I begin this tale on a sad note, a note of despair, a note of loneliness and emptiness. I begin as I walk away from the grave of my sister who died of cancer at 45 years. She left behind four children, two still living at home, two ex-husbands, and me her only sibling.
The tale worsens as I remember my father dying four years earlier on my 45th birthday and my mother dying four years before my father near their 45 wedding anniversary. Cancer was the beast taking all three and I am, always have been, cancer free.
I was dazed. How could it be that out of a family of four, three died of cancer? Perhaps I should have been despondent, yet dazed and empty is all I felt now. My cell phone rang with the caller ID telling me it was my oldest niece, oldest of my sister's four children.
Micky, short for Michelle asked to come visit me in my hotel room. "Lets have dinner together Uncle Bob." Micky is about five feet and eight inches tall and has been modeling since she turned 16 and now, at 23, she models full time and makes a good living. "We don't see each other very often and I took bereavement leave for a couple weeks. How about I meet you around 7:30."
Micky said to dress casual, "jeans and knit top is all I'm wearing," she related. I was thrilled with being casual after a few days of suits and dress shoes.
I was the older brother, three years older than my sister, 48 compared to Micky's 23. I was not in bad shape except that beer expanded my waist a bit over the years. I do jog and use gym facilities several days a week.
With three hours before Micky arrived, I rested for a couple hours before having a fresh shave and shower. I prefer wearing loose fitting carpenter jeans and microfiber knit tops and slipped into clean clothes and New Balance cross fit shoes and waited for Micky's door knock.
As if she was reading a cue card, Micky knocked right at 7:30. I opened the door to see a stunning Micky, hair tied in a perfect ponytail, make up that not over done, and clothes that must have been painted on. Micky made jeans and knit tops look like evening dress. "Welcome to my humble hotel room, Micky. Come in for a moment, have a drink." Micky slipped past me entering the room and I got a whiff of her perfume, it was a lite scent barely perceptible. "You look lovely, Micky."
Even though Micky wore a smile, it was obvious she hurt badly. I lost my sister and she lost her mother. Losing mother hurt much more than losing sister. I closed the door, turned to Micky and she feel into my arms sobbing deeply. "Uncle Bob," she cried saying nothing else. I held her gently letting her have her cry.
After a couple minutes her sobs subsided, I rubbed her back a bit and kissed her forehead. "Micky, I cannot imagine how Cher's death affects you. We both lost someone, but you lost a lot more, your mom." We stepped out of our embrace.
Micky's eyes were now red and swollen from crying. "That drink offer sounds good right now Uncle Bob." I mixed a simple whiskey and water over ice for us and went to the bathroom for a clean washcloth to make a cold compress for Micky's eyes.
Micky took the compress, sat in one of the chairs, took a long pull on her drink, then leaned back placing the cold compress over her eyes. Micky exhaled a sigh as the cold relieved her sore eyes. We did not speak as Micky relaxed with her drink and compress.
When Micky spoke next, her words were not to me. "Thanks, mom. I feel better now." Immediately she realized she spoke to her mother not me. "I'm sorry Uncle Bob. Just for one quick second it was mom caring for me."
"Micky, sweetheart, Cher and I learned from your grandmother. If you feel it was Cher then maybe she pushed me to make the compress." We smiled affectionately as Micky began recovering getting more color back in her face. "Do you want to order room service or eat in the hotel restaurant," I asked.
"Let me use the bathroom, fix up my mess and we'll go out. I'm your trophy date tonight." Micky shocked me with those words; she was my niece not a lucky catch.
"Micky, I don't want a trophy date. I want to be with my niece." Then I shocked my self, speaking aloud, "However, you are a very attractive date."
Micky smiled broadly, "At least I know you see me as more than nice, I mean niece." My mind raced; were we locked in some kind of sexual banter; did we both have ideas and thoughts about the other?
