CHAPTER SIXTY

Urs and Neto disappeared for a while the next day, going into town to make some secret arrangements, arriving back at the Casa just as a van bearing some of Cena’s nephews and one sister pulled out of the drive. Urs questioned her about it but she just smiled and told him he had to wait, it was a surprise. Of course that meant he had to punish her, in the pool… a very intense session in fact, to make sure she learned her lesson.

The next day they spent several hours at the airport, first to meet Gerry’s flight from Spain via Mexico City, then the flight with David and Carlos from the UK and minutes later Janet’s fluffy blonde head could be seen bobbing through the crowd as she spotted David and elbowed her way to him.

The girls huddled in the back talking about the preparations, Elena assuring Jan that she was overjoyed to share this special day in such a remarkable way with such dear friends.

David looked at Urs, beside him in the front seat and Carlos, who had given up and was dozing next to Gerry as the women all chattered and giggled. He was relieved to see an almost constant grin on his Urs’ face, likely mirroring the one he had worn since Jan had agreed to marry him.

“Are you feeling a little superfluous? I wonder if they would even notice if we disappeared until the ceremony.”

“Super….what? this is not a word I’ve heard before.”

“It means unnecessary….superfulous.”

“Ah, I think there is no word for this in French or German except perhaps ‘unnotig’. No, I do not feel this. I am pleased to see so much happiness. It is a great relief to know that she loves me without reservation. Why, do you feel super-fullous, my brother? It is obvious that Janet has waited long for this moment.”

“Yeah, I guess I was a little slow out of the starting gate. But now…it feels so right, Urs, like Christmas all over again.”

They drove right through the down town area this time, stopping at a flower shop near the Pharmacy and the guys visited a cantina to cool off while the girls ordered the flowers for the wedding and reception. As luck would have it the cantina was the Paradiso where Neto and Urs had teased the barmaid.

The ladies joined them half an hour later and the bar maid, who had been nervously waiting on their large table, disappeared out the back door, not re-appearing while they remained in the bar, much to the amusement of the table after Urs explained.

When they arrived back at the Casa they all talked for a while then the men took the luggage upstairs while all the women huddled in the kitchen discussing the menu. David came back down and took Jan by the hand going to the beach for a walk. Urs was standing at the railing and suddenly began laughing when he saw them disappear into the boat, closing the door to the small cabin firmly. He knew just how David felt.

**

Inside the cramped cabin, David and Jan lay together basking in the afterglow and talking about the wedding.

“I stopped taking the pill,” she admitted and waited to hear his reaction.

“Good….my little guys have been taking swimming lessons. They’re getting so fast! All we need to do is practice, a lot.”

“MMM… I like the sound of that. I’ve missed you, Davey.”

“No more, Baby…. I won’t tour without you, not again. Two weeks is about as long as I can handle without feeling you in my arms, or waking in the morning without your face smiling at me.”

She brushed her hand through his short, spiky hair, watching as his lids hooded the icy depths of his eyes and she felt his body stir once more.

“Don’t ever change, Rodeo Divo,” she murmured and leaned into his kiss.

**

They picked up a very pale Seb and anxious Maddie the next morning and in the afternoon David and Janet went in to pick up their guests.

Elena and Cena had opened up the other wing of the house to use the bedrooms on the north side and spread the guests out, putting David’s parents and Jan’s mother in suites on the north end of the second floor over-looking the party lawn while having moved the Divos to the third floor …Urs and Elena were back in their old suite, now that the memories were no longer painful to her.

One thing that puzzled Urs, and that he received no satisfactory answer for, was that the quarters originally built as a suite for a housekeeper on the first floor was now locked. He had thought to slip in there to use the bathroom to change clothes, rather than climb to the third floor and found the door locked, the first time he had run across a locked door anywhere in the house. Cena just said the suite was being used for another purpose at the moment and she smiled then went on about her work. He hated riddles and tried to tease the answer out of her but she resisted his charm and calmly ignored him.

He found the others all poolside, Seb resting in the shade of an umbrella while Maddie swam and chatted with Carlos and Gerry.

“How do you feel, Frenchie?” he asked with a grin as he sat in the next chair and Seb glanced to see who it was.

“Tired but happy. I am here with my friends and my Cherie. The Joi de Vivre in the air is better than any medicines those nurses with their big needles will ever have. Do you know they wake you up at night to take a sleeping pill so you can sleep? Does this seem sensible?”

