Home Away From Home - 21. Chapter 21

Seven o’clock seemed to come fast and I could smell coffee. I got out of bed, made a bathroom visit and got ready for our run. When I entered the kitchen, I was surprised to find I was the last one up. Puppy had made coffee and tea, Rita was dressed for running with a cup of tea. Puppy had a big smile on his face, he was dressed for running. “I’m sorry that I over slept. Looks like everyone is ready to run. Where’s Tony?”

“Right here.”

I turned around and there was Tony entering the kitchen with a cup of coffee and ready to run. Turning to the group, there was Puppy standing in front of me with a cup of tea and a kiss. “Here drink this, then we’ll go and run.”

The tea hit the spot. I was now fully awake, ready to run. I decided this morning to run around the University. It would give a perspective that you don’t get from the orientation. We weren’t the only ones running. I saw a few of my class mates, waved and kept going. We finished at 8:30, on schedule.

Showering was interesting because we all finished at the same time. Think about it, Puppy and I showered together and yes, we had a little personal time. But there was only one way that Rita and Tony could finish at the same time as we did. They also showered together and my guess is, they had a little personal time also.

Rita attacked the refrigerator and pulled out enough food to make a good breakfast. Now I have eaten Mom’s spaghetti cold many times, but I never expect anyone else to do this. But as soon as Rita took the left over spaghetti out of the refrigerator, Tony took it and started to eat. There wasn’t much, probably enough for one person as a side. Rita started to load the table with the little fruit I had, she handed me the bread and eggs. I knew what she had in mind.

I got out the frying pans, put the kettle on for tea and coffee and got busy cooking breakfast. It’s interesting that even when you think there isn’t enough food for everyone, there are still left overs. There’s nothing like a family breakfast. Sitting there, relaxed and just chatting about this and that. I tried a little of Tony’s coffee, it wasn’t bad, I still preferred the tea. I knew my dad would like that coffee. “While you’re at classes today Puppy, I think I’m going to buy a French press and some coffee for my dad. I know he’d like this, he’s a devoted coffee fan like you Tony. We can take it over tonight, he can have his first cup of coffee with dessert.

“And I’ll join him”

Puppy left for his class, I helped Rita clean up the kitchen, made the bed and then chatted with Rita over another cup of tea. Tony was on the phone in the study, taking care of some business. It became a peaceful morning.

“I have decided to open a second resort.”

“Where, Florida?”

“No, Hawaii, the weather is nice pretty much all year round and the idea of going to a resort in Hawaii is a big draw.”

“That sounds like a great idea. Will you need pool boys?”

She knew where I was headed with that statement, “No, but maybe a masseur.” We started to laugh when Tony came into the kitchen for more coffee.

“What are you two smiling about?”

“I told Carlo about opening the new resort. He wanted to know if I needed pool boys.”

“I have only one son, Carlo and you have him, so pool boys aren't needed. I’m sure Rita will find a summer job for you or I may find one for you.”

This was a win-win for me. “Rita, instead of just a resort, why not a resort-spa combination? They could operate independently or jointly. You could charge more, but you would need a different mix of employees. In Hawaii, you would be able to operate year round without any problem. Your manager would be key, he must be attractive, smart and a little flirt.” I was thinking of Chet when I said this. He’d be perfect to manage this new facility. “Rita, how long would it take to build such a place?”

“At least a year, I’d need to find a place, have plans drawn, get the permits before construction could actually start. I have people, or rather Tony has, who could do the total layout for me. Finding the perfect spot may take a some time, I have already hinted to some real estate firms, I’m sure they'll be looking for me. I could start within a month, if it all falls in place.”

“It seems like you have given this some thought. Here’s little ole me thinking you were a lady of leisure.”

Tony started laughing, “Leisure? Right, she’s more driven than I am. But she is excitement personified for me.”

You could tell there was a deep love between those two. I could only hope that Puppy and I would develop such a love for each other. “Rita, if you decided to go ahead with this project, I have the perfect manager for you.”

“Who do you have in mind, remember we’re talking about a year away.”

“Think Chet. I know you must have already vetted him. He knows the business from working at the resort, he meets the criteria, young, good looking, and he’s smart. He’ll be graduating at the end of this year.”

“Yes, he would be perfect. Would he do it?”

“In a heart beat. We were talking about it on the way home. I actually was discouraging him because I thought it would be a dead end job. But with the expanded concept for Hawaii, it might not be a dead end job. And he knows how to give massages, he taught me.”

“What’s his schedule? I’d like to talk to him about it, in a noncommittal way, to gather his thoughts?”

