Dealing for a Kiss

Michael

"I love you, Mother but that doesn't mean my answer is yes. I can find my own wife!"

"Now, son, there's no need to use that tone of voice when speaking to your mother!" Daniel, his father admonished.

Michael and his mother have had this same argument every week for the past four years, ever since he turned thirty-one. His mother was constantly on his case to get married and have children. Michael wanted to get married but where to find the right woman was another matter. He was looking for a woman who sees him for who he is, not his title or his net worth.

Michael had lived a wild lifestyle until his mid-twenties when the loss of his good friend Paul had made him re-evaluate his life. He had gone to David Kirsh his best friend and together they had strategized a plan that would take his life out of the public arena. First, he had stopped attending the endless wild parties he had frequented since his teens; He focused most of his attention on his family's main foundations and escorted his mother to events instead of the models that usually accompanied him. The tabloids had made fun of him at first; They said he was becoming boring in his old age even though he was only twenty-six then. Michael, as a result, had successfully avoided any mention in the tabloids and press for five years and done all his charitable work anonymously through one of his lesser-known corporations. But still, there were the odd bits here and there. It seemed he could not completely escape the tabloids and their endless need to make up stories!

Michael now had to deal with his mother's constant complaint and matchmaking and at the moment, he just wanted to get it over and done with to avoid the constant nagging! His father, as usual, was no help. Michael thought.

The Sunday weekly luncheons were the reasons why for the past two years, he had tried to be away from home "on business" as often as possible. That had not stopped his mother calling him every day and trying to set him up on a date with whoever's daughter lived in that city or country he was visiting. It had been fun at first but now Michael found it very annoying!

"Michael Allen Swindon, you're my only child, it's only fitting that you do your duty to the family and produce an heir. As it is, you're almost too old to still have children!" June Swindon raged.

Taking a calming breath she continued, "I only mentioned Lady Isabelle because she's twenty-eight and according to her mother, is back home to settle down. You have history together. You've known each other since childhood and dated throughout secondary school well into university. I don't see the problem. She's also a Duke's daughter and you are the son of a Duke. It's really a match made in heaven!"

"Mother, Isabelle and I are friends! We've not been anything else since she dumped me to date someone else at university. I was heartbroken or have you forgotten about that?" Michael let that sink in. "I too believed at one time that we belonged together but after the way she treated me, I'm not sure I want her as anything other than a friend which she still is!"

"I understand your fears, son but you were both very young. You've both played the field now and know that you belong together - at least I hope you do."

"Mother, I don't even know what she thinks, I haven't seen Isabelle in five years. The last time I saw her was at her sister's wedding in Venice. We've occasionally communicated over the years at Christmas but that's all. I honestly don't know the woman anymore!" Michael replied frustrated.

Daniel looked at his son and tried to calm the situation down. "Son, your mother isn't saying you should propose to her. She just wants you to check her out, see if there's something there. I hear she's even lovelier than before. She's an accomplished philanthropist and has been successfully running her family's foundations for years. Is there any harm in trying to see if it would lead to something more?"

"Remember, you two were once inseparable." Daniel finished.

Still frustrated, Michael sighed wishing his father would see his point of view for a change. "I know I'm going to regret this," then he relented and agreed to attend a function at the St James family home the following weekend. One positive thing about the truce with his mother was that the nagging stopped immediately, and they all enjoyed their lunch afterward.

Michael had other commitments, so he made his excuses and returned home. He had a meeting with a friend who was also a realtor because in a few days he'd have to find alternative accommodations in London because renovations were starting on his property in Kent. He was also in the middle of negotiations for natural resources from an African country that his company had been lobbying for months. The negotiations were at a critical stage, so he had to be in London to ensure the deal closed successfully.