Micky fixed her make up and her eyes were clear again. I guessed she used eye drops to get the red out. "Uncle Bob, I have a suggestion, lets eat at a little Spanish place I know. It is authentic Spanish, not Mexican, and has the best Mediterranean shell fish in city. Plus, it has secluded booths for quiet conversation."
Shell fish, secluded booths, I was not sure what she had in mind; however, I took her hand as we strolled to the parking lot. Micky guided me to her car; "I'm not good giving directions, probably better if I drive."
With reluctance, I gave Micky her hand back and took my place on the passenger side. "You're in charge. Drive on."
Micky's smile became coy, she turned to me with an innocent look saying, "I'm driving now but I'm not driving all night." There was nothing innocent in her words and I darn sure did not miss her intended meaning. Worse, I had no remorse for the incest we might commit tonight.
The drive to Micky's choice took almost 20 minutes, it seemed that every traffic light in town was set to red as we entered an intersection. I used each stop light as an opportunity to reach across the center console to touch Micky's hand and offer her a smile and she returned each in kind. Our conversation centered on my work, Micky wanted to know everything that freelance do and I enjoyed telling her all she wanted to know.
If I believed Micky's description of the restaurant as having secluded booths, I believed wrong. This restaurant was intimate, dimly lighted with flickering battery candles on each table. The booths were horseshoe shaped with very high backs. I could hear snippets of conversation as we reached out booth, then upon sitting deep in the booth, nothing from adjoining booths was audible.
The headwaiter knew Micky as a regular diner rather than a models face in an ad. He gave Micky an embrace and a very friendly kiss. "Micky, I read about your mother's death. I always enjoyed coming to your house for parties. She let us be kids but kept us under control somehow. I miss her and the parties too."
Micky dipped her head a bit and sniffled a bit at the waiterΓs remembrance. "Thank you David, it still hasn't sunk in all the way yet. David, this is my Uncle Bob, mom's only sibling."
David extended his hand to mine and gripped it sincerely. "Your sister made us kids feel welcome whenever we showed up. Tonight, I return the favor." Micky explained that David was a classmate throughout middle school and high school, "... and this is his place. This is where I come when I need a friend to spoil me."
We settled into our booth and David asked if we wanted a wine to prepare our pallet and suggested a Spanish red wine to start. We agreed and he left to draw our wines. Micky sat closely next to me in the back of the booth; she found my hand and squeezed it. "Uncle Bob, I am glad you consented to have dinner with me tonight." Micky leaned into me planting an obviously intimate kiss on my lips.
David returned with our wine, set them down on the table waiting for me to sniff and taste the wine for approval, with that formality complete, he asked if we wanted a menu. I looked at Micky before saying, "Micky knows the quality here; I will trust you to choose our dinner and appropriate wines." Micky agreed and David again left us.
"Micky, you have asked me about my work, tell me about you and your work. Really, I want to know about you." I placed my hand on her upper thigh and gave a squeeze. A very low ah escaped Micky's mouth from my touch and she covered my hand with hers.
"Most people think I have a glamorous life running with the beautiful people and traveling the globe. I cannot begin to tell them how false that image is. I have not had a relationship since high school and live out of a suitcase calling some hotel somewhere my home. Yeah, I've earned enough money to retire right now but that isn't what I want. I want to relax and enjoy life for a while, take a couple years off. I want to sleep in the same bed every night not some bed dozens have already used. I want a hug when I am happy, a hug when I am sad, and a hug for any reason." I took my cue and hugged Micky to me feeling a woman not my mourning niece. We looked into the other's eyes before dissolving into a very warm kiss. We both knew where we were headed and we had no qualms.
David served us an excellent dinner of Spanish shellfish prepared several ways. There were more raw servings than cooked and several flavors of dips for seasoning. Each serving came with a different wine that complemented the taste of each serving. I cannot remember having a better meal, ever. This meal was not inexpensive and David wrote the whole cost off.
I spoke to David before we left, "Leaving a tip would be an insult to your kindness, David. However, I want to make a contribution to a charity you represent." David accepted the offer and took my check for five hundred dollars saying he would use it to feed people at homeless shelters across town.