destiny:
Jan:
LilLoucfer:
Natalie36
Thank you all for the feed back!
*~*~*
Chapter: 44
When Liz arrived back at the estate Max was in his office working away. When he saw the Jag pull into the gate he immediately shut down his computer and headed out toward the back door to greet his fiancé. She got out of the car and met him with a great big smile and he immediately lifted her up off her feet into a great big hug and asked her how she was feeling.
“Great actually…I don’t have to be to work until January and I am feeling positively ecstatic. Why…did you have something in mind?”
“No, I was just wondering how you felt. Do you have any plans? And if so I hope they include me…” And Max waggled his eyes at Liz in anticipation.
Liz giggled and told him that she would really like something to eat and Max informed her that he could arrange that…so off to the kitchen they headed with Liz’s purse, brief case and jacket in her hand. Olivia looked at the two of them and could only smile.
“I’m so glad you’re here Liz…he was really becoming a pain.” Max looked at Olivia in disbelief…
“I was not...” he said indignantly…
“Oh yes you were…and you’re never a pain…but you were really becoming one…in the worst way.”
“Oh..” was all he said as he looked at her and grinned…”Well, maybe just a little pain?” He questioned with a grin.
“No, maybe a big pain…” she teased back and Liz smiled at both of them. It was so good to be home.
Then she said in all seriousness…”Max, can you drive back to Connecticut with me and help me get ready for the movers on Saturday? I’m going to leave the place furnished and Hank will take care of renting it for me but I have to get my personal things packed up and gone before I can even think of renting it. Then it will have to be cleaned and brought up to rental standards.”
“Of course Liz…when do you want to leave?”
And as she ate her cereal she thought for a minute. “As soon as possible…you know what, why don’t we check out that space over the garage and see if we can’t just put all of that junk up in there until I have time to go through it all.”
“Well, we can do that if you want to…but don’t you think you would rather put it in here somewhere. Wouldn’t it be more convenient. Let’s check out one of the classrooms. We could have it set up as a private office for you and you would be right here in the house if you were needed.”
“God Max, that’s a great idea…I keep forgetting there is a whole section of this place that isn’t even used. We’ll take a look later and see what can be done with it. Maybe I can even bring some of my furniture with me…we’ll see. If I bring my desk and file cabinets…computer and other things like that it would sure save a lot of sorting and packing. What a brilliant idea…remind me to thank you more properly later.”
“Oh, you can count on it baby…” And Olivia pretended like she didn’t even hear them.
So, after Liz finished her meal she and Max headed to the other end of the building and checked out the classrooms…they were ideal. Then Max took Liz’s hand and pointed to a small area that would have been the instructors office and smiled…”a mini nursery no?”
“A mini nursery yes…It’s perfect Max…thank you.” And Max just pulled Liz in closer to him and kissed the top of her head…this is going to be absolutely the most wonderful experience in the world, he could hardly wait for it all to happen.
When they got back to the kitchen where Olivia was cleaning up from breakfast Max told her to call in a crew to clean up the classroom…she smiled and told him she would do that and then asked…”Are there any special instructions regarding the room?” Max and Liz both assured her that all it needed right now was a good dusting and cleaning. Liz assured her that she would decide what she wanted done with the place once everything was in there. Olivia smiled and then asked…”when are you heading to Connecticut?”
“Just as soon as we’re packed actually. I really need to take care of some last minute business and it will take me a day or two. Max can help me unless he needs to stay here.”
“No sweet, I can go with you…there’s always telephones. Is there anything we need to take care of as far as the wedding is concerned?”
“Nah…the wedding planner can take care of all of that and Olivia can answer any questions if they come up…I trust her to know what to do.”
Olivia looked at Liz like she had rocks in her head. “Liz, for God’s sake this is your wedding…you should be handling every little detail.”
“No Olivia, everything that I wanted is taken care of…I wanted Max, I have him…I wanted a wedding gown, I have it…Everything else is just fluff and either you or Kathy can deal with it. The invitations have all been mailed and if someone calls and is put out because they weren’t invited give them to Kathy and let her send them one…hell I don’t care who comes really as long as Max shows up.”
Olivia looked at Max…Max shrugged and then he and Liz took off up the back stairs to get packed.
