22- New Beginnings… chapter twenty-two

Walter and Lynn got to the clinic in plenty of time. Reaching the receptionist Walter said he was there for a check-up appointment at two-thirty with Dr. Wilson. Within minutes, Nurse Rachael came into the waiting area, "Mr. O'Brien, so nice to see you, come on back, Dr. Wilson is waiting for you. Nice getting here under your own power."

Fifty minutes later Walter emerged from the back to go to the receptionist to set up another appointment in thirty days. Taking the card he put it in his pocket and turned to Lynn. "Looks like all is going well, another appointment in thirty days and that should be it." Walter opened the clinic door for Lynn and followed her out for the walk to the car.

"Then the doctor will stamp your forehead with 'APPROVED', right? SO shall we head home and see how the chicken is doing? Should be done, just have to take the roaster pan lid off to let it get the golden brown while I make the gravy and steam the veggies. You are going to be in for such a treat!"

"So what have you on the agenda for this evening? Besides enjoying a splendid home cooked meal complete with dessert?"

"I have kinda' taken over your life the past couple weeks, haven't I? So what do YOU want to do? Just say the word and it will be done."

"Yes, your car is always easily spotted no matter how full the parking lot. Seems you have a couple admirers as a matter of fact. That happen a lot?"

"Periodically. Old people from back in the day that had them tell tales, the young that are unfamiliar with them wanting information, and every once in a while some devout, foam at the mouth Nader disciple that swears I am going to die driving such a death trap. The cars are always good for a conversation. I have had people slow down so their passenger could film it as I go by. And one memorable instance, a fistfight going on- one guy took offense to the other pitching an empty soda cup in her like she was a trash receptacle. Made the kid apologize and get the empty cup and dispose of it correctly. Some people's kids just have no respect for other people's stuff."

"Sure they are filming the car and not you? But, yes, I want to get back to your place, I am interested in seeing if Gene replied." Walter said with a smirk. "He usually comes back fairly quickly and, shall we say rather colorfully. I look forward to meeting him in person someday- should be an interesting conversation."

Getting to the convertible, "hello there, guys. This is a 1966 Chevrolet Corvair Monza convertible, one ten horse flat-opposed air-cooled six in the rear, four on the floor. Lots of info on the net as well as forums to learn all about them, but I got to get this sickie home and make him comfortable, so got to go."

"You one lucky sickie, buddy." One said jokingly as they headed into the clinic. "Nice car, lady."

Walter held the door for Lynn to get in and stuff her hair under her fedora while he got in the passenger side. "You spiel that off like you do it often, I didn't get that much interest when I was driving the Ferrari."

Putting the key in the ignition with a smile she looked at Walter, "here in LA there are probably more Ferrari cruising around than nicely restored Corvairs, plus I probably come off more approachable than most Ferrari drivers."

Walter glanced at Lynn as she turned to look before backing out of the parking space, "are you implying I am not approachable?"

Lynn smiled, "I did say MOST. I find you very approachable, a bit prickly at times, but definitely approachable, no matter what you drive."

Getting back to Lynn's place, she pulled into the garage and, followed by Walter went into the kitchen. Walter sat at the counter and opened his laptop to check mail and sure enough, a reply from Gene:

Walt- YOU didn't write that and don't try to convince me you did. I read it twice and never once felt like a blithering idiot. New secretary, take classes in business writing, or get hit on the head… hopefully the latter. Nope, didn't catch that, am presently going through the reams of monitoring data- engine three. Will let you know what we find before the next test- thanks. Gene

"What's with the big grin?" Lynn asked.

"I told you Gene would reply to that message and he did." Walter slid the laptop around so she could read Gene's reply.

Lynn laughed, "I take it you are in regular correspondence with him and you routinely make him feel like a 'blithering idiot'? At least he takes it well- he always says thanks? You may have helped his testing and he appreciates it. Good man taking the good of the job over flowery business messages stroking the ego."

She returned to the kitchen counter, "You like cheese on your steamed broccoli and baby carrots? Lemonade? Like to sit out in the back to eat? There is a bug zapper plugged in. Great horror movie star Vincent Price did a commercial back in the 80's he got a kick out of zapping bugs. Funny. Go on out and flip the switch and I will bring everything out."

"You know, I can help with all this. Not exactly totally useless when it comes to setting up for eating, though don't ever expect me to prepare such a meal. I am a true believer in the meal catering experience…. though do get a pie at a real bakery when the mood strikes."

Lynn cut the chicken in half on a platter and spooned the stuffing in a serving bowl with spoon, dumped the steamed veggies into a serving bowl with spoon and sprinkled grated cheese on top. Poured the simmering gravy into a boat, while Walter took everything to the patio table while she got dishes, utensils, glasses and the lemonade pitcher from the fridge.

"This is quite a banquet," Walter said siting at the table. "Certainly looks good. What got you into cooking like this? Kinda' rare out here- after all that is what restaurants are for, you know."

