Uncorked (14 page)

“Mom,” snapped Mitch. “That’s not
your business.”

Mitch’s cell phone bleated
through the charged air.

He sighed and answered,
“Charlotte, what’s up?”

Liz stared at Chella as if she
were the next dish to be served.

“Hold on a second,” Mitch said.
He put his hand over the mouthpiece. “Chell, I have to take this. Something’s
up with Emily.”

“I’ll be fine,” Chella said.

When Mitch left the room, Liz
said, “Chella, can I be honest with you about something? You know, woman to
woman?”

“Sure.” Chella looked her
straight in the eye.

“I’m not sure what you’re after
from my son. Maybe it’s money, I’m not certain, but let me tell you this. Mitch
won’t explain to me the nature of your relationship, and I have a big problem
with him bringing a woman into our lives when there are no clearly-defined
lines. I guess what I’m asking is what are your intentions with my son?”

“With all due respect to you,
Liz, Mitch is a grown man. Those are questions he is more than capable of
answering. As for my intentions, you don’t have to worry about your son’s bank
account. He has his, and I have mine. Trust me when I tell you I pay my own way.”

“Are you sleeping with him?”

Chella nearly choked on her pie.
“I don’t see how that could possibly be any of your business.”

 “I have a problem with Mitch
bringing a woman around my grandchild when he won’t tell me her background.”

“Well, maybe you should trust his
judgment. Is he in the habit of bringing tons of women into your home?”

“No, he’s not, but for some
reason he found it necessary to bring you.”

Well, maybe you should take a
hint…

“Liz, am I really the problem? Or
would any woman he brought into your house get the same reception?”

“I don’t trust you.”

“On what basis? You haven’t even
tried to get to know me. From the moment I walked into your house, you judged
me. I tried to be pleasant and helpful to you, but all I get is the cold
shoulder. When you’re not being cold or rude, you accuse me of being after your
son for his money. You know absolutely nothing about me.”

“Then why won’t Mitch talk to me
about your family and your past? If you have something to hide, he shouldn’t be
bringing you around my granddaughter.”

“I don’t owe you an explanation,
but because I care about your son, I’ll tell you this. I have no family.
They’re all dead. My parents died in a car accident when I was eighteen, and
because of that, my past is a painful one. I don’t like to talk about it. So
maybe Mitch won’t say anything to you because everything I’ve told him was in
the strictest of confidence. If that means I have something to hide then fine.”

“Mitch may be a grown man, but
he’s still my one and only baby. I want what’s best for him, so if there is
something I don’t like about his girlfriends, I tell him. I didn’t like
Charlotte, and we all know how
that
ended. She never loved him as much
as he loved her. At least I got a grandchild out of it.”

“I’m not Charlotte, and he’s not
a baby. I appreciate that you want what’s best for him and you’re protective of
him. I’d probably be the same way, but for you to disrespect me the way you
have is totally uncalled for.”

“Nothing’s uncalled for when it
comes to protecting my family.”

“Can we just try to get along to
make Mitch happy?”

“Not unless you tell me what
you’re hiding.”

Mitch walked back into the room.
“Mom, what do you think you’re doing?”

“Nothing that’s not the truth. I
don’t see the need for pretense. I don’t like her. She’s not good enough for
you.”

“By your standards, no one will
ever be good enough for me.”

“Francesca is still available.”

“Francesca is like a sister.
Nothing more. You’ve been trying to set me with your best friend’s daughter all
my life. When will you get it through you head that I am not interested in
her?”

“Why don’t you at least take her
on a date? She doesn’t live too far from San Diego.”

“Because Chella is the one I’m
interested in. I have very deep feelings for her, and I don’t appreciated how you
treated her tonight. Do you have to be so repugnant?”

“I was just being honest.”

“Mom, I’m only going to say this
one time, just once. Chella is the woman I care about. She’s the one I want in
my life, and if you can’t learn to get along with her and respect her, then I’m
afraid when I’m in Santa Monica and she’s with me I won’t be visiting. The
choice is yours.”

“She’s after your money.”

“Where’s the evidence to support
that statement? Mom, I’m warning you. If you can’t be civil, and you continue
to make these baseless claims, you won’t see me.”

“That’s exactly what she wants.”

“Why do you think every woman who
comes into my life wants to get into a competition with you?”

“She needs to tell me what she’s
hiding first.”

“Chella’s past is none of your business.”

“If she’s involved with you it
is.”

“This is getting us nowhere.
Goodbye. Don’t expect us for dinner tomorrow.” Mitch snatched his blazer off
the back of the chair and rammed his fists through the sleeves.

“You’re falling for her tricks.
That’s what she wants.”

“When you make up your mind, you
know my number.”

Chella stood and looked at Liz.
“I have no interest in keeping Mitch away from you. I grew up without a family,
and I know how difficult that can be. I’d never want that for anyone I cared about,
especially if they had a choice. I’m willing to forget about tonight if you
want to start over.”

“He may be fooled by your antics,
but I’m not,” Liz sneered.

“That’s enough.” Mitch picked up
the car keys, grabbed Chella’s hand, and led the way through the door. “We’re
leaving.”

Chella couldn’t believe
the conversation she just had
with his mother. In the past, when Mitch spoke of her behavior, Chella thought
she was just an overprotective mother. She was far beyond overprotective.

As he drove away, he said, “I’m
sorry I put you in this position. I should have known better.”

“Let’s just go. I’m exhausted. I
need a shower and a bed.” Chella watched the street lights drift by outside her
window. After a time, she added, “You know there’s one thing she was right
about.”

