TUESDAY: Love Does Not Boast
Noise. Clinking china cups onto saucers, pouring hot water onto tea bags, clicking shoes on sidewalks, honking horns, humming cars, chattering voices, buzzing cell phones – Tuesday is full – full of sounds of things that move and people that hope.
Shane is a woman on the move and full of hope. Rita goes her way for a dress fitting and the guys go their way for a tuxedo fitting. She is glad that everyone has his or her own agenda. She certainly has her own covert operation. Realizing that she cannot get Ardis physically present in time for the wedding her creative mind spins of web of delightful deception. She concludes she will rely on the marriage of technology and the building skills of two good men to make this hope a reality.
"I need help and I know just where to turn."
Walking down the sidewalk toward her car on this brisk afternoon in Denver, Shane is once again amazed by Rita.
"Memory – Rita's amazing memory. She doesn't need computer skills. Her brain is a computer. Rita connects the dots and we have already solved the identity of the true recipient of the dress. And tomorrow the dress will be gone."
The dress will be gone. That is a bittersweet confession for Shane. She chooses to shake off the thought and focus on the mission at hand.
"I can't think about that right now."
The drive out to the farm is a good half hour or more but she doesn't mind. She bites her bottom lip as she wonders if the men will think her idea is too silly. Much to her delight they enthusiastically embrace her surprise. The three spend the entire afternoon functioning as an engineering team designing the perfect contraption for Norman's bachelor party. They even go to the hardware store together.
"Feathers?" asks Joe.
"Why do we need feathers?" asks Bill.
"To make it festive!" declares Shane.
"Well I hate to be the one to tell you but we won't find feathers at the hardware store," says Joe.
"No, but they will have them at the hobby shop next door," says Shane with grin.
In this new trio of friendship each has a role to play beyond the obvious. Beyond creative director, Shane is also catalyst and listener.
"Bill, you won't believe what your daughter's incredible mind recalled to solve our latest mystery," begins Shane. Shane tells the men of the dress and of how it is Rita who knew which tea room carried what tea and of how a mere glimpse at a book cover is recalled and becomes the key to the owner's identity.
She does not mention that Rita was completely lost as to how to locate Ardis or that it was she who uncovered the hidden name of Annaliese in the dress. She does not speak of the thoughtful and financially sacrificial girls' night that she has planned
"Bill, I just love Rita. She is the sweetest person. And her recall really is amazing. What was she like as a child?" And with that inquiry a father grieving the loss of his wife gets to share happy memories. He gets to talk about Sunny and her relationship with Rita to two people willing and glad to listen. He gets to share stories about someone who has passed from this present life but who has not passed from his heart without feeling awkward.
"Yeah, we really caught on when she was in the second grade. We got a call from the principal," said Bill.
"They thought she was a genius I bet," said Shane with a big smile.
"No, they thought she was disrespectful."
"What? Not Rita."
"Well it seems some kid had answered a question and the teacher said the kid was wrong. Rita burst out with a page number and a direct quote from their little Social Studies book siding with the other kid. She wound up in the office."
"That's awful. What did you do?"
"Well, we made Rita tell the teacher that she was sorry that she did not mean to show any disrespect and then we pulled her out of school," chuckled Bill. "Oh, it was late in the year anyway and Sunny and I wanted to take a road trip to Olympic Park – in Washington. Sunny wanted to protest development in the area and I wanted to see the park. Rita loved it. By the time school started we were back and she was in a different school."
Bill's grief over the loss of his beloved Sunny is being momentarily eased. She thinks these stories even help the best supporting actor, Joe, who has his own set of losses to redeem. Joe can relate to Bill in ways that a young woman who has not lost a spouse – through death or divorce – cannot.
Joe's kindness and compassion toward Bill are evident in the way he listens and in his empathetic responses. "It's easy to see how Oliver became such a caring man," Shane thinks as they spend the afternoon together.
She is grateful the two men not only accept her idea but also enthusiastically make it a reality. She is particularly grateful that they accept her – that Joe accepts her.
