Chapter Eight of Farrah Hair and Pheromones
How's everyone handling this pandemic? I've gotten into the healthcare field and my life has never been busier.
At the urging of a certain pair of friends (90sFanGirl, Grykon), I thought I better pick up where I left off in the Caige world at Scorpion.
Necessary Disclaimer: I don't have any claims, ownership of the TV show, Scorpion. If I did, the ending episode wouldn't have ended the way it did. No spoilers here.
As I love planes and anything linked to aviation (Thanks, Dad, for getting me hooked on The Blue Angels, Top Gun and what Cabe would call good rock and roll), I had to give a shout-out to a very special man whom the University of Miami gave an honorary Doctorate in Music to-the original Jimmy Buffett and his corporate name, Strange Bird Inc.)
Dutchess County, New York.
"Wow! Mom, Cabe! I've never seen so much land!" Ralph marvelled, tearing open the Cessna Citation 500-series jet's plane door and jumping onto the vast green farmland. "This is awesome! Thank You, Mr. B.! I had fun flying with you and learning about coral reefs."
Cabe chuckled in response, then looked at the pilot. "Thanks for the lift, Jimmy. See ya 'round!"
Jimmy the pilot gave a thumbs up and waited for Cabe to grab their luggage, help Paige out of the small aircraft and move off to a safe distance.
Once cleared, Jimmy taxi'd down the plowed rustic runway intended for crop dusters and took off into the blue sky.
Paige was thoughtful, piecing together the airplane's logo, the friendly pilot with the syrupy Southern accent. "Call me crazy, but was that..." Paige asked Cabe, her eyes still following the jet as it vanished from sight.
Cabe nodded in affirmation. "No Jamaica Mistaka there. That was the legendary Mr. Buffett. We go way back. I had the pleasure of providing close executive protection at a few of his concerts. Those were fun gigs." Cabe's voice drifted off in memory...A smile materialized as Cabe briefly went down youthful days in his mind, then snapped back to present day. A quizzical look appeared with a squint as Cabe took off his sunglasses. "Hey! How would you know about Jimmy?"
Paige blushed. A tiny tepid smile appeared out of nowhere. "My dad. He loved his music and he would read me storybooks Mr. Buffett and his daughter Savannah Jane wrote."
Cabe shook his head comically. "You're way younger than me, yet we're so on the same level. How's that possible?"
Paige reached up and kissed Cabe on the nose affectionately. "I'm not a nerd or a diva."
"For which I'm eternally grateful." Cabe replied, giving Paige a quick hug. "Now where's that boy of ours?" Cabe looked around the fertile fields of green, yellow square bales of hay neatly stacked and ready to be brought to a truck for transportation.
Ralph waved as he took a drink from a spring close to a traditional farmhouse painted red, enjoying the cold, clear water and the fresh taste. "I can't believe how good this water tastes! You could sell this and make a fortune, Cabe."
"No way, son. There's only so much water to go around and drying out a local source would really hurt the farmers and others who depend on it." Cabe explained patiently to Ralph.
Ralph considered that fact for a moment, nodded. "Hmm. That would damage the nearby environment exponentially." Ralph's face brightened at another thought. "You were really lucky to grow up here. There's so much to study! I could do tons of science projects based on the water, land samples, rock formations...tertiary..." Ralph's voice drifted off as he grabbed his bag and set off for the house. "I gotta get my microscope set up! Later!"
Cabe and Paige slowly followed with the luggage, their legs grateful for the chance to stretch out.
Paige shook her head in maternal wonder. "That's our little genius. Always seeing life as a potential experiment."
"At his age, it was Little League, the 4H club and fly fishing with GrandDad when I came to see my grandparents here. Science never crossed my mind. Unless it involved Grandma's famous Dutch Apple Pies. Somehow, those die-materialized in minutes! Those were local prize winners at the county fair."
"Listen to you! Born and raised in Brooklyn, but a farm-boy at heart. Wanna go for a roll in the hay later?" Paige teased, lifting her sculpted eyebrows up and down.