“Hmm?”

“Being around Emily. I’m not sure
it’s a good idea to meet her. Not yet. What if Aaron finds out you have a
daughter? What if things don’t work out between us?”

“Those are not thoughts I wish to
entertain. They’re legitimate, but we don’t live near each other, and we won’t
be seeing Emily on a daily basis. I wouldn’t worry too much. I was hoping that
my three favorite women could meet this weekend. I know it didn’t work out with
my mom, but I think you would love Emily.”

“I’m sure I will, but I’m not
sure it’s what’s best for her.”

“I took extra precautions when
planning this trip. Everything is being paid with a prepaid debit card. My name
is not attached to anything we purchase for this trip.”

“How’s that possible?”

“They’re available in mostly
offshore markets. Some might cost some money upfront, but they’re out there.”

“How come I don’t know about
this? A girl like me could have use for a card like that.” Chella said smiling.

“I’m sure you can. I’ll show you
sometime.”

“And you’re sure this can’t be
traced to you?”

“One-hundred percent.”

“Okay, I just want to be certain.
By the way, is Emily okay? Earlier when Charlotte called, you said there was a
problem with her?”

“Minor emergency. Emily was
bitten by their neighbor’s dog. Barely broke the skin, but it frightened her.
She asked for me when it happened.”

“Did you want to go see her?”

“No, she’s in bed now. We’ll see
her in the morning.”

The following morning
Mitch and Chella went to pick up
Emily, excited about their plans for the day. When Emily entered the car with
her Dad, she sat in the car seat hiding her face, looking through her fingers
and smiling at Chella.

“Sweetie, I want you to meet
Chella. Chella, this is my brilliant daughter, Emily.”

“Hello, Emily. It’s nice to meet
you. I’ve heard a lot of nice things about you.” Chella shook the little girl’s
hand.

Emily smiled at Chella bashfully.

“I thought you might enjoy using
this today,” Chella said, handing the little girl a pink gift bag.

“Go ahead. Open it,” Mitch said, encouraging
her.

Emily pulled the small pink
binoculars from the bag.

“It’s pink. That’s my favorite
color,” she said.

“Great. Do you know what they
are?” Chella asked her.

“I look through them?”

“That’s right. They’re
binoculars. They help you see things that are far away.”

“Thank you. I like them because
they’re pink. Daddy what are we doing today?” Emily asked.

“Well, honey, we’re going to get
some snacks and drinks now. Then we’re going to take the boat out to a nice bay
down the coast and spend the day there. After we get back, we might go to
dinner at grandma’s house. Sound’s good?”

“Daddy, that sounds great. I
can’t wait!” The little girl said with excitement.

“Might?” Chella whispered looking
over to Mitch.

“I’m not sure I want to take you
back there, and I gave my mother an ultimatum. I haven’t heard from her
regarding her decision.”

“Don’t worry about it. We’ll
discuss it later,” she replied as she smiled at him.

As they sailed to their
destination, Mitch at the wheel, Chella showed Emily how to use her new
binoculars. It was the perfect gift. For hours, she and Chella looked through
them at the spectacular coastal views and the abundant wildlife in the area.
The fresh ocean breezes and the sun high in the sky set the scene for the day.

They anchored the boat in Morro
Bay, a fishing village with hundreds of vessels scattered between a causeways
or sand dunes of sorts. A massive, stunning rock jutted from the ocean’s
surface. Falcons and pelicans hovered in the air, frequently feeding on
whatever was in the water below. Seals frolicked along the rocky coastline and
swam in the Prussian blue waters, splashing around like kids having fun.
Kayakers and surfers glided over the ocean’s surface.

“Emily, would you like to help me
collect some shells and sea glass?” Chella asked.

“Sure, we can put them in my sand
bucket.”

“That’s a perfect idea.”

“Why don’t I leave you girls
alone and go get us some lunch?” Mitch said.

“Sounds perfect,” Chella replied.
He kissed them each good bye on the cheek, leaving them to their own devices.

“Chella, does sea glass grow in
the sea?” Emily asked as they searched the shoreline.

“No. Sea glass starts out like
normal glass from bottles and glasses or plates. When they’re near water and
the seashore, they get weathered. Do you know what weathered means?”

“When it rains?”

“That’s weather. Weathered means
worn, or old or damaged. Let me show you what I mean.” Chella stood where the
waves lapped upon their feet. “See how every time the waves lash onto the shore
you can see rocks and shells and maybe even glass rolling around in the sand
and the water?”

“Yeah.”

“Every time that happens, it
makes most of the sharp edges on the glass disappear. When the sand and the
shells and the stones all rub against each other, it scratches the surface and
makes it dull.”

“Is that why my mom doesn’t want
me to ride my bike and play with my toys on the hardwood floors?”

Chella smiled at her analogy.
“Something like that. When things rub against each other, they can get
scratched, and damaged, and dull and that’s exactly what happens to normal
glass left on the seashore. You understand?”

 “I understand, but how does the
glass get there in the first place?”

“Different ways. Sometimes people
have parties on the beach and leave bottles behind. Sometimes people throw them
off boats and ships.”

“How come there are so many
different colors?”

“Well, many drinks come in
different colored bottles—green, brown, blue, clear. People bring all kinds of
bottles to the beach.”

“I’m going to tell Micky where
sea glass comes from when I get home.”

“That awesome.”

“I love to teach my little
brother new things.”

“It’s a fantastic way to learn.”