A Husband For Maria
written by:
Ole Reb
A Husband For Maria By Ole RebChapter 1
Dr. James T. Calhoun was a physicist. He was probably the brightest of the Scientists that worked at Los Alamos. His insight and under- standing of nuclear fission was a key to the mission of the group of scientists from all over the country. He was a likable man, but not always easy to get along with, because he wouldn't abide those lacking his giant abilities, this included most of his coworkers, but not everybody. There was one person, who understood him completely and her name was Dottie O'Rourke.
Dottie was the daughter of an old cowboy whose ranch was near the big government install- ation at Los Alamos. Dottie had grown up having it hard. Ranch life is tough on women and hell on horses, as the saying goes. Anyway, when Dottie turned sixteen, and her Pa told her that she had to marry one of the ignorant cowboys the he employed, Dottie rebelled. She packed her meager belongings and went to town. Dottie was a big girl, not fat, big. She stood five feet ten inches barefoot, and weighed a hundred and forty pounds. She weighed as much as most of the men and was taller than most of the male specimens that she saw in the little town that was growing up around the base. Dottie worked hard. She was a waitress, from eleven AM until seven PM, in the restaurant, then in the bar from nine until closing time at two AM, slinging hash and drinks fourteen hours a day every day except Sunday. Dottie would have nothing to do with any of the soldiers or the civilians who frequented the places she worked. That is, until the night that Jim Calhoun walked in.
He took one look at the big girl and decided that she was the one for him. Jim really courted Dottie. He sent cards and little gifts to her, gave her flowers that he had picked himself and the occasional box of candy. One morning, just after she got to the restaurant, he came in. Dottie brought him coffee and a menu, the stood at his table while he contemplated breakfast. Jim sat there looking at Dottie for a while, then said, "Dottie, are you gonna marry me or not?" Dottie was stunned, unable to speak for several moments, then she asked him,
"Jimmy Calhoun, do you have five hundred dollars?" Jim replied, "Yeah Dottie, that and a lot more and if you say yes, it'll all be yours." "Okay Jimmy, I'll marry you, but not for at least six months. I want to get to know you a little better first. So you take that five hundred dollars and get us a house. I'm tired of living out of a suitcase.
That Sunday, after church, the two most un- likely people moved their belongings into a little house near the base. It was two weeks before they went to bed with each other, and while their lovemaking was pretty immature for two adults, as neither had much experience, their passion was something else. It was strong and lasting. In less than a month they were madly in love with each other and had learned to tune the other out when that person talked about some- thing that the other knew absolutely nothing about. It was only three months later that Dottie told Jimmy one night, after they had made wonderful love in the big four poster, that she was going to have a baby and would he mind if they got married now. Dr. James Calhoun was estatic. He told everybody who would listen and set about changing things into both of their names. The house, his insurance, the car, everything was now theirs, not his or hers, but theirs.
In the way of all good plans, the Government screwed them up. Jim had to go back to Chicago for several months. He told Dottie, "I'll be back in a few months and if it gets too bad for you here, I'll fetch you to Chicago and we'll be married there." "Don't get stupid on me Jim," Dottie told him, "you go on and get your work done and then come back to me. I might be a little bigger than normal, but we'll get married when you get back." Dottie drove Jim to catch the train in Albuquerque and kissed him goodbye as if he'd be back that afternoon.
Jim was very good about writing letters to Dottie, and as she got bigger and bigger, Jim told her how proud he was of her to be having his baby and would be even prouder when their baby was born. Dottie was as big as a house.
The government kept Jimmy in Chicago longer than a couple of months. Dottie was just over eight months along. It was a Wednesday morning, it was hot and Dottie was having a bad time with the heat, when she saw several cars stop in front of their house. The director of the project and that Army General who was in charge for the Military, came to the door. She knew both men, having gone to several functions at the base with Jimmy. But, the look on their faces was distress- ing.
"Dottie," the Director said sadly, "Jim was killed yesterday in Chicago. He was walking home from the lab, looking at some papers and walked in front of a car. He died instantly and probably felt little pain."
Tears fell from Dottie's eyes. It was over, the beautiful dream was all over. She was standing there looking at the director when the first savage pain ripped through her big body. Dottie whispered.
"Doctor "O" would you be so kind as to take me to the hospital, my baby is coming." The Director waved the doctor into the house and the General rushed to the phone to order an Army ambulance. Dottie was in the hospital within a few minutes and three hours later her son was born. It was June 17, 1942. She named him John Calhoun O'Rourke. By the time she was released from the hospital, she had transferred everything that she and Jim owned plus Jim's insurance, to the child.
The doctor wanted to keep Johnny in the hospital for a few more days since he'd been born premature. Johnny was healthy and could scream loud and long. Dottie was not. She went home and wrote her son a letter, telling him that she loved him but couldn't live without her Jim. Dottie O'Rourke died of a gunshot wound to the head, which the Coroner's jury found to be self inflicted.
John Calhoun O'Rourke was an orphan, he was illegitimate and he was six days old.
Chapter Two
The lawyers from the Army donated their time to set up the trust funds for the orphaned tyke. His parents belongings, their house, his father's insurance and the money that was donated for him came to over three hundred thousand dollars.
The Army General talked to Dottie's father, who told the General that he didn't want no blow by kid that his runaway daughter had. The General almost punched the old man in the face, but, restrained himself and got information from him...who to see about the child. Dottie's brother, Peter O'Rourke and his wife Marjorie were finally located at a ranch near El Paso, Texas. They jumped at the chance to get Dottie's baby. They had just gotten married and Marjorie wasn't pregnant yet.
They were waiting at the airport in El Paso when all that Army brass and the pretty Army Nurse delivered the baby boy to them.
Each year until Johnny was eighteen a letter was supposed to come from a big law firm in Albuquerque with a check for ten thousand dollars. The money was for Johnny but Margie and and Pete used it properly and wisely. Johnny was the only child that they would ever hold in their arms. They never had any of their own. Their small ranch grew over the years, the killing work putting wrinkles in Margie's face and bending Peter's back, but they were happy anyway. They had Johnny and each other. By the time Johnny was five, he could ride and by the time he was fifteen he competed, along with Peter in the local rodeos. They had turned into a great calf roping team. The year they won their silver buckles was the year that Johnny's Annuity didn't come. When they contacted the law firm, they learned that the lawyer who had been in charge of Johnny's trust funds had stolen the money. The lawyer went to jail, but the money was gone. Johnny told Pete and Marjorie that it didn't matter, they'd get along okay without it. He was breezing through high school and graduated with honors in June 1959. There was no money for college, so Johnny asked Margie and Peter if he could join the Air Force and see some of the world before he came home for good.
Margie and Pete took Johnny to El Paso where he joined up. The next day they put him on the train to San Antonio and his basic training. They expected him to be gone for a few years and then come home, but it would be eight long years before Johnny got back to Texas for more than a few days. But those years were happy ones for Johnny, Pete and Margie.
Johnny was a very good airman and during his seventh month in the Air Force, he discovered that if he wanted to go to college on his off duty time, the Air Force would pay for most of it. Over the next eighteen months, his First Sergeant saw to it that he got the time to go to school and Johnny completed one full year of university. He also did almost another years worth of correspondence courses that pertained to his job as a mechanic on the big C-130's.
When Johnny got to work one June afternoon, there was a message for him to report to the Squadron Commander. Johnny didn't know what the commander wanted with him, but he knew he had done nothing wrong. After the First Sergeant looked him up and down, from his haircut to his shoeshine, the First Soldier tapped on the Major's door.
"Johnny," the Major began, "there is a program in the Air Force to place young men, with some college and a recommendation from their superiors, into the Air Force Academy. Your boss, the First Sergeant, and I think that you meet the requirements and we'd like to see you make it to Colorado Springs. The war is heating up and we need more Officers."
Johnny was flabbergasted. "Major, I'm not sure I can live up to what you and the Sergeants think I can do, but I will try very hard not to let you all down."
"I know you will, Johnny, now get out of here and see the First Sergeant, he has a few forms for you to fill out."
Johnny saluted the Major, turned on his heel and went out into the orderly room with a stunned look on his face.
"Don ‘t look like that Johnny," the First Sergeant laughed, "I got a gut feeling that you'll do all right."
Johnny spent the next couple of days filling out forms and being interviewed by a board of Officers, who would recommend him for the pro- gram. Then he was sent to the big SAC base at Omaha to take a flight physical, and a battery of tests, which were actually, College Entrance Exams. Johnny scored exceptionally high on his exams. But why not, he had obviously inherited some of his Father's brains, and he had his Mother's common sense to go with it. Then he came back to his base and waited. He wrote to Margie and Pete, telling them the good news, and they wrote back telling him how glad they were for him and wished him luck.
Johnny finished the spring and summer semesters at the local Junior College, giving him a total of two full years of University and an Associate of Science Degree.
At the end of August, his luck ran out. He was called to the orderly room again. This time the First Sergeant told him that he'd been reassigned to a base in Canada, where he'd be working on Jet Fighter Engines. Johnny sighed, he knew that it had been too good to be true. Three days later he caught a hop out of Nebraska to New Jersey. The next day he boarded a transport plane and five hours later he landed at Goose Bay, Labrador, a base in eastern Canada. It would take a couple of days for his records the catch up with him and his new boss told him to hang around the barracks and stay out of sight until they came, then he could put him to work. He gave Johnny some manuals to study to get a jump on his training on the fighters.
The second week Johnny was there he went into the Orderly Room and inquired if his records had caught up yet. The clerk told him to be patient, they might take as much as a month. Johnny wandered back to the room he had been assigned and took out the manuals he had been given. It wasn't long before the manuals blurred in front of his eyes and he dropped off to sleep.
Johnny slept in rather late next day, but around ten AM there was a persistant knocking on his door. Johnny opened the door to find the orderly room clerk, grinning at him as if he'd really enjoyed waking a guy that had only been asleep a short while. Since Johnny had been asleep all night, he thanked the clerk for awaken- ing him. That really screwed up the clerks joy, so he told Johnny to report to the First Sergeant. Johnny grabbed a quick shower and ran down to the First Sergeant's office. He reported properly to the First Shirt, noticing a young woman with a brief case on her lap.
"Airman O'Rourke, this is Mrs. Carol Butterman, she's been looking for you." The First Sergeant explained. The woman put out her hand to him. "Hello Johnny, I'm Carol Butterman, My husband and I have spent years looking for you. After you left Los Alamos, no one knew, or wouldn't tell where you were sent. We found your Uncle Peter and Aunt Margie eight days ago. I have two things for you Johnny, a story and a check.
"Your Grandfather, owned a ranch near Los Alamos, New Mexico during World War Two. Your Mother, Dottie left the ranch whe she was young, which probably saved her from an untimely death, at least a lingering death. The project that came out of the lab at Los Alamos was activated early one morning and it lit up the whole valley when it was exploded. Your Grandfather happened to be looking at the point of the explosion and was blinded in an instant. His eyes were literally burned out. The ranch was only eight miles from the blast site and for days after that they were pelted with radioactive material. Your Grandfather and a lot of other ranchers died as an aftermath of that first blast. When the Government noticed that the air to the northeast of the blast site, was filled with carrion type birds, they investigated and found every living thing dead. The government immed- iately took possession of the land and closed every road and entrance into the area. When the people who were outside the blast area and killing zone returned they found that they couldn't enter, even some returning mililtary people. Some of the descendants of the origional ranchers filed a lawsuit against the Government and won their case. I have a check her for you."
‘How much." Johnny asked, hoping for a couple hundred dollars.
"The amount, Johnny, is eight million, six hundred thousand dollars, after taxes, which have already been paid, and after our fees and the cost of finding you for delivery!"
She handed Johnny the check and had him sign the appropiate release forms. Carol then took her leave of him and thanked the First Sergeant for the use of his office. She left the base and caught the first flight out.
After Carol's departure, Johnny sat in the chair staring, first at the check and then at the grinning First Sergeant. What in the name of heaven was he going to do with that much money? Finally he realized that he had better put it into a safe place so he went to the base bank and deposited the check. To say that Johnny was a celebrity was an understatement. Johnny left the bank and went back to the barracks, intending to get back into the manuals on the fighter engine again. As he walked into the barracks, his First Sergeant called out to him.
"Mr. O'Rourke, a moment of your time please. You are going home son, we just got a Priorty Message for you to report immediately to the Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, Colorado, in preperation for entry into the class starting in September 1961. Congratulations Johnny." Johnny gave a yell and hauled it upstairs to pack.
After he was packed and the First Sergeant had given him his orders, he gave in to temptation and phoned and Air Charter Service. He asked for a Jet Charter to El Paso, Texas. Why not? He had the money.
Chapter Three
The next two years went swiftly for Johnny and he graduated third in his class. Since Johnny already had two years of University in his major, he was assigned to the class graduating in 1963. The Viet Nam War had shortened the time for people who already had University credits. He went through flight basic and advanced while he was at the Academy as well as jet training in the little jet hot rod the Air Force called the T-38 ‘TALON'. Johnny was sure he would go on to fly the hot fighters or maybe the big bombers, but on graduation day he got orders to begin training on the C-130 ‘Hercules' transport.
The General commanding the Academy questioned the orders assigning the number three graduate to Hercules training, but Johnny explained that he had really loved working on the big, slab sided, bird and he really would love to fly it. Johnny didn't care, hell it was flying and that was all he cared about. After twenty grueling weeks Johnny got his wings and graduated from the course as a fully qualified ‘Herc Driver'. He was assigned to Hamilton AFB, California.
Johnny left Denver in the little Mercedes 400SL convertible he had bought during his first summer at the Academy. It had been a wreck and he had spent his free time and a lot of bucks to restore it to its origional, pristine condition. He drove straight through to San Rafeal where he checked into a motel and called a Realtor. Then he went to bed and slept for fifteen hours. At ten the following morning, the Realtor stopped by the motel and picked Johnny up. First they went to his office and looked at pictures of homes listed by the Real Estate Board. When Johnny told him that he was a Second Lieutenant in the Air Force, the Realtor started showing him homes in the lower price range. "None of these will do, " Johnny said, "I need about four acres and three or four thousand square feet." The poor Realtor thought that he had died and gone to Heaven.
