Chapter 9

Preparations for the wedding were as complete as was possible. The guests were all Rehome residents except for the Montfords and Mrs Cross. The Governor, his wives and household staff were there, as were John Wilson and a few representatives of the tourist body that Amelia worked for. The Director of Education, Jennifer Prentice was there and Trevor's other boss, Pam Humbert. Unusually for a human wedding, Mother Narech was there on behalf of the Personalia and the Malans. The others were locals who had got to know Trevor or the girls in recent months.

Trevor came in first, and stood in the front of the congregation, facing the altar. He nervously checked his pockets for the five sets of rings, and kept looking over his shoulder in the direction of the door. The Governor's limousine drew up and Peter opened the door. The girls, all in identical dresses, got out in age order, Amelia first, then lined up in single file for entering. Peter checked that all their hand bouquets were still intact and held in an identical way, then gave the finger signal for "perfect". They walked at the sedate pace they had practiced, into the door and up the aisle, faces slightly towards the ground as they watched their pacing.

The wedding music rang out as they processed to the front. At that point they split off in turn, left and right, so that Trevor had two girls on each side of him when they stopped and stood line abreast. He looked to his left, smiled at the two girls, then did the same to his right.

The clergyman went into the wedding ceremony, and they did everything as they had practiced a day or to before. The complicated section was when they accepted each other. The clergyman read out the group of names for each participant to agree with, and when they had all voiced their acceptance of each other, he asked Trevor to produce the rings. He fumbled in his pockets and produced the boxes. Each was labelled with a name, to make things easier. So he distributed the boxes. At that stage, they knew exactly how they were to do this: they had practiced and practiced it at home. The placed the rings on the appropriate fingers of the others, until each had a five-link ring on his and her finger, and the clergymen went on to declare them married spouses. This sparked off applause among the congregation. The quintet turned, faced the congregation, and bowed.

Trevor held a hand up, to make an announcement. "Ladies and Gentlemen, my wives and I (applause and laughter) would like you to sit for a few moments while they sing you a lullaby which was written by my youngest wife, Dinah. There are two verses. I give you, "Dinah's Lullaby".

He gestured theatrically, then stepped back behind his wives. They listened, as the clergyman sounded the starting note on the organ. They launched into the lullaby, unaccompanied, as the congregation fell silent to listen intently. The girls swung to the beat of the lullaby, and as the ended the second verse, swung their bouquets upward in a concluding gesture, two to the right, two to the left. As the congregation started to applaud loudly, then took a bow as a group, using Amelia as the lead to follow.

When the noise had died down, Trevor joined them in the middle, and they all linked arms to process back to the door and outside. A marquee tent was outside and to the side. Under it were tables laden with finger food, as well as a serving table for plates of hot food, so guests could have a choice, or both. A top table was set for the wedding party quintet, but they first of all lined up to welcome the guests as they decanted from the chapel, with Trevor first, then each of the girls in age sequence.

The first to arrive and shake their hands were Mr and Mrs Montford, who went down the line, congratulating each of them. Trevor made sure to call them Daddy and Momma. The spouse were all smiles, until the next guest shook hands with Trevor, and he said, "thanks for coming, Mother." The eyes of all the girls shot round, to see who he was calling Mother.

As she moved from Trevor to Amelia, Mrs Cross said, "Congratulations, my lovely Amelia." She grabbed Amelia's hand, and leaned forward to hug her tight. Amelia gasped, "Mum? Mum! MUM!!!!" Trevor whispered to her "Just her, alone, Amelia." Amelia turned her head to look at Trevor and whisper, "You knew about this?" He smiled and said, Yes, dear. I know ALL. Enjoy!"

Amelia drew back to look at her anxious mother. "Mum. You came all this way to be here for me?" Her mother said, "At the request and invitation of the Governor, dear, so I could make amends. He found me, A WIDOW, alone and brought me here."

"A widow, you say? Mum, if Trevor has approved, you are extremely welcome here. We will talk later."

Georgina continued to shake hands with the other spouses down the line, a tear in her eye. When she got past Dinah and finished, the Montfords were waiting to give her a hug of reassurance. "Come on, Georgina," said George. "Let's get you something to eat before you collapse."

After all the other guests had been appropriately welcomed and directed to their food, Trevor and his girls trooped over to the table where his new in-laws were seated. He leaned down to kiss Momma Montford on the cheek, and then did the same with Mum Cross. He shook hands with Daddy Montford, saying "Sir - Can I officially call you Daddy now, or should I call you George?"

