Chapter 5
Marlena savored the Sauvignon Blanc John had poured. It was a lighter wine than the Chardonnay they'd imbibed last night, but its finish wasn't as mild. She was no wine connoisseur, but she thought she tasted a hint of peppery minerality along with hints of peach and lime.
It was evening now, and she sat leisurely on the back porch again, waiting for John to return from taking a phone call. She herself had called Shawn and Caroline's earlier and spoken to the twins, just to check in and let them know she was thinking of them. Fortunately, they didn't care about her "medical convention" so she didn't have to dance around that white lie. Asked when she would be back, she said she wasn't sure, but she'd let them know before she headed home.
On a table nearby sat a baby monitor, and Marlena could hear the regular breathing of a fast-asleep boy. It had been a long, busy day for all of them, and she thought she too would sleep like that when she finally went to bed.
They had gone out to breakfast at a busy diner with great food. Tommy ate cut pieces of his dad's pancakes with his fingers, and John made sure the boy didn't make a mess.
Since tourists were overrunning the winery, John said he would show her the tasting and aging rooms later when they closed to the public. They got into his Bronco and went to a park where Tommy could wear himself out, and then, with the child sleeping in his safety seat, John drove around to point out some of the other vineyards that contributed grapes for Grafton wines.
He also played tour guide and pointed out some landmarks in the Napa Valley as they drove. "That's Auberge du Soleil up there on that hill. It's a luxury resort, and my friend who made us dinner last night is a sous chef there...over on the left is another food landmark: Gott's Roadside. The kids will love the burgers, but the place is famous for in-house ranch dressing...and, no, you're not seeing things - that is a castle over there, Doc. Castello di Amorosa. It's outfitted with a moat, a drawbridge, and other medieval attractions."
"Eric and Sami would get a real kick out of that castle," Marlena agreed.
Once again at home, Tommy was bright-eyed and energetic. After giving him a bottle, John put out a bunch of his toys, made sure all the doors were locked and let him play in the Great Room. There was a playpen, but John didn't put him in it. Marlena got a couple of chances to hold the tyke again too. Sitting on the couch, with him in her lap, she read him one of his baby books. Every time she finished and closed the book, Tommy grabbed it and held it to be read again. Pretty soon, as she and Tommy turned the cardboard pages together she didn't have to look down to "read' the words. Instead, she smiled at John, who was watching them from the kitchen area where he was putting together some kind of meal for an early dinner since they'd skipped lunch.
The meal consisted of green salad, and spaghetti with meatballs. Marlena remembered it well - Sami and Eric had always loved it. Tommy got no sauce, but he ate, again with his fingers, a lot of cut up spaghetti pieces. He could also handle a sippy cup pretty well, although it did fall on the floor from his high chair a few times.
During dinner, they didn't talk about anything serious. They just chatted about the day's events so far, and they both talked with Tommy, who would sometimes string together a bunch of sounds in a very authoritative way, apparently telling the adults something very important that they couldn't decipher.
After dinner, John strapped Tommy into a harness with the child looking forward and they walked down to the now-closed winery center. Unlocking it, and making sure to turn off the alarm, John pointed out that large painting of his grandparents. There was also one of his own mother and father. Both were moving portraits. Marlena wondered whether John had had a portrait painted of himself and Grace. She didn't ask because there was no such third portrait on the walls.
Marlena had never been on a tour of the inside of a winery, and she was fascinated by the huge wooden wine casks and barrels. But there were also some modern metal ones which, John explained, allowed for a neutrality of flavor. Wooden ones imparted added flavor to their contents, but stainless steel allowed the innate flavor of the grapes to develop.
John also showed her the inside of the laboratory where they experimented with new techniques and new blendings of flavor. This was where Grace had worked for a time.
