A Wife for Stephen (16 page)

It isn’t that crowded at the amusement park since it is
not tourist season, and they are afforded plenty of time to
ride many of the rides since the lines are not that long. Each
line they wait in gives them more of an opportunity to talk
and get to know one another better. Although Celeste has
been doing that over the past few months, she much prefers
talking with him face
to
face
and watching his facial
expressions
change
during
their
conversations.
And
Stephen has a very expressive face.

The cooler weather of Orange County in October calls
for a light jacket which each of them dawn with their
comfortably faded jeans. They had each started out wearing
different tops, but it had been Stephen’s idea that they
purchase
matching Disneyland tops
and beanies.
After
buying them, they both went into their gender respective
rest rooms and put on their new items.

Celeste knows that clothes do not make the man but
that they are an expression of the individual who wears
them. She is very much enjoying this kinship Stephen is
expressing with their matching ensemble. Celeste never
could have imagined that such a thing most people would
consider trifle and adolescent, would cause her heart to
swell and warm.

Besides being an opportunity to show their connection,
they also afford Stephen a bit of a disguise. Usually he does
not mind being recognized by his fans and being asked to
sign autographs and take pictures. But
today it
is his
sincerest desire to keep a seriously low profile. The time he
is spending with Celeste in developing their blossoming
relationship is important to him, and something he doesn’t
take lightly.

Every line they wait in gives Stephen a chance to get
closer to Celeste and hold her in his arms. Nothing to
heavy, just a gesture of togetherness.

After riding most of the rides in the theme park and
eating their fill of snacks, they decide to call it a day since
Celeste still has to work in the morning.

After dropping Stephen at his hotel, which happens to
be close to her office, Celeste heads for home, tired yet
exhilarated at the same time. But not before Stephen had
placed one of his warm caressing kisses on her and said,
“I’ll see you tomorrow.” Tomorrow they are meeting for a
late lunch and the appointment with Valerie to view the
studio.

On the drive home, Celeste thinks to herself, man can
he kiss. I wouldn’t mind spending the rest of my life with
him. Celeste is caught up short with her thoughts. Where
had that come from? She doesn’t have time to delve deeper
because her phone begins to ring. She is supposed to call
Stephen when she gets home but apparently he couldn’t
wait that long. Without checking her caller ID she pushes
the send button and answers the call, “Yes, Stephen.”

But the voice that answers her is not Stephen. And the
time has come upon her
quicker
that
she had hoped.
“Stephen?”

