Uncorked (13 page)

“It hurt a lot back then. She was
the first woman I fell in love with. I should have taken a hint. My mom never
liked her. She merely accepted that she was my wife and respected that.”

“I can see in the photo of her
now that she’s your child. Did you ever question your paternity?”

“Yes. When she was two months
old, DNA testing proved that I was her father.”

“Where is she now?” Chella asked.
The waiter stepped in to clear their plates.

“In Santa Monica with her mother,
stepfather and brother, Micky. I try to go down one weekend a month to spend
time with her since I moved here. During her vacation and on long weekends I
get to see her. I speak to her frequently over the phone or video chat,
sometimes daily or just about every other day.”

“What’s your relationship like
with her mother?”

“We’re civil. We have Joint Legal
Custody of Emily. I support my daughter, and we keep in touch. I keep our
conversations to what time should I pick her up and drop her home, but we make
all major decisions about her life together. She sees my mom frequently,
though. Mom babysits her most days after school and some weekends.”

“I hope I get to meet her
someday.”

“Why don’t we fly down to Santa
Monica next weekend? You’ll get to meet her and my Mom, and we can bring the
boat back.”

“Oh, Mitch, that sounds great,
but do you think I’m ready to meet your Mom? Just the thought makes me
nervous.”

“Don’t worry about that,” he
replied, kissing her on her hand. “Just be yourself. I’m sure they are both
going to love you. Did you have any more questions?”

“No, I suppose you answered them
all. I wasn’t sure I was ready to deal with a bitchy ex-wife, especially since
you have a child together, but it seems you’ve both moved on with your own
separate lives and keep things civil where you daughter is concerned.”

“Chella, I don’t want you to have
any concerns regarding her. That relationship has been over for a while now,
and I have no feelings for her. I respect her as my daughter’s mother. That’s
it.”

“Are there any other women you’ve
had relationships with that I need to be concerned about?” she asked, looking
straight into his mostly-green eyes.

“No. It seems I’ve had some bad
luck with women. I’m hoping that will change with you.” He held her hand. “The
last woman I started seeing seriously was about four years ago. About two
months after we started seeing each other she was killed in a car accident.
Since then, I haven’t been in a serious relationship. I’ve just dated
casually.”

“I’m sorry. I know how that
feels. It must have been tough.”

“It was tough. It was very sad. I
was fond of her, but it was too early in the relationship. I say this with
respect to her. I wasn’t in love with her yet, so it was easier to let go.”

“I understand. I guess I can deal
with that.”

“I promise you. There are no
women you need to worry about, with the exception of my mom, Liz.”

“Gee, thanks, Mitch. Now I’m
dying to meet her,” Chella said sarcastically then smiled.

“I’m teasing, Chell. I’m certain
my mom is going to love you. You’re not like any of the other women I’ve
dated.”

“I think that’s supposed to be a
compliment. So thanks.”

“It is. I’ve never met anyone
quite like you.”

“What makes me so special?”

“Well, there’s the obvious.
You’re beautiful and caring and you make me laugh, but I think one of the
things that attracts me to you most is your ability to always consider how your
actions could affect people. You’re selfless.”

“I don’t see myself that way.”

“Well, I do. Next time I see one
of those great qualities, I’ll be sure to point them out to you. Now let’s get
you home. Chella, I’m sorry that I hurt you. Are we okay?”

“I think so,” she replied,
stroking his hand with her fingertips. “Why didn’t you tell me? Honestly?”

“I thought if you knew a child
was in the picture, you’d sever your ties with me completely. We’ve had so many
ups and downs. I always feel like you could cut me out of your life at any
time. I was afraid if you knew about her that might happen.”

“I hate to admit it, but you were
right to feel that way. I fear, at some point, I might be forced to do just
that. I hope you know if I did that, it’s not because I want to hurt you. It
would be to protect you. I’m so afraid that I might have to give up the man
that I’ve developed all these complicated feelings for,” she said as she smiled
at him, lacing her fingers through his.

“So where do I fit into your
life?”

“I care about you. Deeply. Very
deeply.”

“Chella, I want more.”

“I want more, too. Mitch, please
don’t ask me to commit or put a label on this yet.”

“So this is still a thing?” he
asked, smiling softly.

“For now? Yes. Are you okay with
that?”

“For now? Yes.” He held onto her
hand tightly, then kissed her lightly on the lips.

Upon arrival at
the air terminal, Mitch spotted
his best buddy, Alec, who had come to pick them up. They had been best friends
from elementary through high school until Mitch went to college at UCLA and
Alec went to the University of Michigan to study architecture and construction.

“Hey Mitch, it’s so good to see
you,” his friend said while giving him a hug. “This must be the lovely lady
Chella you’ve been telling me so much about. Hello, Chella, I’m Alec. It’s a
pleasure to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you, too,” Chella
replied, as he kissed her on the cheek.

“You’re gorgeous.”

Chella laughed. “Oh, stop it. Any
more of this, and I might get a bit full of myself.”

They dropped off their luggage on
Mitch’s boat,
Ciao Bella
. Before heading to his mom’s house, he gave
Chella a quick tour.

She was a stunning sport-fishing
beauty. The open stern’s floors were crafted out of beautiful teak, which
welcomed them in. Straight ahead, they entered the beautiful saloon, which
encompassed the living area with comfy plush sofas and the galley beyond.

Three bedrooms, each with their
own private bath, comprised one area down a few stairs. Sunlight flooded the
master cabin through two oblong porthole windows on either side of the room,
which also allowed for beautiful views beyond.

