Chapter 75

While Carol and the other two wives busied themselves at getting breakfast ready, I checked the turkey, which had thawed out nicely. I took it out of the water and dried it out with the clean towel I had placed over it to keep the exposed part from drying. Carol showed me where the makings were, and I started breaking bread for the stuffing.

As long as I could remember, breaking the bread for the Christmas turkey stuffing had been my job, going right back into childhood. In later years, I also became responsible for adding the spices and actually making the dressing. I asked Carol if she trusted me, and she said if I made the same stuffing as she remembered from the farm to go for it as she used the same recipe, which she'd gotten from Mom way back then. I asked Carol what time she'd told the boys dinner was served so I knew when to have the bird stuffed and ready for the oven. She said she told them for five, which meant I should have it ready no later than eleven thirty.

By the time the girls had breakfast ready, I had most of the bread broken. I was sent to fetch Bob and the twins for breakfast. With the whole gang there, it was a lot like breakfast at home. As we sat down, Carol asked me to say a few words to the Goddess. I asked Her to take Ben's soul to her bosom and guide him to the Light then I thanked Her for good food, good friends and a reunited, stronger family.

My Wives (My Wives!) served a scrumptious home cooked breakfast. We had a simply wonderful time of love, friendship and fellowship. We laughed joked and generally acted a little silly. My Girls and I held hands under and over the table, sharing our love by touch. K.P. and D.J. moved from lap to lap, delivering warm little girl hugs and sloppy kid kisses. They had healthy appetites and ate what was put in front of them with gusto. Breakfast, Christmas morning in the W.D. Lloyd household, temporarily located in Bragg Creek, Alberta was a warm, happy occasion we all remembered the rest of our lives.

Breakfast over, and everyone relaxing with their coffees, I called a family meeting.

This was the first family meeting we'd had in twenty years. Bob wanted to excuse himself, saying this was a private affair, but I insisted he stay. The twins asked if they could go play with their new toys, and we let them. Bob stood by the door where he could hear and keep an eye on them and still hear what was being discussed. Being an inveterate doorjamb leaner, it was the natural post for him. I had several items on my agenda. The girls all looked a little nervous, thinking I was going to lay some heavies on them, but most of the things I wanted to discuss were of a practical and pragmatic nature.

I started with the most time-important issue first. "Jeez, My Loves don't look so worried. This is the first opportunity we've had to talk privately without other... ahem... 'distractions' as a family since we all got together. There're a few things we need to talk about, and now's as good a time as any.

"First, are we all going home together — home meaning the farm? If not, who's staying behind to finish up their business affairs?" It hurt me to even consider we might be separated by such mundane matters, but it was a real possibility we needed to discuss.

My Girls (My Girls!) looked at me a little darkly, and Carol's terse reply made me feel stupid for even asking. "David! What do you mean are we all going home together? Of course we are! We will never be separated again! We can't leave soon enough to suit me. I have no business affairs to close up."

Riekie reminded me of the last diary entry, "David, I said I was going to come home on my own a soon as I could. You won't be leaving me behind, either."

Not even pausing long enough to pull my foot out of my mouth, I ploughed on. (When I was very young, my Dad had once accused me of having all the tact of a fire truck on Judgment Day... ) "I'm sorry, My Loves, I just didn't want you to think I was making hasty assumptions. Fair enough, now we do have to make plans to get home. Several questions have to be answered. When do we leave? Do we fly to get there quicker, or do we drive? If we fly, all Carol Anne's stuff will have to be left behind, then we'll have to come back later to pack and have it shipped. If we drive, how much can we take with us? Do we gain anything by that, or does Carol Anne have more than we can take in one trip? If that's the case, we might as well leave it all here, fly home and come back later. Will the rental agency let us take the van across country? I guess the first question to be answered is for Carol Anne — how much do you have to move?"

Carol laughed and said, "I don't have very much except what's in my room. When Ben and I got married, and I found out we were moving in here, I got rid of all my furniture because I didn't need it here. Besides, it was mostly second hand stuff anyway, best suited to a small one bedroom apartment, not this big monstrosity of a house. Even the dishes we're using belong to the house, including the fine china and silverware in the dining room.

"My own dishes, everyday and fine, are in the basement, still in the boxes, including most of the things we got as wedding presents. Only items of a 'personal' nature we use regularly. There's never been any need to unpack them; everything was here ready to use. Even the bed linen belongs to the house. If it ever sells, the house is a 'turn-key' operation. I've got a few personal knick-knacks in the living room and there are a couple small appliances here in the kitchen. I never bought anything for the house. If something wore out or needed to be replaced, the company bought it. All I have is what could be called truly personal items. It's still probably more than the van will hold when you include the luggage and all that Christmas loot the twins got." She thought a moment then added. "Oh! I do have some larger items. The bedroom set in my room is mine. I inherited it from Oma."

