The Dandelion Six

                                                       Chapter 31


         The mowers and baggers had been working for a little over an hour when Maria retreated to the shade of the tent for a bottle of water.  She wanted to go a little earlier, but waited for the blaring music to stop.  She wiped fat beads of sweat from her forehead and face as she greeted a few others who had also returned to the confines of the shade.  A couple of middle-aged men sat at a table drinking beer and eating brats that Melissa and her group had prepared.  Seeing the men reminded Maria that she had only eaten a bagel in the morning and that she probably needed more even though she did not feel particularly hungry at the moment.
         After gulping a couple of mouthfuls from her icy bottle, she looked out over the yard to gauge the progress.  Over half of the yard had been cut down.  As the squadron of mowers continued to hum through the yard, a long line of filled bags marked their progress up the drive.  The mowers even, albeit accidentally, uncovered a couple of sculptures of alligators that had been completely overgrown.  Neffets was the first to find them as his tires and blade contacted the tail of the metal work hidden beneath the weeds as he was coming about for another pass.  Maria will never forget the look of terror on Neffets’ face when he initially thought the blade of his mower had been ruined.  He and his group immediately stopped to inspect it and found the blade to be dinged, but not so badly that he would have to stop.  After that, he sent the group of young girls, including Maria’s new friend Carrie, into the yard to search for more hidden statues so an event like that would not happen a second time. 
         “So, how’s it goin’?” a familiar voice said from behind Maria.  She turned to see Melissa crossing behind her to the cooler for a bottle of water.
“It’s going alright,” Maria replied.  “How are things going for you?”
Melissa opened her water.  “Uhg, teenagers,” she said with dismay.
A sharp grin crossed Maria’s face.  “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” Melissa confessed.  “I just hate this age.  Everything is so awkward I think the girl is only here because she’s into one of the guys.  She’s nice enough and all,
but… I don’t know.  And neither of the guys has made eye contact with me yet.  They just keep drooling over my boobs.  It’s really rude that they just keep staring at my chest like that.  I told them to stop, but that didn’t work.  Then I thought about putting a shirt on, but I figured it’s too hot for that.  And besides, what should I care if they get boners.  They can just go home and rub one out under a cold shower.
         Maria had a mouthful of water and nearly spit it out with laughter.  After a tense moment of trying to collect herself she managed to choke the water down and gasp quickly.  “Eww!”  Maria laughed.  “God Melissa that gave me an image I didn’t need.”
         Melissa relaxed a bit and chuckled as well.  “Aside from that it’s pretty boring back there.”  Melissa stepped forward and studied the progress of everyone else’s labors.  “This is incredible,” she said to Maria.  She watched in amazement as Neffets’ squadron of lawnmowers shaved huge areas of the yard in short periods of time.  “It’s really not going to take much longer is it?”
         “No,” Maria said as she stepped up along side Melissa.  “Maybe another hour, but
I doubt it will take any longer.”
         Melissa sighed.  “Well I suppose I should get back.  We’ll probably be cooking lots in a little bit.”
         “Me too,” Maria said to her friend.  “I’ll see you later.”  With her water bottle in hand she returned to where she had left her rake.  She dropped her water to the ground and began piling up more cuttings and looked for her young friend Carrie.  After a moment of searching, she saw Carrie out in the field with another young girl sweeping an unmowed area with a stick.  Without having Carrie there to monitor her Maria haphazardly looked through the cuttings for insects before pitching the waste into the bag.  She thought about not bothering to look at all, but the guilt of not practicing what she promised and the guilt of possibly killing an innocent creature forced Maria to put forth at least a minimal effort to see to it that no insects were bagged.
         Maria tied off the top of a full bag and set it off to the side.  She paused for a moment to watch the line of villagers bent over piles of cuttings the size of small hills, working diligently to remove them.  A sincere sense of satisfaction fluttered through her chest as sweat dripped from her forehead.  As she looked at each person, Maria tried to
remember the names of all those whom she had met that day.  And though she could not remember all of their names, each face was now no longer a stranger and she knew she was once again welcome in the village of Liberty.
         The lawnmowers continued to hum in front of them, extending the line of green piles up the drive.  The group continued along leaving a growing number of garbage bags in their wake.  It was nearly noon when the lawnmowers made their final pass. 
         “Isn’t it something?” Jean asked as she approached Maria.  “Look at them.”  She invited Maria to stand next to her.  Heather walked up alongside Maria.  The three women stood in silence looking out over the trimmed field as a thin middle-aged man wearing a baseball cap carefully cut down the remaining weeds around the statues with a gas powered weed whacker.
         “I can’t believe we actually did it,” Heather said softly.
         “Everything has changed now,” Jean replied.  “You see, just as we have uncovered things in the yard by cutting out all the crap, we have uncovered the truth about how the people of Liberty feel about you, Sonny and DeMaster.”
         Neffets slowly backed his large pick-up truck down the drive.  There were two young men sitting in the truck bed.  They looked hot and dirty as their t-shirts were soaked with sweat at the armpits and chests.  They smiled at the girls from under their grimy baseball caps as Neffets stopped the truck.  Maria smiled back weakly at the young men and was thankful she was not close enough to smell them.  Jean approached the window as the burly Neffets leaned out the window to talk with her. 
         “We’re gonna take a load of bags to the dump while youse guys is finishing up,” Maria overheard him say to Jean.
         “Alright,” Jean acknowledged.  “But be certain to leave the clear bags.  I’m taking those with me.”
         A broad smile stretched across Neffets’ round face.  “Right, right,” he replied quickly and put the truck in gear.  The two young men hopped out of the truck bed and began tossing the black bags full of cuttings into the bed of the truck as Neffets slowly and steadily backed down the drive.
         “I noticed you had your own field hands collecting personal bags for you,” Maria
teased Jean as she returned to Maria and Heather.
         Jean laughed lightly.  “Certainly you couldn’t expect me to let a haul like this go untouched.  There was far too much wine to be made from this field.  I couldn’t let it all go to waste.”
         The three ladies then returned to their duty of bagging the last of the cuttings.  Even though most of the volunteers from the village had returned to the shady protection of the tent, the last of the bagging went quickly.  A sense of satisfaction and community poured through Maria as she tied off the last of the bags with the assistance of a wiry grandmother named Ethyl.  She was another example of the interesting people Maria felt to be fortunate to have met.  Ethyl was a local girl who spent her entire life in Liberty.  She was a living history of the area and had a true common sense about her.  Maria was amazed at how spry the old lady was, and Maria knew she could only hope to be in as good of health as Ethyl if she ever made it to be Ethyl’s age.
         With the last bag tied and waiting to be hauled away, Maria, Jean, Heather and Ethyl walked slowly back to the tent where all the others had congregated for food and refreshments.  As they arrived, Maria could tell Melissa and her small crew had been busy.  There were large platters full of hot dogs, hamburgers and brats laid out on a table with an assortment of buns and condiments.  People helped themselves to food and drink as light jazz played through the speaker mounted in the back of the truck and the volume was far more tolerable than before when “The Flight” was blasting.
         As they mingled with others Maria noticed the mood of the crowd was far more relaxed and festive than when they began this venture a few hours earlier.  The chatter under the tent was more boisterous than before and pockets of laughter erupted sporadically.  Jean brought Maria and Heather each a bottle of beer and had managed to find a glass of wine for herself.  The beer was crisp and refreshing as is danced along Maria’s tongue causing a slight tingle in the back corners of her jaw.
         A short while later Neffets returned with the two young men riding in the cab this time.  He parked the truck just past the tent and the three men got out to join the party.  Once Neffets had a cold beer in hand, he borrowed a chair from a man seated at one of the tables and stood on it to address the crowd.
         “Hey folks, could I have your attention for just a minute,” Wayne bellowed.  He waited a few moments for the crowd to quiet down.  “I just wanted to thank everyone for coming out and helping today.  You all did a fantastic job….”
         As Neffets went on thanking people and noting those who assisted in extraordinary manner, Maria noticed Melissa leading the three teenagers from the back of the house to the tent.  The sun had shaded Melissa’s shoulders a bright pink.  The teens were carrying more plates of food and set them on the table with the others as Melissa moved her way through the crowd to join Maria and Heather.
         “… and of course, Maria, Melissa and Heather.  Without them none of this would have taken place and we’d all still be stuck in between DeMaster and Sonny.”  A smattering of applause trickled through the crowd.
         Filled with gratitude Maria could not resist the sudden urge to show her appreciation for all that the people of Liberty did for her.  Even though she knew anything she did or said would be inadequate she had to at least say something to acknowledge their acceptance and mutual sense of community.  “Thank you,” she shouted, surprising Melissa and Heather.  “Thank you all.  This really means a lot to us.”
         “Us too girls!” a man’s voice shouted from the back of the crowd.
         Maria could feel her ears and cheeks quickly growing warm forcing her to momentarily wonder if they could get as pink as Melissa’s shoulders.  “I wish we could do something more to show you how much your support means.  If any of you should ever need our help for anything just ask.  We’ll be glad to help if we can.  I also wanted to invite all of you to come to the opening of our gallery over Labor Day weekend.”
         “Yes!” Heather interrupted, getting caught up in Maria’s energy.  “Come on out.  There will be free food, free booze and great music.”
         “Anyway,” Maria continued.  “It’ll be a good time.  We’ll have fliers posted around town to remind you.”
         Another smattering of applause drifted through the crowd.
         “Yah, real good then,” Neffets said.  “Okay, I guess the only thing left for us to do is eat all the food and drink all the beer, so let’s have at ‘er.”  Neffets then hopped off the chair with amazing grace and dexterity for such a large man and joined the party.
Maria, Heather and Melissa stood together sipping beer while waiting in the line that had formed to get to the food.  Maria looked back over the field and studied the metal sculptures that stood clearly in the shaved yard.  A soft pang of anxiety kicked her stomach as she remembered Sonny was going to see this soon.  She turned back as they stepped closer to the table and she could only wonder how much time they had before he knew.





















                                                 





                                           Chapter 32


The thin strip of silver that separated the dark horizon from the burnt orange sky lasted for only a few seconds.  Maria sat on the couch watching the sunset as she listened to Heather and Melissa chatter back and forth.  The flurry of activity about the house from earlier in the day had long since ended.  Everything had been cleaned up, the tent taken down, everyone had left hours ago.  The yard which lies across the drive from Maria looked as though it had always been that neatly trimmed.  There was no evidence of the communal effort involved in bringing the change in its appearance about.
Maria felt as though she and Melissa and Heather had been waiting for their housemates to return for so long now their arrival seemed almost anticlimactic.  She was actually more tired than excited or anxious.  However, she was certain that would change once she saw the station wagon pull up the driveway.
“Ugh, where are they?” Melissa asked with a suggestion of impatience in her voice.  “I’m so tired.  I just want to get this over with so I can go to bed.”
“I know,” Maria agreed as she stood up.  “I’m going to get some iced tea.  Does anyone else want some?”
“Yes please,” Melissa replied.
“That would be lovely,” Heather added.
As she walked to the kitchen Maria ran her fingers through the length of her hair and shook gently at the spots which were still damp from her second shower of the day.  She could not believe how humid it was.  She had showered hours ago and her hair had yet to completely dry.  A steady breeze off the lake circulated through the screen door of the kitchen offering a bit of relief from the stifling heat.
“We should go out back,” Maria shouted over her shoulder to her friends.  “It will be cooler.  There’s a nice breeze.”
As Maria filled three tall glasses with ice and tea,Heather and Melissa entered the kitchen.
“Are the mosquitoes bad?” Heather asked.
“They’re always bad this time of year,” Melissa replied, still with a suggestion of impatience in her voice.  “But the breeze should keep them off us.”
“I’ve never understood that,” Heather admitted.  “What difference does it make that there’s a breeze?  It’s not like they can’t fly through it, or that other mosquitoes wouldn’t be blown to you,” she stated to Melissa as she accepted a glass from Maria.
“I don’t know,” Melissa replied flatly.  “I’ll take my chances with the breeze though.”
Maria handed Melissa a glass and followed her two friends out the screen door to the patio.  They sat in chairs next to one another facing the fire pit.  The tripod still hung in position from when Melissa was cooking earlier.  Crickets, June bugs and peepers chirped madly as dusk enveloped the three young ladies and the first stars of the evening became visible.  The breeze was refreshing and the mosquitoes were only a minor nuisance.
The sudden echo of a slamming car door burst through the serene eve.  A flurry of indistinguishable shouting followed shortly thereafter.
“I guess they’re here,” Melissa said as she straightened up in her chair.
Maria’s heart instantly thumped in her throat in reaction to their arrival.  A jolt rocked through her as the front screen door slammed shut.  Maria stared at the back door.  The moments seemed to dangle on the edge of forever before Sonny finally emerged through the screen door and he rushed out to the patio.
“What the hell happened to my yard?” he demanded vehemently.  His hair was rustled and even in the dim twilight Maria could see the rage boiling in his blue eyes behind the thick, black frames of his glasses.  Sonny totally appeared as a man possessed.
The three young women sat silently in shock of his change.  He stared at them for a second before demanding again, “When the hell did DeMaster do this?”
Martin and Dipak appeared through the back door.  They slowly moved behind Sonny.
“It’s not like that,” Melissa offered with a shaken voice.
“What do you mean?  How could you let this happen?”  Sonny wiped his face
with his hands and began pacing back and forth.  “I’ll kill him!  I’ll fucking kill DeMaster!”
         A wave of disgust for Sonny’s bitterness, anger and lack of vision poured through Maria and momentarily overpowered her fear of any reprisal.  She could no longer allow him to accuse an innocent man of charges he did not commit.
         “DeMaster did not cut you yard,” Maria stated firmly with a trembling lip.  “We did.”
         Sonny stopped in his tracks.  Dipak and Martin moved over next to the girls.  After several moments Sonny turned slowly to face his friends.  He took two slow steps toward them, glaring at them with burning eyes.
         “What?” he demanded.
         “We did it,” Maria repeated.  She felt Melissa grab her hand.  Sonny stared silently for several seconds.  His breath increased in depth and speed as his angry expression changed to one of confusion, as if having been stunned.  Maria could see the chaotic energies raging through him as fear driven adrenaline pounded her heart in her throat and forced her to tighten her grip on Melissa’s hand.
         “What the fuck?” Sonny finally burst forth as his eyes began to redden and water.  “How the hell could you team up with DeMaster?  After all I’ve done for you, how the hell could you take his side?  God damn it!  He’s nothing but an overbearing tin plated dictator with delusions of godhood!  How the hell could you take his side?”
         Sonny and the group stared silently at one another for several seconds.
         “Tell me God damn it!” Sonny demanded again.  “I want to know how you could do this!”
         Maria released her grip from Melissa’s hand and stood up slowly.  Her legs felt heavy and her knees felt weak as she stepped forward to face Sonny.  And though her stomach was knotted, as she realized the moment she had feared was before her, she managed to take a deep breath, squeezing her tight chest and forced words through her dry mouth.  “We did not take DeMaster’s side.”
“Oh, yeah?  Well why cut the yard then?”
         “You and the Mayor have been fighting for a long time now. 
And the two of you can do that.  You don’t have to like each other.  But because of your actions other people have gotten hurt.  People from Liberty and us, we’re all tired of it, Sonny.  It has to come to an end. And since you and the Mayor can not find a way to end your private little war, we and the people of Liberty did.”
         Sonny stood still in disbelief.  “So you cut my yard.  You know DeMaster will think that he’s won.  He’s gonna think I don’t have the balls to stand up to him.”  A sincere look of disgust washed over Sonny’s face.  “I never, never would have given in to that rotten bastard,” Sonny spat bitterly.
         “There’s more to it,” Melissa interjected.
         “Oh, I’m sure there is,” Sonny sarcastically snipped.  “After everything I’ve done for youse guys, this is how you repay me.  Maybe I should just send you all home.  Fuck the gallery!  Fuck everything we’ve done this summer!”  His arms flailed wildly as he ranted.
         “No,” Martin said firmly.  “You have to know this Sonny.  We’ve worked just as hard on the gallery as you – if not harder.  We own that building and all that happens to it every bit as much as you do.  We’re not leaving, and the gallery will open on time as scheduled.”
         Sonny did not say anything.  He only stood silently, scowling at the group of friends who dared challenge him.
         Maria could sense his anger and disgust venting from his presumptuous and misguided sense of the group’s deception.  Waves of anger and sorrow swelled in her and her vision blurred slightly before she blinked and felt a warm drop trickle over her cheek.
         “Why is it so difficult for you to understand what you’ve done?” Maria asked, nearly pleading for Sonny to grasp some comprehension of the group’s reality of the situation.
         “What I’ve done?”  Sonny countered.  “I have done nothing but what I’ve believed in, what I know is right.  How can you not see that?”
         “But just because you believe you’re fighting the good fight does not mean we believe it,” Maria continued with a suggestion of desperation in her voice.  She wiped her cheeks with her fingers as tears began to roll uncontrollably.
         “I don’t believe you guys.”  Sonny found himself at a loss for words.  Anger stoked through him as he stared back at the group.  “After all we’ve been through together; you repay me with betrayal….  Fuck!”  Sonny stormed off the patio back into the house.
         Maria continued to wipe her eyes and took a deep breath as she heard Sonny’s boots pound the wooden floor echoing off in the distance.  She felt a warm hand on her shoulder and turned to look into Melissa’s eyes.  They were sparkling blue and moist with pride.  Without saying a word they leaned into one another and embraced.
         “It’s okay,” Melissa whispered.  “It’s all over now.”
         Maria squeezed her eyes shut tightly as another wave of emotion rolled through her.  “I hope you’re right,” she managed to whispered back.  But, deep down Maria knew there was more to come.