“Liz, you are kidding about the wedding arrangements aren’t you.”
“Not really Max…I have you, we’re going to have a beautiful baby in about eight months and it doesn’t get any better than that. The wedding is all superficial. I know it will be beautiful…God knows we are paying enough people to see to it that it’s beautiful. I trust them to do what they are being paid to do. I answered all of their questions…told all of them what I wanted and now I have to trust them to do their jobs. If it doesn’t suit me Max…you can believe that they will not be paid. It’s as simple as that.”
This was a side of Liz that Max did not recognize. She was dead right of course but she definitely seemed different since last night. “Liz, has something happened since last night that has you in this mood?”
“Yes and no Max…this morning I had to drive across town, meet new people check out a new facility and prepare myself to work with an entirely new group of people who seem to be taking my arrival as some kind of contest to be won. I’m not quite sure how to wrap myself around this Max. I have a brief case full of data on people and I have to choose from these pages who I want to work with. I would rather meet all of them face to face. See who I am compatible with, who I can work with in comfort and trust to do as I instruct without questioning me. I’m not sure about any of this and the only real thing I am sure about is that I want to be your wife. So if I seem indifferent right now…please…I’m not. I just don’t know what to think about first and whether there are enough place settings in a reception hall is not upper most in my mind.”
Max pulled Liz into a fierce hug and held her as close to him as he could without squeezing the life out of her. And then he chose his words very carefully…he remembered the other guys on the team talking about their pregnant wives so he wanted to be sure to say this the way he meant it and not upset her.
“Liz, I know you have an awful lot on your mind. Getting married is a big step even if it is what we’ve always wanted since we were kids…Even though you aren’t changing companies it is almost as though you are changing jobs. You are moving to a new city…meeting new people and really you are starting a new life and not only are you going to be a new bride…honey, you are going to be a mother.
I just want you to know that if any of this starts to be too much, we can fix it. You really don’t have to work if you don’t want to…you can even do your own research here at the estate. We can set up a lab for you here in the house…up over the garage or even build you a separate building. We can hire a crew for you…You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do anymore. You have earned the right to be your own person so please…relax and enjoy life…it’s time Liz.”
“Thank you Max…you know I just might give what you said some consideration…now let’s get busy and get to Connecticut. The sooner we get there the sooner we can get back.”
It was just an hour later that the Jag was on its’ way down the highway and our two young lovers were discussing the scenery, a wedding and the ‘magnificent seven’. How they came into the conversation was very interesting…Liz decided that she wanted them to escort her down the aisle. Now it was Max’s turn to get antsy…
“Uh, Liz…about that…honey, your dad is coming to the wedding. Whether or not your mother will be there remains to be seen. She is currently seeing a psychiatrist and the parish priest is also helping with her therapy. She has all kinds of emotional problems right now and your dad is being a real trooper about all of it. He had no idea that your life was such an ordeal and he really feels terrible for letting your mom control things the way she did. But Liz, he does love you and are you sure you don’t want him to walk you down the aisle?”
Liz felt like she had just been hit by a train…
“Max, why didn’t I know any of this until now. When did all of this happen?”
“Honey, I haven’t been trying to keep anything from you…I wanted to tell you this face to face…Dad had lunch with Jeff a couple of weeks ago and filled him in on what your life has been like. Dad was ready to take Jeff to the cleaners so to speak after that phone call from your mom. Jeff had no idea any of this was happening nor did he know that your life with Don was so unhappy. Of course none of us knew that but let’s not go there…Anyway, according to dad, Jeff put an ultimatum to your mom…’seek help or get out’, she chose to seek help. Apparently she has realized for a long time that she needed help but didn’t know how to go about getting it. I think maybe she just might be feeling a little guilty…I don’t know for sure but maybe. So, don’t you think you would like your dad to walk you down the aisle.”
Liz thought about that for a moment and then said quite sincerely…
“Max, I know the ‘magnificent seven’ better than I know my own dad…I don’t want to be mean or cruel about this and I don’t really give a shit about propriety…but at this moment in time I want the kids…Give me time to digest this new information and I will consider it but trust me on this…as forgiving as I am I’m really not so sure about this. It doesn’t have anything to do with forgiveness at this point…I wish them both well, I don’t want anything bad to happen to them and even though my mom has problems my dad didn’t and doesn’t, so give me time on this one okay?”
