The Douglas Farm
The next morning, Oliver woke up and stretched lazily. Even though it had only been a few weeks, it had seemed like years to him that he was able to get a good night sleep. He smiled and rolled over on his side to face his wife. He found her sleeping peacefully beside him, a serene smile spread across her face.
Oliver wished he could lean over and kiss her angelic face, but he didn't have the heart to disturb her. If he had gone through all that pain and stress whilst she was kidnapped, he couldn't imagine what she had gone through. Waking her up after such a traumatic experience was out of the question.
Instead, Oliver eased himself out of bed and quietly readied for the day. Once he was showered and dressed, he walked into the kitchen and decided to surprise Lisa with breakfast in bed. He couldn't wait to see the look on her face when he walked in with a tray carrying beautiful flowers, fresh coffee and….
At that moment, Oliver realized something…he had never prepared a meal for himself, much less anyone else. How in the world was he going to make Lisa breakfast in bed?
He shrugged his shoulders and figured it couldn't hurt to try. After all, he thought, I can't be any worse than Lisa. He chuckled to himself at the thought. He then tied an apron around his waist and began preparing breakfast.
But after an hour and a half of attempts, Oliver soon realized that he was very wrong about not being any worse than his wife. As a matter of fact, he was a lot worse. He couldn't even get Lisa's hotcakes to look like hotcakes; they just came out as what looked like blobs of burnt ashes. And he couldn't even get his coffee to pour out into a cup. It stayed as a solid, greasy-looking mess inside the pot.
Oliver sighed and threw his apron down on the kitchen table in defeat. Maybe I have no right to criticize her cooking after all. Who would have guessed it? Oliver laughed out loud as he stared at his blobby messes that he would have called breakfast.
"Well," he said out loud. "I guess she'll just have to settle for toast, orange juice, and some fruit." He then tossed his disastrous attempts at cooking in the garbage, stuck a couple of slices of bread in the toaster, and began slicing some melon he had stored in the refrigerator about a week ago.
Soon, Lisa's breakfast tray was filled with a stack of toast, a plate full of sliced melon, a glass of fresh squeezed orange juice, and a vase full of beautiful flowers he had picked outside. Oliver proudly picked up the tray and carefully carried it to the bedroom, silently vowing to keep his horrible culinary skills a secret for now.
He gently pushed the door to the bedroom open and peeked inside. He could see that Lisa was still asleep, so he quietly crept into the bedroom and set the tray down on top of the television. He looked at the alarm clock and realized that it was nearly eleven.
Poor thing, Oliver thought, she must be exhausted. He decided that breakfast could wait. He was about to pick up the tray and walk out, but heard Lisa begin to stir. He turned around to see her yawn and stretch like a kitten and then flutter and open her eyes.
"Good morning, dahling," she said sleepily when she spotted him.
"Good morning, sweetheart," Oliver replied with a smile. "Have a nice sleep?"
"The best in veeks," she answered as she stretched once more and sat up in bed.
"I'm glad," Oliver responded sweetly. "I have a surprise for you," he said as he turned around. He gently lifted the tray off the television and turned around to face her. "Breakfast in bed," he said proudly.
Lisa's face lit up when she saw the beautiful tray of food that her husband presented her. He gently set the tray down on Lisa's lap and sat down on the edge of the bed next to her.
"Oh dahling, you shouldn't have," she said as she stared at the first good meal that she had had in days.
"Of course I should have, honey. You deserve only the best," he said. He then leaned over and gave her a tender kiss. Lisa smiled.
"I love you," she said sincerely. Oliver smiled.
"I love you too," he replied. They stared into each others eyes for a few seconds.
"Vell, as long as you prepared this vonderful meal," Lisa said after a while, "you might as vell join me." She broke off a piece of toast, stuck it into his mouth, and then offered him a slice of melon. Oliver gladly took it and together they enjoyed a quiet breakfast.
After they finished their breakfast, everything began to move fast. Lisa got up and got ready for the day while Oliver cleaned up in the kitchen. By the time she joined him in the kitchen, it was lunch time. Oliver and Lisa weren't hungry due to the late breakfast, so Lisa began preparing lunch for Eb and Joseph. It was ready by the time they awoke and joined the Douglas's in the kitchen. Lisa served them and set aside some sandwiches for her and Oliver for when they did get hungry.
After that, Oliver straightened up around the house while Joseph explained that he was planning on leaving right after Lisa's party that day. Oliver and Lisa protested, but he insisted that his mind was made up. They had no choice but to respect his wishes. So Joseph began packing and making arrangements for his departure. Meanwhile, Eb and the Monroe Brothers began moving Eb's new furniture into his new loft in the renovated barn. With the way things were going, it looked like the barn would be fully completed by the end of the day.
After the kitchen was clean, Oliver began making calls in order to secure the plans for Lisa's party. As he was doing that, Lisa was busy answering the door and receiving flower arrangements from her various friends. By the time Oliver was off the phone, the living room was filled with every kind of flower he could imagine.
Lisa looked up from admiring the latest arrangement when he walked in from the kitchen. "Aren't they beautiful, Olivah," she beamed.
"Yes, but where did they come from," Oliver asked, staring at amazement.
