ASSOCIATION / CH. 4:MATRIARCH
SATURDAY, 30TH DECEMBER, 7.30PM.
“Thanks for coming, Sarah.” May said. “I wanted to give a report on today, before you went away.”
“And I need to be here too?” Hannah said, curiously.
“Yes. You'll find out why, soon enough, Mum. Ruben....” May looked pleadingly at her eighteen year-old brother.
“You don't want me, right?”
“It girl talk, I think.” May replied.
“Fine, fine.” he said, getting up “I'll guard the front door, repel boarders and generally do that sort of thing while the world's problems are solved by the womenfolk.”
“Don't forget your book, love.” Hannah said. “So, the mystery deepens, do tell, May.”
“Right, I met up with Rhianna, and by lunchtime she'd learned how to hide. No problem. Then her brother turned up. Rhi obviously hadn't expected me to meet him, or at least, she didn't warn him I had the power. So, I got a mindful of what he was thinking when he shook my hand.”
“I'm sorry, May. I really didn't intend you to meet him either.” Sarah said.
May shrugged. “It was lunchtime, he'd just finished his second game and he was hungry, Rhi had the sandwiches. So, anyway, I gave him a piece of my mind about thinking such things, and he was shocked, embarrassed and repentant, and he tripped over in a rush to get away from my fury.”
“I think I count that as a positive reaction on both your parts, then.” Hannah said.
“But there's more to say?” Sarah asked.
“Lots. He got himself wedged with one arm between two seats and the other one was stuck between the back of the seat and the concrete. He described his fall as instant justice for being slime, but he'd actually got himself a fairly nasty cut. Not deep, but long. Anyway, we eventually got him out with a bit of leverage and pulling on the seats, but it took a while, and we talked a bit while he was dripping blood on the floor, then some more afterwards. He'd heard my name before, and was curious. And I was curious about where the name Quy came from. He told me about where their name came from: possibly from a village near Cambridge initially but traced to about seventy kilometres south of there in the seventeen hundreds. So, I told him Dad's story, about how we ended up having a matriarch.”
“Is this a story I should know?” Sarah asked.
“It wouldn't hurt.” May said. “But then it gets really interesting. He said he didn't understand about our cultural differences but he'd like to, and he asked if I'd educate him properly.”
“Really?” Hannah asked.
“Yes. I mean, he's convinced I'm prettier than any goddess of beauty imagined by man, totally repentant about his lack of self control, at least when he's not being tempted, and he says wants to know our clan.”
“He didn't know what he was asking, though.” Hannah said.
“No, he didn't. I explained a bit, and it didn't change his mind. Later on he said he was studying anthropology, but I don't really think it's because of that. I think he wants a friend. I get the feeling that he's not got many, especially girls. He also worked out that he didn't think he ought to date until he'd got self control, and thanked me for that. Though how he's going to get self control without a miracle or castration, I have no idea. And he was a bit scared of the thought of it being open season on him if I let the others know I wasn't interested. But, anyway, I said I'd have to tell you both.”
“I have the feeling that I'm only catching about ten percent of what you're meaning, May.” Sarah admitted.
“You're matriarch, Sarah. Mama put you there. Quentin wants to know the clan, that's not asking me out, that's asking to join the family, to eventually be my husband, brother, or cousin. But he asked me to educate him; of course he's interested in me. I tried to put him off, said it was better to be friends for some years first, but he didn't say what he thought, one way or another. I don't know if that means he's prepared to wait or not. But ultimately it's your call, Sarah. Do I let him get himself adopted into the clan?”
Sarah looked at Hannah, “How can I decide this?”
“I wouldn't have it be anyone else, Sarah.” Hananh said “You're the only adult among us with the power. I don't know how much Mama used her gift, but she certainly used her power.”
“I need to learn a lot too, don't I?”
“You most certainly do.”
“Rhianna was curious too. I think I put her off.” May said.
“Coming in unattached? Is she so lonely?” Hannah asked.
“At age fourteen?”
“She's too young to decide that, certainly.”
“Can you please explain?” Sarah asked, feeling totally lost again.
“Which bit?” May asked.
“Urm, how about everything?”
“Not easily. But have a look.” May said.
“OK, I'm going to look and then process it in the peace.” Sarah said, sitting down, and looked, taking in as much as she dared. There was an entire mindset to absorb, and she tried to get what she could. In the peace, she was relieved to see that she hadn't done too much looking. Analysing, she saw the implications of what Rhianna had asked, the... protocol said someone entering the clan with a sponsor of the opposite sex was off-limits to unattached members until the sponsor declined any interest, but that someone who joined with no sponsor was obviously looking for a spouse. She saw her own role, as gate-keeper, peace-keeper, role-model for clan marriage. How she had the authority to arrange or forbid liaisons, and that May assumed she would play a critical role in her life helping to fend off unsuitable suitors. She saw her other roles, and she quailed at the thought that she was expected to do all of this, when she hardly knew anyone's names.
But of course they were there in the thoughts she'd absorbed from May. Her cousins, aunts and uncles. The ones May assessed were the most likely to swoop quickly on an Quentin or Rhianna if they weren't off limits, and the girls who might try for Quentin even if he was officially off limits. She also saw May's confidence that Quentin wasn't going to be swayed by their fluttering eyelashes for long, not if she saw them at it. Sarah also saw May's determination not to rush into anything, to let Quentin conquer his temptation before there was any discussion of deeper feelings. She saw May's disgust at his lust, regret that she'd fed the lust of others, and admiration at his openness with her about his struggle with it. Sarah thought he could hardly be anything other than open given what he'd hit May with when they first met. And Sarah saw that May didn't know what she thought beyond that, but the thought was there: if he conquered, then maybe, but not yet.
Sarah re-focussed her attention on the physical world. “How long was I gone?”
“Five minutes, maybe.”
“Oh well, It's still probably faster. I think I get it now. Did I miss anything?”
“Not really, Alice came in and wanted to know why you were asleep, then went to play 'Climbing mount Ruben'. Mostly I was looking at the family tree.” May said.
Alice was Hannah and Arwood's fourth child, and at age ten very much the baby of the family still.
“Oh! Can I see?”
“Of course.” May handed over control of the console.