Mitch completed the boat tour
then they were on their way to surprise Mitch’s mom. A steady stream of
conversation kept the drive interesting. Of course, Alec had to give Mitch a
rundown of all the latest events in Santa Monica. Not only did the two go to
school together, but Alec’s family home was three doors down the street from
where Mitch once lived with his mom.

It was nice for Chella to sit and
listen to friends talk about old times. Their friendship reminded her of her
old friend, Brittney. When Chella and her family had moved to the United
States, Brittney was the first friend to invite Chella to have lunch with her
at school. From that day on, they were inseparable. They took the bus home together
every day until Brittney got her license in the last year of high school and
would give her a ride to school in her old Honda Accord. Unfortunately, after
the first term of school, she moved to Vermont, leaving Chella without her best
friend.

Soon after, she met Aaron. He was
great for a while—in fact, most of the time. Their parents had all met, and he
was invited to family dinners and even on the occasional family day trip. Until
she got pregnant.

“Chella? Chella we’re
here.” Mitch’s voice snapped her
back to the present. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine, thanks,” she replied.
The car pulled into a driveway of a darling little house: yellow and white
paint with a wrap-around porch, white picket fence, roses in all colors and
sizes, ferns framing the porch steps.

Mitch knocked on the door. Dance
music from inside filtered through an open front window.

“Just a minute, I’ll be right
there!” a woman shouted then opened the door.

“Surprise!” Mitch shouted with
excitement. “Mom, it’s so good to see you.”

“Mitch? My God, don’t just stand
outside on the porch. Come in, I was just exercising. Hello, Alec. And who is
this beauty you’re with?” she asked, all smiles.

“Mom, she’s with me. I want you
to meet Chella Noon. She’s very special to me. Chella, meet my mom, Elizabeth.”

“Pleasure to meet you.” Chella
shook the woman’s hand and kissed her lightly on the cheek.

“It’s nice to meet you too,
Chella. Everybody calls me Liz. Mrs. Mariani was my mother,” she said,
laughing.

She was not at all what Chella
was expecting. She answered the door decked out in gym wear—sexy gym wear. She
might have been Mitch’s mom, but she was not a grandma-type. Liz was
olive-skinned, petite, in her mid-fifties. She had a charming smile. Mitch
didn’t get his height from her—he hovered probably two feet over her. What she
lacked in height, she made up for in personality.

 “Why didn’t you tell me you were
coming? I would have cooked something special for dinner.”

“I wanted to surprise you,” said
Mitch. “Anything you cook will be fine. At least you have my favorite pie in
the oven. We could smell it from outside.”

“Let me take a quick shower then
I’ll finish fixing dinner. Alec, what about you? Are you staying for dinner?”

“Sorry, Liz. I’ve got to pick up
Jeannie. Mitch, call me when you’re ready to go to the boat, and I’ll come pick
you up.”

“You mean you’re not staying
here?” asked Liz.

“No, Mom. I came to pick up the
boat. I’m taking it back to San Diego. We sail on Sunday.”

“But I want—”

“Mom, thank you, but we’re
staying on the boat.”

Awkward…

“Don’t worry, Alec,” Liz said.
“Mitch can always have my car while he’s here.”

After Alec left, Mitch asked,
“Are you sure, Mom? Isn’t there anywhere you have to go? You know I can rent a
car. The only reason I didn’t is because Alec insisted he pick us up from the
airport.”

“No, Hon, don’t you worry about
me. Just make sure you and my sweet grandchild are here for dinner tomorrow.
So, where did you two meet?” Liz asked curiously.

“Vicky and Jason introduced us.”
Mitch responded, looking at Chella smiling.

“Oh. So you were the one who
spent some nights at his house a week ago?”

“That would be me.”

“Is that what you girls do
nowadays? Three months after meeting a man you move in with him?”

“Mom!”

“That wasn’t quite what
happened,” Chella replied tartly. “Neither do I live with Mitch.”

“Mom, can I talk to you for a
second?” said Mitch, holding his mother by her arm and tugging her into a
nearby room. The door closed behind them. From the tone of her first
conversation with Liz, Chella had every right to be nervous on the flight to
L.A. and the subsequent drive to Santa Monica. Chella was not in the habit of
allowing people to be rude to her, but this was Mitch’s mom and she was in her
house, so she had to show some measure of respect.

Minutes later, Mitch returned.

“Chella, I’m sorry about that.
She had no right to speak to you that way.”

“I told you it was too early for
me to meet your family.”

“I was certain this time would be
different. I’m sorry. I thought this time around, she’d see what I see.”

“My instincts tell me I shouldn’t
take this too personally. Sandra Bullock could be sitting here, and she would
find something wrong with her.”

“If you like, I can get a rental
car delivered over here. We could leave now.”

“She’d blame me for keeping her
son from spending time with her. Rent a car if you want, but I can stick it out
through dinner.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes. If it becomes unbearable,
trust me, you’ll know.”

Soon after the car was delivered,
they sat down to dinner and the interrogation picked up right where Liz left
off.

“So, Chella, tell me more about
yourself. Where are you from?”

“St. Lucia. It’s an island in the
Caribbean.”

“Did you go to college?”

“Yes, I did. That’s where I met
Vicky, we went to U.C. Berkeley.”

“What did you study?”

“Business with a concentration in
Marketing.”

“And she graduated with honors,”
Mitch interjected. “Mom, enough with the interrogation.”

“Those look like some pretty
expensive shoes you’re wearing. Do you work?” Liz continued, ignoring Mitch.

“I’m glad you like them. They’re
new. I just love my Jimmy Choo shoes,” Chella replied, sarcastically.

“Such expensive taste. Can you
afford those on your salary?”