The Vineyard
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In The Vineyard Ch. 10 free porn video
Miles held the door of the diner open for Ana as she walked into the dimly lit restaurant. The diner had an old-fashioned look, as if the furnishings had been there for years and years. The walls were lined with booths, each booth featuring the listings for a jukebox sitting in the corner. Poor, modern country music was playing. There was also a bar with seating, and a few free standing tables. Half dozen or so men sat at the bar, smoking and drinking draft beers. Behind the counter was shelving, covered with bottles of spirits and a row of beer bottles. Next to the bottles sat an old color television, tuned to a football game. Every so often, the men would make a noise after a particularly exciting play.
Miles said ‘Hey’ as they entered and led Ana to a booth. A couple of the men looked up and made sounds of acknowledgment. Miles handed Ana one of the menus on the table, then got up and went toward the bar. She saw him looking at the television, and asking one of the men something. They were gesturing toward the ball game. The other man got up from his seat and went behind the bar. He spent a minute doing something, then went back around to his seat. Miles returned to their table carrying two draft beers. ‘Lager or stout?’ He was holding one glass of light colored liquid, the other dark.
‘I’ll take the lighter one, if you don’t mind.’
‘No, I like stout. But, you should try a taste of this. It’s a brewery from up on the lake. The lager is theirs, too. They’ve won a lot of awards.’
‘I don’t know that much about beer.’
‘I get what I know from Jimmy. He was a beer maker way before he started hanging around the winery. He makes good beer, too. ‘
A waitress appeared, wearing cut off shorts, tennis shoes and a tee shirt with a pinned name tag reading ‘Donna’. ‘You know what you want?’ she asked.
Miles looked up and at Ana. ‘Do you need a minute?’
‘No, if you go first.’ She eyed the short menu. It was standard diner fare, burgers, sandwiches, and entrees like meatloaf, chicken and dumplings.
‘What you want, honey?’ the waitress addressed Miles. She was slim, late 20s, with a mass of long curly hair tied back in a thick ponytail.
‘Cheeseburger, fries. And a glass of water.’
‘The usual,’ she said writing on a pad. ‘Now you can’t tell me you eat like this all the time and don’t get fat.’ Ana guessed that Miles had carried on a flirtation with Donna during prior visits. Miles patted his stomach. ‘You’re right there. I only do this as a special treat.’ Donna looked at Ana. ‘Listen to him,’ she said. ‘I keep trying to get him to eat some of the good food here – our meatloaf is excellent. And, we have a grilled chicken breast, or a broiled cod. But, no, it’s always cheeseburger and fries.’
‘At least I’m consistent, ‘Miles said to her, smiling.
‘I wouldn’t say that,’ Donna replied. ‘This is the first time you brought a date. I was beginning to worry about you. I’m Donna, by the way,’ she extended her hand to Ana. ‘Miles has been coming here about every other Sunday for, what is it, a few years now.’
Miles nodded. ‘And, it’s always a pleasant experience.’
‘Well,’ Donna said, ‘Sunday is our slow day. You should see it here on a Friday or Saturday night. Dozens of families with kids. It’s a real madhouse. And, during the week nights, it’s ball teams. Softball, baseball, soccer. Nope, you picked a good day to be a regular.’ The door opened and Donna turned. ‘Now, look at that. I spoke too soon.’ A group of six people came in – two children, a young woman carrying a baby, a young man, and a slightly older couple. ‘Well, sweetie, looks like I’m getting busy. ‘ Donna was talking to Ana. ‘Know what you want?’
‘Yes, I’ll try the broiled cod. And a green salad, house dressing.’
‘Coming right up. You ok with the beer?’
‘I’ll be ready in a minute,’ said Miles. He was working his way through the stout. He looked over at Ana’s beer. She had just started to drink it.
‘I guess just bring another stout and water – Ana, do you want water?’ She nodded.’ One stout, two waters, coming right up.’ Donna said. As she walked away, Ana said, ‘She’s nice.’
‘Yeah. She’s terrific. She’s the owner’s daughter, and she really runs the place. I have been here when it was crowded, and you should see her hustle. She has all of the regulars down – knows when to bring drinks and when to ask. And, she’s a flirt with all of the guys, but manages to be nice to the ladies at the same time.’
Donna came back with the beer and water, then headed to the group of six. Other than the men at the bar, they were the only customers besides Miles and Ana. They had chosen a table and placed a high chair at one end. Ana saw Miles watching the baby. She looked over at the group as well.
‘Cute baby,’ she said.