                                                           




                                                     Chapter 33


         “Thank you for a wonderful weekend,” Phillip said to Elizabeth and leaned over offering his cheek to her while he kept his eyes fixed on the road in front of him as he drove.  He smiled as he felt her soft warm lips briefly press against his cheek.  “I am looking forward to the next twenty-five years.”
         Elizabeth smiled quietly in the passenger seat and gently rubbed his thigh.  The smile quickly faded from her face as she looked out the windshield knowing it would only be a short time before Phillip would learn of the town’s plot.  She had managed to keep the dreaded anticipation of these moments out of her mind for most of the weekend allowing her to fully enjoy their time together.  Now, however, she faced the grim fact that there was no more time and the desperation which had laid quietly in her chest over the weekend was now beginning to erupt within her, pounding her heart in her throat.  She closed her eyes and silently prayed for the pending events to proceed with as little trouble as possible and she silently begged God for the words of wisdom and courage to help guide Phillip through what would a trying time.
         Elizabeth opened her eyes as she felt the vehicle decelerate.  She looked out the windshield to see the bridge to the entrance of Liberty in front of them.  The she looked to the driver’s side of the road and saw the front yard to Sonny’s compound had been completely trimmed down leaving nothing but several metal statues very visible on the hill in front of the house.
         “Oh, my …” Phillip began.  “My dear, my dear look!”  A wild grin stretched across Phillip’s face.  “Ha-ha!  I knew it!  I knew it!”  He shouted joyously.  Then he turned to Elizabeth.  “I knew my plan would work.  I know some people thought it was a bit extreme, but drastic times call for drastic measures.  We have been persistent and good has prevailed.”  He looked at Elizabeth with wide smiling eyes.  “Our mission has been accomplished.” 
         He slowed the car further as they entered the bridge spanning the Yahanee River.  Elizabeth looked at him with sad eyes.  She was unable to conceal her anxieties any
further.
         “What’s wrong, dear?” Phillip asked.  “This is a time for celebration.  Good has once again triumphed over evil.”
         Elizabeth sighed as a pang of disgust forced her to wince.  “Phillip, those young people are not evil,” she insisted, “and you must cease talking about them in that manner.  Just because you and Sonny Ludwig do no agree on certain matters does not make him, or the others living with him for that matter, evil.”  She suddenly felt a rush of aggressive energy push through her.  “They are no more evil than I am when you and I do not agree on something.”
         Phillip slowed the car to an abrupt stop and looked at Elizabeth with a raised eyebrow.  He could feel her anger and anxiety as she sat tensely in the passenger seat, her chest heaving deep breaths. 
         “Of course,” Phillip finally agreed, though he would never think to place Elizabeth at the same level as Sonny and his group of artists.  Phillip knew that Elizabeth saw them differently and the last thing he wanted at this moment was to say something that would ruin what was otherwise a perfectly enjoyable weekend up to this point.  “I apologize, my dear,” he continued as he slowly began accelerating again.  “Certainly I would never consider you evil.  I just get over enthusiastic at times, that’s all.  I don’t always select the most appropriate words when I get that way.  I’m sorry.”
         Elizabeth took a deep breath and sat silently for a moment.  Up ahead, in the distance, she could see a group of people congregated in front of the café.  She prayed Phillip would not notice, but she knew he would. 
         “Phillip,” Elizabeth turned to him and gently grasped his bicep with both hands.  “Now that they have cut the yard will you relinquish the ban?”
         Phillip’s head tipped from side to side in consideration.  “I don’t see why not.  As long as the yard stays trimmed we can resume normal relations….  What’s going on down there?”
         The solid lump in Elizabeth’s suddenly dry throat kept her from responding.
         Phillip drove slowly to a spot across the street from his café and parked the car at a vacant space along the curb.  He looked out the window at a group of about twenty
people, all of whom he knew from the village of Liberty, congregated in apparent protest in front of his café walking in a long ellipse.  Most of them held signs encouraging people to stay out of his café.  Others held signs stating that the policies of Liberty were unfriendly to small business.  The scene caused a momentary, embarrassing confusion within Phillip which was quickly dispelled by a wave of anger as Phillip got out of the car to disperse the group.  Without checking for oncoming traffic he marched deliberately across the street.  Elizabeth reluctantly hurried out of the passenger side to follow him.
         “Now see here,” Phillip addressed the group in an authoritative voice as he reached the sidewalk.  You people must disperse at once or I shall call the Sheriff.”
         “We’re not going anywhere, Phil,” a dark bearded man shouted from the group.  “There’s a new ban in town.”
         Phillip felt a dry heat wash over his ears and cheeks as he began to understand exactly what was happening.  As the bearded man walked past Phillip, he grinned and said, “Phillip DeMaster, consider yourself served.”  And with that, Norb, who followed behind the bearded man, silently handed Phillip an envelope.  Phillip fumbled at the envelope as panic began to kick through chest.  Elizabeth rushed to his side and grabbed Phillip around his bicep as he opened the letter and was astounded to learn of the upcoming recall.
         “What do we want?” the bearded man shouted.  The other protesters responded in unison, “To ban the ban!”
         “When do we want it?” the bearded man shouted.  This time the protesters simply replied, “Now!”
         Anger swelled in Phillip as the bearded man and the crowd continued their chant.  An overwhelming sense of betrayal surged through Phillip.  After all he had done for the village of Liberty, they repay his services by protesting not only his policy, but his business.  Lost in the shock of his situation Phillip shouted desperately to the chanting crowd, “I don’t know who organized this, but you people have no right to assemble here.  As the Mayor of Liberty I command you all to disperse at once!”
The group continued their elliptical march of protest before the café.  Phillip’s
eyes began to water as his authority was no longer recognized.  Elizabeth tugged at Phillip’s arm to get him to move back to the car, but Phillip stubbornly held his ground.  He was not about to give up on the business he built from the ground up just because people had apparently decided they no longer approved of the way he governed.
         Suddenly Father Brick broke through the line of the protestors and came to Phillip’s side.
         “Father Brick,” Phillip’s jaw dropped in shock as his close friend and confidant came out of the ranks of the protestors.
         “Come with me Phillip,” Father Brick said with a reassuring smile.  “You’re upset and confused.  We need to go somewhere to talk.”
         Phillip looked at Father Brick momentarily without saying a word.  Then he turned to Elizabeth.  Her heart thumped heavily in her chest when she saw the stunned, hurt gaze in his eyes.  Following Father Brick across the street, Elizabeth maintained her grip on Phillip’s arm and led him across the street away from the protesters. 
         “Come along,” Father Brick shouted over his shoulder as he reached their car and opened the driver’s door.  “I’ll drive.”
         Phillip protested weakly, insisting that he was able to drive.  But Elizabeth would listen to none of it and ushered him into the passenger seat and took the back seat behind him for herself.
         “May I have the keys please, Phillip?” Father Brick asked with a smile.
         “I don’t understand what’s going on.”  Phillip held the letter up and stared at it.
         “Phillip,” Elizabeth pleaded.  “Would you please just give Father Paul the car keys?”
         Upon her request he obediently fished through his pant’s pocket and retrieved the keys while continuing to stare at the letter.  Without looking he offered the keys to Father Paul who took them eagerly and quickly started the car.  Father Paul stepped on the accelerator causing the car to lurch forward, throwing the passengers back in their seats as the tires chirped beneath them.  Father Brick quickly had the car up to speed and relaxed off the accelerator once an adequate distance between them and the protesters had been established.
         After a couple of turns, Father Paul eased the car along the curb in front of the rectory.  “Why don’t we go in and discuss this for a bit?” he suggested as he turned off the ignition.
         “Come on Phillip,” Elizabeth said as she wiped her watery eyes with her hands.  She let herself out of the backseat and waited next to the car as Phillip slowly pulled himself out.
         They followed Father Brick up to the front door and into the living room.  Phillip moved stiffly as a dazed gaze continued to occupy his face.  Father Brick motioned for them to sit to which they complied by sitting next to one another on the couch.  Elizabeth grasped Phillip’s hand and gently brushed the hair above his ear with her fingers.  He looked at her with lost, heavy eyes, yet she managed to return a smile.
         “Can I get either of you something to drink?” Father Brick asked as he lit a cigarette.
“No, no,” Phillip said in a barely audible voice.
         “Yes,” Elizabeth replied.  “We’ll both have whatever you’re having” 
         Father Paul nodded and left the room.  Elizabeth gripped Phillip’s hand and they locked eyes.  She could see a deep, confused fear in his eyes, as if he were a lost child.  “It will be okay Phillip,” she said uncertainly.  “We’ll work through this.  Everything will be fine.”
         “I don’t understand it Elizabeth,” Phillip choked.  “Why?  Why would they do this to me?  I did nothing but help the town, help them.”
         “It was the embargo,” Elizabeth replied.  “Most everyone thought it was the wrong thing to do.”
         “But I had to get him to remove his dandelions.  They were destroying the tourism in the town.”
         Elizabeth sighed and looked deeply into Phillip with watering eyes.  “That’s not how most of us see it, Phillip.  This whole thing between you and Sonny Ludwig and the dandelions has gotten completely out of hand.  Telling people to actually discriminate who they can sell goods to and threaten recourse if they do is not right….”
         Father Paul returned with three rocks glasses filled with ice and blended whiskey.  He handed each of them a glass and then walked over to his paper cluttered desk.  After clearing a spot to set his glass, he turned the chair to face Elizabeth and Phillip and sat down.
         “All I was trying to do was what I thought was best for the town.”
         “We know, Phillip,” Father Brick said.
         “If I was doing things that people did not approve of, why didn’t anyone ever tell me?”
         “But we did, Phillip.”  Father Brick removed the cigarette from his lips and leaned forward, elbows to knees with his drink in his hand.  “The simple truth of the matter is that you were so intent on removing the dandelions you were not listening to what others were saying to you.”
         Phillip sat up straight with a defensive expression on his face.  “Come now, that can’t be true.”
         “It is Phillip,” Elizabeth confessed.  “We have told you quite plainly on several occasions.  Now that you have refused to listen, this is the consequence.”
         Phillip shrunk in his seat and sipped at his drink.  He thought silently for a minute, trying to absorb everything that had happened.  Finally he looked to Elizabeth with wide-eyed understanding.  “Oh my God, what have I done?”
         “It will be okay Phillip,” Father Brick encouraged.  “We’re here for you.”
         “But what will we do?” Phillip asked as a sudden desperation choked him.  “They are encouraging a boycott of our café.  That’s all we have for income.  What will we do if they shut us down, if we have to close or sell?”
         “I’ll see to it that won’t happen,” Elizabeth promised hopefully, knowing she had already made that bargain.
         Phillip took another sip of his drink and shook his head.  “No, no, this is my doing.  It is my responsibility to fix it.  I have to find a way to make it up to the people of this town.  I have to prove to them I was only trying to do what I thought was in our best interest.”
         “Don’t try to explain anything,” Father Brick offered from his chair by the desk.  “You don’t need to remind people of what you have done, or the reasons why.  They understand that.  What you need to do is apologize to them, to the entire town.”
         Phillip’s forehead wrinkled.  “Certainly that cannot be enough.”
         “Oh, I think you’d be surprised,” Father Brick replied with a sly smile as he took a quick sip of his drink.  “You’d be surprised at the power of forgiveness.  The people of this town are good people, and a forgiving bunch.  I’m sure they’re quite content to let
by-gones be by-gones as long as you are able to publicly admit you’re wrong and say that you’re sorry for having offended them.”
         Phillip sat silently for a moment and considered Father Brick’s words.  He also considered the fact that his good friend had given him excellent counsel over the years on many different subjects.  Philip truly recognized the errors of his ways and now knew his only recourse was to follow Father Brick’s advice.
         “And remember Phillip,” Elizabeth added.  “It’s not just the town who was affected negatively by this.”  Phillip looked into Elizabeth’s eyes and a bitter expression crossed his face as he realized what she was going to say next.  “You also have to apologize to the band of artists, including Sonny Ludwig.”
         Phillip thought for a moment before shaking his head slowly.  “I cannot.  I can’t bear the humiliation.”  He looked over to Father Brick.  “There must be some other way.”
         Father Brick sighed out a cloud of smoke and smothered his cigarette in a half full ashtray on his desk.  “There is not, Phillip,” he stated frankly.  “For you to truly begin down the path of redemption you must apologize to all whom you’ve offended and learn to forgive and love your enemy.”
         Phillip returned to silent pondering as he sipped his cocktail.
         “You have to do it,” Elizabeth encouraged.  “You owe it to this town and to me and to yourself.  If you apologize to everyone, there is no way they would force us out of business.”
         After several more moments of quiet consideration, Philip concluded that he must swallow his pride, embrace humiliation, and apologize to everyone including Sonny and his group.  Still, he had to subdue his stubborn and lingering egotism to finally speak.  “I
can schedule a town meeting and address who ever shows up.”  The words came slowly and painfully.  “I will have to seek out everyone else who does not come to the meeting.”  Phillip stared at his drink and solemnly shook his head.  He took a sip and glanced up at Elizabeth and Father Paul.  “I don’t know how I will apologize to Sonny though.  I doubt he would see me now, especially since I’ve had him arrested.  The others might let me approach, but I seriously doubt I could find an opportunity to talk with Sonny.”
         Elizabeth wiped a tear from her cheek with her fingers and smiled warmly at Philip.  “Don’t worry about that, Phillip.  I know just the place and time that will allow you and Sonny an opportunity to talk.” 
         Phillip looked at her in wonder as Elizabeth burst out with a chuckle and looked over to Father Paul who leaned back in his chair and lit a cigarette.  “Don’t worry, Phillip,” he said confidently.  “It will all work out just fine.”