“OK, right. There's Mama. How did it go?” Sarah checked the edges of the legacy. “Her Man, that'd be two, and his Gran, four so that might be one of these two, and her Dada, five, and his Mama,six, and her Gramp, Eight, so we're talking about one of these four gentlemen.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Mama's legacy. Memories of people with the gift that have been passed down from generation to generation. Mama traced it back eight generations before you. But actually it must go back further than that.”
“Well, if these annotations are right, we can rule out this woman and her forebears then.”
“Why's that?”
“No cross — she wasn't a believer.”
“Oh. OK. In that case, it's him, there, isn't it?”
“I guess so. Interesting, eh?”
“Why's that?”
“Look at where they lived. Eight generations ago, or roughly speaking the same sort of time as my namesake was alive, you had a relative with the gift, living within an easy commute of where Quentin's family lived in the seventeen hundreds, and according to these earlier records, his folks had stayed there quite a long time.”
“You mean that we might be relatives?”
“You'd need to do a full comparison of family trees. But a link eight generations back isn't exactly incestuous, you know.”
“No, it's not. You're right though, it's interesting. I don't see any Quys in the list though.”
“Well, at eight generations back you've both up to two hundred and fifty six ancestors. That's a lot of potential surnames.”
“Why 'up-to'?”
“Cousin or second cousin marriage, incest, but even without that, in a small village there's plenty of scope to for someone to marry their third cousin once removed or something like that, in which case they'd end up with duplication in their tree somewhere.”
“I suppose so. Oh look, there's the famous first Ngbila.”
“He was born Smith?”
“Yes. You didn't get the story then?”
“No. I got about as much as I could safely, but I'm sure there are a lot of things you weren't thinking about.”
“Urm... do I want to know?” May asked.
Sarah shrugged “I can tell you what you were thinking about.”
“So, tell me the worst: am I falling in love with Quentin?”
“No. You're disgusted by his sin, you admire his openness about his problem with it, but then, May, you stumbled right into that so if he wants to be in your good books he can't really be otherwise. Beyond that, you don't know what you think about him. Except you think he's getting in far deeper trouble than he knows, as far as your cousins are concerned, and you're planning to protect him from them. I don't think you realise what that means.”
“It means that I keep them thinking about him as my potential husband until he finds someone else.”
“Think further, May. It means that either you keep yourself thinking of him as your potential husband until he sorts out his thought-life and you two start dating and do marry, or until he sorts out his thought-life and decides to chase one of your cousins, or until he finds someone else. What it further means is that you don't have any other dating options except him until one of those happens. You're running the risk that if you decide in a few months that you're not good for each other, then to protect him from your cousins then your love-life is on hold while in your cousin's eyes he goes about two-timing you until he finds someone else he's really serious about. Which could be a decade.”
“She's right, May.” Hannah said.
“But you could warn-off the non-Christians, Sarah.”
“I could. I would, even. And I'll try and talk the Christians out of boy hunting. But they might not listen, and if Quentin's going to reject you then I'm sure he's going to be able to reject them too.”
“Yes, but what if I reject him and he's still hopeful?”
“Then he tells them that he's hoping you'll change your mind, and Mandy offers him solace and comfort from his broken heart. At least according to May's assessment of her. Hannah, does that seem likely to you?”
“Mandy's very shy, at least with outsiders, but feels very single, the poor thing. It doesn't help that her mother, grandmother and great grandmother all married at eighteen after dating for two years, and she's just turned eighteen now. So, yes, if he was in the clan and available then she'd probably cling to him like a limpet.”
“And she's actually your grand-niece, Hannah?”
“Yes. Edwin and Grace married young, so their kids aren't much younger than Arwood and me. Most of the other brothers weren't in such a hurry, and of course there's quite a gap after Edwin too. So, apart from Kayla and Samuel who seem to be trying to reverse the population decline, and Edwin's youngest, Ella, who's only just into her thirties, most of us had our kids in roughly the same ten-year window.”
“But I saw some little ones at Mama's funeral.”
“Yes. Well, Kayla's got all ages from three up, Ella's youngest, Lilly-Grace is four, and then Karl has got a two year old, Michael.”
“How do you keep all those names straight?” Sarah asked.
“Why do you think the family tree's out so often?” May asked.
There was a banging of doors, “Mum? Ruben, where's Mum?” it was Martha, Hanna's eldest daughter, and she sounded excited. Sarah had only met her a couple of times, since Martha was away studying for most of the year. She was in her final year, Sarah knew, but couldn't remember what she was studying.
“In the lounge!” Hannah called.
Martha burst through the door. “Mum, is Dad around?”
“In his office, why?”
“Simon's in the kitchen. He wants to talk to him! Oh, hi, Sarah! Good timing!”
Martha hugged her mother, and grabbed Sarah's hand, thinking Sarah needed to hear her thoughts. They were certainly excited thoughts, utmost in them was whether Sarah would give her blessing to Simon's request that they marry. Martha loved him and he was a good Christian. But was it too soon? Should she say yes, or put him off for a bit more?
“How long have you been going out?” Sarah asked.
“This time? A month.” Martha replied.
“It's been an on and off thing.” Hannah added. “Over the past, what, three four years?”
“Because of arguments, or because of other people, or because of having second thoughts?” Sarah asked.
“Flaming arguments, mostly.” Martha said.
“And other people, on both sides.” May added “You two had a row, about when you'd two-timed him, and Lilly grabbed him until Mama vetoed it.” Lilly was one of the cousins, the same age as Martha. Lilly's faith hadn't really been there at the time. Now? Martha thought the incident had helped Lilly decide for Christ, but she wasn't sure.
“That was years ago, May.”
“Easter last year.”
“But you've always come back straight to each other?” Sarah asked, feeling way out of her depth.
“Sort of.” Martha said, thinking of when she'd bounced between boyfriends for a few months at the youth-group before taking up with Simon again. But that had been right at the start.
“I'd suggest a nice long engagement.” Hannah said. “Make sure you're really both ready to settle down.”
“Oh. Not before the impact, then?” Martha asked.
“No!” Sarah and Hannah said in unison.
“I didn't think so.” But Sarah heard from her that she'd been hopeful.
“Well, I guess I ought to listen to what he has to say, shouldn't I?”
“He's as inconsistent as Martha.” May warned.