‘Mmhm. Looks really young.’ Miles finished the rest of the first beer. Ana took a sip from hers and looked back at the baby. To her surprise, the young mother seemed to be staring at them. Ana looked to see if Miles noticed this, but he was flipping through the jukebox selections. Ana looked back, and the group were all engaged in conversations over their menus. I must have imagined that she was staring at us, Ana thought.
‘Miles, do you know where the lady’s room is?’
‘Sure. ‘ He pointed back near the entrance. Ana saw a hallway she hadn’t noticed earlier with a sign stating ‘restrooms’.
‘I’ll be right back,’ she said, going down the hallway. Miles watched Ana, and as he turned his eyes away, he noticed the young mother at the other table watching Ana. Without saying anything to the rest of the group, the young mother rose up and walked over to Miles.
‘I know you,’ she said, ‘I know you well.’ She was wearing a cotton print dress, which accentuated her thin figure. Her limbs were long and her straight honey brown hair was parted in the middle. Miles looked at her. Within seconds, he knew who she was.
‘Tessa,’ Miles fumbled, turning red, remembering the times when he had enjoyed her youthful beauty while her mother was away or slept in the other room. She’d shower for him and with him naked, and she’d sunbathe in the nude with him. Yes, he remembered her. How could he forget? ‘You’ve changed a lot. You look much more like your mother.’
‘That’s right, Davie. I thought it was you, as soon as I saw you. But I wasn’t sure, what with that disguise. You look different now – your hair. And, you’re thinner. But, your eyes are the same.’
Miles was stunned. He tried to be casual. ‘So, how are you? I see you have a baby.’
‘Yeah. How observant of you. Then you never were the sharpest knife in the drawer. The baby wasn’t exactly planned. But Jason,’ she pointed at the young man, ‘he has been great. Those other folks are Jason’s sister and her husband. We live with them. We had to move out of our apartment because I couldn’t work during most of the pregnancy. I wanted to keep my baby and try to be a family. And Jason agreed. We got married as soon as I realized that I was pregnant. Not like the way my mom was.’ Miles saw a trace of a tear in Tessa’s eye. ‘My mom still talks about you. She’s always asking me to look for her husband, for Davie, and to let him know that the arrangements are ready, whatever that means.’
Miles saw Ana working her way back. ‘Look, Tessa, I can’t explain you to my friend. Not easily, anyway.’ He pulled a card from his wallet. ‘This is where I am. And, I’m not Davie anymore. I’m Miles, Miles Davis DeLong. Call me. I need to know exactly where your mother is. Can you call me tomorrow? Call the second number, that’s my cell.’
Tessa looked down and nodded. ‘I will. You can make me, and my mom, happy. And, I understand about your friend. I didn’t feel right telling Jason and his sister who you were, either. I mean, it’s sort of a complicated story to tell, but what we did Davie, I was willing and able. It was great. You were a great teacher. And it sure beat losing my
virginity to some high school kid in the back seat of a Chevy. Mom knows that we were lovers, she’s ok with it, she knew all along. My husband doesn’t know, can’t know, but I’ll call you.’ Tessa walked away just as Ana came back to her seat. She didn’t look back.
Ana looked at Miles. ‘I saw her staring at us. Do you know her?’
‘Yes.’
‘Well?’
‘An old….. friend.’
‘She doesn’t look that old.’
Miles was silent. Ana felt he was being evasive. ‘Look, Miles. I don’t want to pry into everything, but you can’t expect me just to ignore all of these mysterious things. Like your secret talk with Jack. And, your possible trip to God knows where. And, now some mystery woman appears, with a baby, talks to you and you won’t tell me who it is. It’s just that this is so far away from the Miles who wants us to be together. Shouldn’t we have some trust? I haven’t hidden anything from you, have I?’
‘How could I possibly know what you would choose to hide?’ Miles replied. ‘I have known you a week. What sort of gal invites a guy over to her place and has sex with him? Jesus Christ, we are still looking forward to our first date.’
Miles hid his face in his hands. He didn’t mean to snap at Ana, but he did snap. ‘You’re right,’ he said, ‘I don’t want to spend our time talking about my problems, problems that I need to work through, and that have nothing to do with you.’ Ana could tell that he was upset, really upset, and she tried to help bury his frustration.
Donna arrived with the food. Ana was pleased to see that the cod looked fresh and had an appealing smell.
‘Need ketchup?’ Donna asked Miles.
‘Of course,’ he answered. She took a bottle off another table and handed it to him.
‘More beer?’ she asked Ana.
‘Bring another round,’ Miles said before Ana could answer. Donna nodded and walked away.