                                                           




                                                       Chapter 34


         Maria sat on the couch in the living room watching an old black and white science fiction movie on television.  The lights were out and candles had been lit and placed strategically about the living room.  The curtains of the bay window were pulled back and flashes of lightning illuminated the pitch of night as thunder rattled the window pain.  The steady shower of heavy rain continued to pour down on the roof sounding like a muted drum roll.
         Melissa, Heather, Martin and Dipak had all gone to town to purchase groceries for the week.  Maria had no idea where Sonny was.  It had been over a week since the yard was cut and in a bitter sense of betrayal, Sonny had avoided most of the group, especially Maria, for that time.
         Even though a quiet tension still filled the house, the group as a whole was more relaxed than before.  They no longer felt the stress of being shunned from town.  In fact, each of them had received a letter from the Mayor apologizing for his actions and specifically stated that he would not feel right until he had apologized in person.  Sonny was the only one who had not opened his letter.  The apology sat on the coffee table unopened and unread along with a few other non-essential postal items.  Maria thought it was unfortunate that Sonny continued to hold his grudge against DeMaster, and was disappointed that he insisted on pouting over the situation.  A shot of angry frustration shot through her as she compared him to a two year old child.  If only he would open his letter it might completely change his complexion on the situation.
         During the past week, the group, with the exception of Sonny, finished the work on the gallery.  There was a little more than a week left before the grand opening.  Each of the artists had begun moving items into the gallery and arranging their work for display.  Maria and Sonny were the only exceptions.  Sonny had moved none of his work into gallery yet.  Maria had chosen the items she was going to offer, but had no prices on her work and therefore had not hung them yet.  She had been contacted by Danny, who had money for her, Melissa and Heather from items of theirs he sold in his shop.  As they
spoke on the phone earlier, Maria suggested that he come by after work and assist her in pricing her work.
         Maria glanced at the digital clock on the DVD player on the shelf below the television.  It was nearly eleven o’clock.  As anxious anticipation churned in her stomach as she waited for Danny to arrive.  She pulled her feet up underneath her on the couch and tried to return her attention to the movie.  She took an occasional sip of her iced tea.  The glass was sweating profusely in the wet night air.
         Another flash of lightning illuminated the sky and the ground for just a flicker of time.  Maria looked out the window listening to the thunder clamor in its wake and noticed a car pull up and stop off to the side of the driveway in front of the house.  She got off the couch and went to the door.  She held the screen door open from inside as Danny got out of the car and ran through the pouring rain.
         His blue plaid shirt and khaki pants were completely wet from his short run.  The top of his curly blonde hair sagged down flat under the weight of the water it had absorbed.  Inside the living room he smiled warmly at Maria.
         “Wow, it’s really coming down out there,” Danny said.
         “Are you alright?” Maria asked.  “Would you like a towel or something?”
         “No thanks, I’m okay,” Danny replied as he rubbed the water out of his thick curls.
         An awkward moment of silence ensued as Maria hoped her particular tension was not obvious.  They continued to smile at one another in the warm glow of the candle light as the rain cascaded down and the thunder rumbled.  Lightning flashed brightly outside while the television flickered gray in the room.  Maria could feel her cheeks grow warm and flipped a long strand of hair behind her ear and giggled.
         “I’m sorry,” she moved toward the couch.  “Come in and sit down.”
         Danny sat in the middle of the couch and looked at the television for a second.  “Oh, no way, Teenagers From Outer Space!  I love this movie.”  He leaned forward, elbows to knees.
         “You’re not serious,” Maria grinned as she stood by the arm of the couch.
         “Oh yeah,” Danny returned his undivided attention to Maria.  “I love these old B-
movies.  There’s just something about the drive-in films of the fifties that I connect with.”
         Maria rolled her eyes and shook her head. 
         “What?  It can’t be all that bad,” Danny offered an open hand toward the television.  “You’re watching it.”
         “Can I get you something to drink?” Maria asked so she would not have to admit to liking the campy films.
         “I’ll have whatever you’re having.”
         Maria went to the kitchen and managed to find a glass in the dark and held the refrigerator door open to have some light to pour Danny’s drink.  She returned to the living room to find him leaning back on the couch with his hands behind his head watching the movie.  Maria also noticed three envelopes on the coffee table in front of Danny, each labeled with a name.
         He turned to Maria and accepted the glass she offered.  “Watch this part,” he said with a wide grin and gestured toward the television.
         Maria sat next to him and pulled her feet up under her.  On the television a young man, who was evidently playing the role of an alien, shot another character with a ray gun.  The character that was shot fell out of the camera point of view.  The camera then panned to where the character fell only to reveal he had been reduced to nothing but a skeleton.
         “What the hell?” Maria groaned and chuckled as she slid her hair back behind her ear.
         “I know,” Danny said, laughing softly.  “It’s so bad.  God, I love it.”
         “So what’s in the envelopes?”  Maria knew one was for each her, Heather and Melissa, but did not want to appear too anxious or presumptuous.
         “Oh, right,” Danny said as if suddenly remembering the reasons he was there.  He took a sip of his tea and leaned forward setting the glass on the table.  After picking up all three envelopes he turned to Maria and offered them to her.  “Here is the money from
sales,” he informed her.  “One envelope is for each of you.  I wrote the names on whose is whose.  There are receipts inside also so you know what was sold.”
         Maria peeked inside the envelope labeled with her name.  Inside she found a thin band of twenty dollar bills clipped together.  She pulled out the receipt and squinted through the candle light to see the total was four hundred dollars. 
         “Only the two smaller ones have sold,” Danny said with a shrug.  “The others will move.  It’s just a matter of time.”
         “No, this is great.”  Maria was genuinely pleased.  She had always felt a deep seated thrill whenever someone bought her work.  “Thank you for taking care of this for us.”
         “It’s my pleasure,” Danny replied as he leaned back with his tea in hand.
         “I’m going to put these away,” Maria stated as she did not feel comfortable leaving envelopes filled with money just lying about.  It was not that she was afraid of someone stealing them, but she felt rather self-conscious about leaving this part of their business out for everyone to see.  “I’ll be right back.”
         Maria walked down the dark hallway as a clap of thunder echoed and the soft soles of her feet shuffled along the dirty hardwood floor.  She debated leaving the respective envelopes on Melissa’s and Heather’s pillows, but felt uncomfortable about entering their rooms through closed doors.  Maria opened the door to her bedroom and felt her way through the dark to place the three envelopes on her dresser.
         Maria returned to the living room to find Danny still enthusiastically engaged in the film.  She quietly slid on the couch next to him resuming her previous position with her feet tucked up under her.  Danny glanced over at her and caught Maria staring at his profile.  He smiled warmly at her.  Embarrassed, she smiled bashfully and turned her attention to the television.
         The candles continued their soft slow burn, filling the room with aromas of vanilla and cinnamon as the rain continued its relentless rhythm while thunder and lightning filled the night sky.  Maria and Danny seemed to inch closer to one another as they laughed at sarcastic remarks each made about the movie.  Finally the movie broke for a commercial.  Danny covered his mouth with his hand and tried to stifle a yawn that caught him by surprise.
         Maria had not considered how tired he might be and remembered why she had
invited him over.  “Perhaps we should go price the paintings before it gets too late,” she suggested.
         “Well, alright,” Danny replied and set his half empty sweat beaded glass of tea on the coffee table.  “But I hate to leave in the middle of such a quality film.”
         Maria stood up and offered Danny a hand.  He gently gripped her smooth, delicate fingers and rose to his feet making certain not to put any real weight on her.
         “Where are they at?” Danny asked as Maria’s hand lingered in his for a moment before she released his gentle grip and led Danny through the kitchen, turning on the obscenely bright overhead light as she went.  They stood closely next to one another at the screen door that opened to the patio, looking out at the down pouring rain.
         “You can’t really see from here,” Maria said as she pointed.  “But the studio is over there.  We’ll have to run for it.”  She looked at Danny with a wide smile.
         Danny laughed.  “Okay, you lead the way.”
         They locked eyes as Maria counted to three and flung open the screen door.  She ran out into the cool rain.  Her bare feet slapped against the patio as she raced under the archway to the path.  Not anticipating the change in traction from the patio to the wet grass, Maria’s bare feet slipped as she entered the path and she fell sideways into a puddle.  She rolled over laughing hysterically and looked up to see Danny leaning over her.
         “Are you okay?” he laughed as he offered Maria his hand.
         Maria was laughing too hard to speak, but managed to nod and accepted his assistance.  As Danny pulled her out of the puddle he slipped, causing him to drop Maria back into the puddle.  Danny fell in next to her with a splash.  He lay there for a few seconds laughing in the cool water before he managed to roll himself over and wrestle himself to his feet.  Maria, still laughing hysterically, managed to sit up.  This time Danny was able to assist her to her feet without incident and they continued to the studio.
         Maria opened the door to the hall that ran behind the studios and turned on the light.  Danny followed her as water dripped off them leaving a wet trail in their wake.  He followed Maria to her studio.  Still giggling she flung open the door and entered, turning on the overhead lights.  Danny shook his hands through his thick curly hair to drive out as much water as he could before actually stepping foot in her studio. 
         Once inside her studio he ceased laughing as he was amazed at the amount of paintings hung up on the walls of the huge room.  They were all different sizes and styles.
         “What do you think?”  Maria asked.
         Danny slowly spun around trying to take in as much as he could.  He returned his gaze to Maria and could not help but notice her taut nipples piercing her soaked t-shirt.  Danny swallowed hard.  “It’s incredible,” he said as he stepped over to her.  “So, what have you decided to display?”
         Maria walked over to the workbench where there was a stack of framed paintings.  Danny followed behind her.  Maria wiped her hands with a paint stained rag and moved the top painting to an empty space on the workbench. 
         “I’m not certain about this one,” Maria stated.  “I wanted to get your opinion as to whether or not I should use it.  It’s a self portrait.”
         Danny moved alongside Maria, gently brushing against her.  He peered down at a brilliantly colored cubist inspired piece of work.
         “What do you think?” Maria asked looking at him.
         Danny locked eyes with Maria.  “I think it’s beautiful.” 
         He paused for a moment staring deeply into her.  Slowly he reached over and gently stroked her chin with his fingers, tilting her face toward him.  Maria’s eye closed and her lips parted as Danny leaned gently into her for their first kiss.







                                                           




