Georgette and Ted had been to this flea market many times before. They loved to relax on a Saturday morning strolling through the aisles and aisles of junk looking for rare treasures. Ted had found some nice tools and a couple of golf clubs (including an antique mashie which he had mounted and displayed in his office). Georgette had found some wonderful items for the house and yard. She especially loved and was quite good at haggling. She prided herself on getting a great price for whatever she wanted. Yes, this flea market was one of their favorite places.
Frequenting the market so often, Ted and Georgette new most of the regulars by name. They would always stop by their favorite vendors and chat, learning what was selling and who had what. Ted had one special vendor he loved to talk to. An old man wood carver named Mordecai Clot. Ted doubted that he made it past third grade, but the intricate and delicate pieces on that table rivaled any highly trained artisan. But, what brought Ted to Mordecai's table time and time again was the old carver's worldly wisdom; the kind that only comes from a long hard life.
Lately, life had taken some exciting and difficult turns. Georgette and Ted recently had become empty nesters. Whereas their daughter had always been a physical presence in their life, especially in Georgette's, their current circumstances has placed a significant physical distance between her and their daughters. They talked on the phone constantly but it was not the same. Furthermore, Ted had been laid off last year and decided to work for himself. This gave him a lot of satisfaction and freedom. But, he needed to spend more time working and traveling and less time at home. This is not what they had planned and it added complications to their current situation. Ted and Georgette soon found out that stress from their life changes was not a good aphrodisiac and "quality time" as a husband and wife was rare and becoming more rare as time went on.
Ted needed some wisdom. So he sought out good old Mordecai. "Ted, Yer a smart feller! You know you kint be fix'n y'all's bride, she has'n to be fix'n herself. Georgette be a smart woman and truth be that she be a far bit smarter than you!" the old carver said with a chuckle and a wink. "But, y'all need'n to be showing her that she be still the apple of yer eye. Give 'er a flat road to be a travl'n on."
"I see, make sure she does not have to worry about 'us', just her," Ted answered.
"Now, see! Y'all ain't so thick after all. Now, you be wait'n ri-chere, old Mordecai has sumthin that could hep y'all," and the old man tuned and rummaged through his old streamer trunk. A few minutes later he returned and handed Ted a bundle wrapped in old newspaper.
"Y'all take this, but don't be open'n it 'tll y'all get home. It is sumthin Georgette will appreciate. Now y'all git yer self home toot sweet ... go on yung'n ... git."
"I cannot accept this. Please let me give you something." Ted protested.
"No ... I can't be taking no money ... A friend in need if ya be. If'n y'all need to give money ... throw a little sumthin extra in the offering plate on Sun-dee. Now ... y'all git." And with that the old man went to help another customer.
Ted started to protest but deciding it would be no use. He turned and left. Thinking about Mordecai's advice on the drive home, Ted realized that the new position was putting a strain on his marriage. He would fix that! His marriage was Prime-Number-One in his life. Ted laughed at how easily Mordecai had helped him reset priorities. But, Mordecai was wrong. Ted was thick. He should have been able to see his mistake himself.
Thinking on how he could help Georgette, Ted decided a couple of additional presents and weekend of total attention would be a nice start. As Ted started to plan, he realized how being an empty nester had its advantages. A couple of stops later, Ted arrived home.
Georgette's car was in the drive. But, fortunately she was on the phone giving him plenty of time to prepare.
Ted kissed Georgette and the cheek. She smiled and waved back absent mindedly. He headed to his home-office and put the "On Call" sign on the door. He laid the things for Georgette, a set of sexy silk pajamas, a string of pearls and matching earrings, and theater tickets, on his desk. He next opened the package from Mordecai. Inside was a wooden box, intricately carved, and hard polished to a fine sheen. Each side as well as the top was carved in relief. On the front panel were two birds building a nest. On the right side were again the nest and birds, but in the nest were two eggs. The back panel showed the older birds caring for two smaller birds. The left panel showed the young birds flying out of the nest, leaving the other two. The top showed the nest and older birds, but this time they sat on opposite sides, happily singing to each other. It took Ted a moment to realize the symbolism. "That old magician," Ted whispered to himself.
