Kurt
Life in The
Village, through the eyes of a student at the remote school.
This is an
original work of pure fiction (just an expression of a fantasy)
by Robert A. Armstrong (a pseudonym)
Copyright 2013-2021. Robert
Armstrong. This complete work of literary art is protected by US,
Australian and International copyright law. It is the sole property of the
author and may not be reproduced in any form whether in whole or in part
without the prior express written consent of the author.
License is granted to Nifty Archive Alliance, Inc. for electronic publication
on the Nifty.org website. All rights reserved.
The resemblance
of the characters by action, name, location or description to any real person
is purely coincidental.
If it is illegal,
or offensive, for you to read stories involving interactions of a sexual nature
between adults and youths, then what are you doing here?
From
Chapter 70:
We go back into
the bedroom and are preparing for me to slide Junior into Andy first, when we
are suddenly aware of someone joining us in the room. He speaks, and I know
instantly who it is.
"Blood of my
blood. You have chosen wisely. Do not be afraid of giving yourselves to each
other completely. This will be a special, uniting time for you both."
I appreciate
Uncle's words, but am confused when he says, "Be aware. A thief is coming. He
is not who he claims to be. He will attempt to take what is not his, but, do
not be afraid, because I will be here."
Then, as quickly
as he came to us, he is gone. I feel as though I want to talk about his
warning, but not yet. Not right now! Not with Junior so excited!
"Are you ready?"
Andy asks me.
Chapter 71 – The Wedding and The Thief
I am excited. And, I can tell that Andy is excited.
Junior is obviously excited!
Given the time that we have already spent preparing
ourselves, the three of us don't want to wait much longer. Especially Junior!
Andy wants to watch my face, so he proceeds to lie on
his back and put his legs on my shoulders. "Just go slowly," he tells me.
Even though Junior is in a hurry to bury himself deep
inside Andy, using the oil that I brought from the workers' hut at Whispering
Gums, I go as slowly as I can. Almost one centimetre at a time and counting to
10 in between.
When Junior's head has completely disappeared, Andy quickly
raises his hips and Junior just seems to slide all of the way in.
Andy groans. Not a painful groan. But, with his head
back and his eyes closed, it is a groan that matches my own incredible feeling
of pleasure.
He opens his eyes and stares at me. "I love you,
Kurt," he tells me.
I lean all of the way forward and kiss him. "I love
you too, Andy," I tell him, my body lying on his and with Junior deep inside
him.
"Go for it!" Andy says.
I raise and lower my hips, slowly, and experience the
most amazing feelings. Better than wanking! Way better than using soap and doing
`our thing' with Karl in the shower. And even better than using oil and doing
it between Ron's legs on the bed in the workers' hut!
Junior can feel the heat inside Andy's body.
Then I lean back so that Andy and I can see each
other's face clearly. It is exciting to watch Junior disappear and reappear, as
well as the incredible sensations of pleasure that I feel.
Andy's body and mine move together as if we are
dancing. Sometimes I push; sometimes he pushes; and sometimes we push at the
same time. OMG! His cock, lying on his stomach, is long and hard, and throbs up
and relaxes back down as it joins in with the action.
"Don't cum inside me," Andy whispers. "Let me do it to
you, and we can cum together."
When I feel the very beginning of `that tingle' deep
inside me, I pull Junior right out.
We swap positions, and Andy uses the oil to `get me
ready'.
Andy holds the head of his dick against my hole. "If
it hurts you, I'll stop!" he tells me.
I don't care if it hurts! I want Andy to experience
the same pleasure that I have had.
"Mine isn't as thick as yours," he says, "So,
hopefully, it will go in more easily."
What does he mean, `more easily'? Did I hurt him? My
eyes go blurry at the thought of it, and I hope that he doesn't notice. I close
them.
He rubs the head of his dick over and around my hole.
I don't know whether he's teasing me or just building up the courage to do it.
Then he stops moving around and I feel him push.
I look at his face and see an expression of extreme
concentration. He pushes a little. And a little more. I feel my hole tighten
and grab him, as if resisting him, trying to hold him out.
"It's OK," I say. "Nothing hurts."
I can feel the pressure of him pushing. Suddenly my
hole relaxes a little and I feel some of his dick slide in.
"OMG," Andy says, stopping. "I've wanted to do this
for so long! It feels... amazing. You have no idea!"
"Oh, yes, I do!" I grin at him.
He grins back, "Oh, yeah."
