Chapter 40 Guess Who's Coming To Dinner

For the rest of the day Hildy and Kami were at the office working on cases in between fielding a barrage of questions from their work family.

The guys, especially David wanted a word by word recap of Kami's meeting with Jaz. Kami thanked them for their concern and gave a general rundown of what transpired with her former lover. She refused however to give the word by word recap David was insisting on because she realized he was just being nosy. He was looking for information that he could use to tease her or Hildy in the future because he loved to push their buttons in an overbearing big brother kind of way.

The persons who Kami did tell what transpired were her mother and grandmother via a conference call. The three generational women shared a special bond that was based on a deep abiding love, respect, trust and acceptance. After listening to Kami's re-cap, Kalia asked her;

"Sweetheart, do you honestly think Jaz has put this foolishness to rest? Up to this morning she was all fired up to, quote unquote, 'protect you from making a mistake'. This one hundred and eighty degree turn sounds suspect to me".

"Yes Mom, I believe she is. I saw the way she looked at Hildy as we approached her while she stood near the bench at Bow Bridge. Jaz had a look of resignation on her face. Plus, when she spoke about this Donna woman …. her voice took on a gentle longing in it. I think she has deeper feelings for this woman than she is prepared to acknowledge".

Kathrine entered the conversation by saying; "I hope you are correct Kami. Before seeing her in the hotel this morning I was so upset over what Jaz did with Hildy. But then something changed in my heart. It was as if for the first time I really tried to 'see' Jaz. And what I saw was a woman with layers of unresolved emotional issues. I hope and pray she can find inner peace. Only then would she be able to really love and appreciate another person. We do not know anything about this Donna person but we should lift her name up in prayer and ask that Father gives her the patience and grace to be what Jaz needs without losing her sense of self in their friendship or relationship IF it goes that far".

"Amen to that Mama", Kalia said. On that note the ladies ended their call.

Several streets away in the salad bar of the Hilton Hotel, Donna and Joyce were having a light meal. Donna was a skilled attorney; she could question someone in such an adept way that the person would tell Donna his or her life story before realizing what he or she was doing. When Donna and Joyce first began their acquaintance, Donna's interview skill did not work because Joyce had a lot of walls around her. She would chat with Donna about every imaginable topic but at the end, Donna was still no closer to knowing the person under the no nonsense exterior. But as time went by, and trust was built, Joyce shared bits and pieces of herself with her friend, so that now it was easy to discuss matters of a personal nature.

However, that lunch time, sitting there together, Joyce had a difficult time articulating what she wanted to say. Sensing this, Donna went to work on her friend, asking leading questions here and there until she had an apercu of what happened. Having a highly analytical mind, Donna quickly looked at what Joyce said from all angles and then said with humour in her voice:

"Ok, let me see if I have this straight. Mama Bear and Granny Bear came to your hotel suite and firmly told you to go home because if you followed through with your grand reconciliation plan you would be hurt. Is that basically it?" Donna asked with a twinkle in her eyes.

Joyce glared at her friend and pursed her lips because she did not appreciate Donna's clear cool succinct of what transpired, especially when spoken to with laughter in her voice.

"I will have you know I do not like to be made fun of Donna", Joyce said in a clipped tone which only made her friend laugh outright.

"Well then you should not go around doing funny things Joyce. Plus, you do realize I have been telling you the same thing for weeks", Donna did her best to stop laughing because she really did not want to make her friend feel badly but the situation really was funny in her opinion.

"What I wouldn't give to have the pleasure and honour of meeting these two women", Donna said with admiration in her voice.

"What! Woman are you crazy?" Joyce shout whispered. "Why in Heaven's name would you want to do that?" Joyce asked in disbelief.

Donna leaned back in her chair and looked at her friend, and in a gentle voice said, "Joyce, sweetheart, I know on the surface meeting Kami's mother and grandmother could have been upsetting but if you put aside your initial feelings you would see that it was love and a strong sense of protection that spurred those ladies into action. Yes, I agree with you when you said that Kami was a grown woman who did not need such a grand gesture on her family's part, but it still showed how highly her family regards her. I am positive under different circumstances meeting and getting to know those two women would be interesting".

Joyce listened to her friend as she played with her salad.

"A blind man could see how much Kalia and Kathrine got along, I could hear the love and respect Kathrine had for her daughter. The way they rallied together to protect Kami, as if I would ever hurt her", Joyce said softly as all the annoyance at her friend drained out of her.

Donna, ever mindful of her friend's moods and feelings, immediately picked up on the longing laced with envy in Joyce's voice. Donna was aware that Joyce and her mother did not share a close relationship. Over the years Donna concluded that Joyce pushed herself to be the best in everything she did in order to show her mother that she was worthy of her love. Donna realized long ago that underneath the perfectionist exterior, beyond the cutting tongue, further than the astringent sarcasm, lay a woman who had serious Mommy issues. It was no wonder that Joyce would feel twinges of envy when she saw the love shared among Kathrine, Kalia and Kami.