“He's not inconsistent!” Martha retorted “He's mine. He has been since Mama split him and Lilly up.” And Sarah heard in Martha's thoughts so much certainty that it gave her some concern. Was that certainty from Mama's intervention, or because of something that had passed between the two of them? She realised she needed to ask about their arguments.
Sarah gently disconnected Martha's hand, and said “Martha, you know I've got the gift.”
“Yes.”
“I'd like to understand what's going on between you two that you keep having such enormous arguments that you split up, but that you're still so certain about him. Can I use my gift on you?”
“Urm, OK.” Martha said, surprised at the question. Mama wouldn't have asked.
Sarah looked, and saw. Recently she saw their rows had been mostly about how they were expressing their love for each other. He'd bought her an expensive gift he couldn't afford, and she'd made him take it back to the shop. She'd spent ages making a complicated recipe for his birthday and he had said he'd have preferred fish-fingers. Some was about pushing at boundaries the other wasn't comfortable with. She wanted him to hold her close, and dance lots when they got the chance. That was provoking for him. He wanted to kiss her longer, and in private, she felt uncomfortable with that, thinking of what might happen. And what had happened, once, to the shame of both of them. They'd crossed a lot of barriers that time, but not the last one, Sarah was happy to see. They'd pulled themselves away from each other in shock at how fast they'd been pulled towards that slippery slope. No wonder they wanted to marry.
“Hannah, they're sure how they feel. I don't think a long engagement is useful.”
“No?”
“Nor especially helpful.”
Martha turned bright red “Sorry, Mum.”
“What happened, Martha?” Hannah asked her, looking at her intently.
Already embarrassed at her lack of self-control, Martha was mortified that she might have to go into details about it, and turned even brighter red. Which of course worried Hannah even more. Seeing Martha looking a bit like a terrified animal caught in her mother's glare, Sarah intervened. “They broke their self-imposed limits but their consciences pulled them up quite a long way short of God's. And they've been much more careful since.”
Hannah's concern turned to relief and she pulled her daughter into an embrace. “Well done, girl. It's tough, sometimes, isn't it?”
“Yes, Mum.”
“Come on, Martha. Let's go tell your Dad to say yes. You come too, please Sarah.”
Hannah went into Arwood's office with a grin on her face. “Arwood, our little girl's gone and grown up. When do you want grand-kids?”
“Mum!” Martha protested. “Simon wants to talk to you, Dad.”
“Oh? And this delegation is to tell me to say yes?”
“Yes please, Dad.”
“But you two keep on splitting up.” he pointed out.
“Only for a week or so, Dad.” Martha said.
“I think that's more a case giving each other time to calm down, Arwood,” Sarah said “But I haven't talked to Simon yet.”
“He's gnawing his fingernails in the kitchen.” Hannah said.
Sarah decided to check. “Actually, he's sat at the table, praying.”
“That's a good sign.” Arwood said “And Sarah, you've been press-ganged into my mother's role?”
“I'll try and do a good job. Though it does seem odd to be the matriarch of people who are old enough to be my parents.”
“Grandparents, almost, in Edwin's case.” Hannah said. “But don't worry. You're doing great so far. Sarah's not recommending a long engagement, Arwood.”
“No?”
“Not ultra short either, you understand. But...”
“Keeping holy's hard, Dad. That's why we split apart so often. It's not good to be together too much.”
“Well, that's an unusual sort of breaking up.”
“We're not breaking up, Dad, we just... stop going out for a while.”
Arwood, slighly baffled, turned his attention to Sarah. “OK, now, what my Mama would have done is let me talk to the boy, then ask what I thought and she'd roast him a little herself. She'd have the final word about the wedding going ahead or not.”
“Would it offend you if I said I didn't want to do it that way?” Sarah asked.
“Not at all. How would you like to do it?”
“Maybe if you let him talk to you man to man, and then call me in? I don't want to dictate, but I'm happy to use my gift and offer advice. But Martha's your daughter.”
“And she can still wind him round her little finger.” Hannah commented, smiling.
“I'll go and talk to him.” Arwood said, thinking it would be safer elsewhere.
Simon was wishing that he'd written a letter rather than come in person. He loved Martha, he got on OK with her family, but this was scary.
“I understand you want to talk with me, Simon?”
“Yes sir. Urm, err, you know I've been going out with Martha a long time now...”
“On and off.” Commented Arwood.
“Yes sir, more recently it's been a lot more on than off, and we'd like to make it permanent, with your permission.”
“What, you'd like to go out with together permanently?” Arwood teased. “Stop breaking up with each other then!”
“We sort of hoped that would be easier if we got married.”
“You're not put off by the way that people say marriage is the end of romance, then?”
“No, sir. We know we love each other.” There was a long pause.
“It's normal to talk about how you've got a steady job and how you hope to be able to support your family at this point.” Arwood prompted.
“Urm, yes, I know. Unfortunately, I haven't got a regular job at the moment. And I'm not expecting to get one in the foreseeable future.” He laughed, tensely. “Actually, getting a job would mean there had been a big problem.”
He dried up. That had sounded like he had no idea how they'd eat. “I err urm, that is...”
Arwood waited for more, but Simon had gone bright red and Arwood didn't think more was coming.
“I think, young man, that you're going to need to express your future in more positive terms, don't you? But as you know I'm not going to be making this decision on my own. So you will get the chance to have another go.”
Simon was sure he'd blown it. “I... I understand sir.” There was someone else he'd need to talk to, of course: whoever was in Mama Ng's role now. He wasn't sure who it was, where she lived, or even if they even had one these days. It had been hard for Martha that her grandmother had died, he knew. And Martha had told him that May, her younger sister had almost gone off the rails entirely without her guidance, though she'd also said that in the past few weeks things had apparently improved.
But wherever that woman lived, he wouldn't be able to report a favourable response to Martha from her dad. He'd need to apologise to her. It would probably be their biggest row. He looked at his feet and shuffled them. “So, if you'll just think about what you want to say, I'll go and get the wise and gifted woman my mother nominated to take her place. Since she's visiting at the moment, you've got about thirty seconds. Don't let her age surprise you.”
Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.
“She's here?” Simon's despondent cycle of thoughts was broken.
“Yes. I'll ask her in. Get thinking.”
Arwood went to the lounge. “Well, I expect he thinks he blew it already.”
“Oh?” Martha asked “What did you do to him, Dad?”
