Caitlin was wary, but she nodded. She had not really spoken to Ian’s wife much, but she knew she was Franco’s daughter and therefore very much Spanish.
‘I understood Gibraltar should have been returned to Spain,’ Carmen asked, her tone innocent not accusatory.
‘I don’t want to go into detail but, as far as I know, it doesn’t say that anywhere,’ Caitlin tried to keep her voice calm. She had listened to these debates via her parents all her life. ‘But, look, I left Gibraltar when I was twelve.’
‘So, you liked living in England better than Gibraltar?’ Ingrid asked.
‘Yes and no,’ she paused, weighing up her words carefully. ‘It took some time to get used to English ways. I felt like an outsider for speaking Spanish, and having a strange accent. Not that everyone wasn’t nice, they were. It’s just, even though I hated being a redhead in the Mediterranean, I always felt like I had a family in Gibraltar. I felt people cared.’
‘And it wasn’t the same in England?’ Carmen tilted her head to the side.
‘It couldn’t be. We lived in a house for a start, not an apartment. And we rarely saw our neighbours in England, everyone keeps to themselves. In Gibraltar, people were always around, friends were easy to meet up with.’
‘So, kind of like the community?’ Carmen smiled.
‘Yes,’ Caitlin nodded, ‘kind of. The community reminds me a lot of Gibraltar. The good and the bad.’
‘Bad?’ Ingrid pouted, then gave a sly grin.
‘Yes, claustrophobia. I loved the freedom of living in England. It’s a double-edged sword. No-one can have it all. Too much space and we get lonely, too little and we become stressed. No place is perfect.’
‘A place is only what you make of it,’ Carmen added.
‘Exactly!’ Caitlin beamed, then frowned as she added, ‘and yet, sometimes you need to live and experience life before you truly know what home is.’
‘True,’ Ingrid rubbed her chin. ‘Wow, this a deep conversation for so early in the morning.’
‘Yes, it is,’ Carmen smiled. ‘I have work to do, so I’ll leave you girls to your chat. I’m glad to have met someone from Gibraltar, and am sorry for any misunderstanding. No-one has the right to tell anyone else who they should be. We live in a fragile community, we fear those outside will not accept us. I would never want you to think that you would not be accepted here for being from Gibraltar. I’m very happy you speak my native tongue. De verdad, tengo mucho gusto de conocerte.’
‘Igualmente,’ Caitlin replied.
‘See Carmen likes you,’ Ingrid said, ‘I think it’s all fascinating really.’
Caitlin was surprised at the exchange. She could see Carmen was a great wife for Ian. ‘I do like the mix of cultures here though, and I guess it is like Gibraltar. Everyone is represented in relative harmony. The community is not a bad place at all, even if,’ she paused, ‘to be honest, I’m not sure it’s where I can truly call home.’
‘I think I know what you mean,’ Ingrid said, ‘I’ve always wanted to see more of the world.’
Caitlin stared at the table, lost for a moment, wondering why she felt so sad. It really was too early.
‘Caitlin, Ingrid, you’re both up early today,’ Susanna chirped, as she slid next to Caitlin.
‘Yep, early birds, that’s us,’ Ingrid said. ‘So, are you all set for the big day?’
Susanna’s face creased up. ‘Who knows? As ready as I’ll ever be.’
‘You really think Jenson is the one you want to spend the rest of your life with?’ Ingrid added.
Susanna grinned, ‘Of course, silly. Sometimes you just know.’
‘Sometimes, even when you think you know, you don’t,’ Ingrid mumbled.
Susanna’s shoulders dropped, and she lowered her eyes to the table, ‘I guess.’ She lifted her head and looked straight at Ingrid. ‘And yet, if you don’t take a chance on love when it’s there, you might never find it again.’
Ingrid recovered and gave a broad smile, ‘Of course, just checking. You and Jenson were made for each other.’
‘When are Steven and you going to announce your big date?’ Susanna turned to face Caitlin.