“We have dinner with my folks tonight, we can have dinner here tomorrow night and I’ll invite him over. I may be able to get Puppy to fix dinner, you don’t mind Italian two nights in a row.”

“Are you familiar with light Italian fare?”

“That isn’t a problem. Not all Italian food is pasta, you’ll see tonight.”

I called Chet and told him that Rita and Tony are in town and would like to have dinner with him tomorrow night at 6 pm at the apartment. As I hung up the phone, I heard Doug in the kitchen. “Doug, just the man I wanted to see. How about taking me shopping? I need to stock the larder. Then you and Tony can take the pot back and have lunch there. Maybe Rita and I will come as well. Sooner or later, I’m going to have to face Nick and it’s better to do it with company.”

“Sure I’ll take you.”

“I’ll go with you. A woman knows how to stock a larder.”

I started laughing, I know dirty thoughts about parents shouldn’t happen, but I have seen Rita naked and I bet she could stock Tony’s larder and probably does. I really like my new set of parents, I wouldn’t hurt them for anything.

“Why are you laughing ?”

Thinking fast, “I just wonder how much pasta I’ll be eating since Anthony now is able to make good pasta sauce.”

That was a close one. Rita sat down and started to put together a list, asking questions. Doug answered a lot, which meant we’d be seeing a lot of him this year. Looking the list over, there were a few things I wanted. Rita wrote tea, but I knew what type, so I added the names and added bagged and loose. Then I added more fruit. Running each day requires eating a lot of fruit, at least that was in my head.

With the list, telling Tony we would be leaving, we left. Shopping with Rita is something else. I took a shopping cart and so did Doug. I thought we wouldn’t need two carts, I was wrong. For a while, I thought we might need three carts. When the manager saw us coming, he opened another register and rang up our groceries. He had two boys packing and they were kept busy. I never gave much though to how to pack bags, I did realize you don’t put tomatoes on the bottom of a bag with can goods on top. Doug took a packed cart out to the car and one of the boys followed him. By the time he came back the other cart was ready, I went to pay but Rita said she would pay. It was the responsibility of the mother to stock the first home. I didn’t believe this but went along with it. “Wait a minute, there’s a cook book I need to get for Anthony.”

I picked up a book titled ‘Cooking Italian, Tricks and Secrets’. I showed the book to Rita and she laughed.

“He really likes cooking?”

“He certainly enjoyed spending time with Mom. I told you, he’s her number one son. I think he enjoyed the fuss she made over him. My mom is different, when comparing her to you. Not that you don’t love. Anthony, anyone seeing what you did to make sure he met the right person, says a lot about you and Tony. But my mom exudes a warmth that envelopes you. I can’t think of any two guys who have hit the jack pot as Anthony and I. Two set’s of great parents had to produce two great sons.” I couldn’t help chuckle when I said that. Rita was the personification of a professional mother, whereas my mom, was the personification of a family, stay at home mother. Both were concerned over the welfare of their children, both loved their children above all else and the happiness of their child is number one. Different mothers, different approaches, the results were the same, two men who express that love to each other.

It took us several trips to get all of the groceries to the apartment. While I was putting it all away, Tony and Doug were getting ready to go to the Cafe with the empty pot. I told them to sit and order the soup and sandwiches. When they had the soup, Rita and I would arrive. I was sure Nick wouldn’t say anything in front of Rita. But I was wrong. “Carlo, what the hell was wrong with you yesterday? You gave me too much money. I bet you didn’t even know there was a hundred dollar bill in the five. I tried to find you to give it back, but you were gone. I feel bad not being able to return it to you. You need to be more careful with your money. Wait here, I’ll go and get it.”

“No Nick, I knew there was a hundred dollar bill there. I checked my tab, I think I still owe you about 150 dollars. After the first week when I asked you for my tab and you kept putting it off, I knew there wasn’t any tabs. So I kept my own tab. To date, not counting the first two weeks of my freshman year, I owe you another 157.50, not including tips. If you don’t believe me, check this book I keep with me.” I had a small note book about the size of a wallet. I recorded all my expenses in it from the first day I started at the University. Being on a strict budget, I had to keep track of my expenses. Everyone thought it was a wallet, but it was my expense account. Nick wasn’t the only one amazed when I showed him the book, so was Rita. I watched Nick’s face as he looked into the book, under the subtitle cafe, was listed the date along with the cost of each meal I didn’t pay.

Nick took his pencil and marked paid under the total. “Now, you have paid your tab.”