“Okay sweetheart…we will do whatever you want to do, believe me, I know how you feel and trust me…I love you.” Max’s heart ached for her…and he would see to it that her every wish was met no matter whose toes got stepped on…they would just have to suck it up.
“Thank you Max…now lets talk about fun things…what’s your grandfather’s name by the way?”
Max looked at her and grabbed her hand and squeezed…”Are you ready for this?” he said with a twinkle in his eye…
“Yes…now what is it?”
“Rufus!”
“WHAT!!! NO MAX…NO!!!”
And Max practically had to pull over to the side of the road he was laughing so hard…Tears started clouding his vision as he was trying to keep the car on the highway.
“Liz, I swear, Rufus Gerard Evans.”
“Well, let me just say right now Maxwell Philip Evans…we can name a son Gerard but I’ll be damned if he will be called ‘RUFUS’…NEVER IN A MILLION YEARS.”
“Liz, I’m kidding…why do you think my dad’s name is Philip? Grandma felt the same way even if she did love Rufus she never called him that…she called him Reggie…for RG. Honest honey…I agree with you, seriously.”
“Good…” and Liz sighed and looked out the window…Max chuckled and kept on driving as he reached over with his right hand and gave hers a little squeeze. Liz just looked over at him and giggled…”Rufus? Really?”
*~*~*
By late afternoon they pulled into Liz’s driveway. The backdoor window had been repaired and the lawns had been raked by the gardener. Max was very impressed with the nice sized home in the well manicured neighborhood.
“This is nice Liz…how long have you lived here?” Max was very sincere when he spoke to Liz about her home.
“Oh, almost two years now. As I told your dad…it belonged to one of our employees whose husband was being transferred. I merely took over the existing loan, bought some furniture and moved in. I really like it here…It’s nice and quiet and I’ve always felt safe.”
Liz opened the garage with the remote she had put in her purse before leaving Philadelphia and Max pulled in and removed their luggage from the trunk…Liz’s neighbor looked out her back door to make sure everything was okay and Liz waved over to her to let her know things were fine and then she headed for the back door dragging her suitcase with Max close on her heels bringing the rest of the luggage. Liz opened the door and Max was greeted with a very pleasant small entry before walking into the nice sized kitchen. Liz took Max into the hallway that led into the living room and up the stair case to the second floor. Max was very impressed and told Liz as much.
“Thank you Max…it’s not the home of the ‘rich and famous’ but it has its comforts.”
“It certainly does Liz…you can be very proud of yourself. Are you sure you want to rent it?”
“Of course…it would be a shame to just have it sit vacant. Someone needs to enjoy it.”
“You’re right. Now where do we put the luggage?”
“Oh, follow me” and with that she took the smaller of the suitcases and Max grabbed the other two and followed her up the stairs to her room.
When they got to her room Liz instructed Max to just put them on the bed and then she opened her closet and hung her jacket up and took Max’s from him and hung it right next to hers. She showed him around the upstairs and then they went back down to the main living area. There was a large sized living room with a nice sized formal dining room just off it and then at the other end of the hall she showed him the smaller den and her home office right off of it. There was a laundry room, a very nice sized kitchen with an island that had four barstools placed around it for informal dining then a small dinette off to the left with windows facing the back yard…the yard was landscaped like a small English garden. It was very homey and Max said as much. It is a reflection of you Liz…very cozy and comfortable.
“Thank you Max, I’m glad you like it.”
Liz opened a package that she had brought with her and removed a half thawed container that Olivia had packed for her and she proceeded to place it in the microwave….
“What’s that?” Max asked…
“Our dinner, Olivia sent it with us.”
Max chuckled to himself. One thing was for sure…between Liz and Olivia no one was going to go hungry.
After Max and Liz finished their meal Liz took Max and they went to the garage and retrieved some empty boxes that she had instructed the movers to leave and they headed back to the house. Max wanted to know if she would just rather wait until in the morning to start sorting through stuff and she said sure…but at least we won’t have to get dressed to come out here…and then…
“Hey Max, would you like to take a tour of our city. It isn’t very big and it won’t take long…What do you say?”
