. That heart-warming sight was one I'll remember the rest of my life.




Lydia's Dream Ch. 13-14



After several minutes, we walked together into the house. The fragrance of pine filled the room and a very large tree stood in the corner. Both fireplaces were burning and the subtle aroma of hickory and oak smoke added to the wonderful ambiance. The tree was only partially decorated and I could see many boxes of ornaments still to be opened.

Pam exclaimed, "You left some of the tree for us to decorate! Thank you, Mom. I've always enjoyed that."

"I haven't had a tree in many years," said Janie. "Can I help?"

Ruth replied, "Of course you can. We popped corn to string along the boughs like we did in the old days. Who wants to work on that while we get the ornaments and lights on?"

I volunteered along with David and Rudy. Ruth sent us to the dining room to string the popcorn using small needles and sewing thread. The girls opened the boxes and began adding more ornaments and strings of lights. Many of the ornaments were quite old and had been cherished by Ruth from the early days of her marriage to Richard. The pleasant banter among the ladies was nice to hear. Ruth would occasionally stop to explain the history of a particular ornament. The girls were amazed at their mom's memory of each one and Ruth seemed to enjoy passing on this piece of the family history and tradition.

After two hours of "hard" work, we put the empty decoration boxes back in the attic and relaxed in the living room with hot chocolate. The tree was very special and we gazed at it for a long time remembering past Christmases. Janie told us some of her special Christmas memories with her parents. I shared a few of mine, as did Ruth and Rudy. Many smiles were once again shared as those happy memories were recounted.

Before dinner, everyone put presents under the tree and we marveled at the beauty of this classic Christmas scene. Ruth said, "It's sad to think this might be the last time, after 120 years, our family will have a tree and celebrate Christmas in this house." None of us wanted to think about that, even though it was reality. Ruth had told us in early December that it would go on the market in January.

Ruth had roasted a turkey and baked a ham plus six different vegetable dishes and several desserts as well as her wonderful sour dough bread. Jerri and David had arrived on Friday and pitched in to help Ruth with all the food preparation.

After dinner, we talked in the living room about many things with Jerri and Janie leading the discussion. Ruth had shared some of Janie's history prior to our arrival and nothing else was discussed about her career.

Ruth said, "Janie. You remember Fred from the last time you were here?"

"Of course, he's cute."

"He called earlier this week and asked if you were going to be here for Christmas. I assured him you were coming. He wants to come call on you."

We all turned to see Janie's reaction. It was surprise mixed with joy and questions. "He wants to call on me? Does that mean he wants to come here and talk or what?" Everyone smiled.

Ruth replied, "In this part of the country, it means he wants to come meet you officially through me and then take you out on a date with my blessing. If you were younger, say 15 or 16, he would visit with you here. That way I could keep an eye on you two." Everyone laughed.

"How quaint. I love it," Janie said. "What did you tell him?"

"I told him I would let you know and if you're agreeable, I would call him."

"Does that mean you're my agent?" Everyone laughed again.

"In social matters of our family, you could call me that, I suppose," Ruth replied with a smile.

"Mom, I'm agreeable. Please let him know." We all cheered. "This is going to be fun," she added.

We adjourned for bed at 11:00 pm. Janie was in the guest room. I slept with Pam and, of course, Jerri and David were together. To our surprise, Rudy stayed and slept with Ruth. As we entered the bedroom, Pam said, "The sisters are having a meeting in Janie's room. I'm not sure how long I'll be."

"Oh, uh okay. Is that all you're going to tell me?"

"Yep, for now anyway." She grinned. "More will be revealed tomorrow."

Pam left and I fell asleep not long after. Sometime during the night, I felt her cool body snuggle up to mine. I turned and we cuddled.

****

Rising early, I walked to the end of the lane for the newspaper. Christmas morning was clear and very cold. Only my shoes walking on the gravel disrupted the quiet solitude.