He takes a deep breath, and pushes. And slides. And I
feel myself being filled up. Slight pain, like burning, but nothing that I
can't handle. Stubbing my little toe on the leg of Ma's kitchen table was much
worse!
Andy pushes and pulls back, and groans. And keeps
going, especially with the groaning.
Then something weird happens. "I think I'm gonna cum!"
I tell him.
He stops pushing, but it's too late, and I spurt
straight up my body, hitting myself under the chin and leaving white streaks across
my stomach and chest.
As I do, I can feel the muscles around my hole
contract, squeezing Andy's dick tightly.
He groans, pulls out and spurts all over me, and I'm
glad that we did what William told us with the towels because they also get
wet!
"I couldn't hold on when your arse squeezed me!" he
says.
He uses a towel to mop up the mess that we have both
made on me, then he lays his body on mine. He kisses me and gasps, "I had no
idea that it would feel as good as that! OMG, that felt incredible. What about
you?"
All I can say is, "You want to do it again?"
He replies, "Fucking hell yeah! But I might need to
rest for a while... Give me five minutes?"
We both laugh at his time frame. Then I answer him, "Let's
wait ten! Then you can go first."
Friday morning. I only wake up because I need to pee.
I gently remove Andy's arm from across my chest. He
stirs and mumbles, "Are we doing it again?"
"No," I tell him. "It's morning, and I need to pee,
then have a shower, then have something to eat."
"Do we need to open some windows?" he asks, leaning up
onto one elbow. "I think the room needs some fresh air."
"You get the windows," I tell him. "I need to get to
the bathroom."
I don't worry about pyjamas. House rule. Besides, the
only other people here are William and Mr Grant, and the two of them have seen
me naked, both `natural' and `excited'.
I pee first. I was thinking about doing it in the
shower, but it would have taken the water too long to warm up. So, I turn on
the taps, then turn Junior to the toilet.
By the time that the water is just the temperature that
I like, Andy comes in. He doesn't go to the toilet, and just joins me in the
shower.
"Didn't you need to...?" I begin. Then I feel the extra
heat on my body and legs.
"Sorry!" he says. "Couldn't hold off."
We wash each other, and he asks, "How are you feeling?
Any soreness?"
I answer, "It was a bit tender the first time. The
second time was OK. But the third time was starting to be a bit much."
"Sorry about that!" he tells me, and hugs me. "But, it felt amazing. Thank you!"
"You owe me one!" I reply, washing his dick with my `milk-the-cow'
action.
"Tonight?" he asks.
"Yeah! But, we don't want to wear anything out!" I tell him, and
give him a friendly swat.
Mr Grant, William, Andy and I spend most of the day
setting up the tables and chairs around the perimeter (Maths again!) of the `great
hall', as Mr Grant calls it. I guess that tomorrow that name will be very appropriate.
There is still plenty of room in the middle for dancing.
There are also many decorations to hang, which Mrs
Smith said that she rarely gets to use. William says that she told him `They do
need to see the light of day once in a while.'
Mr Smith and one of his staff have also brought out
the barbecue and put it where it was on the day that Mr Grant signed the
ownership papers for Jintabudjaree. There are extra tables for food preparation
and where to put things when they are cooked.
Mr Grant also suggests that we cut some of the red
roses that are growing down next to the front stairs of the house. They do all look
beautiful at the moment and smell way better than the green bedroom did this
morning! He found a number of vases in space under the landing, through the hidden
doorway in the kitchen, and suggests that we put roses in all of them and position
them on the stairs that lead up to the landing.
"Let's cut them just before the sun goes down
tonight," he says, "And, they can stand in the vases overnight. They will still
look fresh tomorrow."
He has also discussed with Dad and Helen that Dad,
Karl and I should have one rose pinned to our coats, because he knows that
Helen's bridesmaids are going to make her a bouquet that includes the roses.
Everything should look great with the touches of red.
The day seems to have gone very quickly. While Andy
and I are cutting the roses, he notices that they don't have any thorns. Also,
the stalks are a great length – perfect for the vases which are set up and
waiting in the kitchen.
We count and cut bunches of a dozen at a time and take
turns of carrying them to the waiting vases. We select a couple from each bush
so that there are still plenty left, evenly spread.
We are cutting our last dozen when Mr Grant comes
down. "You've done a great job, boys," he tells us. "I can't even tell where
you have cut them from. The bushes still look full."
Now, if he hadn't mentioned that, I probably wouldn't
have noticed! In fact, even I can't tell where we cut the stalks. It's almost as though others have spread to fill in the gaps.
.
"Dinner will be easy!" Mr Grant says. "There is so
much food in the refrigerators, that nobody will notice four meals missing."
