USA
Prologue

Copyright© 2016 by Old Man with a Pen

Wendy wife to David; the name is found in United States records from the 19th century; the name Wendy appeared over twenty times in the Census of 1880.

In Britain, Wendy appeared as a boy's name in the 1881 census of England, and was occasionally used as a diminutive for the Welsh Gwendolyn.

It was also used as a surname in Britain from at least the 17th century.

However, its popularity as a girl's name is attributed to the character Wendy Darling from the 1904 play Peter Pan and its 1911 novelization Peter and Wendy by James Matthew Barrie. The name was inspired by young Margaret Henley, daughter of Barrie's poet friend William Ernest Henley. With the common childhood difficulty pronouncing the consonant R, Margaret reportedly used to call him 'my fwiendy-wendy'.

David husband to Wendy; Hebrew: דָּוִד. Modern, David. Tiberian Dāwîḏ has the meaning of "beloved", from a root דּוֹד dôwd, which had an etymological meaning of "to boil" but survives in Biblical Hebrew only in figurative usage "to love"

Artturi first born to David and Wendy; Artturi, the strong man, is a Finnish variant of Arthur. The true origins of the name Arthur are not known. It is probably of Celtic origin and is possibly related to the word "artos", which means 'bear'.

Inkeri second child to David and Wendy; Inkeri, beautiful goddess, a Finnish variant of Ingrid. Ingrid originates in Old Norse language and means "beautiful goddess". In Norse mythology, Ing was another name of Freyr, and important god of farming, weather and fertility.


"David?" said Wendy.

I looked inquisitive.

"You've retired? From the air force?" she asked.

"I've resigned ... it's not the same thing. Not exactly," I replied.

"How not exactly?"

"I'm still in the Reserves," I explained.

"For how long?" she asked.

"Technically? Until I'm 60. Practically? They've never called anyone back older than 45 and that was because the recalled had a needed skill,"

"Like a living high scoring ace of a fighter pilot?"

That gave me furiously to think.

"Probably," I agreed ... mostly.

In a lighting fast change of subject, Wendy said, "We haven't been sailing in years."

"True," I said. "Do you miss it?"

"I was thinking of the children," she said. "Art is 10 years old and Ink is almost nine. They both swim and sail the little boats. I'd like them to get some experience with something bigger.

The Baltic would be a good size but there's really only the one stateroom. The vee birth is available but..." A long pause. Very long.

I took the hint, "Don't want them living together?" I asked.

"They're at the "cooties" stage."

"I had noticed a lot of yelling when they're outside," I said.

"All the girls in the neighborhood are either teens or five, the teens are boy crazy and the five year olds are tea party princesses ... and you know where the tea water comes from," Wendy giggled at that. "The boys are Artie's age and they're not interested in a tag-along girl."

"So?"

"The company boats are all too big."

She was right about that ... the smallest company sailboat was 110 feet.

"Do we have any money?" she asked.

Wendy is excellent at the 'round-about'. She has a new car when she wants, furniture when she wants, garden tractor when she wants, clothing to stay in style when she wants, grocery money and a bit of MAD money which I replenish as needed. She never asks.

I came home and she is looking at the latest automobile brochures, or several furniture catalogs.

I came home and she greeted me at the door with grease on her face and a twisted connecting rod and piston in her hand.

Once I came in and she was wearing rags. She never comes right out and asks.

"Do we have any money?" is the height of subtlety.

"Well, Yah." I said, "We can't buy Sweden but we might swing Latvia."

"I'll get the kids," she strikes while the iron is hot.

And that's how we ended up in the middle of the Gulf of Bothnia heading south on our Turgsen 75 ... the last boat built in the Oulu builders yard.

The company lost its master craftsmen to higher wages, a longer building season and warmer climes. The boat Vellamo, the goddess of the sea, was state of the art construction and a masterpiece of Finn craftsmanship. Exotic woods, tile, and furniture were a delight to the eye and the broad beam made for a pleasant and comfortable ride.

We stopped in Uusikaupunki to see Dal. Dal and Ursula parted ways last year and she got the home in Vehmersalmi and she is enjoying her freedom. Wendy doesn't let me visit, "Because the bitch has her eyes on you, David." Dal's children are all grown, in college or married, or cohabitation with the partner or partners of their choosing.

After leaving the Gulf of Bothnia, Wendy turned right instead of left and we were past Kalmar, Sweden before I woke up for my trick at the helm.

"Wendy?" I asked.

"Kalmar," she said.

"Kalmar?" I asked.

"Sweden. I thought we might as well take a vacation."

"Where are we going?"

"Now? Copenhagen."

"Do the kids know?"

"Are you kidding? Of course they know."

"What do we know?" Art and Ink said like twins.

"That we're going sailing," Wendy said.

"Yeah, around the world," Art said.

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