The home that Johnny finally decided on was on three acres and had thirty five hundred square feet. He also bought two acres directly across the street for an investment. Johnny wrote the Realtor a check and told him to call him when he could move in. Two weeks later the Realtor arrived at his motel and presented Johnny with the deeds and the keys. Johnny called for his phone instal- lation and all the rest of his utilities. After taking care of that chore, he walked into an interior decorators shop that had one person there, the owner. She was an older lady, probably about fifty five or so, but when Johnny told her what he wanted, she immediately went to work. He gave her free rein on the rest of the house, but he had his den decor- ated his way, and the master bedroom done in such a way that it would appeal to either a man or a woman.
He was twenty six years old, he could fly, he had a perfectly restored, 1962 Mercedes con- vertible, he had a house and lots of money. What he wanted was a family of his own. He looked around in the singles bars, and decided that what he needed to do was to go to work.
The next day he reported in and started flying. He was flying all over the world and loving it. He began to rethink his idea about a family for now. He'd just fly and play some baseball in his spare time.
On April 20, 1964, Johnny drove over to the University of California, Berkeley, for a baseball game with the U.C. Berkeley freshman team.
Johnny played third base and during last couple of innings, he noticed a young woman sitting on the third row of bleachers. She was beautiful, and she seemed to be in some sort of trouble, as she stared at Johnny without seeing him.
The score was Hamilton 4, Cal 2 and it was the last inning. The first man at bat hit a home run and now it was 4 to 3. Jimmy Meyers struck out the next two batters on six pitches, but the next guy sent a short fly ball into right field that fell in for a hit. The last guy to bat was a big man with strong wrists that were made for swinging a baseball bat. Johnny knew that this guy usually sent line drives down the left field line. One more line drive would win the game for Cal. Jimmy delivered one up and inside on him and he swung the bat. The bat connected with a loud crack, sending it in a screaming line straight at Johnny, but about ten feet in the air. Johnny, at six foot three, leaped into the air and snagged the ball, ending the game.
Johnny looked at the girl sitting on the bleachers and smiled at her. She continued to look staight through him. Finally he walked over, leaned on the bleachers seat and asked, "Are you alright?"
Chapter Four
"Hey you should learn to take care of yourself, it's not my responsibliity. Besides, I don't want no halfbreed kid." Jerry Stowe sneered at her. Then he turned and walked away, down the steps of the library, and back toward the engineering building. Suddenly the bright California sunshine wasn't so bright. It was as if a dark cloud had drifted across the sun and across her mind. Maria Teresa Victoria De La Rosa was stunned. She had thought through the whole scenario, had gone over every- thing in detail. She would tell him she was pregnant, he would take her in his arms, tell her that he would marry her and the would be so happy for the rest of their lives. Jerry had not done that, he had sneered at her and strode out of her life. She started to walk, it had always been her way to work things out. Ever since she had been a child, when things began to go wrong, she walked and thought it through. Maria walked for hours around the campus of the University of California, Berkeley.
Nothing, nothing, had come into her agonized mind as a solution to her situation. What was she going to do? She was twenty four years old, pregnant, and totally alone. She climbed to the third row and sat on the bleachers seat. A base- ball game was going on in front of her but she didn't see anything. How long she sat there, she didn't know, but the sun was starting to go down across San Francisco Bay. The tears began to flow down her pretty cheeks. She didn't realize that she was crying until the man leaned against the bleachers and asked.
"Are you alright?" "No I'm not, but what business is it of yours?" Maria said to him curtly. "Its really none of my business, but my folks brought me up to believe in the idea that, if the the most beautiful girl that I have ever seen was crying, I should ask." He replied in a deep, slow, drawl. Maria looked at him again. Tall, good looking, in a rugged sort of way, and a shock of almost white hair had slipped from under the band of his baseball cap. She still didn't understand that he just wanted to help out if he could. She thought about the other men she had known as she had gone through her under- graduate years and now with her Masters Degree in Literature almost within her grasp, she was pregnant. Three whole years wasted.
"I'm sorry," she said, "Thank you but you can't help me with my problem." Then Maria looked at the tall young man again. Had he really said that she was beautiful? "That is, you can't unless you know where I can find a husband."
He stared at her for what seemed like a long, long time, then he smiled. He didn't laugh, just smiled. Maria realized that he had a gorgeous smile.
"My name is John Calhoun O'Rourke, but they call me Johnny, and if I can fill that job for you, I will be happy to." The wry smile still on his face. "But, you don't even know me." She said, shocked that he would say such a thing. "I think we can remedy that. If you will tell me your name, then we can get on with this breath taking conversation." He said to her, his face now serious.
"My name is Maria Teresa Victoria De La Rosa. I am named after my grandmother Maria, my Mother Teresa, and my Grandfather Victorio, and I am not sure that this conversation should go any farther." She said in a small, frightened voice. Johnny sat down on the bleachers at her feet. "Well, I don't usually volunteer for such and enormous job, but as I said before, you are the most beautiful girl I've ever laid eyes on, and the first one to ever offer me a job as her husband. By the way, does it pay well?" Then he laughed. A good laugh. One that finally broke through the fog that had surrounded her since Jerry had walked away from her.
"My God, did I really ask you that?" She stammered. "I think that's what I heard and it is certainly why I volunteered." Johnny replied, still smiling. He was very serious now and that frightened Maria even more than she already was. Then Johnny told her.
"I'm not the kind of man that would hurt you Maria, but if you'd like something to eat, maybe I could take you to dinner some place and you could tell me what's making you cry." Looking into his dark blue eyes, Maria thought, this is not an undergrad jock looking for a good time. If he was he certainly wouldn't have asked me what was wrong. This was a man. "Do you go to university here?" Maria ventured. "No, my Alma Mater is in Colorado." Johnny told her. "What do you do?" She asked. "I'll tell you what Maria, tell me where we should go for dinner and I'll tell you my life story."
Dinner!!! Well, maybe you could call it that. Maria took Johnny to a greasy spoon where all the students hung out, swilling beer and eating indigestible burgers. Johnny wasn't impressed very much, but said nothing. Maria almost seemed to dare him to complain. After they had finally found a table at the rear of the pub, she told him that she would order for them here and he could order for her next time, if there was a next time.
Maria and Johnny both picked at their food. Johnny, because he couldn't stomach the greasy clump of half-cooked beef on a dry bun, he didn't even like the beer. Maria pushed hers around her plate because she wasn't hungry. She was also a bit apprehensive being here with this man. Finally Johnny shouted above the din. "Look, Maria, you aren't eating and I cannot eat this, so let me take you some place where I can at least hear myself talk."
Maria nodded and Johnny took her hand and helped her out of the booth, then he placed the shawl over her shoulders and the creme sundress she'd worn all afternoon. Johnny walked beside the pretty girl to his car. When they got to the automobile Maria actually saw the car for the first time. It was a metallic, light blue, Mercedes, and it looked brand new. The top was up, but Johnny put it down and helped her into the little convertible. He drove away from the pub and within a few minutes, he was on the Interstate headed east. Neither Maria no Johnny said any- thing for half an hour. Johnny was concentrating on his driving and Maria had started crying again.
"You really are hurting, aren't you Maria?" Johnny asked seriously. "I am hurting, but not physically Johnny, I hurt in here." Maria pointed to her heart. "Maybe you should take me home. You've been very kind, but enough is enough, I can't saddle you with my problems."
Johnny took the next exit off Interstate 80 and drove into the parking lot of a lovely place called the ‘Nut Tree'. He parked the car and walked around to her door. Johnny smiled down at Maira and said, "You have to come in with me, I promised you my life story and I don't get to tell it very often." He was now grinning as she still sat in the car. Maria allowed him to take her hand as he helped her out of the car and for some reason they kept holding hands as they walked into the Restaurant.
The dining room was a lovely place to eat. There were live birds in huge aviaries and they continuously twittered and sang. He asked for a small steak, basted with butter and done medium rare, oven roasted potatoes and carrots, sauteed in butter, Johnny ordered a nice wine and as the waiter left the table he turned to Maria, who turned toward him at the same time, her lips just inches away from his, They were suddenly drowning in each others eyes. Johnny moved first . He leaned into her lips slowly and kissed her gently. As he drew his lips from hers he whispered.
"I've dreamed of kissing you since I first saw you in the bleachers with tears in your eyes. I just got tired of imagining it."
Maria had been kissed before, but nothing had ever effected her like his soft kiss. A bolt of liquid fire flashed through her body. Her hands were shaking and her breathing was very ragged. Then Johnny pulled her hand to his lips and sofly kissed the tips of her exquisitely small fingers. She felt the tremors in Johnny's hand and the look in his eyes matched the simmering in her own.
"Oh my God Johnny, I've never been affected like that before. Have you got some power over me that I don't know about?" She whispered as she gasped for breath. Her words were the same as he felt.
Neither Johnny nor Maria could tell you what they had for dinner. They cut their meat, ate it and never took their eyes off each other. Some- thing was happening here that neither of them expected. Maria thought she would go for a burger with the guy, because he was handsome and he was there. Johnny wanted to help a young, beautiful woman who was crying and looked as if she could use a little fun.
Then Johnny began to tell his story. He told Maria about the untimely death of his father, and his mother's suicide, of the aunt and uncle who had taken him in as a baby, of the years he had grown up in west Texas and of breezing through high school. He continued with the story of having no money for University and so he had joined the Air Force. He told her how he desperately wanted an education and that he found out a way he could get the Air Force to pay for most of it. It would cost peanuts, compared to the thousands it would cost to go to a regular college. Then Johnny told Maria about the day his commander had called him into his office and offered him the chance of a lifetime...to go to the Air Force Academy.
There were a number of openings for enlisted men who had two years of college under their belts and were recommended by their superiors. He told her all about the interviews, where he sweated blood, being so nervous, and the tests and physicals... Then going back to work and being assigned over- seas and having a lawyer track him down and give him some money that had come from a big law suit. About how the same day his orders had come in sending him to Colorado Springs and the Academy for two years and a year of flight training.
"I am twenty five years old. I have a degree in Aeronautical Engineering. I am a First Lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force, and a pilot. I fly the big 'Hercules' aircraft and live in San Rafael. Some friends asked me to go over to Berkeley and play some baseball. I met you and here I am...thats it." Johnny finished.
"You are in the Air Force?" Maria asked incredously. "I've seen men marching around on the campus but I've never met one of them, much less an Officer for real. I guess you want to hear my story, but I warn you, it'll be boring."
Johnny looked at Maria. "She is so pretty," he thought, "when she walks down the street, men would turn their heads and just stare. Not because she resembled a luscious center fold but rather because she was everyones idea of the All American girl, sexy without knowing it, beautiful yet naive. She had it all, but without the big ego of most beautiful women."
Maria continued, "I was reared at a vineyard and winery up in Napa County. I went to high school there and then to University at the University of California, Berkeley. I finished my degree in literature and history, then returned to get my masters degree and teaching credentials. A couple of months ago, after mid terms, a bunch of us girls went out to celebrate. I drank too much and I woke up next morning with a man in my bed. I found out that he was an engineering student and was very busy, we had no more dates and I never went to bed with another man. Last week I found out that I was pregnant with his child and confronted him this afternoon. He sneered at me, then walked away. It was some- time later that I looked up and saw a knight, ready to help me. You!"
"Maria, I think that after dinner, you should come back to my home with me. No strings attached, but we can talk this out in better surroundings, and try to come to some decisions." Johnny said to her.
"You're sure there's no strings!" Maria said suspiciously. "No strings. Now lets eat, I'm starved." Johnny smiled.
Chapter 5
The ride back to Marin County was filled with chatter, though neither Johnny nor Maria could tell you what they talked about. When Johnny drove the Mercedes into the three car garage, Maria was amazed. His home, sitting on several acres of trees and lawns was fantastic. It looked as if it would cost several hundred thousand dol- lars, which in fact, it had. Inside he introduced Maria to Senor and Senora Delgaddo. He told her that Carmelita was his house-keeper and part time mother, and Juan was the caretaker of the estate. "Please come into the den and we can talk the night away." Johnny whispered in her ear. Maria smiled that lovely, trusting smile and held out her hand to him. They walked into the den, which she saw was entirely a man's room, with lots of wood, leather, and the smell of rich tobacco.
"Would you like a glass of wine to sip on while we talk?" Johnny asked. "Please." Maria answered. When Johnny took two wine glasses from a small wet bar, opened the fridge and took out a bottle of cold Chablis, Maria almost fainted. "Where did you get that wine?" she stammered. "Oh, I toured the wine country once and we stopped at a tiny winery that was family owned and operated. We tasted the wines and I bought a case of Pinot Blanc, one of Cabernet and a wonderful Chablis. I think you will like this Chablis, it has such a boquet and the taste is different from any wine I've ever tasted." Johnny said and then turned to Maria. As he finished praising the wine, he raised his eyes and looked at her. She was ashen, her softly tanned skin was almost chalky.
"Maria, my God, whats wrong?" the worry in his voice coming through. "The wine Johnny, look at the label!" she gasped. Johnny stared at the label, reading the name of the winery and the name of the family that owned it. "The De La Rosa family, owners....It's your family?" he asked. "Yes," she told him, "It is my family that owns the winery and the reason that the wine tastes unique, is the way the grapes are prepared. The women of of the estate stomp the grapes to squeeze the juice from them. It's really a lot of fun and I have always been home at harvest time to do my share of grape stomping." Maria answered with a happy note in her voice. The happiest she'd sounded since he had met her. The choice of wine might have been anything but coincidental, but both of them believed that it was prophetical that her family's wines had given them something to talk about. Maria went through the whole process: about how the grapes had come from one plant that her Grandfather had brought to California from Spain, the work it takes each year to get the grapes to grow and mature properly, fighting the late, spring frosts and finally harvesting the grapes and making them into wines, but with a lot of fun along the way.
"You should have taken Agriculture," Johnny laughed, "You know everything there is to know about raising grapes and making wines." Maria knew that it was the truth and it was at that moment she began to think about a decision. "I think that I should go home to the vinyard and my Family. They will help me to have the strength to carry on. Maybe after the baby comes, I'll go back and finish my education." she told Johnny.