Donna purposed in her heart to love this woman with everything in her, and to help her in the future to reach out to her estranged mother. Whether Joyce's mother responded favourably or not was not the point. Joyce needed to forgive and allow her heart to heal from the hurts of her childhood and youth. She needed that if she ever was going to find true inner peace.

Reaching across the lunch table, Donna covered her friend's hand, squeezing it gently as she said;

"Sweetheart, strong, loving relationships are built over time. Relationships are like gardens; they take care to blossom and flourish. The relationship you saw with the ladies today would not have developed overnight. Love on the other hand is not dependant on how the other person responds. I can choose to love someone regardless of their response to me. When love is reciprocated, then a relationship can bloom like flowers in a garden", Donna said with a warm smile.

Joyce looked at her as she pondered her words. Then Kami's admonition began floating through her mind.

"I understand you not wanting to mess up what you have with Donna but if you do not test the water to get an inkling of how she might respond, would you be able to live with yourself? Throw a line out at Donna and see if she nibbles. If she doesn't then you have not lost her friendship. But if she shows the slightest interest in something more then go for it. But please not in a roundabout way. Be honest and direct".

Taking a deep breath Joyce tried to think of what to say to Donna's philosophy on love and relationships. She wanted to test the water but was unsure how to proceed because as far as she was concerned, she had a lot to lose. She wanted to do more than test the water with Donna, she wanted to jump in and swim, but she had to make sure she would not be rejected, she could not take that.

Rejection.

It was OK for her to reject someone but when she was on the receiving end of rejection her heart and mind could not take it.

Donna saw the tension her friend was feeling as a myriad of emotion crossed her face. Donna wanted Joyce to recap her meeting with Kami quickly so that she could lighten the mood with a few gentle jokes because Joyce needed to relax. But before she could say anything further, Joyce picked back up her tale and finished explaining what transpired in Central Park. She told Donna that she confided in Kami that her friend Donna warned her she was making a mistake. But Joyce did not mention to Donna the advice Kami gave her.

When she stopped speaking the two women sat looking at each other.

Donna chose not to comment on the fact that her name was part of Kami's and Joyce's conversation. She needed time to reflect on what the significance of that could be.

Instead she said "Well, that's that then. How do you feel now that you have your answers?"

"I feel … I feel … a bit relieved to tell you the truth. In my heart of heart, I knew it was my pride as well as my heart that was hurt when Kami left. At least now I understand why she left, and I know a reconciliation with her would never have worked. It is time for me to look forward and leave the past in the past".

Donna lifted an eyebrow in surprise as she listened to Joyce come to terms with the reality of the situation. Thinking to herself Donna said:

"I have to find the appropriate time to let Joyce know how I feel. Thank God she is finally prepared to let go of this unrealistic quest. Joyce is in an emotionally charged place right now, I do not want to make her feel more tense than she has been over the last few hours. Maybe if I can get her to truly relax and look towards to future possibilities for romance, she might be willing to consider my proposal when I make it".

Signaling the waiter for the bill Donna said to her friend, "Hurry up woman, we have things to do".

"What things? What are you speaking about?" Joyce asked.

Laughing as she took hold of her friend's arm pulling her up out of her chair, Donna said; "Fifth Avenue is calling our name, and we are going to answer and answer in a big way. Come on buddy, today is a day for new beginnings, and what better way to begin than with new clothes and shoes".

Joyce rolled her eyes as she chortled and followed her friend out of the hotel to head for Manhattan's famous street for shopping.

Hildy was the kind of woman who knew what she wanted, knew which shop sold what she wanted, and went into the shop and bought it. To put it in other words, Hildy did not like shopping, however Kami did, and Hildy would do just about anything Kami wanted to do if she thought it would make her lover happy.

After the ladies left work for the day, David turned to Edgar with a shake of the head and said; "It is amazing what love can do. I remember Hildy detesting having to go to more than one shop to get what she wanted. Now look at her traipsing behind Kami to go shopping".

Edgar grinned at him and replied, "David my boy that is what you call being whipped. Anyone who is in a relationship where they place their partner's needs above theirs is whipped. I am whipped, and I am proud of it", David shook his head some more.

Terry was listening from where he sat and joined the conversation with a big smile on his face. "I am whipped too, you just wait until you fall in love Davie my boy, you will be the biggest whipped of all", Edgar and Terry laughed as they looked at the look of disdain on their buddy's face. David just continued to shake his head and he went back to focusing on his work.