    Chapter 35
         

         Melissa stood by with her arms crossed as Maria drove a nail into the freshly painted wall of the gallery.  The afternoon was warm, humid and sunny as a breeze whispered through the open windows.  Once the nail was secure, Maria picked up one her paintings and hung it.  She stepped back next to Melissa to assess her work.
         “What do you think?”  Maria asked.  “Is it straight?”
         “Yeah,” Melissa replied.  “I think its fine.”
         Maria studied the walls of the gallery for the next appropriate space to hang her next painting.  After a couple moments of debate she crossed the room to a nice blank piece of wall carrying a painting in one hand and her hammer and nails in the other.  As she moved by one of Sonny’s sculptures a sense of relief passed through her for she understood he was once again a willing participant in the gallery.
         “How is Sonny doing?” Maria asked over her shoulder as Melissa followed.  “I haven’t seen him in almost two weeks.”
         “That’s because you’ve been spending all of your time playing kissy face with your boyfriend Danny,” Melissa teased, eliciting a broad grin from Maria as she drove another nail into the wall.  “He’s doing better.  I think he’s over the thing about cutting the yard.  Besides the dandelions are growing back in already.  But he’s really kind of ….”  Melissa shook her head.  “I don’t know.  He’s been very apologetic to everyone and he’s been really secretive as of late.  It’s really weird.  I don’t know.”  Melissa shrugged.  “At least he got it together and moved his sculpture in here before we open.”
         Maria adjusted the painting on the wall so it hung straight.  She stepped back next to Melissa.  “Did he ever read his letter from the Mayor?” Maria asked.
         “I don’t know.  I think so,” Melissa replied uncertainly.
         Maria sighed.  “I think it would be really sad if Sonny just absolutely refused to
accept the Mayor’s apology.”
         “You need to do that too.  I mean with Sonny,” Melissa pointed out Maria’s hypocrisy.  “He is really sorry for what happened,” Melissa added.  “You should talk with him and just get everything resolved between you two.”
         “You’re right,” Maria sighed again.  “The next time I see him I’ll be certain to talk with him again.”  Maria looked at Melissa and gave a short smile.  Then she began searching for the next piece of wall on which to hang another painting.
         “So you haven’t got much time left, huh?” Melissa said softly.
         “I know,” Maria said rather flatly.  “We open the gallery tomorrow and I leave a week after that.”
         “Wow, it really went fast.  I know you’re excited to get home, but I’m glad we have a little more time together.”
         “I’m not as excited as I was a couple of weeks ago,” Maria confessed.  “The way things have turned out for Danny and me has added an interesting dynamic to how I feel about going home.  I can’t wait to go, but at the same time I don’t really want to leave.”
         Well, you’ll only be home for a week or two and you have to come back for school, right?” Melissa reminded Maria.          
         “Yeah,” Maria acknowledged as she carried another painting to a fresh piece of wall.  “That’s the only thing I regret about spending so much of the summer here.  I have so little time with my mom and my family.”  Maria stopped and sighed.  “Of course, now I also have so little time left with Danny.  And I have so little time left with you.”  Maria looked at Melissa.  “You have become such a good friend.  Thank you.” 
         Melissa smiled.  “I know, its funny how you can come here focused on a goal and accomplishing one thing, nothing else seems to matter, and in the process you find out that it wasn’t really all that important after all.  You know what I mean?”
         Maria looked deeply at Melissa for a moment and began to carry the next painting to a clear spot on a wall.  “Yes I do, darling.  Yes I do.”
         After Maria was convinced she had the painting hanging straight, she searched for her next place to hang a painting.  She turned, inspecting the walls, and saw Sonny standing quietly in the doorway of the gallery.  His hair was loose and hung down over
his shoulders, as he stood silently with his white, white legs connecting his shorts and work boots.  Thick stubble of several days of whisker growth covered his face.  Maria and Melissa stood silently in an awkward moment of surprise as Sonny moved slowly toward them.  As he got closer, Maria could see the familiar mischievous gleam sparkling in his eyes behind those thick black frames, off setting his rather stern and serious expression.
         “Hi, Maria,” Sonny started, then turned toward Melissa, “Melissa,” he acknowledged.  “Maria, I was wondering if you had a moment that we could talk.”
         “Yeah, sure,” Maria replied accepting that for the two of them to continue their friendship they must both forgive and accept one another.
         “Why don’t you come with me?” Sonny suggested.  “There is something I have to show you.”
         Maria’s eyes narrowed in suspicion.  “What are you up to?” she asked bluntly.
         “Maria, please,” Sonny pleaded.  “I really need to talk with you, but in doing so I need to show you something too.”
         Maria stood silently staring at him.
         “Please Maria.  It’s taken me weeks to do this.”
         “Okay,” Maria sighed.  She set everything in her hands on the floor and turned to Melissa.  “I’ll be back in a minute.”
         Sonny led Maria outside and waited for her to walk up alongside before he began a casual stroll back toward the house.
         “Where are we going?” Maria asked defensively.
         “Relax,” Sonny said with a bit of a smile.  “What I have to show you is in the house.”  They were silent for a few steps before Sonny continued.  “You know, Maria, I’m really, really sorry about what happened this summer.  I let this whole thing between me and DeMaster get away from me.”  Sonny paused and smiled.  “I heard what the town did to him.  Sounds like I got off easy.  But I want to make sure you know I’m not gonna let it affect our friendship anymore.”  Sonny looked at Maria and smiled as they approached the patio.  “I know that your family is the most important thing to you, and that you gave up time that you would have with them to come here and open the gallery with us.  I am very grateful that you did.  I don’t know that we would have been able to do it without you.”  They passed under the arches to the patio.  “I know I can never replace the time you spent here to spend with your family.”  Sonny opened the screen door to the kitchen for Maria, who now was suspecting what Sonny had done.  As she hurriedly entered the kitchen Sonny followed behind her.  “So I figured we had better not waste any more of the summer.”
         Maria rushed into the living room to find her mother and father waiting on the couch.  A myriad of emotion erupted in Maria, blinding her from thought, as she instinctively rushed to her parents.  Maria’s mother and father stood to eagerly embrace her.  The three of them hugged and chatted for long moments.  The thrill in Maria’s chest swelled in her eyes.  As she wiped her cheek with her fingers, Maria turned to Sonny, who watched with a wide smile from the kitchen entrance to the living room.
         “Oh my God, Sonny,” Maria smiled and chuckled.  “Thank you so much.”
         “Ah,” Sonny shrugged.  “It was the least I could do.  Anyway, I am sorry about this summer.”
         “It’s okay,” Maria guffawed.  “I was having a hard time staying mad at you anyway.”  Maria held her mother’s hand.  “How did you do this?”
         “When I first got the idea I got your parents’ phone number off the phone bill.  My Spanish is horrible, but I remember you telling me that your family all spoke some English.  And your mother’s English turned out to be pretty good.  Good enough anyway that we were able to make travel plans for them a couple of weeks ago.  I’m just glad they were able to swing it on such short notice.”
         Maria was shocked to learn her parents did not tell her they were coming when she spoke with them last week.  “They knew about this for two weeks?”
         “I insisted we surprise you,” Sonny confessed.
         Maria grinned and hugged her mother again.  Then she turned to Sonny.  “Thank you.  Thank you so much.  You have no idea what this means to me.”
         Sonny could not help but smile broadly.  “They have a room at the Liberty Inn.  They’re already checked in and everything.  So, just let me know when you need a ride back to town.”
         Maria looked at her mother in her bright yellow summer dress which hung past her knees and her father who wore a familiar gray polo shirt and khaki pants.  She led her parents to the couch where they sat and began filling the room with lively rhythmical Spanish.  Sonny remained for a moment, smiling at Maria’s happiness.  After a bit, however, he felt as if he were eavesdropping, even though he did not understand what was being said.  Quietly, without interruption, he slipped out the back door through the kitchen.
         Maria was giddy with joyous surprise.  She could not believe not only that Sonny had offered to bring her parents to her, but also that they were able to come on such short notice.  After the initial greetings and casual conversation about the trip had been covered Maria showed them through the depot and her room before leading them out through the patio to the gallery to meet Melissa.
         Maria was filled with excitement.  There were so many things she wanted to show her parents, so many people she wanted them to meet.  As they made their way along the path to the gallery Maria pointed out toward the lake and briefly explained some of the history of what once was a small port. 
A sudden uncertainty invaded her happiness as she suddenly wondered if they would approve of her seeing Danny.  Maria walked quietly as she mentally debated this, finally deciding that they would.  After all, it was a matter of character.  Besides, even in the remote chance of them not approving of her seeing him, that would not stop her from continuing her romance with Danny, at least not now.  Then she was able to tuck away to the back of her mind any anxiety she had related to their meeting.
The afternoon sun heated the humid blue sky as they approached the gallery.  The door had been propped open with a rock to let the easy lake breeze into the building.  Maria could hear a hammer banging.  She led her parents in to find Melissa had continued for Maria in finding adequate space on the walls for the paintings and hanging them.  Normally Maria would take offense to such an invasion of her work, but it was Melissa who was doing it to help her.  Besides, Maria was too elated to care about such seemingly frivolous matters.
“Melissa,” Maria said startling her friend who had her back to them.  Melissa turned to face them as they approached behind her.  “I’d like for you to meet my parents,” Maria said nearly laughing.
Melissa, who was completely caught off guard, stood and stared blankly for a moment holding the hammer in one hand and a painting in the other as Maria’s words sank in.
“Oh my goodness,” Melissa said as she quickly yet gently placed the painting and the hammer on the floor.   
“This is my father Ignacio,” Maria motioned with while introducing her parents.  “And my mother Patricia.”
         Melissa quickly studied the tall thin man before her, whom she was surprised to see he had European features and salt and peppered hair.  He had a quiet air of tranquility and dignity about him and seemed quite comfortable in his gray polo shirt and khaki slacks. 
         Maria turned to her parents and motioned toward Melissa, “Es mi amiga primera, Melissa.”
         Melissa thought her mother looked lovely in the yellow summer dress and appeared to have more native features and a full head of shoulder length thick black hair.  She looked years younger than she was.
         “Nice to meet you,” Melissa said as she extended her hand.  As Ignacio’s firm grip enveloped Melissa’s hand she remembered her Spanish.  “Mucho gusto.”
         “Igualmente,” he replied in a calm voice.  “It is good to know you.  We have heard much about you and this place.”  He smiled warmly and released her hand.
         Melissa turned to Maria’s mother and offered her hand.  “Mucho gusto.”
         “Thank you,” she replied in a choppy and irregular rhythm as she gently shook Melissa’s hand.  “It is nice to meet you.”
         Melissa looked at Maria who was gushing.  “When did your parents get here?  I didn’t know they were coming.”  As soon as the words left Melissa’s mouth the realization of what has transpired befell her.  She understood before Maria could reply that Sonny had pretty much made up for acting like an ass.
         “They just got in.  Sonny brought them!  Can you believe it?”
         Melissa blinked a few times and remembered that for as long as she had known him, Sonny always had the propensity for great generosity.  Couple that with the guilt he had over hurting Maria, it only made sense that he would go through such lengths to regain Maria’s approval.  “Yes, yes I can,” Melissa replied softly.  She paused for a moment then offered, “Why don’t you go on ahead with what you’re doing.  I’m sure you have a lot to catch up on.  I can hang the rest of these.”
         “No, we can do it,” Maria replied happily.  “There’s only a few left and it will give me a chance to show them around the gallery.”
         “Are you sure?  It’s really no problem at all,” Melissa urged her.
         “I know, thank you,” Maria smiled.
         “Okay, I’ll leave it to you then,” Melissa picked up the hammer and extended the handle to Maria. 
         Ignacio intercepted the hammer and grinned.  “Ah, okay, what do you want me to build?”
         Maria chuckled and explained to her parents that she needed to finish hanging the paintings that were left.  So under Maria’s guidance her parents and Melissa helped her in locating appropriate wall space and placing her work.  As they went, Maria showed them the work of the others.  She could see the pride in her parents’ eyes as she finished by walking them through the gallery to show them her work.
         A twinge of hunger interrupted Maria and she suddenly realized she had not eaten since the morning.  Suddenly an idea stunned her.  “What time is it?” she asked Melissa.
         Melissa shrugged, “Late afternoon?”
         Maria chuckled, “Yeah, thanks.  Do they still have the Friday night fish fry in town?”
         “Of course, it’s Friday in Wisconsin.”
         “I want to take my parent to some place typical of the area.”
         “I say just go to the fish boil in Liberty.  It’s as good as any.  You can get fish fry there too.  They have a really good selection.  And it really doesn’t get any more ‘Wisconsin’ than a small town fish boil.”
         “Ah, great.”  Maria fell silent as she did some mental math.  “Would you do me a favor?” Maria asked.
         Melissa nodded.
         “Could you go tell the others I’m inviting everyone for fish fry tonight?”
         “Really?” Melissa’s blue eyes bulged below raised eyebrows.
         “Yeah, do you think six o’clock would be alright?”
         “Are you kidding?  Anytime is a good time.”
         Maria smiled as Melissa left to go tell the others of the dinner plans.  Once alone with her parents Maria took her time, savoring her reunion with her parents as she continued to tour them through the gallery and then to her studio.  Realizing she was caught up in the excitement of their surprise arrival, she reminded herself that they would be with her for more than a week and that she did not have to try to show them everything that afternoon.  There were so many places Maria wanted to show them, including the university in Green Bay as they had never been there.  And there were so many people to meet.  Maria understood how overwhelming it could be to meet everyone and try to see too many things at one time.  Though they both denied being tired from traveling, Maria could see she needed to keep her excitement in check and not try to show them too much at this time.  Maria also knew she would have to call Danny and at least change their plans for when he closed the shop for the night, if not cancel them altogether.
         Maria’s parents were quite impressed with both the gallery and her studio.  Though this was certainly not the first time they had seen Maria’s paintings, they were particularly proud of her accomplishments in her medium.  It pleased Maria tremendously to receive such praise from her parents.  For her it validated every accomplishment she had achieved as an artist.
         Once they had seen all there was to see in the studio, Maria led them on a casual stroll to the beach.  Her parents were both surprised to see a sandy beach at the edge of what appeared to be a freshwater ocean.  Maria’s father, who served in the navy when he was a young man, was particularly impressed and joked about how she lived on the American north coast.
         Maria took her time pointing out the pilings and explaining the history of how this was a small port as she understood the story.  As she spoke, Maria realized what a relief it was to again speak in her native language.  Living in a foreign country and having to speak a second language could be exhausting.  Certainly, the more English she spoke, the less difficult it became.  But it was still mentally taxing.
         Having exhausted her knowledge of the history of the port, Maria asked her parents if they felt up to a walk along the beach, insisting it was not necessary if they felt too tired.  However, they both agreed and Maria told them how they would have parties on the beach and the time they watched fireworks at Jean’s.          
         The memory of the Fourth of July reminded Maria that she had spoken to Jean only once since they cut the yard.  As Maria thought of this, her mother inquired of the ‘dandelion business’, as things seemed to have been resolved with Sonny.
         Deciding to walk them to Jean’s house, Maria began to tell the entire story of Sonny’s war with the Mayor and how the town and her group banded together to end it.  Of course, she included that it was all made possible by Jean’s guidance.  Maria further went on to explain how Jean was essentially Maria’s mother away from mother and supported her unconditionally through those trying times.
         They arrived at Jean’s and followed the path up from the beach to the yard.  There they were greeted by the familiar howling bark of Pavlov as the beagle charged and stopped just a few feet in front of them.  Maria bent forward extending her hand, reassuring Pavlov that everything was okay and he could stop his ferocious act.  Pavlov stopped barking, sniffed Maria’s hand and stepped forward wagging his tail.  She scratched him behind the ears and gave long, slow strokes down his body as she introduced him to her parents.  Satisfied there was no threat, Pavlov sniffed at Maria’s parents’ shoes and with a wagging tail began to further inspect them.
         Maria looked around and saw Jean carefully climbing out of a hammock she had strung up between two large sugar maples.  She waved to Jean as she walked over to meet her guests.
         “Hello,” Maria called
         “Hello Maria.  This is an unexpected surprise,” Jean smiled.
         “You’re telling me,” Maria chuckled as she and her parents moved to meet Jean.  “I wanted to introduce you to my parents.  This is my father, Ignacio, and my mother, Patricia.”  Maria turned to her parents and introduced Jean.
         “Bienvenidos.  Mucho gusto,” Jean said as she shook hands with Maria’s parents.
         Maria raised an eyebrow.  “Have you been holding out on me?”
         “Don’t worry dear,” Jean confessed.  “That’s about all the Spanish I remember.  If anything, you’ve been holding out on me.  You didn’t tell me your parents were coming.”
         “I didn’t know.  Sonny flew them in to surprise me.”
         “I guess it worked,” Jean nodded.
         A thought suddenly occurred to Maria.  Her eyes narrowed at Jean.  “Did you tell Sonny to bring my parents here?”
         Jean’s eyes widened in surprise, “Oh heavens no.  I can promise you I had nothing to do with this.”  Jean turned her attention to Maria’s parents.  Did you have a good flight?”
         Maria waited a few moments for her parents to respond.
         “Ah, yes,” her father replied with a thick Spanish accent.  “It was very good.  Many hours though.”
         “I know.  It can be quite tiresome.  Why don’t we go inside to sit and have a drink?” Jean suggested.  “It’s cooler inside.”
         Maria translated for her parents and they followed Jean into the house.  Inside the air conditioning was a welcomed relief from the humid afternoon heat.  Jean invited them all to sit in the living room where they could enjoy the view of the lake from her large windows.  Jean brought four glasses and a well chilled bottle of Prairie Fume.  After pouring a full glass for everyone, she leaned back in her seat and sighed in relief. 
         “So, tell me,” Jean asked.  “How are things in Lima these days?”