“I just asked him about how he was planning to support you. About all he said was that he wasn't looking for a job.”
“Dad you know he's training to be a missionary.”
“I know that, you know that, but does he know I know that? So I told him to talk about his future in more positive terms.”
“I certainly didn't know about it. More importantly, what are your plans, Martha?” Sarah asked.
“I've been thinking of mission since I was little.”
“But he's getting training now, and you're not?”
“I'm doing a theological degree, he's a qualified teacher, now he's studying applied theology.”
“Oh, I see. OK, let's go and let him say his piece then, Arwood.”
Simon knew he'd been warned, but he hadn't expected to see a woman younger than himself. He'd also seen her before. The wedding where May had been a bridesmaid the week before, and then Martha had said 'You need to watch this.' about an interview with a businesswoman. She hadn't said why, but just smiled sweetly when he realised that this multimillionairess had been another of the bridesmaids. She hadn't let on a bit at all that this was her new matriarch.
“You're....”
“Call me Sarah. I'm not quite as old as Mama Ng, am I? But I'm told I've got the job.”
“And you were bridesmaid with May, and then Tony and some others interviewed you.”
“That's me. You know Tony, then?”
“Yes. He used to be my youth group leader.”
“Were you at his wedding? I didn't see you.”
“No, I mean, I know him, but they couldn't invite the whole church, could they?”
“Well, I'm sure they talked about it. I think Teresa's friends would have felt even more seriously out-numbered than they did.”
“You've known them long?”
“Well, Tony's been trying to get an interview out of me since I was about eleven, but I only met Teresa when I started work at the Institute. I suppose the fact I recognised him is at least partly responsible for her talking to him when he was up his tree, as opposed to getting him arrested by Security. Don't talk about any of that, though, or you get in trouble.”
“Err, no.” Simon said, having no idea what the business with the tree was about.
“But you can talk to Martha about it. She knows I'm at the institute. And that I've got the mind-reading gift, which is another thing you shouldn't be talking about, please.”
Simon held his head and said “Mercy! Please!”
“Too much information?”
“Yes.”
“Sorry, I just thought I should introduce myself.”
“You've had your thirty seconds, and more, Simon. Would you like to tell us why you think you and Martha won't starve?” Arwood asked.
“God is good. I've seen, over the past couple of years, how he's supplied me with jobs, and supporters and a flat which is so cheap it's silly. I'm hoping to work as a missionary-teacher, I've been accepted already. Martha is applying to the same organisation. We're sure that this is the right path for us, and we're sure that God will supply our needs.”
“So, what role would Martha have? Simply your wife?” Sarah asked.
“No, she's taking courses in student counselling and psychology, she's hoping to join the school as counsellor.”
“And relationship advisor?” suggested Arwood, flippantly.
“Urm, maybe not. Ours has been a bit of a roller-coaster ride, hasn't it?”
“Why is that?”
“We're both strong personalities, I guess.”
“And?”
“We don't agree on everything.”
“Tell me about the thing you did that hurt her most.” Sarah said.
“Urm... probably when she cooked me a lovely meal for my birthday last year and I was in a bad mood and when she asked me about the meal I told her I'd have preferred fish fingers.”
“That sounds hurtful all right.” Sarah agreed.
“Why were you in a bad mood?” Arwood asked.
“Because I'd arranged to take her to a concert and we had to cancel that, because she needed more time to cook it than she'd expected.”
“Had she known about the concert?”
“Yes. Well, I'd told her earlier that day.”
“Had you known about her cooking?”
“Yes. She'd been planning it for weeks.”
“So, who was in the wrong?”
“Me. I could have helped with the cooking, too. I just... I don't know what happened.”
“And what did you learn?”
“Only plan one thing on one day if there might be a clash.”
“Anything else?”
“She's a really good cook. I was lying about the fish-fingers, it was just pure spite.”
“And?”
“I'm not very tactful when I'm in a bad mood, and I shouldn't have got in the bad mood.”
“Is that all?” Sarah pushed some more.
“No. I learned that even though I hurt her deeply she's been able to forgive me for it.”
“OK. Inverse question. How did she hurt you the most?”
“I bought her something nice and she made me take it back to the shop.”
“Why?”
“Too expensive.” he shuffled his feet and looked at them.
“Do you accept it was too expensive?”
“Yes, well, depending.”
“On what?”
“It was a beautiful dress, it was on special offer, it fitted her perfectly. I thought it might even serve as a going away dress for our wedding.”
“But?”
“It was still expensive, I could only just afford it, and she didn't think she needed something that expensive, and she didn't think she wanted to have a dress in her cupboard that she wouldn't dare wear so it would stay nice for her wedding day.”
“How did you know it fitted her so well?”
“She'd tried it on before she saw the price tag.”
“And what did you learn?”
“She's stubborn.”
“And?”
“Lavish gifts don't impress her, I guess.”
“Wrong.” Martha said from the doorway. “I was very impressed, but then I realised you'd got to pay your bills the next day and you'd need to go into debt to do it. That didn't impress me.”
“Hey, Martha, this is supposed to be us interviewing Simon, not you.”
“Sorry, I thought I'd put the kettle on. So, can I have him, Daddy, Sarah? Please?” she added in a winsome tone.
“I'd just like to check something.” Sarah said. “First, Simon, I'd like to see if your other thoughts about why you two keep breaking up and getting back together so soon agree with what Martha thought. Would you be happy for me to have a look?”
“Is it... necessary?”
“After I'd looked at Martha's thoughts, I suggested that a long engagement wasn't needed. From the sorts of things you've been saying I'd say that maybe you do need more time for you to stop hurting each other and misunderstanding each other's motives. I'd like to know how sure you are about her.”
Sarah saw him glance towards Martha and heard him decide that he didn't want Sarah to see how close they'd got to blatant sin.
“It's OK, Simon. Sarah's trustworthy, she's not going to tell what she sees.”
“Or decisions I hear.” Sarah added.
“You heard what I just decided?” Simon asked, shocked and embarrassed.
“Yes. It was about me, after all, although of course it was also about your care for Martha. And it's my care for Martha that makes me ask.”
“Then I agree.”
