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  Lavender Is A Harsh Mistress The same kind of Edgar Allen Poe like day that greeted Amanda in the morning. Had hung around to accompany her and Marcus as they strolled thru the park. They were walking down a winding road under a light misty rain, arm in arm. Amanda had the hood to her raincoat pulled over her head while Marcus held an unopened umbrella. As soon as they came around a sharp corner they saw the castle.

  “It’s beautiful Marcus! Imagine a real castle in the middle of the city.

  I hate to admit it but I have never been here either.”

  Marcus unhooked his arm from hers and now took her hand as they moved closer to the castle.

  “Yes it is beautiful. I suppose that it looks something like the Castle Elsinore.” Amanda wiped some of the rain off of her face.

  “Is that in the park too?” Marcus gave her a smile and then quickly kissed her on her cheek.

  “No, that is the name of the castle in Hamlet, Shakespeare’s play. It’s the castle where he first saw his father’s ghost.”

  “Amanda hoped that the rain was dense enough to hide the blank expression on her face. She had no idea what he was talking about.

  Of course she had heard of the play but after that she was lost. She kind of remembered a little about Hamlet.

  “But a castle! What castle?” As they were walking back to work Marcus surprised her with a question that came out of left field.

  “Listen, where do you see this relationship going? What I mean is where do you see me fitting into your life?” Her eyes widened and then froze as she looked straight ahead.

  “Where do you want to fit into my life?” Marcus slowed down a little.

  “Oh no Kid, that won’t do. You can’t answer that question by asking a question. I am not going to let you get off that easy.”

  Amanda knew that she had dodged the question. She wiped some of the rain away from her face and dug her hands deeper into the pockets of her raincoat.

  “I want to be your girl, your lover, I guess whatever you wish. You are not seeing anyone else are you?” Marcus quickly stepped in front of her causing her to stop.

  “If I was seeing anyone else I wouldn’t have started seeing you!”

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  Lavender Is A Harsh Mistress She could see that her reply had angered him. Marcus turned his face up toward the sky and let the misty rain cool him off. Then returned his face back toward her. He lifted her hand up to his mouth and kissed it and held it tightly as they resumed walking.

  “Don’t ever say anything so silly again!” They walked a little further toward the exit of the park in silence before Marcus begin speaking to her in his usual tone.

  “The mist is getting heavier, I think that we are going to be in for it later. We had better hurry.” They quickened their pace and were soon within a couple of blocks of the building.

  “I was wondering Kid, if you would mind staying with me?”

  “Yes I could stay for the night I only have to....” He cut her off with a voice that was plain and direct.

  “What I am asking is....would mind living with me? Us living together.” Amanda bit her lower lip and let go of his hand.

  “What you are asking me is will I shack up with you.” They were both walking slower now and looking at the wet ground.

  “Yes I guess that you are right, that is what I am asking you. I don’t know how to make it sound more respectable or any cleaner.” She put her hands into her pockets and clenched her fists while still bit-ing her lower lip.

  “I know what you are asking, I am a big girl now. I haven’t lived with a man for over eight years. That....didn’t turn out so well.” She paused for a minute hoping that he would try and reassure her that this time it would, but he didn’t.

  “Yes Marcus I will move in with you. But I think that you knew what my answer was going to be before you asked.”

  “To be honest I didn’t. But I prayed that it would be yes.”

  “Would it be alright if I moved in this weekend?” By now they were on the elevator and he was pressing the floor button.

  “That would be fine.” As they walked down the hallway to her office she wondered why she had picked this weekend to move in. Marcus turned the knob on her office door and pushed it open.

  “Why don’t you let me drive you home after work?”

  “No, that’s alright but I want you to do something for me. Let’s not see each other until I move in this weekend. It’s only a few days and I need sometime to think this over”. She stepped into her office as 171

  Lavender Is A Harsh Mistress he stayed outside. Marcus held onto her thumb and squeezed it a little more.

  “If you are not sure we can wait awhile”

  “No I am quite sure. Don’t worry I am not going to change my mind. I can’t explain it but will you do that for me?” Marcus gripped her hand a little tighter before letting it go and walking toward the elevator. As she sat at her desk with her head down. She noticed droplets of water falling off of her hair and onto the desk top. She watched them build up until they were a little pool. She was deep in thought and worry.

  “I swore to myself the last time that I would never live with a man if that didn’t work out. That I would never put myself in that position again. It drained too much out of me and it takes a long time for the scars to disappear. But even after they disappear they are still there. When a woman puts herself in that position she puts herself at risk. She starts to think that she has a home of her own, a man of her own, a safe and secure place for her children. But most of the time it is a pipe dream built on air. Then along comes the slightest breeze and it all floats away. Marriage can wind up the same way but at least that is something legal, something tangible. Something that every woman around the world can relate to.” By now the water had stopped falling from her hair and the pool of water had gotten bigger. She stared into the pool of liquid hoping that maybe it had the same powers like the ones in fairy tales. Where you would look into it and it would tell you what the future was going to be. She looked deeply into the pool and waited, but only saw her reflection. Yes, she was going to move in with Marcus. She was going to move in with him for one simple reason, he had asked her to.

