Millicent and Gordon

Book 3 of Meridian Michel'-deliciously.

One-

Before Dane’s return, and after Gordon’s, Ms. Enid Rae had him place a bulletin for housekeeper. Meridian Michel’ answered the ad after the funeral, hired to return the manor into a home again and usually Dane was not there.

Meridian Michel’ and Dane d’ Anise realized each other with stubbornness and teetered on the edge. She became the love of Dane’s life, and he made Meridian his wife, and that was where Millicent met Gordon.

Seeking, searching and as hunky Dory as he could be, not the type to look for a show. He assesses his life pondering, but thankful for the good fortune he had with the d’Anise, without ever having to lift a finger. He is out of college with a master’s degree in physics and beginning again to experience life on his own. Gordon spent extra years out in the real world trying to get his feet wet but did not expect splashed in the rain. He felt hardened rudeness.

Gordon felt he was slipping, experiencing unneeded doubts. He had that feeling of failure and even thought he was successful, was tired of falling into self-pity, and returned where he and Dane started to market business they stirred on the back burner. Both men had time and a huge state of the art estate mansion to sink into and never really had to work a day in their lives, but wealth can change that. Gordon and Dane forwarded their ambitions, owed nothing-not even the taxes on their properties.

Their business endeavors and lands were secure, their own and they were comfortable. Their worldly contributions secured way before the d’Anise took Gordon in as a child and made him wealthy and secure. Generations of Gordon’s seeds will be comfortable, independently wealthy, and financially secured as well, documenting Gordon as a family member and his “caretaker,” Enid Rae’s dowry and investments multiplied as well, and life at the d’Anise mansion assured their home.

Enid Rae and Gordon can take residence at the d’Anise manor for as long as they wanted to be, and it was a loving home. Dumbfounded at the changes in the town Gordon lonely. The key person to experience and grow their business ideas was missing in action, while Gordon and Dane were selling grand properties and spaces for rental businesses. Holding spaces for Basil seemed futile. He seemed to vanish, and uncomfortably, Gordon searched for Base.

It was jarring, and he went to look with nothing short of interesting. Where would he find a partner in what he had in Basil Vaughn and started to think Base must have been living the high life. No doubt he passed his medical exams, but the thought of him not staying connected for over a year, baffled the puzzle of Gordon’s mind and he was not going to stop looking until he found his Base. Shopping around in their favorite clothing mall, Gordon missed Basil who was a huge part in his life.

The thought of him not staying connected baffled Gordon as he strolled the mall shoppes he shopped. Tall and good-looking, Gordon took his time looking for outfits to buy. He had a cool style about him and that day, selected a heady fragrance of wood musk, which went well with his wardrobe and a perfect everyday scent. On the way to his car, Gordon thought about how Base’s mother watched them grow. Gordon was one of the only boys she never minded as her son’s playmate.

She considered Gordon, Basil’s friend. He was, friendly, fair, sensitive, polite, and played well. Gordon was unusually kind, and he and Basil were loyal friends who supported each other and over the years had not missed a birthday party or any other weekend fling, progressing through high school. Gordon did not know the reason Base had not responded to his calls, emails or text messages and hoped he had not forgotten him for any reason; their lives were unforgettable.

Gordon had plans and felt no reason for Base not to enjoy their successes. The multi- business plaza him and Dane created was right up Base’s alley. His medical practice would do well, no doubt he passed his exams. Gordon at least wanted to share any part of his life with Basil again, yet semi-occupied once returned from New York, Gordon could have met new friends, but nothing would amount to the friendship he and Base had over the years, now an abyss of uncertainty.

Of Gordon’s all-around relationship with Dane, he took him under his wing as Denim, Dane’s deceased older brother, and Enid Rae’s husband did for him and after Uncle Nathan’s funeral. Gordon just wanted to be home again. Graduating all his college courses in business, technology, and engineering, he well advanced in electronics but in New York, felt lost without Dane’s fortitude, and wit. Enid to Gordon was as kind as can be but he would never find kindness in New York.