George clasped the hand tightly, and said, "Either is fine with me, Trevor. Welcome to the family, son. You have a lot on your hands, especially if they are all expecting."

"Yes, sir. I appreciate your welcome. I have obtained a much better position, setting up a new business, and it seems to be going well. I have a good salary, sufficient to look after my new family, and if we make profits, I get a bonus based on the results. Your girls will receive all the love I can give them – as will Amelia –" He added, turning to smile at Mrs Cross, "and anything they need will be theirs; be assured of that, sir. Their wishes are the priorities in my family."

Amelia pulled over a chair, to sit beside her mother, and give her a hug. "Mum, I was so overwhelmed to find you here. I forgave you, years back, but I didn't know how you felt, so I never wrote or phoned. I was scared you were still with Dad, and under his control."

"He's gone, darling. His drunken escapades proved fatal one night, when he went driving and crashed into a stone wall. He died almost immediately, the police said. They probably said that to make me feel better about his death, but my reaction, inside, was, "pity he didn't suffer more." That was three years ago. I sold the house, and moved to a single flat by the seaside. I thought I was just getting rid of him, but I found I was lonely, without any family to speak to. My own parents disowned me when your father knocked me up with what turned out to be you. Your father was all right when he was sober, and we could talk at these times. That was not a lot."

"Poor Mum. I found that a single girl was welcome in the colony, as they were short of women, but I came here to get as far away from Dad as possible. They probably expected me to soon marry and start a family, but I never found a man who stirred me, inside, until Trevor. The moment we met, I was hooked."

"I had heard that it was some native chemical that affected you all. Is that not correct?"

"Oh, it is correct all right, Mum, but for me, it just reinforced what I was already feeling. I wasn't too sure which it was for Trevor, but he admitted that his first sight of me, stepping out of the caravan that us girls were using, made his insides go "wow". So I think I would have fallen for him anyway; but for the Montford girls, they had no chance to think: it just hit them, and that was it. The effect seems to be permanent, so we are all happy to be together. They are wonderful girls, Mum, so I am pleased that they are my co-wives. We sorted out things so as not to exhaust Trevor. We have a rota arranged for normal conditions, but on special occasions, such as today, we all have access to him. He is a good lover, I am happy to say, and there is seldom a cross word in the family. He only gets annoyed and upset when one of us acts stupid, for he values education. He refused to let Tracy and Dinah give up school, for that reason. He wants his children to have mothers who have the sort of educational background that will give the children their best start in life.

I missed out on completing school on Earth, by running away; but I did a lot of personal studying when I got to Rehome. I am self-educated, Mum, and I have a teacher husband who can encourage me to learn more. I recently started learning the Malan language. I have visions of our kids interacting with the Malan children, and I want to be ready for that. Now, tell me what you have been up to recently, at the seaside."

"Not very much, to tell you the truth. I got a part-time job at a local supermarket, as I had no higher education or training for anything important. Your father never encouraged me to better myself, and I reacted by deciding he was not going to have any more children. I took precautions without telling him, so that is why you were an only child. My job at the supermarket has allowed me to meet people, as sitting at home is lonely and boring.

Now, about the Montford parents; George and Marina. They are wonderful people, so much in love with each other, and so GIVING of themselves!"

"How do you mean, "giving", Mum? I don't get you. What do you mean by that?"

"Oh. Oh, dear: that just slipped out. That was wrong of me, sorry. I was saying something I shouldn't. You will understand, Amelia. There are things one should not come out with, even when it is a nice thing." She stood up, taking Amelia's hand. "Let's go for a little walk, girl." They wandered a few yards away, until Amelia came back with, "Perhaps you are right, Mum, but if it is a nice thing, why hide it? Nice things should be enjoyed and appreciated."

Mum looked at her newly married daughter, and speaking softly, came out with, "I keep forgetting that my little girl is pregnant, and now a married woman, so sex is no news to you. Can you keep this a secret, darling; just between you and me?"

"Of course, Mum. Our family has always had to keep its secrets. I have never told about Dad, even to Trevor. He knew I was not a virgin, but never asked who was with me first. He is such a lovely man, is Trevor. Today I find that he already knew about Dad, and was so GOOD about it! It was lovely to hear him say "I know it ALL," with such a sympathetic voice. I love my husband even more, now."

"I understand, Amelia. I have always been proud of your determination to be yourself. Well, you must understand that I did not have sex with anyone after your Dad died; and sex with him was not much more than him getting HIS satisfaction: nothing more."

