The Vineyard Years by Susan Sokol Blosser

Author:Susan Sokol Blosser
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Graphic Arts Books
Published: 2017-03-18T04:00:00+00:00

WHEN I LEFT BILL, my business life might have been in full flower, but my personal life came to a standstill. I had no interest in meeting single men or replacing my marriage with another relationship. Between travel and hosting winery guests, I had a small social life. Marsha Palanci came to visit the winery in January, right after I had moved out, and I surprised her at the airport with the news that she would be staying in my new apartment. She was my first visitor, and in my tender emotional state, I was glad to be with a friend.

I couldn’t imagine dating, and matchmaking of any kind, through friends or the Internet, sounded abhorrent. I spent time with female friends, or, if I wanted company for an event or a movie, I asked Russ to go with me. I knew he hadn’t met many people in the area and probably wouldn’t on his own. I appointed myself his local travel guide, and together we visited Portland’s museums and famous gardens.

When I hired Russ, I saw him as introverted, cautious, and focused—qualities that drew me to him as a winemaker. When we worked together, I appreciated his willingness to answer my tentatively posed questions about winemaking that previous winemakers, and even Bill, had treated with condescension. With Russ at the helm, I felt welcome in the cellar for the first time. He seemed content to go home and be alone, but I pursued him; he was one of the few people I enjoyed being with. I had discovered that his sharp mind and remote exterior protected a warm heart and hid a riotous sense of humor. There was a lot more to Russ than he let people see, and I found myself wanting to know him better. We started spending more and more time together, apart from work.

Who can fathom the human heart? Just when I had come to terms with never having another relationship, one happened. Right or wrong, once Russ and I each overcame our doubts, we let ourselves go, and entered a heady affair that consumed us both. I worried that I was on the rebound from Bill, but I rationalized that I had been grieving my failed relationship with Bill for years, and that the actual break had been cathartic. A lifetime of pent-up feelings came pouring out. We became inseparable; I didn’t want to do anything he wasn’t part of. When I traveled alone for business, I wrote him poems, puerile and passionate. He was my other half and I plunged on, knowing I was breaking every rule in the book by having an affair with my winemaker.

We were circumspect at work and at industry events, but when it became clear to me that Russ and I had a relationship that went far beyond employer-employee and was not just temporary, I knew I had to tell the family, especially Bill. I was nervous when I called Bill and arranged to meet him for a drink in Portland.

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