“I’m sorry, Jenny. I thought you were Stephen.”
“Uh huh. Where have you been all weekend? I have
been trying to get in touch with you, but all I got was your
voice mail.”
“I’m sorry. I was going to call you back but-”
Jenny saying, “For goodness sake, will you quit
apologizing,” cuts off Celeste from her explanation. “And
that is not an answer to my question. Where have you
been?”
Deciding
simplicity
is
the
key,
Celeste
says,
“Philadelphia.”
“Philadelphia? And what, pray tell, is in Philadelphia?”
Jenny counters. But before Celeste has time to answer,
Jenny adds, “Or should I say ‘who’ is in Philadelphia?”
“Stephen.”
“Oh...”
“He invited me to come there to meet his parents. Could
you hold on one second, Jenny?” Celeste pauses from their
conversation to pick her way through the heavy traffic of
the freeway. “Now where was I? Oh yeah, he invited me
there to meet his parents.”
“You said that already.”
“So I did,” is all that Celeste can say.
“Did you have a good time?”
Surprised by this unexpected question, Celeste says, “I
had a great time, actually.”
They talk for a few minutes more in which Celeste fills
Jenny in on her trip. Before getting off the phone, they
make plans to go to lunch on Wednesday.
Celeste is grateful to arrive home having spent the last
hour battling other motorist. Upon entering her home, she
is greeted by her loving companion, Thomas. Instead of
heading straight to take a bath, which had been her first
thought while driving, she seats herself on the floor and
rubs Thomas.
Thomas shows his excitement at having Celeste back
home without a visitor by licking her and wagging his tail
happily. The guilt of having been gone for the weekend
calls to Celeste to spend extra time with her furry buddy.
After a long hot soak in the tub, Celeste is so exhausted she
falls asleep the minute her head touches the pillow only to
be awakened by the shrill of the telephone into the quiet
darkness of her bedroom.
Sleepily she answers, “Hello?”
“Were you sleeping?” Stephen asks.
“I’m sorry. I was supposed to call you when I got
home.”
“That’s all right. Obviously you were tired. I’ll talk to
you tomorrow. Sleep well.”
Celeste is so weary that she barely manages to replace
the receiver before her eyes close yet again.
Stephen calls her again early in the morning just before
her alarm clock rings to awaken her. It is in this moment
that
Celeste
understands
how a
person
can
wake
up
alongside the same person every day of their life and never
grows tired of seeing them first thing their eyes open.
“I slept well,” Celeste answers Stephen’s question.
“How did you sleep?”
“As well as can be expected since I don’t have the
comfort of sleeping in my own bed under my own covers. I
won’t be glad enough when my contract is up so that I can
spend more time at home.”
At the mention of home, Celeste wonders where exactly
is home for Stephen, they had never discussed it. But she
decides to leave that question for their luncheon date. After
saying, “See you later,” Celeste takes extraordinary care in
selecting her clothes for the day and getting dressed.
At the office, Jayla is somewhat surprised that her boss
is taking off early for the day since Celeste in the past has
always made work a priority in her life. At a lull in the
workday, Jayla says to Celeste, “Being with Stephen looks
good on you.”
“What do you mean?”
“What I mean is, ever since you two have established a
closer relationship, you’ve been utterly transformed. You
no longer work yourself to the bone, and you are starting
to take time out to enjoy life. I mean, seriously, you told
me that yesterday you two went to Disneyland together.
And although you talked about how Stephen had not had a
chance to enjoy it in a long time, when was the last time
you
enjoyed it?” Jayla pauses to let her words sink in
before continuing. “That’s good, Celeste. Without a doubt,
I can see that the man makes you happy. I’m so pleased for
you.”
Celeste sets back in her chair, and as she ponders what
Jayla has said to her, her face begins to glow with awe and
amazement. It is true, every word of it. Stephen has given
her a reason to enjoy life and not just live it day to day to
get ahead at work. She has different goals now, family
goals that she never for once thought she would have.
“Yeah. Isn’t it great?”
Jayla chuckles before leaving Celeste’s office to return
to her own desk.
The two o’clock hour goes by too slowly for Celeste as
she spends most of it watching the clock waiting for it to
read three o’clock. When it does she is more than excited
to put away her workload and gather up her purse to leave
the office. She strides from her office with nothing but her
handbag on her shoulder. Which is another change; she
used to carry her briefcase almost everywhere with her
during the workweek.
Jayla smiles knowingly at Celeste as she passes Jayla’s
desk and says, “See you in the morning.”
Just on the threshold of the office, Celeste pauses at the
door and turns to look at Jayla, “Jayla, why don’t you take
the afternoon off. You deserve it.”
“Thank you, Celeste. I’ll do just that.”
When Celeste arrives at Stephen’s hotel to pick him up
she finds him waiting in the lobby for her. The second she
walks into the lobby he approaches her and gathers her into
his arms. “I’ve missed you,” he says before kissing her
senseless.
Celeste decides to take him to her favorite luncheon
spot close to her office since it is only minutes away from
the hotel. The greeter is surprised to see Stephen at Celeste
side, although he hides it well. Celeste can tell that he is
surprised, not by whom Stephen is, but by the fact that he
is with Celeste since she has never been here with a man
before.
After they place their entree orders, they hold hands
across the table and talk. They speak about nothing and
about
everything.
They
talk because
they
enjoy
each
other’s company and the sound of each other’s voice.
During their conversation, Celeste asks the question that
had come to her mind earlier that morning, “Where is home
for you, Stephen? I know you love Philly, but is that where
you stay when you’re not on the road or traveling?”
“I have two condos, actually; one in Philly and one in
New York.”
Celeste plows ahead and asks the question that she is
not yet sure if she is ready to hear the answer to, “So
where are you going when you’re done with your tour?”
“I plan on coming out here.” Seeing the look of surprise
on Celeste’s face, he assures her that he is not trying to
crowd or rush her into a deeper relationship than she is
ready for by adding, “I want to check on that studio and
see if it is adequate. Then I’ll need to spend some time
getting things up and situated the way I would like.”
“Oh. I guess you’ll only be out here temporarily then.”
Is
that
disappointment I