When Tommy got too restless and started crying, they went outside. John released the boy from his halter and carried him on his arm as they strolled around the premises some more. Tommy eyed Marlena a lot. At times he got shy if she met his eyes and smiled at him. But once he reached out his arms to her. John and Marlena were both surprised. John carefully passed him over to her and, once in her arms, Tommy reached out and felt her hair. He was curious about it. He made more near-word noises. Marlena said, "Hair, Tommy. That's my hair." She said it repeatedly, very clearly and touched it too. He peered at her mouth as she pronounced the word. "Er, er, er," he chanted, delighted. The adults laughed, and John patted his back in encouragement.
Recalling the day, Marlena rose and walked off the back porch into the lawn area which was outlined in a variety of flowers and a solid, board fence only three feet high. Reaching the fence, she slowly turned three hundred and sixty degrees, taking in the fields, the house, the low hills, the fields again. This was a heavenly spot indeed, she thought.
John emerged from the house, and, picking up his own wine glass, came out to her.
"A dollar for your thoughts," he said lightly.
Smiling genially, Marlena replied, "Just taking in the beauty of this place. I can really smell the vineyard, John. Such a musty sweetness."
He nodded. "Yes, this place can really get into your bloodstream. It invades and stays."
They both subconsciously moved along the fence perimeter until they were closer to the baby monitor on the table so they could hear it more clearly.
For a few moments they did not speak, but just inhaled the warm, but cooling, air.
"How are Sami and Eric?" John knew she'd called.
"They're fine! I was lucky to catch them. They've been on the go - one thing after another. They were at summer camp already, and next week, I promised them they could go see my parents in Colorado."
"Your mom and dad doing well?"
"Daddy is recovering from a triple by-pass. But Mom is doing fine."
"Sorry about your father. Is he expected to fully recover?"
"We hope so. Daddy's not exactly the best patient. But he's up and around, Momma says."
John began migrating back to the porch, and took Marlena's empty glass from her. He noted to her as she walked alongside, "You've been blessed with loving parents, Doc. It's really wonderful that you're still so close with them."
Marlena smiled with gratitude, "I have been blessed with them indeed."
Back on the porch, John asked if she would like some more wine, and they both indulged in another half a glass. They sat, as they had the evening before, facing each other.
"It was a wonderful day with you and Tommy, John. Thank you so much for the tours, and for introducing me to your precious son. Thank you for the breakfast and for making your unforgettable spaghetti. I was thinking while we ate it how much the twins always loved that dish."
"They did!" John grinned. "When they were little they made quite a mess if they got sauce. So Tommy's going to have to wait for that until he isn't such a messy eater." He laughed.
Quiet ensued as they both indulged their memories and drank the wine.
After an interval, Marlena cleared her throat and said, "John. You really are settled here." She looked at him closely. "When I came to see you, I thought maybe this was just a way station for you. But I see it isn't."
John looked down. He then got to his feet and stood at the edge of the porch facing her. "It's true." He turned his head to survey the darkening landscape. "I never expected it either, but this winery, these people have a place in my heart." Leaning against one of the porch posts, he watched her reaction and saw her try to hide from him her unwanted but present apprehension.
"You know, Marlena, last night, in bed, I thought about going back to Salem, about being there with you and the kids again. And on the "ethereal plane" so to speak, I was all gung-ho. But my mind kept churning and kept putting the realities of life in front of me too. And one of those realities is that in Salem, what would I do for a living? I was really good at being a cop. I loved it -"
"I know you did," she interrupted.
"Yeah." He smiled sadly. "But you know they won't let me be one anymore because I'm not Roman Brady. And I'm too old to go to the police academy now and get qualified and all that."
"John -"
He held up his hand. "Wait. Those are the facts. I can't change them. And so I'm back to what I'd do. Get a job in some office? That wouldn't work for me."
He shifted and continued, "You know, when my mother passed away seven months after I'd met her, I was the main beneficiary of her will. She left me her majority shares in this winery. She left me this house and private property. And she left me all her other investments, which are considerable."
