Hi all,
This is chapter two. All chapters were submitted together so they should be close by or posted very soon.
CharlieB4
*****
Three weeks after, I was on a Qantas flight with my three daughters and their spouses. Rachel's sister had a crisis in her husband's family, so she couldn't make it. We had a good trip, catching up on all the things that had been going on in their lives. They were very excited about having a white Christmas. I had to caution them that they were going to the south of France, so that may not happen.
Arriving in Paris twenty two hours later, we went to a hotel I'd organized to get some proper sleep without hostesses waking you up every couple of hours. The next day, we took the four hour trip on the high speed train to Avignon. I got very nervous during the last half hour as Rachel was picking us up from the station. My eldest daughter noticed and leaning over to me she asked if I was okay as I looked a bit pale. I fobbed her off, telling her I was just tired from the travel, but my stomach was doing backflips.
At Avignon railway station, Rachel was standing on the platform waving madly. My youngest daughter was waiting at the door and jumped off to hug her the moment she was able to. My other daughters followed while their husbands and I collected the bags and got them off the train.
There was so much commotion I was able to stand in the background. "Sergeant Major" Rachel marshaled her daughters and their spouses and pointed them towards the exit. Only then, almost as an afterthought, did she come towards me. A quick hug and a kiss on the cheek and she was off again, herding her family out into the car park. I watched her walking away for a moment.
I couldn't deny she looked good. Her hair was short and the gaudy colours were gone. A little grey around the edges was obviously okay in France. A lot of the extra padding she'd had six months ago was gone. I wondered about her diet or exercise regime. No doubt Jaques was helping her with it I thought bitterly. What the bloody hell am I doing here, I thought. Just then my eldest daughter turned around and saw me still standing on the platform.
"Come on slow poke!" She admonished, waving for me to catch up.
A mini bus was parked in the loading zone, beside it stood a tall man with a pudgy middle hanging over his trousers. His face was dominated by a large hook nose, and a battered Fedora sat on an unruly mess of dark hair. Rachel began introducing everybody to Jacques. At last, I was meeting my nemesis, or perhaps my savior. He kissed my daughters on both cheeks bringing excited giggles and shook my son-in-laws' hands.
Then it was my turn, we stood close together and exchanged firm grips. We stared each other down, looking for clues in each other's faces. I released my hold first, pretending to wince as he gave one last squeeze. He smiled, I detected a hint of satisfaction or was it triumph. He turned away and moved to the driver's door of the mini bus.
In the mini bus we designated the back seat for our bags then took our seats. Jacques motioned for Rachel to join him up front. She hesitated but followed his direction. He mumbled something in French to her as she sat down and cast a dismissive glance at me.
It didn't worry me - sometimes it was good to be underestimated. On the trip to Rachel's villa she played tour guide, pointing out various points of interest. I mostly ignored it, since French stuff wasn't very appealing to me at the moment.
Eventually, we pulled into a driveway with large, automatic wrought-iron gates that looked new, or at least rejuvenated. It was bounded by trees on both sides that made it seem like a tunnel. After about one hundred and fifty metres, it opened up into a circular drive in front of an imposing two story stone building. Inside the circle, there were many newly planted beds of roses; their bare stems waiting for the warmth of spring to come to life.
"Welcome to La Mas Bleus!" Rachel gushed, standing up in the aisle of the bus and spreading her arms wide.
We got out and collected our bags before heading to the large wooden front door. It didn't look much from the outside. I found out later that because of its heritage value they had to keep the façade, but once inside it was a different story. Opulent and luxurious may be one description, gaudy and ostentatious another. Polished concrete and marble were everywhere, softened only by occasional timber features and rugs. Antique furniture shared space with modern electronics. It reminded me of a bordello. How do I know of such things? One of my clients runs a couple, and he was looking to expand one into the house next door. He took me on a tour so I could do the figures on his potential costs to convert the adjoining premises.
The garden out the back was more refined. There must have been the bones of one before, so it had just been cleaned up and some plants replaced. However, off to the left my wife's hand was again evident. A large, and I mean large, pool had been gouged into a grassed area. Obviously the one that I'd seen in the photographs when Rachel bought the place must have been too small. By my steps, it must be thirty metres by eight metres. Behind it was a construction site, a cabana Rachel called it. I'd seen smaller two bedroom townhouses.
The girls were gushing, already planning return trips for the northern summer. I now had more of an idea where some of the money had gone. We went back inside, where Rachel showed my daughters and their spouses to their rooms. I stayed in the main living area, unsure where my bed would be located. Jacques had left with the mini bus which was a relief, no more looks of disdain.
My wife came back; it was the first time we had been alone since our holiday from which she had never returned.
"So, Jeffrey, what do you think?"
"It looks wonderful," I replied diplomatically. "It must have cost a lot."
"Oh Jeffrey, Why do you always have to bring up money! We have got heaps of the stuff!" she scolded. "Anyway, Jacques has been getting me lots of things wholesale, and he made sure the tradesmen didn't rip me off. So, I actually saved money!"
Some things never change, only my wife could save money by spending it!
"Follow me," she continued, "our rooms this way."
We headed off to a different wing of the house from where the children were staying. After going through a short hallway, we came to a huge room with more lounges and tables. A staircase went up to the next level on one wall. Climbing the stairs led us to the master bedroom. It had one entire wall of glass that overlooked the garden, and then there was the bed. I have seen king-sized beds before, but this was bigger with four large posts on each corner. A toilet, shower, and bath were hidden behind a stud wall near the staircase. There was another wall behind the bed with a door either side. These opened into large his and hers walk in wardrobes.
"Wow!" I spluttered.
"Fantastic, isn't it!"
"Unbelievable. Doesn't it get a bit bright in the mornings?" I asked.
Rachel had obviously been expecting this question. She picked up a remote and pressed a button, and blinds that were recessed into the ceiling making them invisible rolled down leaving the room in darkness.
"Don't worry, Jeffrey, I've thought of everything. I'll leave you to unpack while I supervise Juliet making the evening meal."
She pressed the button again and the blinds began to rise. By the time they had finished, she was gone. I went into the walk in and felt inadequate. The contents of my bag barely filled two drawers. I hung my good suit then went in search of everybody else. They were in the main living area drinking some wine. We toasted our good fortune then sat down to lovely meal. Jet lag combined with a few drinks had us turning in early while Rachel stayed downstairs to clean up.
I went up and had a shower then got into bed. It was incredible how big this bed was. Five adults could lie down and not be touching each other. It had to be custom made, as must be the mattress and the linen. I was asleep in no time and didn't notice Rachel coming to bed. For all I know she didn't, as twelve hours later she shook me awake.
"Time to get up, Jeffrey, your first tour starts in forty minutes."
I opened my eyes to see Rachel sitting on the bed. She ruffled my hair and I almost thought she was going to kiss me, but she didn't.
"Have a shower and meet the rest of us downstairs. The children are having breakfast." She got up and hurried down the stairs.
After a shower, I made my way downstairs to the kitchen. The rest of the family was talking excitedly about the coming day. Workman swarmed over the worksite next to the pool. Rachel saw me gazing out the window at them.
"They are trying to get it ready for Christmas. I've got a few other people coming for Christmas and Boxing Day."
"Oh." I was noncommittal, my daughters were excited enough for me.
"I've organized some sightseeing for the next couple of days. I'm going to be busy making sure these guys keep working." Rachel didn't seem to notice my indifference.