Yes, Miss Enid Rae teetered to the tune of Loony, but was an angel from heaven who landed, falling into a pond, and got up. Base had not gotten in touch. Growing up at the mansion, most children envied Gordon. He had it made, never went without and Enid too, picked Gordon up when he fell, and always shone and told him better. Gordon led a child’s life with horns, bells, and whistles, most could not compare and since he was so loved, his flaw of becoming heavy outweighed friendships.

Kids his age teased him, jealous of the most interesting toys a boy could have but no matter what, Gordon’s clothing and school supplies were always up to par- out with the old-in with the new and he had never been truly unhappy or not cared at the d’Anise’ mansion surrounded by love and never knew Denim. Gordon had a sweet tooth and in high school held a face full of pimples, but his better good looks started in college. Before Gordon returned to the manor, he wanted to be home.

He had not realized how empty Dane felt, all their elders were gone, and except for Enid Rae, Dane was alone in that huge mansion, otherwise gone as an agriculturalist, finally having his share of natural occurrences. Dane was not too far from losing his cool after his old Uncle Nathan’s funeral, with the discovery beheld. His Uncle pulled an expensive rug from underneath his feet and the insensitivity of his distal relatives reached its peak, and his lawyer Ruben took over.

Dane would not let them drag him and the family estate all the way down to hell too, and that was when out of the rain, Gordon went home, and realized just how homesick he had been. His life was different in New York. There, he experienced good things in life, tasteless and terrible things too, but what had it been about without friends, family, or the people he loved? Gordon could fight the rat race if he wanted too, but for what? He had money and returned soon after Enid Rae’s visit to him.

The mansion was in shambles but in the cultural ecosystem of New York, Gordon felt invisible. Its diversity was tremendous, but the attraction wore off and he preferred people he could relate, being the new kid on the block was too undermining. His life was hard enough with bullies as a child, but in New York, life was twice as grueling. In a city of millions, Gordon could not make a friend and no place he would rather be than in the embrace of his home in the Sultry Lands.

In New York City, the people were too busy and untrustworthy. Loneliness, or even friendship meant nothing to some people, it was a dog-eat-dog world and a wonder if he could ever find love. After getting his degree, Gordon’s chances there were doomed-to too much crap to shovel, so Enid Rae’s visit to him in the Big Apple, after Nathan’s funeral, made up Gordon’s mind to leave. He had enough of people taking advantage of his good kindness and returned to his hometown.

Besides Jonjoui West before he decided to leave, he knew no kindness and went home to the family who embraced him, where Gordon’s happiness was an asset to their lives in such a loving way. He surprised Dane, advised by Ruben Ephesus, Dane’s lawyer and best friend, to leave his mansion of his greedy relatives. Dane fled and when he returned, Enid Rae knew he would feel better. The phone rings and Dane answers it, and it is Gordon as he stood with Ruben.

Dane said his retreat was pleasurable after all those weeks before him and Ruben would do a business opportune and wanted to talk things over, but Gordon tricked Dane on the telephone. In the common room, Gordon’s presence surprised them, to see him walking towards them in the vastness of the newly decorated home. Dane thought Gordon flew the coop for good.

“Are you really here man?” The dark of Danes eyes lit.

“Yeah man. I’m home for good.” Gordon kicked back his smile. Enid slowly walked down the staircase from her second-floor abode. She could hear Dane and Gordon together and it pleased her.

“Are you staying, man?” Dane clutched his younger brother on his shoulders. Gordon smiled and answered with a chuckle.

“Yeah man. I’m good.

“Good man. Good.” Dane was relieved.

“Yeah,” Gordon humbled.

“It’s great to have you home. You look good, for an idiot,” Dane said jovially. They laughed.

“You worked off pounds.” Gordon shook Ruben’s hand, then his brother’s. They got reacquainted. Miss Enid went to where they were standing as Ruben cracked open a bottle of Sherry and handed her a glass. The manor looked like hell before Dane left after the funeral of his mean old Uncle, but now, the entire manor restored, and his return was refreshing with nicely added touches.

