Second Time Through Book IVChapter 22 Family Breakfast
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Second Time Through - Book IIChapter 24: Breakfast At Brennen's free porn video
Thursday, June 10, 1971
"Michael?" Mikeya said softly.
I awoke with a start. I was still in the booth and my neck ached from the way I had been sitting, leaning my head against the window.
"I don't know what's wrong with Ileana, she wouldn't tell me. But she's lying there in her bed, crying. Did you guys have a fight?" she asked me.
I quickly scanned and saw Nicky, Adriana, and Vickie were still in my stateroom talking. I looked at my watch, it was ten after three.
"No, not a fight. I did tell her about my past. I guess she's not very happy with me right now," I said.
"I don't think that's it. I've known her all her life and it's not that kind of upset. Can you do that thing and just look inside her?" Mikeya asked.
"I promised I wouldn't. Let's go see if she'll talk to me," I suggested.
Mikeya looked at me strangely for a moment, then turned towards the front of the train. I followed her up to the next car, the one with all the bedrooms. When she went in one, I simply followed.
"Ilie?" Mikeya called her sister.
Ileana didn't answer.
"Ileana? He's here," she said. "Will you speak to him? I know you're not asleep."
Ileana finally turned in the bed to face me. I could see that she had been crying.
"Oh, Michael, I'm so confused. You are not who I thought you were. You're ... you're old!" she cried.
Mikeya had disappeared into the bathroom when she saw her sister turn over.
I sensed that this was not the time for logic, and since she had spoken to me, I assumed it was now okay to scan her, so I did.
I was right, logic would have done no good. What I discovered is that she was dealing with a complex set of emotions that stemmed from her new perception of me. On one hand, I appeared to be her age, and on the other, I was statistically old enough to be her grandfather. And she was having trouble rectifying the two thoughts.
"Ileana," I said, sitting down on the edge of the berth. "Please look at me, and tell me what you see."
"I see an old man!" she spat out hurriedly.
"What is it with teenage girls and a guy's age?" I thought to myself.
"I have been called many things in my life, usually with more respect than that," I said somewhat sternly. "Is this how your mother taught you to address the Pele Solakanali?"
Ileana blinked twice, and raised her hand to her mouth in shock. She had forgotten.
"I'm sorry," she cried reflexively.
"Of course I'm old! All of the gods are old. But we can also be young if we chose. We're gods. We can be whatever we choose to be," I told her.
"Of course," she replied, as if what I was saying made sense. When she thought it through clearly, she would know better. But she was mired in her own emotional rut and I just wanted to nudge her out of it.
"Ileana, you have been chosen," I told her. "You have been chosen for me. To help me with a great task. A mission that the gods have given to me. But they know that to do it, I must have you with me."
"Oh!" was all she could say. But I could sense she was responding. This was a concept she could grasp.
"Will you deny what the gods have chosen you for? Do you cast me off so casually?" I asked her.
"Oh, no, Michael. I'm sorry. I was confused. All I could see was you dying of old age while I was still young," she cried.
She really was confused. Technically, her body was older than mine by a few months. She would turn seventeen before I did.
I held her as she struggled with the morass of embattled emotions.
Suddenly, it occurred to me that I might be able to 'heal' her confusion. I wasn't sure of what I was doing, but it couldn't hurt.
I took a deep breath and focused as I had been taught, as I began bathing her in the white and golden lights of healing. I wasn't sure which parts of her emotional makeup to address, so it was a general sort of approach, at first. But the more I did it, the more focused and specific I became. I actually got so caught up in what I was doing, I lost track of everything else for a moment, totally amazed by what I was seeing.
"I don't know what you are doing, but I'm feeling much better. Thank you, my husband," she said in an almost sultry voice.
Coming out of the healing mode, I was finding out, was like coming out of a trance. While I heard what she was saying, I was not totally coherent enough to verbally respond at first.
Ileana must have sensed this, because she pulled me to her as she lay there, enveloping me in her love.
"How can she go from depressed to horny that fast?" I remember wondering. It was my last conscious thought as my long day finally came to an end, and I fell asleep in her arms.
"Good morning, my husband," Ileana said cheerfully.
I immediately sensed that the train was no longer moving, and that the sun was pouring through the window. I looked at my watch; it was a couple of minutes past ten.
"Good morning," I grunted. After my seemingly endless day yesterday, I was grateful for the few hours of sleep I had gotten, but it really wasn't enough.
"Vickie said to wake you around nine so you would have time to get ready for your meeting with the architects," she told me. Ileana's reference to the time reminded me that my watch was still on eastern time. But if we were in New Orleans, then it was a few minutes past nine, central time.
