In the Vineyard

Chapter 9

Ana stepped out from her car. She followed Miles as he walked to one of the numbered doors of the building where, she assumed, Jack lived. Clutched against his chest, Miles was carrying wine in a paper bag. The door was at ground level – Ana remembered that Jack had problems with arthritis. Miles stepped up to the door and knocked loudly. Without waiting, he opened it and called inside.

"Jack, it's me. Are you decent?" Miles signaled to Ana to step inside the door. The inside was in striking contrast to the outside – the furniture was all modern, mostly black, the look reminded Ana of Miles' living space, and she remembered that Jack had originally lived there and that he had furnished the place. So, she thought, this sparse Scandinavian style is Jack's taste, not necessarily Miles.

"Miles? That you?" The voice came from down a hall off to the left. "Get me a cup of coffee, I'm dying in here!"

"Will do," said Miles. "Jack, I've got a lady friend with me."

"Just boil the water, and pour it through the filter. You know."

"Coffee coming right up," said Miles. He took Ana's hand and led her around the corner to a small kitchen. Miles sat the bag down. Just as Jack said, a small porcelain filter unit, complete with grounds, sat on top of a large cup. Miles picked up the kettle to see if it had water. Satisfied that it did, he turned the burner on. He started nosing around the kitchen. He opened the refrigerator and started inspecting things. Ana watched him curiously. Miles walked back to the bag and removed a bottle of white wine. He placed it in the refrigerator and continued his inspection.

"Todd and Brandon don't seem to do this," Miles told her. "Jack just doesn't bother. But, I can't stand finding old, moldy stuff in here. So, whenever I come, I check." Miles was making a stack on the counter. An old styro foam container, some sort of take away food Ana guessed, a partial package of cheese Ana could see blue green mold on, a small package of lunch meat with a bad smell, and a small carton of half and half that Miles opened, sniffed and frowned at. Miles looked under the counter, found a trash bag and loaded the things.

"I'm taking this out to the dumpster in the back. When the water boils, pour it through the filer until the cup fills. You have to pour it slowly, or it will overflow. I'll be right back."

Miles went out the door at the rear of the kitchen. Ana could see him going across a gravel lot to a row of brown dumpsters. Just then, the whistle on the kettle sounded. She turned off the burner.

"I need that coffee!" came the voice from down the hall. Ana was afraid to answer. She picked up the kettle and started to pour, slowly, watching the water go through the grounds. She had seen but had never used one of these manual filter devices. Thankfully, Miles came back into the room.

"Looks like you've got things under control," he said.

"I guess so."

"Go ahead, pour some more in. Then, we find another cup." Miles was looking and found another large cup. "And pour it back through a second time. Otherwise, it's too watery."

Ana nodded. She filled the first cup. Miles moved the other cup close, then quickly moved the filter holder from one to the other. He made a small mess, but wiped it with a sponge. He lifted cup number one and poured it back through the grounds. When the second cup was full, Miles put the filter holder in the sink.

"I'll clean up before we leave. Lets get this coffee in there while it's still hot!"

Miles went through an alternate doorway to the kitchen, which led directly into the hall. Ana saw a couple of doorways, one on each side. Miles walked down to the doorway on the left and went in.

"Its about time!" Ana heard the voice say.

"I'm glad you're decent. I have a friend here." Miles stepped back out of the room and looked toward Ana. She followed him.

Miles went back inside the room. Ana stepped inside and saw an old man, sitting up in bed, wearing flannel pajamas. The man had wisps of unruly gray hair on a balding head. Perched on his nose was a pair of wire frame glasses. A television hung in the upper corner of the room on a black metal stand. As they walked in, the man picked up a remote control and turned off the football game he was watching. His attention was focused on the cup of coffee.

"Jack, this is Ana," said Miles, putting his arm around her waist.

Jack didn't seem to notice her at all, Ana thought. He was sipping the coffee. After what seemed like too long, he spoke.

"About time you found a grown up female. Now, what are you going to do about that other problem?"

Miles laughed. "Jack, you challenge even me for being tactless. And, I've worked hard on my reputation."

Jack laughed at this. He finally looked at Ana, and she saw a curious, friendly face. Much more Brandon than Todd, she thought.

"Hello there, young lady. Allow me to apologize. I am somewhat under the weather." He offered his hand.