Sarah focused on him, relaxed whatever it was she needed to. She saw the pattern of his thoughts, and she took in what she could, then closed her eyes to analyse. Of course, the incident he didn't want her to see was very clear. But apart from checking Martha's memory of what led up to it and his agreed, which they did, she wasn't interested in it. His reaction to it was more important: the whole event was covered in shame, she saw. She'd expected at least some little strands of excitement or that there would have been time he was tempted towards repeating it, but no. She saw none. His desire to kiss Martha in private had been to protect her from gossip and censure, not for other reasons, his refusal to dance close to her was for similar reasons. He'd long interpreted dancing in a tight embrace as an indication that sexual sin was a part of the couple's life, and he wasn't prepared to give that impression to others. He had been hurt by her refusal of the dress, and he'd tried to tell her that he'd already paid the largest bill — so he wouldn't have gone into debt.
A lot of their arguments were because they cared so much about each other, it seemed. Even when he'd gone out with Lilly, it had been driven by his pain at Martha's two-timing him, and accompanied by his constant wish that Martha would demand him back. He hadn't been interested in Lilly at all. Accepting Lilly's advances had mainly been a way of getting close to Martha at clan gatherings. A bit tough on Lilly, Sarah thought. And she saw Mama Ng's putting the end to that episode. 'Lilly, Martha wants him back, he doesn't care about you a bit, he wants Martha, Simon, stop hurting yourself, and think about how you're hurting Lilly too. That's wrong, boy! Martha... I don't know what you thought you were doing, but now you know how much it hurt him. There's a lot of apologising needed but you're family. Get on with it before I send the lot of you to bed with no supper. Ha! I might even send you two to the same bed, that'll teach you.' Simon had been outraged until Mama added. 'Silly boy! I know you love God and each other too much for anything to happen before you marry. But just think how much praying you'd have to do together, though.'”
“Mama's threat was rather shocking wasn't it?” Sarah asked Simon and Martha.
“What's this?” Arwood asked.
“Your mother restoring peace after the Lilly incident.”
“I never did find out what happened. I do know they both came out bright red though.”
“I'm not a bit surprised. Anyway, your mother predicted a wedding. Far be it from me to disagree.”
“What did she say?”
“Arwood, you're not going to make me break the ethics code, are you? Frankly, I'd say this pair have been virtually engaged since then and that most of their arguments have been about miscommunication and protectiveness of each other.”
“So why do they break up?” Arwood asked.
“You don't, do you?” Sarah challenged Martha.
“Well, we do stop seeing each other.”
“Which otherwise is how often?”
“Daily. Lunchtimes too if we can.” Martha said, reddening slightly.
“So when you're not seeing each other, what do you do?”
“Write.” Simon said.
“Or phone.” Martha added.
“Or both.” Simon added for sake of complete disclosure.
“But it still really hurts.” Martha concluded.
“Then stop doing it to yourselves.” Sarah said. “Discuss, don't shout. Listen, don't leap to assumptions. Negotiate, don't issue ultimatums.”
“Don't let the sun set on your anger,” Arwood said, “and get married.”
“Yes, dada.” Martha said, meekly. Then with a wicked grin asked “Are you free next Saturday?”
“How about this time next year?” Arwood countered.
“Arwood, if you do that to them, then I'll help them to elope.” Sarah said.
“If my matriarch helps us elope, is it eloping?” Martha asked.
“No idea.” Sarah said.
“Sarah, why do you keep telling people to elope?” Arwood asked.
“Personal experience. I mean, take me for example. I got so involved about the wedding being exactly according to plan with this and that and the other added extra that I almost had a breakdown. I hardly had time to think before my wedding, let alone pray. I'm probably exaggerating, but you get the point, I hope. People forget that the important thing isn't the party or the food or the dress. I'd love to see someone decide to just concentrate on God, and the vows they're taking. You know, just wear some nice clothes, white is good symbolism of course, but let God be at the very centre, not get pushed to the side in anyone's thinking by everything else.”
“Sarah, you're a dreamer.” Arwood said.
“I know.”
“But surely you'd invite people to the service, and then people do have to eat, don't they? And why not make it into a party — it's a very very happy occasion.” Arwood asked.
“Oh, I know. And my wedding dress was gorgeous and I'm happy that my cousins are getting to wear it, even if it is the most complicated item of clothing I've ever met. So... who said humans needed to be consistent?”
“You didn't need to cater for your own wedding, surely?”
“Tradition.” Sarah said, grimly.
“No wonder you couldn't think.” Simon said.
“Nothing needed cooking on the day, at least. Anyway, thinking of traditions, as far as I know, Martha, you're not supposed to be here, and Simon is supposed to seek you out, invite you to some restaurant or beauty spot, or at least the garden and ask you to marry him, isn't he?”
“Well, yes.” Martha said, and they looked at each other “That is the tradition.”
“So? Do you want to arrange the ceremony before or after he's asked you?” Arwood asked, pointedly.
Simon turned red.
Martha said “Dada, he already asked. Quite a lot of times, in fact.”
“Oh did he? And what did you say?”
“I said wait, I'm not ready. And then Mama died and I said wait, and then I said wait again, lots more times. And then I heard this afternoon from May that she was going to get Sarah to think like a matriarch, and I think I really surprised him with my answer when he asked again at teatime.”
“What did you say?” Sarah asked.
“I said 'Of course I will, but you've got to get permission before it's official.' And he insisted we come immediately.”
“I see.” Arwood said, thinking that it made sense even if it wasn't the traditional way. And it explained Martha's 'Can I have him?' question. “Then let me be the first to congratulate you on your engagement. May it be long enough to get everything done, and short enough to not test your youthful impatience. And may your life together be full of forgiveness and love.”
“Amen.” Sarah said.
“Now, go tell your mother.” Arwood instructed.
“Yes, dad.” Martha said, and ran out of the door.
“Simon, do you have a ring for her?” Sarah asked.
“No. She's been saying 'wait' so long...”
“You know I've got contacts in the trade.”
“Urm, yes.”
“So, I don't want you to feel under pressure, but if you want me to help, say so.”
“Help in what way?”
“OK, I'm assuming that you're not going to be able to afford one of my very special ones, but depending on your budget, I'll very happily give you a big discount on what I can. I'm also happy to tell you how to spot a fake, or introduce you to someone who can help you look for something at trade-price if you want to go that way.”
“Trade price?”