We decide to be `civilized' and eat in the dining
room.
William tells us that Mr O'Brien is going to bring
down two of his horses tomorrow morning in the horse
trailer, then help William attach them to the landau down below at the
appropriate time. Jane is going to plait the horses' manes and tails. William
reckons that he should put a couple of roses into each horse's plaited mane,
which should look `royal'.
After eating, we take our plates to the kitchen and
clean everything.
As we emerge, closer now to the stairs, I notice
something.
I point it out to Andy.
"How many roses did we put into each vase?" I ask him.
"Twelve each," he replies. "I counted them." Then he notices
what I noticed.
The vases look a lot fuller. Almost twice as many.
"Uncle?" he whispers to me.
"Are you OK, Kurt?" Mr Grant asks. "You suddenly look strange,
for some reason."
"I'm just feeling a bit nervous about everything," I
tell him. "This is all so unlike anything else I've ever experienced before. It's
all very exciting, though!"
"A good night's sleep will do you the world of good,"
he replies. "I hope that your dad and Helen sleep well, too."
"And probably a hot shower, too," I tell him. I add,
"I mean for me, not them."
Even though I am really excited about Dad and Helen's
wedding, that's not the only thing on my mind.
Andy joins me in the shower and we prepare each other.
I'll get used to it, I hope!
"We could do it in here!" Andy tells me.
"Wouldn't that look really suspicious?" I ask him.
"You and me in here for so long, when Mr Grant was telling me to get a good
night's sleep?"
"I suppose," he says.
"Besides," I tell him, "I really enjoyed the second
time last night, with us both lying on our sides, and me behind you. I'd like
to do it that way again!"
"And I liked it when you were on your hands and
knees," he replies.
I enjoy giving myself to Andy even more tonight than I
did last night.
And Junior lasts longer inside Andy's hot body too.
I am glad that I can give Andy so much pleasure!
And I do sleep well!
Saturday. The wedding day!
After breakfast, Jacko, Ron and Karl turn up to see
whether they can help with anything.
"Hey! Nice job, guys," Jacko tells us as he walks into
the great hall, immediately noting the decorations and the roses.
"Not a thing out of place," Ron says, pointing to the
spacing and alignment of tables and chairs down the length of the hall.
Looking at them now, I don't remember Andy and I being
so precise with everything. Maybe Mr Grant and William straightened them all
after Andy and I went to bed.
"Yes, great job with them," Mr Grant tells Andy and
me. "Even better than I could have done myself."
Andy and I look at each other. The word `Uncle'
appears on our lips.
William says, "Nice touch, with some ribbons and a
single rose on each table, too!"
"When did you guys to that?" Mr Grant asks, looking at
us. "I don't remember them there last night."
Neither to I!
Andy and I point at each other, then I say, "It was either
him, or the ghost!"
"What ghost?" Ron and Jacko ask.
"Obviously Casper, the friendly ghost," Andy says to
them.
Everybody shrugs, thinking that it was Andy and me all
along, and that we are just playing a joke on them.
"Anyway, let's go over the plan," Mr Grant says to
everyone. "It's all been sorted."
There are still many things which I haven't heard, so
I listen carefully.
Mr Grant starts, "Most of the food will be set up in
the dining room, and guests may choose what they want, then find a place at a
table in the hall to eat."
Displaying my ability with mental arithmetic, I say,
"There are six tables on each side of the hall and eight chairs at each one.
That's 96 seats altogether. Is that enough?"
Mr Grant replies, "I understood that 85 people had
accepted your dad's and Helen's invitations, so there are some extras in case
people turn up, without having accepted."
"Is having `extras' OK?" Andy
asks.
"At a specialist reception centre in the city, it
wouldn't be," Mr Grant tells us, "But, out here, nobody would worry. Besides,
Mrs Smith assures me that there will be plenty of food for everyone."
"So," Ron says, "I understand that all of the cold
foods will be put onto the table in the dining room, and the hot food, prepared
outside, will be brought in after the ceremony. Is that right?"
"Yes," Mr Grant replies. "We wouldn't want any of
those lovely aromas drifting out of the dining room into the hall while the
ceremony was going on. Can you imagine the effect on people just outside the
door?"
"And on William," Karl says, grinning.
"Hey!" William responds. "I could always go out and
help Mr Smith with the cooking."
"Fat chance!" Mr Grant tells him. Then he continues.
