“Don’t even think it, Dad. We want you and Amanda to live a long time and to be happy together.”
“We want the same thing, Son, but Amanda and I both know how a life can change in a flash.”
Claudia changed the subject. “Well, I just hope Callie is half as accepting of us as Diane and Noah were. I’m so glad they came down to meet us last weekend. They’re a really nice couple and the kids all got along beautifully.”
“We’re both happy about that. We want all our grandchildren to get along.”
She glanced at the third seat. The girls were listening to their music and she added, “Don’t tell her I told you, but I think Candy has a crush on Kenny. I don’t think the feeling was mutual, though.”
Steve chuckled. “He’s a cute guy, but I don’t think he has girls on his mind yet. He seemed to be more interested in the horses.”
“Just give him a little more time,” Dave said. “He’ll get interested soon enough. They grow up so fast.”
“They sure do. When I left they were all little kids, now they’re so grown up. Amanda said she feels the same way about the twins.” Steve had a questioning look on his face. “I imagine we’ve got all the grandkids we’re going to get.”
“As far as Claudia and I are concerned, you have. Three are enough. Noah and I were talking about how expensive it is to educate them now so I figure they don’t plan on any more either.”
Claudia smiled and changed the subject. “Now tell us about this wedding. You said it was to take place at Callie’s house, right?”
“Right. She wanted to use a church, but Amanda put her foot down. The Edgertons have a nice back yard. There are lots of flowers and things and we’re going to say our vows there. We both like outside weddings.”
“I’m sure it’ll be lovely and this time Amanda can wear a beautiful dress.”
Steve smiled. “I’m sure she’ll be beautiful, but I doubt she’ll be any more beautiful to me than she was standing on that knoll on the island during our real wedding.”
Chapter 22
Twenty-Two Months Earlier
Everyone on the beach jumped up and the men started to the jungle toward the scream. Before they got to the edge of the woods, a line of natives carrying spears appeared and blocked the way.
In a minute the native woman who’d healed Steve came into view. She paused in front of the men, pointed at Steve and motioned the others aside. She pointed toward Amanda and waved her to come forward.
Ray started to follow, but a native pointed a spear at him and he paused. The line of natives in the edge of the jungle stood guard and no one else was allowed to come closer.
Amanda came up beside Steve and the native motioned for them to follow. Steve took Amanda’s hand and they headed into the jungle behind the native woman. There was no talking, but Amanda clung to Steve. He squeezed her hand to give her courage.
When they reached the area beyond the lagoon, Amanda gasped. Lying on the ground was the body of a small native girl. Amanda guessed her to be no more than nine or ten. Beside her were a woman and man. The woman was letting out little screams as she washed the child’s body and Amanda knew it was the same person who had screamed earlier. The man was trying to hold back, but every so often he would let out a mournful sob. She instinctively knew they were the girl’s parents.
The group stood aside as the woman finished cleaning the blood and dirt off the child. The man then picked up the lifeless girl and held her close to his heart. He mumbled words that Steve and Amanda couldn’t understand. The mother continued to cry and the little screams came out often.
After a few minutes a native came around the group and took the girl out of her father’s arms. The father then put his arm around the mother. They stood and both lowered their heads and cried as they began walking slowly behind the man carrying their child. The native woman they knew and her man went next, and a guard motioned for Steve and Amanda to follow them. The rest of the natives brought up the rear of the procession.
They walked a long distance and eventually came to a section of the island none of the survivors had explored before, but they weren’t through walking yet. They covered some rough terrain and entered an area almost blocked with thick growth. The natives leading the way had to chop away vines and limbs with their crudely made knives and spears. After a while they came to a mountain, which abruptly rose before them. Approaching it they entered a serene meadow covered with wild orchids.
They crossed the field and the head native woman nodded at four of the men. They went to the side of the mountain and began pushing a large boulder away from the mouth of a cave. When it was moved, she motioned for Steve and Amanda to follow her and her husband inside. The parents of the girl stayed outside.
Both Amanda and Steve gasped when they entered the cave. With the sun coming through the opening, the sides sparkled with hundreds and hundreds of stones of different varieties. They were stuck into the clay walls amid the veins of gold. Amanda knew there were diamonds, emeralds, rubies, and a plethora of other precious stones. She was awed by their beauty though she couldn’t help wondering where all the jewels came from. She knew they couldn’t possibly all be indigenous to this island. Her eyes then turned toward the back of the cave. Sitting there were several chests filled with precious stones. The chests looked Spanish.
So that’s where the jewels came from. Probably shipwrecks when pirates trolled these waters.
She glanced at Steve and saw he looked at the chest, too.
Her gaze was then drawn to the middle of the cave. There was a large flat rock set up as a table.
The man carrying the young girl’s body walked into the cave and placed it on the stone table. Amanda shuddered as the few people inside stood back. A different native came in and leaned over the body. He began reciting incantations, which went on for several minutes. Everyone else in the cave stood in silence.
Amanda was trembling. Steve slipped his arm around her and pulled her close to him. Neither of them spoke because they instinctively knew it wasn’t allowed.