"Poor Mum. Trevor is very good at making sure we enjoy sexual intercourse. It is about both of us enjoying it, as a way of showing our love."

"Yes, well I never had that. Not until last night."

"Last night? What happened, Mum? You have to tell me."

"Okay, but I have to tell it as it happened. During the afternoon, when I told Mrs Montford that you and I had not been in contact for the last five years or so, she blamed you for that, and threatened to have strong words with you about it. I couldn't let that happen, so I broke down and cried, telling them it was not your fault that we hadn't been in touch.

Well, nice though they are, that just made them even more curious, and they asked what had happened.

They wouldn't stop asking until I finally told them what your father had done; and that you ran away from home and disappeared. Mrs Montford was completely bowled over by what her questioning had done to me. She apologised over and over, really profusely, for her "unpardonable" behaviour, as she called it. She was quite emotional, herself, and we went off to the powder room so we could get it sorted out between us.

In the emotion of the moment, more was said than intended, and I said what a terrible lover your father was, never considering me. Mrs Montford – her name is Marina, by the way – said that she could not allow me to go through life without knowing the tenderness of a good man. She said she would lend me her husband for the night. She told me, "George is not just a good man and loving husband and father; he is a good lover as well. You will have to experience him to know what I mean, and you shall, tonight. He has never been unfaithful to me, of that I am certain, but for this occasion I shall insist on it. Be prepared for him to knock on your bedroom door. I shall make sure he has showered beforehand, so he is not sweaty or anything."

I told her, "You cannot do such a thing. What is George going to think? And it is a sacrifice for you, Marina."

She informed me that she had insulted me and my family earlier, and had to make amends. This was her way of doing so. She wanted me to get something good in my life, in compensation for something bad. So I accepted."

Amelia was agog. "So you had sex with her husband?"

Mum was adamant: "No. It was not like that." A dreamy smile came over her face as she remembered. "I was made love to by darling George. He was so considerate, so kind and gentle, asking me what I wanted to happen. That was what astonished me: he was asking me what I wanted! When we had that agreed, I had a wonderful time.

We went on so long that Marina came and tapped on the door in case there was something wrong. I was on top of George at the time, and didn't want to stop until I came (again!), so I called for her to come in and shut the door. She did, and watched me finish riding George."

Amelia burst out, "Wow. My Mum having fun with a man in bed: cool!"

Georgina blushed beautifully, but continued to recount her tale: "Once I got off her husband, Marina asked George whether he wanted to go back to their own room, and he said he was too tired to move, so Marina took off her pyjamas, climbed in with us, and cuddled up to George, saying "Well, we might as well stay here with Georgina."

I must have drifted off, but I was wakened by them making love beside me. It was really a lovely sight – they are so obviously still in love with each other, George and Marina. Then we all fell asleep until George woke Marina, by climbing out of bed to get to the loo, and that woke me too, and we all needed to go, so the bathroom got crowded, and none of us with a stitch on, Amelia; it was quite surreal. No one made any comment about it at all; it just seemed so natural that we simply accepted it."

Amelia interjected, "I know exactly what you mean, Mum. Trevor has insisted that all of us get used to being naked around each other at home, and even not to be embarrassed at him making love to one of us while others look on. The first time, I was the one being made love to, in front of the other girls. It was a bit of a turn-on, I can tell you."

Georgina was amazed at the antics of her married daughter, but understood the circumstances. She went on with her story. "Anyway, we all needed to get dressed, so George and Marina went back to their own bedroom to get their clothes, and I dressed in my own room, and we came down to breakfast. I hope they remembered to rumple their bed to make it look slept in. We wouldn't want any scandal, would we?"

"Mum, I think it is simply tremendous! You got the loving of a good man, a good experience, and made a couple of good friends of my in-laws. Congratulations. You have boosted my image of you. My old mum is a sexy woman, it turns out."

"Yes, well, don't blab about it, dear. Your mother is still sensitive about such things."

"Right-Oh. Now come and be nice to my fellow wives, my co-wives. I need you to approve of them, Mum, for my sake. Did you like our chorus line, in the chapel? We would love to record it, and we would be "The Montford Sisters", including me, Mum. I am an honorary Montford sister now!"

They sat and chatted, and Georgina got to know the three sisters that her daughter was going to live with, for the foreseeable future. She liked what she saw. These girls had the right attitude to life, she felt, and Trevor Defreitas looked to be a competent chap to be their husband. Gosh, her Amelia was now Mrs Defreitas; one of four Mrs Defreitas. That must make life awkward, if someone phones and ask for Mrs Defreitas!