"Thanks," I replied sleepily, as set my watch back an hour and tried to get my mind in gear. Back in 2011, they had discovered that young men's minds didn't fully mature until they were in their early to mid-twenties. I wondered if that applied to my mind now, because I felt very immature and under-developed this morning for some reason.
"I think your mind is marvelous. I felt so mixed up last night, but you were wonderful, and you made me feel so much better. I'm sorry I dumped all that on you. I realize now it couldn't have made any sense. It was probably just because it's my time of the month. Mikeya says I always get a little crazy when I'm on my monthlies," she explained.
She kissed me before I could reply.
"I started taking the pills the doctor gave me to keep from getting pregnant and I should be through with my period in a couple of days. Then, I plan to thank you properly! For everything!" she said, grinning at me.
"Everything?" I asked.
"I have a handsome prince for a husband and the chance to see the world. I have been chosen, as you reminded me last night, and I am thankful that you chose me. Thank you for being so understanding. Like I said, I'll really show you my appreciation in a few days!" she said passionately.
I was not sure who had chosen whom, but I wasn't going to argue. I pulled her to me to kiss her, and she gave me a quick peck, before jumping up.
"Hurry, they're waiting on you in the Dining Car!" she exclaimed.
Her words sobered me quickly. They must have reached a verdict.
I dragged myself from the bed. I was still in the clothes I had fallen asleep in. I'd need to change before we went to meet the architects. I made a quick stop in Ileana's bathroom before following her back towards the Dining Car, my heart heavy with fears of their rejection now that they knew. I mentally cursed myself for promising not to scan them.
Vickie was alone in a booth, obviously waiting on me. She smiled when I sat down across from her. Reaching across the table, she grabbed both my hands in both of hers.
"You know I love you, right?" she asked.
"I do now. I promised myself I wouldn't scan you while you made up your minds, so I didn't know until you told me," I explained.
"Well, you can scan me if you'd like, but the only thing that has changed for me is that I admire you more today than I did yesterday. It must have taken a lot of courage for you to go through what you did and be the person I know you are inside now. I'm sorry for all the misery you lived through the first time. It must have been awful if it caused you to end your own life that way. I can tell you that if I have anything to say about it, you'll never feel that alone again!" Vickie told me determinedly.
Tears filled my eyes as relief flooded my soul. Vickie loved me! And so I shared my love for her back to her.
We sat there, saying nothing. Two Empaths holding hands across the table and sharing their emotions on a deeper level than most people could ever imagine.
Finally, I recognized her tiredness.
"If you want, you can go to bed. I know you're tired. I can meet the architects on my own," I told her.
"Are you kidding?" she replied. "We have to be there. If we don't go, there's no telling what we'd end up living in. And like I told you, you're never going to feel alone again!"
I smiled at the sincerity in her voice, and I appreciated her saying it, so I wasn't going to press the issue. We shouldn't be too long and then she could come back to the train and take a nap or something.
"Okay. I get it. You don't trust me!" I teased. "If your mind is made up, go get ready. I've got to get cleaned up and dressed too."
Vickie laughed at me. It felt good after all my worrying last night.
"Nicky and Adriana are in your stateroom, waiting on you," she said as she stood up.
"Two down, one more to go," I remembered as I felt the doubts creeping back in.
I hugged her and she kissed me tenderly before saying, "Go now. I'll see you in a few minutes."
I began the long trek to my next uncertainty.
I paused to knock before entering my stateroom. It just goes to show how nervous I was that I didn't even notice the irony of that small act, knocking on my own door.
"Come in, Michael," Nicky called out. She was leaving as I came in, so she stopped to kiss me in the doorway.
"I love you, Brother," was all she said as she disappeared out the door.
I watched her go, then turned to face Adriana. Of the three of them, she looked the worst for having been up all night. I connected without scanning her, so she could talk to me, waiting for her to speak.
"Was that true? What you showed us, did it really happen that way?" Adriana asked me suddenly.
"What you saw was my memory of what happened," I replied. "It was accurate as far as I remember."
"So your last life was really that bad?" she thought to me.
"Comparisons are subjective. Was it as bad as not being able to speak?" I asked her rhetorically. "I really couldn't say. I can tell you that I lived the last forty years of my life in a lonely hell of sadness and despair. Should I have gotten out of the relationship earlier? I don't know. The fact is I didn't, and I paid the price."
"But why didn't you? Get out I mean. Especially when you realized what was happening," she asked.
"That's easy to answer, but the answer may be hard to understand," I replied.
"Try me," Adriana challenged.
