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 Adoré

   A Tale of Romance By The Star*

   Chapter Four - The Juggling Act

   Winter was a good time.

   Adoré was going to drop her classes that term.  She just wasn't strong
enough to come back after only a week, and thought more than that would
make it impossible to catch up.  Since she was only taking two classes, she
spoke with the instructors, who both urged her to continue.  "I'll cut you
some slack, Adoré," her French teacher said.  "You speak and read above
this level anyway.  You'll do OK." When her English teacher took the same
approach, she agreed to continue.

   Little Robby seemed a typical kid.  He cried when he was wet or hungry,
cooed when he was played with, and generally seemed happy to be with them.

   They were certainly happy to have him.

   Adoré's obstetrician confirmed that it would be very difficult--though
not impossible--for her to conceive again and that Robby was a lucky fluke.
Her uterus had sustained some additional damage carrying Robby.  She
counted her blessings.

   Marty sailed through his winter term courses.  He was a happy, contented
man.  His wife--he'd never expected to have a wife for several more
years--was the woman of his dreams.  In fact, Adoré exceeded all of his
dreams, in beauty, personality, and in bed.  His schoolwork was interesting
and challenging.  And his little son was a joy.  What more could a man
want?

   Their friends were pleased for them.  Adoré made their home a warm,
friendly place, where the few close friends they'd made were welcome--and
often present; sometimes to study, sometimes to talk or play cards,
sometimes for dinner.  Adoré was, when they first married, a barely
adequate cook.  But she directed her attention to the subject and, by the
time they'd been married a year, was very good at 'American plain cooking',
and was learning some gourmet tricks.  Determined to maintain her figure,
she emphasized healthy food and low fat.

   Spring term, they were both back in class and, at her mother's
insistence, hired a part-time housekeeper/nanny to take care of Robby and
the house while they were in school.  This worked out well for them, since
they were able to hire another student--a young woman who really loved
children and was studying to be an elementary teacher.  She was capable and
congenial, and soon became a lifelong friend.

   They didn't make Dean's List, but their grades were good and, before
they knew it, finals were upon them.



   "We need to fly to Virginia as soon as finals are over," Adoré
announced.

   "Won't it keep until Fourth of July?"

   "Mom was unusually insistent.  I don't know what's on her mind, but she
really wants us there."

   "OK.  But I'll have to placate my folks.  Mom's expecting a month with
us, then July in Virginia.  Of course, dad would like our help for
roundup."

   "I know, honey.  But I think we need to go."

   Marty made Adoré make the call, thinking that Hazel wouldn't beat her up
so much.

   Hazel wasn't upset, but was very curious.  "I think maybe I'll join you,
if you don't mind?" she said.

   "Not at all, Hazel.  It will be fun to have you.  Daddy's sending the
Lear, so we'll pick you up in Bend."

   On the cross-country flight, they didn't speculate much about the urgent
summons.  As Hazel said, "We'll know all about it when we get there.  In
the meantime, I need some quality time spoiling Robby." She monopolized her
grandson the rest of the trip, except when Adoré was feeding him.

   The family chauffeur met them at the airport with a limo.  As they
started off, Adoré asked, "Are we going to the farm?"

   "No, miss.  Your parents will meet you in the Richmond house."

   "I suppose you're sworn to secrecy and can't tell me what's going on?"
she asked.

   "Sorry miss.  I'm not sworn to secrecy.  But I'd only be speculating and
I'd rather not do that."

   "I didn't mean to put you on the spot.  I'm just awfully curious."

   "Think nothing of it, miss."

   When they pulled in to the covered entrance to the family mansion in
Richmond, Adoré's mother met them herself.

   "Hazel, welcome.  I wasn't sure you'd come but I'm glad you did.  You'll
be a big help." Hugging everyone indiscriminately, she led them inside,
deftly plucking Robby from her daughter's arms as she did.

   In the downstairs library, they found Adoré's father and brother.  When
greetings and hugs were exchanged and little Robby admired, Mr.  Parmentier
cleared his throat, gaining their attention.