Bob interjected at this point. "Dave, I saw a Reese trailer hitch on the van. Couldn't you rent a trailer to hold all Carol Anne's stuff and the extra luggage? A trip like that will be hard on the kids, so if you can cram as much stuff into a trailer as possible, there might be room in the back of the van to make up a place for the twins to sack out. If it all fits, you'll be able to make a clean getaway and not have to worry about returning."

I was delighted at Bob's suggestion. "That's why I asked you to stay, Old Buddy. I knew you'd contribute something worthwhile. We can't do anything on renting a trailer before tomorrow, I imagine, but we can check with the rental agency at the airport today to see if they'll let us drop the van off in Ontario. That'll tell us if we're even being realistic to consider hauling Carol Anne's stuff home or not. Princess, if you'll give me the contract, I'll phone them when we're done.

"The next thing is, when do we leave? I want to be home for New Year's Eve, so if we drive, that means we can't leave any later than Friday morning, because there's no way we can drive straight through. It's just too hard on us, especially with the kids. You can't sleep worth a damn in those seats in that van, trust me. We'd be growling at each other before we're half-way home. We'll have to stop at least two, preferably three nights to let them out and run and so we can all sleep in a bed. I guess departure time depends on when the boys were able to get the funeral scheduled, and that will determine ultimately whether we fly or drive. I guess we'll have to wait to talk to them this afternoon. Carol Anne, can you show Bob and me sometime this afternoon what things you want to take with you so we can get an idea of the size of trailer we'll need? We'll need to know so we can get it first thing tomorrow. Is everyone OK with driving back if we have the time and can get the van and a trailer?"

The girls all said yes, no problem, Carol and Riekie said they'd help with the driving, and Diane, because she didn't drive said she'd be the resident kid-sitter. Carol indicated she'd show us what we needed to see as soon as the turkey was in the oven.

The issue of going home resolved, pending more information, I moved onto my next topic. "OK, I guess that's all settled until we get the rest of the information we need. The next thing I wanted to talk about is an idea I got from something Beth said yesterday.

"She told Carol Anne even if we elect a new First Wife, she would still be the Keeper of the string, and still be First Wife in time. I took it from the way she said it that the functional position of First Wife was of some importance, and that she could be elected. Until now, we've just assumed it was based on who was literally the first, with no duties or responsibilities aside from the unspoken role of string keeper.

"I'm merely throwing this out as an idea and a suggestion. If there is to be an elected First Wife, then you three should elect her from yourselves. I can't become involved if you decide to go that way, because whether my candidate was elected or not, and whether my reasons were based on pure logic or not, I want no perception I'm playing favourites. Call it 'abstaining due to possible conflict of interest'. Please decide amongst yourselves and let me know if you even think this is a good idea. I'll abide by whatever you decide."

Riekie asked, "From the way you make it sound, this elected First Wife would assume a position of some importance in the family. Just what would she do?"

"I'm not altogether clear on that myself, but I think it means she would act as spokesman <I categorically refuse to fall into the PC lingo maze!> for all the wives and be responsible for what I might call 'executive' decisions. By that I mean there will be times when something needs to be done immediately when it isn't practical to call a family meeting to discuss it like we normally would. This is a family. We are all equal, and most major decisions should be made through meetings like this. Occasionally that won't be possible though, so we should have somebody who can make a quick decision on the spot that the rest of us will have to live with regardless of whether it was a good decision or not. We'll be talking to Mom later today. Maybe she can clarify just what it means."

Diane became involved in the discussion. "David, you said we were all equals, yet you called this meeting. Does that mean you're more equal than us?"

"Absolutely not, Muffin. Any one of us can call a family meeting anytime something is bothering us or if we become aware of something important that needs to be discussed. I called this one because I saw some things that I thought should be put before the whole family, and at least one of them, the matter of getting home, is actually quite pressing, so I couldn't wait. This issue of First Wife isn't nearly as urgent -- I just wanted to mention it while it was still fresh in my mind. But that makes me think there may be an additional role for First Wife, in that she may also chair these meetings regardless of who calls them."

Diane nodded. "OK. I understand. According to the way we understand what Beth said, First Wife for now, then, is Carol Anne just because she is the first, but we could actually elect any one of us to the position. I kind of like the idea of a First Wife as you describe it, whether it stays Carol Anne or one of us by election, but I think we should talk to Mom first to learn more."

Carol spoke up, assuming the First Wife position for the time being. "We'll talk it over, David, after we find out what Mom says and decide if we want to actually have someone do the job. Then, if we do, we'll elect one of us. We'll let you know what we do decide. Is that OK, Muffin and Princess?"