I studied the beautiful redhead for a moment before I answered. I wondered why this was important to her. However, as with the others, I had promised myself I wouldn't scan her until she reached a decision.
"I'll explain why it's important to me in a minute, Michael. But first, tell me why you didn't just leave, instead of taking your own life," she said having picked up on my thoughts.
"I made a vow, Adriana. A marriage vow. And I kept hoping that things would get better. I clung to that hope for so long that when I finally realized it would never get better, I didn't want to go on. I realized too late that I couldn't change her, and yet I loved her. In my last lifetime, she is the only woman I ever knew. I was devastated and my heart was filled with sadness and remorse. I didn't seek professional help, and in a moment of weakness, after years of battling the depression, I gave in one night and took the easy way out," I confessed.
"How long?" she asked.
"How long what?" I asked back.
"How long before you realized you couldn't change her?" she clarified.
"About thirty three years... ," I replied after mentally adding it up in my head, " ... until I could admit it to myself."
She was quiet as she looked at me. I was ready to accept the fact that she would be leaving me soon, now that she knew.
"You married her to 'save' her from a bad home situation, then you spent the next thirty plus years trying to make it work, all because of a vow?" she asked, summarizing my whole story into a single question.
I nodded. There was nothing else to say.
"If you had it to do over again, would you leave?" she asked.
"I don't know," I said hesitantly. "I think I would be much more cautious before making a commitment, instead of breaking it."
"I have one more question," Adriana told me.
I nodded, waiting in silence.
"If you made a commitment to me, would you keep it?" Adriana asked as she looked deeply into my eyes."Like you did with her?"
"Adriana, after what I went through in my last life, I would never commit myself to anyone..." I told her, " ... unless I was prepared to honor that commitment forever!"
Adriana looked away, staring out the window at the bright morning sky scattered with a few puffs of clouds. I didn't move or say anything, waiting. Finally, she turned and looked at me.
"You said you were falling in love with me?" she asked.
Again, I nodded.
"I don't think I'm ready to ask you for a commitment, yet!" she smiled. "But I want it. All my life I have wanted someone who would be as loyal to me as you were to her. However, I also recognize that you are a very unique person, or maybe persons. And as such, you will never have just one woman. Damn it! You've already got two wives and a dozen women!"
I held my breath as I waited for her to continue.
"But the more I'm around you, and the more I learn about you, the more I admire you. I want you to love me, and I think I want to love you. I'm just not sure about sharing you with all the others," she said and then paused.
"I understand," I said. "I haven't scanned you because I promised myself I wouldn't until you make your decision. And I'll stand by that until you do."
"Thank you," she said softly, "for understanding. Do you still want me to work for you? Even if I can't commit to sharing you?"
"Of course!" I replied quickly. "I'd say that nothing has changed between us, but we both know it has. You now know that you're working for a time traveler with an unknown mission from unknown origins, who seems to have attracted a diverse group of people to help me. But I still have a company to run. It's a real company, with real people working there and real goals and challenges. Regardless of my mission, it still must be managed properly. I owe it to my family and all the employees that depend on Wagner Industries."
"Damn! There you go again," she exclaimed. "You have to be one of the most loyal men I have ever met!"
"Did I tell you I'm part puppy dog?" I said with a grin.
Adriana laughed at me in her mind. "No. But I should have guessed," she replied happily as she reached up to tousle my hair.
"Are you up to going with me to meet the architects?" I asked.
"Oh. I need to get ready. How much time before we leave?" she asked as she opened the stateroom door.
"We're supposed to meet them at 11:30, and I think it's about ten or fifteen minutes from here, so you've got about an hour before we have to leave.
"That may be enough time..." her thoughts trailed away as she headed for her stateroom planning what she was going to wear.
I figured I should get ready too, but I wondered what I'd do for the other forty-five minutes.
While Nicky, Vickie, Adriana, Amy, and Penny were all coming with me for breakfast and to meet the architects. Karla wanted to go shopping for some fresh foods and other items to re-stock the pantry and Kip volunteered to stay with the train and Mikeya, who was still asleep.
I gave the cab driver the address in the French Quarter and we all squeezed into the cab. On the way over, I filled the girls in on what I remembered about one of my all-time favorite restaurants.
"They say that you can't say breakfast in New Orleans without adding ... at Brennan's" I began. "Owen Brennan opened his French & Creole Restaurant on Bourbon Street in The French Quarter, some twenty-five years ago. According to legend, it was on a dare from his friend and fellow restaurant owner, Count Arnaud. A few years later, they moved to this location, and have been here ever since."
"So they serve French food? Goody! I love French pastries!" Adriana said.