                                                           











                                                           












                                                     Chapter 36


         Maria quickly rinsed the conditioner out of her hair under the cool water of the shower.  It was nearly six o’clock and everyone was ready but her.  Earlier she had thought about just changing clothes, but she was self-conscious of how she smelled after sweating most of the day and absolutely refused to go to dinner stinking.  She took a deep breathe and relaxed, pushing any anxiety about hurrying aside.  Maria reminded herself that she had already spoken with Danny and they agreed to meet in the morning as Maria would be entertaining her parents that night.  Once she was sufficiently showered and dressed they could leave.  There was no emergency.
         Once well rinsed, Maria flung open the shower curtain and quickly rubbed herself dry with her towel.  She put on fresh undergarments and deodorant.  After putting on a black summer dress with tiny red flowers she stepped into black open-toed heels.  She stood before the mirror quickly tugging a brush through her hair, eventually pulling it back into a ponytail.  Having finished with her hair she opened a small bag containing cosmetics.  She pulled out a pencil and began tracing around her eyes.  Ironically, as a painter, Maria had limited comfort when it came to applying makeup.  She had no problem applying paints to a canvas, but when the canvas was her face, she employed the use of color very sparingly.  Further encouraged by the time, Maria quickly applied a light pink eye shadow and red lipstick.  Maria rarely used makeup.  However, since she become romantically involved with Danny, she had become more practiced at its application.  She took a deep breath and studied herself in the mirror for a few seconds.  Convinced she did not overuse the makeup to the point she looked like a clown, she packed her makeup into the bag, picked up the rest of her belongings and hurried out of the bathroom, heels clicking.
         She set her makeup bag on top of her dresser and dropped her dirty clothes and towel to the floor along its side where it would be reasonably concealed from sight if
someone were to enter the room.  After finding her purse and wallet, she uncovered her money from under her socks in her dresser and tucked a couple hundred dollars into her wallet.  As she slipped the thin strap of her small black purse up to her shoulder, she continued toward the living room closing the door behind her.
         As she entered the living room she stopped and took note of all her friends sitting and talking with her parents.  The conversation was light and lively.  A warm sense of satisfaction washed over Maria as she not only had her friends back together, but also with her mother and father.  Again she reminded herself that this was Sonny’s doing.
         “Are you ready?” Sonny asked  Maria.
         “Yeah, sorry to keep you all waiting.”
         “It’s okay,” Melissa said as she stood up.
         Maria and her parents followed the others out to the station wagon.  Maria hesitated for a moment wondering how they were all going to fit in the vehicle.  Without saying a word, Sonny, Melissa and Dipak wedged themselves into the front.  Martin and Heather climbed into the very back seat which faced out the back window leaving the seat behind the driver open for Maria and her parents.  Maria sat between her parents in the back seat.
         “You said Jean is gonna meet us up there right?” Sonny asked as he looked out the back and began guiding the station wagon in reverse down the driveway.
         “Yeah,” Maria confirmed.  “She’s probably there already.”
         “Most likely,” Sonny concurred.  “She’s like clockwork.”
         The heat of the early evening seemed stifling in the car as they were all packed together.  The open windows offered little relief.  However, the drive was short and Maria was further able to distract herself from the heat by pointing out places of interest in the town and relating stories to her parents.
         They arrived at the Sunset Supper Club at the south end of Liberty.  Sonny was able to find the last available parking space in the lot behind the restaurant.  As they made their way to the entrance, Maria noticed Jean’s car was parked there also.
         Sonny held the door open as Maria led her parents and friends into the refreshing air conditioned building.  Polka music resonated through the restaurant.  A live band was
playing up on a stage at the back of the bar area.  There was a small dance floor before the stage occupied by three elderly couples dancing.  All of the tables appeared to be full as were the seats at the bar.
         “Hi,” the hostess greeted.  She was a middle-aged woman whose years had seemed to have gotten the best of her.  Maria could see how she tried to hide her premature aging with makeup, but it was a vain effort.  “How many?” she asked.
         “There will be nine of us.”
         The hostess picked up a pen and looked at her book.  She turned and looked over the restaurant then returned her attention to the book, making a note.  “It will probably be about forty-five minutes,” she informed Maria.
         “Okay,” Maria agreed reluctantly.  She did not really want to wait that long, but she had no choice.  If they were to leave to try to find another place to eat, it would be as busy and they would have to wait again.  They were better served by just accepting the wait where they were at and taking the first available table.
         “What’s the name?”
         “Maria.”
         “Okay Maria,” the hostess smiled.  “We’ll get you seated as soon as we can.  Until then you are welcome to sit at the bar.”
         Maria motioned for the others to follow her.  She explained to her parents that they would be waiting awhile for a table.  Maria was relieved as her parents did not seem to mind waiting.  Squeezing between people, Maria blazed a path to the bar.  As she waited for the bartender she looked around the crowd.  Down at the far end she saw Jean sitting next to Father Brick.  Jean sipped at her glass of wine and chatted with the priest as he sipped his cocktail and smoked.
         Sonny pressed up along side Maria as the bartender made his way to them.  Together they ordered drinks for their party.  Maria made eye contact with Jean and waved as the bartender brought glasses of beer, wine and muddled Old Fashioneds.  Sonny began delivering the drinks as Maria paid.  After leaving what she guessed was an appropriate tip she moved out of the tight quarters to rejoin her parents.  Having more space, Maria took a deep breath and sipped her wine.  Her mother chuckled and offered
words of endearment.
“Wozniak, four!  Wozniak, four!” the hostess called from the end of the bar.  In response two silver haired couples got off their barstools and carried their drinks to follow the hostess.
         Maria wasted no time and fluidly moved in to claim the available seats.  She stood by them and called her mother and father to come sit as Melissa and Heather occupied the other two stools. 
         “You look lovely this evening, dear,” Jean’s voice grabbed Maria’s attention.
         “Thank you,” Maria replied.  “So do you.”
         “I just wanted to let you know I put my name on the list when I got here.  I didn’t know if you had called ahead for reservations so I asked for a table for ten.  That’s enough, right?” Jean asked as she looked uncomfortably over her shoulder at the young man who nudged her as he passed by.
         Maria grinned.  “Yeah, there are nine of us.”
         “Actually there will be ten,” Jean informed Maria.  “I invited Father Paul to join us.  He had a good hand in the way things have turned out this summer.”  Jean pointed to the back of the bar.  Maria’s eyes followed to see a couple of yellow fliers advertising the opening of the gallery.
         “Oh, my…” Maria was shocked.  “How did he manage to get our fliers?”
         “The Lord works in mysterious ways,” Jean replied with a grin.  “I’m going to return to my seat before I lose it.  I’m sure Paul will do what he can to keep it for me, but if he gets distracted somebody will take it.”
         Maria pointed out the flier to her parents and shouted over to Heather and Melissa to show them the unexpected advertising as well.  As the rest of the group became aware of the pleasant surprise, Maria turned to look down the bar to wave to Father Paul, but he was busy talking to a young man to his left.  Jean returned to her seat to his right as a young woman sat in her empty stool.  Maria watched and laughed to herself as Jean, without hesitation, informed the young lady she had already laid claim to the chair.  Offering no argument, the young lady grabbed her cocktail and relinquished the seat to Jean.
         Having rescued her seat Jean gently nudged Father Paul in the ribs with her elbow, stealing his attention back from the young man to his side.  Maria could see Jean say something to Father Paul which elicited a sheepish grin and a short apologetic response.  Jean then pointed across the bar to her.  Father Paul followed her point to see Maria waving.  He smiled widely and waved back.
         Maria could not believe the hidden support she and her friends had found scattered throughout the town.  Not only had this experience re-affirmed her belief that mankind, for all its follies, is generally good natured, kind and decent, that people regardless of race, culture or religion essentially want the same things in life, and that as they work together to achieve common goals, common sense, peace and order would prevail.
         Upon her brief, yet deep reflection, Maria could feel the pool of emotion welling up in her eyes.  The fear of embarrassing herself and the others by erupting into an emotional scene quickly blanketed those waters and she sighed a deep breath.  Then, to quickly distract herself from those feelings she engaged her parents in conversation of
life at home, allowing a previously unheard current of Spanish to flow beneath the rumbling conversations of the tavern.
         Shortly after ordering their second round of drinks, they heard the hostess call for Jean’s party of ten.  Maria remembered she needed to tell the woman that she no longer needed the table for nine.  She told her parents that their table was ready and led them through the crowd to where the hostess was waiting.  Maria explained to her that they no longer needed her table as Jean and Father Paul made their way to the group.
         The hostess led the group around a corner to a large banquet room where the polka music and the bar noise diminished to a far more tolerable level for dining.  The banquet room was filled with diners as servers dressed in drindl dresses and lederhosen circulated through the area with trays of food and steins of beer.  The hostess showed them to two tables which had been pushed together near a large bay window overlooking Lake Michigan.
         Maria sat with her parents to her right and Sonny to her left.  Dipak, Melissa, Martin and Heather sat opposite them.  And Father Paul occupied the head of the table
nearest Maria while Jean sat at the opposite end.  The tables were dressed with white cloth and the places were set for several courses.  Maria found the chairs were surprisingly comfortable as they were made of a deep dark wood, Mahogany she thought, and the seats were outfitted with a leather covered cushion.
         Shortly after everyone had seated, a rather plump young waitress approached the head of the table by Father Paul and introduced herself as Michelle.  She stated she would be their server and recanted the special of the evening was the fish fry as she made her way around the table handing each person a menu and assessing that each place had all of the appropriate dishes and silverware.  Upon finishing her initial round, Michelle asked if anyone needed anything else to drink.  The party at the table confessed no needs so Michelle announced she would be back shortly.
         Maria translated the special to her parents and any other part of the menu with which they requested her help.  Once they had decided upon their meal, Maria looked over to Father Paul who never once opened his menu.  He had simply set it aside looking like a man who knew what he wanted.  Father Paul waited silently, sipping his cocktail as the others continued to pour over their menus.
         “I’m very glad you could join us this evening,” Maria offered with a sincere smile.
         “It’s my pleasure,” Father Paul returned.  “Thank you for letting me join you all.  I realize this is something of a special occasion with your parents being here and the opening of the gallery tomorrow.”
         “Yes,” Maria stated.  “But I understand you had much to do with helping us out this summer.”  As the words left her mouth Maria realized she had forgotten that Sonny was one of whom Father Paul Brick had helped her and her companions overcome.
         Sonny looked up from his menu and shot a raised eyebrow glance at Father Paul.  But when the priest looked back at Sonny he returned his attention to the menu.  Maria felt a familiar uncomfortable warmth spreading from her ears to her cheeks.  She studied Sonny briefly and then took a sip of her wine and again smiled weakly at Father Paul.
         “I’m just glad to do my small part to help out where I can.”  Father Paul smiled softly.  “But Sonny here is the one who was truly instrumental in how everything has
turned out.”
         Maria’s eyes widened at Father Paul’s statement.  His comment also grabbed the attention of the others around the table.  Everyone watched silently as Sonny took a deep breath and slowly exhaled as he looked up from his menu to lock eyes with Father Paul.
         “What?  Is that supposed to mean I’m some kind of asshole?”  Sonny inquired with a harnessed tinge of bitterness on his tongue.
         “I’m sorry,” Father Paul reached over and gently patted Sonny on the forearm.  “That was probably a poor choice of words on my part.  All I meant was you were the one that brought this group together.  You were a catalyst for political change in Liberty.  And most importantly, after things got out of control, you were able to see past your shortcomings by learning from others and growing to a point where you not only forgave, but also let yourself be forgiven.  The consequences of it all have been personal growth for all, reunification of you and your friends, as well as the town, and the opening of a new business that will further continue to enrich people’s lives.”  Father Paul slowly held up his glass to Sonny.  “You had a busy summer, my son.  Here’s to a successful opening of the newest and finest gallery in the region.”
         Sonny smiled out the side of his mouth and nodded lightly.  He held up his beer, gently clinking his glass against Father Paul’s.  The rest of the table in turn held up their glasses to share in the toast.
         A rush of relief poured through Maria as she gently swung her glass of wine around the table to touch it against the other’s glasses.  She was thankful that Father Paul was cleverly able to defuse the situation.  As she drank on the toast she considered what Father Paul said and realized his words of wisdom rang true.  However, she would not let his speech influence her from recognizing that, at times, Sonny could still be “some kind of an asshole.”  That potential would always be there in him.  But that was who he is.  That stubborn, hard, and at times belligerent characteristic was what gave him the relentless drive he had to see things through.
         Shortly thereafter Michelle returned to the table and slowly worked her way clockwise around the table taking everyone’s order, starting with Father Paul.  Everyone ordered some type of the fish fry; Haddock, Walleye, or Perch, except for Maria’s  father who to her surprise ordered the fish boil.  Maria inquired as to make certain her father knew what he was ordering to which he responded, “Es mas typico, no?”  Maria had to concur.  The fish boil was a very traditional meal of the area.  Once Michelle had returned to her starting point Father Paul requested another round of drinks.  After making certain she knew what everyone was drinking Michelle hurried off to place the orders.
         The conversation turned to anticipation of the grand opening of the gallery.  As the others voiced excitement, contentment and concerns, Maria discovered a warm feeling of satisfaction.  Regardless of how the opening went for them, in retrospect she could not have asked for the summer to have turned out any better.  Certainly the completion of their project was in question at times and the mental and emotional struggles were greatly challenging.  But the fact that they managed to persevere through those arduous and painful times had only made their relationships stronger and brought them all closer.  Maria felt a great sense of satisfaction as she watched her parents struggle through language barriers to get to know those who had become Maria’s family abroad.  Also to her surprise, Melissa’s Spanish was unexpectedly good, particularly since she was not taking any formal classes or tutoring, at least not that Maria was aware of.  At that moment Maria resolved to speak Spanish more frequently with her blonde friend.  Further, Melissa’s apparent aptitude for language reassured Maria that Melissa would indeed come to visit her in Peru one day.
         Michelle returned with another server, each carrying a tray of large diameter.  Michelle made her way around the table delivering drinks as the other followed behind setting small bowls of garden salad at each diner’s place.  The banter about the table began to slip just a bit as conversation was sporadically interrupted when they began to eat.
         Though Maria was excruciatingly hungry, she took her time with the salad savoring each delicious bite as well as each moment of her company.  Then a mental interruption forced her to drift off into thought.  She recognized that tomorrow was going to be a full day as she would meet Danny with her parents for breakfast.  Then she and her housemates would need to spend the rest of the morning making the final
preparations to open the doors of the gallery by noon, somehow finding time to entertain her parents until that time.  It would be a long, albeit fun day.
         A middle-aged couple stopped by the table interrupting Maria’s thoughts.  She recognized them as people who helped to cut the yard, but could not remember their names.  They apologized for interrupting, wished everyone a successful opening and assured them they would be there with two other couples.
         The artists at the table thanked them for their warm wishes as the couple sauntered off to the dance floor.
         As if on cue of their exit, Michelle returned with a large tray and made her way around the table delivering plates of crispy beer battered fried fish accompanied with either a baked potato or French fries as requested.  She set the food in front of the half of the table opposite Maria, and then hustled off to refill the tray with the other half of the order.  Despite the encouragement of those without their meals for the others to begin everyone waited until all the meals has been served.
         When finished dining, Michelle stopped back to offer dessert choices.  No one at the table was interested, however, as they had filled up on the main course near the point of discomfort.  With no other food or drink orders, Michelle set the bill face down next to Sonny stating she would take care of it when ready.  Sonny in turn slid the bill over to Maria without looking at it.
         “I believe this belongs to you,” he said with a thin smile.
         Maria grinned as she picked up the bill.  She glanced at the total but did not bother to study the rest of the tab.  After calculating the tip she pulled one hundred, fifty dollars from her purse and set it with the bill.
         Michelle hurried by the table, grabbed the money and stated, “I’ll be right back with your change.”
         “It’s okay,” Maria shouted to her before she reached the end of the table.  “We’re good.”
Michelle stopped and turned to the group.  “Thank you,” she smiled.  “You folks have a great night.”
         “Thank you,” Maria replied with a short wave.
The group then got up and made their way through the supper club still choked full of patrons.  The polka band continued its gleeful melody over the jovial, fat rhythm of the sousaphone as the dance floor bustled with couples competing for dancing space.  Maria led her parents out to the parking lot where they met with the others under the last dim light of the day.
         “So, who’s up for a night cap?” Sonny asked.
         “Where you thinking about?” Dipak asked.
         “The Last Stand.”
         After a brief exchange with her parents, Maria stated, “My parents are going to go back to the Inn.  They’re very tired.”
         “Well I would be too,” Heather said.  “It’s been a long day for them.”
         “I’m going to go with them,” Maria added.  “I just want to spend some more time with them.  I’ll catch up with you guys a little later.”
         Jean stepped forward to Maria and her parents.  “I will say good night now then.”  She gave Maria a light hug.  “Thank you so much for dinner, my dear.”  Jean shook hands with Maria’s parents.  “Ignacio, Patricia, it was very nice meeting you.”
         Maria’s parents, under the influence of exhaustion were unable to respond in English.  They smiled and nodded and bid Jean good night in Spanish.
         “Aren’t you going to the tavern Jean?” Martin asked.
         “Oh, heavens no.  I can’t tear it up like I used to.  That’s for you young people.”
         “Its okay, Jean,” Martin said with a grin trying to coax her into coming.  “We won’t tell anyone.”
         “Really, if I weren’t going to be partying with you tomorrow I’d be more inclined to stay out.  But since it takes longer for me to recover, I think it would be best for me to rest up tonight,” Jean insisted.
         “Would you mind dropping me off along the way?” Father Paul asked Jean as he lit a cigarette.
         “No, that’s not a problem at all,” Jean replied casually.
         “Alright Father Paul!” Melissa cheered causing a light laughter to trickle through the group.
“Okay,” Sonny pulled the car keys from his pocket.  “We’ll drop Maria and her parents off and we’ll meet you there,” Sonny informed Father Paul.
         Jean and the priest parted from the group.  Maria and the others found Sonny’s station wagon and piled in, assuming the same seats they had on the ride to the restaurant. It only took a couple of minutes for Sonny to find the Inn.  Maria thanked him and reassured him that she would meet them a while later.  Everyone in the car bid Maria’s parents good night and the trio from Peru slid out of the car.
         Maria studied the Inn for a minute as her parents walked in front of her and her friends sped off behind her.  The Inn was a large classic Victorian with a wrought iron fence encircling the front yard.  A large oak tree occupied a particular space in the front yard on either side of the walk to the front door lending a sense of balance a one viewed the yard from the street.  The trees towered above the three story house providing much needed shade from the western sun during the day.  However, in the failing twilight they added an extra element of darkness shadowing the military blue paint and white trim of the building to appear as only shades of gray.  Maria followed her parents through the gate and up the cobblestone walk between the enormous trees and up the stairs of the well lit front porch which spanned the front of the house and wrapped around the sides.  Juniper bushes, rose bushes and peonies grew along the porch in well maintained beds.  The porch itself contained a couple of small round café style tables with chairs and also a love seat where one could relax on a well shaded warm afternoon with a drink and a book.
         They entered the building onto a white marble floored entrance way lined with large blue tile.  Then they passed through a heavy, dark wooden door which Maria believed to be the original.  She followed her parents into a large sitting room with maple floors and overstuffed couch with matching chairs.  They passed the check in desk to the old wooden stairs which had been meticulously maintained.  Maria found the handrail to be thick and solid, not at all like the hand rails made today.  It encouraged her to grasp it as she climbed the stairs, not for safety or to assist her climb, but rather because of its solid beauty.  It was simply a pleasure to touch.
         Once on the landing of the second floor, they turned down the hall which led across the house.  She followed her parents down to the third door on the left.  Inside the room was a king sized poster bed.  As Maria walked into the room she opened a door to what she thought was a closet to find a small bathroom complete with a shower stall.  A lovely old armoire occupied a corner next to a matching vanity.  Across from the foot of the bed were French doors which were open, inviting one out on the balcony which overlooked Lake Michigan.  The cool lake breeze felt clean and refreshing.
         Maria sat in an overstuffed chair in the corner opposite the armoire and turned on the reading lamp which stood on the floor next to her.  She was quite impressed with the accommodations Sonny had secured for her parents and was very grateful he had gone to such lengths for her and them.  Maria’s parents each put their suitcases on the bed and began unloading their contents into the armoire.  Maria realized then that they had not had a chance to rest since they had arrived.  They had not even had an opportunity to unpack before Sonny whisked them off to see their daughter.
         Maria offered to help them unpack, but her mother refused, insisting they were not so tired they could not manage the task.  Further, she insisted Maria go join her friends, and they would meet her again in the morning.  An empty feeling opened in Maria.  It was a strange twinge of disappointment from her mother dismissing her so.  However, after several moments Maria realized she was being selfish and should let her parents rest.  Besides, Maria was not able to help them with anything.  Still, Maria sat in the chair making light inquiries of home, gaining more information from her father than her mother.
         Upon emptying her suitcase, Maria’s mother again insisted that she join her friends.  Maria agreed as they were about to make their final preparations for bed and reminded them that she would be by around seven o’clock in the morning to take them to breakfast with Danny.  Ignacio teased that the relationship must be quite serious since
Danny was meeting the family.  Maria did not know how to react to such ribbing from her father and began to feel a bit uncomfortable.  She defensively insisted that their romantic relationship was young and denied any real seriousness to it.
         Seeing her guardedness on the subject her father apologized, reassuring Maria it was only good natured ribbing.  Her father acknowledged that he was looking forward to
meeting Danny as he had been and integral part to Maria’s success, even years before now.  Upon hearing his apology Maria relaxed as she was convinced he meant only to tease her in fun, although she did not understand why he felt it was necessary to do so in the first place.  However, before she could feel angry about his incessant need for teasing, she remembered how happy she was to see her parents again.  She told them so, gave them each a long hug, wished them good night and left them to rest as she went to join her friends.












