"May I come too?" he asked, knowing that he would never let this beauty get away from him. Thats when Johnny realized that he loved this girl, this magnificent woman. "Why would you come with me?" Maria asked, then paled again. "No! I couldn't let you do that, it's not your child!" she almost shouted at him. "But you need two things Maria, a husband or a man who's willing to possibly get shot, and if he lives, attend his own shotgun wedding. I can be your husband, but I will not set myself up for target practice." he laughed. The he turned serious. "I must tell you how I feel about you,
I must say this. When I saw you crying, I wanted to hurt someone. I have never felt such fury before nor have I ever seen a woman such as you are. You are beautiful, educated, well bred, and with a good upbringing. That you made a mistake and let yourself become the victim of a predator, does not reflect on you but on the bastard that did this to you. You were raped you know! If you want to keep the baby, I'll marry you next Saturday, if you don't want to marry me, then I will give you money to get you through this and be there to help you, or you can decide not to have it and I will pay for that too. Until you decide what you want to do you could stay here, or I will take you back to your dorm. If you stay here, you will have Carmelita at your beck and call, and if she finds out that you are pregnant, she will mother you to death. I just realized that I am in love with you Maria De La Rosa. Please believe me."
At that precise moment, Senora Delgaddo was walking past the door of the den, and since the door had remained open, she heard the last couple of sentences. She stopped, whirled about, and stormed into the den. The Spanish began to fly, her arms were flinging about and her big bust was getting bigger as she stamped her feet and scowled at Johnny. "Dammit Carmelita, speak English, I only got about a third of what you just said." Carmelita glared at Johnny as Maria burst out laughing and crying at the same time. "Johnny," Maria said, "Carmelita thinks it was you that made me this way. I guess she got the tail end of our conversation. Now I see why you call her mother." With that Maria collapsed into tears and laughter. Carmelita turned her glare on Maria and demanded to know what was going on. Johnny explained the pertinenet details to Carmelita and asked her if she thought he should marry Maria and take good care of her.
Senora Carmelita Louisa Helena Delgaddo stared at Johnny. "Do you love her Johnny O'Rourke? How long have you known this girl and what have you done to get her into this state?" Johnny's soft drawl was a little tense as he told Carmelita. "I've known her for eight hours and I have loved her for seven of them, does that satisfy your colossal curiosity Senora Delgaddo?"
Carmelita wept tears of joy. "I'm just so happy my Johnny has finally found a girl that is so beautiful, so smart, yet dumb enough to fall for his line of baloney. Of course you shall stay here my darling Maria, you can let me take care of you and when the baby comes I will be its nanny and grandmother. Juan and I have practically adopted this orphan Texan anyway. You will be so happy, I promise you. Now I must find Juan and tell him."
With that speech out of the way, Carmelita went in search of Juan to tell him the happy news. Johnny smiled at Maria and said, "I'm sorry that you had to be exposed to Senora Delgaddo's wrath. Sometimes though, she really does believe that she has the right to tell me what to do."
Maria smiled a wistful smile at Johnny, then she made a truly monumental decision. Maria lowered her eyes to her lap and told him. "I don't want you to be shot, not by my Papa, nor as I suspect, by Carmelita if I don't marry you. So I have decided that I will marry you Johnny O'Rourke, but I assure you that my father is going to have a fit. Since we won't be married in the Church, I doubt if he will accept it as valid. If we can agree to be married again in the Church that I have always attended, it will make everyone happy, especially me." Johnny stood up and walked to the door, calling out to Carmelita. "She'll do it Carmelita, she'll do it." Then he knelt in front of a visibly shaken Maria. He held her hand, which had suddenly turned icy. Johnny said quietly,
"Maria Teresa Victoria De La Rosa, I love you, will you do me the honor of marrying this coming Saturday?"
Maria stared at Johnny, then looked up and saw Carmelita and Juan standing in the doorway. She saw Carmelita nodding 'say yes' to her with a joyous smile on her face.
"Yes Johnny, I will marry you, and you will never be sorry for marrying me. I will love you, I know that, and I think I will stay here until we are married. My classes are all over for the year, so no one will miss me. Though I must move my things out of the dorm." Finally Maria's tears flowed joyfully.
Two days before, Johnny had started thirty days leave. He had twenty eight more to go. His commander had noticed that Johnny hadn't taken any leave in two years, and had more than sixty days leave on his records. Since an Officer can only carry sixty days of leave time on the books, Johnny was losing leave at the rate of two and one half days each month. Johnny had been ordered to take thirty days leave. Now!
When Maria first opened her eyes, she was confused. The room she was in was huge, com- pared to her dorm room, and the bed was king- sized. With a happy smile she realized where she was and why she was here. Maria got out of bed and moments later, with a sobbing cry, rushed into the bathroom. There she was very ill. From behind her the bathroom door flew open and Carmelita burst into the room, followed closely by Johnny. "Are you okay, little one?" Carmelita cooed. "Carmelita is here and will take good care of you. Johnny, get out of here, this is woman stuff." Johnny walked out laughing, "Woman stuff huh?"
After Carmelita had fixed Maria, what she called her morning sickness breakfast, Maria found herself feeling much better and able to face the day. Johnny motioned her outside where she saw a small moving van and two men to go with it. Johnny gave the men the address and tucking Maria into the Marcedes, headed across the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge toward Oakland and Berkeley.
When they arrived, Maria took them to her room and showed them what was hers. The two movers shooed her from the room. They knew what they were doing. Johnny decided that Maria would need a car to get around in after they were married and he was back at work. He loved her, but no way was he going to let her have his Mercedes. Not for a while anyway. They drove into downtown Oakland and went to a car dealership where Maria saw a bright red Camaro and she told Johnny that she would love to have a car like that.... So Johnny bought it for her. The dealer was happy to sell the new Camaro, but he was disappointed that the little Mercedes wasn't going to be traded in. Johnny wrote them a check for the car, then gave them his address in San Rafael. He ordered it delivered within ten days and he specified what service he wanted performed on the car.
Back in the Mercedes, Maria asked Johnny. "Will they really deliver the car to me, all the way over in Marin County? Are you rich or something?" Johnny shrugged his shoulders and grinned at her. She couldn't believe what he had just done, but she liked it. Strange! Johnny handed her the title to the Camaro. She read, John and Maria O' Rourke, owners. Maria stared at the piece of paper for several moments, then she smiled at him. An odd feeling of possessiveness swept through her and Maria shivered slightly. They drove back to the University and when they arrived, the movers were just finishing up.
"Now," Johnny told her, "The most important thing of the day. Its time to go buy a ring." Maria stared at him, she felt something stirring inside her that she had never felt before. Was she afraid of what was happening to her? Could it be love? She had nothing to compare it with. Then it came to her...She would just have to ask Carmelita, she'd know.
"There was a young fellow that has been over here three or four times, looking for you. I told him I didn't know when you would be back or where your things were going. I told him that your things were going into storage for now....was that all right.? One of the movers told Maria.. "Oh yes, thank you. Everything you did was perfect." Maria said. Then she turned to Johnny, and almost begging said, "Let's get out of here."
They drove across the Bay Bridge into San Francisco, where Johnny took her to an very exclusive jewlry store. There he let her pick out their rings. There was an engagement and wedding ring for her and a wedding band for him. Maria was terrified, because she really didn't know how much they could spend on wedding rings. The Jeweler saved the day for her by pulling out a tray of lower priced rings. Johnny looked at the man and shook his head, then he turned his thumb up and the Jeweler knew what he meant. The next tray contained some of the most exquisite rings she had ever seen. Maria pointed to a dainty ring with a small solitaire diamond. Johnny pointed to one with a larger stone, but still not ostentatious. Maria shook her head, the small solitaire was the one she wanted. The narrow gold band that went with it was simple and plain. The ring for Johnny was too.
"If that's the one you want, that's it." Johnny told her. The Jeweler took the rings and put them into a small box that was shaped like a heart. Maria walked to the front of the store while Johnny paid. When they got back into the car, she looked at Johnny and shyly asked. "May I wear it Johnny?" Johnny smiled at her, took the solitaire from the box and slipped it onto her third finger. "It's odd Maria, but I find myself wanting to get down on my knees again. But, this makes it official, you can't change your mind now.
Maria knelt on the seat and reached across the car, she took Johnny's face into her hands and tenderly kissed him. Lightening bolts sizzled through both of them and the tender kiss turned into one with fire in it. Fire that raged for a moment and then suddenly went out as there were about a dozen people, including the Jeweler, standing on the sidewalk clapping for them. Maria dropped into the seat like a rock. She was embarrassed and proud at the same time. Johnny wasted no time in taking off for Marin County and home, grinning like a Chesshire Cat.
When they arrived home, Maria ran into the house to show Carmelita her ring. When Johnny walked into the kitchen, Carmelita put her arms around him and drew him to her bosum, sobbing great tears of joy. "Is this the way all Spanish people show that they're happy?" Johnny asked. That was when both women pounced on him, the words running together and much too fast for Johnny to understand.
Carmelita told Johnny and Maria, as they were having a cup of coffee in the kitchen, "You never find love when you look for it, it finds you. Sometimes it takes a day, a month, a lifetime or a second. It's worth it though when you do find it. Love has found you two in one night as it did me so long ago with my Juan, and look at us, still in love after all these years. You will be too.
Chapter 6
Johnny and Maria were actually married on Friday morning at the Marin County Courthouse, with Carmelita and Juan as their witnesses. Maria had a small bouquet that Juan had made from the roses in his garden. The two young people said their vows, swearing to forever love each other. After the short but simple ceremony, Johnny took them all to brunch at a lovely restaurant on the pier at San Rafael. Then they went home to pack Johnny and Maria's things.
With large bags of clothes, they were driven to San Francisco Airport by Juan and Carmelita. There they caught a plane to Dallas, Texas. It was Maria's first plane ride and she was terrified. If Johnny hadn't been there she would never have gotten on the airplane. Maria didn't get sick, a fact for which she was glad, but then she was too scared to be sick. Soon Johnny traded seats with her so when she looked out of the window of the Delta Airlines, seven forty seven, she saw the earth far below. Johnny laughed and told her that they were cruising along, seven miles above the earth. By the time the flight landed at Dallas, she was not so afraid, but Johnny's hand was crushed by Maria's deathlike grip.
In Dallas, they checked into a large hotel. Johnny had made reservations, without Maria even knowing about it. "Oh Johnny, there are so many things that I don't know about. Like flying and making reservations at hotels or even staying in a hotel. This is a first for me, I've never been farther from home than the Bay Area, and certianly not to Texas." Maria told Johnny. "Well Mrs. O'Rourke, all those things will come with time. Be happy for now and let me take care of it, I will explain it as we go along." Johnny told her with quiet pride.
Their dinner was very good, though neither of them could tell you what the had eaten. They were alone with each other, even in the crowded restaurant. After they had finished eating, they sort of drifted up to their suite. Maria was very nervous and a bit shy toward the man she had known for six days. Johnny was worried that everything was going to come tumbling down and he told her.
"Maria Teresa Victoria De La Rosa O'Rourke, I have railroaded you into marriage, but I will not bulldoze you into my bed. Maybe you'd like me to sleep on the couch. I will do anything you want me to do tonight.
Maria stood in the middle of the sitting room for several long moments, then she opened her arms to him. "Just hold me and tell me that everything is going to be all right, Johnny. I am so afraid that I'm going to wake up from a beautiful dream and realize that I am living a nightmare. Please don't let me wake up." Maria cried against his chest.
"Oh my darling," Johnny said, "I had hoped for this all my life. Since you came into my world, I have dreamed about it every night. I have a hard time sleeping with you in the next bedroom, knowing that if I touched you that I would burn in Hell. I want you, my darling, very, very, badly." Maria stood on her tip toes and kissed this gentle man. She held him tightly for a second, then she took her arms from around his neck and began to loosen his tie. She unbuttoned his shirt and ran her hands over his chest, her hands and arms against his hot skin. Suddenly she pulled his shirt from his slacks and stood away from him. She turned and walked into the bedroom and removed her suit, hanging it in the closet. She turned to face Johnny, then slowly walked toward him. Her body had a fluid motion, which Johnny thought was very sexy. Her silk slip was slathered with lace that didn't quite cover all the right places, and it rustled when she moved. Maria stared up at him and took his hand and led him toward the bed. Maria took Johnny's belt and began to try to get it open, but she wasn't having much luck. Suddenly there were four hands rip- ping off his belt and pants while his coat and shirt went flying the other way. Johnny's hands slid over her body, touching places that she'd always wanted touched, but had never found anyone that she wanted to touch her........until now. Maria pushed Johnny backwards onto the bed. As he fell on his back she straddled him. Together they pulled the sliky slip over her head, the lacy bra going next. When her naked breasts fell into his hands, she knew that she was burning up. The sensations that streaked through her body were unbelievable..
Johnny was in heaven. Never had he felt any- thing like the velvet softness of her breasts, the silky smoothness of her skin and the heat of her kisses. He ran his hands down her sides and over her hips. Slowly, he moved is hands over the front of her thighs to the silken inner skin. He slid his hands up her inner thighs until he touched the softness between them. Johnny was delighted when he felt both of Maria's hands reaching for him, and when she held his manhood in her small hands, he touched her womanly core. Then it was a race to remove the final two pieces of clothing that seperated them. Johnny knew that he was ready for her, but he had to be sure of Maria. "Honey are you sure?" He whispered. Maria froze! She was searching her mind desperately, trying to find the right words to tell Johnny that she wanted him more than anything else in her life. Then she knew...two words... My Husband!" she exclaimed. With those two happy words, Johnny claimed his bride.
The night was one that neither Johnny nor Maria would ever forget. Maria discovered that making love was a wonderful pastime. She loved Johnny and loved making love too. Johnny found a lifetime partner in the beautiful Spanish girl that he had found crying. They made love again and again, falling asleep, only to wake up and hold each other again. Their love was growing in leaps and bounds as they discovered each other. Johnny touched and kissed Maria from her raven hair to the tiny toes of her feet, much to Maria's delight. She found more interesting places to touch than she had ever thought of or imagined. Finally, the exhausted lovers both drifted into a deep slumber. It had been the most wonderful night of their lives.
"Lets go sleepyhead," Johnny called from the bathroom. He had been awake for some time, so he had showered and shaved. He walked out of the bathroom with a towel hanging precariously from his hips. Maria opened her eyes and sat up in bed. She looked at Johnny and said. "It wasn't a dream, you really are my husband and I am your wife. I love you Johnny O'Rourke, I want to spend the rest of my life with you." Then she climbed out of bed and he reached for her. Maria clapped her hand over her mouth and ran for the bathroom. Her morning sickness had returned with a vengence and lasted a lot longer that ususal. As it passed, she looked at Johnny and told him she thought he was so sweet to hold her at the time when she was being so sick.