"Jacko and Ron have volunteered to assist with the guests' parking. We have a
special plan. The cars will be lined up in two rows, facing each other and
spaced out, making a sort of avenue for the landau to drive through as it gets down
close to the house. Helen has asked that the guests arrive 30 minutes before
the ceremony, although she doesn't know about the cars. It's a plan we devised
while you guys were in Cunnamulla."
Ron adds, "And, when people park, we'll tell them that
when Mr Grant blows his teacher's whistle, it will be a signal for driver to go
back to his car. Then, as the landau comes down, they will all flash their
lights and sound their horns."
"Won't that scare the horses?" I ask.
William says, "Mr O'Brien told us that the two he has
chosen will be OK with any noise. No problem! Besides, I'll be the one driving
them." He grins. "And, when I have Mr Andersen and Helen seated in the landau,
I will ring Tom and that's when he can blow his whistle for the drivers to go
to their cars.
Ron tells us, "Anyone who isn't a driver, can be
spread out on the upper and lower verandahs and can cheer as they arrive. The
drivers will all come back while Jan and Helen go upstairs to get ready."
Mr Grant looks at me and Karl and says, "The
responsibility for you two is to make sure that your father is ready, and then
lead him down to the landing when the music starts playing." Then he asks,
"Which one of you is going to be holding the rings?"
"What?" I say, feeling a bit of panic. "What rings?"
"The wedding rings!" Mr Grant replies. "Hasn't your
father worked that out with you? It's usually the best man's responsibility to
look after the rings until they are needed."
"No idea!" I tell him. I look at Karl.
"Me either!" Karl adds. "Should we ring him to find
out? I hope that he doesn't forget them."
"Good idea," Mr Grant replies. "We'll leave that to
you. Better do it now."
Mr Grant, William, Ron and Jacko fill us in on
everything that we should know. The ceremony, the food, the dancing, and some
idea of who might be coming.
"What happens when it's all over?" Karl asks.
"Oh, yes," Mr Grant says. "That's important. Drivers
will be invited to go back to their cars to flash their lights and sound their
horns while William drives the bride and groom in the landau back to their Land
Rover. Then, they will go back to Whispering Gums by themselves. Mr O'Brien
will take the horses back to his place in the horse trailer. Ron and Jacko will
help us clean up then go to stay at the pub for the night. You three boys get
to stay here with William and me."
"So, Dad and Helen are going back to Whispering Gums
for their honeymoon?" Karl asks.
"They only wanted one night to themselves," Mr Grant
tells us. "And they hope to take a longer holiday some other time."
I reckon that they've already had their `honeymoon',
and I know more than I can tell!
Karl says, "Dad has the wedding rings. He'll give them
to us when he gets here."
The Smiths arrive and we all help with the food: cold
things to the dining room. Barbecue and things to be cooked to the side
verandah.
The bridesmaids arrive, accompanied by a friend to
help them, and Mr Grant shows them all to the pink room.
The bush band arrives and I show them where I think it
would be best for them to set up. I've seen photos of orchestras and of pop
bands, but never anything like this lot! I appreciate that the players take the
time to explain things to me and show me how their instruments work.
I recognise the violin, and the large piano accordion
although I've never actually seen or heard either played before (`previously').
The `tea chest bass' is a large wooden box, with a
pole and a cord attached to both the pole and the box. It is played by plucking
the tight cord and moving the stick, one end of which rests on the box, to
produce different sounds. The guys tell me that it is like a double bass (I
know what that is – a `grandpa violin'). He lets me have a go. It takes me a
while to get used to making different notes. High-Low. Umph-Pah. Umph-Pah. Nice!
But, the strangest thing that I've ever seen is a long
stick with bits of wood nailed across it, and all covered with nailed-on metal
bottle tops and metal washers. They say that it's called a `lagerphone'. The
stick has a rubber `boot' so that the floor isn't damaged when the stick is
pounded on the floor and all of the bottle tops rattle. If that isn't weird
enough, there is also another stick, like a short tomato stake, with notches
cut in it. It's used to push back and forth across the main stick, causing all
of the bottle tops to vibrate and rattle very quickly. It's played kind of like
a double bass made of sticks and metal, except it only rattles, like a hundred
tambourines. (And, yes, I know what they are too!) I love playing this one! I
could probably make my own, if I ask Mr Smith at the pub for lots of the bottle
tops.
One of the men also has a harmonica and a whistle
which he says he can just `throw in' when it feels right.