“I say lets do the tour sweetheart…let me run up and get our jackets…I think I remember where you put them.” And Max was gone in a flash.
Liz smiled when he came back down the stairs carrying their coats…he seemed so at home here, he had no idea that she needed to just get away. Maybe they could stay at the apartment and come back tomorrow and pack…Too many memories of the criminal that tried to end her life…thank God he’s locked up for life she thought.
“Max, get our luggage. We aren’t going to stay here tonight, I don’t want to sleep here ever again.”
Max never said another word…he went back upstairs and came down with all of the luggage and they headed back out to the Jag and took off.
“Do we need to get a motel or something before it gets too late Liz?”
“No, we have alternate living quarters Max. I’ve kept my apartment as well as this place. Sometime I would just stay there rather than come home when I had to work really late or the weather was bad. And sometime I just didn’t want to be here so I never rented it out. It’s still furnished and looks the way it did before I ever married the jerk.”
“Are you sure you wouldn’t just rather stay in a motel?”
“No, I really want to stay there…it represents a happier time in my life and I need that right now okay?”
“Okay love…now where do I go?”
“Oh just turn left at the intersection…we’ll pass by the lab on our way and you can see where I’ve worked for the last two years.”
And so they were off. It wasn’t but half an hour before Max pulled up to a beautiful area with green lawns and private entrances. Each apartment had it’s own little carport and gave the appearance of small cottages. Max was very impressed.
“Liz, this is positively beautiful. I can see why you like it here. Which one is yours…or which one do you occupy I should say?”
Liz smiled and thanked Max…”I have the end one Max…just pull into the driveway and I’ll open the garage.”
“There’s a garage?”
“Yes, I had the carport enclosed when I bought the place because I left a lot of papers in my car occasionally and wanted to make sure they were safe…just hold on a sec. okay.”
“Okay…” And Liz got out and keyed in a code and the garage door opened for Max. She has a remote but it’s in her car.
When they entered the apartment Liz turned on the light and Max was immediately greeted with a very warm and cozy little space that radiated Liz. The furniture was adorned with throw pillows of bright pinks and mauves and there was a throw on the back of the couch in varying shades of pink and gray. The dining area was directly off the living room and led to a u-shaped kitchen. Through a door on the right of the living room you could see a small hallway and Liz took Max in that direction to put the luggage on the nice king sized bed in a fairly large bedroom. She had one double dresser and two night stands in the room and then off to the left of that was a walk in closet…it was practically bare but there were some jeans and casual clothes in there. On the other side of the hallway was the one bathroom…a very nice sized bathroom with a separate stall shower as well as a bathtub. Max was suddenly overcome with a feeling of great pride for this sweet young woman he was marrying. She had managed to take care of herself quite nicely without the help of anyone. It was a very good feeling really…he knew that if anything ever happened to him that she would be able to make it alone. He prayed this would never happen but it was comforting just the same.
Liz looked up at Max and gave him a big smile and said “Well, what do you think?”
“I think I am very impressed with you my love…come here and let me show you just how impressed.”
Liz didn’t hesitate, she was in Max’s arms in a split second and he had her up in his arms and was making his way to that nice big inviting king sized bed in no time. Liz couldn’t wait…this is what her dream had been since she first laid eyes on that bed and now it was happening.
Even though it was still early evening our couple stayed right where they were and initiated that bed several more times before finally falling to sleep. After the third time Max couldn’t have gotten out of bed even if he wanted to. This was one of the best nights of his life…right in this little one bedroom apartment with the woman he loved at his side.
The next morning Liz made a pot of coffee and retrieved some granola bars and a can of mandarin oranges from the pantry and they ate a light breakfast before heading over to the house to get busy.
They talked of the wedding, a honeymoon, family, work, the team party for the series winners coming up next week and the magnificent seven. Max sort of raised an eyebrow when the kids came into the conversation and Liz just looked at him and shook her head no…meaning she didn’t want to talk about it and Max understood. Then they took off.