I didn’t think it was fair, Rita took the book and noted the amount and Nick’s notation. I gave Nick a hug and thanked him. “Nick, no more tabs, yours or mine ok?” He nodded his head ok. “Rita, let’s eat lunch.”

We joined Tony and Doug for lunch. I looked at Doug’s plate, he had two sandwiches and it looked like he already had a bowl of soup. Rita and I had decided to have the soup and split a sandwich. While we ate, I noticed Tony kept looking around. Whispering, “What do you see?”

“I don’t know how he manages with just two people, but he seems to do pretty well. The place is small, but clean and the food is great. He has a limited menu, which helps with total food cost, but that’s probably offset with the free lunches.”

“A lot of students eat here. After everything get’s back into the swing of things, Anthony and I will eat here fairly often. This is much better than the cafeteria at the University, even if it costs a little more.”

I knew that Tony wasn’t going to let this rest. Nick was going to be vetted with good intentions. When we were finished eating, Tony asked for the check. The check was a piece of paper with a number on it. I looked at the number, then looked at Nick. He was smiling thinking he got one over on us. He didn’t charge for my meal. I looked at Rita, “He didn’t charge for my meal.”

She took a 100 dollar bill and slid it under her plate. Tony took the bill and went to pay Nick. He gave him a little extra, called it a tip.

I wished I could see Nick’s face when he picked up the plates. Along with the 100 dollar bill was a note, ‘applied to Carlo’s tab’. She may have thought she pulled a fast one on Nick, but she hadn’t, I probably could eat there free until I died. Nick was going to make sure there would be no tabs, mine or his.

“Carlo, what are you going to do about the lamps for the study?”

“I’m going to bring mine from home. It’ll be perfect for the study.”

“So you aren’t going to steal one from the school.”

“I put that back along with the chairs on the porch. But if they are going to throw one away, I will have one of my friends in electrical engineering take a look and see if he can repair it.”

“If he does a good job, maybe he can fix others and sell them. Reclaiming throw aways, is a good business.”

“I’ll ask Paul, he’s like me and could use a few dollars.” That wasn’t a bad idea.

I enjoy talking to Rita and Tony. Tony was telling us about one of his latest projects. His firm was consulting on building a manufacturing plant in South Africa. I thought wow, I wouldn’t mind visiting South Africa. As if from my mind to his words.

“Maybe you and Ants would like to visit this summer. You could get a first hand knowledge of what kind of work I do.”

“I’m not sure we’ll be able to travel. Anthony mentioned about going to summer school. He thought if he went to summer school, he could graduate in three years. So I guess I’ll have to wait to see what he wants to do.”

“You could go without him.”

I looked at him like he was crazy. Rita had her hand over her mouth, snickering. Tony started to laugh. “You should see your expression. I was kidding, I’m sure summer school doesn’t last all summer. You should also think about on-line courses.”

“We don’t even have internet or computers to enroll on-line courses.”

“That can be easily solved. I’ll buy Ants a computer. You both can use it. I’ll have internet hooked up, you have cable TV so that won’t be a problem.”

“I’ll discuss it with Anthony tonight and let you know what he says.”

“There is something else I want to discuss with you, Carlo. You’re going to need a car to travel back and forth to your mom and dads, as well as shopping. Before you entered the picture, Rita and I talked about buying a car for Ants. Since you two are a couple, what are your thoughts?”

“I think at this stage a car is a luxury we don’t need. Once I get all of my things from home, we can travel there by bus. If we shop a few days, rather than once a week, we can manage. So I don’t think a car is really necessary.”

“Tony, I’ll be around, if they need the use of a car I’ll provide it. Carlo’s mother is a great cook and I don’t mind taking them there.”

“Rita, what are your thoughts?”

“Listen to Carlo, he’s spot on.”

“Are you going to tell Ants about our discussion?”

“Yes, I’ll explain what you want to do and my comments. Since it’s his gift, the last word will be his.”

Rita just looked at me. I’m not sure what she was thinking when Anthony came in. I looked at him, he was smiling. “Is that smile for me or did you have a great day.”

“Both, I was approached today by 4 fraternities to attend their rush parties. What should I do?”

“That’s your decision, if you want to go, go.”

“I know how you feel about fraternities, so I told them I didn’t have time for a fraternity. One of them said your loss, I thought your loss not mine. I have my own fraternity.”

“You know the word will get around and you’ll not be invited to any parties.”

“Why should I go to parties, I can party here with the hottest guy on campus.”

Tony laughed, “He has it bad.”

“Go and get ready, then we’ll go to Mom’s. Maybe she will teach you more Italian cooking.”