Urs chuckled. “I can see you feel the same as I do about hospitals. Seb, I’m so glad you and Maddie decided to come. It would not seem right to do something this important without you.”

“I have watched you suffer for 5 months, mon ami, unable to do anything to help. Nothing could keep me from your side now that you are happy.”

Water sprayed on Urs back as Elena crept up on him and leaned her wet body against his sun-kissed skin. He yelped at the cool wet feeling and turned to her with a grin, grabbing and having to chase her as she fled giggling from him. She dove in the pool and he followed without hesitating, finding her underwater and pulling her against him. They sank to the bottom, entwined, surfaced slowly still kissing and treading water as all around the pool there were shouts: ‘Get a Room!’ ‘Way to go Urs!’ ‘Do you two ever get enough?’ and more good natured ribbing from their friends. They swam to the edge and Urs looked up at the faces grinning at him ready with a comeback.

“We have a room; Thank you; and No, Never!!”

“Who is this guy?” David quipped. “The Swiss would never indulge in public necking and joke about it. What have you done with our friend, Elena?”

She had swum up in front of him and grinned up at David.

“He says I have corrupted him, that he used to be proper and boring… I think he’s been secretly..…” suddenly she was underwater as Urs ducked her and once again the chase was on.

Somehow they ended up after a chase no one won, snuggled together on one of the shaded lounges, breathless, watching the others playing Frisbee while Seb napped. David’s mother and father, Rose and Sam, and Janet’s mother, Hazel, came out to the pool and got in the game, all three still very active though in their late 50’s, all much like their off-spring: tall, personable and with wicked streaks of humor.

They had decided on dinner at Zapata’ s tonight, managed to talk Cena and Neto into going with them and when the sun left the pool area, everyone wandered off to shower and change.

**

Carlos and Gerry showered then sat on the balcony for a while, drinking in the view and talking about the wonderful turn of events in their friends lives.

“It makes me want to weep to see Urs and Elena so happy now, Carlito. He would maybe never have gotten over his love for her if she had not at last admitted how much she loves him.”

“It makes me appreciate even more how lucky we have been Querida. No matter how far apart we were I always knew that you would be there for me. Now that we are married I finally feel complete.”

“Carlos, I must tell you something, that may make you angry with me. I have resigned from my role in Tosca.”

Carlos drew back in surprise and stared at her.

“Do not tell me you are ill? I could not bear it.”

“Well, not exactly. We’re going to have a child, in 7 months.”

He paled, then clasped her to his broad chest, then kissed her tenderly and she was shocked to feel tears coursing down his tanned cheeks.

“I don’t know how it happened, I know you didn’t want children yet, but…..”

Carlos smiled, a tender, loving smile she didn’t remember seeing before.

“It is God’s will my angel and I did not know how over-joyed it would make me until just now. Come with me, Mi Embarazada Mujer and Carlito will explain how babies are made.”

They ran laughing into the bedroom for a rather tardy demonstration.

**

Seb and Maddie had showered and were also sitting on their balcony, making plans for their wedding as well, wishing that they could get out of the big splashy affair that Maddie’s Maman was insisting on.

“Sometimes I want to just call you and ask to run away to Nice or Monte Carlo and be wed in a chapel with only strangers around, but then I remember …I am the only daughter and it is so important to Maman to have all the gowns and parties and…. things which are not important to me.”

“Cherie…you should have told me. I will not allow your day to be spoiled to make others happy. Your Maman likes me. Let me talk to her. Perhaps I can get her to see reason.”

Maddie snuggled closer on his lap, leaning against his chest, carefully avoiding the tender area of his stomach.

“I have never been able to defy Maman, Sebastien. At work I can face the toughest customer with confidence but when I face Maman I always feel like a bad little girl. When will she see that I am a grown woman?”

Seb smiled and kissed her brow. “When you face her politely, respectfully and disagree with what she is trying to force you to do. She will not like it at first but you must find the courage to do this thing, Ma Cher, or you will always be that little girl.”

She snuggled against him and sighed, understanding but still unsure if she could do it.

“And I will be beside you to give you courage,” he said and hugged her again.

Maddie looked up into his loving gaze and smiled. Yes, with Seb by her side, she could do anything.

**