Soon they were passing the small church Liz attended with a school sitting just behind it and Liz pointed out the park and playground down the street. The shopping center wasn’t too far from there and soon they were headed to ‘the suburbs’ as Liz called them. Actually the housing development was about four miles from town and the ride was very pleasant. It was a rural area and Max liked it a lot. He took in the few farm houses that had not been sold to the major developers yet and was glad that some of the old remained.
When they got back to the house Liz’s neighbor poked her nose out the back door again to make sure the intruders were supposed to be there and Liz waved and said “Good morning Mrs. James…this is Max, my fiancé…we’re going to be working around the house today, hope Mr. James is feeling better.”
“Good morning Liz…I was hoping that was you and not another intruder. Mr. James is doing just great thank you and hello Max. I hope to see you before you leave. Congratulations by the way…I saw the papers, cute pictures.”
Liz giggled…”Thanks Mrs. James…I will stop in before we leave on Saturday. You take care now.”
“Will do, don’t work too hard.” And the elderly woman went back into her own home.
Max smiled at Liz and asked…”Just how old is she?”
“Oh I don’t know. Her husband has been quite ill for some time now and their daughter comes by everyday to check in on them. She’s really a sweetheart…always looking out for me and bringing me homemade goodies. Just what I need…but she needs something to keep her busy so she bakes.”
“Good neighbor.” Max said. Liz smiled at him and they went in, rolled up their sleeves and got busy. They started upstairs and Liz went to work on her closet first. If she hadn’t worn it in a year she put it in one box…if she absolutely loved it she put it in another box and by the time they sorted through the contents of the clothes closet she had two boxes to go and four to take to the salvation army. Then they headed to the dresser…that one wasn’t as big a job as one might think…she put her underwear in a suitcase from the hall closet from the top drawer…her pj’s and nighties were in the second drawer down…she threw all of them into the suitcase with the exception of one really pretty set which went into the goodwill box…Max didn’t have to ask what it was…he knew by the look on her face…and then they started on the third drawer. Everything in that drawer went into the box to be moved. It was full of photo albums and journals along with yearbooks and mementos.
One box contained an old corsage that had been flattened and when Max really looked at it he recognized it as the one he had given to her for their prom. The woman saved everything. And then he noticed a particularly nice picture frame and when he picked it up there they were, all dressed in their prom finery smiling into the camera as though they were the only two people on earth. Why hadn’t he ever noticed this before. They were in love with each other back then and were too immature to say anything. Maybe it was for the best…God knows where they would be now had they acknowledged each other so many years ago. Probably neither would have pursued their goals. But they were together now and that was all that mattered.
It was around noon when they decided to take a break and head out to one of the local café’s and have some lunch…
The Jag was really getting some extra attention in the town square…which was something Liz hadn’t even thought about until she saw some teenage boys slowing down to have a better look. Then when they came into the café their eyes became saucers. Liz looked over at Max who looked up from his menu to see what the sudden silence was and noticed an awful lot of people staring at him. He smiled at all of them and then motioned for the boys to come over…
“Hey guys…like the ride do you?”
“Oh God yes.” Replied one of the youngsters…”Can we?” and he handed his note book over to Max…Max grinned and said “Sure, what’s your name?”
“Tom.” Said the boy and Max wrote him a nice long message and handed it back to him and the other boys just stood there agape…
“Would you guys like an autograph as well…it will probably be worth something someday.”
They all laughed including Liz and handed Max their notebooks. Max wrote each one a message and signed it with his name and world series 2008 under it…they all but floated to the counter to get their lunch. The patrons took note of the athlete’s patience and were all impressed. They recognized Liz from being in the café before but had no idea that she was the one engaged to the baseball player from Philadelphia. How nice they thought.
Max and Liz finished their lunch and then Liz took Max over to the lab to introduce him to her crew…Mr. Jarred was just coming out of the building as they were going in and he stopped and shook hands with Max and gave Liz a hug.
“Have you had a chance to decide who I should replace you with yet?”
“No Mr. Jarred…it’s a tough call really. They are all qualified and when it comes right down to it I think you should get to know all of them and make the decision for yourself. There are some people that we are more in tune with than others…and I truly believe that you should make the decision based on personality rather than qualifications…because all of their qualifications are exemplary.”