They practise, and the sound is amazing, flowing from
up there down into the hall. There is a piece that they call `Here Comes the
Bride' which they will play while Helen is walking from the pink room down to
the landing. And, another which will be the `Bridal Waltz'. My feet quickly
pick up the rhythm! The accordion has buttons to make different sounds. One sounds
like an organ. Another one is like an old-fashioned piano. Love it!
The bridesmaids' friend comes down.
"Hello. I'm Melinda," she tells me. "Which twin are
you?"
"I'm Kurt," I say. "My brother, Karl, is out on the
upstairs verandah, I think."
Melinda asks me whether I'd like to practise my
dancing for when I get to dance with one of the bridesmaids.
I didn't know that Karl and I were supposed to dance
with the bridesmaids! Somebody forgot to tell us that. However, it doesn't
worry me. Besides, I am a bit out of practice!
I call up to the band and ask them to play the waltz.
We start to dance and Melinda pulls me a lot closer to
her than Mum used to do. "It's OK," she tells me, sensing my tenseness. "Women
like to dance close to men, especially if they are handsome." She adds, "You
dance really well for a young man!"
"Thanks," I tell her. "Our mother taught Karl and me."
I begin to enjoy gliding around the large floor, which
I wasn't able to do with Mum in our small house.
"What do you do?" I ask.
"I write stories," Melinda replies.
"Wow!" I tell her. "I like English at school. And
stories. What kind do you write?"
"Anything that needs improving," she tells me.
"What does that mean?" I ask.
"Well," she starts, "I take other people's stories and
improve them."
"What do the other people think about that?" I ask.
"Are they OK with you changing their stories, or `improving' them, as you say?"
"I've never had any complaints," she replies.
"Sometimes they don't even know about it."
"How do you put their name to the story, if they don't
know about it?" I ask.
"Oh, I usually just put my name," she answers, seeming
to not care. "What they don't know won't hurt them, or me."
I have a sudden, uneasy feeling, like when Uncle came
into Andy's and my bedroom.
I stop dancing.
"Thank you, Melinda, for the practice," I tell her. "But I've just remembered
something that I have to check with my brother – exactly when we have to put
our suits on."
"Thank you, Kurt," she tells me. "I'll just have a
look around and see if I can help anybody."
I find Andy and Karl on the verandah, staring out to
the east, like sailors looking for pirates.
"Excuse me Karl," I say to my brother. "May I steal
Andy for a couple of minutes? There's somebody that I'd like him to meet."
"Andy," I tell him quietly, walking with him around to
the side of the verandah, "Didn't Uncle say that the thief we should be aware
of was a man?"
"I think so," Andy replies. "I'm sure that I heard
`he' when Uncle warned us. Why?"
"There's a friend of one of the bridesmaids
downstairs, named Melinda," I say. "And she told me that she takes other people
stories, changes them and then sells them as her own. Wouldn't you say that
sounds like thieving?"
"Maybe," Andy replies. "But I really thought that we
were to be on the lookout for a man!"
"So did I," I tell him. "Or Uncle could have said `she'!
Why don't you go and dance with her, and see what you can find out about her,
without her getting too suspicious?"
"I don't dance that stuff!" he says, referring to the
waltz that he would have heard earlier.
"You could always ask her to give you a quick lesson!"
I tell him, and I give him a nudge. "When you go past the band, ask them to
play something that you could dance to. Or you could just chat with her. You
can tell her that you're a friend of mine, and that I said she's an interesting
person to talk to."
"OK," he says. "But, I hope
that I don't stuff it up. I'm not really good at playing Sherlock Holmes."
The guests start to arrive. Ron and Jacko direct each
car and truck where to park and explain to them what is planned. After
collecting a drink, people start to fill both the upstairs and downstairs
verandahs, waiting for Dad and Helen.
There is a lot of talking, and I feel the excitement
grow, especially when we all see William head out with the landau. The horses look
magnificent! Everybody claps. William waves.
After about five minutes, Mr Grant blows his whistle.
Everybody knows what that means, and then there is a line of drivers heading
down the front stairs and back to their vehicles.
Andy comes back to me. "I couldn't find her at first,
but then I saw her coming out of the library."
"What?" I say, very concerned. "Was she carrying
anything?"
"Nothing that I could see," Andy replies. "Not even a
purse or anything that women carry."
"What did you do?" I ask.
"Well, I introduced myself, like you told me, then I offered
to show her around," he says. "We did the tour of the loungeroom, the kitchen
and the dining room."
"Did you talk to her? What did you find out?" I ask.
"She did tell me that she writes stories, and mostly
she uses her name, `Melinda' but, sometimes, she uses `Robert'. She called it a
pseudonym."