   "Kids, thanks for coming.  I know you planned to be here next month, but
this is important.  Hazel, glad you're here, too...  In a way, getting you
here like this is a selfish act.  But I wanted to see you when ...  well,
when I was able to be me and enjoy your company.  Last week we learned that
I have a particularly nasty form of cancer.  It's in my head, and is not
just a tumor--rather it has spread through a large portion of my brain and
will soon be into the brain stem."

   He paused to let them take in what he'd said.  "There is no cure, and no
effective treatment.  Oh, I could try chemotherapy or radiation, but the
doctor told me frankly that they've had zero results with that for this
form of the disease.  A month from now, I will be bedridden--and unable to
recognize any of you.  Certainly not mentally competent most of the time."

   Tears were flowing from Adoré's and Hazel's eyes, as they listened to a
man they loved and respected, calmly tell them he was under an irrevocable
sentence of death.

   "I wanted you here, now, so I could enjoy a few last days with those I
love, while I can be aware enough to enjoy having you near me.  I
especially wanted to see and hold little Robby again.  Jeff hasn't produced
any offspring--at least that he'll admit--so this is the only grandchild
I'll see....  Thank you, Adoré, for producing him.  I think maybe his
miracle conception and birth was the Lord's way of making it up to me a
little."

   Adoré and Hazel reached for the Kleenex, and sniffled.

   "A couple of other things.  I only want you to stay a week.  Don't come
for Fourth of July this year.  I don't want you to see me that way.  I want
you to remember me as I am right now.  Will you agree to that?"

   "Daddy, I don't care that you'll be changed by this.  I'll stay with
you."

   "I know you would, honey.  But I would be so much easier in my mind if
you didn't...  please go back to the ranch for the summer."

   Sobbing, Adoré agreed.

   "I'm not in any pain, honey.  There will be some, they tell me.  But
they also promise that they have effective medications to keep it bearable.
Your mom will be here.  I ordered Jeff away, too.  He's defying me.  He'll
stay, knowing it is my wish that he would not." He tried to glare at his
son, but the love in his look robbed it of any force.

   "The other thing we need to talk about, Marty, Adoré...and you, too,
Hazel...is Dory's money.  Every year, both of us have given each of the
children the maximum $10,000 we can tax-free, as well as some other gifts.
That money is in a trust account at Bank of Virginia.  Mr.  Sydne, whom you
know, Hazel, can handle it all for you.  It's in your name, Dory.  It's
yours.  I'm told it's something over a million dollars."

   Marty's eyes got big.  He sure hadn't expected this.

   "Then there are your trusts...  You have access to one of them now--it
became available when you turned eighteen.  You were so busy making Robby,
we didn't bother you about it.  There are others.  My lawyers are preparing
a list, with a synopsis of the terms and amounts in each...

   "Honey, there is not enough money there for you to live like you did
growing up.  You can't afford houses like this or jets.  I'd hoped to make
enough for that, but didn't have time.  But you will be well-off.  You
could invest the funds and enjoy a comfortable middle class lifestyle from
the income.  That's what I urge you to do.  Marty is a fine young man.  I
wish you had married some money, frankly, but I can't and don't have any
complaints about his character.  I suspect he will be able to provide you
with any lifestyle you want.  Use what you have to make your way a little
easier, to achieve your goals a little quicker.  OK?"

   Numbly, Marty and Adoré both nodded.  Hazel, seeing it, did too.

   "Just for your information, to answer the questions I can see that you
have, your brother has nearly identical arrangements, with a bit more
opportunity in the family business.  He's not ready to take over from me,
but it will be there if he wants to.  Your mother will be OK.  She says she
intends to move to the farm, and sell this house to your cousin, Allen. 
Allen is the next 'patriarch' and has said he'd like to keep the Parmentier
House in Parmentier hands.  He's also said that you will always be welcome
here.

   "Surprisingly, the farm is almost self-supporting, and your mother has
plenty of assets to keep it, and herself, in any style she wants.

   "Any questions?"

   "Just one, daddy.  Why won't you let me stay with you?  I would feel
much better if I could hold your hand and kiss your cheek every day.  And
if you can't recognize me, it doesn't matter.  I can recognize you."