John paused. "So, technically, I guess I could go back to Salem and not have to work at a regular job. I could support myself and all of you - well, not you, Doc, because you earn your salary - on the tidy income from those investments. And I could do charity work and so on. There's lots that needs to be done in that area, goodness knows."
Hearing firsthand from John about his inheritance of more than just the winery, Marlena was a little shellshocked. She hadn't expected that angle. But she also knew that John was only telling her that in the spirit of full disclosure, not because he actually wanted to live off the investments.
Marlena rose and moved closer to John. "Honey, you and I both know that although charity work is wonderful and essential, it isn't the primary reason you were put on this earth."
He looked at her plaintively. "So what is that reason? To run this winery? To be with you and the kids? To do something else I've never even thought of?" Before she could reply, he added, "Last night I wracked my brains for an answer to that question. I prayed that God would make my way clear to me. But so far, I don't have an answer."
Marlena took his hand. "Perhaps it's a little early to expect clarity. I turned your world upside down again yesterday, John. While in one sense the news that we are still married overjoys us both, on the other hand, there are practical considerations that complicate the joy."
Squeezing his hand before letting go, she said, "Hold me."
Gathering her in, he fitted her to himself and held her. His right hand touched her hair and her cheek. Her arms around him too, they enjoyed the closeness. After a bit, John moved and kissed her gently. Then with more ardor. She responded and they took up easily their old familiar building of passion.
But Tommy has other plans, and the baby monitor broadcast his sudden crying. At first, neither of them really heard it, but Tommy persisted and got louder in volume. Finally, John broke away. "I better check on him. I put him in the other room again tonight, and he's not really used to that yet." He went inside. After a moment, Marlena followed. She watched from the bedroom door as John reassured Tommy that even though he was in another room, his dad was not far away. He picked him up, checking to make sure the boy didn't need a diaper change, and rocked him gently, speaking words of comfort to him and encouraging Tommy to go back to sleep. John put the pacifier Tommy had dropped in his bed back in the boy's mouth and gently laid him back down in the crib.
Marlena again felt a rush of love for John and Tommy. She stepped back when John carefully backed out of the bedroom. He did not shut the door completely, so they moved away from it before speaking.
John shot her an endearing look. "Children do curtail their parents' love lives, don't they?"
She nodded. "Little ones are notorious for that."
John put his arm around her shoulders and walked with her to the door leading to the backyard. He closed and locked it, oblivious to the fact he'd left the two wine glasses there.
He turned on a soft light that hadn't been needed earlier in the Great Room, and he and Marlena relaxed on the comfortable couch. He put his feet up on the coffee table and she folded hers under her as she had done so many times in their Salem house. She rested her head against his broad, muscular chest, listening to his heart beat.
"Oh, John. This is another perfect moment in this perfect day." She snuggled against him even more.
He played idly with her hair, almost the way Tommy had earlier.
After a while, Marlena moved. She laid her head in his lap and looked up at him. She saw the confusion in his face. She knew it wasn't confusion about them, but about how they could move forward.
"John, I love the Bradys, you know that," she said, gently rubbing a hand up and down his arm. "But maybe it is time for me and Sami and Eric to make a move ourselves. Maybe Salem isn't where we're meant to be anymore."
John crooked an inquisitive eyebrow at her.
"I mean, I'm just thinking out loud here, and we would have to talk to the kids - and to Carrie and Austin - to see what they think. But I think Napa is actually a larger town than Salem, so there's that. We'd have to check into the quality of the schools to see whether they should go to public or private school, but when Sami and Eric graduate high school, there are a lot of first-class colleges and universities in California if they want to go here.
"Also, I can obtain a license in this state to practice psychiatry here. I'm not sure how long that takes, but I bet Tom Horton can help smooth the path for me. The kids - and we - can still go visit the folks in Salem, just as they go to Colorado now to see my parents. We'd keep in contact - we're so fortunate to live in the time of good-quality long distance communications and travel. And the internet seems to be developing pretty fast. It might keep us all connected too."