"Well," Johnny drawled, "You were pretty active last night and I guess the sickness lasted a little longer than usual. Anyway get dressed, we are off for El Paso, I talked to Aunt Margie and told her that I was coming and had a surprise for her. You!"
The flight from Dallas to El Paso was in a smaller plane, but this time Maria said that she liked the flying. When the plane landed and taxied to the terminal, Johnny saw his Aunt Margie and Uncle Peter standing at the fence. Maria was petrified, as she was about to meet Johnny's family. As he walked off the plane, Johnny turned and helped Maria down the foldout steps. With her hand clasped tightly in his, they walked into the terminal. Margie looked at Johnny and started to laugh, then she grabbed Maria and held her close, saying, "He finally fell in love, you must be something special, you sure are pretty enough." Maria was overwhelmed by Margie, but when Peter held out his arms, she went to him happily. They loved her because he loved her and she knew that she would never be able to keep him off these dusty plains. Maybe she didn't want to.
Johnny introduced Maria to Pete and Margie as Maria Teresa Victoria De La Rosa O'Rourke. Margie asked. "You aren't related to the family that makes that Casa De La Rosa wines are you?" Maria stood staring at Margie. Then she almost whispered. "Yes I am, its my family that owns the winery." It was weird, Maria's family's wines had helped again.
They all piled into a Suburban and headed out of town. Soon they came on a large flat area that Johnny explained was, Little Rabbit Mesa. On one side of the mesa a road descended into a quiet valley. The valley was three miles wide and wound eight miles back up Little Rabbit Canyon. Nestled by a stream, and surrounded by the large 'pin' oaks, was an old ranch house, a couple of barns and lots of corrals. Looking up the green valley, Maria saw many horses and a herd of red and white cattle. Johnny told her that they were called shorthorns. Maria asked where the legendary longhorns were. Pete laughed and promised to introduce her to "Old Blue" later in the week.
Johnny and Maria stayed a week with Pete and Margie. She learned to ride a horse, met the old longhorn called "Blue," attended a real Texas Bar-B-Que, fell in love with Margie and Pete and found out that Johnny O'Rourke was a wonderful man and husband. Pete and Margie showed the the plans for the new ranch house they planned to build, told them about plans for the new barns, more cattle as well as an airstrip on the ranch. Margie took them into El Paso where they boarded a plane back to Dallas. In Dallas they changed to American Airlines for a flight that was going over the north pole to London.
In London, Johnny took Maria to see sights that neither of them had ever thought about seeing, and they ate many different foods, not all of which they liked. But London was London and they were happy seeing as much of it as the could. After London, it was on to Paris and Rome, with two or three days in each city.
After the frantic pace of Paris and Rome, their week in Barcelona was slow and laid back. They swam in the hotel pool, where Maria made quite a hit with a bright orange Bikini that she found in the hotel shop. Johnny found his new bride to totally fascinating, not to mention, very sexy. They watched the moon come up over the distant mountains. It was bright and shown through the tall windows onto the king-sized bed in their suite. The moonlight just added to the beauty of their happy lovemaking on a warm and gentle night.
The morning of their third day there, Maria called her parents in Napa County. She told her mother where she was and that she was touring the continent with her husband. That's when all hell broke loose. Her father was raging, demanding to know, what husband she was talking about. Maria's mother was crying and wanted to know where she had gotten married. Grandfather Victorio had the final say. Victor told Maria that she should bring him to the winery when she returned from her tour. He also told her where to go to find her roots and for her to check out the wines in Spain to see if there were any changes they could make in California. Maria promised to do all that, in fact she was looking forward to it.
That night Maria asked Johnny how they could afford to do all of the things that they were doing. "You have bought me a car, expensive rings for our marriage. you have a beautiful home and several cars." she said to him, "Johnny, I didn't know that a Lieutenant made the kind of money that you have been spending on me and for me. Johnny laughed and told her, "Do you remember me telling you that I got some money when I was at Goose Bay? Well honey, it was more that a little. I am worth about ten million dollars now and I can't spend it as fast as it accumulates."
Maria was stunned, she thought that she'd married a young, low ranking, officer in the Air Force, not some Texas Millionaire. She liked that idea too.
The next morning Johnny and Maria traveled on a noisy, happy bus to a small village in the mountains where her grandparents had been born and grew up. They were sitting in a small cafe, drinking a glass of wine when Johnny exclaimed, "It tastes just like the De La Rosa wines. Unbelievable!" Maria agreed that it did taste like their wines, but there was something different, maybe it was the soil. An elderly lady, who was seated with her husband at the next table, turned to Maria and asked her, in Spanish, how she knew so much about the De La Rosa wines. Maria looked at the old lady closely and told her, "My Grandfather, Victorio De La Rosa, came from this very village a long time ago. He took with him some root stock, to another grape growing area in the Napa Valley in California. There he planted. Now my father, Raul, runs the winery. It is still small but it has been growing little by little over the years."
"Victorio! Victorio! Little Victorio," The old lady exclaimed, "He is my brother." Johnny and Maria had found her roots and another home in Spain. The family, it was mostly Torres now, kept them very busy for the next few days. Maria met many of her cousins, and was drawn to one of her cousins who was almost an mirror image of Maria. Her name was Desiree Torres. The two young lovers promised to return to Spain and bring her Grandfather and the rest of the family for a visit. It was all the could do to get away at the end of the week and fly from Barcelona to London and then on to San Francisco.
They were home. Carmelita declared the Maria must have at least five days rest before they went to Napa County. So instead of going to Napa, Johnny spent the last five days of his leave, getting Maria set up with the Military. Maria had her picture and her fingerprints taken for her Depen- dents Identity card. Johnny took her to the base hospital and there she met her new doctors. She was examined thouroughly by a crusty old Major by the name of Shaw. He might be grouchy looking but he was so very gentle with Maria. She declared to Johnny that she only wanted Major Shaw to look after her. She had even invited him to dinner the next night. Maria was declared healthy and that her baby was growing. Major Shaw was a bit confused when Maria seemed to be sad about that news. Two weeks later, Maria was in the pool, slowly swimming around whe she felt a sharp stab, deep in her stomach, and she almost fainted from the pain. She screamed for Johnny to help her as she clung to the side of the pool. Johnny yelled for Carmelita as he leaped into the pool and carried her out in his arms. Carmelita took one look at the hurting, terrified girl and announced that she was losing her child. Carmelita and Johnny got her settled into a station-wagon and Juan set new speed records as he drove Johnny and Maria to the base hospital.
Maria woke from a dark and dreamless sleep. As she opened her eyes, she saw Johnny and Carmelita on either side of her bed. Major Shaw was there and he asked her how she felt. He checked her over and explained to her that she had miscarried the child, but that she would be fine in a week or so. Maria looked at Johnny with tears in her eyes and said sadly, "You don't have to be marrried to me now Johnny, you can have it annulled." Johnny just stared at Maria as tears rolled down his cheeks. He leaned close to her ear and whispered. "The only way this marriage will end is if you dont want me or with my death, I think you really do love me so you can count on fifty or sixty years with me. I love you totally and forever."
Two days later Maria went home. She was pampered by Carmelita and Johnny too. Johnny was back at work and Maria had little to do, so she called the University to find out how she had done in her finals. The Registrar told her that she had passed all of her exams and the only thing she had left to do was write her thesis and do the dissertation. She was very happy with the news that she had passed everything and that she could spend her time over the next year doing her research. Johnny was gone sometimes for a week at the time, but he always came home and one night, exactly one month after her miscarriage, she decided that it was time to make love again. She didn't mention it to Johnny at dinner but when they were about ready for bed, she told Johnny to finish his brandy, as she was going to wash her face and get ready for bed. Maria had gone to a lingerie shop and bought a lacy negligee. When Johnny sauntered through the bedroom door, he stopped dead still. There, standing in the door of the bathroom was an apparition. Maria Teresa Victoria De La Rosa O'Rourke stood there with her lacy things floating about her beautiful body. She smiled at Johnny, then crooked her finger at him and said in a sultry voice. "Hey flyboy, are you looking for a good time?"
That did it alright, and in moments they were tumbling into the bed. Johnny made love to Maria very slowly and gently. It wasn't very long though before the fire swept through their bodies and became raging. They scaled the heights of pleasure and experienced the bursting meteor that soared across the heavens of their love. They made mad, passionate love through the long and happy night. Finally Johnny told Maria that he had to go to sleep as he had to get up for work at six A.M.. Maira curled into a ball and Johnny fitted his body agianst hers and they both slept happily the rest of the night, what there was left of it.
Chapter 7
Johnny left at seven that morning and shortly after he arrived at work, he called Maria and told her to pack his uniforms, because he was leaving for the Middle East for ninety days. Maria was lost, she didn't know what uniforms he needed and she was getting into a real state of nerves when Carmelita came to the rescue again. Carmelita didn't do the packing, but she showed Maria what her man would need, and how to pack his uniforms properly. Johnny had taught Carmelita how to pack his uniforms and now Carmelita taught Maria. As Johnny raced into the driveway, Maria opened the door and lugged his B-4 bags out onto the patio. Johnny knew Carmelita had shown her how to pack, but he held her in is arms and told her how proud he was of her. "I love you my darling. and when I get back you may continue your efforts to seduce me, but I have to go now. Go see your folks and take Carmelita with you, she will bring them around if you can't."
Johnny kissed Maria longingly, then he turned to Carmelita, kissed her cheek, gave her a good squeeze and whispered, "take care of my girl......Mother." Johnny climbed into the station wagon with Juan and was driven out to the base. When he was gone, Maria sat down and began to cry. Carmelita told her that there was a rule for for married life. She was allowed one hour to cry and one hour to make herself pretty...for a trip to Napa County and Maria's homecoming.
The drive to Napa, in Maria's Camaro was a de- lightful trip for Carmelita, but as they neared Napa, she could see Maria getting very tense.She told Maria, "Do not be afraid little one, I am with you and if you cannot explain your madness in marrying a man you knew only eight hours before you said yes to his proposal, I will explain to them just what sort of man your Johnny O'Rourke is. Leave it to Carmelita Delgaddo."
Maria relaxed somewhat. When they arrived at the De La Rosa vineyard, Maria drove slowly into the courtyard of the sprawling, Mediterranean style home that dominated the Vineyard and Winery. Maria's Grandfather Victorio was the first to see Maria and he walked from the Winery to the house and opened her door. He took her her into his arms and kissed his only grandaughter. Maria knew that her Grandparents doted on her, but she must stand on her own and make her family understand her love for Johnny. Why she had married him and just how much she cared for her big Texan. Her twin brother Carlos told her that he only loved her new Camaro. Carmelita was introduced to the family and was made to feel welcome by the clan of Spaniards.
When everybody had gathered in the living room, after a tense dinner, Maria started to tell her story. She started and stopped several times, then turned to Carmelita, her eyes begging her to help.
Senora Carmelita Delgaddo stood up from her chair, walked over and stood in front of the massive stone fireplace. There she began to tell the story of Johnny O'Rourke and how Maria had come into their lives. "For a long time, my husband, Juan, and I worked for an old man up in Mendocino County. I was his house- keeper and cook while Juan ran the estate. There was a gardener, a driver and a maid to take of the house work. There was a nurse that assisted in the old man's medical care. One night in Janurary the old man died. I called his son, who had not been to see him once in the last two years. The son arrived within hours. All of us who had worked on the estate were fired the moment that the son and his flashy wife got there. We were told to pack our bags and get off his land. He didn't even pay us what we had coming. There was no transportation available to take us into town to get somewhere else, so Juan and I began to walk. We told the others that we would send someone to help them when we got into town. As we were trudging along, a little blue car stopped and asked if he could be of any help to us. We accepted his offer of a ride and I sat on Juan's lap as we drove toward the little town. Johnny O'Rourke asked us if we were in some sort of trouble, as we were both very quiet, which for me is very exceptional. Juan explained what had happened to us and the others and how much we were worried about what would become of us now. We were too old to start over as we had been with the old man for twenty years. Johnny pulled the car to the side of the road and asked us if we would come and work for him. He told us about his home, and what our few and simple duties would be. He offered us almost double the salaries that we had been making with the old man. We accepted at once. It was not until we were on the train to San Rafael that we thought about what Johnny had done for us. He had bought our train tickets, given Juan a hundred dollars to get us to his home, and he had organized the sheriff to take care of the others. We have come to be more than his housekeeper and estate manager than would be normal. Juan and I have come to love Johnny like the son we never had. One night a few months ago, our Johnny brought into his house one Maria Teresa Victoria De La Rosa, a very sad girl. She had been terribly wronged by an uncaring man at the University where she was in school. I liked this one, though Johnny had never brought any other girls into his home. I knew that there was something special about this Spanish beauty. As I was walking past the door to the den where they were sitting and talking, I heard him say that he would like to have the job of being her husband. I couldn't believe what he had said, nor help myself when I barged in like a mother, and began to interrogate the two of them. When I asked Johnny how long he had known Maria, he said, "I've known her for eight hours and loved her for seven of them." It was so romantic that I bawled my eyes out. I urged Maria to accept him and when she finally did say OK, I bawled some more. I was there when they were married, and I saw them off on their honeymoon. Since they have returned I have taught Maria how to cook some, and how to pack his uniforms when he goes on overseas flights."
At that point Maria's father broke into the dissertation about Johnny O'Rourke by asking. "Uniforms? What uniforms?" Maria said proudly, "My Johnny is a First Lieutenant in the United States Air Force and he pilots the C-130 'Hercules', all over the world." Then Maria stood up and walked to the fireplace and stood by Carmelita. "The story Carmelita has told you is true, except that she left some of it out." "No no, Maria you do not have to tell it all." Carmelita said with alarm in her voice. Maria held her head high and told Carmelita, "Yes I must tell all of it so my family will understand." Maria's eyes were cast toward the floor, her face reddened in shame. "After our mid-term examinations, I celebrated with some of the other girls in my dorm. I had way too much to drink and passed out from the alcohol. I woke up next morning with a man in my bed. He had basically raped me as I knew nothing of what had happened to me the night before. I didn't say anything because I didn't want anyone to get into trouble. Then I discovered that I was the one in trouble. I was pregnant. When I confronted the boy, he just laughed at me and told me that I should learn to take care of myself. Then he walked away. I started to walk, like I do when I am worried about things, and finally ended up sitting on the bleachers of the baseball park and cried. I heard a man asking me if I was OK and I'm afraid I said some rude things to him, but he just stood there and said that he thought I needed some help. Finally I agreed to have dinner with him, eight hours later I agreed to marry him and give my illegitimate child a father. He knew all about it by then and still wanted to marry me because he thought that I was, beautiful, educated, well brought up and I needed him. We had been married for a month when I miscarried the child. I told Johnny that he didn't have to be married to me any more, since I had lost the child. Johnny just stood there and cried. He told me that the only his death would ever dissolve this marriage and that I had better be ready to spend fifty or more years with him. Johnny has shown me, really proven to me that he will love no one else, and I promise you that there will never be anyone else for me except my Texas flyer, Johnny O'Rourke."