   "I love you, too, Adoré.  Little Dory.  What a wonderful woman you
are... Believe me, darling, I love you very much.  I respect you.  I'm so
proud of you it hurts...  And I will die easier, knowing you don't have to
bear the pain.  There will be no funeral.  There will be no burial.  I'll
be cremated and the ashes scattered on the farm.  Like I said, it is my
wish--my dying wish, if you will--that you remember me as I am today.  And
that you have as many good memories of me as you can.  Will you do that?"

   Sobbing, Adoré responded, "Daddy, I think this is the hardest thing
you've ever asked of me.  I will do it.  But know that you will be in my
prayers every day..." Her tears overcame her.  She rushed to her father and
buried her head in his chest.



   Robby announced that he was hungry, so Marty and Adoré took him to their
suite, where she could breast-feed him in comfort, while Marty showered off
the scum of the flight.  When Robby was burped and asleep, Adoré showered.

   "Well, darling, what do you think?" she asked her husband, as she
vigorously toweled her hair, naked otherwise.

   "Absolutely stunning!" he said in an awestruck tone.

   "Idiot!" She snapped the towel at him.  "About daddy and all?"

   "Baby, I'm really sorry about your dad.  He's not that old a man, and
he's a good guy besides.  But if you ask me, it's not a bad way to check
out.  Pretty fast, but he's had some warning, so he can make
arrangements--like spending a last week with his grandson.  I believe him
when he says they can handle the pain.  I think he's set things up as well
as he can, to make it all as pleasant--or at least as little unpleasant--as
he can.  I understand why you want to be here.  Hell, *I* want to be here.
But, baby, it's what he wants.  And I think we owe it to him to give him
what he wants if it's in our power."

   "Yeah.  You're right.  But you better hold me a lot, the next few
months. I'm likely to break down in tears at odd moments."

   "No problem.  I love you, Dory."

   "And I love you too, Marty...  What do you think about the money?"

   "I think we need to talk to mom--and probably a good tax guy--right
away."

   "What does Hazel have to do with it?"

   "She's a lot smarter about that stuff than most anybody I've ever met.
I'll bet, if she was a man, she'd be doing your dad's job for the family."

   "OK, Marty...  Darling? ...  Hold me?"



   Later, they found the Parmentiers in the upstairs sitting room, Mrs. 
Parmentier's favorite room in the house.

   Adoré hugged her dad in greeting, passed Robby to him, and sat by her
mother, giving her a hug, too.

   "OK, daddy," she said.  "I'll do it your way--but you need to know that
I would rather be with you all the way."

   "Thanks, honey.  That really does make it easier for me...  How about a
bridge game after dinner?  I think I still have enough brain cells to beat
you."

   She smiled and agreed to the game, but not the probable outcome.  "I'll
take Marty for a partner.  You won't have a chance."

   "Sure I will.  Hazel's going to by my partner."

   She looked at her mother.  "You going to let him get away with that?"

   "Sure.  He's always wanted to play with Hazel, this is the only way I'd
let him do it."

   "_MOTHER!_"

   "True.  If you don't believe me, ask Hazel."

   "Well, that's not quite right.  There was a family picnic when I was
fourteen and Hazel thirteen..."

   "That's quite enough, you old fart.  You don't want the kids to remember
you as a liar, too."

   "All I will say is, 'Ask Hazel'," he said in a sanctimonious tone, his
eyes twinkling.  "Anybody want a drink?"

   "Do you think you should, dear?"

   "How is it going to hurt me?  Can I become an alcoholic in a month?"

   "You're right, dear.  I'll have a glass of merlot."

   "I'm having scotch.  Marty?"

   "Whisky, please, with water."

   "Here you go, dear...  Marty...  Dory, what can I get you?"

   "Do you have Chablis or something like that?"

   "I'll ring for it.  Just take a minute."

   "It's OK, daddy.  The merlot will do."

   "No, we should have a bottle up here anyway."

   As he rang for the butler, Hazel showed up, followed by Jeff.

   "At the sauce, I see," she commented.  She tasted Marty's drink, and
appropriated it.

