Angie of the Garden

Chapter Six-1

Sebastian Simms stood behind the counter in the bagel shop watching his staff serve the customers. When the former broker first came here he found the young workers to be a refreshing change from the jaded, power hungry people one often encountered in an office environment. Yet now they only served to remind him of how far from his early aspirations he had fallen. This was a place where most people worked in order to earn fun money or to help with their college expenses. These young adults would be doing other things in the very near future. Sebastian, unlike them, had no other prospects.
Annabelle walked in with her friend Rachel. His niece's companion did a poor job of hiding a smirk when she saw him behind the counter.
"Hi Uncle Sebastian," Belle said with a smile. "We're just dying for a bagel. Do you have any that are hot?"
When she addressed him Sebastian heard her say Uncle Loser instead of Uncle Sebastian. He had recently overheard Annabelle refer to him that way. In spite of this, he still managed to answer her enthusiastically.
"We sure do. April, take care of these two young ladies. And be extra careful, because this one is my niece," Sebastian said to one of the college students that worked for him. Then he said to Annabelle. "I have to step out for a while, honey. I'll see you tonight."

Sebastian went out the back door. As he walked to his car a sudden surge of determination came over him. He intended to drive back to the old house and make some calls. Though it would most likely be a very frustrating process, there would be no turning back for him now. Sebastian Simms was going back to Wall Street.
"I'll have to remember to thank Belle for this."
He drove thru the small town and stopped at a traffic light. In the distance he saw Frank Martin walking towards Fairhaven. Sebastian gave him a ride.
"I was just getting some oil to loosen up the lug nuts on that Hollander lady's car," Frank said. "She had a flat and didn't want to wait for the damn auto club to get there. With all her money she should just buy another car. It was a nice day, so I decided to walk to the store."
They arrived at Fairhaven. Sebastian dropped Frank off at the garage, and then passed the main house on the way to his current residence. His peripheral vision afforded him a view of Olivia Simms and Harley Fox standing on the mansion's long porch. Though he only had a brief glimpse, Hollis's brother sensed they were engaged in an intimate conversation. Harley's arm was around her waist. The expression on Olivia's face also suggested to Sebastian that they were involved in something beyond the business of financing a movie. He continued on to the old house and went inside.
Sebastian Simms sat in front of the dormant fireplace for a long time. He had always liked Olivia, in spite of her dominating ways. Yet he still felt obligated to bring this situation to his brother's attention. The problem facing Sebastian was that there was no delicate way to broach the subject with Hollis. The younger Simms became so absorbed in this internal debate that he neglected to make his phone calls.

Hollis Simms spent the better part of the next afternoon lounging around Fairhaven's in ground pool. This was a beautiful spring day, which happened to be exactly what the Doctor needed. The workload generated by his recent fame had him feeling somewhat frayed at the edges.
Yesterday had been a particularly hectic day. One of his long time patients, Henry Evans, insisted on seeing him on an emergency basis. Hollis was dubious about the legitimacy of his crisis, but not to the point of refusing to see him.
"So what do you want to talk about today?" Hollis began their session.
"It's closing in on me, Doc. I mean I can't be everything to everyone all of the time. My wife and kids are getting more demanding every day. The job is crazy. They think I'm some kind of indentured servant or something."
Hollis had learned over the years that Henry would never reveal what was troubling him for at least thirty minutes after the session began. He would start with his usual laundry list of complaints about every person he had ever known before telling the Doctor what had actually caused his most recent anxiety attack. The psychiatrist listened patiently.
"And my mother in law, God she's an unforgiving bitch. I think she was sent straight from Hollis."
"Straight from Hollis?"
"What?"
"You said she was sent straight from Hollis." "I said straight from hell."

The Doctor looked at him and smiled.
"So what have I done to offend you?"
Frank sat up. He looked at the psychiatrist squarely in the eye.
"You cancelled Tuesday's session. I don't understand why. We've been meeting
on every Tuesday for I don't know how many years. I can't function without that session."
Hollis had recognized how dependent this particular patient had become on him. He had been hoping to find a way to begin reversing the process. The Robin Wainscot Show had provided a perfect excuse.
"I have another commitment," he told him.
"You have the damn t.v. show. Now you're too big to care about your old patients."
"I believe you're strong enough to tolerate a change in our routine. This is a sign of the progress you've made."
"Bullshit! Do you know how tough it is to get back into the grind after the weekend? I have to start sucking up to the morons I work for again. I need to deal with the frustration caused by that degrading chore here with you. I can't do it on my own."
"Then change jobs, if you feel so strongly about it."
"That's easy for you to say. You're probably banging Robin Wainscot. All doors open for you now. I'm just surviving, Doctor."
Henry continued on in the same vein for thirty more minutes. Hollis was eventually able to persuade him that the change in routine was something he could adjust to.

"Can I have your autograph?"
Hollis looked behind him. Paul Nustad was standing there.
"I can't ever seem to get away from my fans," Hollis replied with a laugh.
"Well, it's not really for me. It's for my daughter."
"And what might her name be?"
"Paul. It's an odd choice for a girl's name, but one that makes her hard to forget." After shaking the psychiatrist's hand the historian sat down in the lounge chair next to him.
"So what brings you to New York?"
"I'm speaking at a seminar in the city. So I thought I'd pay you a visit. I've seen
the show. You seem very much at ease on television."
"I'm more so now than I was at the beginning. But I still suffer from stage fright
before every appearance. Would you like something to drink?"
"Today is a perfect day for a gin and tonic. You wouldn't happen to have one handy, would you?"
"I'll take a look around."
Hollis went inside and made the drinks. He then tracked down the maid to ask that another place be set for dinner. Hollis was about to call Sebastian to see if he wanted to join them when his younger brother walked through the door.
"I was just about to call you. Paul Nustad is here. Why don't you come over for dinner?"
"I actually came by to see if you were interested in a game of tennis. I didn't know you had company."