Diane and Riekie agreed.

I moved on to my next topic. "OK, that's settled for now. This next item is something Princess and I talked about in the shower this morning. We really appreciate what you, Carol Anne and Muffin, did for us, allowing us to be together for our first night together in many years, but it was also our wedding night for all of us, and we felt like we were being somewhat selfish."

The two wives protested we weren't being selfish at all, noting that they had paired up almost exclusively themselves to explore their own new love, and therefore had been their wedding night. They felt they had left Riekie out of that.

"What this brings me to is what are we going to do when we get home? In the first 'incarnation' of this marriage, Princess and Carol Anne had what we called private times, one day per week at that time, where each wife and me had twenty four hours exclusively to ourselves, including the night alone. The reasoning behind it was to be able to get to know each other on a one-on-one basis without other distractions. It succeeded beyond our wildest dreams. We fell more deeply in love and our whole marriage seemed stronger for it.

"Do you want to re-instate that practice once we're in our own home? I know Princess does, as it was she who raised the issue with me this morning." Riekie nodded. "That would avoid the issue of two of you making a spontaneous sacrifice of your own share of communal time like you two did last night, generous to a fault though it was. Again, this is a decision I'm leaving up to you wives. My position is clear — I'm all in favour of it, but if you decide against it among yourselves, I'll abide by that. OK?"

Carol, still the de facto First Wife, took the vote right then. "I don't think this needs a lot of discussion. I think we're all in favour of it, because this allows the two not with you to have one-on-one of their own, and nobody has to sleep alone unless they want to. What do you say, wives?" Riekie and Diane both agreed enthusiastically. Carol continued. "Like the last time, we'll set the schedule, and David will abide by it, especially who gets the first one. Are we all agreed, ladies?" Again, enthusiastic approval from the other two. " Motioned, voted, carried. Do you have anything else, David?"

"No, that about does it for me. Anybody else have something they want to discuss?"

Diane giggled and said she had one. Blushing prettily, she forged ahead. "At the risk of embarrassing Bob, what does the family think of spontaneous sex? I mean, if two of us end up alone for whatever reason, even if it isn't our private time together, and we get horny for each other, and want to do something about it, is that OK? I'm used to having David to myself, and Carol Anne had him for a weekend. We could do it whenever the urge struck us."

We all laughed, but it was Riekie who answered her. "I'm glad you brought it up, Muffin. You're talking about plain old quickies as opportunities present. They're fun! Spontaneity has always been one of the things that put the spice in our love life. <giggle> We never had much opportunity before, except possibly during our private times, but when we did get then, they were always fun! We have here four of the horniest people it has ever been my privilege to know. If two of us get horny for each other, even if the other two are present, I don't see a problem with that at all. The only thing I would suggest is a little discretion and a modicum of decorum around the children. What does everyone think?"

With lots of giggling, it was carried unanimously. Hey! I'm a man; men hardly ever pass up a chance at some nookie. I'd be a disgrace to my gender to nay say this issue! That was the last item discussed in our meeting, and ended it on a very positive and even suggestive note. From the lascivious looks going round the table, and especially directed at me, I wondered if maybe open season had just been declared on me.

Having successfully concluded our first family meeting, we got back to the business of getting ready for Christmas dinner. I finished breaking the bread for the stuffing, added the onions and spices, had everyone taste test it, and stuffed the bird. While I did that, the girls did the breakfast cleanup and Bob went out to play with the kids and take more pictures. We had the kitchen cleaned up and the turkey in the oven by a little after eleven. We had time now to start with our moving preparations.

I got the rental agreement from Riekie and her credit card in case there was an extra charge as a drop fee in Ontario. I noted with surprise and pleasure that Riekie had shown her address as the farm. I commented on it, and she said there was probably mail already waiting for her, as she had officially notified the post office and all other interested parties of her address change to the farm. Fortunately, the number for the airport branch was on the bill, and there was an attendant on duty. Airports and their support industries like car rentals run twenty-four-seven-three-sixty-five.

I identified myself, told the lady my wife had rented a van there yesterday and gave her the contract number. She looked it up and verified the details. Riekie had taken the van on an open-ended rental, with no time limit, so we were Ok there. I asked about taking the van to Ontario and dropping it, and would it be OK to tow a trailer. The lady said she'd have to change the contract, as there would be an additional drop fee, although that would be off-set to some extent by a lower rate because of the longer term. The catch was we'd have to go out to the airport to pick up the new contract. I told her someone would be out later today. On the question of towing, she said no problem, but insurance would be less of a hassle if we used one of their trailers, which, in a stroke of pure luck, cutting down our running around tomorrow, they even had some on the lot there. What size did we need? She gave me the sizes available, and I told her whoever came out would let her know then.