‘I can see that we need to talk.’ Miles said. ‘Or maybe, I need to do the talking. First of all, you’re absolutely right. I haven’t been fair.’ Miles picked up the cheeseburger and took a bite. Ana started to take a fork full of the fish.
‘So, who was that?’
‘No, first things first. What happened at Jack’s. Then I’ll get to her. But, what a coincidence.’ Miles poured ketchup on the plate. ‘Want any fries?’
‘No thanks, I’m fine.’
Miles grinned. ‘I really don’t usually eat like this. Just when I come here.’
‘I believe you,’ Ana said.
‘Good.’ He looked at her, serious now. ‘I don’t want to give you any reason to doubt me.’ Miles took a drink of beer. He looked over toward the table of six. They were taking no notice of Miles and Ana. Miles spoke softly, just the same. ‘Jack asked me to do two things for him. One, call some attorneys about a divorce from Mary…or…uh…Em. He’s already contacted someone, so all I need to do is call and find out what they need. No big deal, right? Something I should have done eight years ago.’
‘Whose Mary? Is that Em’s real name? That’s not so bad, getting divorced I mean. I don’t know why it has to be a secret.’
‘There was a second thing. Jack wants me to go visit Em.’
‘Visit Em? Do you know where she is?’
‘Well…I don’t…well, Jack says she’s in Italy. Somewhere east of Verona, where they have the VinItalia wine fair each spring. Jack has…found a place for her to stay.’
‘And her daughter? ‘ Ana looked over at the young woman.
Miles nodded. ‘Ana, believe me, that was about the most unexpected thing that’s ever happened to me. You see, Jack found her – found Tessa with a private detective. He gave me a number and told me to call her. His detective reported that she ended up in Mount Union, but he didn’t say anything about her being married, or having a kid.’
‘So, this was just coincidence?’
‘Really weird, isn’t is? I can’t believe she recognized me. I might have eventually worked out who she was, but I doubt it. Not until she came up here and I really looked at her. Then I could see the resemblance to Em.’ Miles was lying to Ana, and he wondered if Ana bought any part of his ‘really weird’ bs.
‘So, what does this mean? Did you find Em?’
‘What does ‘find’ mean? She was never that lost. I am the one who has changed my name, my occupation, my lifestyle, and I am the one who has been hard to find.’
‘I asked Tessa to call me.’ Miles took another sip of beer. ‘Ana, the last thing I want to do is to see Em. I still get so mad sometimes that I could just punch a wall, or something. And, who knows what I’m likely to do if I do see her.
‘Miles, I’m sure you can control your temper. At least, I hope you can. You might get in trouble if you hurt something. Or someone.’
‘The point of this is that Jack is insistent that I see her, and apparently he has his reasons. He says that I’ll never get over her, and being angry, if I don’t. A sort of cleansing, if you know what I mean. He thinks that seeing her, talking to her, will get her out of my system.’
‘I understand that. I mean, I broke up with Greg in person. I would never have done it in writing, or over the phone. Besides, don’t you need to see her to divorce her?’
‘Not really. According to Jack, since her location is officially unknown, I don’t. But, in a way, I would like to tell her, face to face. I mean, the way she ran out on me was cowardly – whether she was breaking the law or not, she should have had the guts to tell me she was leaving. Then, it would have been over, once and for all.’ Miles had stopped paying attention to the food and beer, and he continued lying to Ana. ‘You can’t imagine what it felt like, especially those first few days, hoping, praying, that there was some mistake and that she’d be back. And, when it finally dawned on me, knowing that she never cared about me, that the whole thing was a set up.’ Miles stopped, out of breath. He paused, then took a deep, deliberate inhale. ‘I would like to tell her in person that I’m divorcing her. In that regard at least, I want to be better to her than she was to me. I want to tell her myself, and explain myself. And, I want to let her know that she didn’t ruin my life, that I am better now than I was!’ Miles became still, and Ana could see that he was deep in thought.
‘Miles – maybe Jack is right. Maybe you need to see her to work through this. I mean, I haven’t known you that long, but I think I know something about you. And, in a way, you’ve been running from this for all these years. Changing your name, changing the way you looked, moving to a different town, learning a new type of business. It is as if you are still denying your past. And, like it or not, that past it a part of what you are. ‘
‘Not really. Not who I am today.’
‘Maybe not, in some ways, but in other ways yes. You have to think about how much you love what you do now – winemaking, and your plans to open your own winery. Would that have happened if there hadn’t been Em? Or, if Em hadn’t been the way she was. You know, Miles, I remember the first time I met you and we were talking about me losing my job. And you said something about how things always work out, and work out for the better. All grapes into the press, you said, instead of water under the bridge. Because with grapes…’ Ana stopped and looked at Miles. She reached across the table and took his hand. He looked up at her. ‘…I know, the grapes are gone, but you end up with something even better, the wine.’