David was up and working on the coffee. We visited, just getting to know each other better. His engineering career was very impressive. He thanked me for helping Jerri and him work on their marriage issues. I thanked him for loving Jerri enough to forgive her and accept her forgiveness.

Rudy walked in with Ruth just a minute behind him to join us at the table. We talked about their upcoming wedding in March and about Fred coming to call on Janie. All of us were excited about that but we weren't sure how a relationship would work with Janie in California and Fred needing to be at the farm most of the time.

Jerri and Pam came down next. Both had bathed and dressed for the day, which I still needed to do. There was excitement in the air for some reason as both girls were almost giddy. Poor Janie was fighting jet lag and she was still asleep at 9:00 am. Ruth decided to go ahead with breakfast and several of us pitched in to help. Janie showed up just as we were sitting down to eat.

"Hey sleepyhead," Pam joked.

"This three hour change is tough," Janie replied.

I asked, "Did your plane make it to the maintenance center?"

"Yes, right on time. I heard from one of the pilots that he was home with his family and wished all of us a Merry Christmas."

After breakfast, Ruth suggested we open the presents. Like children, we quickly went to the tree and took our seats. Presents were passed, opened and admired by everyone. Lots of clothing, electronics and books were given. The final present was an envelope addressed to Ruth that Janie "miraculously" found behind the tree.

Ruth slowly opened it and read the document inside. She gazed at Janie as her hands began shaking and she burst into tears.

Janie moved to sit beside her and they hugged as the tears flowed. I glanced at Pam and Jerri and saw tears running down their faces as they smiled at their mom. It was clear that they knew what was in that envelope.

Ruth regained her composure long enough to announce that Janie had purchased the farm. I was blown away. I didn't see that as even a remote possibility.

"Mom, your real estate agent promised to keep this a secret until now," Janie explained. "With your signature, she is ready to move ahead and we can meet with her and your attorney tomorrow. I want to close on it while I'm here if possible. I don't need title insurance, a survey, or anything that normally delays closing."

I said, "But Janie, your bank will require that for the loan."

"There's no loan involved," she replied.

"Janie, what do you have planned for the farm?" David asked.

"As soon as I can sell my companies, I plan to retire and move here permanently. This is where I feel loved and at home; and I just couldn't let this land go to houses. I also plan to remodel the house but keep its existing farmhouse character. I'll keep the land exactly like it is. I don't know much about cattle but I'll learn.

"This house has been in our Davis family for over 120 years. It deserves a face-lift and some tender loving care. Pam and Jerri have promised to help me with ideas."

"Was that why you girls were meeting last night?" I asked.

They all smiled. Pam replied, "We've been talking to Janie about her plan for many days now and promised to help. Jerri and I believe that this old house is part of us and we love it just like Mom does. We want to help Janie save it and improve it."

David asked, "What's the process for selling your companies? Is that going to be easy or difficult?"

"I've contacted a few people who might be interested but have set nothing in motion yet. One of my directors has said he's interested but he probably doesn't have the money. He's talking to the other directors and they might be able to put an offer together. We'll see. The good thing is that we have time to move in an orderly fashion. I will not leave any of my employees hanging or wondering about their future."

Jerri asked, "Mom, when do you think you'll be moving in with Rudy?"

"After the wedding, sweetheart."

Janie replied, "That's what I was planning on. The end of March is perfect. I want to get an architect in and start working on ideas before then. By the time I have all the plans and a contractor found, it'll be late summer anyway. Plus I have to sell the house in Santa Monica."

Rudy asked, "Don't you think it's going to be too big a change for you? These farms are quiet and boring, unlike the life you've known."

"It will be different, Rudy." Janie replied with a smile. "But I'm ready for different." She reflected, "I never knew why there was always a part of me that yearned for the country. Even as a child, I watched shows about farms and the outdoors. I suppose it was in my genes. When I found out about being from this family, I understood those natural feelings. Now, I find myself daydreaming about sitting on the porch is a swing and sipping iced tea while thinking about my life and what to do going forward. I'm not going to veg, however. I want to get involved with charities such as shelters and the Red Cross."

