Take Her to HeVan

by Lucy Kelly

  “No, sir, we’ll do just as you suggest. I can’t wait to be married to Marla,” swore Karlo.

  After leaving the courthouse, Marla reminded Mr. Edwards she would see him the day after the wedding. It was a beautiful day, so Marla offered to take them sight-seeing. Then Charl insisted on taking Marla shopping again. He didn’t feel she had been spoiled enough. He wanted to shower her with gifts. The day before, she had returned to the hotel with only two small shopping bags. He wanted her to buy for every dream she had. During the trip back from the station, he had carefully questioned her about her plans for the ranch, so he turned down her offer of sight-seeing because he’d made some appointments for them.

  “Where are we going?” she asked him when they got into a cab.

  Charl gave an address to the cab driver before answering Marla’s question. “I had some blueprints made of the entire ranch property and a separate set of plans for the house and outbuildings. While we were away on our trip, Becky did some research for me and made an appointment for us with a design firm.”

  Marla gasped and then tears sprang to her eyes. “Charl? What did you do?”

  “You mentioned your plans to remodel the house. You also had plans for organizing the alpaca pens and building a series of aisles and gates for moving the animals around. As a wedding gift to you, Karlo and I are going to make sure your plans are put into effect,” he said matter of factly.

  Marla burst into tears.

  Karlo was sitting in the front seat of the cab as there wasn’t room for the three of them in the back. He turned to look over his shoulder when he heard her cry out.

  “What’s wrong, Marla?”

  She tried to answer but the tears kept bubbling up and neither of the men could understand cry-speak. The cab driver came to their rescue. “She’s happy. She can’t believe you would do so much for her. She doesn’t know how she ever got so lucky. And you’re so getting lucky tonight,” he told them.

  By this time, they had reached their destination. Karlo handed the driver a twenty for a six dollar fare. “How were you able to understand her?” he wanted to know. Charl was helping a still overwhelmed Marla from the cab.

  “I have three daughters. Thanks. Have a nice day,” he said before driving away with a chuckle.

  When Karlo caught up with Marla and Charl, they were standing in the middle of the sidewalk kissing. It was one method of getting her to stop crying. When they entered the office building, she was still a little weepy so Karlo followed his brother’s example and kissed her in the elevator.

  When they gave their names to the receptionist, Marla had a perpetual smile on her face, even if her eyes were still a little red and watery. She was even more impressed when they were shown in. She expected an office. What she got was a conference room and a team of designers and architects. They had Charl’s plans on the table.

  “Hello, you must be the Darvik brothers and Marla Jones. I’m Paul Chambers and this is my brother, Tom, and our sister, Louise. I have to say, we’re intrigued by this project. I understand, Marla, this ranch has been in your family for a long time and you’re the alpaca expert. Would you explain the purpose behind your plans? We’re not as knowledgeable as you,” he said with a smile.

  “Mainly, the Hembra or breeding females and their Cria, babies less than a year old, need to be kept separate from the adolescent males, and the stud males also need to be kept apart from the other and each other. So the chutes and gates are for moving them from pen to pasture while keeping them apart. It also allows me to give the animals regular health inspections. By having the pens separated by the chutes, it pulls them apart just that much more. Then the pinwheel of pasture around the dormer pens mean they all stay in good condition,” she explained.

  “Wow, so well thought out. I never knew taking care of alpacas was so easy and so hard at the same time. I have tons of questions, but they can wait. Paul’s going to work on that part of the project. I’m going to work with you on the house and Tom’s going to be floating between us. Charl explained that you have a tight timeline, wanting the project completed before the snow flies,” said Louise.

  “We can and will build all our deadlines and completion targets into the contract. The interior of the house, to get it perfect, may take us past the November first goal. What we’d like to do at this meeting is make sure we have a good understanding of what you want. It’s already May and what you want to do with the pens and pastures is nearly locked in so we’ll start work there.

