Chapter 11: Windchime

There was a ceremony held when the first ground was turned for the Windchime project. Donald McLaren, the mayor, Taylor Erskine, the principal tenant, and a representative of the Chamber of Commerce all smiled with their hands on a new shovel. Cameras clicked and handshakes followed. A picture would appear in both local papers that week. After sitting empty and abandoned for almost four years, the marina was once again going to be the focal point of Comox harbour.

Standing off to the side were Tatya and Gus, Mary McLaren and Elena Helgesen. It was the last week of June and site preparation would be underway in the next few days. Taylor and Elena's engagement had been announced in the Vancouver papers earlier that month. The wedding would be a July civil ceremony in Vancouver. They planned to honeymoon on a Baltic cruise, originating in London and ending in Copenhagen. They would be stopping in Norway, Sweden, Finland and Russia along the way.

Elena and Mary were also busy planning Gus and Tatya's wedding. It was going to be a church wedding held in Comox the second week of September. The honeymoon was being delayed to November when both could spare the time from Windchime. At that point, the steel would be up and the pre-cast concrete segments would be assembled for erecting. Two weeks in Maui could be fitted in at the last moment, using the Lahaina condo of a friend of Taylor Erskine.

Gus was happy that it was all coming together and that he didn't have to do very much aside from renting a tuxedo and being available for the rehearsal and wedding. His sisters and their families would be coming. It had been some time since he'd seen them and longer still since they'd all been together.

"How are your parents going to fit everyone in," Tatya asked one evening.

"Well, they have four bedrooms, so the two sets of parents will get two of the bedrooms with the third being shared by the two girls. The three boys will have sleeping bags and air mattresses and 'camp out' in the rec room downstairs."

"Your mother is going to be running a hotel for a few days," Tatya said.

"She'll have lots of help from my sisters. Besides, this is a big deal for Mom and Dad. The last of their offspring getting married. It will give you a glimpse of the future, too," Gus grinned.

"Five kids! No kidding. But it will be fun. I can help too. Might as well get the practice in."

"The good news for you is that you can escape it up here for some peace and quiet," Gus suggested.

"I'm really looking forward to this whole week, Gus. I've never had a family before except Mom since Dad died. It will be a whole new experience for me."

"They are good kids, Tatya. I'm Uncle Gus and I take them for boat rides and have fun with them. I can do no wrong since I never have to discipline them. You'll be Aunt Tatya. You can love 'em and leave 'em, just like a grandparent."

"What are you going to do to keep them occupied?" she asked.

"I've got it set up to take them whale watching one day and up to the stock car races at Saratoga on another. They always want to go to the air museum at Comox, and as long as the weather holds we'll have a day at the beach at Saratoga with a wiener roast to finish off. Trust me, we'll wear them out," he chuckled.

"Are you going to have all five of them in your father's boat?"

Gus was shaking his head. "No. I've chartered from a friend of mine. Pat and Ardele Hamelin have a big yacht they charter out of Menzies Bay. There's plenty of room for the whole gang. Pat knows all the good places to look for whales, so we should have some fun that day."

"That's great, Gus. You've really thought of everything."

"Actually, the wedding photographer I suggested is Pat's mother. She's married to a guy at Willow Point. He used to be a pilot. You'll be happy with her work."

"Everything else looked after?" she asked.

"Almost. I'm still working how I can get you alone in the hot tub."

"Not going to happen with all that audience around. Besides, you'd never hear the end of it from your mother and probably your sisters."

"Yeah, well I'm working on that problem," he grinned. "I may have to settle for a nude beach on our honeymoon."

"Good luck with that," she smirked.

It was semi-organized chaos as the sisters and their families arrived. They had come almost simultaneously, one from Calgary, the other having stopped in Victoria to visit friends before heading up the island. The families knew each other well and the boys had already discovered the pool table and TV in the rec room. The two girls, Lizzy and Deanna, were fast friends and immediately headed to "their room" to set up shop.

When Donald, Gus and Tatya arrived from work, the chaos had calmed down to a dull roar. Uncle Gus was the immediate focus of the children until he introduced their new aunt-to-be, Tatya.

"What kind of a name is Tatya?" Lizzie asked as only a kid can do -- bluntly.

"My name is part Russian and part Danish," she explained. "Tatyana is mostly Russian."

"Are you a spy?" seven year-old Brian asked, wide-eyed.

That brought about general laughter from all the adults.

"No, I'm not a spy," Tatya said, amused.

"I saw a movie and the lady was a Russian spy," the boy explained.

"I'm an architect."

"What's a arketet?"

"An architect designs houses and buildings," Tatya explained patiently. "Like the ones your Grampa and Uncle Gus are building."

"Oh."

That seemed to satisfy him as he climbed down the from kitchen stool and scampered off to find his cousins.

"Are you sure you're not a spy," Gus kidded as he pulled her to him.

"Pretty sure," she said with a smile.

The general atmosphere in the McLaren home was upbeat and relaxed. Gus joined his brothers-in-law and father for a discussion about their lives and livelihoods. Tatya joined Mary and Gus's sisters for the usual pre-wedding chatter. The kids had found plenty to do on their own.