In a little while there were the sounds of shuffling feet outside. Several men and women entered the cave and stood around the walls. Then a long mournful wail began and grew loud as the mother entered, supported by the father. His eyes were red, but he was holding his tears back now.
The woman fell across the child’s body and her wailing turned into pitiful sobs. After a while, the man leaned down and pulled her up. He then leaned over and touched the little girl on the forehead and said something aloud. There was a murmur among those standing around watching. The group outside began to murmur too.
The man and woman then walked to the wall of the cave and pushed a stone into the clay. It looked like a ruby to Amanda. When the couple moved back beside their child’s body the woman in charge nodded to another man and he moved to the cave wall. He drove the stone into the dirt with a crude mallet. The people in the cave said a word after each of the nine blows.
The native who’d carried the body earlier, picked it up again walked out of the cave. The parents followed.
The native woman motioned for Steve and Amanda to follow her and her husband as they walked behind the family. They went back into the jungle. After another long walk they came to a huge ravine. Everyone stopped and the native woman in charge spoke first. Though they knew nothing she said, they could tell she was upset by the tone of her voice. Several others said something and their voices also showed they were upset and mad. The mother of the child said a few words, but her voice only showed its sorrow. The father then lifted the girl over his head. His voice was loud and determined as he said a short speech. When he finished, he released the body and it went into the deep ravine out of sight.
By this time, though she didn’t make a sound, tears were streaming down Amanda’s face. Steve was also teary.
The native woman in charge, nodded at them and they followed her. After a while, they were in a part of the jungle they recognized. When the
y passed the lagoon and the waterfall, they knew they were almost home. At the edge of the jungle, the native woman turned to Amanda and covered her own mouth.
Amanda nodded and covered hers with her hand. She whispered, “Cover your mouth, Steve. She’s telling us not to say anything about what we’ve witnessed today.”
Steve covered his mouth.
The native woman nodded and turned back into the jungle. The guards pulled back out of sight, but didn’t leave the area.
* * * *
June 29—4:00 PM
Panama City Beach, FL
“Well, Steve, how did it feel to marry the same woman again a couple of days ago?” Tony leaned back in the lounge chair on the deck of the luxury hotel room where Steve and Amanda had spent the night.
“I really haven’t thought about it. Her sister wanted to give us a wedding and of course we went along with it, but you know you performed our real marriage ceremony.”
“Of course he did and it was a beautiful wedding, if I do say so myself.” Wilma reached over and patted Tony’s knee.
“If she keeps complimenting me, I’m going to have to break down and marry this woman.” Tony winked at her.
“It wouldn’t surprise me if you did.” Amanda squeezed Wilma’s hand. “You seem to be made for each other.”
“You know we still have those religious differences,” Tony said. “But after what we went through I’m beginning to realize God doesn’t seem to be as hung up on religious dogma as humans are.”
“That’s right, honey.” Wilma smiled at him. “After all, Jesus was a Jew and He accepted everyone.”
“He did, but I’m not so sure your kids will ever accept me.”
“Or yours, me.” Wilma sighed.
“Well, if you love each other—” Amanda started.
“Speaking of love.” Wilma changed the subject. “You two seem to be just as much in love as you were on the island. I guess coming back to civilization hasn’t changed any that for you, has it?”
“Not at all. When I said I wanted to spend the rest of my life with this woman, I meant it.”
“We’re so lucky. Our families have really taken to each other too. We left them all at my daughter’s house planning an outing together. The grandchildren wanted to go to Carowinds and then Six Flags over Georgia. The parents thought it might be a good thing to do since they’re all out of school.” Amanda laughed. “Though Little Johnny said he’d rather come to Florida with Steve and me.”
“My five year old grandson’s in love with my wife and she took right to him, too. Of course, he has the Brookshire men’s charm and no woman can resist that.”
“I sure can’t resist it.” Amanda leaned over and kissed him on the cheek.
Tony smiled at Wilma. “They sure are in love, aren’t they?”
“Yes they are. Isn’t it wonderful? Makes me feel at home.”
“I’m sure glad you decided to let us know you were getting married again.” Tony continued to smile at them. “Now it’s really legal.”
“It’s legal, but I don’t feel any more married than I did already. When I gave my heart to Steve on that island, it was forever.”
Steve lifted her hand to his mouth and kissed her fingers.
Wilma turned to Amanda. “Now tell us about your second wedding. Where did you get married and what went on?”
Amanda smiled. “It was lovely. We were married in my sister’s back yard and Callie had everything perfectly arranged. Other than the minister, only our families were there. My daughter, Diane was my maid-of-honor and Steve’s son, Dave was his best man.”
“Johnny held the rings for us and the other grandchildren stood behind us.”
“Johnny was so serious. He had practiced for days so he wouldn’t let the rings slide off the pillow.” Amanda smiled. “He was so proud of himself when it came off without a hitch.”
“He sounds wonderful. I know you enjoy him,” Tony said.
“Yes, we do.” Steve smiled.
“What did you wear, Amanda?”
“I had a yellow dress with full skirt and scooped neck and I carried yellow and white mixed flowers.” She glanced at Steve. “And you’d never believe how handsome this big fellow looks in a dark suit, white shirt and tie.”