"Careful, lady. I might take you up on that. Now behave yourself while I get us settled."
With a flourish, Cabe put down the bags and opened the door. "Welcome to Dutchess County, home of Franklin D. Roosevelt, Clinton House and of course, Anne, wife of James, duke of York and Albany (later King James II). Hence the name, Dutchess County."
"Very impressive, Mr. Gallo. All this historical knowledge in that handsome head of yours." Paige complimented and squealed in delight as Cabe carried her over the familial threshold. "You're full of surprises too."
"Well, it seems fitting as it's a family custom to carry Gallo brides over the threshold. Wait til you see the main bedroom. It's a Laura Ashley dream in paisley. I left everything just the way it was when my grandparents lived here. Being the only surviving grandchild, I was left the place. So now it's ours."
"Mom! This place is amazing! I can see the entire farmland from my window! And my room's way down the hall from yours!" Ralph's voice bounced off the thick wood beamed walls excitedly.
Cabe cupped his hand to his mouth so Ralph wouldn't hear his reply: "GrandDad was a smart guy!"
"I get you." Paige replied knowingly. "Little feet travel to the door at the most unexpected times."
"Tell me about it." Cabe agreed with a rueful chuckle.
Flashback to Paige's condo months ago.
A ting emanating from a pair of crystal champagne glasses touching, slow kissing were the only sounds in Paige's condo.
Footsteps bounded down the hall. "Mom?" Ralph called out.
"Oh-" Cabe expleted at a whisper, grabbed the robe he'd previously tossed onto a chest at the foot of the bed. He'd barely tied his belt up when Ralph bounced into Paige's room, surveyed the heightened colors of Paige's and Cabe's faces, the dishevelled hair and the mix of clothing on the thick white carpet.
"Hey! You're back early! How was Cosplay with the gang?" Paige asked brightly, raised the satin-lined hem of her bedspread up higher to cover her decolletage.
"Cool. I'm guessing lasers weren't the only things beaming up this weekend." Ralph said with dry humor as he took in the champagne glasses, empty box of Ghirardelli Dark and Sea Salt Caramel Chocolate Squares and the empty breakfast tray of tiny plates, coffee cups from earlier that morning.
Cabe's ears reddened. Paige coughed nervously.
"So, this happened..." Paige began, but Ralph cut her off.
"And I'm OK with it. Mom, you deserve a good guy who's more like you and cool. While I like Walt, he's out of your solar system. He's Planet Nerd and Cabe's Mars."
That brought a laugh from both adults.
"I probably shouldn't be laughing at that..." Paige confessed. Her amused smile displayed her conflict as a responsible, polite parent and a real woman.
"Ralph, I like you more and more. I was thinking that we'd have to have a serious talk about your Mom and I. And it was going to be awkward. Thanks, kid." Cabe offered his hand in a fist bump. Ralph took it with a grin.
"See that, Mom? Cabe's on point." Ralph explained. "I've gotta Inspo my Cosplay gear to my friends! Later!"
With that, Ralph took off to unpack and didn't return until dinnertime.
"Well! That was easy." Paige exhaled a held breath and sighed as she playfully pulled Cabe's belt.
Cabe slid back under the blankets next to Paige, tossed his robe off. "Damn straight! Your boy's a lot more grown up than you may think. Here I was gearing up for a talk about birds and bees and he's already at Friends level." Cabe said in reference to the TV show.
"It's pretty obvious we're more than friends now." Paige implied with a sultry smile as she nuzzled her way down Cabe's neck.
Cabe drew in a sharp breath with pleasure. "Oh yeah. And with that..." Cabe reached into a bureau drawer next to the bed and held up a small aquamarine Tiffany's jewelry box tied with a light colored ribbon in front of Paige. "I should probably get dressed and get down on one knee." Cabe teased, taking in Paige's shocked expression.
Paige's pink lips, puffy from kissing and other activities, were now in an O shape of astonishment. "Oh My God! Don't you dare move from my side, Cabe Gallo!"
Cabe grinned. "Is that a yes?"
"Hell yes!" Paige whooped and hugged Cabe so hard that he winced.
