MORE OF SOMETHING MORE,
a story about a salesman trying to establish himself,
a CEO scheming to buy out his father's influence
and the woman important to each
11
Rhea Slade lay on turquoise
water and gazed into the deep azure sky. In the surrounding distance, the sun
burned summer grasses brown between trees that offered sacred shade.
The sandstone mansion that was the Slade vacation estate blended columned
porticos into the austere landscape, and the poolside luxury put her on top of the
world, far from working-class Kansas whose memories lingered despite living
three-quarters of a life as corporate spouse. Petite and pewter-haired in a
modest one-piece bathing suit, she splashed about the water.
“What you doing, Grandma?” shouted Gerald.
“Cooling off,” answered his matter-of-fact brother, Malcolm.
“What you doing, Grandma?” shouted Gerald.
“Cooling off,” answered his matter-of-fact brother, Malcolm.
Paddling the air mattress
around, she brought them into view. The
thirteen-year-old hung onto the rim, blond hair flat across his head, looking
down after his older sibling who sank to the bottom then propelled himself
upwards to breach the surface. Hovering nearby, Delfina sighed, grateful for
another tragedy-averting experience. Graham sheltered under an umbrella reading
the paper. The monotonous disembodied voice coming from the terrace belonged to
Stephen, whose telecom link encroached on the family retreat.
Drifting to the rim, she splashed a volley that splattered against Graham’s paper. “Ha, ha,” he deadpanned. “Ever a girl at heart.”
“A girl!” mocked Gerald.
Drifting to the rim, she splashed a volley that splattered against Graham’s paper. “Ha, ha,” he deadpanned. “Ever a girl at heart.”
“A girl!” mocked Gerald.
“Your grandfather’s silly.”
“She called you silly!”
Malcolm pounced on his brother and pushed him under. Delfina cried out. When they resurfaced, she cried again on her own behalf as they blitzed her and dragged her in. Rhea paddled to center pool but to no avail; the underwater boys pursued. Water sloshed, the air mattress slipped away and they held her down. Delfina shouted without effect. Graham’s stern “Stop it now!” rescued her. Reaching for his hand, Rhea forgave the boys for not knowing how fragile a grandmother could be, and Delfina for being ineffectual, but not Stephen, who should have been there.
Inside, the boys donned t-shirts and flip-flops while the women changed into white robes that skirted marble floors, transforming them into temple priestesses. All bore traces of water, except the men. Graham’s gray crew cut was spiky sharp and the imprint of a fine comb lined Stephen’s dark hair. They wore khaki shorts, collared shirts and loafers without socks.
Around the table they helped themselves to sandwiches, cold pasta and lemonade. Delfina and the boys sat at one end, Rhea at the other with Graham to her right. When Stephen entered, he paused a moment before sliding into the vacant seat beside his father.
“Stephen, I wish you’d get into the vacation spirit.”
“She called you silly!”
Malcolm pounced on his brother and pushed him under. Delfina cried out. When they resurfaced, she cried again on her own behalf as they blitzed her and dragged her in. Rhea paddled to center pool but to no avail; the underwater boys pursued. Water sloshed, the air mattress slipped away and they held her down. Delfina shouted without effect. Graham’s stern “Stop it now!” rescued her. Reaching for his hand, Rhea forgave the boys for not knowing how fragile a grandmother could be, and Delfina for being ineffectual, but not Stephen, who should have been there.
Inside, the boys donned t-shirts and flip-flops while the women changed into white robes that skirted marble floors, transforming them into temple priestesses. All bore traces of water, except the men. Graham’s gray crew cut was spiky sharp and the imprint of a fine comb lined Stephen’s dark hair. They wore khaki shorts, collared shirts and loafers without socks.
Around the table they helped themselves to sandwiches, cold pasta and lemonade. Delfina and the boys sat at one end, Rhea at the other with Graham to her right. When Stephen entered, he paused a moment before sliding into the vacant seat beside his father.
“Stephen, I wish you’d get into the vacation spirit.”
“You
shoulda seen, Dad. We dunked mom, then grandma!”
“THAT
was not a highlight, Gerald,” said his mother. “You should know better. Both of
you.”
“You’re
still breathing,” retorted Malcolm.
“Your
attitude, young man,” said Graham. “You don’t roughhouse with them like you do
your friends.”
“Different pools,” said Stephen, surprising them, “would keep the sharks apart.”
“Different pools,” said Stephen, surprising them, “would keep the sharks apart.”
“I’m
a shark!” gloated Gerald.
Rhea
shook her head. “Separation?”
“If
you can take it, get in. Everyone should know what to expect.”
The
boys raised hands like dorsal fins, then clashed. “Not at the table, “ Delfina
pleaded.
Graham whispered into his son’s ear. “You don’t hide it well, you know. Your game of ‘Keep away, it’s mine’. Quite a performance before the board. They might be intimidated, but I’m not. Devour everything in your pool, then you’ll want to jump into another. Beware bigger and meaner sharks!”
Graham whispered into his son’s ear. “You don’t hide it well, you know. Your game of ‘Keep away, it’s mine’. Quite a performance before the board. They might be intimidated, but I’m not. Devour everything in your pool, then you’ll want to jump into another. Beware bigger and meaner sharks!”
Stephen’s
eyes glazed over. Aware that the table had gone quiet, he pointed at his sons.
“Respect your elders. Someday you’ll demand the same.” He grabbed a sandwich
and spooned some pasta onto his plate.
“I think,” said Rhea, “we should be happy together as one like at the wedding which is a celebration of coming together for two people and, in the larger sense, everybody. All of us, together, at Dave Forester’s.”
“Were you counting on going?”
“I think,” said Rhea, “we should be happy together as one like at the wedding which is a celebration of coming together for two people and, in the larger sense, everybody. All of us, together, at Dave Forester’s.”
“Were you counting on going?”
“If
it concerns Slade Insurance, we are,” Graham said.
“It’ll
be sales and the management team.”
“And
other interests?”
“Possibly.”
Delfina
cleared her throat. “The Palisades mansion must be beautiful.”
“I
bet there’s a pool!”
“Sharks!”
Stephen
set down his fork. “It’s primarily business, but as long as everyone knows what
to expect.”
Back outside, the boys splashed as their mother watched. Graham and Rhea sat beneath the umbrella and Stephen was back on the telephone. “Childhood is so simple,” she thought gazing into the gem-like water and then into the infinite sky. She closed her eyes.
Back outside, the boys splashed as their mother watched. Graham and Rhea sat beneath the umbrella and Stephen was back on the telephone. “Childhood is so simple,” she thought gazing into the gem-like water and then into the infinite sky. She closed her eyes.
The characters and events in this story are fictitious and do not represent any living person or real event.
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