SONS OF THE FATHERS

Chapter 5: I'll Meet You Down in the Glen at 10

"Will you climb it with me tomorrow?" he asked, looking at it longingly. It was not that the petite Frenchwoman actually WANTED to bridgeclimb, but more that she hated any and all time out of the Captain's company.  Jack saw that she was nervous.  He pulled her close to his side.  "I will be with you," he said softly, "the whole way." She sighed happily.  There was, by now, nothing more she wanted of life than that.  
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"Ack!" Bob said, catching sight of Aubrey, Rose, Steve, and Laura.  "You again!"  

 

The Captain smiled politely.  "You may recall, my good man, that my lady here and I never got to ascend your fine bridge?"  

 

Bob gulped, "That was due to pregnancies...many pregnancies."

 

 Jack inclined his head.  "Be that as it may, not one amongst the four of us here present is pregnant and all of us are most eager to climb the heights of this fair structure."  

 

Bob eyed Rose and Laura suspiciously. "None of you?"  

 

"Not today," Laura replied, grinning.  

 

"Might we dispense with the lecture and the lessons?" Steve asked.  

 

"As I can personally vouch for your having gone through them just a few days ago, I think that is possible," Bob agreed.  

 

"Good!" Jack said heartily, unbuckling his cutlass.  "Where's my locker?"  

"Magnificent...absolutely magnificent!" the Captain stated, his keen eye taking in the vast panorama of the harbor.  The wind whipped his blond hair wildly and as he stood at the summit of the arch, his face glowing with excitement, Rose thought he was every bit as magnificent as the view.  Putting his arm around her shoulders, he said, "Close your eyes, Rose, close your eyes...and almost we are standing atop my main mast."

 

(NOTE: in this view you can see the location of the bridge in relation to the Botanic Gardens...the green "U" just to the left of the main part of the city, with Woolloomooloo tucked back to the left of that. The Opera House is on the point sticking out closest to the bridge with the wake of a ship starting to curve past it into the Circular Quay.)

 

She did as instructed, finding it quite easy, actually, to imagine herself at the height of the Surprise.  She heard him suck in a great breath of sea air and felt his chest rise with it as she leaned against him.  

 

He held it a long while as though it were some feast he were savoring, then let it slowly out, bit by little bit.  Then he looked down at her upturned face.  "I'm glad...very glad, Rose...that you are with me."  

Steve had deliberately stopped near the snapping Australian flag, asking Bob to take a picture of Laura and him there.  He really wished he had his own camera so that he could capture her blowing mane of mink in his own way.  The photograph done, Bob moved along to take shots of other climbers in their small group, leaving the two of them slightly separated.  

 

Steve cupped his palm over Laura's on the rail.  "This spot, right here, of all the places in the world...this one spot will always be my favorite."

 

She met his eyes, her own a clear, light blue matching the perfect sky. He explored her eyes with his own, searching their depths.  She held nothing back, letting him fully in so that mere sight became a tactile exchange as intimate as a kiss.  

Coming upon Wanda alone in a small shop on the Wharf, Berti asked, "What? Not with Lachlan today?"  

 

"He's practicing in Himself's jet," Wanda shrugged.  "I decided shopping was the better part of valor."  

 

"Probably wise," Bud agreed.  

 

"I hope he doesn't try to take that one under the bridge," Wanda said, shuddering slightly.  

 

"Do you think he will be, um, ready...to fly us up to Nana Glen tomorrow?" Berti asked.

 

 "We shall know soon enough," Bud rumbled Maximally.  

 

Wanda, of course, hearing that, saw detached heads rolling in the mud. It was not an image she particularly cared to connect to flying with Lachlan.  

 

"Why are you touching your neck like that?" Berti asked.  She grinned. Of course she knew!  MaximusSpeak was a language spoken by the entire cast.  

