Lavender Dreams

Chapter 4 - Seeking Adventures

Friday Harbor hotel lobby. May 29, 2006. Monday morning.

The sun rose shortly after 5am this time of year in Friday Harbor, and the day was already bright when Neal, Sara, Eric, and Henry met at 6:00 in the lobby. Neal was carrying a picnic basket, Eric looked nervous, and Henry was grinning ear-to-ear.

"I rented a car," Henry said, and he led the way to a classic 1950s turquoise blue and white convertible. It was in pristine condition and looked like the kind of car that should have a "Just Married" sign hanging on the back. Yesterday Neal had helped Henry create a "Just Engaged" sign, which was hidden in the trunk for now.

"It's beautiful," Sara said. And when Henry turned in her direction to compliment her taste, she plucked the keys from his hands.

"Hey!" he objected.

"Better call shotgun fast if you want to control the radio," she said.

"Shotgun!" Henry called out a moment ahead of Neal.

Neal cocked an eyebrow at Sara. He'd assumed she would want to get Eric and Henry together in the backseat, but she smiled enigmatically before taking her place in the driver's seat. By the time they were headed out of Friday Harbor's quaint downtown, Neal had to agree she'd done the right thing. Eric was a bundle of nerves, and Henry would have noticed if he'd been sitting with him in the back.

Henry turned on the radio and searched for a station he liked. At first he settled on one playing Bon Jovi's "Wanted Dead or Alive." It was a favorite for Henry because it had a guitar part he liked to play, but Sara objected. "That's not what I had in mind for a double date," she told him.

He grumbled but looked for another station. The next one he found announced it was playing oldies, and the DJ introduced "Zing! Went the Strings of My Heart." To Neal's surprise, Henry launched into song with Judy Garland and knew every word. At an instrumental break, Henry said, "This was played at our grandparents' wedding reception, and they asked Angela and me to sing it at their fiftieth anniversary party."

Neal made a mental note to suggest the song be used if Henry and Eric had an equivalent of a wedding reception after their commitment ceremony. The connection might soften Edmund Caffrey toward the event. While Edmund clearly loved Henry and wanted him to be happy, he was still struggling to adjust to the idea of same-sex marriages.

When the song ended, Henry returned to the first station. It seemed they were playing a Bon Jovi marathon, and they had moved on to "Lay Your Hands On Me." Of course Henry started singing along again.

Sara didn't object this time. It was apparent that Henry's buoyant mood could only be matched with rock music this morning. Neal joined in, with Eric and Sara adding their voices for the background parts.

The parking lot was nearly empty when Sara pulled in. After they clambered out of the car and raised the convertible roof in case of rain showers, Sara led the way to a path that meandered down toward the ocean. The scenery was spectacular. The trees weren't familiar to Neal, and they grew in interesting shapes. One even reminded him of an octopus, and he pulled out a camera to take a photo for Diana.

Henry paused while Neal took another photo. "Am I going to get commemorative art for a wedding gift?" he murmured as Eric and Sara walked on ahead.

"That one's for me," Neal said. "If I'd come here as a kid, I'd want to climb that tree."

Henry looked tempted to try climbing it, and for the first time Neal saw the nerves behind the ebullient mood.

"Getting cold feet?" Neal asked.

"Getting hungry," he said. Henry picked up the picnic basket Neal had placed on the ground when he started taking photos, looking surprised as he hefted it. "What's in this thing?"