It would be fun for her, though, telling her friends back on Earth about her daughter, Mrs Defreitas, living on another planet. Then it came to her how few real friends she had, and she sobered up a little.

Trevor gathered his in-laws around, and invited them to come and see the Defreitas home, in another part of the city. The Governor's limousine and his chauffeur Peter were available to take them there, as the Governor and his wives intended to stay and chat to all the guests for a while yet, as part of his Governor persona. Peter would take the Defreitas family home, then return to collect the Governor's party. Trevor hunted down a couple of other people he knew had cars, and asked them to drive the in-laws to the Defreitas house. They gladly agreed, and soon all of them had been dropped at the house.

Trevor stood outside to talk about the house and grounds with his new in-laws, while his brides rushed inside to prepare for their visitors. Then he took them in, where he handed them over to the girls. "Girls, they are your parents, so do the honours and show them our home, warts and all."

The four girls, a trifle giggly with the alcohol that they had imbibed with the reception food, dragged the parents all over the house, showing them every room. They did not neglect to mention that the furniture had been paid for by Mary Kempe, in lieu of a wedding present. They praised Mary for also giving Trevor his present job, starting up the parcels distribution and delivery service for the Colony. "It is already going well, and Trevor has plans for future expansion. He is starting up a subsidiary business, making boxes similar to cardboard boxes, but using local materials.

Annabel asked her father, "Daddy, why don't you set up a business on Rehome? It is an expanding Colony, you know."

"Annabel, dear, you know I have commitments to my employers on Earth. I can't just up sticks and away?"

She retorted, "Well, at least talk to the Governor, or John Wilson, about it. Get the facts before you turn it down." He agreed to do so, in the next day or so before they had to return to Earth.

There was a phone call from the Governor to Trevor soon afterwards. "Trevor, I presume the parents are still staying at the mansion tonight, when should I arrange for Peter to collect them with the car?"

"Can we make it after dinner, Governor? My brides want to lay on dinner for the parents, on this occasion."

"Nice idea. So, around 8 p.m.?" They finally agreed on 8.30, so Trevor went and informed the three guests. They seemed happy at the idea; and especially dinner at the brides' home.

Dinner went well, and Tracy was congratulated on the cookery skills she had learned from Mary Kempe. She was very encouraged by this praise, and announced to her parents that her school results had vastly improved. She said that this was because, after her schooldays, she wanted to begin a distance learning course on Nutrition and Health. This would allow her to look after her child while studying, and continue cooking the family meals.

Her parents were astonished at the vast improvement in their middle daughter's lifestyle. She was becoming a responsible adult; and their youngest daughter was engaging in song-writing!

The parents later went off with Peter; happy, well fed, delighted with their son-in-law and his positive effect on their daughters. When they arrived at the mansion they were welcomed again by the Kempe family. George asked the Governor if he could have a private word or two, and was invited to the Governor's study. There, he laid out his question, as promised.

"Governor, my eldest daughter has suggested that I embark on a business in this colony. While I was not keen on the idea, she insisted I speak to you about it, so here I am."

Bob looked him in the eye, and said, "Well, what is your present position?"

"I am an industrial chemist with Brown, Root and Branch – I know, it is a terrible name, but that was just the surnames of the partners who set it up. I do a lot of boring work, such as quality testing, but even though it is boring and repetitive, it is vital to ensure that the feedstock is of the required standard. I suppose I could do other quality testing of materials, establishing their constituents, etc., but I don't see where I could make a business out of it."

"What sort of salary does that earn you?"

"My basic salary is around 70,000 dollars a year plus we usually get a bonus based on the success of the company. That can be another ten thousand."

Bob commented, "To open a business here, you could be a consulting industrial chemist, working to a contract, year by year. Have you considered that?"

"With a young and growing family, I never even thought about it. It is only now, with Marina and I being by ourselves, that I might look at the concept. Our son grew up and left home a while back – he is the eldest child - so it was just the girls that were our family focus. Now they are gone as well. They have flown the nest, in one fell swoop."

"It was going to happen some time, George. Let's face it, our children do grow up and leave us. It will happen to me, too, some day."

"Well, I will think about it. It would be a big step."

"You might think seriously about setting up shop on Rehome, George. The more we progress, the more need we have for expert guidance and advice. It doesn't have to be all testing, though I know that the Rehome Deliveries company is setting up a subsidiary to manufacture the equivalent of cardboard boxes, only using local materials. That company will probably have an ongoing requirement for testing of native materials in the future."