                                                     Chapter 37


         The morning sun had just climbed the tops of the trees casting a stream of crisp light into the kitchen forcing Maria to squint at the glare off the Yoga magazine she read as she sipped coffee.  She glanced at the microwave to see it was nearly seven o’clock.  After a long, wide mouthed yawn she took her coffee to the living room where she waited for Danny, who was to arrive any minute.  The anxious and strangely eager anticipation of her parents meeting her new boyfriend covered the wear from the late night festivities she participated in the night before.
         She stood by the bay window and pulled back the curtain watching for her ride.  Maria casually wondered how many people would turn out today for the grand opening of the gallery.  In a mere five hours the doors would open to the public for the first time.  Her mind drifted through a list of things that still had to be done in final preparation for the event.  The list was significantly shortened by Sonny, who insisted on having a caterer.  That, Maria realized, was a huge move in saving time and effort immediately to the opening.
         Danny’s dark green Volkswagen Passat quietly climbed up the drive.  Maria set her half empty cup on the coffee table and walked out to greet him.  He smiled at her as she approached the car.  Completely captured by her beauty he studied her firm figure beneath her white flower printed blue summer dress and her long dark hair cascading over her shoulders.
         Maria pulled her hair back as she sat in the passenger seat.  They greeted with brief kiss, then Danny backed the car down the drive and they began their short drive to Liberty.
         “Nervous?” Danny asked.
         Maria nodded, noting that the light blue polo shirt he wore was nearly the same shade of blue as her dress.  A brief surge of sudden anxiety kicked through Maria as she
imagined her father teasing them about how cute it was that they wore matching clothes.  Maria, however, fought back any twinge of regret that dared enter her thoughts.  “Yeah, a little bit.  How about you?”
         “Oh, yeah, but I’ll be alright.  I’m really looking forward to this,” he said with a reassuring smile.
         The quiet streets of Liberty were all but abandoned.  It was early on the Saturday morning of a three day holiday weekend.  The only people who seemed to be out at this hour were shop keeps on their way to work.  The bright, serene morning filled with chirping sparrows, finches and martins helped Maria stay calm.  It was a mystery to her why she got so nervous when she introduced her boyfriends to her parents, particularly her father.  She always had.  Further she wondered why.  Was her parents’ approval really that important to her?  Certainly it mattered, but would she ignore genuine feelings for someone in order to get their approval?  Also, she reminded herself that just because her father teased her does not at all mean he did not approve of her choice.  Yet, Danny was not just a boyfriend, but an American boyfriend, which added an entirely new dynamic to the situation,
         “How do you say ‘nice to meet you,’” Danny asked.  “It’s ‘mucho gusto’, right?”
         “Yes,” Maria said a bit surprised.  “Do you know anything else in Spanish?”
         “No, not really, just some words and phrases, a little profanity.  But nothing I could really use for conversation.”
         “That’s okay,” Maria admitted.  “They will probably want to speak English anyway, especially my father.”  Maria swallowed loudly.  “By the way, my father may tease us.  He has a history of doing that to boyfriends I introduce to him.”
         Danny glanced over at Maria and could see she was in obvious discomfort at the thought.  “Hey, come on.  It will be okay.  He can tease us if he wants.  Hell, if I ever have a daughter I’m sure I’ll tease her and her boyfriends.”
         Maria rolled her eyes and took a deep breath.  “It’s over here on the left.”
         Danny pulled the car to an open space at the curb and turned off the engine.  He gave Maria’s hand a brief squeeze.  “I’ll be okay, I promise.  Now, let’s go have fun with your parents.”
         Maria smiled back as best she could.  “Okay,” she agreed and got out of the car.  She led Danny across the street and up the walk of the Inn.  They walked through the entrance to the sitting area.  A woman with gray hair and glasses stood behind the desk.
         “Good morning, can I help you?” she said with a smile.  Her teeth were stained yellow from years of coffee and cigarettes.
         “Good morning,” Maria replied.  “We’re here to meet my parents.”
         “Oh, that nice couple from Lima?”
         Maria nodded and grinned.
         “Yes, they’re upstairs in room three.  Would you like…”
         The woman’s sentence was interrupted by Maria’s father as he came down the stairs.  “Hola, hola, buenas dias, good morning,” he said in a rather chipper tone.  Maria’s mother followed behind him.
         Maria introduced them as Danny and Ignacio shook hands.
         “It is nice to meet you,” Ignacio said with a thick Spanish accent that took Danny by surprise.  “Maria has told us much about you over the years.  Thank you for helping her to be successful with her paintings.”
         “I am happy to do it,” Danny replied.  “If I hadn’t, someone else would have.  It’s not often you come across an artist with Maria’s talent.” 
         A moment of silence ensued and the four of them looked at one another.  Danny could sense the onset of an awkward moment but managed to dispel it by suggesting they go to the restaurant.  After a brief discussion as to whether walk or drive, the foursome decided that the morning was too lovely and should be engaged by a stroll through town rather than rushing about in the car.  The streets were still quiet except for a few of the locals who went through their daily routines.  A couple of shops were opened early advertising sales for the Labor Day weekend, but at this hour they seem to have failed to attract any business.
         Maria noted this and wondered if Danny had made any special sacrifice of his business to be with her and her parents.  “Did you plan to open early this weekend?”
         “No,” he answered her as they led her parents through town.  “With living in Holly’s Harbor, I’ve got a lot more traffic through my shop during the regular business
hours as compared to Liberty, so it really wouldn’t make any difference.”  He thought for a second.  “I should really say, I’m not going to open earlier for a few more dollars.  It’s not worth it to me.”
         Maria was relieved to hear the truthfulness of his response.  After all, she did not want their personal relationship to interfere with their professional ambitions.  Just as any anxiety she had about Danny changing his shop hours to be with her and her parents dissipated a sudden surge of adrenaline rushed through her forcing a shallow gasp.  Her father had not said anything remotely off color about Danny or the fact that Maria and he were romantically involved.  Suspicion trickled through her as she looked back over her shoulder and smiled at her parents.
         A short while later, after walking a couple of blocks off Main street and away from the lake, they came to an area of town where several small businesses mingled with residences on a street lined with Catalpa and Oak trees.  The giant trees shaded the walks in a green hue with bright beams of morning sun intermittently and sporadically piercing through small holes of the leafy canopy as a breeze shuffled the leaves above them.
         Finally they came to a very well maintained, yet old and remarkably tiny train station bearing a sign on the front declaring it the Liberty Station Diner.  An old steam engine which connected to a passenger car, which connected to a second passenger car, which connected with a caboose, sat quietly behind the station.  As Danny led them up the walk a couple of older men came out of one of the passenger cars and walked toward the station.
         Curiosity filled Maria.  She had never heard of this place before.  She was about to ask Danny if he was certain this was a diner when she noticed a young couple at a window of the second passenger car.  They were, Maria could see, enjoying a meal and conversation.
         They entered the tiny building to find the interior rather spartan.  Old black and white photos and paintings of the train station and Liberty hung on the walls.  There was a small counter with a register along the wall perpendicular to the entrance and a door leading to the platform and the train opposite them.  A dark haired woman who reminded Maria of a librarian manned the cash register.
         When the hostess finished giving the gentlemen their change she turned to their group and with a smile said, “Good morning, four?”
         “Yep,” Danny nodded.
         The hostess pulled four menus from under the counter and led them out on to the platform.  She hesitated for a moment, and then very deliberately led them to board the second passenger car.  Inside the train had been remarkably remodeled to fit the needs of a diner.  There were four tables in the car, each seating four.  However, two of the tables remained unoccupied after they were seated.  At the last table sat the young couple Maria saw before.  Maria imagined it was still a bit early for business to be brisk.
         “This is really something,” Maria said to Danny who sat at her side.  “I didn’t know about this place.”
         “Yeah, they don’t advertise at all.”  Danny confessed, “Once, when I first got up here, I got lost and found it completely by accident.  It’s pretty cool though, and the food is quite tasty.
         Maria translated the story of how Danny discovered the diner as her parents casually reviewed their menus.  Maria’s mother responded in Spanish and pointed to an item on the menu, exacting an agreeable nod and smile from Maria.
         “This is where the train would go years from now?” Ignacio struggled with the words he directed at Danny as the waitress began filling their cups with coffee.
         Danny was momentarily stunned, but quickly regained his composure and processed the question.  “Honestly, I’m not certain,” he replied slowly.  “I believe this was a stop.  I know the town used to be a port town where the logging industry was prominent.  So it wouldn’t surprise me if this was a real stop.”
         Ignacio raised an eyebrow.  “Ah, si,” he replied, took a sip of his coffee and returned his attention to the menu.          
         The next several minutes passed in an awkward, though not truly uncomfortable silence only interrupted occasionally by Maria answering questions about the menu.
         Upon the waitress’ return, Maria’s parents were able to order confidently, thanks in part to a bit of cueing by Maria.  With the orders taken, the waitress hurried off in the direction of the engine.
         “Please,” Ignacio said to Danny.  “Would you tell me about your business?”
         Danny smiled and took a sip of coffee before wading through the history of how he came to be there and how he met Maria.
         As Danny related the details to her parents, Maria noted something different with her father.  He was more relaxed in the presence of Danny than with any of her past boyfriends.  She drifted in wonder as to whether or not her father had accepted Danny because her ran a successful business, or perhaps it was he accepted the fact that his little Maria was a grown woman who was no longer in need of his protective presence.  After a minute of mental debate, she decided it made no difference why her father was different this time, she was just glad there would be no agonizing teasing or embarrassing questions.  As she tuned back into the conversation, she relaxed back in her chair sipping her coffee as she listened to Danny and Ignacio getting along famously.
         
