  “Then we should have plans for the house and buildings in a couple of weeks. Ideally, we’d like to come out and see the house, meet with you there to go over the various possibilities. You might want to consider a new house rather than a remodel. With remodeling, it almost always takes more work and effort than a build. With a house as old as yours, the plumbing, electrical, et cetera may not even be up to code,” said Paul Chambers.

  For the next several hours, the six of them went over everything. It was decided the Chamberses would come out to the ranch at the end of the week and bring the final contract with them. Charl left them with a retainer as down payment and the three of them left.

  “Oh, wow, I still can’t believe you’d do all this for me. I’m still reeling,” said Marla.

  “We’re not done, honey. That was the biggest gift, sure. There’s still more to come,” said Karlo, giving her waist a squeeze and holding her up a little when her legs went weak. Charl flagged down another cab and he gave the driver the address to the next stop where they had reserved a private dining room for a romantic lunch.

  By the time they returned to the hotel at six, she’d also been to a custom boot-maker and been measured for twelve pairs of boots in all styles from riding, walking or dancing boots. She’d also been taken to a large department store where a personal shopper had been arranged. Karlo had asked about marriage customs and Charl had done some research online. Marla was getting an entire new wardrobe of clothes and accessories, including a beautiful Cinderella style gown.

  She kept bursting into tears and telling them it was too much and they’d simply urge her to try on something else because she looked so pretty. When they were done, they ended up having to take two cabs back.

  “Do you mind if we just call room service for dinner?” Marla asked, as she crossed the lobby, Karlo and Charl following behind, towing luggage carts full of packages.

  “Are you very tired?” asked Karlo.

  “No. I just thought with all the running around we’ve done, you might prefer to spend the evening quietly.”

  “You wanted to join in the manner of your people. The research we did shows that in addition to providing a home and starting off your married life with all new clothing, you are required to have a party with all your close friends and we are required to also go out and drink to excess with our own male friends prior to the wedding. Since the wedding is tomorrow, tonight is the only time to complete these rituals,” said Karlo.

  “It’s a little late for me to be calling up my friends about a bridal shower or bride’s night out. Also, we’re keeping the wedding on the down-low, remember? So Jake doesn’t find out until after. Besides, other than Mr. Edwards and Jim Tucker, who do you guys know? Hey, this isn’t our floor.”

  “A great many of our brethren are here,” said Karlo before he knocked on a door.

  There must have been someone nearby because it opened right away, before Marla could answer Karlo.

  “Hi, you’re here, right on time. Oh, are those the new clothes? It looks like you guys bought out the store. Come on in, Marla,” said Becky. “Hey, Karlo, hey, Charl, the guys are up in your suite waiting for you. Don’t get too wasted tonight, okay? You want to be clear-headed tomorrow.”

  Marla entered the large suite and was surprised to see other women she recognized from the Sanctuary.

  Karlo and Charl left her to her pre-wedding ritual while they went upstairs to meet with the other warriors and start their own ritual.

 
Chapter Twenty

  Marla looked around the room at all the women’s faces, some she knew and some she didn’t. The more people she saw, the harder it was to keep her composure. She lifted her hands to her cheeks and shook her head.

  “I can’t believe you’re all here; and you kept it a secret.”

  “I hope you’re not too tired; we’ve made plans. Why don’t you take a shower? I’m sure we can find you something to wear,” Becky said, eyeing the mounds of packages on the two luggage trolleys.

  “Okay, that should revive me. Oh, good, you’ve got some munchies. I’m starving. Let me eat a little to stave off starvation; lunch was hours and hours ago. Then I’ll shower. While I’m eating, you can fill me in on the plan. I know I’m only getting married in the judge’s chambers, but I still don’t want to look like a hag on my wedding day,” said Marla, filling a plate with finger food.