  Amanda didn’t come to work for the rest of the week. She stayed at home and lightened her mood by convincing herself that this time things would be different. She also understood that by moving in with him the ante of their relationship had been raised.

  There would have to be many agreed upon levels of understanding that would have to be reached. She began packing her things in earnest on Friday night. She decided to take only some of her things just in case. She called Marcus late that night to tell him that she would be there at eleven. Manny was silent as he packed her things 172

  Lavender Is A Harsh Mistress into the trunk of the car. He had always been her protecting angel.

  But in matters of the heart he knew that he was powerless. To him Marcus seemed like a nice guy, but she had picked out “Nice guys”

  before. As they pulled up to Marcus’ building he spoke up.

  “Are you sure about this boss? I mean he’s not pressuring you into anything that you don’t want to do?”

  “No Manny he’s not that kind of man. But what I am going to do?

  When I am around him I can’t think. When I am not around him I can’t think either, we’ll see.”

  Manny rushed into the building and came out with a cart to put her luggage on. He helped her out of the car and put one of his massive arms around her.

  “You’ve got my number right boss? If the slightest thing goes wrong, anything! You had better call me!!” She moved closer to him and tapped her forehead against his chest.

  “I will, but don’t worry everything will be fine. I will call you on Monday if I need you.” By now one of the building’s workers had arrived and was pushing her things into the lobby and she quickly followed behind.

  “Oh Manny I almost forgot. Do you still have the key to
my apartment?”

  “Of course.”

  “I left all of my pant suits on the couch in my living room. I want you to take them to the Salvation Army, to be given away. If there is anything there that your wife wants she can have it.”

  “Do you want me to take all of them boss?”

  “Yes, take them all.”

  Amanda was pleased and surprised to see Marcus waiting for her in the lobby. The sight of him caused some of her uncertainty to disappear.

  “Good morning, I am glad to see you. I have ordered us something to eat.”

  “Thanks, but I am not hungry.” Marcus took her by the hand and softly kissed her palm.

  “Of course you are, come on just eat a little. It’s from The Victoria Club, and I promise that you will enjoy it. I have the entire day planned and it will be fun.” She felt a bit better about him taking 173

  Lavender Is A Harsh Mistress charge because she was having second thoughts. They took the elevator up to the Penthouse floor and stepped into the hallway. While walking along the hallway she was taken by how soft the dark gray carpet was. The entire floor was as quiet as a graveyard. He’d left the door to his condo open and they stepped inside. Marcus took her coat.

  “Let me give you the grand tour, I hope that you like it.” Amanda’s apartment was stunning in it’s own right. But what she was about to see was going to blow her mind.

  The first room that was off to her right was the living room.

  It was covered with a maroon thick carpet and the walls were off white, with colorful paintings of a pacific island, the Amazon Forest, and the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Pushed up against the wall to their right was a oversized gray couch, flanked by two matching chairs. In front of the couch was a stunning glass coffee table encased in silver.

  Against the wall to their left was a black divan that was flanked by two glass end tables that matched the glass silver coffee table. On top of the end tables were large maroon lamps with off white shades.

  There was also a large ceiling fan that had a cluster of lights in the center. But what dominated everything in the room was the giant picture window. From the very first moment that everyone saw it.

  They agreed that it gave the best view of Manhattan that they had ever seen. It measured seven feet in height and fifteen feet across.

  Amanda was just as spellbound as everyone else had been.

  “Do you like it?” Amanda took a deep breath and didn’t exhale until her lungs demanded that she do so.

  “Marcus, it’s like you can see all of the city from here. From this view it looks like the city is your own private backyard. Doesn’t the sunlight coming thru the window make it hot in the summertime?”

  “The glass is made with a special chemical that absorbs the heat and deflects it back outside. Come on there is more.”

  They stepped across the wooden hallway and into the recreation room. The carpet was a royal blue and in the center of the was a red pool table. With the balls stacked and ready to be broken. Amanda strolled over to a chess set that was carved out of jade and siting on a rectangle glass table. A fifty inch television had been built into a wall. Built into a wall on the other side was a aquarium that took up 174

  Lavender Is A Harsh Mistress the entire side. Marcus switched on a light and it lit up. To Amanda it looked like he had every colorful fish in the world. As they swam around they painted their own natural aquatic rainbow. In a back corner was a small black leather bar surrounded by four black leather chairs. As they turned to leave she couldn’t understand how she missed seeing the wall behind her covered with at least a hundred games of every kind. They continued down the hallway and she was amazed by how smooth the wood was. He turned to his left and they entered the kitchen. The floor was made of light brown marble.

  In the center of the marble floor was a island that also had a light brown marble counter. The appliances all sparked with their newness and were tan. Toward the rear of the kitchen was another small bar with two wooden chairs. Behind the bar was a mirror and to either side of the mirror were shelves stacked with different kinds of wines.

