The Adventures Of Bette Porter And Sissee Gardner Schmidt After Howie (Part 4, Chapter 4)
PART FOUR: MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN

Chapter 4

We had decided that we would stay at a hotel during our stay in Milwaukee. If things did not go well with our mission, we had a place to escape to. We were invited to my brother Chuck’s home for dinner however, that first evening.

We had taken a non-stop flight from LAX to Milwaukee’s General Mitchell International Airport, rented another convertible, just because Bette thought they were fun and checked into the Hyatt Regency.

Bette had never been in Milwaukee before and neither had I, in spite of her spending her early years in nearby Chicago and my having been raised in Wisconsin. We both found it seemingly old and almost European with many unique churches visible along the freeways.

It was warm and humid, almost sultry, as we drove with the top down, following Mapquest directions right to Chuck’s front door. Their home was modest in size and décor but it was soon obvious that there was a lot of love in it.

Chuck, Melissa and their two sons, age ten and eight, were there to greet us warmly. Chuck said he was only 13 years old when he met Bette in Phillips, in 1985 but that he remembered how pretty she was. He added that she was even more beautiful now.

She did look great for being 44 years old and tonight she was especially gorgeous. We were both dressed casually, because my brother was a laid back kind of guy and we wanted to blend in with his lifestyle.

Bette had on a long-sleeved, red blouse with white pin stripes running through it. I loved seeing her in red and I liked how she left a few top buttons opened. She wore red hoop earrings and a lot of jingle jangles on her wrists. She had on white slacks and white leather walking shoes to finish it off and her hair was a mass of luxurious curls, blown reckless in the wind on the way over..

I loved looking at her when she was like this, so colorful and youthful, full of smiles and personality.

While I pretty much matched her casual clothes and accessories, I did not even try to match her persona. I was glad to see my brother and his dear family but after our first martini, I mellowed into a state of relaxation while Bette was the center of attention.