“Jewellery shops don't shift as much stock as supermarkets, so they need to put a fairly high mark-up on what they sell, otherwise they can't pay for lights, rent and staff cost. That's just the reality of doing business. But you're joining the clan. So, if you're on a really tight budget, you could find a second-hand ring, say at an auction, for what the shops pay, rather than what the customer pays. It's going to take time, you'd go with someone I know who'd tell you what they'd set as an upper bid, and you'd see if the auction-goers will let you buy it. You'd need to pay immediately, of course, and then you'd probably need it to be re-sized. You'd know it's not a new ring, of course, and some people get funny about that sort of thing.”
“Thank you. Urm, I'll have to work out what my budget actually is.”
“Don't believe the rubbish about it having to cost a month's salary, by the way. That's just an ancient marketing ploy.”
“If I put a month's support into the ring, then I wouldn't be eating.”
“Exactly. So, you need to decide. You don't actually need to give her a ring at all. It's just a tradition, but there are others. I know some places where the engagement ring is just the wedding ring on the other hand, for instance. That option saves you a lot, but you get to give a lot of explanations.” Sarah said.
“Well, thank you, Sarah. I guess we'll need to talk about it.”
“You will.” Arwood said “And while I'm certainly happy to conduct the service if you want me to, I don't think it'd be good for me to lead you through marriage preparation classes. Just, you know, you need to be able to speak freely, without clamming up in front of a parent or future parent-in-law. Plus of course, with the impact coming...”
“You're going to be busy.” Simon supplied.
“I was going to say that we might not have anywhere to finish them, except a tent, and that's not exactly sound-proof. But anyway, you'll want to do them at your college church, I presume.”
“Yes. I guess so.”
“Come to the lounge, Simon. I expect some kind of date-setting discussion needs to happen.”
“Unless you need to find out from your parents about any dates to avoid,”
Sarah suggested. “Of course... it might be a good idea to tell them too.”
“About the date...” Simon was hesitant as normal.
“Yes?” Arwood said.
“We were wondering, is there any real reason to wait months and months?”
“Not if you want to elope.” Sarah said.
Arwood threw a tea-towel at her “Stop it, Sarah.”
“No, actually I'm serious this time.” Sarah said, and addressed Simon. “If you don't want anyone to come, if you don't care what people think, if you're intent on giving people the impression that this is a shotgun-marriage, then go ahead and marry this weekend. People will leap to conclusions though. And some of them will be your supporters. Reality doesn't matter. Combined with your crazy way of phrasing it — talking about splitting up when what you really meant was limiting your time together — an instant marriage is going to give people the impression that you had a joyful reconciliation which went too far and now you're trying to do the right thing, post-facto.”
She saw the colour drain out of Simon's face as she carried on. “So, set yourselves a decent time. Tell your supporters the happy news. Combine your mailing lists, decide who you want to invite and come up with a list of things that would be good as wedding presents — I'd guess that household things beyond double sheets aren't going to be high on your list of things you need, but don't make people guess. Decide if you're going to have a pot-luck or a five course banquet or something in between, decide if you're going to ask guests for copies of their photos, or have an official photographer, or pay for some stranger to do it for you. Chase around after everything you've decided on, revisit your plans when you see the cost, and so on and so on. Do all that, combined it with studies, and marriage preparation class and of course reassuring each other that it is worth it, and you'll find that a few months is about the minimum you can fit everything into.”
“I hope you were taking notes.” Arwood said to Simon.
“Urm. I was just about to ask if I can have that list written down.”
“No problem. By the way, have you had any thoughts about where you'll have your honeymoon?”
“No.”
“I do happen to know where my cousin Karen was going, and it's a lovely spot if you want nature and not many people. I'm going there for a little break tomorrow. Actually, Arwood, I was meaning to ask. Other than weddings baptisms and funerals, is there any reason the whole clan gets together?”
“That's more than forty people, Sarah! Not often. But if you felt like paying for a holiday in the Galapagos Islands, then I'm sure we'd all be there.”
Sarah stuck her tongue out at that suggestion. “What about something which doesn't threaten to put me in a half-coma?”
“Your idyllic holiday spot?”
“Yes. Two to eight bed cabins in the woods. They're separated by about kilometre or two, so it's not an ideal meeting up spot, actually, unless everyone's feeling fit. But there's also a campsite just down the road.”
“I don't think you'll get Edwin and Grace camping, but I'm sure they'd like a holiday with the rest of us. And if you call for it...”
“I'll pay, too.”
“I was joking.”
“I wasn't. If the Lord is calling Simon and Martha to far flung places then I want everyone to hear about it from them before they go.”
“We've got schedules, Sarah, of where we need to speak when. Fitting in the wedding is going to be difficult enough.” Simon said.
“Who arranged the schedule?”
“Our mission.”
“Well, tell them that you've just got engaged, you're getting married before you go, and please can they re-arrange the schedule.”
“I suppose I could.”
“Of course you can.” Arwood said. “Missionary visits aren't ever set in stone.”
“And some time you must tell me more about the mission you're joining.” Sarah said.
----------------------------------------
SATURDAY, 30TH DECEMBER, 9.30PM.
“Hi Grace, it's Arwood. Is my big brother there?”
“Edwin's just getting into the bath, I think. Is it urgent?”
“No, I just thought I should tell him first, as eldest.”
“Oooh, this sounds like it's clan news.”
“It is.”
“EDWIN!” Grace shouted, “I'll see if he's actually got in yet. What's the subject?”
“A little bit of joy, and the succession.”
“And you say it's not important?”
“Important, but not urgent.”
“EDWIN! Clan news!” She shouted again, “I did see that slip of a girl Mama introduced on the news, didn't I?”
“Yes, Sarah Williams. Which time did you see her?”
“She was on twice?”
“Once at the wedding.”
“Oh, that was her, the bridesmaid?”
“Yes. The other one, she was being interviewed about her businesses and all sorts of other things.”
“Quite the committed Christian, isn't she. But there's no surprise there, if she's got Mama's gift.”
“Exactly. But don't go spreading that, of course.”
“Of course not!”
“What's this about clan news?” Edwin asked, coming into the picture.
“Hi Edwin, two bits of news: my little Martha's gone and grown up. She's got herself engaged to Simon.”
“Her on-off boyfriend?”
“Yes. Would you believe that the last year or so when they've been so-called split up, they've been writing and phoning each other every day?”
“Not much of a split.”