Ana stepped forward. She shook the hand. "Please to meet you. Ana Palmer."

"Oh, Chester Van Meter's friend. " Jack looked at Miles. His eyes widened as he remembered something else. "And the former Mrs. Greg Romano. Now, I never would have expected this!"

Miles didn't answer. Ana looked over at him and noticed that he looked embarrassed.

Jack went on. "Miles, after all of your talk. About what you would and wouldn't do…."

"Cut it out, Jack," said Miles. Ana could hear an edge in his voice.

Jack sat the coffee down. He was smiling. "Miles, I earned this. I can give you a hard time, if I like. How many times have I told you that what you need is a good woman? One good woman to make you forget all of the bad."

"You win, Jack. Of course, you were right."

"Damn straight. I've been right about all of it. " Jack picked up the coffee again and took a slurp. "This is good coffee, by the way."

"I ran it through two times."

"You tell me that, but I never bother. Takes too long. So, what about your other problem. Are you taking care of it?"

"Jack," Miles said, "I don't want to talk about that this second. Let's be social for a few minutes, so Ana can enjoy this visit. Then, I have some things to say to you too, we'll have some serious talk later. Fair?"

"Fair. Did you bring anything for the old man to taste?

"Of course," said Miles. "Let me go get things ready. " He paused, looking at Ana and Jack. "Can I trust you, you greedy old wolf?"

Jack laughed a hoarse laugh, which turned into a cough. He cleared his throat. "Unfortunately, yes. This wolf is all howl and no bite these days." Miles chuckled and went out of the room. Ana felt somewhat stranded. Miles wasn't ignoring her, but he and Jack seemed to be in their own world.

"He's a good man."

Ana looked up to see Jack speaking to her. He was using a quieter tone than she had heard so far.

"I think he is," she agreed.

"He tell you about things?"

Ana nodded. Jack looked thoughtful.

"I had a feeling. You're practically the first person he's told, including his best friend. But never be so naive to believe that he – or anyone else – has told you everything."

Ana thought that the best friend must be Jimmy. She said to Jack, "I assume he told you."

"No. His mother told me. He never talked to anyone about it. I mean, he talked to me, but only after I told him what I knew. But, he didn't tell me the story himself. And when anyone's story is passed through his mother, real facts are diluted. Telling you, that's a real breakthrough for him." Jack sipped on the coffee some more. "You think you can make it work? I mean, you two?"

"I'm not sure. We've only been involved two days. I hope so."

Jack sat the cup down He coughed, covering his mouth with his hand, than sat up straighter in bed. "Young lady, I want to tell you some things. First of all, I love that man like a son. And, I can't stand to see him hurt. Not with what he's been through, and what he's done for me. But you are obviously on the rebound from Greg Romano, and I like, and respect, Greg too. Looks like you're using Miles to get back at Greg. So, if you aren't serious, do everyone a favor, and go away." He stopped to see her reaction. Ana was stunned, but she managed to speak.

"Please don't think that. I don't ever want to hurt Miles. I think I'm, I mean, I'm falling in love with him. Yes, it is serious."

Jack smiled. It was as if his harsh words were never spoken. "Glad to hear it. I can see that he's crazy for you. See it in his eyes. I can't remember seeing him look so happy."

The sound of footsteps intruded on their conversation. Miles came back into the room carrying a plastic crate in which he loaded wine bottles and glasses. The bottles had been opened and the corks reinserted.

"Miss me?" he asked to no one in particular. He pulled the cork off one bottle, a rose colored wine. Miles poured a small amount in one glass, handing it to Ana, then poured a swallow for Jack, and a slightly larger amount for himself. "Do you need to spit it out?" he asked Jack.

"No point. I didn't take my pills today. I'm not getting any better, and the pills just make me sleepy. I'd just as soon have some wine. "He looked wistful. "Miles, I'm not looking forward to this winter. The cold really gets to me." He swirled the wine, then took a sip. He swished it around in his mouth, then swallowed. He gulped down the rest. "Just a little too acidic."

Miles was nodding. "I thought so, too. You've got a good furnace here, don't you? I remember that you kept this place hot last winter."

"Its not the furnace. The cold just gets inside me, any more. Even last night, I woke up shivering."

Miles put his glass down. "Where's your thermostat? I'll set it to heat up in the middle of the night."