                                                           





                                                     Chapter 38 


         Maria sat in silence in the living room with her parents, Melissa, and Heather.  Heather wore a white blouse and a black mini skirt and black heels.  Melissa wore a black short cut dress with matching heels.  They were both impeccably well groomed.  It was one of the few times Maria could remember either of them wearing makeup.  Maria had simply not changed clothes as she was already preened for her breakfast with Danny.  Still, she felt a bit underdressed compared to her housemates and with scattered thoughts debated changing clothes. Anxiety churned Maria’s stomach as she absently flipped through the pages of an Audobon magazine.  Her mind raced with the anticipation of the gallery opening and how well her father and Danny had gotten along over breakfast.  Unable to pretend to be able to distract herself any longer, she sighed and gently tossed the magazine to the coffee table.
         “I know,” Melissa said.  “But it’s nearly noon.”
         “It’s gotta be close enough,” Heather said.  “Let’s just go.”
         Maria was inclined to agree with Heather.  Sonny, Martin and Dipak has requested the young ladies not come to the gallery before noon because they had a surprise for them.  The fact that the caterers had been there and were setting up which allowed them in on the surprise did not sit well with Maria.
         “I agree,” Maria said.
         “Look,” Melissa continued.  “We only need to wait ten more minutes.  Besides, at least you were out for awhile today.”
         “So were you,” Maria replied defensively.
         “Ha!  That was to set up the signs on the roadside directing people to the gallery.”
         A rush of guilty self consciousness washed over Maria.  She had not meant to insult Melissa or argue with her.  “I’m sorry,” Maria said ashamedly.  “I just want to get on with this.”
         “This is ridiculous,” Heather stated with frustration thick in her voice.  She stood up.  “Let’s go.”
         Maria stood up also, followed by her parents.  Melissa hesitated for a second and then shrugged before standing up and motioning for Heather to lead the way.
         As they followed Heather out onto the patio under a partly cloudy sky, a fairly stiff and steady breeze pushed off the lake keeping the heat of the day much more tolerable.  They moved quickly through the patio and down the path to the gallery.
         “Oh, nice!” Heather exclaimed and pointed to the front of the gallery.
         Maria looked to see Dipak, who wore a black button down short sleeved shirt and black pants, bracing a ladder on the ground as Sonny made his descent.  Martin was still on the edge of the roof waiting for his turn to come down.  A few feet from Martin was a large wooden sign with a painted field of dandelions and black cursive letters bearing the name The Dandelion Den Gallery.  She could not help but smile widely at the idea of Sonny still having a field of dandelions.
         The group reached the ladder as Sonny stepped off the bottom rung and Martin began his descent.
         “Good job,” Melissa offered as she continued to look at the sign.
         “Well, I thought it was kind of appropriate, ya know?” Sonny replied as he took off his glasses and wiped the sweat from his eyes.  “It was a bitch to get it up there though.”
         “Yeah, tell me about it,” Martin exhaled heavily as he stepped off the ladder. 
         “I bet,” Maria chimed.  “It looks great though, totally worth the effort.”
         “I gotta get in the shower and get changed,” Martin said as he started toward the house.”
         “Me too.  People could start showing up any time,” Sonny added.
         “We’ll hold down the fort until you get back,” Melissa offered.
         “Here’s our first guest now,” Sonny waved.
         Maria and the others turned to see Jean straining with the weight of a box she carried as she moved quickly toward the group.  Maria’s father rushed out to meet her and relieved Jean from the weight of the box.  After profusely thanking him, the two walked a much more relaxed pace to the group.
         “Glad to see you could make it Jean,” Sonny said with a wide, sweaty smile.
         “Oh, you know I wouldn’t miss this.  Is there anything you need me to do?”
         “Thanks, but I think we’re all set,” Sonny started off toward the house.  “I’ll be back in a little bit.”
         Ignacio set the box on the ground spurring Heather to ask, “What’s in the box?”
         “Dandelion wine,” Jean said in a matter-of-fact tone.  “When Sonny told me about the name of the gallery I thought it would only be appropriate to bring some wine that would keep with the theme.  There’s another case in the car.”
         “I’ll go get it,” Dipak offered.  Then he lowered the ladder from the roof and carried off to the garage.
         “Well,” Jean lilted, “show me the gallery.”
         With a broad smile, Maria led the group under the sign and through the door.  Inside the gallery was crisp and clean.  The displays and artwork were arranged in a way that very much reminded Maria of an art museum rather than a simple gallery.  The recognizable jazz as could only be played by Martin softly filled the background.  Maria moved as close to the center of the room as she could and slowly panned around.  At one end of the gallery was a small stage where Martin had set up instruments for performing later.  At the other end the caterer had found space to set up tables for a bar and trays with varieties of crackers, cheese, meats, fruits and cold cut sandwiches on croissants.  Every where else in the gallery she could see her work hanging on the walls and the works of her dear friends displayed neatly and prominently about the room.  Maria took a deep breath and tried to keep her eyes from watering as she realized the accomplishment of achieving their goal, and all they had to endure to get there.
         Dipak walked through the open door pretending not to strain under the weight of the case of fermented dandelions.  He smiled at Maria as he tried to control the rhythm of his breaths and inhaled deeply through his nose as he hurried by.  Maria followed behind Dipak as he set the case on the bar next to the one Maria’s father brought in.  A tall, thick, well groomed man who wore formal attire, black pants, white shirt, black vest and
bowtie, quickly moved in to assist Dipak with the box.  Without waiting for instructions he easily moved the full boxes to a space behind the table with the other cases of beer and wine which were not currently being contained in the ice bath behind him.
         Jean arrived next to Dipak just as Maria did and requested of the man behind the table to begin chilling a half case of her wine.  Once finished with putting the bottles on ice he returned to Jean.  “Can I get you anything to drink?” he asked seriously.
         “What’s your name?” Jean replied.
         “Brian.”
         “Thank you, Brian.  I would like a glass of Prairie Fume.”
         “And for you?” he asked Dipak who was still breathing heavily.
         “I’ll have a Maker’s Mark, neat and a Harbor Ale.”
         The bartender nodded and turned to Maria.  His round brown eyes widened with subtle brevity as their eyes met.  The brief expression on his face reminded Maria of a fawn, eliciting a shy smile from her.
         “And what may I get for you?” he inquired.
         “I’ll have a glass of Fume also, please.”
         As he prepared their drinks the others congregated about the table to order their drinks also.  A quiet tension hovered over the group as they made casual conversation while waiting for people to arrive.  They had almost finished their drinks when Sonny and Martin arrived, both clean and well dressed.
         “Nobody yet, huh?” Sonny said as he made his way to the bar.
         “No,” Melissa replied with a distinct note of anxiety in her voice.  “Maybe I didn’t set up the signs right so people could see them.”
         Martin chuckled.  “Oh, come on now.  It’s like what, twelve thirty?  We just opened for Christ’s sake.  We’ve got food and stuff here.  It’s a long weekend.  I’m not expecting anyone to show up until probably four or five.”
         “I guess you’re right,” Melissa relaxed with a deep breath.
         No sooner had she exhaled, a voice form the entrance pitched a long “Wooowww.”
         Maria turned to see a tall, relatively stocky man with short cropped brown hair
and a brown Van Dyke standing at the door next to a petite woman with short black dyed hair and pierced eyebrows and nose.  His motley appearance initially took Maria by surprise.  He wore brown shoes and his green pants were high enough above his ankles to reveal one yellow sock and one red.  This was topped by a gray shirt and a wide orange and brown tie.  The girl next to him wore a black tank top revealing multiple tattoos about her shoulders.  Her ensemble was complete with a red skirt which hung to mid thigh and knee high, thick soled, black boots. 
         “Steve!” Melissa exclaimed and rushed over to meet him with a warm embrace.  After a brief introduction to his companion Melissa led them over to the group for further greetings.  Maria could not help but notice that of the group she and Dipak seemed to the only two who had never met Steve before.  Natalie, the young woman with him, was new to everyone, however.  At any rate, Maria was glad to finally meet Melissa’s friend from Milwaukee.  Her stories of Steve had been numerous and detailed. 
         “Thanks for coming up, man,” Sonny said as Steve ordered cocktails for Natalie and himself.
         “What, are you kidding?  There’s no way I would miss this.”
         “Come on, I’ll show you around,” Sonny added and motioned for Steve and Natalie to follow him.  As they walked away from the group, Melissa rushed to catch up with them.
         A middle aged man and woman dressed in shorts and t-shirts timidly entered the gallery.  They stood by the entrance and whispered to one another as they looked around.  Maria recognized them from the lawn cutting, and tried as she did, she could not remember their names.  After a moment of struggling with her memory, Maria accepted the futility of racking her brain and reluctantly admitted she would have to embarrass herself by admitting that to them.  Maria set her drink down, told her parents she would return shortly and casually walked over to greet the couple.
         After a brief conversation with them Maria did not feel as guilty for not remembering their names as she learned they did not remember hers either.  The three of them shared a short laugh admitting their embarrassment for not remembering each others names.  Maria then encouraged them to take their time looking around and to help
themselves to cocktails and food.  Also, she encouraged them to approach any one of the artists with any questions.
         Maria returned to her drink and her parents.  As they chatted about Maria’s education, she planned to take her parents to the University and show them around campus.  They had never seen where Maria was receiving her education and it was important to Maria that her parents see her chosen place of higher education before she graduated.  After all, this was the place, the reason why she had been away from home for such lengths of time.
         As they tentatively planned to visit the University on the Tuesday following the holiday weekend, more visitors came to the gallery.  The numbers steadily increased as people Maria remembered from the lawn cutting showed up and wandered about the gallery, looking at the work and mingling with each other and the artists as they went.
         Wayne Neffets and his friend Norb made an appearance, albeit brief.  He explained they could not stay long because they had to open the tavern.  However, they made certain to see the gallery and meet Maria’s parents.  Maria was able to explain to her parents Wayne’s leadership and help were essential to getting the yard cut and bringing the town together with the artists to initiate the change in the relationships between Sonny, the Mayor, the artists and the people of Liberty.  Neffets modestly denied the importance of his role, insisting that Jean and Maria were the true architects.  Nevertheless, Maria’s parents were glad Neffets and Norb made it a point to meet them.
         Maria watched as Jean, Wayne and Norb slowly toured through the gallery.  Maria was curious of how Jean and Wayne enjoyed one another’s company and wondered if there was any romantic interest between them.
         This curious wondering came to an abrupt halt as a flicker of panic kicked a single thumping heartbeat in her throat when she saw Father Paul Brick enter the gallery followed by Phillip and Elizabeth DeMaster.  Maria swallowed hard as everyone in the room seemed to stop and a crystal silence imposed itself.  This lasted for only a moment before everyone returned to their business.  But for Maria that moment seemed to dangle on the edge of forever.
         The three of them stood at the entrance and scanned the room for several seconds. 
Father Paul located Maria and waved.  Maria hesitantly waved back, silently praying there would be no scene causing embarrassment for her and her friends on the very opening of the gallery.  Father Paul then said something to Phillip and Elizabeth.  Phillip nodded quickly and the three of them moved through the crowd toward Maria.
         Maria took one large last mouthful of her wine and set the empty glass down.  She then turned to her parents and told them that the Mayor had arrived.  The anxiety that had so quickly stirred in Maria was calmed a bit as her mother whispered words of encouragement to her and reminded Maria that she was in a safe place surrounded by people who support her.
         “Maria,” Father Paul said from behind her.  Maria turned to face him.  “Congratulations.  This is really something.”
         “Thank you,” Maria smiled genuinely.  “Thanks for coming.  Help yourselves to drinks and food.  Just enjoy your time here.”
         “I’m certain we will,” Father Paul said and moved over to the bar to order a cocktail leaving Phillip and Elizabeth in an awkward silence with Maria.
         “Maria, I don’t believe we’ve met before.  I’m Elizabeth DeMaster,” she extended her hand.
         Maria reached out and accepted her offer.  “Nice to meet you.”
         “I believe you know my husband, Phillip.”
         “Yes,” Maria replied guardedly.  “But we have never been formally introduced.”
         “Well,” Phillip stepped closer to Maria.  His face contorted for a second as if he were fighting back some great pain.  “Perhaps I can use this time as an excuse to start over.”  He extended his hand.  “I’m Phillip DeMaster.”
         Maria hesitated as she gauged the sincerity in his eyes.  She could see his willingness to repent and could also see he earnestly wanted to change her perception of him.  Finally she accepted his hand.  “Thank you for coming out.  It means a great deal.”
         “I’m terribly sorry for all of the trouble I’ve caused you and your friends over the past couple of months.  I let ambition blind my judgment and consequently I made some very poor decisions.”
         “I think that was probably the case for all of us,” Maria said softly.
         “Well, in any case, I’m sorry.”
         Maria smiled bashfully and nodded.
         Father Paul returned to the group with Jean at his side.  Father Paul handed Maria a glass of wine while Jean handed glasses of wine to Phillip and Elizabeth and invited Maria’s parents to join them.  Another awkward moment of silent followed after Maria introduced her parents to the DeMasters.  But the discomfort caused by the clumsy silence was short lived as Jean said to Phillip and Elizabeth, “It was very nice for the two of you to come here.  This is a day for great celebrations, new beginnings.” Jean held her glass out toward the others.  The group brought their glasses together, clinking them together in sharing a toast.
         The tangy sweetness of the wine caught Maria by surprise.  The sides of her tongue and her cheeks tingled with recognition of Jean’s dandelion wine.  With wide eyes
Maria looked to Jean who winked.  Then Maria looked to Phillip who after savoring his sip held the glass up to the light and studied the color of the wine for a few seconds.  Then he brought the glass to his nose and sniffed deeply as he gently swirled the glass.
         “Do you like it?” Jean asked.
         “Yes, I believe I do,” Philip replied.  “I’m not certain I’ve had this before.  There is a particular… earthiness to it.  What is it?”  He took another sip.
         Jean smiled.  “Its homemade dandelion wine.”
          A wide eyed, stunned look crossed Philip’s face.  He looked at the wine again and raised an eyebrow.  “Unbelievable,” he finally uttered and took another sip.  “I never would have guessed.  It’s actually quite good.”
         “Why thank you,” Jean said with a shy, knowing grin.
         “Well,” Elizabeth began, “I suppose we should let you get back to circulating.”
         “Okay.”  Maria was a bit surprised by the abrupt end to their meeting.  This felt nearly as clumsy as the slow beginning of their conversation.  “Take your time looking around.  Just enjoy your time here.” Maria smiled.
         “Thank you,” Phillip and Elizabeth replied and started off to see what the gallery had to offer and, more importantly to Phillip, to find the other artists so he could apologize.
         Maria stood silently watching Phillip and Elizabeth mingle through the crowd.  Beyond them she could see Martin who towered over most everyone then further separate himself by stepping up on the stage.  After the music from the CD stopped, he put his trumpet to his lips and with great force and unabashed confidence he pressed giant chunks of air through the horn, producing playful wails to an upbeat rhythm.  Martin was such a strong commander of the instrument he imposed elicitation of feeling carefree and fun.  He was so impressive up on the stage, his prominent figure caused a chill to dance through Maria.
         When Martin finished playing a steady stream of applause erupted through the gallery.  A low rumble of murmurs filled the air.  The gallery filled quickly as more people had arrived.  This no longer seemed like the museum setting Maria noted before.  This had turned into a party.  The afternoon heat was imposing its will as the warmth of the crowd made the air in the room seem stale and rich with odors of perspiration.
         Just as Martin was about to start into another song, a rush of excitement and surprise coursed through Maria as she recognized two of her professors from the University making their way to her through the crowd.  After warm, cheerful greetings and the introduction of her parents, Maria learned that Sonny had invited the entire Art Department faculty, most of whom were planning to make an appearance some time that day.  After a brief, light conversation, catching up a bit about how the summer had been and telling of the challenges the group had worked through to get the gallery open, Maria’s instructors worked themselves into the crowd to explore the gallery and find Sonny.
         A light tap on Maria’s shoulder forced her to turn.
         “Hey, check it out. “ Melissa pointed across the room to a point opposite the entrance.  There she saw an older gentleman talking with Sonny who was writing in a pocket sized notebook.  Sonny nodded and spoke.  The man nodded.  Maria’s heart thumped as Sonny put the notebook back in his hip pocket, took the price tag of the wall below her painting, handed it to the older gentleman and put a “sold” tag in its place.
         “Congratulations,” Melissa said as she gently touched her glass of wine against Maria’s.
“Thank you,” Maria gushed.  “How is everyone else doing?”
         “I’m not really sure.  Sonny is keeping track of all that.  He said he’d deliver everything on Tuesday.  I know Martin has sold a few discs and I have nearly run out of the catalogues I have by my stuff.  I really don’t know how anyone else is doing.”
         “It sounds like things are going well,” Maria replied.  “It looks pretty good anyway.”
         “Are you kidding me?”  Melissa confessed, “I never expected this kind of a turn out.”
         As the older gentleman shook Sonny’s hand and moved away, Phillip and Elizabeth walked up behind him.  Maria’s happy excitement instantly changed to dread and near panic.  She gasped as she watched Phillip tap Sonny on his shoulder.  Sonny turned around smiling widely.  However, as soon as he recognized who was before him the smile disappeared and Sonny’s face contorted to a vicious scowl as struggled to contain his explosive anger.
         “We should probably intervene,” Maria suggested.
         Without saying another word, Maria followed behind Melissa.  They pushed their way through the warm, sweaty, murmuring crowd as Martin’s trumpet wailed over the top of indiscernible voices.  Just as they arrived behind Phillip and Elizabeth, Jean appeared with a bottle of wine at Sonny’s side and interrupted their silent stare to hand Sonny a glass of wine and refill Phillip’s and Elizabeth’s glasses. 
         Maria was relieved to see Jean there.  After all, she had proven she could masterfully handle both of these men and appeared to be a most impartial mediator, if one should be needed.  Even with Jean there, Maria still felt the underlying tension between Sonny and the Mayor, and was concerned that there might be an opportunity for Sonny to turn this into an ugly scene.
         As Melissa and Maria moved in along side Elizabeth and Jean, Phillip was mid sentence.  “…and I understand that you are probably still angry with me.  But, anyway, I have realized the error of my ways.  And again, I’m sorry,” he concluded and offered his hand to Sonny.
         Sonny seemed to be lost in thought for several seconds.  Finally his scowl relaxed and he took a gulp of wine as Phillip remained before him with his hand extended.  After swallowing, Sonny looked at the glass of wine and then to Phillip, “How much of this stuff have you had to drink?”
         “Sonny!” Jean reprimanded and gently jabbed him in the side with her elbow.
         “It’s okay,” Sonny said as he gripped Phillip’s hand.  “We’re good.”
         The tension surrounding the group deflated instantly and Phillip could not help but smile.
         “This is really quite the party,” Phillip said to Sonny.  “I must confess, I’m very impressed with the work here, the sculpture in particular.”
         Sonny looked at Phillip with a wary eye.  “Thank you,” was all he could manage.
         “This is your work is it not?” Phillip asked further.
         “Yeah,” Sonny confirmed.  “I did all of the sculptures here.”
         “Perhaps you could tell me a little more about that one.”  Phillip pointed to a statue of bent and twisted bronze which stood about five feet tall and vaguely resembled the lines of a sailboat.
         Sonny nodded.  “Sure, what would you like to know?”
         The two men slowly walked over toward the sculpture.  Phillip asked questions, Sonny answered, and Phillip questioned further.
         “Do you think they need a chaperone?” Melissa asked.
         “No, I think they’ll be alright,” Jean sighed a bit surprised.
         As Sonny and Phillip discussed the sculpture they continued to sip at their wine with gusto.  With each sip of wine, the dandelion roots reached deeper into Phillip until finally a single bright shoot erupted and flowered.  A sudden epiphany took him and he was filled with giddy excitement.  However, instead of bursting with his new found idea he contained the urge to blurt out anything until Sonny had finished speaking.
         Phillip was on the verge of no longer being able to contain himself when Sonny finally finished speaking.
         “Well, this whole thing is just wonderful!” Phillip began.  “Are you planning to have a party like this every year?”
         Sonny blinked as though stunned by the idea.  “I hadn’t given it any thought, really.  We were just doing this for the grand opening.”
         Phillip smiled slyly and leaned in toward Sonny and spoke in a low and serious voice.  “I just had a thought.  What if we did this every year on Labor Day weekend?”
         “We?” Sonny replied with a raised brow.
         “Yes,” Philip replied.  “We could have a dandelion festival.”
         “A what?” Sonny blurted, nearly laughing.
         “Hear me out,” Phillip continued.  “The town needs some big attraction to generate interest and increase tourism.  If we were to have a weekend long festival, complete with a parade, live music, street dances and finish it off with a barbeque in your field of dandelions in the front.  That would be just the sort of thing the town needs to generate revenue.  People would come to a festival.”
         “You can’t be serious,” Sonny countered.
         “I assure you I most certainly am.  Not only would it create revenue for the town, but it would also give you and your artists more exposure and possibly draw larger crowds, thereby, most likely, increasing your sales.”
         Sonny stared at Phillip and shook his head.  “I don’t know.  It sounds like it would be expensive.  The logistics of setting things up in the front….”
         “You wouldn’t have to worry about the cost,” Phillip interrupted.  “The town would carry the expenses and supply you with what you need – advertising, porta-potties, security, and beer, whatever.”
         Sonny’s eyes drifted around the room as he considered Phillip’s words.  After taking another sip of his wine, Sonny said, “You make an intriguing offer.”  He looked at his nearly empty glass of wine.  “I suppose we would have to get Jean to brew up a bunch o f this wine for it.”
“Now you thinking!” Phillip exclaimed excitedly.
         Sonny looked at Phillip seriously.  “It sounds good, but….  I’m not trying to be a smartass or rain on your parade, but for you to be able to do all this you would have to win your recall and the general election.”
         The smile faced slightly from Phillip’s face and he took a deep breath and then
sipped his wine.  “I know.  But, I am confident the people of Liberty will consider my past performance and look past the recent mistakes I have made.  Don’t get me wrong.  I believe Norb to be a very serious and very worthy challenger.  However, I believe in the end the people will go for a reformed man with experience.”
         “Well, I tell you what, it sounds good to me.  If you get back in office I say we talk about it some more.”  Sonny held his glass toward Phillip.
         Phillip acknowledged the possibility that he could lose his re-election.  But even if that were to happen, he resolved not to let that stop them from starting the festival.  “Even if I lose I think we should find a way to do it, even if I have to pay for it myself.”  He touched his glass to Sonny’s and they finished their glasses.




