Ted removed a second piece. It looked like a small dumbbell, but with pointed ends and one dumbbell larger than the other. It took sometime before Ted realized what it was. With a huge smile on his face, he proceeded to wrap the gifts, the pajamas separate from the jewelry and tickets. With the pearls he included a hand written promissory note for a night on the town. The toy he placed back in its paper wrapper.
Setting the wrapped packages aside, Ted picked up the office phone and made dinner arrangements (Take-out Chinese) and downloaded a special movie to his laptop. Finally, with the weekend planned and all arranged, Ted made one final call.
About 20 minutes later Ted exited his office. He went to the spare room and gathered a couple of blankets and pillows. Dumping his load on the sofa, he pushed the furniture out of the way, creating a large space in front of the fireplace. Flipping a switch he lit the fire (Ted was glad he had the gas fireplace installed) and laid a blanket on the floor.
Ted next went to the kitchen and gathered two settings of good china, a pair of wine glasses, and a bottle of wine. Georgette was still on the phone and looked on confused, "Your Father is up to something. He just pulled out the good china and a bottle of wine," he heard her say to one of their daughters. She stood and followed Ted as he returned to the living room. She watched as (explaining everything to whoever was on the phone) Ted set a table on the blanket. Georgette looked questioningly at Ted; he just smiled, patted her on the head, and went to answer the door.
"MARY VIRGINIA! WHO TAUGHT YOU TO TALK THAT WAY?" Ted heard Georgette exclaim embarrassed. Well at least he now knew which daughter was on the phone and he also had a good idea what she said.
Returning with the food Ted set it all on the blanket. Georgette watched his every move. Whistling, he left again her and went to their bedroom, stopping by his office for the wrapped PJs. He laid the gifts on the bed where he slipped a big note saying "OPEN ME" under the ribbon. He changed into his "Hugh Hefner" pajamas and smoking jacket. Finally he opened their "treasure chest", retrieved Georgette's favorite vibrator, tested it, and put it in his pocket.
On his way back to the living room and his wife, Ted stopped by his office and gathered the remaining presents and his laptop. He set them on the couch (hiding the toy and vibrator) as heard Georgette tell their daughter, "He just came downstairs in his 'Hugh Hefner' jammies. No I do not know what he is doing. He has been very secretive all day. MARY VIRGINIA! People our age do not 'get laid'. I have to go. Your father wants me. ... ARG! NO I WILL NOT GIVE YOU DETAILS ... and NO IT WILL NOT TAKE PICTURES. YOU'RE A ROTTEN KID. Give your sister a kiss and hug for me. Talk with you later, love ya," and she hung up. Turning her attention to her husband "This looks great. I never thought to have a picnic by the fire with our good china. It is a little more than I had planned. So? What are you up to you crazy man?"
Smiling in that "I have a secret" sort of way that he knows infuriates Georgette, Ted said, "While I lay out dinner, why don't you slip into something more comfortable." Pointing his wife in the direction of their bedroom, he sent her on her way with a playful swat on the behind. "Hey!" she exclaimed as she scurried away.
Ted poured two glasses of wine and then moved around the room, turning out the lights and closing shades. He turned off the front porch light and the street lamp so that people would think no one was home and he forwarded the phone to voice mail. Returning to the living room, he arranged the presents near him, relaxed, sipped some wine, and waited for Georgette to return.
Gazing into the fire, Ted became lost in his own private thoughts. He did not hear Georgette return and was slightly startled when she sat next to him. Demurely, Georgette apologized. "Sorry I took so long. You apparently have a special evening planned and I thought it would be best if I smelled better. So I took a quick shower. I hope that was OK and that the food is not too cold. I am famished."
Looking at his wife, he noticed immediately that she did not close all the buttons of her pajamas, leaving a titillating gap in her shirt. "No, that was fine. OK let's eat."
Ted and Georgette had a wonderful dinner. She filled him in on what their daughters were up to. He filled her in on his day at the flea market (leaving out his chat with Mordecai). He told a couple of amusing stories about his old company and his friends there. They sipped their wine and fed each other with the chop sticks and their fingers. They chatted and laughed like the very old friends that they were. All through dinner Georgette kept asking what this was all about. He just said "in due time."
When Ted poured the last of the wine into their glasses, that symbolized dinner was over. He cleared the plates and half full food containers, setting them in the sink.