That afternoon the ladies left the office early because Kami wanted to purchase an anniversary gift for her old friends Ellen and Andrew's tenth wedding anniversary. The thing was, Kami was not sure what to buy them. Traditionally the tenth year was marked by tin or aluminum, but Kami refused to bound by tradition when it came to giving gifts. An item needed to feel right for her to buy it, this equated to the ladies walking up and down Fifth Avenue looking for the 'right item'. Eventually they entered the Louis Vuitton Store and Kami immediately selected a backpack for Andrew because being a schoolteacher, he was always toting papers and books from school to home and back again.

Then she selected an elegant set consisting of a card holder, key holder and wallet for Ellen. Satisfied with the purchases for her friends, Kami lead her lover out the store. Hildy was so thankful the walking up and down was over that she wrapped her arms around her girlfriend on the middle of the pavement and gave her a gentle thank you kiss. They ended the kiss and slowly began to walk to the corner when Hildy noticed two women exit a store a little way from them, the women had several packages in their hands.

"You have got to be kidding me" She muttered as her eyes narrowed.

Kami immediately turned to see what caught her fiancée's attention only to see Jaz in company with a woman. Kami was surprised and this emotion was reflected on her face. She was amazed that her path crossed Jaz's twice in one day. Just then Jaz looked up and saw the couple standing a few feet away looking at her. This unexpected occurrence made her stop dead in her tracks which in turn made Donna bump into her back.

"Hey, you, give a lady a warning if you are going to just stop like that", Donna said as she laughed. Then she looked at her friend's face and saw her odd expression. If she did not know better Donna would describe the look on Joyce's face as a classic 'Deer in the Headlights' look.

Donna turned to see what Joyce was looking at and saw two women. Never having seen any pictures of Kami before she did not know who she was. Just then Kami took the initiative and walked over with Hildy following behind.

Kami wondered who the woman was with Jaz, because as far as she knew, the only reason Jaz was in New York today was to see her. She immediately wondered what Jaz was up to. She wondered if all this coming to New York to claim what Jaz thought was hers was just a stop, a detour on Jaz's real plans for being in New York. Plans that obviously included a shopping spree with a gorgeous woman. She decided to get to the bottom of it and stepped closer as she got right to the point.

"I thought the only business you had in New York today was our business Jaz. Fancy seeing you here on a shopping spree", Kami said in a matter of fact way.

Jaz was momentarily at a loss for words, but Donna's quick mind assessed the situation as the other woman's words registered. Realizing this was a golden opportunity to meet Joyce's old girlfriend and see firsthand the interaction between her and Hildy, she stepped forward.

With a huge genuine smile on her face, placing the packages on the sidewalk, she extended her hand.

"Hello, my name in Donna Walters, I flew into New York a couple hours ago to surprise my friend. I literally had to drag her on this shopping spree", Donna laughed as she saw Kami's face register surprise. Deciding to push the situation as far as it could go, she continued speaking, "You must be Kami", and turning to look at Hildy with a smile she continued "You must be Hildy".

The engaged couple looked at each other and then back at Jaz and Donna. Jaz was still just standing there looking uncomfortable, and as Kami took in her expression, her match making mind began to turn.

Donna continued speaking;

"I do not believe in coincidence. What are the odds we would meet here and now? I believe this is a sign that we should get together"

Both Hildy and Jaz said "What?" at the same time.

Kami smiled at Donna. The smile that always made people smile at her in return.

"I do not believe in coincidence either. I think your suggestion is wonderful. How about we have dinner tonight?"

Both Hildy and Jaz said "What?!" at the same time again but more forcibly.

"Hold on a minute", Hildy began but before she could say anything else Kami placed her arm around her fiancée and softly said to her as she looked deep into her eyes, "It will be Okay sweetheart. Trust me". Hildy looked at her lover and knew immediately Kami was on a matchmaking mission. Sighing she just nodded and looked at the other couple.

Meanwhile Jaz turned to her friend and shout whispered, "Are you crazy?!Why do you want to get together with Kami and Hildy?" Joyce looked imploringly at her friend. She was feeling emotional overloaded as Kami's words began to play in her mind once more while she looked at Donna.

"Trust me Joyce. Everything will be fine", and with those words she smiled at her friend.

The two couples turned back to each other, and Kami suggested having dinner at their home rather than going to a restaurant. Donna loved the idea and readily agreed. Kami and Donna tuned out the murmuring of their respective partners as they exchanged contact information. Kami told Donna and Jaz to come over for 6pm.

The two couples bid each other goodbye as Kami and Hildy got into a taxi. As the car pulled away from the curb, Hildy just shook her head at the excitement in her lover at the thought of matchmaking. Hildy was not comfortable with having dinner with the other two women but she knew Kami wanted this, so she decided to say nothing. Kami pulled out her cell phone and called her grandmother. As soon as Kathrine answered the phone Kami said "Nana, guess who's coming to dinner".