"I'm doing that in Chattanooga," Pam said.

"I know. Mom told me."

Ruth asked, "Janie, what are some of the things you'd like to do to the house?"

"I've wanted a house with a steel roof. I slept in one down in Costa Rica for a week when we were shooting on location there. It rained several times at night and I loved the sound of the rain pelting the roof. I slept like a baby. The first thing will be to convert the shingles to steel."

"There's slate under the shingles," Ruth said, "so that will be a lot of work."

"It will also take a big weight off the rafters which will help the house withstand snow load and ice," David added.

Ruth smiled and said, "Your grandmother always wanted to do the same thing. There was just never enough money."

"I like the porch but want to re-build it with new columns," she continued. "Although the fireplaces are great, I want to take some of them out and put in a new natural gas forced air system and central air conditioning. I'd like to rebuild the central fireplace in this room and convert the brick facing to mountain stone. The floors all need to be refinished but I would never cover or change this wide plank flooring. These boards are beautiful and can only be found in these old houses.

"The windows in this house are amazing, just beautiful; but they need either storm windows or thermal insulated glass to conserve energy. Those will have to be custom-made, I'm sure.

"The kitchen needs to be modernized, in my opinion. Maybe Mom can teach me how to really cook, not just mess around like I do now."

"I'd love to but you do well as it is," Ruth replied.

David asked, "Are you planning to rebuild the barn?"

"Yes, I'd like to build a new one that has the same character as the current one. It must fit with the property but the current barn is probably original to the time the house was built. It's definitely seen its best days."

Pam asked, "Won't you need a man around here to help do all of that?" Everyone smiled.

"That reminds me, I need to call Fred," Ruth responded. We all grinned.

"Please," Janie pleaded.

****

That evening, Fred drove up the lane. The girls, as usual, looked out the window and saw his pickup truck park next to our rental car.

Janie announced, "He's here mom. Do you want to greet him or should I?"

Ruth responded, "Let me do it." She walked out on the porch and greeted him as he walked up the steps. They hugged as the dear friends they'd become from all the help Richard and Ruth gave his family during his dad's recovery.

Upon entering the crowded living room, Ruth formally introduced him to everyone. Pam and I had previously met him the morning the bull chased us. It was a very pleasant exchange of greetings.

Fred saw Pam and Janie side by side for the first time and was unsure before the introduction who was who. Ruth helped by pointing out the subtle differences in height and hair color. Of course, that only helped when they were standing side by side. The big difference was their vocal accent. Although Janie was making progress, her Southern dialect was not even close to Pam's.

Janie and Pam shook hands with Fred and asked him to be seated. There followed a very nice exchange concerning Christmas, his family and our family. Backgrounds and lots of laughs were shared. After a while, Fred asked Janie if she would go to a movie with him and she instantly accepted.

****

We retired early but Pam was determined to wait up for Janie. The next day, Pam told me that she dozed several times before hearing footsteps in the hallway. Peeking out, she saw Janie walking to her bedroom and followed her. Janie's smile could not have been bigger.

Pam said they sat on her bed and talked. Janie told her that was the first pickup truck she'd ever ridden in. She liked the bench seat and scooted over to sit beside him. They talked about themselves on the way to Greenville. He seemed a little shy but she understood that.

They bought popcorn and a huge soda. They held hands and watched "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo." Janie managed to lay her head on his shoulder for a while but he didn't put his arm around her.

"He's obviously shy," Pam added.

"Yes, but that's natural. Were I in his situation, I would be," I said. "You girls have that effect on guys."

"Janie liked that and the fact he didn't take her for granted. She said he was a good conversationalist and a genuinely nice guy. She likes him very much. He even kissed her goodnight and he's picking her up for dinner tomorrow evening."