He liked even the subtle changes, was grateful and Ruben had not needed to assess any more damage than originally done. Even Enid Rae was not her simple gloom, or inner whimsical self. She had a voice, ringing outwards, that her late mother-in-law Sheridan, would have been proud of. Gordon settled back into his chambers feeling anxious. Dutch and his other friends had not contacted him either. He was waiting for a social connection, but there were none.

Gordon had time and thought that day he might seek Base, but his search was all, no, so he got busy with business, listened to his music, used his computer, and tinkered with electronics in his spare time. He took Miss Enid to the movies twice since he was back, and food was keeping them company. Gordon continued to work-out in the weight-room on the second floor and it made him feel better. He hoped that with seeking Base, people had higher expectations than what he saw.

Gordon never thought his best friend would desert him, as he watched Dane’s best friend Ruben, go to his office at the manor and Dane take the glass spiral staircase three flights up, three steps at a time, to freshen up, and Gordon went. Dane was back and looked around at all was done in his home and admired it. Enid Rae was a good help while he was away and caught a decent friend in Meridian to chat with daily and very happy for Gordon’s return.

With the mansion back in shape, Dane saw how happy he used to be growing up. Seeing how uplifted he felt when he walked through the front doors with Ruben, was like paradise to Enid’s soul. Dane lost all his known living relatives and the changes since old Uncle Nathan’s funeral, made Gordon happy too, seeing himself as a boy playing freely inside, and around on lush, grand green grounds with his friends thinking that at least he had plenty to live for.

In his chamber suite and in his cars, Gordon lost himself in music. He was a computer whiz who dabbled in gadgets, yet that summer bored without Basil, or Dane, swore he saw his iguana grow! First year college because of his height, and weight, Gordon had the same difficulties with bullies as in high school. He was large, had to prove himself a time or two but proof of his strength made coming out of his slump easier. Gordon was stable and had never been a person for drama.

He was true to fact and zealously busy in his end of building the shopping plaza which will soon be named the d’Anise town square and after four months, Gordon thought that Base would have risen. In the sultry lands, time changed things a little, plants over grew, or was newly cut, Gordon was happy for the freshness. Inside the mansion was a profound change for the better since miserable Uncle Nathan died, and yet Gordon had no greed for the family assets.

The d’Anise, loving him and his “Enna Rae,” was all he ever needed. Gordon was everything they could hope for, but Enid had not especially noticed how far Gordon changed into an even handsomer, well-built young man. All she wanted was happiness for him, like a son to her and knew one day his ship would come in. upon his return, it was long ago since he looked and felt as geek, and a brief time before he sought change. Gordon went to find Basil.

With no luck locating the whereabouts’ of his best friend, when Millicent came into his world, Gordon’s heart filled, and he gave Basil the benefit of the doubt thinking he must have his own woman and business to attend as well. Gordon knew that people had lives to lead but never thought Base would leave him out. Opening a medical practice was something they spoke of since forever and in other ways elsewhere, Gordon’s ideas have started to flourish.

Before Millicent, Gordon felt substandard but now Millicent was a large part in his life, but it still mattered that Basil would have phoned by then. Gordon’s acquaintances were around the same age and did not desire to study medicine as Basil. No. Basil managed to shoot through his studies swiftly, and Gordon concluded that it just was not like Basil to ignore him on any level. Ever since they were children, they knew how high their ambitious dreams could fly.

Gordon was a brilliant young boy too, shy, and wore glasses; until contact lenses became famous. In his second year of college, he was more brilliant than he wanted to believe, yet was very modest, thinking with an inferior mind complex, something his professors’ thought may never pass but he triumphed. Before Denim died, Dane was by himself at the manor, as Gordon was while Dane was at college and knew how Gordon felt while he was away and stayed connected as Denim had.

Dane had sympathy and saw Gordon through his adolescent and teenage years from college, relieving Gordon of loneliness from the vastness of his chambers, bored, imagining psychedelic colors floating through his head. If not that, his posters glowed in the dark. Gordon still had not seen a crew of friends to even ask about Basil and when he had, it seemed as if he had a new face, two heads, and then thought of other people he could locate after the null day he had.