“I see. I never thought about it like that Liz…if you feel that is what I should do then I will spend some more time in the lab and get to know them based on compatibility rather than ability. Very good Liz. Enjoy your day. What are you doing in town anyway…don’t you have a wedding to prepare for?”
“Well, I’m letting the wedding planner do what she’s getting paid to do” and Max snorted at that remark… “and Max is helping pack up my personal things for the movers on Saturday. We are going in to see the crew and to bid them good bye actually.
I met with Mr. Appleby and he doesn’t want me to start until after the first of the year. He has given me backgrounds on the technicians to read over…but like I told you, I would rather work with them first before making any final decisions.”
“Good, good…what did you think of Mr. Appleby?”
“Well, actually I was shocked that he was the one to show me around. I found him to be very personable and very helpful. I felt as though they were having a popularity contest to see who would get to work with me…and this was a little discomforting but I’ll get past it.”
“Yes, I’m sure you will…Well you two take care and I will see you at the wedding in a couple of weeks, and don’t overdo it…you want to enjoy your party.”
“Yes I do, and thank you for everything Mr. Jarred.”
“No Liz, you don’t seem to realize…it is we who thank you. God bless and I’ll see you soon .”
Max could have flown of his own accord he was so proud of her…she didn’t have a clue as to her importance.
They went into the building and by that time the lobby was full of the employees waiting to see her. The receptionist had called all of the departments and told them that Dr. Parker was outside talking to Mr. Jarred and was headed in. Everyone applauded her and Max as they entered and Liz was overwhelmed. She smiled and waved at everyone and then someone handed her a portable mike...
“Hi guys…I’ll be moving on Saturday and most likely won’t be seeing you for awhile and I wanted to come by and tell you how much I have enjoyed working with all of you. Although we will be working for the same company we will be worlds apart. My work will bring me here occasionally and I will be seeing you but in a different capacity so know that I sincerely thank each of you from the bottom of my heart for all of your help. Without all of you I would never have been able to complete my work. Oh, and I brought someone very special for all of you to meet. This is Max Evans…SUPER BASEBALL HERO…and my fiancé. Max, take a bow.”
Max turned beet red and looked at her as though he would cheerfully throw her into a duck pond full of shit right now and she just ignored him and threw him a big kiss…the place went nuts. This was a side of Liz they had never seen and Max was wishing that they hadn’t. And then Liz stood on her tiptoes and gave Max a kiss on his beet red cheek and handed the mike back to the fellow standing next to her and took Max’s hand and introduced him to everyone individually. They all shook Max’s hand and wished him well and soon the couple was back outside and on their way back to the house.
“Liz, I don’t think I have ever been so embarrassed in my entire life. What in the hell has gotten into you anyway?”
“I really don’t know Max…one minute I was on the verge of tears and the next I just had this overwhelming need to put you on display. That’s why they were all there anyway, why not gloat?”
“Oh Liz, you have no idea why they were all there do you? Honey, those people have you on a pedestal so high that the tower of Babel wouldn’t hold a candle to it.”
“Oh get real Max…” and Max just kept on driving, she is priceless.
“Oh Max…that’s where Tess is.”
“Oh Liz.” Max said with the same influx as Liz. “I hope that’s where Tess stays! You can visit her and be nice but trust me…I don’t care if I ever hear her name mentioned again…okay?”
“Oh Max,”
“Don’t ‘oh Max’ me Liz, I mean it…please just don’t say it.” And Max was very determined to keep it this way.
“Okay love…I won’t…now, do you know how to get back to the house?”
“I think I can handle it…Oh…what are we going to do for dinner?”
“Oh, stop at the grocery store and I’ll pick up some salad makings and fresh vegetables. I have some steaks in the freezer and some chicken as well. We just need to finish up whatever we can before Saturday…anything that’s left in the refrigerator we can move over to the apartment.”
“Fair enough, is the market on the way or do I have to do some maneuvering?”
“It’s on the way. You won’t recognize it though…I’ll point it out.”
And sure enough Max would have driven right past the little building with the front porch and a small sign saying ‘GROCER’S’. Max smiled and pulled up in front and parked. Liz hopped out and was in the store before Max even had the keys out of the ignition. Does she ever slow down he wondered.