****

The week went quickly. Janie and Fred went out four times and she was invited for dinner at his parents' house. It was clear to everyone that this budding romance had a chance to blossom.

Janie and Ruth met with the real estate agent and lawyer to put the land transfer in motion. The funds were transferred from the California bank to the lawyer's holding account and closing was scheduled for the following week. Janie signed all the papers before she left and then participated by conference call along with her attorney for the final settlement meeting. There were no liens on the property, which allowed a very smooth transaction.

All of us dreaded the conclusion of this very special week of family togetherness. We learned much about each other and it was all very good. Janie's plane came for us on Saturday, New Year's Eve. Fred came to see her off and was given a quick tour of the plane. He knew she was wealthy based on her purchase of the farm, but he had no idea she had a plane like this. They spent a quiet few moments in each other's arms on the tarmac before she boarded. I noticed she had a tear in her eye as she took her seat.

****

Ron scheduled the new dish taste-off for January 3rd. Dad was selected to be a judge from the time it was announced and I asked Pam to be the second judge. All the entries were brought to The Meeting Place after it closed at 9:00 pm. There were a number of creative combinations that included ostrich, emu, rabbit, and elk. Judy shocked us by preparing an Australian plate featuring a grilled kangaroo kabob accompanied by an emu filet. We also had two seafood entries that featured tilefish and pompano.

Dad and Pam tasted each of the six dishes, along with their sides and the wine parings. It took at least 30 minutes to taste, savor and record their scores. The teams also tasted the dishes prepared by the other teams and worried looks were common as each thought another team had done better.

Once the scores were added, Dad stood and said, "First of all, Pamela and I are impressed by the effort all of you gave to this contest. I can honestly say that I would be proud to have any of these on our menus. Judy, that was my first taste of kangaroo and I loved it. Y'all gave me some new ideas to consider and after all the years I've been preparing food, I'm very happy for that. Pamela wants to say a few words and announce the results."

Pam stood and said, "I agree completely with James. I approached this tasting as if I were the customer. Presentation was a major consideration but taste and overall enjoyment of the pairings was paramount. Our scores show that we were most impressed by the pompano. You guys at The Rusty Rudder knocked it out of the park with that creation." Murmurs of agreement and applause filled the room.

"The meat dish we enjoyed the most was the elk loin with the pinot noir reduction sauce, risotto and dried cherry compote. Those flavors combined beautifully with the very tendon loin and the pinot noir you selected. Tim and the team at The River Bistro created a real winner, in our opinion." Again, there was general agreement and applause.

She continued, "Tom and I talked just now and he's decided to add all six of these new creations to the menus and all of you will receive the two extra days of vacation."

Everyone stood and cheered and congratulated each other. It was an amazing success and I was very pleased with the team efforts.

I then made an announcement. "While we have some of our key people together, Dad and I would like to announce a big new project we have underway. We've recently acquired the old Signal Mountain Lodge property and will be building a new high-end restaurant for fine dining." Everyone looked around, wide-eyed, and then cheered. I went on and explained the concept and approximate timing. That resulted in many questions, comments and cautious warnings that it might take business away from Bistro.

I replied, "We've debated that concern and feel we can expand the market so that there's plenty of business for both. The new property will accommodate weddings, large banquets and large business meetings as well as fine public dining. Bistro can't do that without major expansion, which would prove difficult on the current site. Plus, we want to put in a bed and breakfast wing with about 15 rooms to accommodate guests. No one in Chattanooga has that." Everyone nodded understanding and agreement.

****

Pam and I settled into a routine with our work at the bank and the restaurants. She also resumed her volunteering at the two shelters.

We began counseling sessions with our minister. Although it was initially difficult for us to talk about our problems, our pastor made it easier by being non-judgmental. His experience in working through sexual conflict problems with other couples benefited us tremendously. He helped us see what we valued in life, in our relationship, and how we reinforced those values with our actions. We had six sessions with him that taught us volumes about each other and ourselves.

