THR33 DIFFERENT WOMEN. Part 23.
A tiny nation with a population of less than 100,000, all of whom had now potentially become millionaires. That had to be a good thing, didn't it? Jay questioned Marie on this. The main island only had 20,000 inhabitants, where did all the others live? Apparently there were two other slightly smaller islands, both of which had far more usable land. The mountain spine of Pelau Tipu made almost half of it unfit for use for agriculture or anything else really. There were no roads or passes through the range, meaning you had to travel around the edge of the island to reach the other side. It did have a well sheltered, but rudimentary, port. Those other islands had slightly larger populations.
Outside agencies had found it very easy to find people who were impatient for that wealth. Why wait a decade or more for the money, when there were those who were offering it now? As long as you agreed to certain conditions and gave the mining operations permission to do exactly as they pleased. Tuvah had no army, airforce or navy. It didn't really have a police force. You could discount the unarmed law officers who handled the small amount of crimes on each of the islands. The Royal Navy would send a frigate every now and then, to check on things. With independence the frequency lessened.
At first things became unpleasant. Not for the general population, who were far too busy making a living. The royal family were the main target for the arson and vandalism that began to happen regularly. It was a smart tactic. Cut off the head and the body would do as it was told. Government officials and local dignitaries also suffered these attacks. It was a nuisance mainly. Until it escalated. As she'd said, Palau had two daughters by his English wife. His eldest daughter, and heir, had married what would be called nobility in a European nation. They'd had a little girl. The succession was safe. The hiatus caused by the lack of a Queen, would end once Palau's daughter reached the age of 30. Another idiosyncrasy of this particular community. You might become an adult at 18, but to rule Tuvah you had to have some life experience. For the islanders any change to this would require great persuasion. Presently Palau had wisely decided with all the other changes being made, it would be good to keep some things as they were. To maintain a form of continuity and a connection to their past.
The situation had escalated a little over a year ago with the murder of Tianni's father. At the time they hadn't linked it to the disturbances. He'd been stabbed and beaten. There were those who had grudges against his family, particularly his father who was old school. Set in his ways and a devotee of the local religion which placed the queen at its head. Less than a month later a roadside IED had killed Palau's wife and Tianni's mother. The child had been with them at the time, but escaped without a scratch. Physically at least. Since then there'd been other plots and attempts, aimed at Tianni who was now the queen in waiting.
Jay had known he was going to say yes before he'd even sat down with Marie. It was just that he wasn't prepared to admit it. Protecting Tianni had to be a no brainer. It wasn't work he had great familiarity with, although he'd done protective duties on various postings. Mostly patrolling perimeters and providing backup for the real bodyguards. Marie insisted his keen instincts would help. How was he to know it was the most important decision he'd ever make. One which would change his life beyond measure, as well as the lives of the ones he loved. A contract was signed. He attended a training course for two weeks. Then flew out to Australia to take the boat to Tuvah.
Sophie, and a heavily pregnant Liz, watched through the window as Jay paced up and down the porch. Stopping every so often to stare down the track towards the main highway. Checking the time on his phone constantly. They looked at one another. Sophie nodded at the end of their silent conversation. Stepping outside she almost bumped into him. He apologized. Looked at the time again. Shrugged. Tried to paste on a smile, that looked more like a death grin.
"It'll be fine Jay." Sophie reassured him.
He grimaced again.
"It's really important to her. So it's even more important to me. This is the first time you've met. I know she'll be nervous."
"Really? I find that hard to believe. She must meet new people almost every day."
"Yes of course. This is different though. You're my family. When is Jacob coming back?"
As he paced away from her, she rolled her eyes. Only a little bit. This was her brother. They might not share the same genes, but like he said they were all family.
"I told you he isn't coming home until Tuesday. My parents will drop him off."
"Oh. Right. I forgot. Sorry I have a lot on my mind. I think you'll like her."
That sounded like a plea.
"I know we will. She's the woman you love. That makes her very special to all of us. She has to be an exceptional woman to have snared you."
"It's just that she's not used to socializing."
