Come to Spotify and Rumble for the full episode of number 63, Blueprints of Becoming: Architecture, Survival, & Spirit with Christopher David. Clips are posted on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.
Now more of “Joe in Africa” More of chapter 14
Theree chimneys could be seen protruding from the slightly slopped slate roof. The quarters for the staff were on the right side of the house behind the kitchen and pantry. The large dinning room was at the front of the house on the right side as well. It’s grand windows looked out to the driveway and ine coukd see nearly to the distant road where a large grove of trees had been planted across the bottom of the entire property. Seclusion was the order of the day for nearly two centuries.
The family had given millions to their church, local and state politicians and event some to former presidents. The hadn’t reached out to the new president yet as of yet. His behavior on cetain issues would help decide just how the family would rect and work with him.
The groom stood at the later as the priest approached. He had done this a thousand times before. Hism piercing blue eyes scanned the well dressed crowd with curiosity. he was waiting for the crowd to settle in and he was wondering just how long it might take. He looked to the left and nodded his head. The orchestra started the brides music.
Susan looked radiant. Her dress was perfect and her hair and face were all done to match that perfection. Chad’s mother had brought in a couple of professionals for the brides hair and makeup.
There were six groomsmen and six maids of honor. The dresses were all made in the city by a well known designer. It cast a ton, but that was not an issue. the family had more money than anyone could spend in several lifetimes. The wedding ring was a five karat diamond with emeralds set around it. It was a very nice ring, or so Chad’s mother thought. It cost over one-hundred-thousand-dollars to create and purchase. Chad and Susan had looked long and hard for the ring. It had been a long search but worth every minute of it, or so Susan thought. The diamond was an emerald cut and reflected the light perfectly. There were no inclusions in the stone.
This had all happened so quickly that they hadn’t had time to think of the honeymoon. They had decided to settle on that after the ceremony. Chad’s mother and sister had made the whole process bearable for Susan. If it hadn’t have been for those two, she never would have made it through or so Susan had said every time she saw them.
Every other weekend was spent with Chad’s parents either at their apartment near Chad’s in New York or out at their house in the countryside. Susan loved spending time with her future in-laws and was learning a great deal about their long history in the north east.
The family had owned the house for several generations and Chad had learned to swim and lay tennis int he grounds of the family estate. His private school was nearby. His life was not unlike many royals in Europe but he managed to remain grounded and modest in his behavior.
He had many trusted friends and two special confidants. One was a woman named Laura. They had gone to high school together and two years of college. They had almost fallen in love there once.
The priest opened his book as Susan started to walk down the center aisle of the church. All the seats were filled with his family and some of his parents, Susan’s and his best friends and family.
The service was intended to be short. No one likes sitting out under the warm sun even when the weather is perfect like it was that day. The service was longer than the family had wanted but shorter thsn most of the guests had expected.
Promises were made by the young couple and most would be kept through their marriage. That is the hard part of marriage or so the priest had said. As usual the couple had dreams and high expectations which both would fail to meet. But love does triumph over some difficulties and they looked forward to their future together when the priest had finished his ancient duties.
The couple strode away and the crowd were ushered off to the large tent set up in a grass pasture in the center of the circular drive. Several horses had been moved to the rear of the property and two men had spent a great deal of time cleaning up the area of what horses leave behind them, a few days prior to the wedding.
Many invited had hoped to go into the home but that would be reserved for only a select few.
The food was served buffet style with two long rows of tables covered in white table cloths and set up for simple access to the food. This gave guests ample time to visit while wait just the right amount of time for their meal. Several old friends were reacquainted while standing in line at this grand affair. Others made new friends.
The food was expected be excellent and was that and more. Fresh seafood, steaks, ribs and chicken nearly overflowed off the tables where it had been placed. Deserts of every fashion were available as well. Two women in old fashioned outfits made homemade ice cream. Some guest only ate desert for the entire evening. The party ran long into the night and long after the bridegrooms awkward speech. Some might have even drank a little too much alcohol.
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I have about twenty chapters of this story done and have a pretty good idea of where we are going at the moment. I’ll put more up tomorrow.
I am still editing a few of my completed books and making sure they are up to snuff. If you like this story, you should get “Atlanta” on Amazon now.
“The House on the Cliff” is available on Amazon now. It is a fun historical fiction novel with some interesting twists and turns.
“Sunrise, Sunset” my book of short stories and “Kazu, son of Osheda kamasaki” my Asian historical fiction novel are now also available on Audible.