‘Ana, good wine cannot be made from bad grapes.’
‘Just think,’ Ana went on, ignoring Miles and rambling like a schoolgirl with a crush, ‘if I hadn’t lost my job, there would have been no time for grape picking and no Miles in my life.’
‘I should send your old company a ‘thank you’ card.’ Ana was pleased to hear Miles speak with some humor in his voice.
‘Miles, I won’t tell you what to do or not to do. But, if you think you need to see Em, to give yourself a sense of closure, then I think you should. Either way, I’m here for y
ou.’ Ana was surprised at how intense her feelings were. She felt anger toward Em, anger at what she’d done to Miles. Maybe this is love, she thought. Not wanting someone else to ever feel hurt.
‘OK, no more talk about this. Not right now. This is my day off, remember,’ said Miles. He continued with the burger and fries. Ana finished most of the fish, then ate the salad.
‘Fry?’ Miles asked again, holding one toward Ana on a fork.
‘Why not?’ she said. He guided the fork toward her mouth and she took a bite out of the fry. ‘Not bad. Actually nice and crisp, and not too greasy.’ Miles handed her the fork with the other half of French fry.
‘I think we’ve already been exposed to each other’s germs.’ He pushed his plate to the middle of the table. ‘Help yourself,’ he said, taking another fry with his fingers. ‘There are plenty.’
Donna checked by and asked if more beer was wanted. Miles said no, then asked Ana. ‘I’m fine,’ she said. She was only about halfway through the second.
‘We’re ready for the bill,’ Miles said to Donna.
‘Just want to make sure I earn my tips,’ she replied.
Ana took another drink of the beer. Donna brought the bill. Miles picked it up, scanned it, removed a couple of bills from his wallet and left them under the table’s salt and pepper shakers.
‘I’ll be right back,’ he said, getting up and walking to the restrooms. Ana noticed that Miles went around the edge of the room, avoiding the other table. She wondered what their exchange had been like – and how it felt to be confronted with his wife’s grown up daughter. A step daughter, Ana was thinking, that he never knew he had. And, now her with a daughter. Ana found herself imagining Em. She must be beautiful, Ana though. But so cold, to leave behind her daughter and do what she had done to Miles.
Miles came back out of the bathroom. Ana took one last drink of the beer and headed toward the door. She couldn’t stop herself from looking over at the young woman, at Tessa. For a second, their eyes met. If the daughter is anything like her mother, Ana thought, she must be quite beautiful. She tried to read Tessa’s expression. Curiosity, and a little of something that wasn’t entirely friendly. Ana turned her head back toward Miles. He was holding the door open for her.
‘See you, Donna.’ The waitress was carrying out dishes of ice cream to Tessa’s table. ‘Bye, Miles,’ she said. ‘Nice to meet your friend. Bring her back again.’
‘Will do.’ Miles said. Ana took a last look. The men at the counter were still there, drinking beer, watching football on the television. The country music still played in the background.
After they left, Tessa stood up. She crossed to a pay phone, inserted a coin, then dialed a number.
A man answered the phone.
‘Mr. Formby? I found him. We came here right after you called.’
She listened for a second. ‘No, I would never have known him if you hadn’t shown me a picture. He looks totally different now, like he’s disguised. But there are things about him, things you don’t know, things only I know. He gave me his number and told me to call him tomorrow. I’ll get the information together and call him.’
She listened again. ‘I let him think it was just by accident. Yes, we’ll stop by after we eat. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate the money. Oh, and Mr. Formby? When should I tell my mother he’ll be coming?’
‘Next week? I’ll let her know, but Italy is far away. Does Davie even have a passport?’
‘Yes, under his real name, from his days as an investment advisor. It has a couple of years left on it. He can be out of the country quickly, quite quickly. I’ve booked his flight on Delta / Air France, Cincinnati to Paris, Paris to Venice, business class. Someone will need to meet him at the Venice airport on Tuesday at around noon Italian time.’
Jack Formby hung up the phone. He trusted Miles, even now, but even good men sometimes needed a push. He knew that Miles would go to the diner – he always did. It was easy enough to contact the girl himself and arrange for her to be there. She jumped at the chance when he offered not only to pay for the family’s meal, but to give her a few hundred in cash. ‘For the baby,’ he said, and she agreed. Looks like things were moving right along. He felt a dull pain inside. None too soon, either. There wasn’t much time left.
Brandy
- 19.11.2022
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