Dec 20
4
FIFTEEN
The four of them had nothing but the carry-on stuff they brought with them off the flight. We went through the excited introductions of the four to Brad – the pert and perky Rob broke the ice for all of us by looking up at Brad sternly, with fists clenched at her waist and with her dark eyes flashing almost menacing – she was acting in total seriousness.
As close as we had become in the very brief time we were together, I had no idea what she was up to. I was totally surprised.
“What have you done to my sister? When I dropped her off at Honolulu airport just a few days ago, she was this sophisticated, woman of the world. Now look at her …you awful, dirty old man,” then turning to me, “did he hurt you, sweetie?”
I could only gasp, at her outrageous act and then collapse in laughter. “Jeff, did you train her how to pull that stuff off?”
“Don’t look at me,” he said with a genuine look of grinning helplessness, “I take no responsibility for what my wife does whatsoever.”
All four of them expressed their delight in what Walt referred to as the “glow that has come over you, Jeanne.”
“Seriously, Brad, we have mentioned among us how pretty Jeanne is, but man, you turned on a light. Jeanne, I was taken with how pretty you were on the plane when we first met – didn’t I tell you that, Jan.”
“Yep, Jeanne, it was the first thing he said to me, after we got in the car – properly greeting me as the returning husband.”
“The point I’m trying to make, Jeanne,” Jeff continued, “is to assure you that this is perfect for you, obviously, you have been transformed somehow from just another beautiful, sophisticated woman into a very beautiful, sophisticated satisfied-looking woman.
“Congratulations on a job well-done, Brad.”
Jan, of course, had to get in on the action and tell Jeff, “That was lame, Mr. Barrett.”
“Will you guys quit this, please?” I was trying desperately to change the subject: “I’ve felt like a giddy high school girl ever since I knew something was going to go on between us.
“Yes, I’m in love with this guy, it is the best thing that has happened to me since I was the inspiration for him to use the term Leapfrog about my quantum jump into a close relationship with our SPIRIT-PARENT in that first interview. Now let’s get to work and focus in on SPIRIT together, because that’s why you’re here.”
“Well, well, my love,” Brad said as he put his arm around me possessively, “do I detect a take-charge side to you that I haven’t quite seen before?”
“Yes,” I said with mock seriousness, “and it starts with you. Behave!” I turned to them and was simply overwhelmed with happiness: “You guys, this is so wonderful, I’m so glad to see you again and it is so perfect to have you here to share my happiness, I’ve told Brad how the five of us have been so beautifully bonded in unity and oneness. I hope you can sense that he is already a part of that.” They nodded knowingly and did express more than adequately that he was included in our growing core group.
“Hey,” Brad interrupted, “We had to park way out in the back of the parking lot …let’s get started on the hike to the car, okay?”
The three men led the way, carrying everything and together in a surprisingly relaxed way, talking animatedly all about what I didn’t have a clue. Jan and Rob lagged behind with me assuring me how happy they were for me and how excited the four of them were to see what SPIRIT had planned not only for Brad and me, but for the six of us. Little did any of us suspect what was about to take place at the retreat.
The drive down to Sid’s place was uneventful – except that it came to all of us simultaneously that we would be fasting until they left us to return to Honolulu.
There was an easily defined quality of relaxed anticipation as each of us realized that SPIRIT was in control and leading us.
Nov 20
25
FOURTEEN
“What do you say we go get some stuff at the store and remind me that we need some kind of sunburn remedy while we are there? I just had a brilliant idea that might relieve some of the sexual tension. We could gently apply some sunburn cream on each other and see what happens, what do you say about that my man?”
“Oh great, now what am I going to do …I didn’t bring my computer case to cover up with.”
“This time I don’t share the problem, all I am feeling is this terrible stinging from the sunburn, but then, well, we will just have to see won’t we.” I reached for the remote and this time he didn’t stop me.
