Chapter 3: Preparing for The Party
The long private road that leads to Dr. Peters mansion in Hillsborough,(California), was filled with oncoming catering vans that were finding their way up the long winding road to the main entrance of the house. The traffic was bad and Samantha was stuck in the middle waiting patiently as each van took between ten to twenty minutes to unload their supplies for the party tonight. It was around 9:00 AM as she was returning from working out at the fitness center. Eventhough their house had a gym bigger then the fitness center she went to. She prefered to go and exercise where their were other people working out to help motivate her. She thought that exercising alone in her gym was boring.
They were not always this wealthy, it was not until her father discovered and patented the cure for cancer a few years ago that their fortune changed for the better. Once they were able to start curing cancer, Presidents of nations, Prime Ministers, Arabian Sheiks, Billionaires and the medium and low income earners, specially the poor would seek treatment and cure in one of their 8,000 C.U.R.E. (Cancer Understanding, Research and Education) treatment centers which were located around the world.
The catering vans finally started moving until Sam was able to finally drive around them as she had no choice but to drive through the lawn just to get to their garage. Their garage was big enough that it could fit ten cars. Samantha was a down to earth woman, she did not care too much about how wealthy they've become. Turning thirty years old, she was pretty much ingrained in the typical life of a working adult. She was more excited about her father's achievement in curing people with cancer than the billions of dollars they made each year. Driving a five year old Ford Focus everyday to work said it all, eventhough her father gave
her a blue Lambourghini for her 27th birthday, a red Ferrari for her 28th birthday and a brand new private jet for her 29th birthday.
Her father made her his corporate's CEO so that he could focus more on curing children who had advanced stages of cancer. He never directly treated the world's V.I.P.'s which he left to his team of surgeons and doctors to treat, although he did show up from time to time to greet other patients before or after their treatments. Samantha was adept in running their corporation, having a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration helped her manage her father's complex corporation. She had hundreds of lawyers, accountants, business manager's, surgeons, physicians, nurses, engineers, scientists and tens of thousands of regular employees working for their corporation around the world. Having their main corporate office in San Francisco, she would always come to work wearing a simple but well pressed collared shirt and blue jeans, while upper management who reported to her all wore expensive suits. She was the type of person who commanded respect from her employees but never demanded it. She was humble and forgiving but never bossy.
Entering their house, she quickly walked up their spiral staircase and headed towards her father's study room. Upon entering, she saw her dad reading the morning paper still in his morning pajamas. "Hi dad...", as she walked towards him. "Hi, honey, how was your workout?...", he asked while looking at her as he lowered his reading glasses on the lower bridge of his nose while still holding on the news paper in front of him. "Good!,..there was not a lot of people working out this morning, strange though, for it being a Saturday...I was able to use the threadmill without waiting this time, "she said as she picked up the sports page of her father's news paper. The door behind them opened as Albert, their butler came in carrying a round tray with a jug of freshly squeezed orange juice and two empty glasses. "Are you both ready for breakfast?..", Albert asked with his noticeable British accent while wearing his black tuxedo and white gloves. Dr. Peters and Samantha silently grinned finding Albert's accent amusing. As Albert set the tray in front of them, he noticed their amused expression on their faces and asked, "Now what would you both like for breakfast?...", Albert inquired, "Nothing for me Al, I had a bagel on my way home from the gym...", Samantha responded. He looked at Dr. Peters who was still smiling as he asked, "And you sir?...", Dr. Peters turned a page from his newspaper as he responded, "Thanks for the offer Albert but I already made myself some oatmeal in the kitchen earlier...and by the way, you can drop the accent...it's only us here you know...", Dr. Peters and Samantha both looked at Albert with a wider grin on their faces. Suddenly, Albert's accent switched from a British accent to a Southern accent as he responded, "Ok! if ya'all don't wanna chow down then I'll be supervising the caravans of food for tonights party...Yeeee! dawgy!...". Albert announced with a more relaxed posture while he left the room.
Albert used to be one of Dr. Peters cancer patients two years ago. He was a sixty year old alcoholic and was homeless when he developed pancreatic cancer. Albert had a knack for immitating different accents which impressed Dr. Peters. For drug addicts and alcoholics with cancer, Dr. Peters would make an agreement with them which was that they had to be sober or free of drugs for five years before the cure will be provided for their cancer. In the meantime, Dr. Peters would put their cancer in a temporary state of remission until the person was free of his/her addiction or alcoholism for five years. They also had to attend Alcoholics Anonymous and other drug treatment facilities which was fully paid by Dr. Peters CURE corporation. They had to undergo urine and blood tests every two weeks to check for drugs in their system. Those who remain clean for five years are then permanently cured of their cancer and given free vocational classes and job placements at the CURE corporation. Those who failed were given two more chances and if they still failed after their third chance, the drugs that keeps their cancer in remission
was discontinued and their cancer progresses. They were allowed to re-apply after six months but will be placed on a waiting list. When they get accepted then the whole process begins again.