“That's what we said. You remember Sarah, from Mama's farewell?”
“Young enough to be my granddaughter, almost.”
“That's the one. You know the way we've all been pussy-footing around, waiting for her to say something, or ask what Mama had meant? Well, she's been helping sort May out recently, and this afternoon May just flat out told her that she was matriarch, Mama's decision, so would she please tell her what to do about a lad that's interested. Hannah backed up her up something along the lines of you're the only one qualified, and Sarah accepted it. Then Martha turned up with her boyfriend and Sarah proved her abilities all right. Not quite like Mama, of course, but she certainly brought out the truth.”
“And what is the truth?”
“Well, you know how much Mama would say about what she saw?”
“Hardly anything.” Edwin said.
“Sarah gives even less away. But one of the things, she said was that Mama declared them due to marry, they've been sorely tempted but pulled themselves up before they fell, and all that palaver about splitting up so often is because they've been spending every waking minute with each other when they can, but they're not very good at talking things through when they disagree. No doubt in their minds about marrying for ages, the real only question was when they'd go public.”
“Oh, the joys of parenthood! And you knew nothing of this?”
“Well, I knew that most times I rang her, he was around. But with them so-called splitting so often, Hannah and I thought it was that they weren't sure.”
“So they've been having a lot of lovely rows, but they still write love letters to each other?”
“Yes. Martha told us that quite a lot of the rows have been about limits.”
“What, they want to cross them? There's a surprise.”
“No. More like they're misinterpreting the other one, and are trying to protect each other too much.”
“So, when's the wedding?”
“Good question. Late spring or early summer is my guess. Which brings me to another question from Sarah.”
“Oh yes? What's that?”
“What do you think of a clan get-together, something like a week up in some beauty spot she owns most of.”
“Not camping, I hope.”
“Youngsters can camp, sensible people get a cabin with warm showers as long as you feed the stove right.”
“Any idea what it'll cost?”
“All expenses paid with some of her loose change.”
“So it was her on the news? Grace said she thought it was, but I said it couldn't be.”
“The multi-millionairess with a truth-sayer?”
“That's the one.”
“May's the truth-sayer.”
“She's a brave girl then. But why does Sarah need a truth-sayer?”
“Because no one's going to be worried about a slip of a girl who can hear thoughts, but a thought-hearing multi-millionairess with links to the palace sounds just like the sort of future Roland Underwood was raving about, doesn't it? 'We are the super-beings, worship us and do our bidding'.”
“I guess it does, yes.”
“So, that's why. I'll tell you, May's really matured as a Christian since Sarah got involved. Don't hesitate to call on her if you've got a sticky problem, that's all I can say. She's a busy lady, but she knows all about duty. And of course, there's also her husband John, and like Mama said, he's got the gift too. He's one of our elders and a qualified psych-counsellor.”
“Is he now? Well! Good people to have at the top, even if they're a bit young.”
“Let's face it, Edwin, the clan's mostly their age or younger. And for all Sarah's young, John's older than your Ella, and they've both suffered a lot.”
“He was the other survivor from that attack, wasn't he?”
“Yes. He lost his wife, their unborn child and one leg.”
“Regrown?”
“No, he's got a metal one. He says it's almost as good, better in some ways, and saved him a year or more of regrowth pain. And if he stubs that toe on the door too hard then the worst that happens is repair the door not broken toes.”
“Sounds like a good choice then.” Edwin said, wincing at the memory.
“I thought you might appreciate that quote after last year.”
“I do, I do. So, Sarah's stepped up to the task, and we're in good hands.”
“I think so, Edwin. I think so.”
“Well, I'll go get in my bath then.”
“You'll pass the news on to your kids?”
“Of course, and about the clan get-together. Has she set a date?”
“Not yet. She was wondering about the week after Easter, but she's flexible. We'll have to check at all the school and university term dates.”
“I'll be in touch then.”
“Thanks, Edwin.”
“Thank you, Arwood. That's good news indeed. Best wishes to Hannah and your kids.”
“They're getting old, Edwin.”
“That they are. Oh, I almost forgot to say, news from Kayla and Ella — they're both expecting.”
“Congratulations to them both then! This'll be what, number seven for Kayla? I thought she said little Holly was going to be her last?”
“Just what I said. Of course she said the same about Molly, Keith and Alan too. She replied something like why stop now, when I know what I'm doing.”
“She's going to be your age when this little one gets old enough to marry.”
“I know, I know. I think she'll stop after this one, really I do. I'd better go, my bath water's probably got icebergs in it.”
“Bye, Edwin!”
When he put down the phone, Hannah asked “Kayla's expecting again?”
“Yes. And Ella too.”
“Do you think someone should explain the principles of contraception to Kayla and Samuel?”
“I'm pretty sure they know, Hannah. They just like kids.”
“If Kayla doesn't stop after this one, and assuming Mandy finds herself a husband quickly enough then she's going to have a brother or sister younger than her eldest.”
“Maybe Kayla will stop when Mandy marries.”
“I certainly hope so. It can't be good for her health.”
“Probably not, no.”
“Who are you going to call next?”
“I'm trying for age order.”
“Oh, that makes sense. I'll bring you a cup of tea, you're going to be on that phone all evening. Or why don't you do a conference call? Tell them all at once?”
“I suppose I could, couldn't I? I didn't think of that.”
“It'd save a lot of time.”
“I'll give it a go.”
----------------------------------------
SATURDAY, 30TH DECEMBER, 9.45PM
After a bit of complicated communication, purely to keep Quentin in the dark for the moment, John called Quentin.
[Hello, Quentin. I hear you and Rhianna had a useful chat with May.]
[We did. Thank you for setting it up.]
[She also said you were asking about her clan.]
[Yes. Yes, I was.]
[So... via May, the matriarch's asked me to chat to you a bit about why you're asking.]
[Oh, urm, OK. Would the answer go back via May?]
[It needn't.]
[That's good.]
[Why?]
[Because I don't want to hurt her.]
[How do you think knowing your motive would hurt her?]
[Because I'm fascinated by the thought that a once-male-dominated clan could turn into a matriarchy in this country. I mean, yes, there are different cultures here, but I thought matriarchies were rare anywhere, and that sort of change is as rare as hens' teeth according to my text book. Then there's the whole thing about how a woman becomes matriarch when she's not even from the culture. It's all so totally amazing.]