Gordon was disappointed Basil had not thought of him, out on a journey that would prove their friendship he wanted to last at least another twenty odd years right or wrong, and went to familiar places to find him, but no one seemed to know where he could locate Basil, who was also a familiar face in the area and no one else’s face changed drastically over the five- or six-years Gordon was away. At that side of the sultry lands, either you knew a person, or you did not.

Drastically, Gordon changed for the better, but others teetered, and some recognizably drowned, but still. Some of Gordon’s peers dropped out of college in pursuit of a fun time but living a shyster life. Experimentation with drugs was too rapidly apparent where Gordon landed that day. Alcohol and, drugs and women festered the peculiar place where filth and squalor did not matter, on a day-to-day basis waiting to see who would produce more money to buy more beer and drugs.

It smelled badly there, even harboring through the halls. Gordon passed by the rooms with dirty sheets on top of dirty mattresses and thought the place unclean and smelled, but still, he was only there to find Base, or at least ask about him. He was not judgmental, said he just came looking for his partner, and did not realize he would alarm anyone, as if zombies by day, recognizing people he would not have thought would end up there, but hey, he was there and at that, looking for Basil.

He would expect what he saw to be the life of Sean, a royal screw up, former associate from back east, but people sitting around, waiting for the next drug shipment to arrive, to drug party was another thing as others looked as if they had not recovered the week before. Tale tell signs of the kids he used to know were evident and like no one cared how badly they spent their parent’s money on education and treated themselves horribly and Gordon knew two or three of the women from the past.

Gordon was well over drama and until then had not given certain incidents another thought. The women he saw did not even recognize him and neither the type he would bring home. Back then, those girls would rather be caught dead than be seen with big ole’ Gordon Miller. They were still junky and players, soliciting for money and Gordon would rather be caught dead than to be with those two dirty women. He seemed to them, just meat, but would be no bate in that house.

Gordon was not interested in those girls on any level and not surprised to see people like them there. In passing and since they spoke, he spoke back, but could have kicked himself hard for calling them by name. Brittany and Peony were sad news, troublemakers he did not need.

“Oh, hey Peony, hi Brittany.” As soon as Gordon did that, he felt his blood boil, forgetting he was just breezing through, how it was too late for him to not allow him attention on the way out.

The two women were curious who knew them by name, that place was not where any medical doctor would be. Time made Gordon pass through the mess of people quickly, and he need to hit the road.

“Do I know you?” Brittany was as abrasive as ever. She put on a happy money face, squinted her eyes, and liked what she saw.

“Yeah Brittany. You do. It’s Gordon. Gordon Miller from NYU.”

She was surprised for not recognizing a jock. But she would have not thought so back then. Gordon did not ask about Deana and Brittany certainly did not mention her. Who knew if they were still friends? Gordon looked well and everyone seemed less than ordinary to him, nothing special came out of that bunch. He was excited about being home and all the new things happening in his life, and before Brittany could ask questions, Gordon asked if she knew Base Vaughn, but she did not.

Gordon wished Brittany well and knew her and Peony have never seen or heard of Base even though most of the people in that flop house came from refinement, were popular in school so no one would think went to pursue better achievements than what was apparent. Gordon was considerate and came with no desire to make mockery and started to leave, thankful he showed appreciation to the d’Anise by staying clean. He did well in his studies and appreciated their help.

To him, the world times seemed harsh, cold, and lonely, yet changed into warmth, love, food, and folly at the mansion, and cherished it. Gordon never forgot how everyone at the manor loved him even though he did not remember why, when, or how he came. Enid Rae sulked privately about her late husband Denim, accidently killed that woman and then himself after being away for a time. She expected him promptly, and never had a chance to see him alive again.

Gordon added spunk, spark, and vigor to the d’Anise lives while they continued to build their empire from little, and Dane was an inspiration. Gordon would never recollect his mother or her funeral, because he was not there, and in general, neither was she. Uncles who loved and adored Gordon, mourned Denim, pitied Enid Rae and then, one by one slowly passed away.

Millicent was the one.