Albert was one of those who was able to stay clean for five years and was finally cured of his cancer. He always admired, "Alfred", the butler in the movie, "Batman", and dreamt of being like him someday. Dr. Peters was so enthused that he hired Albert as their butler, and this was how he came to work for the Peters. Originally from Alabama, Albert spoke and dressed like John Wayne during his days-off and spoke and dressed like Batman's butler Alfred when working in the mansion. This often amused Dr. Peters and Samantha specially when Albert would alternate his accents every after sentences to make the people around him laugh.
After Albert left the room, Dr. Peters took his focus away from the newspaper and glanced at Samantha. He caught her staring out the window in deep thought. He knew that his daughter had been anticipating this party for weeks, not just because it was his birthday, but because she knew that she would see Grey again after a year. It was a year ago on his birthday when his daughter broke up with Grey during his birthday party. The only thing he remembered was seeing his daughter in tears as she quickly left the party and locked herself in her bedroom, then seeing Grey leave the party in anger. After a few weeks, his daughter confided in him. She told him that the reason they broke up was because, eventhough she loved Grey, he never found the time to be with her. He was too busy working as a nurse at night and running his newly formed rental property company in the day time. She hated the fact that they would only see each other every two or three weeks. There were even times when Grey would cancel their date or cut their date short because of some problems with his tenants.
Dr. Peters stood up and walked, standing behind Samantha as they both stared out the window. He gently placed his hands on top of Samantha's shoulders as he rested his cheek on top of Samantha's head as he often did when Samantha was a child growing up. He was amazed at how fast time flew as he remembered Samantha during her younger years. "Grey will be here tonight...", he softly said. Samantha turned around and stared at him with a frown on her face, then turned and faced the window once more. "I wish your mom was alive today, she would be able to give you better advice about affairs of the heart than I could...", he said as he stood beside her. "Dad, it's been over for a year and we've never even spoken to each other ever since we broke up..", Samantha said as she crossed her arms over her chest trying to minimize Grey's importance in her life. Dr. Peters poured some of the orange juice into an empty glass as he handed it to Samantha saying, "Then how come you've never dated anyone?... you have suitors lining up asking you for a date...Maybe you need to re-examine your true feelings for him or get some kind'a closure in your relationship....". Samantha took the glass of orange juice from her dad as she faced him, showing her father a hint of sadness in her eyes. "Maybe you're right dad...". She took a sip of her orange juice as she
looked up at her father. She then placed the glass of orange juice on the table, walked towards her dad with a smile on her face as she hugged him like she always did ever since she was a little girl. "I'll think about it...", she said as she proceeded to leave the study room to prepare for tonight's big event.
Entering her bedroom, she noticed their maid Maria was cleaning her bathroom. "Good morning Maria...", Samantha greeted her as she crashed on her bed staring at the ceiling. "Good morning to you...seniora Sam...", Maria answered back looking briefly into the bedroom as she continued cleaning the bathroom. Maria has been Samantha's nanny since she was four years old, she was like a mother to Samantha. Ever since she could remember, Maria was always there 24/7 since her parents were so busy at their chosen professions. Her dad being a surgeon and her mom being a corporate lawyer, Maria was her constant companion and guardian growing up. Maria was now on her late sixties and had grandchildren and great grandchildren of her own. To Sam, Maria was like a treasure chest full of wisdom. She would always ask for her advice when it came to matters of the heart. When her mom died and after her break-up with Grey, Maria was instrumental in helping her deal with the pain. During both times when she was totally depressed and unable to work, she spent her nights in Maria's bedroom which was a master's suite next to hers. She slept in Maria's arms as she always did when she was still a child. Maria always loved Samantha as if she was one of her own children. Maria had always been treated as part of the family, for years, they've been discouraging her to stop doing chores around the house and to just relax and enjoy life. But Maria would still always personally clean Samantha's room then manage the rest of the house staff, like the cooks, gardeners, maids, cheuffers and security guards in their compound. In the last three years, Maria's salary has been increased from $70,000 per year to half a million dollars a year. As much as Dr. Peters and Samantha hated seeing her do chores, Maria didn't feel at ease if she wasn't cleaning or tidying around the house.
