Melding

At lunch one day with her friend, Fleur, Eleanor described camping in the rough with Trent and Olivia. Fleur, a poet and always curious about the back story, asked how Trent and Olivia had met. “It’s an unusual story,” replied Eleanor.

They met at Clingstone's.

They met about 20 years ago at a restaurant on the East Coast called Clingstone’s. It’s in the middle of a bay on some large rocks. You have to take a launch from the marina to get there.

Trent was a waiter at Clingstone’s.  One night, after his shift, he was sitting at a table drinking a beer and playing Pinochle with some of the other waiters. Trent says that Olivia came in with a date, Harcourt, a guy Trent had seen there before with other women. The first thing Trent noticed about Olivia was her red curly hair and green eyes. He remembers she wore a red flouncy skirt and a shiny black top. He was smitten.

The game didn't turn out how Trent expected.

They played four-handed pinochle. Trent’s partner was Marcos, the Portuguese owner of Clingstone’s. He and Trent had won big playing together. Harcourt’s lineage was long and his pockets deep. Trent and Marcos couldn’t resist the challenge.

The game didn’t turn out how Trent expected. Olivia explained quickly to Harcourt the ins and outs of bidding and melding and when to use the dix. They beat Trent and Marcos but not before Harcourt had too much to drink and couldn’t stand up straight. All four climbed aboard the launch and headed back to the marina.

He and Olivia drove out to the lighthouse.

Trent offered to drive Harcourt and Olivia home. He dropped Harcourt off at his family’s estate and, then, he and Olivia drove out to the lighthouse to get to know each other better.

Fleur looked off in the distance. She said if she knew how to play the guitar she might write a ballad.