It was very quiet in that room for several moments as everyone digested what they had just heard. Maria's Grandmother stood and reached for her. The tears were flowing all around as Maria cried and laughed on her Grandmother's shoulder. Then the whole family was around her. They had closed ranks, and the De La Rosa's would protect their own. Maria's father, Raul, went to Senora Carmelita Delgaddo and pulled her into the circle. She was clasped into the arms of the rest of the family, she was one of them too.
Maria decided that she would come up to the vineyard and stay for a month or so while Johnny was gone. As soon as she got her first letter, she would go. She didn't get a letter, she got a phone call. "Hi sweetheart," the voice said. "Johnny! Johnny!" Maria squealed happily. "How are you my darling? I am fine, did you have a good trip over there? Where are you anyway? Carmelita and I went to Napa County and when we got through telling them the story of our long courtship, and I told them the true reason, Johnny they can't wait to meet you. I told them that we would come up for a weekend, two weeks after you get back. I'm going to stay up at the Vineyard for a month, don't you want to say anything darling?" Johnny's rich laughter was wonderful to her ears. He'd been gone for only two days and she missed him so much. After he told her every- thing about his flight and that he was in Spain, Maria gave him the address of the Vineyard and told him to write her letters there. She needed to have written proof of his love and to impress the country folks that she was getting letters from him.
Chapter 8
Maria got her first letter six days later at the winery. The mailman was so excited at seeing the Spanish stamps on a letter to Mrs. Maria Teresa Victoria De La Rosa O'Rourke at the De La Rosa Winery, that he brought it to the front door. When he rang the bell, he asked for Maria and would not allow anyone else to have it. Inside were pictures, post cards and souvenirs of Spain. The letter inside read.
Hello to all, I am here in sunny Terrejon, Spain and am flying a lot. It's very warm her on the edge of the Mediterranean Sea. I am working on my tan. The people that I have met are very nice, but when I try to talk to them in my very bad Spanish, well they laugh a lot. I have called the De La Rosa family, (now actually the Torres Family) and I hope to get a chance to go up there while I am here. Well I have to go fly now, and I want to get this in the mail. My love to all....Johnny
Every one was excited about the goodies that Johny had sent. In his private letter to Maria, he told her. "About the only thing that is true in the main letter is that I am at Terrejon, and am flying a lot. We are supporting the NATO forces all over this area. You will probably see us on T.V., and if you see a 'Herc' that is all white with an orange tail and a big orange stripe around the fusalage, just behind the cockpit windows, that's us. Tom Jackson, Bill Denton and Jimmy Meyers are all with me. By the way, I forgot to tell you in all the rush to get over here, I am now the Aircraft Commander and these guys are my very own crew. It's not much fun here honey, and some of the places we're flying into are really terrible. I can't wait to get home and hold you in my arms. I miss you so. I never thought I would miss anyone like I miss you. I am looking forward to a great "reunion" with you in only a few weeks. Count the weeks my darling, not the months. It won't be long, my lovely Maria and I will be home to you. I have to go. I'll write more tonight while we are waiting to unload. I love you yesterday, today, tomorrow and always. All my love, Johnny.
Maria watched every news program for the next week, looking for Johnny's 'Herc', but never saw it. She kept each letter that Johnny wrote to her. She stayed at her folks place for two months. She told Johnny to write her at home after the fifteenth of the month as she was going home the to wait for him at their house. Johnny's last letter that she recieved at the winery arrived on the fourteenth. The letter told her to watch the driveway tomorrow. Maria couldn't sleep, she was trying to figure out what he letter meant.
Johnny's crew were sent back to their stateside base a little early. They touched down at nine A.M. on the morning of the fourteenth after a 27 hour flight from Spain. Johnny stopped by his squadron office and asked for two weeks leave. "Why do you want leave Johnny?" his squadron com- mander asked him. "So I can get married sir. In Maria's church. It'll make her very happy sir." Was Johnny's reply. "Then by all means do so Mr. O'Rourke, you have my blessing and your leave. Now get out of here and get some sleep."
Johnny went home and went to bed, sleeping until three A.M. the next morning. He got out of bed and dressed in his blue uniform. He pinned on his silver wings and silver bars. At four in the morning he took off for Napa County. At just after seven A.M. he turned the little blue Mercedes onto the long drive that led to the winery and Maria's childhood home.
Maria had been awake since dawn, wondering what she was suppose to look for. She was standing on the balcony that was off her bedroom, sipping a cup of coffee. She was watching for something to happen on the long driveway that led to the winery. She was wearing a pair of shorts and a comfortable halter top. Suddenly a scream burst from her lips. There coming up the drive was the blue Mercedes, with the top down and that blonde hair of her Johnny rippling in the breeze. As she ran down the stairs and out of the door she gave little whimpers of joy. Maria went bounding down the drive like a gazelle. She was fifty yards down the hill, screaming Johnny's name when he stopped the car and she ran laughing into his arms. Johnny held Maria tightly, not wanting to let her go. It was like heaven, she smelled good, she tasted good, and she felt divine.
"Oh God, Maria, I have missed you so much." Maria was laughing and crying and kissing him back...hard. Her hands were touching his face, his hands, all of him. Finally he let her go and they hopped into the car and went on up to the house, and her folks. As they got out of the car, Maria took Johnny's hand and led him to the group of people clustered around the door of the Family home. She introduced him to her parents, her grandparents, and he twin brother, Carlos. Carlos told Johnny to call him Charlie and that he loved his car.
Johnny felt as much at home as he had at Pete and Margie's ranch. He said to Victorio, "I can see that you look like your sister that I met in Spain. The eyes are the same, but hers are much prettier." Johnny added with a laugh.
Maria led him into the huge kitchen where breakfast was being prepared. The girls in the kitchen giggled behind their hands and sighed at Maria's handsome husband. She to him up the stairs and showed him 'her' room. Maria hurled herself into his arms and was kissing him like mad again. Oh Johnny, I'm so happy that you came here. I love you, I love you, I love you. My darling while you were gone I had no feeling in my heart, not even for being here at home. Now that you are here......Just you wait until tonight Lieutenant.
Both Johnny and Maria were laughing when they came down stairs to the crowded dining room. Breakfast was a noisy affair as everybody wanted to know about Maria's man. After answering a thousand questions, Johnny said to Maria.
"Do you remember that we talked about the taste of the 'Casa De La Rosa' wines in Spain? When we were leaving to go over there, I bought three cases of 'Vineyard De La Rosa' wines and took them over there with me. When I went to see Victor's sister, the one with the eyes of the De La Rosa clan, I took Jimmy Meyers with me as an inter- preter, as he is fluent in Spanish. We spent two days tasting your wines and their wines. There difinitely is a difference in the taste. Finally, Desiree, who is Manual Torres' daughter.....Manual is your nephew Victor...anyway she chemically tested the two wines to find the difference. She also tried tasting Jimmy Meyers by the way...Now we know the difference. In 1936 your sister, Caroline Victoria De La Rosa Torres, introduced a new grape, with her father's permission of course. The grape produced a wine that was entirely too sour to drink, but when it is mixed with the main wines that the De La Rosa vines produce, it gave it that tiny difference. I brought some of their wines back with me. They are in the car. I'll get them." Johnny went out to his car and loaded Carlos down with three cases of wine and brought a styrofoam cooler into the dining room. They placed the wine on the table and the cooler on the floor.
The wines were opened and everybody was tasting wine. Victor declared that there was a different taste, though very subtle. Johnny asked for a bottle of 'Vinyard De La Rosa' wine. He took a bottle form the cooler and using a teaspoon, he mixed some from the plain green bottle with the freshly opened wine. Victor tasted it. His eyes opened wide and he said.
"Here we have a new wine of the old world, but we must get some root stock from the Torres Estate for the sour grape." Johnny reached into the cooler again and brought out a package which he unwrapped carefully. He spilled out at least fifty cuttings from the Spanish plants. "Here's your rootstock, courtesy of the United States Air Force Delivery Service."
Everybody was excited with what Johnny had brought home for Maria's Family. She was very, very proud of her hus- band. Maria sat in his lap and gave him kisses as the others shook his hand or touched his face. Then Johnny turned to Maria's Mother and Father. "Raul, Teresa, I know that I married your daughter without your blessing and without he blessing of the Church. It seemed the thing to do at the time. Now with your permission I would like to marry Maria again in the church that she was raised in. She told me that it would make her happy if we could do that."
Johnny and Maria were married again the following Sunday at the little church near the winerey with all the friends and neighbors attending. Maria told her mother and the Priest that she didn't think she should wear the white as she had already been married several months. The old Irish priest had the final say.
"You will wear the white Maria, you truly deserve it and you are marrying an Irishman, even if he is from Texas. Make this old man's heart feel good and let me marry you wearing the white like I always planned to do."
It was a gala affair and the wine flowed. Maria's family were happy and Maria positively glowed with happiness. Her big Texan was doing it right. Johnny and Maria stayed at the winery for two more days, afterwards they drove back to San Rafael, with Juan and Carmelita following in Maria's Camaro. Johnny had eleven more days off and the two lovers spent the days and nights, making love, swimming, making love, eating, making love and got very little sleep.
Maria and Johnny had been married exactly seven months when she told him one evening, that she was pregnant with his child. Johnny was happy, Maria was happy and Carmelita was probably the happiest of them all. She would have a baby to take care of and spoil. It was good to see Johnny happy again. Carmelita knew that he had been very lonely before that fateful day that he went to play baseball at the University of California, Berkeley.
Maria was very happy as the months went by and she began to grow large with Johnny's child. In her seventh month, her doctor, Major Shaw, asked her if she would take and ultrasound test. He explained that he could hear multiple heartbeats and he needed to determine just how many were in there. On the appointed day, Johnny was not on a flight somewhere, so he went along with her. When the tests were over they went into a waiting room and waited, and waited, and waited. Finally Dr. Shaw came in and got them. He escorted them into a room with several computer-like screens.
"Well, to start with," Major Shaw told them, there are two of those little leprechauns in there....You're carrying twins Maria. Do you want to know their gender?" Johnny looked at Maria with adoration. He smiled at her, returning the happy grin on her face.
"Major Shaw," Johnny said, "being a cool, calm, and collected person of Irish ancestry, I can wait to know what the twins are until they are born, but I think my Spanish wife is dying to know." Maria gave Johnny a sock on the shoulder and Major Shaw roared with laughter. Major Shaw asked, "Well, how about it Maria?" "Yes," she whispered, "Yes yes yes!" "What are you hoping for?" the doctor asked. "A girl." said Johnny. "A son." said Maria. "OK kids you're both gonna get your wish. There is a boy and a girl."
The two parents to be, laughed and cried at the same time. They couldn't wait to get home and start making phone calls. They had already figured out their names. When they arrived at home and told Juan and Carmelita the news, Maria and Carmelita immediately retired to the nursery to start making a list of all the new things that they would need. Johnny got on the phone.... "Mom?" he said, "You're not going to have a grandchild.... you're gonna have two! A boy and a girl. We just found out today. We've decided to call the boy, Peter Raul O'Rourke and the girl Marjorie Victoria Dorotea O"Rourke. How does that sound to you?" Johnny held the phone for a few minutes while he heard sobs from the woman who, though she was acutally his aunt, was truly his mother too. At last she said, "When are the babies due Johnny, I've got to be there." "It looks like the middle of next month. Can Pop come too?" Johnny asked. "Sure he can!" She replied. Maria walked into the room in time to talk to Margie for a bit and recieve Marjorie's thanks for the names of the new babies. After Maria hung up, Marjorie turned to Pete and said, "Peter, Johnny just called me Mom and you Pop. I never thought I would ever hear him call us that."
Maria called the winery. Needless to say, no more work was done that day at the De La Rosa Vineyard and Winery! Johnny, Maria, Carmelita and Juan arrived by seven P.M.and sat down to a feast. The celebrations continued into the evening. Maria was put to bed by her Mother, Grandmother and Carmelita, who claimed to be mother number three. The men smoked fine cigars and drank good brandy and swapped lies until almost dawn when the three 'mothers' came for them. As Johnny slipped into the large bed, Maria, who was lying on her side, scooted across into Johnny's arms. He held her close while he kissed her neck, nibbled her ear and gently caressed her fully ripe breasts. Marai sighed with happiness.
Major Shaw, who could be a jolly elf as well as an ogre, walked into the labor room with his ogre face on. There were four, count 'em, four..... women crowded around Maria's bed, and all of them speaking spanish. He stepped to the door and bellowed. "Captain O'Rourke, get all the women out of my labor room, I am the doctor here!" From the door of the waiting room, five men pushed and shoved as all tried to get out at the same time. At last Johnny rushed to the labor room and herded them out. "I don't care if you are a brand new captain, you'd better keep 'em out. I understand some Spanish, but not that much or that fast." As Johnny pushed the women past him, the crusty old Major gave him an impish grin. Dr.Shaw wasn't mad, but who could work in that environment? The four women glared at him as they filed into the corridor.
There wasn't room for everybody to pace back and forth in the waiting lounge, so Johnny and Pete walked up and down the corridor. A nurse walked out of the labor room and said to Johnny, "Captain, if we are gonna get in on this, we'd better get you into some greens." Johnny stood there and stared at her, stunned. The nurse snapped, "Let's move it Poppa." Grabbing him by the arm she led him into the delivery room. The nurse was laughing, Pete was laughing, but John Calhoun O'Rourke couldn't say a word.