"Our friends sent them! Vasn't they nice of them," she asked as she walked around the room and began reading the cards attached to them.
"You see, these are from your mother, and these are from the Ziffels, these are from Mr. Drucker…who are these from," she asked as she picked up an almost dead bouquet of flowers and scrutinized them.
"Mr. Haney," Oliver and Lisa concluded simultaneously. They looked at each other and burst into laughter. Oliver shook his head good naturedly. He knew Mr. Haney cared for his wife or else he wouldn't have risked his life to help rescue her, but nothing on earth could make him part with more money than absolutely necessary.
Maybe he'll find a wonderful woman that will make him change his ways, Oliver mused, just like I did. He smiled as he watched Lisa gleefully move on to one flower arrangement after another. He couldn't believe how lucky he was to have her.
The rest of the afternoon passed by uneventfully and soon it was time to go to the party. Oliver, Lisa, Eb and Joseph piled into the car and headed off toward Drucker's store.
Drucker's General Store
Fifteen minutes later, Oliver and Lisa walked arm in arm into the store. Everyone looked up upon their entrance.
"There's the guest of honor," Mr. Drucker announced. Everyone cheered and greeted Lisa enthusiastically. Lisa smiled warmly and began mingling with the crowd. Oliver stood aside for a second and surveyed the party.
The store was simply decorated with streamers and balloons, and there were some finger sandwiches, various snacks, and punch on a table at the far end of the store. He could see that all their dearest friends were there already and were just as happy to see that Lisa was back as he was. Well, almost as happy, he thought. No matter what, he knew no one could be as happy as he was that his wife was back.
He also took time to marvel at how much of an attitude change each of them had undergone. He realized that Lisa's homecoming must have mellowed out their outrageous personalities. Alf and Ralph weren't bickering anymore and Ralph wasn't chasing Mr. Kimball like a crazy woman. As a matter of fact, Mr. Kimball and her were actually in a conversation together. Oliver also noticed that Mr. Kimball wasn't his usual forgetful self and Mr. Haney hadn't tried to sell them anything all day. He couldn't believe that something as simple as the safe return of his wife could inspire such a wonderful change in them. Oliver knew that this miracle wouldn't last, however, but he figured he might as well enjoy it while he could.
After about an hour of laughing and talking, Oliver heard someone yell out, "Speech!" He guessed they were talking about Lisa, so he scanned the crowd for her. He finally spotted her just as she was being helped up onto a chair so she could be seen. Everyone quieted down and waited for her to say something.
"Ladies and gentlemen," she began, "I just vanted to tell you how happy I am to see you again. Throughout my entire ordeal, it broke my heart every time I thought about not seeing any of you again. But then nine brave men came to my rescue," she said as she looked into each of their eyes. "And I couldn't be more thankful to them. I thank you gentlemen and I love you all very much. I owe you my life," she said. She paused and Oliver could see tears of joy trickling down her face.
After a moments silence, she raised her glass in a toast. "To the heroes of Hootersville," she said.
"Here, here," everyone cried. Everyone took a drink and then applauded. Lisa stepped down from the chair and walked up to each of the men that had come to her rescue to thank them personally. She gave each of them a hug and a kiss on the cheek, to which the gentlemen uttered a thank you and blushed fiercely. Lisa laughed, delighted at their reactions. Finally, she came up to her husband, obviously having save him for last. She led him over to a secluded corner and wrapped her arms around his waist. Oliver returned the gesture.
"Dahling, how could I ever thank you for saving my life," she asked as she planted soft kisses on his neck and cheeks. Oliver smiled.
"Believe me, sweetheart, having you back here with me is thanks enough," he replied, kissing her softly on the forehead.
"Olivah, I love you so much. I owe you my life," she said as she looked deep into his eyes. Oliver saw the love and affection in them that he knew was reflected in his own.
"Lisa, you are my life. In a way, saving you was kind of like saving me. Therefore, you owe me nothing. Besides, how could I have gone on without you? You're my wife and my best friend. I love you more than anything."
Lisa smiled and tears once again brimmed in her eyes. "I feel the exact same way," she said. She then leaned in toward Oliver and kissed him tenderly. Oliver gladly returned the kiss and for a moment, the world melted away and there was only the two of them.
"Ahem," Oliver heard someone clear his throat. He reluctantly parted and looked to see Joseph standing beside them with his luggage in his hand.
"Sorry to interrupt, but my train leaves soon and I wanted to say goodbye," he said. Fresh tears now streamed down Lisa's face as she embraced him tightly.
"Oh, goodbye Joseph! It vas a pleasure knowing you," she said. She kissed him on the cheek softly and he bid her the same farewell. She then stepped back and Oliver stepped forward.
"If your ever back in Hooterville, feel free to drop by. You will always be welcome," Oliver said. Joseph smiled graciously and they hugged for the last time. On the verge of tears himself, Joseph waved goodbye to everyone else and quickly hurried out of the store. A sad silence followed.
"I think it's time we go home," Oliver decided. Lisa nodded, tears still streaming down her face. They then bid their friends farewell, found Eb, and headed out the store. Then the three of them got into the car and headed home.