Caitlin coughed and sprayed some of her orange juice. When she recovered, her eyes slightly watery, she added, ‘I’m not getting married. Not for a long, long time. I don’t know if I’ll ever be ready. I mean, what’s the difference really? I don’t need a ring…’ Caitlin stopped as she saw Susanna’s eyes widen in horror. She quickly tried to backtrack. ‘Not that I don’t see why you would want to. It’s just not what I want.’
‘I understand. I think I’ll go get some breakfast,’ Susanna gave a weak smile, stood up and walked off.
‘Oops,’ Caitlin said, her hand on her mouth, ‘I shouldn’t have said that.’
‘Hey, I’ve lived here all my life and I’m with you,’ Ingrid giggled, ‘why should we all get married? What’s the point and what’s the hurry?’
‘Well, I think a lot of people marry because of religion. Susanna is religious, so it makes sense. Then if you plan to have kids, it also makes sense – no chance of that happening for me,’ she put on a brave smile and quickly carried on, she did not want or need sympathy, ‘then again, I guess it means more to get married. You make a commitment to each other. Well, supposedly.’
Ingrid looked confused. ‘Why supposedly?’
‘Don’t you know anything about adultery and divorce? My parents are still together, which is amazing, but loads of my friends’ parents are divorced, you know separated.’ Ingrid nodded. ‘The reason behind a lot of them were affairs. Adultery is when you sleep with someone else.’
Ingrid’s jaw dropped, ‘When they are married? That’s terrible.’
Caitlin laughed out loud. When she calmed down, she added, ‘Not terrible, normal, where I come from. Some people are not meant for monogamy, I guess. Hasn’t anyone ever strayed in the community?’
‘Not that I know of,’ Ingrid said, ‘at least, not when married. In fact, no-one has ever had a child outside of marriage in the community.’
Caitlin nodded and thought of Lucy. Someone had now. ‘What would happen if someone did?’
Ingrid shrugged her shoulders, ‘No idea. But, I can imagine some would be happier than others.’
‘Like who? I mean, who wouldn’t like it?’
‘Well, if it happened with any of Franco’s family and I was the guy I would run far, far away,’ Ingrid shook her head in mock amusement, ‘he is one tough cookie and a devout Catholic. No sex before marriage.’ She whispered the word sex like it was a poison. ‘My family is much more liberal, but we stick to the rules. The last thing we need is to break the community harmony.’
‘Sure,’ Caitlin replied. She was sure Lucy was Franco’s daughter. Now she understood why she was hidden.
‘You seem very interested, any reason?’ Ingrid asked.
‘Just curious.’
‘I believe there’s an expression for that, curiosity killed the cat?’ Ingrid said, ‘what does that mean anyway?’
‘Don’t sneak out where you’re not wanted, I guess,’ Caitlin replied. ‘I have to go and do some prep for my class. I’ll talk to you soon. Oh, and if you talk to Susanna, please tell her I didn’t mean anything.’
Ingrid smiled, ‘No problem.’
Caitlin took her tray away and placed it on the disposal area.
She made her way towards the exit, but paused at the sound of raucous cheering – the men had returned.
Back to Table of Contents
Chapter 38
Marital Bliss
Caitlin eased towards the exit, stopped and kept her back to the wall.
The men all entered the room on mass, a group of four hoisted Jenson up in the air, then placed him down next to Susanna, who stood up and gave him a massive hug. Susanna looked ecstatic, Caitlin could not help feeling a pang of jealousy.
Steven came up alongside Jenson, and another tall, blond and muscular man, who was patting hi
m on the shoulder.
The blond man said, in a loud booming voice, ‘Well, I’m afraid Jenson’s team did not win, ours did. I guess I can’t help winning. But, you’ve a great best man, Jenson. He did you proud.’
Steven grinned.
She could not help reacting, as her lips curled up. As though Steven sensed her, he looked in her direction and caught her watching. She instinctively hid, she had no idea why. She started to walk away quickly, she would talk to Steven later. This was his moment, not hers.
When she heard his voice, she stopped and turned around slowly.
Steven was covered with dirt, but his eyes shone, full of excitement. He ran towards her, ‘Caitlin, wait a minute, don’t go.’
Caitlin blushed, shy for a moment.
‘Hey,’ his hand rubbed her cheek.