"No need. Brandon already did. I don't know how to describe it. A different kind of cold. Pour me something else." Miles pulled the cork from a bottle of red wine. He took a fresh glass. "Don't bother, " said Jack. "My taste isn't that sensitive these days." Miles poured and Jack tasted. "What's this?" He looked at the bottle, squinting through his glasses. "Non vintage, eh?" Jack sniffed. "You did good with these. I remember what you blended in this. But, you added something to get the color."

Miles grinned at him. "You caught me. Mostly Cab Franc, from two years ago – some of last year's reds, which were much better. But, not that much, maybe 20% - they were too good to waste. And, a little purchased Syrah – that's the color. Just a little blending magic, and it's a drinkable table red." He looked at Ana. Her glass was empty. "I'm sorry, sweet. I get caught up in trying to keep the old guy here guessing." He poured her the red in a fresh glass. Then he downed his own glass, an inch of the first wine was still in it. He poured himself a generous glass of the red. "I have to admit, I like this one." Miles sniffed and sipped.

"Miles," said Jack. "Why don't you show your friend my collection? We need to talk before I get sleepy again."

Miles looked at Ana. "He wants me to get you out of the room for a few minutes. Do you mind?"

Ana shook her head. Miles poured two more glasses of different wines – one red, and one white - and carried them. "Please follow me," he instructed. Ana came behind, carrying the current glass. He led her back down the hall to the kitchen. He opened a door on the other side of the kitchen. It led to a cozy room, furnished like a study, with bookcases along two of the walls, a desk and chair and a computer. But, what one was drawn to was the wine. Large wooden racks stretched from floor to ceiling on one entire wall. A rolling step ladder sat at one side.

"This is the collection," said Miles. "He has stuff from all over the world. And, some really old stuff. "He turned to Ana. "You know, I should have brought your bottle." Ana looked at him. "The old bottle." Ana nodded. "Jack might have some idea about it. " Miles sat the two glasses down on coasters. "The white is a Trebbiano, the red my vintage Cab you tasted last week."

"What an impressive collection," Ana was surprised to see this much wine hidden in the nondescript little apartment.

"Will you be OK? I know what Jack is going to be on me about. But, I really do need to talk to him. And, Ana, I'm not trying to keep anything secret from you. It would be Ok with me if you stayed in there and listened. But Jack is old-fashioned – he won't be comfortable with that. Not yet, anyway. He's still the 'woman's place is in the home type.' But, once he gets to know you, he'll come around, I promise."

"Its no problem, Miles. Business is business. And, you don't necessarily want outsiders there."

"Ana, you are as far from an outsider as anyone could be. Anyway, something you said is what I want to talk about. About Brandon and Todd. I'm going to try again to get Jack to reconsider. In fact, I'm thinking now that maybe we should make Brandon General Manager for a while, to see how it goes. Then, maybe Jack will change his mind. I can stay on as the winemaker until Brandon gets more comfortable."

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Ana wondered why Miles would relinquish his position. That didn't make sense. Why did he want out so bad?

"If it helps the winery ultimately, yes. I will move on, there is no doubt of that. It's just a matter of when. Besides," Miles was smiling. "My pay isn't based on how many hats I wear. I'm on a straight percentage. I have a multi year contract. The only negotiation comes when someone else owns the place. And, that was my idea, not Jack's. I didn't want Todd Formby owning my ass!" Miles looked up to see Ana's face. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be so crude. "

"No, I understand," Ana said. "And, I do think you should try to get Jack to change his mind about Brandon. I don't pretend to know the business, but I do know something about human nature. And, I can tell you, Brandon is someone people will like to deal with, Todd is not." She looked at Miles. "Just for what it's worth, from a semi interested third party."

"Will you be able to entertain yourself here? I shouldn't be too long."

"Take as long as you need. I'll be alright. I do have my car, if I get really bored, or I can walk back into town. What do you think, 20 minutes or so?"

"I don't think it'll be any longer. I'd say that Jack isn't going to go anywhere today. I know you don't know him, but he looks really bad. I don't think he'll have he energy to carry on a long exchange."

"I'm sure I'll have a good time just looking at his collection. Plus all of these books."

Miles turned to go. "Ana, I love you."

Ana wanted to say it back. She started, but something stopped her. "Miles, I..I wish you luck. I hope it goes well."