  “Okay, that’s where we’ll start,” said Sarah. “You’re not getting married at the courthouse. We strong-armed the event coordinator here at the hotel. We reserved one of the ballrooms. Julie and Amy,” she pointed to two ladies sitting on a loveseat. Both were so pregnant they looked like they were about to pop. “They aren’t going out with us this evening, so they are supervising the decorating. I mean, when you have big strong men at your disposal, use them.”

  “What about the judge?” Marla asked.

  “Oh, he thought it was a great idea; he’s totally on board. Only we can’t be late because he has to be in court by three. I’m not worried those men will do whatever it takes to marry you,” said Sarah.

  “Yeah,” Marla sighed, “I can count on them. Besides, going out dancing with a large group of women who are pretty much all in various stages of pregnancy means I won’t get too drunk. We’ll be ordering pitchers of virgin drinks.”

  “But, honey, as the only non-pregnant one, and the bride, you have to get plastered on our behalf,” said Becky.

  Tammy came in from the other room rolling two large suitcases. They were unlike any suitcases Marla had ever seen. Hard-sided rollers, nothing new there, but what made them unique was the decoration. One had a hot pink background with yellow and blue flowers all over in a pattern. The other one had a reproduction of Monet’s famous painting of a field of iris on it.

  “Hi, we couldn’t decide which set to get you so we got both. Each of these cases has another two nesting inside. Now that I can see the stacks of clothes, it’s probably a good thing. You’re going to need all six suitcases to get all this stuff home; you’re going to need a large box to put all those shoe boxes into. Wow, they really took all this bridal stuff to heart. They bought you an entire trousseau,” Tammy said.

  “A trousseau?” Marla asked.

  “Historically, a bride’s parents would supply the new bride with a wardrobe so her husband wouldn’t have to spend on her in the first year of marriage. In addition, a bride would have been sewing linens, sheets, napkins, et cetera, for her future home. My guess is, knowing you don’t have any family, they wanted to do this for you,” Tammy answered.

  “Oh, that is so sweet,” said Julie.

  Marla didn’t say anything; she was trying hard not to start crying again.

  Over the next three hours, they ate and gossiped and got ready for a night on the town. Around nine, those who were going out left the hotel and took a limo to a popular night club. The women who were staying behind got picked up by their men and left for their rooms.

  *****

  While the women were doing their thing, Karlo and Charl met with the other warriors. Tammy had arranged for limos for both groups. The men didn’t gossip or eat food; they saw this as fulfilling a human ritual so they all showered and met in the lobby, waiting to hear from Charl what they had to do next. Julie and Amy’s Ankida would stay behind and take care of their Joins. They got promises from the others to share their views on how the night went.

  Charl waited until the warriors had gathered around. “From my research, this ritual involves the males having a night of eating, drinking, and smoking cigars, things that females don’t care for. It’s symbolic of an indulgence before leaving behind one part of your life and going forward into another.”

  “We are already Joined; are we allowed to attend?” one of the others asked.

  “All research indicates the males are to spend the evening with their close friends and brethren. The relationship status of the attending males was not mentioned in the materials I read,” said Charl.

  “Have you decided on a venue?” asked Markus.

  “I’m unfamiliar with Boulder. Tammy arranged for a vehicle and driver since we will be consuming alcohol. I thought I’d let the driver suggest a place.”

  The others all nodded in agreement so they moved as a group to the exit. Stepping out, they saw two large vehicles parked in front of the hotel. One was a regular stretch limousine and the second one was a stretch truck. Since the shortest man in the group was Karlo—at six-foot-one—as a group, they walked to the truck.

  The driver saw them coming and ran to open the door.

  “Good evening, sirs, I wasn’t told where to take you. Or did you just want to drive around?”

  Charl put a hand on his brother’s shoulder. “Tomorrow is our wedding day and tonight we are having our all male pre-marriage ritual. Since we’re not from Boulder, we were hoping you could recommend a place where we can eat, drink alcohol, and indulge ourselves.”

