Page 10 of Finding Parker

I stared at the stone post and smiled.

“Thank you,” I no more than spoke, and the gate opened automatically.

As I drove slowly along the driveway, I admired the front of the home. I suspect I had some form of preconceived notion regarding what I expected Kenton’s home to look like, but what I was seeing cleary wasn’t what I had previously expected.

At the end of the drive sat a very spacious two story home with a semi-circular center and straight sides that tapered toward the rear as if they were wings. The circular drive encompassed a large three tier fountain which sat directly in front of the entrance. The front of the home was constructed primarily of glass. A home like this was where I would expect to find Steve Jobs, Mel Gibson, Kobe Bryant, or Tiger Woods.

My heart began to race at the thought of just who Kenton Ward may be.

As I continued to stare at the home admiringly, I unfolded my gum wrapper and dropped my gum into it. A feeling of uncertainty masked my nervous stomach as I stepped from the car and onto the brick drive. As I closed the car door, a man opened the front door of the home and stepped onto the spacious porch.

“It’s a beautiful day, isn’t it, Mr. Bale? I’m Downes; I assist Mr. Ward in his day-to-day activities,” the man said in a soft reassuring tone.

His voice was almost hypnotic.

Without thinking, I pressed the key fob and locked the door of the car. At the sound of the doors locking, Downes spoke again.

“I can assure you your car is safe here, Mr. Bale. Mr. Ward insists on having a secure home. Please come in,” he said as he gestured toward the open door behind him.

“Downes?” I asked as I approached the steps.

“That is correct. How has your day been so far, Mr. Bale?” he asked as I walked up the steps and onto the porch.

“Splendid. Thank you,” I responded.

Dressed in grey linen pants and a white V-neck designer tee shirt, Downes appeared to be in incredible physical condition. His close cut hair and cleanly shaven face made guessing his age difficult, but I suspected he was in his latter thirties. Stepping through the doorway and into the home revealed a breathtaking display of Kenton Ward’s taste.

The home was filled with eclectic furnishings of rich velour, earth tone leather, and animal print. Again, not what I had expected, but it was decorated using extremely good taste.

“Pleasure to see you, Parker. Would you like a sandwich?” Kenton asked as I followed Downes into a large room at the rear of the home.

The exterior wall was constructed of glass and faced the ocean. The view was spectacular. The elevation of the home, in comparison to sea level, was considerably higher. The view was of the ocean, but from this particular location, not of the beach.

In awe, I stood and stared out at the ocean.

“Well?” Kenton strung the word along as he spoke, jokingly.

“Pardon me?” somewhat nervous, I had spoken before I had time to think. He wanted to know about the sandwich, I was sure.

“A sandwich, Parker. You’ve had one before, I would guess. If not, you should try one. They’re quite good; two or more slices of bread with a form of filler in between the slices. Today, it’s chicken breast, artichokes, some type of jam, provolone cheese, and what appears to be Romaine lettuce,” he paused, rotated the sandwich in front of his face slowly, and looked at it intently.

“On a whole wheat hoagie,” he turned to face me and smiled.

“Yes sir. I have had a sandwich before. I’ll have one, thank you,” I nodded my head slightly as I finished speaking.

“To drink?” Downes asked softly.

“Water. In a glass, please,” I smiled.

“The only way it is served,” Downes winked, turned, and walked out of the room.

“Stop the sir shit, Parker. I’m Kenton. That’s all. Understood?” Kenton said in a soft yet stern tone.

“Yes sir,” as soon as the word sir escaped my mouth, I rolled my eyes.

“My apologies,” I paused and shook my head, “Kenton.”

“That’s better. Are you a golfer, Parker?” Kenton asked as he turned to face the ocean.