"That means it's a name a writer can use if they don't
want to be identified," I tell him.
"I knew that!" Andy replies, punching me in the
shoulder. "It's also called a `pen name'. We learned about `Mark Twain' at
school. His real name was Samuel Langhorne Clemens."
"Yes," I say. "Mark Twain. Huckleberry Finn is one of
my favourites."
We hear car horns and rush to see Dad and Helen coming
down the `avenue' in the landau.
Among the cheers and applause, Dad helps Helen down.
They bow and wave to the crowd and we all cheer louder!
"Catch you later!" I tell Andy. "Karl and I are on
duty. You know where to sit?"
"Yes," Andy replies. "And I hope that Melinda doesn't
want to sit with me. She's strange. When I wasn't looking at her directly, she
almost sounded like a guy."
"Can you please keep an eye on her?" I ask.
"Especially if she heads towards Mr Grant's library."
"No problem!" Andy replies. "I can do that. Simple."
As Dad and Helen walk down the length of the hall, the
band plays some lively music. I'm almost tempted to skip. When they reach the
landing, Dad and Helen kiss, then turn and wave at everybody. The bridesmaids
greet Helen at the top of the stairs, and, on our side, we shake hands with our
Dad, then the three of us head to the blue room.
I hear the people who were on the upstairs verandah, talking
as they head down to the hall.
"How are you feeling?" I ask my Dad.
"Fine, son," he says. "It's not as though I've never
been married before!" Then he laughs.
Karl and I laugh too. However, for some reason it
comes to my mind that, on both occasions, the bride was, or is, pregnant! Shhh.
We get dressed, take turns at pinning the single rose
that somebody put on the bed to one another's coat. Then, standing side by
side, with Dad in the middle, we look at ourselves in the mirror. Karl and I
are almost as tall as Dad. Our heads are probably level with his eyes.
"We need a photo of us together like this," Dad says.
"I'll remember this day forever. Me and my two very handsome sons!"
I think he is trying very hard not to cry.
"Hey!" Karl says. "The rings!"
"Oh, yes," Dad tells him, and then feels into every
pocket in his suit coat and pants.
Karl and I look horrified that he has forgotten them
or lost them.
"Only joking!" he says. He hands one to me and one to
Karl. "Better put them into your coat pocket," he says.
We hear the band start to play, and we know that it's
time.
Karl and I escort Dad to the top of the stairs. The
hall seems full, with people spread and standing. Some older people are
sitting.
Mr O'Rourke, is waiting on the landing to conduct the
ceremony. He smiles at us. I nod and give him a little wave.
Helen and the bridesmaids appear and wait at the top
of the stairs on the other side.
Helen looks beautiful. She is wearing a dress similar in
style to one that I've seen Mum wear, except Helen's has two different colours
– pink and one colour that looks like a not-quite-ripe peach. Both bridesmaids
are wearing dresses in the same peachy colour, so Helen's pink stands out! Not
to mention her bouquet of red roses.
The band stops playing and the chatter in the hall
falls silent.
Then, to `Here Comes the Bride', Helen begins the slow
descent of the stairs, one bridesmaid on each side of her.
Karl, Dad and I manage to keep in step with them on
our side.
When we get to the landing, Dad and Helen proceed
without us `escorts', and they hold hands. Helen hands her bouquet to one of
her bridesmaids.
When the music stops, Mr O'Rourke begins, "Dearly
beloved, we are gathered here today..."
And I don't hear a lot of what else he says. I look at
Dad's and Helen's faces. They are beaming and it is obvious that they are in
love.
I look down at Andy's face at the front on our side.
He's grinning at me and I grin back. I love him.
I look for Melinda. I can't see her anywhere amongst
the crowd.
After lots of talking, I hear Mr O'Rourke ask, "If
there is anyone here who knows a lawful reason why Jan and Helen cannot be
married, let them now speak, or forever hold their peace."
There is a long pause.
We hear `I do' from the back of the hall, and then,
after a few gasps, there is silence, and everyone turns to see who spoke.
Then the same person, perhaps already having had a
little too much to drink, calls out,
"I do! Can we get on with the `I do'? Speak up! We want to hear them say it!"
There is a huge sigh of relief in the hall, and some
giggles.
Then Mr O'Rourke does the `ring thing' and Karl and I
each hand over what we have been guarding carefully.
I hear Mr O'Rourke say, "I now pronounce you husband
and wife."
Everybody cheers.
Dad and Helen kiss each other. Then Dad turns and
shakes our hands then goes over to the bridesmaids. Helen comes to us, grasps
our hands, and kisses us.