“Callie insisted I wear a yellow tie to match Amanda’s dress.”
“I bet it was a lot more impressive than the first wedding.”
Both Amanda and Steve shook their heads. Amanda said, “Not really. Nothing will ever compare to that flower-covered knoll and this good-looking fellow standing there in his shorts with the beautiful lei around his neck.”
“Or this lovely lady with the orchids on her head and the matching lei around her neck. As I’ve said before, that was our real wedding. This one was a renewal of our vows.”
“And we used the same vows we said on the island. Everyone seemed impressed that we did.” Amanda looked at Tony. “Thanks for suggesting we come here for a few days so we could spend some time together. It’s so wonderful to see both of you.”
“Why did you ask us to meet here in Florida instead of coming to Texas, Tony? When I called to tell you we were getting married again, you insisted on Panama City Beach.”
“I figured you might as well visit with us and this is as good a place as any to spend your honeymoon.” Tony looked at Wilma. “Especially since it’s a second one for you.”
Amanda frowned. “There’s more to it than that. Something’s up with you two. What is it?”
“Shall we tell them?”
Wilma giggled. “I guess we might as well.”
“Tell us what?” Steve eyed them.
“When I got back to Chicago it didn’t take me long to realize life just wasn’t any fun without my Bible-thumping cowboy.”
“I was having the same feelings. Though some of the women I knew before the trip thought I was mysterious because I’d spent so much time away, I just couldn’t get interested in them. I kept thinking about my Jewish partner. I decided I couldn’t wait until the group’s planned reunion so I gave her a call.”
“My kids had a fit, but I told them to cool it and get on with their lives. It was time for Mama to be happy again. They finally gave me their blessing. Because I’ve always wanted to come to Florida, we met here last week. You called to give him your news when Tony was getting ready to leave Texas to meet me, so we figured it would be a good time for us to get together.”
Tony added, “Besides, since our families aren’t thrilled about the idea, we wanted you two to stand up for us when we get married this weekend.”
“Oh, how wonderful.” Amanda jumped up and hugged Wilma. She then turned and kissed Tony on the cheek. “Of course we’ll be thrilled to stand up for you. Marriage couldn’t happen to a nicer couple.”
Steve kissed Wilma and shook hands with Tony. “I know you guys will be as happy as Amanda and I are.”
“You’ve certainly been an inspiration to us. We see what real love can do for people over fifty,” Wilma said.
“It can be the best time of your life,” Steve said. “It sure is for us.”
“Have you told the others? If not, we’ve got to let them know.”
“Yes, Amanda. We’ve told everyone. I think Curtis and Phyllis are going to try to come. I’m not sure about the others.” Wilma stood. “Now that we’ve let out our secret why don’t we all go out to eat? I’m hungry. I’ve been so nervous about telling you two, I haven’t eaten all day.”
“Well, we can’t have that, can we?” Steve stood. “Of course, we’ll all go and it’ll be our treat. We want to celebrate this happy time with our friends.
Chapter 23
Twenty-Two Months Earlier
It had rained all day the next day. A leak occurred in the center of the roof. Steve patched the hut so the rain wouldn’t come in. It was dark and Amanda was lying in his arms.
“Honey,” she said. “Do you often think about what we witnessed yesterday?”
“Yes, b
ut I try not to dwell on it.”
“Me too, but it’s been hard. I keep thinking how young that little girl was and how her parents grieved for her.”
“I have a feeling the child was murdered. What do you think, Amanda?”
“I don’t know, but I agree it wasn’t a natural death.”
“I didn’t see any marks on the body after the mother washed it, but there was blood. Where do you suppose it came from?”
“I don’t want to think it, Steve, but it was on her legs mostly. She was probably brutally attacked. Maybe by a wild animal.”
“Or a crazed man.”
“Oh, Steve. I don’t want to think that.”
Neither wanted to suggest what both of them were thinking. The fact that Mr. X had bragged he was getting his satisfaction elsewhere crossed both their minds.
Finally Steve said, “It was sad.” He shifted his position. “I can’t help wondering why they took us to the burial, if that’s what you call it.”
“Me too. I’m also having to avoid questions from our friends. The women keep wanting to know what happened while we were with the natives.”
“The men ask me, too. I tell them we were in the camp and were guarded by natives with spears. Then I tell them when the people seemed to be through with us, they marched us back to the beach.”
“I say I’m not sure what they wanted with us, but we weren’t harmed in any way.”
“I think our friends will give up asking about it soon.”
“You’re probably right.” She turned to face him. “I’ve been thinking about the cave, Steve.”
“It was an unusual place wasn’t it?” He pulled her close. “It was a beautiful in an eerie way.”
“I’ve decided it must be a normal part of the tribe’s burial ritual. I believe when someone dies, a stone is placed in the wall to commemorate their life.”
“I thought the same thing.” She snuggled closer to him. “There were so many it must have been used for generations.”
“Did you notice the one wall off to the side where all the stones in it looked like chunks of coal or misshapen rocks?”
The Island Page 19