The store was everything Auntie Em had promised, complete with every kind of sunburn remedy – the store was obviously equipped for “haole” (the Hawaiian word used now for “white person” and pronounced how-lee); remedies for tourists who ignore the warnings about exposure to the sun in the tropics. We read the labels carefully and picked one that claimed the product removed the pain and subsequent itching immediately upon application. We giggled and agreed that was the one that might be the perfect aid to our multiple challenges to have immediate intimacy.
The store carried a huge wine selection …we both admitted to being clueless as to what was “good.” Brad pointed to a four liter jug of California Red Wine – and made a comment that had us convulsing in laughter again, although we both kept the volume to levels that wouldn’t attract attention:
“Hey look,” he said, “I know we can afford better, whatever that means,” putting his finger through the loop on the neck and hoisting it up for my approval, “but I really like this stuff. Besides, it’s the brand we use for our ‘communion’ of sorts back in Ponte Verde – maybe this will help us with our communal gathering together tonight, you think?”
“Between consuming just enough of that to reduce my inhibitions, due, mind you, to pain alone and the proper application of this stuff,” I held up the bottle of burn lotion, “we might be able to get through it all quite comfortably.”
In the end everything worked perfectly just as something that was “ordained” is supposed to. We were as comfortable about that as every other area in our lives together would soon prove to be. We fit together perfectly and it was fun.
In the ensuing days we discovered that our ideas for putting the book together flowed and we always seemed to come up with an easy way to agree which part each of us would write. Brad even helped me with the series and we jokingly talked about splitting my paycheck for that part too.
Brad said something to me two days later that helped me enormously to adjust my thinking about how to meld our lives together. “Jeanne, I want to talk about two things. First of all I now understand what it is that Jack and Darlene Adams have together. A totally guilt free, open and very demonstrably loving relationship, like ours, is ordained; everything just comes together” – we giggled at the pun, but it was quite and miraculously true.
“I’m getting that you will easily become an accepted part of our family, in Ponte Verde and the way that has worked for everyone else, is our resident accounting guy who handles the money for our house there, Bob, has put everything together so that everything belongs to everybody equally. On paper, the Patricks’ still own the building up in Jacksonville, but that’s because Bob said it was the best way to handle it for everyone. The money from their home went into the pool.
“The money we take in from our consulting business just gets pooled with everything else. The Barrys, The Adams and Vic Schneider all sold their homes and Bob simply structured everything so that we each have financial security and he handles all the bills and whatever. If somebody wants out for whatever reason he has assured us all that it will get handled painlessly and seamlessly.
“If you’re not uncomfortable with that kind of an arrangement I’m seeing that Ponte Verde will be our home base, so to speak; after this honeymoon we’re having here, thanks to the publisher …and that you and I are going to be traveling all over the world together just to share whatever Spirit gives us to share and that we’re not to worry over where home is anyway.
“Jack and Bob handle the consulting business perfectly without my involvement …my business from now on, is you and I doing whatever it is we are led to do on a daily basis and I don’t worry about money. Is that a problem for you?”
“Not at all, I’ve already seen that I’m supposed to sell my place in Oregon which will be easy; I gave a couple an option to buy about eight months ago and they really want it and I already agreed to the offer they made, if I sell …so the proceeds will go into the pool and Bob can explain to me how it works if he wants to. My only concern is, how we explain to the twelve plus one that they have now grown to thirteen plus one …and how do we explain that we are living in sin?”
I said this with a totally unselfconscious giggle because Brad and I knew that we were ordained as a couple and totally in the will of our SPIRIT-PARENT.
“They already know Jeanne. Darlene, Debbie and Will have made enough innuendoes and snide remarks that aptly sowed the seed for everyone else, except I didn’t believe it or accept it until the plane was well over the Pacific. I can almost guarantee that they are just waiting for us to tell them.
About then the phone rang and startled us both. It was Rob reminding me that the four of them would be there the next afternoon and should they rent a car or what. The Lexus has bench seats both in the back and the front and will easily accommodate six people comfortably as well as their bags. She assured me they would be traveling light. She was bubbling over with enthusiasm about their visit.