There is a small table and two chairs behind us, below
the zebra, where Dad, Helen, the bridesmaids and Mr O'Rourke sign something,
while the band plays.
They stand up. Dad takes Helen's hand and leads her
down the stairs. People in the middle of the hall move out to the side and Dad
and Helen begin to dance.
One of the bridesmaids comes to me, takes my hand and
we go down the stairs as well, then join in with the dancing. She's a good
dancer and we `click' together and glide around the floor. Karl and the other
bridesmaid make it three couples.
I get to dance with Helen. So does Karl. When the
music stops, everyone cheers, and Mr O'Rourke announces the arrangements for
eating.
Mr Smith has brought in the cooked food and everything
is in the dining room, and people begin to move. Some people head outside for a
cigarette or another drink.
Two tables have been pushed together and set up for
Dad, Helen, the bridesmaids, Karl and me, with one extra chair for Melinda and
one more for Andy. Our plates have food on them already.
Everybody eats.
While we are eating, many people come to congratulate
Dad and Helen.
There are speeches. Somebody forgot to tell me that I
was supposed to give a speech! I won't go into details, but I manage to tell
everyone what a wonderful father Dad has been and how Karl and I are very pleased
with his choice of Helen for his wife. Then I tell everyone what a beautiful
person Helen is, and how lucky my Dad is, and so are my
brother and I!
I mustn't have done too badly because everyone
applauds. Dad shakes my hand and hugs me. I also get a hug and kisses from
Helen.
Everybody takes their plates to the kitchen where
there are many people helping to clean up.
All of the tables are pushed back against the walls
and the chairs are arranged in a huge ring, facing the centre.
There is about an hour of dancing.
With the progressive Pride of Erin and barn dance, we
get to dance with most of the women in the room. Some old. A few young. The
older ones hold me closely and dance well. Some of the young ones seem afraid
of getting too close and don't dance smoothly. I think they would prefer the `modern'
ones.
William, Jake, Karl, me and Andy are together. We
exchange grins or wide eyes as our partners progress to the next one.
When Melinda `comes around', she calls me `Karl' and
says, "You dance as well as your brother." I don't care that she can't tell us
apart!
With single-partner dances, Karl and I don't have to
ask anybody to be our partner. It seems as though, whenever one dance finishes,
there is a lady waiting to have `her turn' with us.
At one point, Helen comes to me and says, "I told you
that you'd be popular with the ladies, didn't I? Now, it's my turn!"
To one piece of music, Helen gives me a quick dancing
lesson. It's appropriately called the `quick step'. I pick it up immediately
and we both glide around the floor. I suddenly become aware that nobody else is
dancing. They are standing around watching us. When my Dad
comes and taps me on the shoulder to `take over', everyone claps, and I hear
`Bravo Kurt!'
I think that I now like dancing as much as I do cooking.
There is one person whom I would love to dance with!
I say to Andy, "Go up to our bedroom. I'll be up
shortly."
"Which one?" he asks. "Blue or Green?"
"Blue," I tell him. "The green one is too close to the
toilet being used by the `Ladies'.
Andy doesn't do `old fashioned' dances. But, I'm OK
with us just clinging to each other and swaying to the music, with the band just
outside the bedroom wall.
When the band stops, Andy tells me, "Thanks!" and we
hug and kiss each other.
Then, to not cause any suspicion, I go first, and
suggest to Andy that he should wait a few minutes before coming down.
When I emerge, I'm glad that the band members have all
gone downstairs for some refreshments.
After the cutting of the cake, and everybody having a
piece with coffee or tea, Dad and Helen go back upstairs to change clothes.
They come down wearing nice casual clothes. Dad asks Karl and me to fold up his
suit with ours so that they can be returned to the shop next week.
William has brought the horses around to the front,
and there is a stream of people to the upstairs balcony to cheer `Mr and Mrs
Andersen' as they drive off in the landau.
The drivers toot and flash their horns, accompanied by
cheers from the balcony. Dad and Helen turn and wave.
Most of the people take that as a sign that it's time
to go, including the band. Mr Grant thanks them and so do I.
Not everyone leaves.
Marty and his two brothers stay to help stack the
tables and chairs.
The bridesmaids and Melinda tidy up in the pink room.
The three of them emerge, find Mr Grant in the kitchen and thank him for the
use of this magnificent house, then they head for the front door.
One bridesmaid leaves and is
being followed by Melinda.
Suddenly the front door slams loudly shut.