  The driver took a long look at all the men piling into his Hummer Limo, short and long hair. They were dressed in jeans with t-shirts, a few had leather jackets, and most weren’t wearing one. He’d driven all kinds and prided himself on taking any group where they were most likely to find what they wanted, so he was sure he knew where to take this group, too. “There’s food and beer while we’re on the road,” was all he said before closing the door.

  As he got into the driver’s seat, he plugged in some music and pulled out of the lot. It would take about forty minutes to drive into Denver; he hoped there was enough food, because those were some big guys.

  In the back, the guys were getting comfortable and looking around with interest. Karlo and Charl passed out beers and small wrapped sandwiches. It would do for a snack.

  “Charl, what are these poles for?” asked one of the warriors named Ralf.

  “I’m not sure, Ralf; perhaps if there are not enough seats, the extra passengers can stand and hold the pole? Like on a bus?”

  Ralf accepted this as plausible; he and others nodded in agreement.

  “Did the driver tell you where he was taking us? We appear to have left the city,” said a warrior named Jural. He was one of those present who had not yet met their Join. Because he was unmatched, he tended to try to protect his brethren who were, not that they appreciated his efforts, being highly trained warriors themselves. Since he was so much younger than they, at a mere eighty years of age, they allowed his actions.

  “He said he knew of the type of place we wished to visit. If we have not arrived within an hour, then we will take action,” said Karlo.

  What action they might have taken never came to be. After thirty minutes, they saw the lights of a much larger city on the horizon. Soon they had entered the outskirts of Denver, and the limo began navigating the streets. Fifteen minutes after entering the city, the limo pulled to a stop in front a bar. From the outside, it didn’t appear different from many other bars, so Charl wondered what made it special. Perhaps the bachelor ritual could only be held in special places?

  “I’ll wait in the limo until you are ready to leave. If you don’t like this particular bar, I know of a few others here in Denver. We’ll find one to suit your tastes,” said the driver.

  “Our tastes?” asked Karlo.

  “Uh…yeah, what kind of music you prefer and—like that.”

  “I understand. If we wish to change venues, we’ll know soon enough. If not, we’ll remain inside for three or four hours.”

  All the warriors were waiting,
standing around on the sidewalk for Charl and Karlo, the men of the hour. Charl crossed the sidewalk and with the others following, entered the bar. He found the music pleasant and there was enough seating available for his group. Looking around, he didn’t see any females. This was the right place.

  The men put a few tables together and sat down. It didn’t take long for the waiter to come over.

  “Ooh—what a picture you all make. Just give me a second to ogle and then I’ll be ready to take your order,” said the waiter, fanning himself with his order pad. “Okay, I’m Brad and it will be my pleasure to serve you this evening. Please let me know of any needs you may have. I’ll do my best to fulfill them.”

  “Thank you, Brad. Karlo and I are performing our bachelor night ritual tonight as we are getting married tomorrow. Is there a specific beverage for this occasion?” asked Charl as he gestured to Karlo sitting across from him.

  Brad let out a high-pitched squeal and got really excited. “Married, too bad for me but really great for you guys. This definitely calls for champagne. It’s kind of pricey though; what’s your budget for this party, honey?”

  Charl and the others each pulled out a wad of cash. Becky had told them to take ID’s and cash to avoid identity theft with their credit cards.

  “We each had a snack on the way here so we’d also like to purchase food. Will that be possible?” asked Charl.

  “Honey, with that much money, anything’s possible. Peel off a few of those Benjamins and leave everything to me. The band will be back from their break in a few minutes and you’ll be able to dance. It’s early now; in a couple of hours it’ll really be hopping. If the two of you want to indulge, the back room has all the amenities,” he added before hurrying off.

  Charl turned back to the group.

  “What do you think he meant by amenities?” asked one and Charl shrugged. Jural, always suspicious, decided to take a look and his brother, Marko, went with him. They returned ten minutes later after inspecting the remainder of the premises.