When Max entered the small little grocery store he was taken back in time to when life was simple. There, in bushel baskets sitting on the floor under a large table full of fresh vegetables were potatoes, corn, apples, and oranges. Off to the side of the table was a meat refrigerator with slabs of uncut meat waiting to be put through the large meat cutter located behind the showcase. On the other side of the room was a bread rack that held fresh bread and then another refrigerated case that held some beautiful pies and pastries. Liz was talking to the elderly gentleman behind the counter as she picked up one of the biggest heads of lettuce Max thought he had ever seen…then she squeezed a couple of tomatoes before settling on two of those and she also picked up a very long cucumber and some carrots and celery. Max couldn’t believe the vegetables. They were beautiful.
Liz noticed how he was looking everything over and asked him if there was something he especially wanted and he only asked…”Where do they get these, they are beautiful.”
“Oh, they are all locally grown and hand picked daily. Mrs. Johnson makes the bread right in the back room there and also the pies. Max, they are to die for…do you want to try one for dinner?”
“Do I want to try one, are you nuts, buy them all, we’ll take them home with us.” Max’s mouth was watering and he couldn’t believe it!
Mr. Johnson started to laugh…”Max, we will be glad to take an order for you…would you like to pick some up before you leave town…Hazel will bake them fresh for you.”
Max looked at Liz and she shook her head yes…”Oh, Mr. Johnson, have her bake more than one…we will freeze them when we get back to Philly okay.” She said while looking at Max.
“Sue Liz…do you have a large enough freezer?” It was Liz’s turn to laugh…”of course we do Mr. Johnson…You just have Hazel put a dozen pies together for us and we’ll pick them up on our way out of town on Saturday. But in the meantime what kind do you want tonight Max?”
“Which one is the best?”
“Just pick one Max…you will like all of them, I can guarantee it.”
“Oh, okay, blackberry?” Mr. Johnson smiled…his favorite also.
“We can have these for thanksgiving…everyone will love them.”
“No Liz…we aren’t sharing these pies…they’re our pies…” Max was adamant.
“Maxwell Evans…you shithead…what’s gotten into you…we will share the pies.”
“No Liz, we won’t share the pies…” and with that Liz turned around and looked at Mr. Johnson and said…
“Make that two dozen okay?” And Liz shook her head in disbelief.
“Of course Liz…two dozen it is…do you want a couple of pumpkin as well?”
“No, just the fruit…my friend Amy bakes a delicious pumpkin and we don’t want to rain on her parade. Thank you and we’ll stop on our way out of town for the order.”
“Have a good day you two…enjoy the pie.” Max smiled at Mr. Johnson and asked if he had a fork he could borrow…Mr. Johnson laughed and waved the two out the door.
“Max, I hope you were kidding back there…”
“I was not…Liz, I know that Liv bakes a great pie and so does Amy, but my God…those pies are made with fruit just picked fresh from bushes and trees. Can you imagine how good that is?”
“Max, I don’t have to imagine, I have eaten those pies and trust me they are heavenly but we can share…honest.”
“No we can’t Liz…some things are just plain sacred and those pies are heaven sent.”
Liz didn’t know if Max was serious or not…she couldn’t believe what she was hearing…he had to be kidding. Max just wasn’t like this, he would give the shirt off his back if someone needed it he surely wasn’t serious about a pie. My God…this borders on insanity. Nah…he’s kidding me, I know he is.
“Hey Liz, do you have any ice cream?”
“Yes Max, I have Ice cream. Now lets get back to work okay.” And so Max headed back to the house so they could finish up with the upstairs and tomorrow they would tackle the downstairs. Actually things were moving along quite nicely.
Liz took her cell phone out of her purse and gave Olivia a quick call and told her to make sure there was room in the freezer for two dozen pies…Olivia almost asked what the occasion was and then she thought twice and figured Max found something he liked on his little excursion and she told Liz she would make room. Liz looked at Max and smiled…we shall have pie for quite awhile I think. Max just smiled and kept on driving…life was good.
They were back in Philadelphia by Saturday and things were whipping right along and the two weeks were here in nothing flat.
*~*~*