Between sawing, hammering and painting, and planning Shane extols the virtues of Norman – his goodness, his kindness, his achievements in science of mail recovery, which he never brags about. She brags on the men – their workmanship and ingenuity. She repeatedly thanks them for making this project a reality. She affirms everyone except herself - and Oliver. One time she starts to say something about Oliver and her eyes begin to well with tears – tears of affection. All she gets out softly is "Oliver…is… wonderful." Joe notices.
The trio reaches a point where her skills are no longer needed and she leaves for the day. Unlike her plan to buy the dress, her latest plan is not uncovered. Driving home she laughs as she thinks back on the stories the two men shared.
It is late and the night is dark. She is glad that every light has been green going home. Green lights – after the story she heard yesterday she may never think of green the same way again – ever. Recalling the tale of ugly green tie proposals makes her laugh – laugh aloud in a car filled with no one but herself. She raises the volume on her XM radio and scans over to stop on the dulcet tones of Sinatra. It just feels like Oliver.
And the torment won't be through til I spend my whole life making love to you day and night, night and day.
As much as she wants to believe that he loves her, hearing him say it would be wonderful. He has yet to say it. "And I love you so much," she catches herself saying as makes a right turn. It's just a little dream in the night
As she continues her drive the solitude of the long empty road frees her to her own wandering thoughts. Learning that he never proposed to Holly nor did they have an actual wedding is as much a surprise as the proposal story itself. They have never discussed his marriage to Holly other than how she left him. This is the woman who carelessly broke the heart of the man she loves. She rarely thinks of her but when she does she feels strangely protective of Oliver. She remembers walking into the DLO and finding her there – a stunning, voluptuous, presumptuous, redhead. "Oliver accepts a marriage proposal from a woman he hardly knew and then marries her three hours later. No wonder he is in caution overdrive. He must have been incredibly lost and lonely at the time to do such a thing so out of character." Driving along this dark night Shane does not judge the error. She only hurts for him.
Love and marriage, love and marriage, they go together like a horse and carriage. This I tell you brother, you can't have one without the other.
She hopes she isn't being selfish or petty but she is glad Oliver never proposed to another woman. She likes the thought that one day he may propose to her and it will be something that will not be tainted by the memory of Holly.
"I may have to buy him an ugly green tie for every occasion until he pops the question though," she mumbles. "A proposal from Oliver O'Toole! Not happening any time soon. We may qualify for the senior citizen discount on marriage licenses before Oliver proposes to me but still…." She chuckles at the idea.
But why should I try to resist when, baby, I know well I've got you under my skin?
As much as she tries not to allow her dreams to rush there she can't help herself..
"I wonder if he does ever propose – will he – propose at the porch swing – at the DLO – at Montaldo's. OH GOODNESS, not Montaldo's. The waiter might drop a tray on his head when gets down on one knee or something."
Arriving at her house as she parks her car she is certain of one thing. If they ever get married – he will do the asking – and the wedding won't be three hours later at a courthouse.
You are all I long for, all I worship and adore, in other words, please be true, in other words, I love you.
Before she unlocks her door she stops to look at the porch swing – his first gift to her. It really did mean something. It was his first tangible expression of care for her after ending his sham of a marriage. She thinks about the time they first shared that swing together and wishes he was with her now. They have not had any time for just each other the last couple of days and it doesn't look as if they will any time soon.
She glances across the street to her dear friend's house then turns back to unlock the door. "How many ways can a person say I love you without saying I love you? If you don't have love you're just sounding brass or a clanging cymbal – a bunch of noise. Right, Jewell?
Footnote:I needed some help from Frank Sinatra to write about Tuesday. The lyrics from four songs he sang are in italics. The incomparable Cole Porter wrote Night and Day and I've Got You Under My Skin. Sammy Cahn wrote the lighthearted lyrics to Love and Marriage. Bart Howard is the writer for Fly Me to the Moon, the last lyrics included. I hope you enjoy Tuesday's musings.