   Jeff poured himself a straight scotch while a new drink was prepared for
Marty.  By then the Chablis had appeared and a toast was proposed.

   "To the family.  I'm proud of you all, and proud to be a part of this."

   "You give us a good example to follow, sir," Jeff said.

   "Yep.  You're one of the _good_ cousins," Hazel said, straight faced,
and then shared a chuckle with the rest of them.

   Conversation remained light during dinner.  Afterwards they adjourned to
the game room for the bridge game.  Adoré's mother and brother kibitzed a
bit and watched a bit of television in a corner of the room.

   During the game--Hazel was as good as her reputation--Adoré asked her,
"Did you and dad ever get it on?"

   Hazel grinned and thought about it for a minute.  The kids didn't know
quite what to make of the delay in answering.  "Yeah, we did.  Just the one
time, though.  Why didn't we ever do it again?"

   "Well, you and Dick were pretty involved.  Then you met Ad and it was
all over for the rest of us."

   "Too bad.  Might have been fun."

   "No regrets, Hazel."

   "Yeah.  No regrets."



   They stayed ten days.  Their days were filled with small excursions in
Richmond, and a three-day trip to the farm.  Adoré's dad was obviously
saying goodbye to people and places.  But he kept cheerful and made jokes
or just acted goofy whenever he spotted a long face.  He made a point of
holding and playing with little Robby whenever he could, and even sat
beside his daughter while she nursed him, brushing his hair gently, and
absorbing all he could of the scene, and the time with his child and
grandchild.

   When it was time to leave, he went with them to the airport, hugging
everyone strongly as they boarded the plane, kissing Adoré and Hazel.  He
loved them and had told them so.  He'd said goodbye, and done it his way.
Driving back into Richmond, his eyes were filled with tears, but they were,
mostly, happy ones.  There were tears on the airplane, too.



   - - + + + + + -

   At the ranch, there was plenty to do.  Rick was home, so he and Marty
pitched in with their dad and their hands.  Most of the year's crop of
calves had been located, rounded up, and branded--as well as having their
shots and their details noted in Ad's tally book.  But there was plenty of
work, and they all spent long hours in the saddle or in the jeeps,
returning home reeling from exhaustion more than once.

   Cattle had to be moved from one range to another, springs needed to be
cleaned out, and fences repaired.  And there was sometimes a cow that got
itself in trouble and had to be rescued.

   Then there was the hay crop to cut and rake.  When it dried, they hired
the baling done, but helped with the stacking.  Two of the barns had to be
full of feed, as well as several large haystacks here and there on the
ranch, in order to see all the stock through the winter.

   In the fall, they would cull the herd, sending some to slaughter and a
few to buyers of breeding stock.  Similarly, they would cull the horse
herd, though that year they figured they only needed to get rid of a
half-dozen animals.

   The Fourth of July they all went to Bend for the annual celebration and
fireworks.  Adoré was a little weepy--this date was a tradition on the
family plantation and she'd never missed it.  She knew she'd probably never
be in Virginia on the Fourth again.  All in all, they had a good day,
though she insisted on being held during the entire fireworks display.

   Marty didn't think it much of an imposition, holding his wife's shapely
form against him.



   Hazel talked with Adoré's mother regularly and passed the news along. 
The fifth, Adoré's dad slipped into a coma; he died two days later.  Her
mom sent the jet for the family.

   On the plane, Adoré was weeping pretty much constantly.  When she said
that she should have been there, Hazel brought her up short.  "No regrets,
girl!  That's what your daddy said and that's what I say.  No regrets,
ever. He really was happy you weren't there to see him waste away, or turn
crazy.  That bothered him more than the prospect of it happening.  Be happy
for him.  It's all over.  He was a church-going man and I guess he's in a
better place.  You played your part by giving him his dignity."

   Adoré heard, and agreed.  She even tried to smile, as she dashed tears
from her eyes.  "Yeah, he was a pretty starchy old coot at times, wasn't
he?"

   Hazel laughed.  "He was indeed.  That's probably why we never got
together--I was just too much of a hellion when I was younger.  He was
always pretty straight."