The day came and went with quiet preparations for the following morning's early departure. Rose had rounded up a number of her best seamstresses and the gowns were completed before nightfall.  Cort looked splendid in his new pastor's clothes, the first he'd had since the late 1800's.   The General's rust-colored cape had been cleaned, his armor polished till it gleamed. Annsmac spent the late afternoon reapplying Terry's camo, even in places where he obviously didn't need it.  Jack's Navy blue jacket was cleaned, his buttons shined.  Pat and Berti helped Alex and Bud pick out new ties and Alex's lost fedora was finally replaced. Eryn spent a good two hours or so getting Colin's sideburns untangled and combed so they would lie relatively flat.  Steve bought more film for the wedding.  All the tiny details seemed to be taken care of. The rest would be handled in Nana Glen.  Himself smiled a lot, looking forward to the trip home for such a happy occasion.  

Bunny, holding Sid's hand, walked up the long lawn toward the 266 foot tall flagpole on the top of Capital Hill in Canberra.  They had been in the city since mid-morning, walking almost constantly.  Bunny had been right.  Sid did like the newness, the clean lines, the very plannedness of Canberra.  

 

"It is a created thing...like me," he commented, "planned in every detail."  

 

The array of splendid modern buildings in their immaculately landscaped settings were like nothing he'd ever seen before.  "I may never want to leave," he added.

She knew, however, that he would.  He was always and ever drawn to the vicinity of the rest of the cast.  But, for now, he was happy and they were together, just the two of them.

Tomorrow he planned to row her down the full length of the huge Lake Burley Griffin, named for the American landscape architect who had drawn the visionary plans for the new city despite living in Chicago and never having visited the site.  

 

Sid stopped beneath the four wide-spread legs that met high up as a base for the flagpole. "What a place to be...king," he sighed.  

 

Bunny's lips quirked in a small grin.  Sid never dreamed little dreams.

 

He looked at her belly fondly.  "And now I even have an heir."  His eyes
growing serious, he said, "I never thought...hoped...I would have an... heir."  

 

They sat together on the lawn, looking at the expanse of the city and the curve of the lake. "I am still in awe," he added, "that this is so, that... he...my son...is on his way."  He ran his fingertips down her cheek. "You have done this for me.  You."  Tipping his head, he studied the sky a while.  "We may not be getting married, Bunny, in Himself's
little chapel, but this I promise you here and now...," he looked steadily into her eyes, "that as long as I have thought and movement, I will protect both you and our son and let no harm come to either of you."

 

Her eyes misted with tears.  Sid did not say such things lightly.  It was, indeed, the first time in his existence that he was truly considering the well-being of someone other than himself.  

Maximus awoke in the wee hours of the night, instinctively reaching out his hand to assure himself of Joimus' presence beside him.  It was a thing he had learned never to take for granted.  He found her turned on her side, gazing at him in the moonlight that filtered through the not-fully closed blinds.  

 

"You are all right?" he asked quickly.  

 

"I'm fine," she replied.  "I just never get tired of looking at you."

 

He chuckled, pulling her near so that her face was mere inches from his. "Look closely then," he said, pressing his nose to hers so they each appeared to have but one large eyeball in the center of their foreheads.

 

She laughed.  "Maybe not THAT close!"  

 

"Do I not make a fine cyclops?" he pretended to pout.  

 

"Fine, indeed," she agreed, "but I prefer two seagreen eyes well-set than the one giant central one!"  

 

"You would not love me had I but the one eye?"  

 

"Ah, I would love you had you no eyes or 20," she laughed again, going for his armpit with tickling fingers.  

 

Through his gasping laughter he managed to rasp, "The truth is made evident! You love me for my armpits!"  

 

Redoubling her efforts, she chortled, "I do! I do, indeed!"

 

Nearly out of breath, he rolled her over on her back, holding her hands with his own.  "Do you plan to state that in your vows?" he asked, pursing his lips.  

 

"That," she giggled, "you will have to wait and see!"  

"Have you seen Wanda?" Lachlan asked, popping his head in Berti and Bud's doorway.

 

"She's probably still at her prayers," Berti said, smirking slightly.

 

"Pra...OH!" he laughed.  "Because I'm flying today?"  

 

"Right," Bud agreed.  

 

"Well, if you see her, tell her that I promise not to  fly under the harbor bridge with the jet."  He set off down the hall, cocking his cap at that jaunty angle that would only work if one had an ear to act as a ledge.