"Maria! could you please stop that and let the other maids clean my bathroom...please!...", Samantha yelled with an irritated tone to her voice. "Oh!...hush!...hush!....child...don't you dare pick up that service phone...", as Maria's voice resonated from inside the bathroom. After a few minutes of silence, Maria finally came out of her bathroom drying her hands with a towel. She briefly glanced at Samantha who was lying on her bed in deep thought. "You're awfully quiet today my child...", Maria remarked eventhough she knew what was bothering Sam. "I'm just a little nervous about tonight Maria...", Sam replied as she stared on a blank wall. Maria placed the towel she had on the hamper and asked, "Is it the traditional dance that you and Grey will have to perform for your father which he requests yearly during his birthday?...or are you afraid of how you might feel when you see Grey again tonight?...", Maria asked trying to hone in on Sam's feelings. Sam quickly grabbed a pillow and smothered her face with it mumbling some words trying to prevent Maria from clearly hearing what she had to say. "What was that?....", Maria asked. Sam uncovered her face with her pillow and looked at Maria in disappointment as she said, "I don't know, I'm really confused,...I still love him but it will never work out between us. His priority has always been his career and his business,...not me.", responding with a tone of anguish in her voice. Samantha turned lying on her side as she cuddled her pillow. Maria walked towards her as she sat on the edge of the bed beside Samantha, she thought for a minute then said, "I think he's a fine man who just accidentally misplaced his life's priorities....I remember him calling between 20 to 30 times a week wanting to speak to you after your breakup but you would not give him a chance. I remember those times when he tried to visit you here and he would wait outside the front door for hours because you would not let him in. There was even a time he caught a cold while waiting out in the rain soaking wet. I actually brought him some hot tea with lemon without letting you know to warm him up a bit. After two hours he left shivering, sneezing all the way to his car. If that's not love, then I don't know what love is.". Sam stared at Maria briefly with some feelings of guilt mixed with remorse as she justified her actions saying", Well it's over Maria, I don't want to get hurt again!...", Samantha concluded. Maria leaned towards Sam as she caressed her hair as she used to do when Sam was a little girl growing up, then said, "My child, it's the struggles in a relationship which makes love more profound and satisfying. You can never enjoy the peeks if you've never experienced the valleys of love. Maria smiled at Samantha projecting her care and motherly love for her.
After another minute of silence, Maria stood up saying, "You know what I think, maybe it's best if you speak to him tonight and see where you both stand. Be honest with your feelings and I'm sure that if both of you are mean't for each other, then love will find a way...". Sam looked up at Maria with a sense of relief and gratitude then said, "Thank you Maria, I don't know what I would do without you...you're the closest person I have to mom...". Maria smiled at her then kissed her on her forehead as she said," Ok, so try not to worry, things have a way of working themselves out...". Maria started walking towards the door then suddenly turned around to face Sam, "Oh by the way, there was a tall good looking gentleman who stopped by looking for you while you were at the gym. He said his name was Chase Brassman,...he said you two were classmates in highschool...Good looking man, reminds me of a young Robert Redford with his blond hair, blue eyes and chiseled jaw line...", Maria said smiling. "Oh!, Chase...yeah,...he did e-mail me and told me that he'll be attending dad's party tonight". Sam responded trying to downplay Chase's visit.
She thought of Chase who during highschool she competed with academically. During their senior year they were trying to beat each other on who would be the school's valedictorian. She studied so hard, while Chase on the other hand studied sporadically while still playing in their school's basketball, football and baseball teams. He even competed in Tae Kwon Do tournaments during some week-ends. Chase was very popular with the girls and went out on dates a lot. With his looks, strength and smarts he could date any girl he wanted and nobody turned him down except Samantha. This was because Samantha's last two relationships failed, her first boyfriend dumped her for her bestfriend and with her second boyfriend, she caught him cheating with another woman behind her back. These two guys were not even half as good looking as Chase she thought. She withdrew from dating good looking and popular guys, she knew that these types were heartbreakers and she feared being heart broken again. The first few times Chase asked Samantha out on a date, she turned him down. At first, this challenged Chase for no woman had ever rejected him. He thought that Samantha was just playing hard to get, as their friendship developed, Chase found himself falling in love with Samantha, but Samantha always kept their friendship platonic even after high school.