Another person who helped Pam was Janie, of all people. The two of them talked quite often and Pam had high value for the advice she gave. Our sexual relationship improved in many ways and we felt a sense of fulfillment, of a growing together, that we'd not previously experienced.

****

Pam and I brainstormed with Mom and Dad one evening on how we could help the Center City Shelter on a more frequent basis. After a lot of thought, we contacted the shelter to see if they would like our prepared but un-served food at the end of each night. We normally had soup, vegetables, bread and desserts plus the remaining prime rib, turkey and roasts which had to be prepared ahead of time. Normally, this food was just dumped and picked up by a local pig farmer who used it. The director quickly accepted our offer. The pigs would have to go on a diet.




Lydia's Dream Ch. 13-14



Pam was so excited about this that she undertook an effort to contact other restaurants in the area and solicit their participation. By the end of her campaign, she had 32 restaurants donating their unused prepared food to nine different shelters around the city and in neighboring Rossville, Georgia. The mayor of Chattanooga heard about this and awarded Pam with an outstanding service to the community award at a city council meeting one night. Other cities contacted Pam to learn about this effort so, hopefully, it will spread.

Janie and Fred were able to get together several times when she went to Greenville to meet with the architect. She shared with Pam that their relationship was expanding and she was finding more and more reasons to fall in love with him.

At the end of March, we assembled for Ruth and Rudy's wedding. My parents were in attendance along with dozens of Rudy's friends from Spartanburg. The church was full for the Saturday afternoon service and many happy smiles were shared. Pam, Jerri and Janie were bridesmaids and Rudy's brother Leo, David and I stood with Rudy.

The reception was in the fellowship hall at the church. The ladies of the church had prepared trays and trays of great finger foods and we had a very nice time meeting and visiting with all of their friends. Janie was with Fred the entire time and they looked more and more like a couple.

Rudy and Ruth honeymooned at a resort in Florida. It was obvious from one call made to Pam that they were have a fantastic time, having visited Cape Canaveral and two of the Disney parks.

****

In April 2012, I asked Pam to spend a long weekend at a large resort named "Blackberry Farm" near the Great Smoky Mountains in Tennessee. My dad had known the owners for many years, and consulted with them on menu items. The majestic mountains surround the 4200-acre farm, and it's one of my favorite places. It is routinely rated among the best for fine dining and accommodations in the country.

We were assigned the lovely and secluded Holly Glade Cottage Suite with a wood-burning fireplace. Saturday morning, we fulfilled one of Pam's wishes by going fly-fishing for trout in the pristine tranquility of Hesse Creek. The morning air was cool but the fish were active and hungry. We each caught two and hooked many more only to lose them as they fought our hooks. Of course, we released the four that were landed and marveled at the beauty of their rainbow colors as they slid back into the cool water. Pam was euphoric.

That afternoon, we took a long walk to enjoy the serenity of the mountains. The trail passed many stately white trilliums and other spring wildflowers. When we came to a meadow, I gazed up at the ancient mountains and decided this was the place. I took Pam's hand and dropped to my knee.

As tears rushed to her eyes, I said, "Pamela, in the six months we've known each other, I've learned for the second time in my life what real love is. We've had happy times and sad times but through it all, my love for you has grown. I believe that God brought us to this point and I'm kneeing here this afternoon to ask if you will marry me."

She dropped to the ground on her knees in front of me and cried for several moments while I held her. Pam pulled back and looked deep into my eyes and said, "Yes, I will. I know that God introduced us but you loved me into loving you."

I took an engagement ring from my pocket and slipped in on her finger. Pam was shaking with emotion. We sat there on the cool ground with her in my arms watching the sunset over the mountain. As darkness covered us, we walked back to the room and started a fire to cut the chill. Our hearts were on fire with passion as we undressed each other and crawled under the covers.

End of Chapter 14. The final chapter is next up, hopefully tomorrow. Please vote and leave comments.