Page 84 of P.S. It’s Always Been You
“And those shows had rave reviews.”
“So does this teapot have rave reviews?” he asks, winking at the camera.
Hunter and I do a little web show now. It’s a fun every-now-and-then chronicle of our adventures together and we call it, appropriately, “Hunter and Presley’s Everyday Adventures.” He’s persuaded me to take on some of the crazier things he does. Note: rock climbing is hard as hell, but makes your arms ridiculously toned. I’ve also taken up hiking, mountain biking, and white-water rafting.
“Taken up” is a phrase I use loosely. I do those activities as a novice with him. But that works for us because he does this with me. Sometimes he accompanies me on my work, going to homes where I catalog estates and items.
Today, I’m sorting through a home in Chicago, owned by a famous chocolatier. I waggle the kettle. “This is a chocolate pot and it was used by one of the best-known chocolatiers in America.”
He turns to the camera. “Do you think she’ll make me some chocolate?”
“It’s an antique. I’m not making you chocolate in it.”
He turns off the camera. “Do you think there’s a love letter hidden in the bottom somewhere?”
The idea makes me a little wistful. “No such luck.”
The xylophone, though, was used for more than musicals. It was played in the opening number for The Most Amazing Big Top under the Sun.
We learned that little detail after we dove into some additional research for the auction of the items from the home. An auction that, incidentally, was heralded in the art world for its “clever, unique, and captivating” finds.
So many of the knickknacks we discovered in the house hearkened back to the Valentinas’ days in the circus, but they also symbolized the adventures Edward later went on. Pretty cool, in a way, that the antiques often had a double meaning. That enabled me to write up the details for the auction without giving away the private love story. The circus connection was simply attributed to the couple’s closeness with the Caribaldis, while the adventure angle was for the world to see.
Part of me longed to write their love story, to let the tale unfold in a book. After all, I was looking for inspiration and I absolutely found it. But their story is personal and private. Instead, I wrote a proposal for a book of a different nature, and a new publisher accepted it. I don’t think it’ll be a best seller, but I don’t need it to be, because this job feeds that part of my soul. Besides, the book I’m working on in my spare time feeds it too. I’m crafting a collection of private love letters, and my publisher and I have invited people to send me their personal correspondence, letters they find in the attic, swoony text messages, scintillating emails, and so on. Let me say—there are some words that’ll make readers melt.
After I set the chocolate pot down, I tell Hunter I have a gift for him.
He arches a curious brow.
I reach into my purse and hand him a sheet of paper.
“What’s this?”
“Open it.”
I grin as he unfolds the letter from the Exploration Society then reads it aloud.
* * *
In light of your accomplishments crossing the Bering Sea in an inflatable raft, cresting the Seven Summits many times over, and especially showcasing history, adventure, and exploration for millions, we are delighted to invite you to become a member of the Exploration Society.
* * *
“You petitioned for me?” he asks.
“You bet I did.”
He gathers me in for a hug. “Look at you. Making my dreams come true.”
A little later, we head out into the bite of the Chicago winter evening.
Hunter takes my hand, warming it between his as we walk to the car we rented.
“You’re leaving soon for your next special?” I ask as I settle into the passenger seat.
“Sri Lanka awaits. But then I’ll be back following you around. Like a dog.” He lets his tongue loll out, panting.
He’s been true to his word, hosting specials, writing books, filming intros for Trevor, but that’s all. The episode covering the Valentina house was a hit, especially since Hunter changed his approach to it. He used that episode and the treasures in the house as a prism to dive into Edward’s explorations, with Trevor recreating some of the expeditions that Edward embarked on. Viewers loved it, leading Hunter to do more features on famous explorers. Still, I’d say he’s dialed down his work by 60 percent, and I love getting that much of him. I love, too, that he kept the apartment in New York that his cousin found for him—kept it because we moved into it together. We’re not there often, but when we are, we make the best of the city where we met, where we fell in love the first time, and where we fell in love all over again.