Lynn laughed. "You are a cosmopolitan, big city sophisticate. You have to understand- I am from a far different part of the country. We used to hunt- small game, rabbit, pheasant, dad usually got a deer every year. When one gets snowed in sometimes for weeks at a time, you cook to eat as well as heat the house. Unlike out here in this semi-arid desert, the woods back east- you can live quite well out in the woods with nothing more than a knife, length of wire- having a .22 rifle would be a luxury. The raspberries and blueberries grow wild, there are fruit trees- apple, peach and cherry out in the woods. Use the wire to make a snare and rabbit over an open fire is pretty good, fish out of every stream or pond…. would miss lemons on the fish, though."

Walter laughed, "lemons you would miss?"

"Yeah, citrus never survive their first winter in upstate New York, believe me I know as I kept trying. I even got a dwarf lemon, put it in a big pot on a wheeled platform and rolled it in the garage- died. Same with the big lima bean seed of a mango- absolutely fell in love with mango the first time I had one. Mango is definitely the fruit of the gods. Could always get them to sprout and grow to a foot high- then expire. Think they could sense winter coming, freaked out and just gave up the ghost. Very frustrating."

"Why don't you grow some here? Certainly the correct weather for citrus."

"Because they are everywhere. I go for drives and there are roadside stands, farmers markets, and neighbors giving the stuff away. You ready for your dessert?"

"Oh my word, no," Walter said. "I am full to the gills. Good apple pie needs to have a clean palate to be fully enjoyed, especially when judging the merit of the baker. Later. Let's clean up and go kick back on the sofa so I can straighten out for a bit."

Both of them carting stuff back into the kitchen, Lynn putting leftovers in containers for the fridge, Walter wiped down the patio table and counters. Then headed into the living room to stretch out on the sofa, legs over the arm and heaved a big sigh. "That really was quite an excellent meal, thank you."

Lynn joined him on the sofa- he sat up so she could sit and he put his head on her lap. "You don't want to play chess or watch a movie?"

"No, not really. You don't find this relaxing? I do. Can actually feel the heart rate lower, the breathing slow and regular. In a while once fully relaxed, a piece of pie will be just the thing to round out the meal and the evening."

Lynn patted his chest, "whatever you say," and started running her fingers through his hair. Again, Walter took her hand on his chest and kissed the palm then returned it to his chest and covered it with his own and closed his eyes.

"You're not going to sleep, are you?"

"I don't sleep very much, this getting fully relaxed, all tension dissipated is better than sleep- clears the mind to allow other more important ideas, revelations and calculations to take an orderly procession."

"Wow, that is something. What kind of ideas, revelations and calculations are parading through your mind?"

Walter chuckled, "So many things all scattered but lining up. First is how pleasant the time is with you- for me, anyway. You seem to be putting out so much work while I get the benefit." He opened his eyes to look up at her, "Does not seem quite right, but I do not know how to rectify the equation."

"Walter, just spending time with me is all I want. I would be doing all this just by myself were you not here; gets tiresome rattling around this place by myself."

"You don't think you would enjoy more someone closer to your age? You do generate a lot of attention, you know. At the restaurant the other day when you went to the ladies room there were a number of men whose attention was drawn to you. Plus all the car talk with people- the one who said I was a lucky sickie."

"Walter, do YOU like me?"

"Yes, very much."

"Then why you trying to pawn me off to a pack of goofballs? If I remember correctly, most of those men in the restaurant were at tables with women, yet they ogled me? Says a lot about them, doesn't it?"

"How about that pie?" Walter said sitting up.

They both went into the kitchen, Walter to sit at the counter while Lynn cut the pie and put pieces on two dessert plates and handed Walter a fork and napkin. "Let's hear your verdict." Walter sat at the counter and took a bite. "Already a superior pie as there are no raisins in it…. matter of fact, this is quite good. Many people go overboard with the spices- cinnamon in particular overwhelming the apples." Walter ate some more. "Yes, you are certainly a master baker, your apple pie is excellent. Do you put the rest in the fridge?"

"Yes, shouldn't I?"

Walter laughed, "yes, do so and tomorrow morning you will see another Walter thing as opposed to an Irish thing."

"What, that you have pie for breakfast? That isn't all that unusual."

"We shall see what you say in the morning. Thank you, by the way. For writing that message to Gene- that was the nicest reply I ever got from him."

"He said you must have gotten bopped on the head and wishes you were and you say that is the nicest he has replied? You keep the old messages? Should be an interesting read."

Walter laughed taking another bite of pie, "No, I do not keep old messages unless there are pertinent information needed for future reference over the course of the issue being discussed. So, you have a movie for tonight?"

"How you like rousing old shoot-em-up westerns? At least this one will be in color- the Magnificent Seven with the greatest cast possible. Yul Brynner, Steve McQueen, James Coburn, Charles Bronson… and if you pay attention, some answers to life's big questions…. and some rally GREAT music."