see
and hear,
Stephen
questions himself? He chances all to ask his next question,
“Would you like it to be more than temporary?”
“Well… I was really hoping that we could spend more
time together once you were done with your tour, but I
don’t want to get in the way of any plans you might be
making or have already made. Besides...” Celeste cuts
herself short realizing that in her nervousness, she is again
rambling.
“Baby, that’s what I want too. I just don’t want to rush
you. I’m on new ground here, so I’m treading carefully.”
Would he ever learn to accurately gauge what’s going on in
her head and stop feeling like he’s walking on eggshells,
afraid that she’ll break away or bolt at any minute?
Stephen realizes that he must take care, but also that he
must be honest, with himself as well as Celeste. He has no
problem being honest about his feelings and just what he
desires
for
their
relationship.
His
only problem is not
knowing how much honesty is too much honesty to share
with Celeste.
Frustration and uncertainty wells up within him like
nothing he’s ever experienced before. Tentatively he
begins, “Celeste, I want to spend as much time with you as
I can. I just don’t want to push you away by being too
demanding of your time.”
“You could never be too demanding of my time.”
“I’m sure glad to hear you say that.”
When they finish their meal, they get into Celeste’s car
to drive over to the address that Valerie has given Stephen.
Since Celeste has lived in Los Angeles all of her life and is
quite familiar with the way the streets run out here, she
navigates to the neighborhood of the studio and uses her
GPS to navigate the rest of the way with no difficulty.
As they exit the vehicle in front of the address, a petite
woman exits and stands with her hand shielding her eyes
from the sun.
This must be Valerie,
Celeste thinks to
herself. Her thoughts are confirmed when Stephen takes
her hand and guides her the short distance up the walkway
and makes introductions.
“Celeste, this is Valerie. Valerie, this is my girl,
Celeste.”
“How wonderful to meet you, Celeste,” Valerie says as
she reaches out to shake hands with Celeste. Valerie’s grip
is warm and strong in Celeste’s hand. “Well, if you both
would follow me, I will show you around.”
Since Celeste has never been into a recording studio
before, she has nothing by which to compare what she is
seeing.
The
tour
takes
about
thirty minutes
and then
Stephen asks Valerie if he and Celeste can look around by
their selves.
When Valerie agrees, Stephen takes her on a more
personal tour and points out what each piece of equipment
is and its significance. He tells her the importance of a good
deadening wall and adequate insulation for each booth.
After all of Stephen’s explanations, Celeste feels better
abreast of what she is looking at and looking for.
To Stephen’s delight, the studio appears to be exactly
what Valerie had termed, ‘The one on the market that best
meets your needs.’
Celeste
only
has
one
question,
which
she
asks
of
Stephen, “Is it a plus or a minus to have this studio in a
home rather than an industrial building? I mean, I know it
won’t disturb the neighbors, but it just doesn’t fit the image
I had of a recording studio.”
“It’s definitely a plus. It means better parking, and with
the second level of the house being unconverted, it means
better accommodations for the entertainers. Sometimes in
the middle of heavy recording you might need an hour or
two of rest before you get back to it. Having bedrooms
upstairs means you don’t need to spend that hour getting to
and from your hotel. You just go upstairs and crash for a
bit.”
Celeste nods her head in understanding of the benefits
that Stephen has brought to her attention. This, coupled
with everything else that Stephen has taught her today,
does make this studio seem like a good choice. But being
far from an expert she asks Stephen, “What do you think?”
“I think it’s perfect. I’m gonna make an offer. I just
need to sit down with Valerie and determine how much of
an offer.”
When Valerie and Stephen begin talking over the terms
of his offer on the studio, Celeste excuses herself from the
room. “Where are you going?” Stephen asks.
“I want to go look around a bit more,” Celeste says.
“All right.”
Ten minutes later Stephen finds Celeste gazing out the
window to the front of the house. “What are looking at?”
“Nothing really.”
He wraps her in his arms and kisses the top of her head,
“I’m ready to go when you are.”
Leaving the studio, they decide where they want to have
dinner and settle on
Tony Roma’s.
A place for ribs
.
Early Tuesday morning, Celeste picks up Stephen from
his hotel and drives him to the airport. “I told you you
didn’t need to take off the morning from work just to see
me to the airport. I could have taken a cab or something.”
“No. I wanted to.” Celeste gives voice to only part of
what she is thinking. She is so gripped by the fun they have
had together; she doesn’t want it to end. She couldn’t
imagine not seeing him off and missing out on getting one
last kiss.
Arriving at
the
airport
departure
terminal of LAX,
Stephen gives Celeste exactly what she wants. Stars burst
in the sky like fireworks on a crystal clear, cloudless night,
leaving Celeste wishing that he could continue to hold her
in his arms.
“Hey, Babe,” says an all too familiar voice calling her on
the phone one evening in late October.
“Hey there, yourself.”
“What are your plans for Thanksgiving?”
“Hmm. I don’t have any,” Celeste answers.
“Your mom and dad haven’t asked you to have dinner
with them yet?”
At the mention of her parents in the same sentence,
almost
as
if
they were
still a
couple,
Celeste
stiffens
slightly. “No. I haven’t spoken to either one of them in the
last couple of weeks actually.”
Stephen could not imagine having such a wonderful
daughter as Celeste and not making it a point to keep in
close contact. He is a grown man and talks to his family at
least twice a week. No matter where he is. “Will you come
and have Thanksgiving dinner with me and my family, in
Philly?”
Although Celeste had felt well received by Stephen’s
family when she had met them, and Joyce had told Celeste
not to wait too long before returning for a visit, Celeste
feels that she might be intruding on their family visit if she
visits that particular weekend.
“Nonsense, my mom would be delighted to see you
across from her table,” Stephen commented when Celeste
had shared with him her thoughts. He further tugged at her
heartstrings by saying, “It would mean a lot to me if you
would come.”
Celeste could no more disappoint this man than she
could sprout wigs and fly. “If you really want me to.”
“I do. So I’ll make all the reservations. Can you leave
on Wednesday morning so that you might avoid some of
the holiday travelers?”