‘You’re covered in grime,’ Caitlin gave a cheeky smile, ‘I guess I don’t need to know if you had a good time.’
Steven leaned in and kissed her on the lips.
He tasted salty, but his kiss was so deep she did not care. For a moment, she lost herself before she pulled back. ‘Not now.’
‘But no-one’s watching,’ Steven said, as he got closer again and put his arms around her waist.
‘I have to go teach, and you desperately need to freshen up,’ she raised an eyebrow, ‘maybe later, we can catch up?’
‘Definitely, it was amazing. I’ll see you later then.’ He let her go.
She made to turn, but he placed his hand on her arm, ‘Are you okay?’
‘Course I am,’ she replied. She knew it had been too quick a reply, but Steven did not push further.
‘Okay, see you later,’ Steven said.
She was sure he was still watching her as she walked, so she turned around. ‘Stop it.’
He laughed, ‘I missed you.’
‘Whatever,’ she rolled her eyes, gave him a cute small wave and pursed her lips. Steven always had a way of making her smile.
***
Steven was glad Caitlin seemed settled with what she was doing. It mattered to him a lot if she was happy. And he didn’t care if they would never have children, he did not have a burning desire to become a dad anyway. He was worried that she seemed to enjoy teaching children though. In time, it could be a problem. Or, on the other hand, it might make it easier for her. He had no idea.
He made his way back to the hall. A lot of them had food and were sat down. The last ten hours had been one of the most exciting of his life. He would never forget it.
As he approached, Morten hollered, ‘Steven, get some food and come sit with us.’
Steven could see Jenson was back with Susanna so he guessed it was a good plan.
After loading up his plate with a bit of everything he could find, he made his way over to what looked like the winning table. His team was one of the few that had stayed together.
Benjamin’s cheeks were still rosy, his pale complexion and freckles could not hide his excitement. ‘Steven, what a win! That’s the first time for me.’
‘Yes, you did very well, Steven,’ Morten said.
Even Enrique had lost the smirk. A lot could change in a few hours. Steven could even consider him a friend, and was glad to be related.
Carmen came up to her son and hugged him. ‘We’re very proud of you.’
Enrique turned to his teammates, and said, ‘They did it. I was just along for the ride.’
‘Come on, Enrique,’ Jan protested. ‘Your leadership in the hunting challenge was impressive for your experience.’
‘You all knew what you were doing, it was no big deal.’
‘Trust me, Carmen,’ Morten said, ‘your son did you proud. As did your nephew, Steven.’
‘Glad to hear it,’ Carmen smiled, ‘Caitlin is an interesting girl.’
Steven saw Enrique glance at his mum at the mention of Caitlin. Steven was no fool, he knew Enrique was interested.
‘Really?’ Steven asked.
‘Yes, she’s a bright one,’ Carmen nodded, ‘I had a good chat with her earlier. She’s a good addition to the community. She’ll fit in well.’
‘Glad to hear it.’ He’d ask Caitlin what that was all about later.
‘Anyway, congratulations.’ She ruffled Enrique’s hair. ‘Muy bien, hijo.’
‘Ya basta,’ Enrique wriggled in his seat.
Once she was gone, Enrique rolled his eyes and said, ‘Mothers!’
They all laughed.
‘I have not had to hear mine for years,’ Morten added.
‘I hear mine every day,’ Enrique said.
Steven stopped smiling and frowned as he held his tongue and focused on eating.
‘Perhaps, we should talk about something else,’ Jan said.
Steven glanced up and gave him a weak smile of thanks. He was glad someone had picked up that he didn’t have one.
As they all rambled on and congratulated themselves on their success, Steven noticed the way Jenson left with Susanna. There was no doubt in his mind that his friend was marrying for love.
***
Jenson held Susanna’s hand, and openly admired his future wife. He was glad he did not have to conceal their relationship any more. The following day she would be his wife. Under a little duress, he had agreed to marry Susanna under the conventions of the Catholic Church. It appeased his future mother-in-law.
‘Do you think we’ll be chosen to go to Borneo?’ Susanna asked.
‘Why are you thinking about it now?’
‘I don’t know. I guess with us getting married and stuff, I just wanted to know what our plan was.’