"You've already given that some thought, haven't you?" John urged her up so they could look at each other normally. His hand continued to gently stroke her cheek.
She blushed. "Well, as I've said, John, I had the advantage of hearing the news about the imposter and Roman before you. So, yes, I have turned over a lot of 'what ifs' and 'maybes.' The first night after Shane told me, I also spent a large part of it wide awake, churning everything over in my mind. Then, I knew the only thing to do was come and see you. I had to see you here. I had to see how you lived. I had to know what your reaction would be."
She confessed, "Last night, in your home, I fell asleep almost immediately and I slept the whole night without a single nightmare or dream. It was as if, despite the uncertainties we still have to work out, I was at peace. I finally felt that I could leave my anxieties behind and just rest."
John reached out and pulled her toward him. He whispered in her ear. "I'm so glad, Doc. Not only for you, but it gives me hope that I'll get to that point too.
"You will. I have full confidence that you will."
John pulled back. "But what if Sami and Eric just don't want to uproot themselves and take a chance on a new life? Kids don't like leaving their friends or extended family."
"I think the best way is to bring them out here for a visit. Let them see this place. But more importantly, let them see you again. Get reconnected. Not say anything about moving here yet. They may fall in love with your home just as I have, John."
His eyes lit up. "You have?"
"Yes. Oh, yes."
"You know, Doc, it's more of a rural setting here than in Salem. That's something you should consider. You're a lady of refinement and culture…"
"San Francisco isn't far, John. There's a concentration of culture there. And Napa's not a backwater town, right?"
"It's not backwater, no. Even here at the winery we do have some distinguished guests. But my point is that the grapes are the center of activity. They really dictate what I and the Grafton team do here. It's not usually glamorous. It's just following nature and transforming a fruit of nature into the best drink we can make."
Sitting up flush next to John, Marlena laid her head on his shoulder and held his hand. "Well, we have three choices, right? First, we could go back to Salem and live there. But, from what you've said, that may not work for us. Secondly, we could live here. That's definitely on the table. Thirdly, we could pull up stakes from both Salem and here and find ourselves a new place. But then, the question would be, what would you do there? Every state in the union has some vintners. Maybe it would be a challenge for you to start a new winery? If you sold your interest in your family's winery, you'd have the funds to do that. Or, you could keep your interest in Grafton Wineries and solicit funding for a new winery from backers. That might be the better idea because, after all, Grafton is your heritage, even if you don't remember it."
"Grafton did all right when Bob Harding was running it. I learned enough from him to allow me to take the reins when my mother passed, and he left for greener pastures down in San Bernardino County. I have increased our market share, and many of our wines get higher ratings on the 100 Point Scale now. But that doesn't mean that Grafton couldn't benefit even more if I stepped down and hired someone really well-qualified to continue the work."
John gave her head a little nudge with his. Marlena knew he was working through the possibilities and remained quiet.
"As for starting another winery, I probably wouldn't. Being a vintner may be in my blood, but until I came here, I sure never had a hankering to be one - at least not that I can recall. I have been content to be president here, but if I gave it up, it wouldn't be a big loss for me. Having you and the kids again far outweighs any other aspect of my life."
He sighed. "Still, that brings me back to what I would do…"
"We have time to think about this more, John. You don't have to do a thing about it one way or the other right now. As you've said, you're about to start bringing in those grapes. That's got to be your priority right now."
"Yeah. I've got to get up early again tomorrow and go out and check the sugar, acid, and tannin levels."
"Well, lucky you, John Black, You've got me to stay here with Tommy until you get back."
"You know, I didn't think of that bonus," he kidded her. "So, Peggy will be here tomorrow when I leave. And that will let you sleep in a little longer."
John adjusted his position so she had to raise her head from his shoulder. He looked her in the eye. "That reminds me of something else I wanted to discuss with you."