"All right! Let's get decent and get down to business." Cabe gently took Paige's left hand and slid on the 4 carat Emerald cut diamond solitaire he knew would fit Paige's hand beautifully. (A little artful reconnaissance mission into Paige's scant jewelry box revealed her mother's wedding ring, which was exactly the diameter of Paige's ring finger. A wax mold Cabe crafted for sizing was precise and stood in for Paige so there would be no errors or delays in this important purchase.)
Dutchess County, New York. Present Day
Cabe had Paige rest on the spacious gray and yellow Laura Ashley couch that could easily hold six people, a cup of hot locally produced apple cider within reach on an oval cherrywood table and cushions propping up Paige's feet, back and head. Paige's laptop computer graced the table with an extension cord plugged in.
Cabe and Ralph had already inventoried the wood for the fireplace stacked in advance of their arrival by a tree farmer and brought in enough logs for a few days, chatting amiably about the contrasts between this rustic life and their more contemporary lives back in L.A.
The spring had been checked and declared in fine form by one of the water treatment workers in the area who knew the Gallo family well. Cabe wanted to make sure everything was perfect for their first trip to New York, especially since Ralph was still growing and Paige was blooming with pregnancy.
An Italian Wedding Soup recipe Cabe's grandmother had daintily handwritten in cursive into a thick family cookbook long ago was followed by Cabe to the letter and the smell of farm-fresh vegetables boiling, baked bread cooling filled the air with tempting aromas.
As a treat, Cabe had already made a light garlic butter to complement the dinner selections and his grandma's apple pie with far less sugar, lard than the original recipe.
Cabe ensured that nothing would set off Paige's delicate nose, stomach and the Pizza Rustica Italian Meat Pie's ingredients was a safe choice for the main meal: no greasy meats, spicy odors or strong seasonings.
Paige sniffed the air appreciatively from the cavernous living room and smiled with approval. "Cabe! If I knew you could cook, I would've had you make dinners for us on a regular basis."
"But then I wouldn't have been able to show off the gorgeous lady on my arm to L.A. at night." Cabe teased and winked at Paige from the door way of the vast country kitchen.
In response, Paige blew a kiss to Cabe. Cabe grinned, pretended to catch it. Ralph rolled his eyes.
"You guys are gross..." Ralph complained half-heartedly, his eyes and mind absorbed as a video call with Sylvester was about to complete online. Cabe caught the blinking light, signal completion and sat down on the couch at Paige's feet with Ralph.
"Hey Gallos!" Slyvester exclaimed and waved excitedly. "How are you? How was your trip? Everyone OK? Paige? You good?"
"Hey Slyvester. All good here. Cabe's going to make me fat and happy with all of this country cooking and room service." Paige joked, the love in her eyes causing Sylvester to melt.
"Awww! Good job, Cabe!"
"Thanks, man. Nothing the lady doesn't deserve. Or the kids." Cabe looked fondly at Ralph and put a gentle hand on Paige's rounded belly.
Sylvester whitened as he took the news in. "Wait, what?"
Ralph laughed at Sylvester's reaction. "Yup, Mom's going to be a mom again."
"Oh My God! You guys! That's amazing! Congratulations!" Sylvester gushed, then turned around to yell "Paige is pregnant!" to the interior of the Garage back in L.A.: Scorpion Central.
Instantly, Toby popped up with a series of medical questions concerning Paige's health and then Happy chimed in with well wishes.
"Walt's gone home to visit the folks for awhile, so it's The Three Amigos again." Toby candidly explained. "We can goof off as much as we want. Order in whatever we want."
"And we write it off as a working lunch expense. Corporate life's got its perks." Happy added with a grin.
Paige's face turned serious. "I can still remotely check up on you guys, you know. Easy on the fun money. No catered lunches from Angelo's. Necessary equipment, materials, travel is fine."
"OK, Mom." Toby groaned and then began to chat with Ralph and Cabe animatedly about science-related projects that they were working on.
How do you like this update? Supportive, constructive reviews always welcome!
2LawDog