Old `Mr Davo' comes out of the library. I think that
I've never heard his full name. He looks around for the cause of what he has
heard.
Mr Grant rushes from the kitchen and asks, "What was
that noise? What happened? Is everyone all right?"
Karl tells him, "The bridesmaids and Melinda were just
leaving. One went out and then the door suddenly closed. All by itself."
"Very strange!" Mr Grant says. Then, laying his hand
on the door, it opens. He stands back so that the ladies can go through.
Melinda steps toward the door and it slams again.
"What's happening?" Marty's brother, Chad, the cop,
asks, coming to see.
Karl jokingly says, "The house likes Melinda and
doesn't want her to leave, apparently."
Some people are amused. But, not all.
Mr Grant opens the door again, and the other
bridesmaid walks through. No problem.
Melinda, moving to follow her, is shocked when the
door slams in her face.
Karl laughs, "It really does like her!"
"Or not!" Andy says quietly.
Melinda looks really upset and says, "I need to visit
the `Ladies' toilet, and she rushes back up the stairs.
Again, Mr Grant touches the door, and it opens.
The two bridesmaids on the outside come back and ask
where Melinda is, then go searching for her.
They are half-way up the stairs when there is a scream
from the `Ladies' bathroom.
Melinda runs out, stumbles down the stairs in a hurry
and says, "A black ghost just cursed me! He took a bone from his chest, pointed
it at me and then mumbled something in aboriginal `jabber jabber'!"
Then he put the bone back into his body and disappeared.
"Don't be silly, dear," her bridesmaid friend tells
her. "There are no ghosts. Especially aboriginal ones! Whoever heard of such a
thing?"
Andy and I know better!
Melinda isn't having it, and makes a dash for the
door, but trips in her high heels when only half-way along the hall. She drops
her bag and things spill out, including a few folded pieces of paper.
Davo, the gentleman, assists her in getting up and
then in restoring her belongings to her bag.
"What's this?" he asks, holding up the folded papers.
"Nothing!" she answers. "It's just old bits of paper
that I found on the floor. I was going to put them in the bin but then I saw
that it was somebody's scratchy attempt at writing a story about some boys in
London. So, I decided to have a go at improving it. That's what I do, you know.
Besides, people know MY name but they would have no idea who `Boz' was."
Davo looks very angry. "Firstly," he says, "it was not
on the floor. I was looking at it earlier and when I went back to the desk it
was gone."
"Well, I found it on the floor!" Melinda tells him.
"Secondly," Davo, holding up the papers, continues,
"This is not just somebody's `scratchings' as you
have described it, young lady! It is a hand-written, unpublished story that
could have become one of the `Sketches by Boz' in the 1830's. Boz, his pen
name, was better known as `Charles Dickens'.
Chad steps over to Melinda and says, "Madam, you and I
need to talk," and he shows her his badge.
Melinda collapses and appears to go unconscious.
Chad and Marty's brother, Sean, the paramedic from Big
Town, tries to revive her, but can't.
Davo says, "An aboriginal pointing a bone at a thief
was usually a death sentence. I've heard of it, but never actually witnessed
it. Some who have, tell me that it's a real thing!"
In that case," Sean tells everyone, "We'd better get
her to the hospital. She's still breathing. Lucky that I drove the ambulance
out here. Come on, Chad, you can drive, while I attend to her in the back."
I speak up, "She told me that sometimes she calls
herself `Melinda' and sometimes `Robert', so I don't know who she really is.
Chad says to Davo, "May I take these papers as
evidence?"
"Be careful of them," Davo replies. "That could be
worth a million dollars."
Everybody gasps.
Marty and Sean assist in getting Melinda, or Robert,
out of the door. Followed by the bridesmaids.
When Chad attempts to leave, the door slams shut in
front of him.
"My guess," Davo says, "Is that the house appears to permit
nothing from the library to be taken out through the door."
Chad returns the papers to Davo.
Mr Grant touches the door and it opens.
Chad shakes his head as he walks out and follows the
others down towards the ambulance.
"I'd hate to be her, or him, when she wakes up!" Mr
Grant comments.
"IF she ever wakes up!" Davo adds.
(to be continued)
-----
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The partly-parallel
version to this story, `Schoolie', told through the eyes of Tom Grant, gives
the backstory specifically for Tom, William, Andy and Jintabudjaree.
Find `Schoolie' at https://www.nifty.org/nifty/gay/adult-youth/schoolie
-----
If you're interested, I have 26 (A-Z) short stories
at
https://www.nifty.org/nifty/gay/adult-friends/massage-tales
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