“Hey what’s Brad like …Jan called me this morning and said that Walt had a dream that you guys are already a couple joined together in both body and Spirit and insisted that if you didn’t know it yet, you soon would. She told me to tell you when I called to tell you that Walt said ‘it is ordained.’
“We already know it and the vows have been exchanged and we have consummated everything,” Brad and I are grinning at each other at this.
“Have you told him about your midget sister yet?”
“No, between getting acquainted, working together, having a honeymoon and trying to listen to the plans SPIRIT already has for us, I neglected that little tidbit. But he’ll see you and fall in love with his new sister-in-law tomorrow when he meets you,” and rang off.
I told Brad that I had already felt free to arrange for us to go over to Oahu in about three weeks and showed him the pre-paid, inter-island flight passes. We went back to our writing.
Nov 20
17
THIRTEEN
We arrived quickly enough to get changed and spend some time just lounging by the pool and both of us turning red as lobsters. The tropical sun does that and about which the laminated instruction booklet lay safely on top of the nightstand by the bed, clearly warned.
We decided to take a quick run into the supermarket to get some light snacks and some wine. When we reached the gate; I collapsed over the steering wheel giggling.
“Well, my dear,” I explained, “here goes that exploratory talk about the birds and the bees. I am so uncomfortably burning up from our stupid exposure to the sun that I’m not so sure I want to even have a sheet touch me. Brad, sweetheart, I hope you don’t mind, but I think sex is out of the question – I hope my telling you that I almost desperately want it is enough so that you don’t feel any rejection …I just don’t deal well with pain.”
I started to reach for the remote for the gate and he stopped me. “Let’s not move just yet, Jeanne, okay? I want to say this carefully. I know that even after all these years that the apparatus is ready – as I said at the airport I was aroused. I was embarrassed and had to carry my computer case in front of me to avoid the bulge being seen by everyone in the airport.”
“Oh really,” I started giggling all over again, “I didn’t notice your problem, I was worrying about my own problem; the wetness showing through.” We both sat there laughing uproariously.
“Well, I guess I don’t need to say it so carefully after all,” Brad sputtered in between laughing and shaking and trying to get his words organized. “I was going to say that I was relieved because I didn’t have to engage in the typical male concern over performance and that I could forego the intimacy …I guess that’s the polite word for it, for as long as you needed to get over the burn. Right now, however, I don’t suppose you’d mind taking off your clothes and climbing into the back seat would you?”
We started all over again …we were both actually howling and feeling the deep therapeutic results of that kind of convulsive, overpowering laughter.
We finally settled down and I just looked across the seat at him, both of us totally relaxed and then I asked: “Can I have a rain check?” …and we started laughing again.
“I’m sure this can’t be better than sex, but that, my love; was fun. This is such a crazy, unreal situation,” he hesitated for several seconds, “I mean, who would ever believe such a perfect fit between two people, you know, love at first sight and yet a love we both know was prearranged by SPIRIT, being able to laugh together and both wanting to be held and kissed and having no embarrassment. C’mon, Jeanne, this beats anything I’ve ever heard of. I love you deeply. I already feel totally comfortable that when we finally come to the point of consummating the marriage, so to speak, SPIRIT will make that perfect as well. I want you, but it isn’t a desperate need, because our passion is spread throughout our total relationship …are you sensing the same thing, or am I out on a limb here?”
“It is ordained, my prince, it is almost like an illicit romance between a brother and a sister, but there is nothing illicit about it. I am totally comfortable and released to love you completely and I know you love me completely, yet we already are like brother and sister and lovers and friends and comfortable traveling companions all rolled up into one. You are the sexiest man I’ve ever seen, and you have made me feel totally loved and totally comfortable. Now, does that maybe sound like I’m sitting out there on that limb with you?”
In response he merely reached out and held my hand and flashed that wonderful grin again.