Miles walked back to her and squeezed her hand. "I'll do my best, sweet," he said close to her ear. He opened the door and went out.

Ana began to look at the wine rack. She was soon overwhelmed. There were wines there from all over the world. Europe, Australia, North and South America, Asia. The vintages were mostly ten to twenty years old, Ana guessed that those years reflected Jack's traveling years. She picked up the wines, one after another, looking at the labels. She went slowly, deliberately, knowing that Miles might be a while with Jack.

Miles walked back down the hall toward Jack's room. "She's occupied," he said. "And, I do need to talk to you. Jack was sitting up, out from under the covers of the bed. He stood up, tentatively, and made his way over to a corner chair.

"Me first." he said. "Miles, I'm not feeling well at all. I don't think I have all that long."

"Don't be ridiculous, Jack. You're perfectly healthy. I'm sure of it."

Jack leaned back in the chair. "Miles, Miles. My friend. Do you know what its like when you're surprised to see one of your friends has died? You see their name on the obit page and you're surprised that they're dead"

"Yeah, I guess that has happened. In fact, a time or two."

"Well, son, just you wait. If you're lucky enough to get really old, the surprise is that anyone was still alive at all. I mean, you see that they've died, and you're surprised that they were still alive up until yesterday. But it happens less and less often. Do you get my drift, Miles? All of my friends are dead. And, I'm tired." Jack leaned back in the chair and signed.

"Miles, I've been worried about you since you came to the winery. Your father was a dear friend, closer than I think you knew. He practically saved my life." Jack nodded, momentarily lost in thought. "He was a great man, your father."

"I know that. I'm only sorry that I didn't tell him more when he was alive. I spent too much time trying to be different than my parents, and I didn't appreciate enough what they were."

"For what its worth, Miles, I'm sure he knows that. And, I'm sure that he knows somehow that you found your passion." Jack looked straight at Miles. You would agree that you've found your passion in winemaking, wouldn't you?"

"You know how I feel about winemaking, Jack. It makes me really feel alive. And I will always be grateful to you for showing me this."

"Wine ain't all there is to life, Miles. And, you're not getting any younger."

"Jack – why do you think I wanted you to meet Ana? You wanted me to find someone. And, I have."

Jack nodded. "She could be the one, but it's too early. Way to soon to be talking about 'love'. But what a surprise – the lawyer's ex wife. He won't be happy, and you know he works with Todd. And whether she admits it to you or not, Greg Romano is a very successful person – he's handsome, articulate, and has everything going for him. And Ana's lost her job. You may have problems maintaining her standard of living. Anyway, I do believe that she is serious about you, though someone else will certainly say that you are her rebound person. Don't allow her to use you as an escape from Greg, as a tool to get even for his infidelities. There are so many women out there, and you don't need to be drawn into their problems."

Miles raised his eyebrows. "What did you do, give her the third degree when I left the room?"

Jack gave a little laugh. "Let's say I took the role of your absent father with this young lady. Anyway, she passed the first test, but I am withholding final judgment. We'll see what tomorrow brings."

"Glad to hear you approve, Jack."

"But let's get to what I wanted to speak to you about I want you to do something for me."

"Funny, I was going to say the same thing."

Jack's eyes were shining. "I think I know what you want. Maybe we can make a bargain."

"I'll consider it," said Miles, with a sly smile.

"I want you to take care of your situation. Open the drawer there." Miles opened the top drawer of Jack's nightstand beside the bed. "You'll see a business card there – Akers and Akers." Miles nodded and picked it up.

"Specializing in family practice," Miles read. He looked over at Jack. "I planned to do this, anyway," he said.

"It should be easy. I've taken care of as much as I can. They're expecting to hear from you."

"What do you mean?"

"Miles, I'm not kidding when I say I'm tired. I'm trying to get my things in order, so to speak. And, believe me, it does my heart good to know that you finally have the incentive to do something. But, I planned this anyway. They already have a file on you, and a retainer. Since there was no marital property and no children, it will be easy. The only delay is not knowing where she is, and there is a work around for that. Should be over in a few months." He paused. "Over, once and for all."

"Jack, I don't have any problem with that. I'll call them next week."

"I want you to call them tomorrow. And, I'm not finished. I want you to do something else. "

Miles suspected he knew what the something else was. "Jack, I don't think that's really necessary."