   The memorial service--they had one, in spite of Robert's wishes--filled
the big church in Richmond.  The next day, the family gathered at the farm,
where Adoré, her mom and her brother spread the ashes over the acres where
he'd been so happy and so full of joy of living.  He'd always be there for
them, whenever they visited the place.



   Back in Oregon, Adoré got reacquainted with her horse.  Champ had
enjoyed most of a year off, and had successfully serviced seven mares on
the ranch.  At least, that many were in foal and Ad thought it was Champ
that got them all.  They set up some jumps in the smaller corral and Adoré
led her excited mount over them.  It was plain that the horse was pleased
to be 'working,' even more than his rider, who complained of some
tenderness on her bottom.  Her balance wasn't quite the same either, with
her breasts still full of milk much of the time.  Still, she was pleased to
be on a horse again, and enjoyed herself totally.

   She and Marty gravitated to working with the ranch horses.  When Ad
mentioned over supper that he needed to cull some horses, Adoré took it on.
Two days later she gave him her list.  That precipitated quite a row.  Ad
contended one of the horses she wanted to sell was one of the best they
had.

   "Ad, that horse is a cull, pure and simple.  She's six, but hasn't been
in foal once.  And her conformation is wrong.  Her feet are just too dainty
for her bone structure.  Right now, she's at her peak.  Sell her for the
best price you can get and let somebody else worry about her vet bills when
her hooves won't take her weight."

   When Marty and Hazel agreed with her, he gave in.



   Soon it was Labor Day and first Rick, then Marty and Adoré, left for
school.  Champ went with them and was boarded at a stable on the edge of
Corvallis.  Adoré had a bit of catching up to do for the classes she'd
missed last year, but they were both full-time students in their sophomore
year.

   Their friend, Denise Hollister, asked if she could work for them again.
"It was a perfect arrangement, Dory!  It's not hard to arrange my classes
so they don't conflict with yours.  And Robby's a dear.  I really loved the
setup.  Of course, the pay isn't bad, either, and was very welcome.  Can we
do it this year?"

   They agreed that it worked well for everybody concerned.  Marty liked
Denise a lot, too.  Eventually, they put the 'guest room' bed in Robby's
room, since Denise started sleeping over, some nights.  By the end of the
fall term, she had moved in.  It still worked well and they remained good
friends.

   Adoré began to wean Robby, though she loved breast-feeding.  Her
schedule had become too full to be tied to his feeding schedule.  Denise
fed him a bottle at nap time, but they started him on a child's cup.  He'd
been eating solid food since he was six weeks old.

   Marty sometimes got the benefit of the effort, when he got to nurse the
remnants from his wife's breasts.

   There was also a horse to work and the normal college social activities.
Not to mention Saturday football games and a few weekend horse shows.

   They were a busy family.

   Hazel had given them good advice about Adoré's money, too.  The cash
from her parents was put into semi-liquid accounts.  The money from the
trust that matured was also invested, after taxes were settled.  The next
'chunks' of money would come when she turned twenty-one.

   Adoré had suggested spending some money to build their home at the
ranch. Hazel cautioned her to take her time.  She might need a tax shelter
soon.  Use it for that.

   They did consult an architect, and Adoré paid his fee, for a plan that
they both liked a lot and that Ad felt would fit into the surroundings
nicely.  As promised, he obtained permits, had the site leveled, and the
septic system installed.

   With the plan in hand, he called a friend who was an excavation
contractor and arranged to have the foundation put in.

   Adoré, meanwhile was attending one or two horse shows every month, with
Marty along to assist, more often than not, with judging.  This was an
expensive hobby, but Adoré contended that it was a good investment.

   "If we offer Champ to service other people's mares, he'll be worth a lot
more if he and I are still well-known.  Besides, neither of us is ready to
retire from competition."

   Marty just grinned.  He knew the competitive fire wasn't gone from her,
and they could afford it, after all.  Besides, he enjoyed the shows as much
as she did.  So they were busy, keeping all the balls in the air: baby,
house, new house, ranch, horses and, oh yes, college classes and collegiate
social life.



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