 

"Why do they wear their caps that far to one side?" Bud wondered, watching him.  

 

Before Berti could offer a reply, Wanda came down the hall from the opposite direction, carrying a large, plastic tub in her arms.  "Barfy bucket," she said seriously, not pausing as she continued down the hall.

"It has no LID!" Berti called after her.  "What if he flies upsidedown?"  

But he didn't.  He was, after all, an excellent pilot, and everybody arrived at the airport in Coffs Harbour completely in one piece and with their breakfasts still inside them.  

 

Terry Crowe waved as they deplaned and walked over to the SUVs which had been returned from Yulara. "Welcome back, um, home," he grinned, still not quite used to so many "brothers" all at once.

It was 10 in the morning when they reached Nana Glen.  Jocelyn bustled out of the house, Lucilla and Teller in her wake, as Terry honked the horn of the lead SUV to announce their arrival.  Himself gave his Mum a big bear hug, then she turned a sparkling gaze on Maximus.

"Thank you," she said, her heart in her eyes.  

 

"Thank you?" he repeated, puzzled.  

 

"For coming here for the wedding," she explained, her eyes running from son to son to son to son.

Everyone greeted Teller and Lucilla, glad to see them again.  "You're looking a little washed out, Teller," Biebe commented.  

 

Teller just looked silently at Himself, who was walking down to the paddock to visit Honey. "There's been no news for a while," he shrugged.  "I may not get to hang around, after all. I hear two other guys, Sweeney and Duff, are lurking about the edges of the Glen these days."  

 

"I try to keep him encouraged," Lucilla sighed, "but it's hard." Then she smiled at him affectionately.  "He tells me stories every night, though...to keep in practice.  Just in case."  

Jocelyn, giving annsmac a hello hug, whispered in her ear.  "I see you don't need a potato peeler any more."

 

 "You...you can...tell?" annsmac stammered, blushing.  

 

Jocelyn just smiled, turning to Eryn.  "So, where are Bunny and Sid?"  

 

"They're in Canberra," Eryn explained.  

 

"Canberra?  Not coming to the wedding?"  

 

"No," Eryn replied softly, "it seemed for the best."  

 

Jocelyn cocked an eyebrow.  Obviously she'd have to have a private talk later with Himself.  

Alex Crowe stood on his porch, surveying the yard filled with sons. He'd been in Sydney on their first visit and it was taking him a bit of time to adjust to the sight of them.  Terry Crowe stood beside him.  "I know," he said to his father's unspoken thoughts.  "It's like a...plague," he laughed, adding, "much worse than frogs."  

                              

"They...they...all look like Russ," Alex said, amazed.  

 

"They all ARE Russ!" Terry chortled.  

 

"He's been...busy," Alex whistled.  

 

"Humpf!" commented Marti, coming up the steps with Jeff.  "Do you know how long we have to wait between films anymore?"  

 

Terry nodded toward Braddock. "Jim's'll be out soon."  

 

"Yeah," she griped, "THEN what?"  

 

All of them turned to stare at Teller.  "He should be tan and healthy by now," Marti said, "but just LOOK at him! I could blow him over with a single breath!"  

 

"I've been growin' more concerned about him," Terry admitted.  "His voice is gettin' weaker."  

 

"I don't think he's eatin' enough," Alex added.  "Hardly has an appetite these days."  He'd grown quite fond of the only incarnation of his son he'd had around in recent days.  "I worry about him," he sighed.

Joimus and Maximus walked down the sidewalk through the trees to the area of the chapel. The entrance to the domed structure was made of wood, triple-peaked, with a large-hinged double door.  The entry was flanked by two big urns set on square bases and behind them were several large pieces of pottery in varying shapes and sizes.  It was both strangely out of place in Australian cattle country, yet...somehow...right.

 

They walked completely around the cylinder of it, noting the high-set round windows with blue glass set to alternate with the lower, slender, tall windows with their curved tops, also blue, and a single, larger stained glass window with many colors.  

 

"Thursday," she said, gripping his hand.

"Yes," he replied, lacing his fingers through hers,  "Thursday."