[So, you're just interested in the clan because it's a fascinating anthropological case?]
[And... because of May.]
[I heard quite a pause in there.]
[Intellectually, I'm fascinated by the clan. Intellectually, I'm fascinated by May becoming a truth-sayer. Psycho-sociologically, I'm aware that I need to develop some female friendships, so-far, May's the only candidate.
Biologically I'm really really attracted to May, but... I have hardly any self-control. My thought life stinks. I need to get a lot more self-controlled before I go dating. She knows that.
Emotionally, I can't think about her without my heart-rate speeding up, and I can't imagine being happy if she's miserable. Nor, right now, can I think I'll be truly happy unless I'm spending time with her.]
[So, if your intellectual studies were considered inappropriate by the clan, what would you do?]
[I'd try to be May's best friend.]
[And find out about the clan?]
[I don't think I can find out about May without finding out something about the clan.]
[So, where would that leave the clan's privacy?]
[May wouldn't want me to break clan secrets, I'm sure.]
[So, you're saying that for May's sake you'd pretend you knew nothing of the clan?]
[Oh man, this is hard! I can't think rationally about May. She's too gorgeous, too kind, too forgiving, too fascinating.]
[So, let me check I've got this straight. You're falling head over heals for her, lusting after her but trying not to, you're not going to date, just be good friends until you've managed to separate your lust from your sexuality, and you're intellectually fascinated by her clan and you want to find out everything you can about it. But because of your feelings for May you won't publish about it or tell anyone individually.]
[Urm, I guess so.]
[Tell me the difference between being May's best friend and May's boyfriend.]
[Urm, boyfriend heads towards fiancé, heads towards marriage.]
[But you're in love with May.]
[Not properly. I don't know her well enough. It's just hormones.]
[You'd like to be her boyfriend though.]
[Oh yes!]
[But you're thinking that you can be friend, best friend, boyfriend, fiancé, and happily ever after, aren't you?]
[Urm, I guess so.]
[The thing about 'best friend' is that that's not a romantic category, and if you try to make that romantic step then it risks the friendship.]
[{misery}I know.]
[Whereas what you've asked May to teach you is not romance free. It might end up as best friend if the romance side doesn't work out, but it's not the sort of thing you ask for unless you're interested.]
[I'm interested! But I'm also doomed. How can I get to know May as a friend without thinking of it as dating if it's not based around getting to know her clan?]
[You're going to need to talk a lot, I guess. Find common interests. And find times you can be together but not alone together. Anyway, I'll tell Sarah what you've said.]
[Thank you.]
John broke the connection. “Well, that brings back memories.” he said.
“Oh?” Sarah asked.
“He's a mess of hormones, lust, self-pity, and is determined to do the right thing. She's without doubt the most important female in his world right now, but he acknowledges that no matter what he's thinking it's more hormones than being in love. Though of course I strongly suspect that if anyone mentions the fifth month then he's going to start daydreaming about her. He's also intellectually curious about the clan as an anthropological anomaly, and doesn't understand how you ended up as matriarch.”
“That makes two of us. I mean, Mama didn't say go to me for problem solving, she said go to us.”
“But you've got the gender. Therefore you're matriarch, I'm just the tag-along.”
“But I'm not anyone's mother, how can I be a ruling mother?”
“Well, love, you are ruling, aren't you? You're ruling GemSmith. Plus you're mothering May, not to mention young Maddie and Robert. But, if you think pregnancy is an important feature of being matriarch, I suppose we could solve that one.” John said, giving her a kiss.
[What happened to waiting for closer to the impact?] Sarah asked, surprised, but pleased.
[I'm not planning on losing you, love.]
[I'm not planning on losing you either. {love} I was thinking though...]
[Yes, love?{love}]
They broke before feedback wiped out thought.
“Morning sickness is not going to be pleasant in a tent.”
“Ah, that's true.”
“And really... stress-event indices and that sort of thing... I must be up in the danger zone with all the changes I've had since June. Maybe we should wait until we're more used to coping with GemSmith, this new matriarch thing, the impact, and whatever else this year is going to throw at us.”
“That sounds eminently sensible, my beloved wife.”
“So, let's keep on using contraceptives for the moment.”
“What are you going to do about Quentin?” John asked.
“I have no idea. I think May's suggestion is a good one.”
“Which one, castration?” John said.
“No! She might really regret that in a few years time. I'm thinking of her suggestion that they stick at friendship for a while.”
“It's going to be tough for him. He probably can't think of anything other than the clan and romance to talk about.”
“Neither of those sound like a good basis for marriage.”
“No. It's a shame she's not more interested in him.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Because there's the alternative route of early marriage. I can assure you that regular zero-guilt sex with one's beautiful wife is a real help against out of control hormones.”
“OK, I can see it helping him. What about May?”
“Like I said, shame.”
“And he needs to get his lust-thoughts under control, surely?”
“Yes. He does, otherwise he's going to project them onto May and that way lies abuse. So, where does that leave them?”
“Talking, not dating, but if he's good and if May wants him there, then he can come on the clan holiday with us all, assuming that happens.”
“You don't think that's too soon?”
“Well, maybe. But I think I'll make it a principle: Clan members, plus people who have shown an interest in joining the clan. That way the clan can see how they behave.”
“Would that include Rhianna? I mean, she's shown an interest.”
“Hmm. Tricky one there. She's too young to date, and based on what I got from May, joining the clan is about dating someone, really.”
“Or about a mostly Christian environment. It didn't sound like she's got one at home.”
“Sounds like a reasonable motive. But we'd need to discuss it with the others.”
“Agreed.”
“I also wonder if one of us needs to talk to Mandy.”
“Oh?”
“Eighteen, very shy, outside the clan. But apparently feels very single too.”
“Oh. As in, she wants someone, anyone?”
“That's the way mistakes get made, yes.”
“So what do you propose to do?”
“Well, first, talk to her. Second... I'm not sure.”
“Sounds like a very well thought out plan, Sarah. Come to bed? We've got an early start tomorrow.”
“Don't make fun of me!”
“I'm not. Talk to her is the best thing to do. Get to know her, let her get to know you. Jumping in with a plan before you know her at all is just asking for trouble.”
“I faint at your great wisdom, my knight.” she declared, making sure he was close enough to catch her. He did.
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