‘It’s exciting. I mean, I do want to start a family with you, but if we went to Borneo we could have some fun first. I’ve only ever seen it on a map, and the only thing we know is that deadly animals live there. We could add to their numbers, don’t you think?’ he joked. It was better to see the move in a positive light.
‘Would you want to?’ she asked, with a slight shrug.
‘I think so, yes. But, I don’t know if they’ll let us. We’ve only changed recently. But, there’s no harm in trying, is there?’
‘No, none at all.’
‘We could start a family there if you like?’
Susanna immediately blushed. She squeezed his hand and leaned into his shoulder. ‘You are lovely, you know that?’
‘I have something for you. Will you come to see?’ he asked. He thought now was as good a time as any.
‘Of course, what is it?’
‘If I tell you, it won’t be a surprise, will it?’
Once at his room, Jenson winked at her. ‘Wait here, no peeking.’
With great care he walked towards her and handed her a small parcel, the size of her hand. It was wrapped in a huge leaf interspersed with flowers.
‘It’s not my birthday,’ she teased.
‘Open it.’ He could not wait to see her reaction.
Carefully, she unravelled the leaf. Inside, was a carved wooden box engraved with the initials S & J. As she lifted the top of the box from its base she disclosed a set of rings. They were obviously handmade from gold, with an embroidered leaf design on the surface. ‘They’re beautiful. When did you organise these?’ Her eyes had moistened.
‘Gideon’s a clever craftsman. Shall we try them on?’
‘Yes, yes,’ she said, excited. Carefully, she took out the larger ring and placed it on his finger.
Then he carefully took out the smaller ring and placed it on hers.
They held out their left hands in unison and looked at the rings. A perfect match for a perfect pair.
‘Let’s do it for real now,’ he proposed.
‘Definitely.’
As they kissed and embraced, Jenson knew that marrying Susanna would make him the happiest man alive.
*
The corridor had been decorated with flowers of every shape, size and colour. The normally dismal environment was transformed into something truly spectacular. The smell in particular was overp
owering. The entire community embraced a wedding. It gave them a chance to show off and put on a show. Everyone attended. The caterers did the food, the seamstresses made the dresses and embroidered any tablecloths required, children collected flowers, and the parents prepared the honeymoon suite – a room designed for the young lovers. It left the bride and groom with little to do other than to hold their nerve.
The main catering hall had been transformed for the event. In the corner, a gigantic cake decorated with iced flowers and exotic fruit created a centrepiece. In front of it was an arbour adorned with colourful leaves and flowers. Underneath, Jenson stood waiting, Steven was at his side. Jenson felt awkward in the wedding suit, it was not his usual attire to say the least. To say he was nervous could not adequately convey how he was feeling. Petrified was a better word. As if sensing his mood, Jenson saw Steven wink at him and he could not help but smile. He needed all the moral support he could get.
Behind the arbour stood Franco, who always performed the rite. He held his slightly worn and well known bible in front of him and stood tall, a calm and composed expression on his face.
Jenson wished he could feel at peace. His stomach was doing a three sixty degree turn. He did not care how nice the place looked. The fear that Susanna would not turn up remained. Even though he hoped it to be unlikely, it was a possibility. For the life of him, he could not understand why this set-up was a good idea – it must have been a woman who thought of the arrangement. To him, this was a way to torture a prospective husband on their wedding day.
At last, the band started to play the wedding march.
He faced forward, not daring to look back yet. Not until she was closer. He could hear the series of gasps and compliments exuded by the watching community. Finally, he saw her in his peripheral vision and he felt his jaw slacken. She was a vision, wearing a white lace dress with long sleeves and a white transparent veil. It gave her a pure and untouched look. The fact that she was still a virgin made the look match reality.
Finally, they arrived at the arbour and his future mother-in-law linked Susanna’s arm in Jenson’s. The ceremony seemed to go on for hours. Finally, after going through all the formalities, Gideon handed them the rings and they made their binding vows. His eyes fixed on hers as pure joy swept over him. He had to be the happiest man alive.
The Evolution Trilogy: Hybrid, Complications & Return Page 88