After Maria left, Samantha still took time to lounge around and procrastinate. She started rummaging through some old albums she found in her walk-in closet. She chosed an album containing pictures of her and Grey when they were still together. She started turning the pages as she reminisced on past memories, she briefly laughed upon seeing a close-up picture of Grey with a swollen cheek after he had a tooth extraction. She remembered how one night around eleven pm, she got a call from Grey complaining of a severe tooth ache. He asked her to drive him to his uncle's place who was a retired dentist, apparently, Grey was too cheap to get dental coverage because he never thought he'd needed it. Now the only option he considered was to get a free treatment from his uncle who was a retired dentist but who also was an alcoholic. Without any advance notice, they arrived at his uncle's home at around midnight. Just as they feared, Grey's uncle was as drunk as a skunk. As his uncle welcomed them into his home while holding a bottle of whisky in his hand, Samantha tried to discourage Grey from having any dental procedure done by his drunk uncle. She even offered to pay for his dental expenses, but once again Grey's pride prevented him from receiving help which once again irritated Samantha. Grey's uncle did the procedure in the kitchen while Samantha sat in the living room couch as she waited nervously. After a few minutes of silence, she heard Grey's shreiks of pain. Unfortunately, his uncle inadvertently injected the last dose of Novocaine into Grey's tongue instead of his gum because he was seeing double vision from his drunkeness, the little amount left of Novocaine that was saved for Grey's gums was not even half the dose needed to totally numb up his gums. After his tooth extraction, Samantha could hear both men in the kitchen argue as they both mumbled words she could not understand. Grey's uncle was mumbling words because of his drunkeness while Grey was mumbling words because his tongue was totally numb from all the Novocaine injected in it. Samantha was laughing to herself surprised that the two men even understood each other's speech. Samantha tried her best to show sympathy towards Grey that night as she drove him back home eventhough Grey knew that Samantha was hiding her pleasure and secretly laughing at his expense.
As she turned a few more pages, she came across a few more pictures of her and Grey playing on the snow at Lake Tahoe during a winter vacation. Flooding her mind with fond memories, she remembered how Grey ended up getting a black eye after throwing snow balls at each other. She accidentally grabbed some snow which had some hardened ice in it and threw it at him hitting him on his face. Yelling in pain Samantha quickly consoled him kissing him on his face and around his eye which increased his discomfort. Grey ended up wearing Samantha's pink sunglasses that whole week-end since they could not find a store that sold cheap sunglasses to cover his black eye.
After turning a few more pages, she saw pictures of them in Yosemite during a summer camping trip. She remembered the time they went horseback riding and how they tried to rent horses to explore a ten mile trail. But when they arrived at the horse rental area, unfortunately, there was one horse left. Grey suggested that they ride the horse together and that he'll be the one to control the horse's reins. Samantha disagreed, saying that since she got there first that she had the right to choose to be the passenger or to take control of the horse. She offered Grey to be the passenger and ride behind her but Grey refused saying that it was embarassing for the man to ride behind a woman on the same horse. He even gave, "Zorro, Custer and the Lone Ranger", as examples of man's dominance in the wild wild west. Samantha agitatedly rebuttled saying that those times were before the advent of color T.V. and sarcastically remarked that Grey's way of thinking were as outdated as the days of the Pharoahs when Egypt used to be the most powerfull nation in the world.
As usual, Samantha always ended up winning the argument as she rode alone on the horse, she would wait for Grey from time to time as he tried to keep up the pace while he rode on a mule that was the only animal left he could rent and ride that day. Samantha tried not to laugh as she looked back at Grey who tried his best to look as dignified as possible. She watched Grey's displeasure from the mule's lack of speed, and whenever he ushered the mule to speed up, the mule would brey into a loud cry as if to protest his master's demanding attitude. From time to time, Samantha would tease him telling him he reminded her of the famous, "Don Quixote", as she bursts out laughing, "Very funny..", Grey thought to himself as he raised his chin with pride and grandiosity.
Looking away from the album, she tried to remember what made her fall in love with Grey. Was it because he saved her father's life?, was it because he always made her laugh?, was it her discovery of his artistic talents in songwriting and as a novelist which he kept as a secret from her because he wanted to remain humble, then she remembered that special night during Valentine's day when Grey surprised her with a candlelight dinner then after giving her a private concert, serenading her with his original love songs and how she rewarded him with their first kiss for a job well done. She hugged her photo album as she wiped her tears away, then composing herself, she returned the album in her closet as she decided to start planning what to wear for tonight's party. (End of Chapter)
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