"I'll kill him!" she yelled. "You tell Johnny O'Rourke that he's a dead man. This hurts!" Maria was telling anybody who'd listen to her. Then Johnny, in green operating room scrubs sat on a stool at Maria's side. He took her hand and squeezed it. Maria shut up. She grimaced as she pushed, over and over. For hours her labor continued. Finally it was all over and Doctor Shaw took the tiny boy and laid him on Maria's chest. The nurse intended to hand the little girl to Johnny, but, when they looked for him, Captain John Calhoun O'Rourke was stretched out on the floor. He'd fainted dead away.
Johnny was beat. After being dragged ignimoniously from the delivery room. he had only a few minutes alone with his darling Maria and their two new babies. Maria laughed when he told her what she had been yelling in the delivery room. She said to him, "Johnny, next time lets just have one baby, two is a killer." Johnny kissed her tenderly and told her thanks for making him so happy and a new daddy too. Then the door was wrestled open, pushing the young medic that Johnny had stationed at the door, backwards into the room. Johnny grabbed him and pulled him out of the way of the babbling herd of females. They all gave way though, when Victorio Armand De La Rosa walked to the bedside of his grand- daughter. Grandpa Victor leaned over and kissed Maria's forehead twice, once for each child, as he had done when both Maria and Carlos had been born.He placed a hand on each child and said.
"Another generation has come, to both the De La Rosa and the O'Rourke Families. God bless us all." Then he added with a wry smile."And may we all be in heaven, half an hour before the devil knows we are dead." Laughter exploded around the room. Margie gasped, "A Spainiard making Irish prayers. what's the world coming to?
When he left the base hospital Johnny went home. As he got out of the shower, he heard Carmelita in the kitchen. She was making food for all the crowd that would soon be there. Johnny took a slice of bacon from the dish and ate it. He put his arms around Carmelita and thanked her for being so wonderful. Carmelita walked back to her stove, tears of joy streaming down her cheeks.
Maria and the new twins came home after a five day stay in the hospital. The young couple knew true joy as they stood by the cribs and watched the sleeping babies. Maria turned to Johnny and said. "I'm so glad that they are ours Johnny, so very glad. You were my Knight that day and I love you very much." Johnny held Maria in his arms for a long time. He looked down into her lovely eyes and told her in an emotional voice. "I'm glad too my love."
Little Pete let out a cry for food and Victoria was right behind him. Johnny sat and watched as his beautiful Maria fed their twins, one at each breast. Life was truly wonder- ful.
Johnny came off leave when the twins were three weeks old. When he got to work, he got the word. The Squadron was shipping out to Japan, where they'd be flying into Viet Nam.
Chapter Nine
The house was closed. Carmelita and Juan had their passports and all the goodbyes had been said. Maria and Carmelita had flown to El Paso for a week with Pete and Margie, then came back for a week in Napa County. The three adults and the twins were ferried to San Francisco Airport by Raul and Teresa. They boarded a Pan American seven forty seven and were soon high over the Pacific enroute to Tokoyo. Johnny's squadron was staging out of Tachikawa Air Base and he had rented a lovely home only three miles away from the main gate.
When the plane landed at Tokoyo International Airport, about mid afternoon, the twins were cranky. Maria carrried little Pete and Carmelita proudly carried Victoria. Poor Juan was left to carry the huge diaper bag. It took a long time to clear customs and get inside the terminal. There Maria spotted a tall blonde female Captain holding a sign that read. 'MRS. O'ROURKE AND PARTY.;
"I'm Maria O'Rourke," she told the Captain, "Why isn't Johnny here?"
"He's flying Maria, so I've been deputized to meet ya'll. I'm Angela Mahoney, Johnny and I went to the Academy together, plus I'm from Texarkana, Texas. My airplane is broke, so Johnny and his crew had to go fly in my crew's place. I know where to take ya'll and I'm to look after getting you settled in. Johnny should be back sometime tomorrow."
Maria introduced Juan and Carmelita and Angela got her first peek at the O'Rourke twins. Then Angela led them to the baggage claim area. Soon they had all their luggage in hand. They had to have four skycaps to ferry the luggage to the stationwagon that Angela had brought to pick them up. It wasn't going to hold half the luggage but, Maria had learned a few things since she'd been married to Johnny. She went inside and exchanged some of her money, then asked one of the skycaps to get a taxi for the luggage and they would go with Angela. She gave the driver the address and away they went to their new home.
As they were unloading the luggage, Maria saw Jimmy Myers. With him was a very beautiful woman who was decidedly familiar. She held out her arms to Maria. The laughing eyes made Maria remember her.
"Desiree!" she shouted, then turned to Jimmy Myers and said, "I guess you did taste the wine in Spain, didn't you Jimmy?" Jimmy shuffled his feet, acting foolish, turning beet red and winked at Maria. "Carmelita, Juan, this is my cousin Desiree Torres from Poppa Victor's village in Spain." Carmelita held out her arms to the girl. Then Jimmy laughed and got even redder as he told Maria and Carmelita.
"It's not Desiree Torres any more, It's Desiree Myers and we live just across the street."That news thrilled Maria as she was going to have a close relative with her in Japan.
Johnny arrived about two thirty the next afternoon. His face was pale and rather drawn as he greeted Maria, the twins, Carmelita and and Juan. Jimmy and Desiree were there as well as Angela, so his homecoming was boisterous and happy. As the afternoon wore on, Maria saw Johnny take Angela and Jimmy to one side of the yard and talk to them for a few minutes. Not long afterwards Jimmy, Desiree and Angela left.
When they finally got into bed that first night, Johnny and Maria made sweet, sweet love. As they were starting to drift off to sleep, Maria asked Johnny what he had said to Jimmy and Angela when he took them aside that after- noon. Johnny looked at her solemnly for a few moments. "I told them that I brought out a load of bodies today. The bodies are coming out of Viet Nam on almost every plane that unloads there. I felt for the first time, that we were really at war over there and I need to talk to you very seriously about it. I want Juan and Carmelita there when we discuss it." Maria sat up in bed and looked at the man that she loved so much. It would not happen to him.....he would not be lost in a war. But she quietly said. "Tomorrow morning Johnny, tomorrow morning."
Johnny was asleep in minutes, but Maria lay there for hours, her thoughts reeling. Then she curled her body against his and slept.
Morning brought solemnity to the household. Maria had told Carmelita about the meeting when she fed the twins at four A. M.. Carmelita was always up to help and she diapered and fussed with one twin while Maria fed the other. Carmelita made Johnny's favorite breakfast. Denver omelets along with the heady 'Nabob' coffee that they got from Canada. Maria had brought twenty pounds of the coffee with her from San Rafael. They all gathered around the big table. Jimmy and Desiree came in and the meeting got underway.
Desiree was aware of what Johnny was going to talk about because she had already discussed it with Jimmy and Johnny.
"There are airplanes being shot down over Viet Nam," Johnny started, "Its a cold fact of war. There are casualties. I brought a plane load of bodies home yesterday. That is why I wasn't so chipper when I got home. Jimmy and I usually fly together so we thought you should all know that something could happen to the two of us at any time. If it does, you have to have a plan. What we want. if we go down, is for you all to return to the house in San Rafael. Desiree goes with you Maria. I want you to see to that. If we survive, we will get a message to you in San Rafael, and if we don't you will all be better off there than here. Promise me that you will do it Maria."
Maria looked at Johnny, then at Desiree, who nodded yes, then to Juan and Carmelita. She turned back to Johnny and said, "I'll do what you want Johnny."Four hours later, C-130 number 582771 was high over the South China Sea, headed for Viet Nam. Johnny was the pilot and Jimmy was the Navigator.
Johnny O'Rourke and Jimmy Myers made twenty three trips to Viet Nam over the next ninety days. Each trip was basically uneventful as they carried load after load of supplies into that war torn land.
Christmas came and the twins first Christmas was pure delight. They got all sorts of gifts, but ended up fascinated by the colored paper and string. Carmelita made a wonder- ful Christmas dinner and when it was all eaten, everybody sat around, stuffed and happy. Then Jimmy and Desiree told everyone that she was pregnant.
Chapter 10
It was on the seventeenth of March, on a flight from Saigon to Thailand that the rear loading ramp malfunc-tioned. It came down with a thud and stuck in the open position. Jed Mason was the co-pilot that day, so Johnny (who knew every nut and bolt on the HERC) and Jimmy, who wasn't needed that day for navigation, went back to see if they could fix it. They donned their parachutes and helmets, but were hooked to safety harnesses too. Suddenly there was a huge explosion and the big C-130 rolled over on its side and started down, the left wing, a ball of fire. Jimmy, Johnny and Sergeant Jenkins cut their safety lines and jumped out of the burning, doomed aircraft. When Johnny's parachute opened he scanned the sky for more 'chutes. Then the aircraft exploded at about ten thousand feet. There were no more 'chutes, just their three. The three survivors landed within two hundred yards of each other, but the loadmaster, Jenkins landed in the trees and broke his neck. Jimmy and Johnny landed in a stinking rice paddy. Neither Johnny nor Jimmy were injured. The only problem was that they landed fifty yards from a Viet Cong Battalion encampment. Johnny O'Rourke and Jimmy Meyers were Prisoners of War.
When the blue station wagon stopped in front of their house, Maria knew something was wrong. When she opened the door, the commander of the "HERC" Squadron and his wife were there, their faces somber. Maria looked across the street as Desiree came running toward them. As she reached Maria, the two of them clasped hands and Maria asked the Colonel and his wife into the living room. They waited until Maria had made sure that they were comfortable before Maria asked the obvious.
"They're down, have you any word?" "No Maria, I have no word except that their plane was shot down about fifty miles west of Saigon. A FAC pilot said he saw parachutes but didn't know how many. By the time he got over the site, they would have been on the ground. He saw only three chutes on the ground, but heard nothing from their Emergency Radios or their Location Beepers. I'm sorry Maria, Desiree, we have to consider them Missing in Action for the present. If anything comes through I'll be sure to let you know." By the time the Colonel had finished, Desiree and Carmelita were crying, but Maria stared straight at the Colonel and said.
"Johnny isn't dead Colonel, I don't think that Jimmy is either. Within the week we will be in San Rafael, please contact us there with any word. Desiree will be with us as she is my cousin. Thank you for coming here to tell us."
The Colonel and his wife left the house and returned to the station wagon. The Colonel's wife told him, "They'll be ok Tom, those girls have each other and I'm sure that the De La Rosa family will look out for them both."
Maria closed the door, then turned and looked into the huge black eyes of Carmelita. The two women stared at each other for several moments before Carmelita said, "You should have told Johnny about the new baby before he flew away from you." Her tone wasn't acusing, just a flat statement. Carmelita walked the few steps to Maria and held her close. That was when Maria began to cry. Carmelita became their "Mother" again with her, 'one hour to cry' and then carry on with being the mother of the twins and now the gaurdian of the whole family.
Chapter 11
For five long weeks the two Airmen were caged in a bamboo box. They were placed in the back of and old French truck and were taken from village to village where the people were told that they were pilots of the hated B-52 bomber that caused so much destruction across the land. The anguished men were spat on, gouged with sharp bamboo sticks, urinated on and had feces thrown on them. As well, they were soundly cursed by any of the Vietnamese peasants who crowded around the rusty old truck. When they reached a fairly large town, they were taken from the Viet Cong by a Colonel of the North Vietnamese Army. The Colonel was regular Army and did not hold with torture. He ordered his soldiers to take Johnny and Jimmy from the filthy cages and give them a shower, a shave and medical treatment for the running sores and lacerations that covered their bodies. He ordered that that Commander of the Viet Cong unit and all their officers be flogged. Regular Army Officers didn't treat prisoners is such an ill manner, no matter what uniform they wore.
After they had been treated for their wounds, they were dressed in the black pajama-like outfits and sent North with the next convoy. They were four days traveling deeper into North Viet Nam until late one afternoon they arrived at a prison that would become infamous, The Hanoi Hilton. Again the two flyers were stripped and hosed down by a couple of taciturn soldiers. They were given a set of stripped pajamas and sent to their cells. They would spend four long years at the prison. Years of isolation and deprevation.
They were not allowed to write letters home or recieve them. They had no contact with any other prisoners, except through a code that was tapped our in the cell walls. It was over three months before either man gained enough knowledge of the code to find out if the other was OK. What made them happy was to find that their cells adjoined each other. Both Johnny and Jummy feared for their sanity. Jimmy used his mind to construct a house that he would build for Desiree and himself, if he ever got home. Johnny spent his first year remembering and reciting, every system, every nut and bolt on the C-130. Both men knew that their wives were fine because of the meeting shortly before they went down. At the beginning of their second year of captivity, a Chinese Red Cross Official visited the prison and was allowed to take the names and units of the prisoners, and the dead, to be relayed to the Swiss Red Cross. After that there were no more communications with the outside world.
Their Jailers knew that both men were C-130 crewmen and as such they were spared the weeks and months of brutal interrogation that some of the Naval and Air Force tactical pilots were subjected to. The screams of those tortured men could be heard throughout the prison and the two 'HERC' crewmen were deeply affected by it.
It took less than a week for the two wives, the twins, Juan and Carmelita to arrive in San Francisco. The little group was met by Maria's father and grandfather. They were introduced to Desiree and she fell into Pappa Victor's arms. Desiree said,
"Mamma Caroline told me that when I came to America that you would be my grandparents. So here I am, alone, pregnant and destitute. Please take care of me." Victorio stood motionless for a few moments, staring at the beautiful young girl, then he told her,
"You are my grandaughter now Desiree, the daughter of Raul and the sister of Maria and Carlos. You are of the De La Rosa blood and blood counts. Besides," he added with a grin, " I always was a little afraid of your grandmother." Leave it to Victor to ease the terrible tension.
Raul had brought a station wagon from San Rafael and a truck for the luggage. After clearing all their bags, they drove to San Rafael. When the little cavalcade drove up to Johnny and Maria's house, Desiree was as amazed as Maria had been the first time that she had seen Johnny's house. She whispered to Maria, "Your Johnny must be rich, what a beautiful home." "Johnny has the money, but I have the gold," Maria said as she patted her tummy. "He's given me anything I wanted, all I've given him is a couple of kids, but I'll give him my life if he can come home to me. I need to talk to you later about what Johnny has set up for you."
The women of the De La Rosa vineyard were pouring out of the door to greet the home-comers. They had opened the house, cleaned it from top to bottom, had the pool cleaned and all of the lawns mowed. Maria, the twins, Carmelita and Juan and especially Desiree were welcomed home.