"Yeah. But it's more like French with a Creole twist," I tried to explain. "They have many original items on the menu, with a special wine list for all the breakfast items. Brennan's, as it came to be known, became famous because of their lavish and substantial breakfast/brunch menu which features poached eggs prepared over two dozen different ways, as well as an old authentic Creole breakfast dish called grillades and grits."
"What are grillades and grits?" Nicky interrupted to ask.
"Grillades are usually pieces of veal simmered for a long time in a spicy sauce with tomatoes and bell peppers. Brennan's version is a little fancier, using sautéed baby veal scallops with this spectacular Creole sauce," I felt my mouth water as I recalled my last visit to Brennan's, some thirty years from now.
"But my favorite dish is the Bananas Foster, which Brennan originated here," I told them. "You have GOT to try it!"
The cab pulled to a stop in front of the Royal Street restaurant. The building Brennan's occupies was over one hundred and fifty years old and surrounds a lushly planted courtyard.
As we entered, Vickie gave my name to the hostess.
"We have you in one of the private dining rooms upstairs," she said. "Your guests have already arrived, Mr. Wagner. I took the liberty of seating them."
"Thank you," I replied automatically as we followed her through the restaurant to a set of stairs. The dining room was on the second floor and opened onto a balcony overlooking the courtyard. The elegant cloth covered table was already set, and a large antique sideboard was laden with drinks.
I was expecting to see the architects, so I was surprised to find Catherine sitting there waiting. And she had Grace and Beth with her.
There was an awkward silence as the girls came in behind me and their idle chatter abruptly ceased.
Grace and Beth were sitting next to Catherine.
Catherine sat there silently, staring at me. She was confused. It was obvious to me that she was trying to read me, but the Old One had shown me how to protect my thoughts better, and I had been actively working on it on the short trip over. So Catherine couldn't read me and she was at a loss as to how to proceed.
"Grandmother!" Nicky exclaimed as she rushed by me to hug her. "This is a surprise. I didn't know you were coming down."
The others all began crowding around Catherine, talking. I said nothing, focusing my scan first on Grace, and then on Beth.
Grace looked at me pensively. "Hi, Michael," she said. "Are you mad because I came?"
"Good morning, Grace. And no, I'm not mad," I replied. "Although, I'll admit I'm surprised."
"Don't blame Catherine, she thought it might help," she explained without really explaining.
"I don't," I replied. "Blame anyone, I mean." I wasn't meaning to be short with her, I just needed a moment to get my emotions in check.
"Good morning, Beth," I said turning to her. "Are you feeling better?"
"Yes, thank you. Catherine has told me a lot more about you and who you really are," she answered. "So I felt like I needed to come and apologize to you personally."
"You have nothing to apologize for," I told her. "I'm sure that this whole thing was quite a shock to you, but I don't feel like you did anything wrong."
"Still, I need to tell you how sorry I am for my actions. They weren't very professional," she said.
"It wasn't a situation you were ever professionally trained for. There's no way you could have been, so apology accepted, but not necessary. Okay?" I offered.
"Catherine said you would say that. But I didn't believe her," Beth said. "I keep remembering how you were ... er ... before."
"Well, I can't undo what the old Michael did, but he's no longer ... here. So, what if we just put the past behind us and start all over again," I suggested, quickly offering her my hand. "Hi, I'm the new Michael."
She looked from me to my offered hand, then slowly raised her hand to touch mine. I clasped it gently and raised her hand to my lips as I bent at the waist.
"It is a pleasure to meet you, Miss Dickson," I said, lightly brushing the back of her hand with my lips.
"Thank you, Prince Michael," she said demurely. "You are most gracious. Not at all like the old Michael."
"I have matured a lot since I woke up from the coma," I replied, hopefully guiding her as to how she should address the issue of my changing so much. At least when we were in public.
I was relieved that Beth seemed to have come to an understanding concerning my past. She was a sweet girl, who found herself in an unusual situation for which she wasn't prepared. It was way outside her scope of understanding, and she had obviously spent considerable time discussing it with Catherine, and thinking it through on her own. I sensed her relax as she had now completed the first part of her mission.
Turning to Catherine, and still without saying anything, I reached out my hand to her. When she took it, I pulled her to her feet and kissed her passionately, filling her with my love. Noticing that she was in some pain, I also worked quickly to heal the stiff muscles I sensed in her back and hips, probably from the airplane flight down this morning, as I scanned her about Grace.
"Michael! Please!" Vickie thought to me. "It's too much!"
I realized that they were all sensing my passion, and Grace had suddenly become very scared.
"I believe you've grown even more powerful, haven't you?" Catherine asked.
"I guess..." I thought, shrugging my shoulders.