Sophie gave him a quizzical look, one he didn't notice due to nerves.
"If that's the case then maybe this isn't the woman I'm thinking of. Is it another one?"
Intended to lighten the mood, all it did was tighten the screw on Jay.
"This is different. It's hard to explain. She has different... personalities? She's not mentally ill or anything. It's a protective mechanism. I hope it is anyway. Oh Christ maybe she's got a dissociative personality disorder, but they're afraid to tell her. This might be a bad idea. When is Tianni coming over? She'll be a familiar face."
Their visitor might not be mentally challenged, but Sophie wasn't sure about her younger brother.
"Tianni is here tomorrow. You're collecting her from the airport. As long as she hasn't got two heads I don't think you have anything to worry about. Why don't you sit down and relax?"
As soon as she uttered the suggestion she knew it was a bad move. Telling anyone, as wound up as Jay was, to relax would achieve the opposite effect.
"No thanks..." He looked at the time again. "I think I might take the truck and see if I can find her. This place is really difficult to get to. She might be lost. She's overdue."
"By about five minutes. It's a woman's prerogative to be fashionably late."
His nerves were getting to her now. Thank God Liz hadn't come out to be with him. His worrying had Sophie rethinking things. What if this girlfriend was an horrendous bitch? They'd have to put up with her for the sake of Jay. Pretend they liked her. How long was she supposed to be staying here again? Oh shit she'd contracted memory lapses from him now. They'd planned on a week, but that was because Tianni was off for that long. The stay could be extended. Then they'd have to grit their teeth and put up with this stranger. Multiple personality disorder? Were any of them dangerous? Would it be okay to ask? A cloud of dust appeared in the distance. It looked like the long awaited arrival, of this very important person, was going to happen. Please let it be her. Sophie couldn't take anymore anticipation. The sooner this horror arrived the sooner she'd leave.
The the taxicab drew to a halt. The rear door opening as Jay trotted over, heading for the trunk. Oh crap. She was tall, good looking and well dressed. With a figure Sophie would have killed for. If she was ever going to be with a woman in that way, she would be the one. She leaned back into the cab to fetch something. That ass was perfect. With all those assets it was odds on her personality would be horrendous, whichever one she used. Those were the kind of looks that got you whatever you wanted with the minimum effort. Men would drool over her. Pander to her every request. She'd used those wiles to trap Jay in her web. Befuddling him with her obvious charms. When she turned back that impression vanished. The stunning beauty looked shy and anxious, clutching two small parcels to her chest. Her jet black hair was pulled back into a ponytail. Tight fitting capri pants, slippers and a short sleeved t-shirt. She smiled timidly at her host.
"You must be Sophie. Jay's told me all about you." She hadn't greeted him yet, instead she shuffled her parcels. Wiping her hands on her thighs one after the other. When he moved up beside her she almost dropped her load seeking to clutch his hand for support. That English accent sounded so refined. There was a mild tremor in her voice. Sophie thought she might well have fallen in love. "You didn't tell me she was so beautiful Jay." The guest scolded.
Yep. Sophie had definitely fallen in love with her.
"It's nice of you to lie like that. I appreciate it. You can definitely come to stay again."
"Oh it's not.."
The denial was curtailed as Sophie strode over to envelope their visitor in her arms. The initially stiff response faded. They stood there wrapped around one another for quite some time. A relieved Jay was watching them closely. Prepared to head off any approaching storms. At last they parted.
"Welcome to our home. Come in you have to meet Liz. She's having twins, so she's got her feet up right now."
Hugging her parcels tightly she danced up and down excitedly.
"That's wonderful. I really have to talk to her. You to. I just found out I'm pregnant."
The shock on Jay's face at the announcement was a picture.
"What? Pregnant?" He stammered.
The two women chuckled.
"Don't worry Jay. There's a better than 20% chance you're the father. Shall we go in? Best not to keep two pregnant women waiting."
They set off in perfect step.
"I think I'm going to like you." Sophie enthused.
"Ha, ha. Very funny. It would have been nice if I'd been the first to know." Came his forlorn bleat.