After dinner and the kids were in bed, Maria told them all she knew about Johnny and Jimmy going down in Viet Nam. She told them about the rescue team that had landed where the Herc had crashed. They had found three para- chutes nearby, one of them was the loadmaster and they had recovered his body. Since the C-130 had exploded and burned, the evidence of who the other two parachutes could have been couldn't be determined by the rescue team. It had been a 'HOT' area and they didn't have much time to examine the evidence. Maria and Desiree asked that they all pray that the other two survivors had been Johnny and Jimmy.
Later that evening, Maria explained to Desiree that she could stay there with her or go home to Spain, or to Jimmy's folks, because Johnny had set up a fund for her and the baby in order that she could do anything she wanted or go where ever she wished. The fund was for two hundred thousand dollars. Maria told her that they would go to the bank next day and sign the fund over to her.
The next morning found the cousins at the bank. They finished the paperwork quickly and as they came out of the bank, Desiree told Maria, "I want to stay here with you until Jimmy and Johnny come home or it is proven that they are dead. If Jimmy is dead, then I will go home to Spain."
Over the next four years they would become as close as sisters while they waited for some word that meant that their men would come home from that horrible war. Desiree's son was born shortly after their return from Japan. She named him James Johnathon Meyers, and they all called him Jamie. As Maria's pregnancy progressed to her seventh month, Major Shaw, after a prenatal checkup, called Maria into his office. The Major had decided that he would take care of Maria and Desiree. He came over quite often and kept an eye on the twins and Jamie and made sure that Carmelita kept Maria on the proper diet so she wouldn't gain much weight. He told Maria that she was too small to put on weight during her pregnancy.
"Maria, you're doing it again. There's two babies on the way." The Major told her with lifted eyebrows. "It has to be the water." Maria quipped back at him. They had a good laugh together and he put his hand on her shoulder as he led her out of his office. She would see him every week now until the new O'Rourkes were born.
Teresa Carmelita and Charles Victor O'Rourke were born on a hot, July afternoon after a blessedly short labor and even quicker delivery. Pappa Victor kissed Maria twice more, welcoming another set of twins while Pete and Margie gave the new twins two more head of shorthorns. Jamie got one too.
Chapter 12
As soon as Maria was able to let Carmelita care for the babies, she looked into going back to University and finishing her Masters Degree. She spent the next eighteen months commuting back and forth to Berkeley. She did her research on early Spanish Literature, leading up to the Inquisition. She slowly compiled her thesis and prepared for her dissertation.
One afternoon in early May, she walked out of the library and straight into Jerry Stowe. It was exactly the same place that she had last seen him when he walked away from her three years ago. He looked at her as asked with a sneer if she'd had his child yet and where she was hiding it. Little Maria let one fly from the hip. She smacked him across the mouth with all her strength.
"Don't you ever speak to me again," she screamed at him. "You walked away from me three years ago and now you ask me where your kid is, you can stuff it Mr. Stowe, now get out of my way!"
Maria tried to storm by the young engineer. Jerry grabbed her and slapped her hard across her face. Maria saw stars and then everything went black. When she opened her eyes she saw a University Policeman bending over her. "Hold still honey, the Paramedics are on the way." Maria hurt everywhere. Her face was swollen and her ribs felt like they were on fire. The ambulance and the Medics arrived and Maria was placed on a gurney. They stopped the bleeding from her nose with ice packs. As they were putting her into the ambulance, she saw Jerry sitting in the back of a Berkeley Police car. He was yelling at the Policeman that she had taken his baby from him three years ago and still had it. He wanted to charge her with Parental Kidnapping. Then the door closed and she was whisked off to the hospital.
A young Japanese-American doctor by the name of Janice Wong was looking at her when she opened her eyes again. "Well Maria, what the hell happened to you?" Janice asked. Maria explained what had happened, including Jerry's rejection of her three years ago and of her marrying Captain Johnny O'Rourke. She told her how he had been shot down in Viet Nam and that she hadn't heard anything about him, whether he was dead or alive. She noticed a black man in a gray suit who was listening to her story. When Maria asked who he was, Janice introduced Sergeant Ainsworth McClelland of the Berkeley Police Department. "But we all call him 'Painsworth here." Janice said laughing. Maria tried to laugh but she hurt too bad. She asked Sergeant McClelland if he would call Carmilita in San Rafael and her Father in Napa County, to let him know where she was and why. She also requested that she be transferred as soon as possible to the Hamilton Air Force Base Hospital.
Sgt, McClelland agreed to do what she wanted, then sent one of the nurses to make the calls. Then he turned back to Maria. "How old are your children Mrs. O'Rourke? Is the father of your child Jerry Stowe? Can you prove that the child is not his?" Maria smiled at the big Sergeant and said, "Call Major Shaw at the base hospital at Hamilton. Tell him what you want to know. He will tell you the following: 1) I was pregnant with Jerry Stowe's child because I was raped by him when I had too much to drink one night after finals. 2) I lost his child a month after I married Johnny O'Rourke. 3) I have two sets of twins, fathered by Johnny and 4) If that stupid man had let me explain before he started"..
Sgt McClelland interrupted Maria. "How would Major Shaw know all these things?" "Well," Maria said, "for one thing, he's Johnny's flight surgeon, and for another he's my youngest set of twins God father. He knows."Ainsworth McClelland smiled at the badly mauled young woman and said,
"This is sure gonna screw up Jerry Stowe's education, but maybe he'll get a better education.....at San Quinton." After saying that he handed her a briefcase and told her that the campus policeman had gathered all the papers and kept them for her. Janice Wong returned and told her to get ready for some more pain as she had to bandage her ribs, where Jerry had kicked her.
Carmelita, Juan and Major Shaw arrived within five minutes of each other. Major Shaw arranged for an ambulance to transfer her to Hamilton and was rather rude to Janice as he examined Maria thoroughly. When Maria told him that Janice was a doctor, not a nurse, he apologized sincerely, then asked with an impish grin if she'd like to join the Air Force. Maria could laugh a little better with the bandaged ribs, but not much. Everybody else laughed at Major Shaw. When Maria's father arrived at the hospital he was very upset, but Major Shaw took him aside and explained what had happened. Maria asked her father if he would take Juan over to the University and get her car. Carmelita demanded that she ride in the ambulance with her Maria. So Major Shaw took Juan's car back to San Rafael and Juan brought him back to the base later.
Major Shaw kept Maria in the hospital for three days and then let her go home. She told him that she had to do her dissertation and present her Thesis in two weeks time. Desiree had been a Godsend during this crisis. Showing her spirit and love of Maria and her babies. With Carmelita spending most of her time nursing Mariam Desiree simply went out and hired a maid.
The word about the assault, Maria's condition and Jerry's incarceration was all over the campus. When Maria showed up for her ten o'clock appointment with the board, they were very solicitous, but they didn't ease up on her during the three grueling hours of her oral exam. After it was over Maria smiled and made her way out of the building. She reached the little red Camaro that Johnny had bought her and as she closed the door she began to sob. "I wish you could have been here today Johnny." The tears rolled from her eyes for a long time. Then she heard a voice that said. "You've got one hour to cry and one hour to make yourself pretty and get on with it." Johnny wasn't there for her to make herself pretty, besides with two black eyes and three broken ribs she didn't feel very pretty. She cried for her hour and then got the hell back to Marin County.
The time passed slowly for the P.O.W./M.I.A. wives. Maria and Desiree did as much with the children as possible. The vineyard and the winery were a constant source of entertainment for the children and time fillers for the women. The oldest twins were four and the younger two were two and a half. Desiree's son was almost three. When Maria recieved her Masters Degree in Literature and her primary teaching credentials in July, she decided that they had to go to Texas. Maria called Margie and asked if they could come. Both Pete and Margie were delighted for them to be with them for a while. Maria called Angela to tell her where they would be. The Squadron was back at Hamilton now.
When nine people got off the plane in El Paso, Margie was very happy. There was Maria, Desiree and five kids, with Carmelita and Teresa De La Rosa. They crowded into the ranch Surburban and rode out to the O'Rourke ranch. Maria hired a truck to follow with all the baggage. The children had a ball. They petted goats, dogs and once all five of them tried to pet a skunk. That created quite a stir. The smallest kids chased chickens, ran from the geese and spent hours lying on the dogs as they all slept in the shade of the big oaks. Margie cried the first time she saw them asleep on the dogs, because she remembered that Johnny had done the same thing when he was little. Maria and Desiree had a heck of a time trying to get the fleas out of the kids hair. The kids loved it and the adults took a lot of pictures.
It was mid afternoon on a Friday when a two-seater, T-38 landed on the ranch strip. Angela Mahoney climbed down from the back seat seat and started walking toward the house as the 'TALON' took off for El Paso. Maria had jumped into the jeep and roared off toward the strip to pick up the person in flight gear. To her surprise it turned out to be Angela. She had two new gold leaves shining on her shoulders. Before she could get the Jeep stopped she heard Angela screaming..
"They're alive! They're alive, both Johnny and Jimmy!" Angela had to drive back to the ranch house because Maria had finally let it go. She cried with happiness to know that Johnny was alive. Desiree waited on veranda as she watched the Jeep stop at the strip, Maria get into the passenger side and let the Air Force officer drive, racing toward the house.Desiree stood with her heart in her throat, she knew that she was a twenty three year old widow and her son would never see his father, but as the Jeep slid to a halt, Angela leaped out yelling, "They're alive Desiree! They 're alive, both of them!"
Pandemonium broke out as every adult cried, hugged each other and Angela too. The five kids wondered what all the commotion was about. Angela explained that they were P.O.W.'s, but were alive as of a month ago. The Red Cross in China had notified the Swiss Red Cross and they in turn gave the lists to the American Authorities. "Will we be able to write them?" Maria whispered to Angela. "Just as soon as we can get an address for you.," she replied, "Hopefully soon."Almost another year would go by before that happened.
Chapter 13
The war was over, for all intents and purposes. The guards at the prison had told them that they would be re- patriated soon, maybe in a few months. They bragged to the air crewmen about their victory in South Viet Nam, but there was no more torture, better food and the men were allowed mail. Johnny and Jimmy sat side by side at the mess table and tried to make heads or tails of the twenty letters they had each recieved. The letters were dated from almost a year ago to as recent as last month. Finally Johnny found the first of the letters, which was thick with pictures. The first one that fell out was of Maria in a hospital bed with the twins. No....Wait....Johnny grinned and handed the picture to Jimmy and said,
"I've got four kids now, another set of twins. You're gonna have to work like hell to catch up." Jimmy handed him the picture of his son, Jamie. Tears of joy streaming from his eyes. The later photos were of the kids in Texas, sleeping on the dogs, of Maria and Desiree stomping grapes at the vineyard and many others of the family, even Jimmy's folks from Oregon. Desiree had met them on her own and let them meet their grandson.
One morning after the P.O.W.'s had eaten breakfast, they were told to pack their gear and get on the busses that would take them away. They were given khaki pants and shirts as well as a tan windbreaker. They were dressed in these clothes as they drove onto the airport near Hanoi. Johnny caught a glimpse of the most wonderful sight that he'd seen in years. Five big, beautiful C-141 Starlifters. Busses from eleven P.O.W. camps pulled along side the aircraft and unloaded several hundred Airmen, Sailors and Soldiers. They were going home.
The Starlifters roared into the sky. Not a word was spoken on the bird that carried John Calhoun O'Rourke, and James Harmon Myers. After a short time the pilot announced. "Gentlemen, we are fifty miles out over the South China Sea. We have left Vietnamese Airspace. All hell broke loose! They cheered, they cried, some just sat there stunned. It was over and they were on their way home.
Clark Air Base is in the Phillipine Islands, near Manila. The Starlifters were now thirty minutes apart and as each landed, the P.O.W.'s were treated to a large Air Force band, as well as Air Force, Navy, and Army honor guards. There were many high ranking officials on hand to welcome them back.
Johnny and Jimmy came down the ramp and saluted the officers waiting at the bottom. Even with all the pomp, ceremony and noise, they heard their names called. Johnny looked all around and spotted the tall blonde, Angela Mahoney shoving her way through the crowd and yelling at the top of her lungs. Angela was one loud lady. Johnny had been treated to Angela Mahoney's voice at the academy when he was an undergrad. Then he saw who Angela was dragging behind her. Maria and Desiree were hanging on to Angela and each other for dear life as the crowd got out of the way of the big, loud, blonde Amazon with Major's leaves on her shoulders. Johnny grabbed Jimmy and yelled,
"Come on!"
They raced across the tarmac and enveloped their wives in their arms. Johnny held Maria tightly and told her how much he loved her. Just holding her was worth it all. Then he looked across the top of Maria's head and saw Angela. She was blubbering and her make up had run. He held Maria to his side and said.
"Christ Mahoney, you look like hell.......for an angel." Johnny held Angela close. He kissed her teary cheek. "I'll never be able to repay you for this Angela, but the next set of twins will have your name, Angel and Major." It was enough. They all dissolved into gales of laughter. Then they formed a line, five abreast. There was Maria, Johnny Angela, Jimmy and Desiree. The two P.O.W. returnees walked away with an arm around a sobbing Major and a sobbing wife.
While most of the P.O.W.'s went home on Air Force Transports to Travis Air Force Base in California. Major Mahoney, Major and Mrs. O'Rourke and Major and Mrs. Myers flew first class into San Francisco on a Trans World Airlines, Seven Forty Seven. There they were met by what could only be described as a horde of people. Maria's family, Pete and Margie, the Myers from Portland and finally a family that no one expected, (except Maria), the Torres family from Spain. Desiree was probably the happiest person there. Major Shaw showed up and warned Johnny not to drink the water or he'd have a six pack. There were a bunch of the 'Herc' crews that came and brought their wives as well as his commander, just to welcome them home. The C.O. told Johnny that he and Jimmy were on leave and to come by when he got a chance.
The cavalcade reached Johnny and Maria's home. There were people everywhere. The oldest twins were shy, the younger ones and Jamie were baffled by these men who said that they were their fathers. The celebration lasted the rest of the day, with Johnny and Jimmy as the stars. After all the kids had been put to bed and the adults began to ask questions about the last four years. All Johnny and Jimmy would say was, 'It wasn't any fun.'