Catherine resumed her seat and I pulled a chair directly in front of her, holding both her hands in mine. I no longer needed to touch her to sense her, but it seemed to make Catherine feel more at ease.
"Have you scanned her?" she asked, referring to Grace.
"Yeah. Though I'm not sure I'm seeing anything in her emotional makeup that has changed since we left the ranch a week ago," I thought back to Catherine. "If anything, she seems even more tormented and confused."
"Well, I don't have your abilities, so I can't say for sure. But we've talked almost nonstop since she arrived yesterday, and the poor thing is absolutely miserable. I'm not sure she even understands why. So I decided I'd come down and meet the architects with you, and brought her along. I was hoping that if she was around you, she could begin to sort things out for herself," Catherine said.
I wasn't used to hearing Catherine ramble on like this. She was usually a very succinct person, with an organized thought process. But when it came to Grace, she was definitely more emotional. With my new power, I began to understand why. Grace really had become like the daughter she never had. All those nights they shared, watching and waiting to see if I would wake up, but not believing I really would, had tied them together emotionally, somehow.
"So you didn't bring her down here to get us back together?" I asked, just to make sure.
"Oh, no! I just thought that if I got her around you some, it might help her realize what she's feeling. After the last time, I know better than to meddle in your love life. I just want to help Grace get through this and make some decisions about what she wants to do with her life," Catherine explained.
"Then let me help you," I said.
"What do you mean?" Catherine asked.
"Watch," was my single word reply. Then taking a deep breath, I slowly exhaled, relaxing as the Old One had taught me and focused on Grace, taking Catherine with me on an emotional tour of Grace's memories. When I do it, things seem to slow down so I can see even tiny details, but the elapsed time was probably only a few seconds.
"There's too much. How can you do this?" Catherine asked, with amazement. "How can you process all of that so quickly?"
I shrugged my shoulders. "I don't really know. But hopefully, you saw that Grace is still a very insecure person. She's lost everyone in her life who she loves, even her twin sister, who's is going away to college. She desperately needs the security of someone who loves her and will be there for her."
"I'm sorry, Michael. It was all too much for me to comprehend that fast," Catherine replied. "However, I understand what you're telling me. It was just all too much, too fast for me to understand."
So, I replayed part of my scan of Grace for Catherine, much slower this time and focusing on her insecurities.
"All right, Michael. I can see that she's not ready for a relationship with you. I can see that she's as insecure as you said. But, I still don't know what to do to help her," Catherine said sadly.
There was a small knock at the door, and the hostess entered leading two men and a young lady.
"Vickie, would you greet my guests and explain that I'll be with them in a moment?" I thought to her.
"Of course, Michael," Vickie responded immediately.
I then led Catherine and Grace into a smaller unoccupied dining room next door seeking a little more privacy for what I had in mind.
"Catherine, would you allow me to show Grace your heart? I mean what you feel for her? " I asked. "I have an idea that if she knew, it might help her."
Catherine nodded once, hesitantly.
"Grace? You know that Catherine is normally a pretty reserved person," I explained. "She doesn't always share her feelings easily. But this morning, she has given me permission to show you how she truly feels for you. If, that is, you'll allow me to do it?" I requested out loud.
"Uh, okay," Grace replied hesitantly also.
Quickly I tied Grace in with us.
Connecting the two of them, I mentally stepped into the background as I revealed Catherine's love and concern for Grace, to her. It only took a moment.
Then leaving the connection between them intact, I returned to our dining room. Grace immediately went to Catherine who held her as she began to cry quietly on her shoulder.
As I had done for Adriana and Randi on Tuesday, I left them connected, pushing them to the back of my mind as I went to meet my guests.
Brennan's likes to start off their brunch guests with a special brandy milk punch or 'Eye-Opener' as the menu calls it. Pitchers of ice water and fresh squeezed orange juice, along with pots of hot, blue-black coffee and crystal cream pitchers were also at hand.
Vickie had already greeted our guests, making apologies for me, and introducing Adriana and herself as my assistants. Then she and Adriana had played the part of hostess, filling our guests drink orders from the huge antique sideboard.
I approached the threesome to introduce myself, apologizing for the brief delay.
Roger Skinner was a tall, distinguished looking man, in his early fifties, I guessed. I scanned him and sensed that he was here because he liked his clients to know he was personally involved in his firms' projects, especially ones as lucrative as this one could be. I knew in an instant I liked him and would be doing business with him because I could sense he was a man of principle and integrity. Now, I just needed the appropriate moment to tell him. He had brought two of his youngest associates with him, in hopes of their relating to the purportedly young client.
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