Travelogue: Chicago part 1
Tuesday,
November 24th, 1981
The Drake Hotel
Chicago
Sarah Hart paced across the plushly carpeted living room of her hotel suite. Today was the day. Today she would meet the younger brother she hadn’t seen in fifteen years. Andy Belden was coming for dinner in the hotel restaurant. Tessa had returned from a late afternoon swim and was changing. Sarah took another look at herself in the mirror.
Andy, who had been born less than a year after she had arrived in the world. She remembered clearly when he had tracked her down in Seattle. She had been pregnant with Keoni; she and Jack living in a small house in the University district. It had been close enough for Jack to walk to the University, where he was teaching, and she was a short bus ride to Cornish, where she was finishing her degree. The sight of the young man waiting on her doorstep as she returned from class had surprised her. When he jumped up and called her name, she had nodded slightly, cautious. He had reached out and pulled her into an embrace. Startled, she had kneed him in the groin, and run into her house, bolting the door behind her. Then she had called the police.
It had taken only minutes after the police had arrived for the situation to resolve itself, and she and Andy had had a good laugh while recounting the tale to Jack. Then Andy had told her of the death of their father. Sarah still felt sad when she thought of the father she had never known, but she relished the relationship she had built with her youngest brother. Although they hadn’t set eyes on one another since that week in Seattle, they had written often and exchanged telephone calls. With his sister, Andrew Belden had shared nearly every detail of his remarkable journey from youngest son of a farm family to wealthy, diversified agriculturalist. It pleased Sarah to think that she and Jack had given him his start, investing in his first farm. Now Andrew was in process of buying a larger farm in Iowa, and would soon be off to the British Isles to train in breeding and raising an improved breed of sheep. While the sheep trade had little bearing on Sarah’s personal life--as Hawaii didn’t have a large market for wool--she took pride in her brother’s success.
“Mama?” Tessa called from the bedroom. “Have you seen my hairbrush? I can’t find it.”
“I put it in the bathroom, where it belongs,” Sarah spotted one of Tessa’s anklets peeking out from under the table. “And would you please come remove your sock from under the dining table? Your uncle will be here any minute. I’ll get the brush for you.” She headed for the bathroom, as her daughter emerged from the bedroom, a white terry towel wrapped around her head.
Tess spotted the offending article of clothing and scooped it up just as someone knocked on the door. Palming the sock, she opened the door and flung her arms around the gentleman standing in the hall. “Uncle Andrew!” she exclaimed, kissing his cheek. “I’m so glad to finally meet you! Come in.”
The man flushed. “Um...I’m not Andrew. My name is Ben. I...uh...work for Mr. Belden. He sent me up to tell Mrs. Hart he was going to be late.”
“Oh my gosh!” Tessa turned red from the top of her head on down to her toes. “I’m so sorry. I really thought you were my uncle. Honest, I don’t go around hugging and kissing strange men. Mom!”
Sarah walked to the door, a curious expression on her face, “Yes dear. Oh.” She looked at Ben, and asked, “Can I help you?”
“No ma’am. I’m Ben. I work for Mr. Belden. He was delayed in a meeting so he sent me ahead to let you know. He asked if you’d mind meeting him in the restaurant downstairs. He didn’t want to lose the reservation.”
“That would be fine.” Sarah handed the hairbrush to her daughter. “We still need a few minutes to finish getting ready. Would you care to join us?”
“No thank you ma’am. I’ve got plans already. You have a good evening.” Ben nodded his head at Sarah and winked at Tessa, who blushed again, and left.
Sarah looked at her daughter, and at the retreating figure. “Do I want to know?” she asked. Tessa shook her head mutely. “Fine. Go finish your hair. That dress looks very nice on you.”
Tessa looked down at her dress. Made of yellow chiffon and satin, the sleeves fell slightly off her shoulders and the full skirt swirled around her calves. She was wearing nylon stockings and two-inch heels. “I don’t look like a geek?” she asked.
“No kekei,” her mother assured her. “You look lovely and very grown up.”
“Mahalo, Mama.” Tessa made her escape, returning a few minutes later with her long hair neatly brushed and held back with a yellow silk rose clip. Arm and arm the Hart women headed for the elevator.
Drake Bros. Restaurant was amazing. Tessa tried not to stare as she and her mother were led to a table with a view of Lake Michigan. Sarah quietly ordered a glass of white wine for herself, and an iced tea for her daughter. While they sipped their drinks, Tessa asked, “What is Uncle Andrew like, Mama?”
Sara smiled. “I only met him in person the one time,” she said. “But we had a very good time together. He’s very smart, too. He started with a tiny farm, and he’s built a very large business empire.”
“With sheep, right?” Tessa asked.
“Yes, with sheep,” Sarah smiled at her daughter. “But he has diversified a great deal over the years; wool, meat, agriculture and real estate to name a few. The last time I spoke with him, he was thinking about starting a fishing lodge.”
“A fishing lodge?” Tessa wrinkled her nose. “What does that have to do with business?”
“Quite a bit, actually.” a voice said from behind Tessa’s chair. She turned around to see a man of medium height, with sparkling blue eyes, sandy hair and a big smile. “Especially when you rent it out as a retreat center.”
“Andy!” Sarah rose from her chair to embrace her brother. “It is so good to see you. You’re looking well!” She stepped back, taking in his tailored suit and expensive shoes.
“Yes, I’ve come a long way from college blue jean days,” Andrew Belden said with a smile. “Sarah, you are even more beautiful than when I last saw you.” He kissed her on the cheek, and turned to Tessa. “I’m assuming that this lovely young lady is my niece, Tessa. Am I right?”