"What?" she asked a little anxiously.
"Last night we slept in separate rooms. And tonight I think, reluctant though I am to say it, that we should too…"
Marlena had no idea where this was going.
Taking both her hands in his, John asked, "Marlena, would you please consider going with me to church and renewing our vows? I'd like us to have our marriage blessed before we make love again. And, I can't speak for you of course, but I don't think I can wait too long. I put in a call to the pastor and asked him if he would do that for us tomorrow afternoon - if you agreed, of course. And he penciled us in for 2 p.m."
"Oh my. John. I don't know what to say."
"Please say yes!" His entreaty was so heartfelt. "This isn't a legal step. We're already married in the eyes of the law. It's a spiritual one, and also a way for us to exchange rings again."
"Uh, as you can see, John, I stopped wearing my wedding ring when I found out that Roman at home was an imposter. It was the ring I first received from the original Roman, the same one you put on my finger when we married. It's at home."
He nodded. "And there it should stay! We're renewing our vows, but you should have a new ring that comes from me. As it happens, among the items my mother left me were some pieces of jewelry. Some were hers, some were her mother's, and some were from my father's side of the family. There are several gold wedding bands there. If you want to, you could choose one of those - just as a temporary measure. I'll get you your own new one next week when the jewelers are open."
He hurried on, "As for me, I still have the wedding band you gave me. It's in the safe in my room - along with the other jewelry."
"Are all the wedding rings labeled so you know which is which?" Marlena joked.
John winked at her. "You better know they are. I know exactly which ring you gave me even though I haven't worn it since we parted. I think it should still fit. It better." Suddenly he rose from the couch. "Hold on, I'll show you."
Before she could stop him, he had bounded out of the room and disappeared into the master bedroom. She didn't follow him. A few minutes passed before he returned with several small white envelopes. Laying them down on the coffee table, he arranged them so their labels were visible. And sure enough, one was labeled simply "John."
John said, "Will you come with me tomorrow? We don't need to be fancy. This is just to renew our vows before God and each other."
Marlena could not refuse. And she didn't want to refuse. "Yes, John, I will go with you. It's a wonderful idea, and I want to do this with you."
He did what she expected. He beamed with happiness and anticipation. Then he hugged her. Then he pulled the coffee table toward them, and popped open the "John" envelope, sliding the ring out. He slipped it on his own ring finger, and yes, it fit like a glove.
"May I see it?" Marlena asked.
John pulled it off and handed it to her. This ring in her palm brought their August 22, 1986 wedding back to the forefront. For a moment, the memories cascaded in her mind."
"What are you thinking about? John asked. As if he couldn't guess.
Softly she said, "You know. So many exquisite memories from our wedding." She handed back the ring.
He put it back in the "John" envelope and deftly shifted it to the side. The others said, "Laura/Stephen," "Violet/Henry", and "Mary/Christopher." She did not see an envelope marked, "Grace/John," and assumed he'd left that in the safe. John took the one with his parents' names and opened it. Carefully, he shook out the two rings. Picking up the smaller one, he gave it to Marlena to try on. It was a little tight. He opened the other two, being sure he separated them on the coffee table so he wouldn't mix them up. She tried on Violet's ring - John acknowledged her guess that Violet and Henry were his grandparents on the maternal side - and then Mary's. Violet's fit the best.
John took Violet's ring and put it in the "John" envelope, before he quickly replaced the other rings in their respective holders and whisked them all back to the safe.
Returning to her, he said, "Tomorrow is going to be a spectacular day for us. And" - he waggled his eyebrows seductively - "tomorrow night will be even more spectacular." He hugged her and they kissed deeply. Then he broke apart and said, "I better get some shut-eye. Maybe tonight I'll sleep that way you did last night."
As they went toward his room and the stairs, Marlena said, "Oh, John, I hope so. I hope we both sleep soundly and well."
Kissing again at the foot of the stairs, they went their separate ways.