When all the friends and relatives either went to bed or home, Johnny and Maria stood by the pool. They quietly reflected on the last four years. Johnny held Maria in his arms and kissed her softly, possessively and tenderly, again and again. He said,
"I lived through all of that because I knew you were waiting for me. I love you sweetheart, yesterday, today and tomorrow. I'm so glad you married me." They walked back into the house where Johnny spied Juan and Carmelita. He had seen them all day and had kissed them hello, but now he wanted a moment alone with the aging couple. He led them into the den with Maria and gathered them into his arms, holding the pair of friends a long time before he spoke. "My friends, my family, I thought about you almost as much as I did Maria during those years, and I knew that my wife and children were safe, because you were with them. Thank you so very much." Both Juan and Carmelita cried as they held Johnny in their arms. Softly Carmelita said...... "Welcome home.......son."
For the next thirty days Johnny and Jimmy were on P.O.W. Returnee leave. Johnny and Maria went down to Carmel for a week, where they could get to know each other again. Johnny told Maria that he had less time to get to know her before he had married her than this. Maria was very happy that they would have a whole week together all alone. It was to be a second honeymoon for sure.
Johnny and Maria had a few problems that the war had caused. Johnny couldn't make love to Maria. Major Shaw had told Maria to expect soemthing like this to happen. He had read a lot about P.O.W.'s and their problems. So Maria Teresa Victoria O'Rourke was prepared. She just used her natural talent for patience and gave him all the love that she could muster. They took long walks on the beach, drove the little Mercedes along the Seventeen Mile Drive and ate at some of the unique restaurants that Carmel is famous for.
Nothing had happened after six days and nights, so they decided to pack up and go back to San Rafael. Maria was wearing shorts and a halter top as she slowly folded their clothes and put them into the suitcase. As she bent over to put a pair of Johnny's slacks in the case, Johnny stepped close behind her. She felt the heat of his erect manhood touching her hip. She turned and put her arms around him. Maria kissed Johnny as she had never kissed him before. She held him tightly, afraid that it would go away. Johnny stroked her raven hair, his lips sealed to hers. Maria twisted around and threw the suitcase to the floor as she pulled Johnny onto the bed and on top of her.
Johnny and Maria both felt that this particular act of love was the most exquisite since their honeymoon that night in Dallas. The return of Johnny was complete. He could make love again and he knew that he had Maria to thank for her love and patience with him. Johnny helped his beautiful wife unpack and they spent the next two days, never leaving each other's arms. Calling out only for food.
They arrived back in San Rafael about eight P.M. to find that Jimmy and Desiree had returned from Yosemite. Johnny suggested that the four of them indulge in a little wine. Carmelita brought a bottle each of their favorite 'Vinyard De La Rosa' wine into the den and the four of them got drunk as skunks before the night was over. They had four bottles each for Maria and Desiree and eight for Johnny and Jimmy.
Next morning Johnny and Maria were sure that they would die from the terrible hangovers. Maria reminded Johnny what had happened to her the last time she got drunk. Johnny told her that he hoped it happened again. Then four little O'Rourkes came flying into their bed at seven A.M.. By ten, Johnny had read the funnies to all of his brood. Maria and Carmelita had made breakfast and there were crumbs scattered in the bed , on the carpet and in the bathroom. At eleven Maria shooed them all out and Johnny got up and got a shower. He emerged feeling lots better.
"How would you like to go visiting?" Johnny asked. "Maria call Napa County and I'll call Texas. Jimmy you call Oregon and ask your folks if they'd like to go to Spain. I really want our kids to see where their roots are. We'll see Spain, then Texas and Oregon." Then Johnny got serious. "If there ever is another war and any of our kids are caught up in it, I want them to know who they are and what their lives are all about. Is there any interest in a three week vacation, one week in Spain, One week in Texas and one week in Oregon. We'll take everybody, you know we have the money, so let's spend some of it." Maria, Desiree and Carmelita took Johnny's checkbook and went to San Francisco to shop. If they were going on a trip, they had to have new clothes.
Jimmy's mom and dad arrived in San Rafael the next afternoon and Johnny found out that it was easier to charter an airplane than to buy all those tickets. By Monday morning the entire group had gathered at Santa Rosa Airport for the trip to El Paso to pick up Marjorie and Pete. After the takeoff from El Paso, the retinue was complete and it was of f to Spain.
The sun was coming up over Barcelona as the big silver bird landed. Two air conditioned busses were waiting for the crowd of Americans and they climbed aboard. They all made the trip to the ancestral home of the De La Rosa and the Torres Families. There was quite a crowd on hand to meet them and in the forefront was Caroline De La Rosa Torres, with her husband Humberto. Victorio stepped from the first bus and walked to the still beautiful Caroline and held her for a very long time. The crowd exploded into cheers and laughter. Then Victorio held up his hands for quiet and turned to his nephew, Desiree's father, and asked him.
"Why did you send you pregnant daughter to me, couldn't you keep her at home?"People were laughing so hard that the tears rolled. Johnny whispered to Maria, "Crying really is the way Spanish people show their Joy." Again Maria and Carmelita banged on his head.
The small hotel was swamped with all the American visitors, so most of the De La Rosa family were housed with the Torres'. Victor and Raul looked at grapes and winerys with Humberto and Manual. Little Pete went with Victorio, his interest in grapes showing already. Pete and Marjorie looked at cattle with a nephew named Jose Torres, who was running cattle in the hills above the village. Pete taught the kids rope tricks and Margie did a Texas Bar-B-Que. The Myers grew flowers in the Wilamette Valley in Oregon so they got to see the huge gardens of the village of Santa Rosita. There was something for everybody to do, to see, and to enjoy themselves. For the whole week it was Fiesta time. The entire village was treated to a slide show by the Myers family, of the slides they had accumulated over twenty years. It also seemed to Johnny that half the population of the village were twins.
"Now I know where it comes from," Johnny laughed at Maria, "it's not the water after all." When the week ended, the exhausted, happy Americans climbed aboard the busses to take them back to Barcelona. The entire village turned out to say goodbye. There were promises to return, to write and to come to California or Oregon or Texas. A lot of lasting friendships started that week that would continue through the years. Many interesting stories were told on the trip back to Texas where phase two of the 'Vacation' would start.
Before Johnny had gone to the Air Force Academy, he had given Pete and Margie a million dollars of his money to make it easier for them in their later years. They had built a new home and several new barns. There were a lot more cattle on their range now. They were very proud of their ranch and their son. All that the two sets of twins and Jamie wanted to see were the dogs. Pete showed the kids their own steer and showed them the papers that proved that they owned Texas Beef. Since Jamie had also been given a steer, he was proud and that made Jimmy and Desiree happy too.
The whole week was a madhouse as the kids ran every- body ragged. Jamie even found that skunk again. The only time that the adults could relax was at siesta time, when the kids and the dogs slept beneath the spreading Oak trees.
Pete and Margie decided that they wanted to go on to Oregon so Margie could see all the flowers. At Portland they again crowded into busses and toured the beautiful farm that Jimmy Myers had grown up on and of which his folks were so proud of. It rained for several days in Oregon and the children were delightful balls of mud. Bob Myers rigged a hose that the kids could run through and get the mud off before they were allowed into the house by the adults.
The trip was over. Pete and Margie flew to El Paso from Portland while the rest of the family flew to Santa Rosa. Jimmy, Desiree and little Jamie stayed in Oregon for another week, but Johnny, Maria, little Pete, Victoria, Charles, Teresa, Juan and Carmelita came home to San Rafael. The De La Rosa family left Santa Rosa for Napa County. There were a thousand things to do but Johnny took the Mercedes out to the base and his old squadron.
"Where am I going Skipper?" Johnny asked. "Where do you want to go Johnny?" The Colonel replied. "You can have any assignment you want since you are a P.O.W. returnee." "Well," Johnny told him, "I wouldn't mind staying here and flying for you Sir." "OK Tex," the Colonel drawled, "You got it. You and Jimmy too if he wants it." "We talked about that Sir and he wants Desiree to be near Maria, so if you don't mind I'll call him and let him know the news. I'd kinda like to stay with him for a few years too, after our little ordeal over there. I think that we should be close for a while."
Johnny raced home and broke the news to Maria, then called Jimmy. Jimmy and Desiree were overjoyed that they would all stay together. When Jimmy, Desiree and Jamie arrived in San Rafael a few days later, Johnny took Jimmy out by the pool, where they sat drinking a few beers. Johnny told Jimmy something that he had not said before. "Major Meyers, if you hadn't been with me over there I don't think that I would have made it. You kept me sane with your crazy drivel about the house you were going to build. Maria and I own the two acres across the street from us and we want to give it to you and Desiree. You can stay with us until you can build that damn house. I think Desiree has the money to do it, ask her."
Jimmy sat there with brimming eyes as he touched Johnny's shoulder and said to him. "Major O'Rourke, you crazy Irishman, I thought that it was you that got me throught those years with that damned mumbling about the nuts and bolts and systems on that damned C-130. We are lucky men Johnny, finding two girls like we have and who stood by us for all those years when they didn't know if we were dead or alive. I think Desiree would divorce me rather than leave Maria. So I'll take what you have given us and hope that we have a lot of flights together and lots of years to have our families and lives here in this place. You are my Friend, Johnny O'Rourke and I know that I am yours. There is only one problem, we gotta find a man for Angela Mahoney,"
Chapter 14
Victorio De La Rosa was pruning grape vines in the autumn of the year after Johnny came home from the war. He was humming to himself as he expertly snipped the runners and dead wood from the plants. Poppa Victor was teaching young Peter O'Rourke to feel the vines, to love them. He bent over to clip a short runner at the bottom of the vine. His forehead broke out into a heavy sweat and his vision blurred. He straightened up and reached for his bandana to wipe his forehead and eyes. His heart stopped and he crumpled among the vines that he had spent so many years nurturing and loving. Peter O'Rourke was five years old and he loved to work with his great grandfather in the vineyard. Pete saw Poppa Victor fall and he dropped his shears and rushed to his side. He tried to wake him up but he got no response from the old Spaniard. Peter knew that his Poppa Victor was dead. Pete said a prayer for him and then ran as fast as he could to the winery where Grandpa Raul was working.
"Grandpa Raul," Peter panted, "Poppa Victor has fallen in the field. He's dead Grandpa." Raul ran back to Victorio's body and verified that indeed the old man was dead. Raul took off his jacket and covered the dear face, and with a heavy heart he walked back to the winery and called the Authorities in Napa. He sat on an old chair in front of the winery door and waited for them. Raul sent young Peter for Maria and when she came her asked her to collect the rest of the family. Maria rang the bronze bell that was atop the winery. The family and the vineyard workers came immediately.
When the body was taken away, Raul and Teresa held his mother as she wept for the man that she had spent sixty one years with. Johnny arrived within four hours, with Carmelita and Juan. Sadness prevailed with the passing of the head of such a large family. Johnny sent telegrams to Spain, Texas and Oregon. The Myers family flew in from Portland while Pete and Margie came from Texas. Victorio's family in Spain could not make the trip but had a special Requiem Mass said in the village.
The little church that had been a central part of his life was filled to overflowing with people from through out his valley, from the wine industry in general and with the families of De La Rosa, O'Rourke and Myers. There was also a tall blonde Air Force Major that came to the funeral. She had grown to love the old man and had spent many days at the winery with Johnny and Maria. Angela Mahoney cried for Poppa Victor as much as any one. When Victor was laid to rest, in a spot that overlooked his valley, a sober reception was held at the house that he and his son had built. Johnny, Jimmy and Carlos were kept busy bringing more and more wine from the warehouse to provide the guests with as much of the Vineyard De La Rosa wine as they wanted.
Johnny Maria, their children , Carmelita and Juan stayed at the winery for a week. Maria and Johnny were especially close to young Peter, trying to soften the impact of his Poppa Victor's death. He seemed to rebound OK, but Maria would watch him for signs of further grief.
Johnny had to return to the base for a flight to Alaska His co-pilot for the flight was Angela Mahoney. They had a chance to talk about a lot of things that mattered to them during the long flight. Just about an hour out of Elmdorf Air Force Base, Angela told Johnny that she was leaving the Air Force and getting married. Johnny was really surprised when she told him that she was going to marry his brother -in-law, Carlos. Angela explained that Carlos had called her several times after she had been to the winery with him and Maria.
"I thought that it was kinda funny at first." Angela told Johnny, "But we started seeing each other shortly after you came home. He's two years younger than me, but he has a degree in management and will be taking over the winery in a few years when Raul retires. He's quite a character, that brother of Maria's, he's telling her while we are on this trip."
Johnny grinned at Angela and told her that he couldn't think of anybody else but her that he would like for a sister -in-law. Johnny had to know why she was leaving the Air Force just to get married. She smiled a mysterious smile and said. "Well Johnny, I'm three months pregnant so I'd be leaving the service any way." Johnny and Angela landed at Hamilton two days later. They shut down the aircraft and did the necessary paper- work. They hopped into Johnny's Mercedes and went to see Maria. As they pulled into the garage, Maria met them with a very large grin on her face. She kissed Johnny then grabbed Angela and held her close. "I'm so happy that it's you. I owe you so much and I can't think of a better way to repay you than to give you my brother. I do love you Angela Mahoney. But if my family keeps marrying Irish men and women there won't be much Spanish left."
Angela cried, Maria cried, Carmelita cried and then they all gave Johnny a hard time for laughing at them. He said, "It's not a Spanish thing, this crying for happy. It's a woman thing." That did it, Johnny found something to do somewhere else, very quickly.
Angela and Carlos were married in the same little church where Johnny and Maria had been married, where Raul and Teresa had been married and from where Poppa Victor had been laid to rest. Their wedding drew quite a crowd of relatives, friends and a lot of young Air Force Officers. The word was out that Napa County was the place to find beautiful young women and handsome young men for the female Officers. Within six months there were seven weddings in the little church, the brides in white and the grooms in Air Force Blue. Johnny told Maria that he guessed that some of the boys took notes.
Carlos Victorio De La Rosa Jr.was born six months later and the families had a wonderful time. Raul kissed Angela and welcomed little Victor, but it seemed sad that the job hadn't been done by Victorio himself. Raul said. "The De La Rosa Clan is growing, one Irishman after another." Maria whispered to Johnny, "That is true and it's all your fault Johnny O'Rourke, because you came over to Berkeley and played baseball."
Nobody could figure out why Johnny was laughing so hard.
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