Tessa stood up and nodded. She extended her hand and said, “I’m very pleased to meet you, Uncle Andrew.”
Andrew Belden shook her hand politely, and then winked and asked, “Don’t you have a hug and a kiss for your old uncle?”
Tessa blushed, and asked suspiciously, “Did you talk to that Ben?”
Andy nodded, and leaned his head closer to his niece. “I did,” he whispered. “But don’t worry. He won’t tell anyone else, or I’ll fire him. It’ll be our little secret.”
Tessa smiled her relief, and kissed her uncle on the cheek. “Thank you, you are indeed a gentleman.” He held her chair, and then did the same for Sarah, before seating himself.
Over delicious steaks and salads, the siblings reconnected, and the child got to pump her uncle for information about the family she had never known. Andrew Belden spilled it all.
“I’m the only one of us who has never married,” he told his niece. “Harold married right out of college. He married a girl whose father owned silver mines in Idaho. They have three children; Knutson is sixteen now, I think, Capelton must be about a year older than you, and Hallie is eleven. They’re a group of characters. It’s too bad they couldn’t get out of that convention. I think you would have enjoyed meeting your cousins.”
“That would have been nice,” Tessa mused. “Uncle Kal never remarried, so I really don’t have any cousins near my age.”
“Oh yes you do,” Andy assured her. “Your aunt Alicia has three children, ages nineteen, twelve and eight. I don’t know if you’ll get to meet her this trip. Alicia, well, she can be a bit closed minded about things. But Sarah tells me you’ll be visiting Peter, out on the Farm. He has four children. Brian just turned fifteen, Mart is your age; he turned thirteen in June, and Trixie is twelve. Then of course, there is Bobby. he’s almost five. He was a bit of a surprise. I think you’d get along well with all of them.”
“I’m hoping to visit our father’s grave while we are in Sleepyside,” Sarah said quietly. “Do you think Peter will mind taking me there?”
“No, of course not,” Andy assured her. “Peter has had issues in the past, but he knows that he can’t hold you responsible for his difficulties with Dad. When I spoke with him last week, he told me that he and Helen were both looking forward to your visit.”
“That’s nice to hear,” Sarah told him. “When I spoke to him, he seemed a little unsure.”
“Well, hard headed-ness is a Belden trait,” Andy told her. “But so is open minded-ness. Sometimes it just takes Peter a little while. Camille and I are the most open I think, probably because we are so much younger than the others.”
“Camille is the youngest, right?” Tessa asked.
“Yes. She was born when I was three,” Andy smiled. “Your Aunt Camille is quite the free spirit. She traveled the world three times before she decided to marry the first man she had ever really dated. I think that Randy must have proposed fifty times before she said yes. They live in Melbourne.”
“Australia?” Tessa asked.
“Indeed, Australia,” Andy assured her. “Camille is an artist. She and Uncle Randy run an art gallery.”
“Wow. That’s cool.”
“I’ll be sure to tell her you said so,” Andy told his niece, “It’ll make her day.”
Conversation continued through dessert. Andrew and Sarah argued playfully over the check; Andy finally agreed to let his sister pay for dinner, if she allowed him to act as tour guide the following day, and provide Thanksgiving dinner on Thursday. They shook to seal the bargain.
After kissing Andy goodnight, Sarah and Tessa started to the elevators. A throng of people stood, gawking, in the elevator area.
“I wonder what happened?” Tessa asked her mother.
“Someone tripped a master switch,” a tall, elderly gentleman with a cane volunteered. “Now all three elevators appear to be stuck.”
“Perhaps we should take the stairs,” Sarah said to her daughter.
“Oh they should have everything sorted out in a moment or two.” It was the concierge who spoke now. “If you all would like to come to the Palm Court, I’ll arrange for drinks and dessert to be served while you wait.”
“I’ll go for that,” the tall gentleman spoke again. He held out his arm to his companion, an elegant silver-haired lady in flowing, blue silk dress. “Catherine, do you know what your son calls The Palm Court’s cherry cheesecake? Sex on a plate!”
“Marcus Grant!” the lady said firmly. “Please, watch yourself. There are children present.” She turned to Tessa and said, “I apologize for Uncle Marcus’ language, child. He is a bit of a character.”
“When you are ninety-six years old, Catherine Grant, you’ll be a character, too!” He cackled, and chucked Tessa under the chin. “Come along with us girlie. The cherry cheesecake is tasty!”
“Thank you, but I already had dessert,” Tessa said politely. She looked at her mother for support, as Catherine Grant grasped the old man firmly by the arm and steered him away, giving Tessa a smile as she did.
Sarah put her arm around her daughter. “You handled that very well,” she said.
Tessa burst into laughter. “Mama, did you hear him?”
Sarah was saved from answering by the elevator doors suddenly sliding open. Two of the cars were empty, but the third was not. A tall, skinny man with shaggy hair and Mick Jagger-sized lips came strolling out. In one hand he held a beer bottle; in the other, a disheveled blonde. They were both giggling hysterically, as the blonde reached into the front pocket of his pants, and pulled out a lipstick. A piece of paper fell out, unnoticed by the two as they exited.
Tessa pulled her eyes back to the elevator lobby, and spotted the paper. It was part of a dinner napkin, and something was written on it in red lipstick. She looked at it and blushed. The words scrawled on the napkin read:
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Love in an elevator
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Livin’ it up when I’m goin’ down
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Love in an elevator
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Lovin’ it up till I hit the ground
Sarah read over her daughter’s shoulder. “Tessa,” she said sternly. “Throw that away...and wash your hands! Twice!” She led her daughter into one of the elevator cars, avoiding the one that had been occupied.