                                                           









                                                           











                                                     Chapter 39


         Phillip DeMaster smiled to himself as he made his way from his office in the town hall to his coffee shop.  It was a beautiful, warm and humid morning remiss from the fact that autumn was approaching quickly.  He greeted people with a cheerful smile as he passed by. 
         Arriving at the coffee shop he stopped dead in his tracks.  Crowning out between the concrete squares of the sidewalk a perky little dandelion had opened its leaves on the cement to bask in the wet heat of late summer.  Instinctively Phillip reached down and grasped the plant between his fingers.  He caught himself just before he pulled.  Philip sighed as he reflected upon the past couple of months.  He smiled again and gently stroked the leaves of the plant with his thumb before leaving it to wallow in the bright morning sun.
         The picket line of protestors no longer existed.  Over the last week the numbers quickly dwindle as people were satisfied their point had been made and after Phillip’s apologies, the consensus was that it was no longer necessary to impose a ban on his café.
         In the coffee shop Phillip made his way to the counter.  “Marcus,” Phillip inquired of the young man behind the counter.  “Where is Misses DeMaster?”
         The long haired, thin, pale young man turned to Phillip and adjusted his glasses.  “Hi Mister Demaster.  Can I get you something?”
         Philip controlled his frustration with a sigh, counted to ten, and smiled at the young man.  “No, thank you.  Is Misses DeMaster here?”
         “No, she went to go run a couple of errands.  She said she’d be back in ‘bout an hour.”
         “Very well,” Phillip replied casually.  “Tell her to call me at the office when she returns, will you?”
         “Yah, sure,” the young man nodded and returned to his work.
         “Oh, Marcus,” Phillip interrupted the young man again.  Marcus looked at Phillip with large round eyes behind his thick lenses.  “Beautiful day isn’t it?” Phillip said with a smile.
         Phillip made his way out the front door of the café waving to the lone, familiar couple in the corner table.  “Good morning,” he offered as he hurried out the door.
         “Good morning,” Maria called after him.  She then turned back to Danny.  “For a while there I never thought I would ever come back in here.”  She reminisced for few seconds, sipped her latte, and then smiled.  “Thank you again for your help last night.”
         “Oh, it was my pleasure,” Danny smiled lustfully and wiggled his eye brows.  “I should be thanking you.”
         Maria guffawed and rolled her eyes.  “I was talking about the paintings.”  Maria referred to the gifts she had left for each of her friends in honor of the successful opening of the gallery.  Once Danny had arrived after closing his shop he and Maria slipped out of the festivities and delivered a painting to the room of each of her housemates.  Melissa received a landscape of sheep grazing in a field on rolling hills.  Dipak received a painting of a grasshopper teaching the ant to dance.  Martin received a painting of buck
proudly and defiantly staring at the onlooker as five deer passed behind it.  Heather received a portrait of an oak tree standing thick and full in field of dandelions.  And Sonny received a painting of the group sitting around the fire pit on the patio with the flames vaguely resembling blooming dandelions.
         “So, what’s the plan for today?” Danny asked drawing Maria back to the present.
         “Jean is going to show my parents around the area, a guided tour kind of thing.  I have to stay at the gallery for another long day.”
         “Welcome to my world,” Danny replied knowing exactly what Maria was talking about.  He knew all too well the sacrifices on must make to run a successful business.  And considering all the long days, the weekends and holidays worked, it was never about making money.  Certainly that was one of the goals and motivators, but affluence was never a reason for him running his business.  Danny had something inside him, a dream, a vision for running art galleries and shops.  Money, or the lack there of, was never the
prime motivator for him.  He would find a way to make things work.
         “Well, that will be nice.  Where’s she taking them?”  Danny asked.
         “Just to a couple of towns around the area.  She also said something about taking a ferry to Washington Island.”
         “Ooh, nice.  We should go spend a long weekend up there sometime.  You’d love it.”
         Maria looked at her latte.  “Remember, I’m leaving at the end of the week.”
         Danny reached out and gently grasped her hand.  “Remember, you’re coming back a few weeks after that.  Perhaps we could go leaf peeping there in October.”  He smiled as Maria looked up at him.
         The idea of the two of them being together with no one else around, no family, no friends, no school, and no business was very appealing to Maria.  “That would be lovely.”
         “So, after this weekend what are your housemates going to do?” Danny asked.
         The question took Maria by surprise.  She really had not given their future much thought.  She knew she would return to school for her last year.  And, of course, Sonny would stay.  But conversations about future plans with the others never transpired.  Maria raised an eyebrow in wonder.  “I have no idea.  I guess we’ve been so focused on getting this done no one has talked about it.”
         “Well, let them know I’m happy to help them out in any capacity.”
         Maria sighed and stared into Danny’s dancing blue eyes.  “Thank you,” she whispered.”
         Without saying a word he smiled back to her.
         The door to the café entrance opened and Maria’s mother and father walked in.  Maria waved as Danny stood up to greet them.  After brief biddings of good morning and learning everyone had a good night’s sleep, the four of them settled into their seats for coffee, bagels, and conversation.



                                                           

                                                           


                                                       Epilogue


         At the end of that week Maria returned home with her parents.  Her return brought her mixed feelings.  She had always savored returning home, but this time she was torn between returning home and leaving Danny and her friends.  The two weeks she was home went quickly, however, as she was able to distract herself from her longings to return by visiting with her sister and old friends.  It also made it easier that Danny called her daily.
         She returned to the University of Wisconsin at Green Bay as planned and maintained her long distance relationship with Danny, albeit was much less distance than when she went home.  They were able to see one another on weekends and when they could manage to sneak away during the week.  Maria and Danny continued their relationship through out the year, but after graduation Maria had to return to Peru as her visa had expired.  Still, she and Danny held on to their feelings for one another and they visited one another whenever they could.
         Maria had been able to save money as she had gained even more notoriety from the opening of the gallery and other successful art shows through out her last year at the university.  Upon returning to Peru she began teaching painting classes privately and also opened her own gallery which enjoyed great critical success.
         After another year of her flying back to Wisconsin and Danny flying to Peru when they could manage, Danny went to Peru to spend two weeks with Maria and her family.  Over the course of the year Danny had studied Spanish and was speaking with near fluency.  On the second evening of this particular trip, after he initiated a private conversation with Maria’s father, Danny asked Maria to marry him.  Maria accepted and they agreed Danny would sell his shop and move to Lima with her where he would manage the business end of the art gallery and allow Maria more time for painting and teaching.
Today they are happily married and continue to enjoy successful business ventures.  They do, however, return to Liberty every year for a week including the Labor Day weekend where they visit Sonny and other artists at what has become the “Liberty Dandelion Festival.”
         Every year Sonny brings aspiring artists to stay with him over the summer to maintain fresh energy for the success of the gallery.  This culminates in the dandelion festival in which he and Phillip DeMaster are partners.  The festival has granted both the town of Liberty and the gallery lucrative returns both monetarily and in notoriety as it has become one of the most anticipated festivals of late summer in all of Door County.
         Phillip DeMaster retained his position as Mayor of Liberty after an intense, but rather clean and gentlemanly campaign against Norb.  In the end Phillip won by three votes which was confirmed in a recount.  A month later he ran for his regularly scheduled re-election unopposed.  His campaign hung heavily on the selling of the Dandelion Festival idea.  And once re-elected he wasted no time in working out the details with Sonny.
         Melissa Greenfield stayed at the compound with Sonny through the winter.  She and Maria visited whenever their schedules and finances would allow, and Melissa made good on her promise to visit Maria in Peru over the winter break.  The two friends spent two weeks touring from Lima to Machu Pichu and back to Lima.  The trip was so inspirational to Melissa that shortly after her return to Wisconsin she bought a small farm snuggled in the rolling hills of southwest Wisconsin that was large enough to support a small herd of sheep and a small herd of alpaca.  Over the years she has grown her trade into a strong business.  And she also visits Liberty every year to be re-united with her friends at the Dandelion Festival.
         Dipak Patel was rather disappointed with the lack of sales from his chap book at the gallery opening.  Early into the autumn he moved to Milwaukee where he spent several months before moving to Chicago where he was able to eek out a modest living writing poetry and short stories as well as working with a local theatre company.  Every year he interrupts what has become a rather bohemian lifestyle and returns to liberty to join his friends in the festival.
Heather Vu and Martin Miles moved to Chicago shortly after the gallery opening where they took up residence together.  Heather has a small pottery studio where she has been able to make a comfortable living selling her work and giving private pottery lessons.  Martin started up a jazz and blues quartet which plays regularly throughout the city.  His band enjoyed moderate success of their first CD release and will be releasing their second CD shortly.  Heather and Martin also make it a point to return to the festival annually.
         Jean VanDervourt remained at home and continues to be a good friend to Sonny and his group of artists that crop up every year.  She has increased her wine making production significantly so she can supply twenty cases of dandelion wine for the festival every year.  She and Wayne Neffets have been dubbed the Queen and King of the festival and lead a parade through Liberty and out to the gallery, where they give the ceremonial toast with a glass of dandelion wine in the field of dandelions in front of Sonny’s house.
         If you are ever in Door County Wisconsin over the Labor Day weekend, be certain to see the Dandelion Festival.  It is as advertised – great food, great wine and great music.  There is also some really good artwork there also.  It is an unforgettable weekend spent with memorable characters and delivers a carefree, uplifting, rejuvenation of the soul.