  “Marcus, it looks like this place has never been used.” He walked over to the stove and turned on one of the jets.

  “Well what do you know, it works! Let’s move onto some place that I am more familiar with.” They walked back across the hallway and passed a bathroom before stepping into his den. The floor was made of the same wood as the floor in the hallway. A red leather couch was sitting close to the back wall with two high back red leather chairs on both sides. In the middle of the floor was a giant globe held in place by a red stained wooden casing. Marcus gave the globe a playful spin and led her into the library. Into all four walls were shelves that went from the floor to the ceiling. Marcus moved around the room explaining a few details. He explained to her that he had the shelves made of cherry oak. He also showed her some of the original manuscripts that he had purchased from a few book auctions.

  Amanda ran her hand across some of the books binders.

  “Do you know how many books you have here?”

  “By my last count it was a little over twelve hundred.”

  “Do you expect to read them all?”

  “Yeah eventually.” She followed him into the next room and came to a stop.

  “No Marcus, nobody in New York has a wine cellar in their condo.

  That’s impossible! She picked up on the fact that the wood looked strange.

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  “What kind of wood is this room made out of?”

  “It’s smoked hickory. It’s supposed to be the best at keeping the potency and texture of wines.” Grooves had been carved into the hickory walls to hold each bottle of wine based on it’s size. The bottles were made out of every shape and came in every size. Some were thin, some were thick, and some were made out of fine crystal. Many were decorated with labels and names that Amanda had never seen or heard of before. As far as she could count the room held at least four hundred bottles. A bar that was seven feet long was off to her right. Behind the bar was a refrigerator that looked like an upright freezer. Marcus stepped behind the bar and pulled it open.

  “This is something for those like myself who prefer a more delecta-ble taste.” When he opened the doors it revealed cans and bottles of beer from every country around the world. He closed the doors and used his finger to point up at the ceiling and she tilted her head back.

  Overhead she could see five long grooves that had been carved into the hickory ceiling. Each grove held a row of drinking glasses that had been slipped into the groves upside down to hold them firmly in place. Marcus looked around the room and then at her.

  “I am looking forward to enjoying many if not all of these wines with you. On special occasions when we do, I will have a wine expert come in and brief us on that wines history. “ They walked out of the winery and into an alcove with a window to their left. Beneath the window was a small cherry oak desk that held a gold lamp with a red shade. He quickly walked past a room that had two large French styled doors.

  “Marcus you missed a room, what is that one?” He quickly took hold of her arm and turned back down the hallway.

  “I will tell you about that room later. It may take some time but I will.” It was very clear to her that he didn’t want to be pressed on her question.

  Marcus escorted her back down the hallway to the bedroom that was closest to the kitchen, and took her inside.

  “I call this the little bedroom because I had it set up for children.

  Just in case someone drops by with their family and wants to stay the night.” The room was carpeted in blue on one side and pink on the other. Two of the walls were blue and two were pink. There was also 176

  Lavender Is A Harsh Mistress a crib, a playpen, and two sets of bunk beds that were pink and blue.

  All of the beds were covered with stuffed animals. He thought that it was only right that he advise her.

/>   “In case you are wondering, I don’t have any children. Now for bedroom number two.” In all candor the thought about him having children never entered her mind. But she was glad that he had volun-teered the information. She caught up to him as he entered the next bedroom. “This is the medium sized bedroom for adult company that spends the night.” The walls were light green with a forest green thick carpet. A king sized bed was against the wall and was covered with a thick white quilt, with two large white satin pillows. Four smaller forest green satin pillows mixed in with the white ones. On the opposite wall was a thirty six inch television fitted into that wall.

  Amanda took it all in and replied with a smirk.

  “This....is for company!” Marcus fluffed her comment off.

  “It’s alright, but now there is something that I really hope that you like. He rushed to the next room with Amanda in hot pursuit. He quickly opened the French, double doors and stepped aside for her to see. She took one step into the room and stopped. This was the master bedroom and it was twice as big as the previous one. The rug was soft and deep and was an aqua color. Amanda looked down to see that her flat shoes had been swallowed up by the carpet’s thickness. The walls were colored coral and the curtains were aqua with coral specks. The two night stands were also of a coral color but the two lamps were carved out of tan marble with aqua lamp shades.

  She walked over to the window and pulled the curtains back a little.

  She could see the small human figures as they darted below. In the middle of the ceiling was a large ceiling fan. She turned to Marcus as though she was in a trance.

  “How did you ever find a place with such a view?” She shifted her eyes to the king sized bed that had a large headboard. In the center was a mirror and the frame was carved out of coral wood. The large quilt was aqua with an array of small and large aqua and coral pillows. The extra long coral dresser and large armoire made the room look even larger. A mid-sized circular glass table with two high backed leather coral colored chairs stood off to her right. Along the wall and over her shoulder was a large walk in closet with sliding 177