Chapter 27
Aug 3, 2005 at 10:27PM The Lull
Adamsville was beginning to return back to normal. Danny stayed away from the Ripley mansion, and spent much of his time helping out in the construction of the other Ripley mansion: Regina's new home.
The old mill project was still empty, and everyone figured the old building would just get bulldozed someday as there wasn't much of anything to be saved. Some big contractor from New York had started building a huge apartment complex in Jefferson City, and most of the guys who worked construction were working there about everyday. Of course, some had already moved away before things began to pick up.
Regina was beginning to talk about getting married someday, but since Danny was still a few months away from getting his divorce from Connie, he tried not to talk about it too much. Still, he thought about it a lot. That would really steam Connie, he thought, me marrying a rich chic like Regina when Connie had left him looking for a rich man. Oh well, he thought, turn about is fair play.
Danny dropped by Regina's office on a regular basis now, and all the girls there always made a fuss over him. Regina had put a picture of the two of them on the wall in her office, and the girls all raved about how good he looked in the suit Regina had made him wear. They said, with all his long hair, it made him look like a movie star. Still, most of the time, he wore his jeans, boots, and leather jacket.
Whatever Junior was up to these days, he was keeping it real quiet. Junior and his buddies hadn't been back to the Cool Spot since the night of the last fight there, so now Danny, Regina, and all their working class friends, were hanging out there again. The bartender told everyone that Danny was the best thing to ever happen to business there. Strange how things turn out, Danny thought.
Danny was still working with Mister Melvin, but not as much as before because Mr. Melvin had decided he didn't want to work everyday anymore. "When a man turns seventy," Mister Melvin had said, "he should fish more than he works." Danny figured he should have started sooner.
Regina had been busy starting a second magazine. This one wouldn't be a travel magazine like her first, but was going to be a literary magazine that featured up and coming writers that most readers might not be familiar with. It was a risky venture for a small publisher, and it required a lot more time to edit and review all the submissions, but this was the magazine she had wanted to start from the beginning. This is what she went to college for.
Regina's friend Cindy was doing great at the market. She changed the name from Gibson's to the Sunshine Supermarket, and had really brightened the place up. Cindy had lowered prices and still figured she'd be turning a profit in six months or less even with all the remodeling she had done there. Of course, she had bought the market at a steal, as Simon was in a panic at the time.
Regina had invited her father to have dinner with her and Danny, and Mister Ripley had accepted. Danny was more than a little nervous, but Regina continued to assure him that it would be okay. Danny had been concerned about what her daddy would think of their fifteen year age difference, but Regina had informed him that Mr. Ripley was twenty years older than her mother. Still, Danny thought he might think different when it involved his own daughter.
Mrs. Wilson was still having Danny and Regina over for dinner two or three times a week. Of course, Regina had made sure that Cindy never billed Mrs. Wilson for groceries again. Mrs. Wilson had an open account at the Sunshine Supermarket. All she had to do, was to pick up the telephone. It seemed that Regina, and Mrs. Wilson had become the best of friends. Mrs. Wilson said Regina was the closest thing to a daughter she had ever had, and Regina sometimes called her momma.
Seems everywhere Danny went these days, folks treated him like he was somebody special. He couldn't pay for a beer, or buy a meal anywhere in town without someone picking up the tab for him, and everybody waved at him wherever he went. This sure ain't the same town I grew up in, Danny thought.
Life was going pretty well for Danny and Regina, and for the first time in his life, he wasn't struggling to make ends meet. His home was paid for and Regina never asked for anything but his attention, and he was always glad to give it to her.