"OK, so what should I be looking for? And for the viewing this evening, can we get more comfortable?" Walter said finishing his pie and getting up to put plate and fork in the dishwasher.

"You understand about the old westerns? The theme is everyone wants to do right and lawful, but there are always baddies who make life miserable- there was no civilization, law was lax, cowed by the baddies, or nonexistent. Then along comes the gun slingers- fast on the draw, dead eye, no nonsense, mostly 'good' but due to circumstances too many times drawn out to just show who was fastest. So, due to circumstances they killed a lot of people, so had a reputation as being deadly so pretty much had little chance of being a normal family man- always someone came to recognize them and they would have to kill or be killed again and off into the wilderness they ride into the sunset. It is the recurring theme, and sometimes, the slinger is able to settle down 'cause the frontier community see he did good, if not overly civilized."

"This seems a very complex theme. Gunslingers are bad unless they do good but even then bad? I can follow theoretical math equations easier."

Laughing, Lynn finished her pie and put plate and fork in the dishwasher and started it up. Going into the living room to get the movie disc. "What you need to be more comfortable for the movie watching?"

"I got a pillow, that is all I need," Walter said returning from the guest room. Stretching out on the sofa with his back against the back of the sofa while Lynn started the movie and turned around. Walter lifted his arm, "Just enough room for you here, stretch out and I will put my arm around you so you don't fall off during the exciting bits."

Hitting play, Lynn stretched out with her back against Walter. "You certainly are warm, and this is comfortable." Walter put his arm down and she took his hand in both hers and brought it up to her chin. "Yes, nice and comfy." At the end of the starting credits, Walter kissed her shoulder, "You going to explain as it goes or wait to the end?"

"Ask when you need to, but the end sums everything up pretty good on the whys and wherefores of what actions were taken." Lynn kissed Walters fingers between her hands, then relaxed to watch the movie.

As Brynner and McQueen rode over the hill at the end, without moving Lynn asked, "What did you think?"

"They had a lot of bodies to bury- probably a more populated cemetery than the village population…. but everyone in the village probably acquired a horse and saddle, or did they just let them run loose. Did you notice, the knife versus gun duel by the train, the guy never retrieved his knife? In the beginning it said this was based on a Japanese movie Seven Samurai- have you ever watched that rendition?"

"Do you really want to get into the Japanese slice and dice movies? Yes, I have Seven Samurai. The classic Toshiro Mifune movies are incredible- Throne of Blood based on Macbeth is gruesome, his Sanjuro is hilarious and Yojimbo a classic. Akira Kurosawa was a film genius. A number of western films were based on Kurosawa's works."

Walter chuckled, "Gods, I have to quit asking questions. Every time I do you bring up more and more movies for me to watch- you have lined up at least five years of evening entertainment. Thought you were just into American film, and now you are on about Japanese. I take these are all ancient films, too?"

"They are called 'classics', not ancient," Lynn laughed, sitting up. "Shower time for me, then hit the hay and see what your 'Walter not Irish thing' is in the morning." Getting up Lynn looked at Walter. "Need a hand getting up?"

"No, I think I can manage, was just nice, warm, and cozy."

Lynn shut down the system, put the disk in its cover and back in its place on the shelf, went to the kitchen to get a drink of water then when Walter entered the guest room and turned on the light, she said good night and went upstairs.

Walter went and got clean boxers and t-shirt from his duffle and headed into the bathroom to shower. Once again getting out and drying off he rubbed his chin and decided to shave. "Still see no gray hair, old fart" he said to his reflection. Finished shaving, he ran a comb through his hair, pulled on the boxers and t-shirt and, turning off the bathroom light, opened the door to go into the bedroom and was brought up short to see Lynn sitting on the side of the bed in a long to the knees nightshirt.

"You are not an old fart, Walter. Do you always shave at night and talk to yourself?"

Walter laughed, leaning against the bathroom doorway. "I shave when I feel scruffy, sometimes at night sometimes in the morning. I am not so hairy that one shave morning or night isn't enough to keep me from looking like a Cro-Magnon Man. You don't talk to yourself in the bathroom? Some of my best conversations have taken place in the bathroom after a shower. Have come up with plans, calculations, and proposals- any number of good ideas, not to mention reflection on how I could have better handled a conversation or issue during the day that did not go well. Have even cussed at myself a few times, and once many, many years ago put my fist through the mirror, but I was a teenager at the time."

"What upset you as a teen to put your fist through a mirror?"

"One can be called abnormal just so many times before something has to give- the mirror gave and I had a mess to clean up so learned such behavior is not how to handle things."

"Would you mind if I slept here tonight?"

"Why would I mind? Nice, cozy and warm on the sofa is nicer and cozier in bed. Leave the bedside lamp on," Walter said walking to the bed to get in, held the blanket up so Lynn could join him.

"Why leave the lamp on?" Lynn asked getting under the blanket.

"So anytime you open your eyes you will see it is me. Just sleep, cozy and warm together."