He shared some of his military background with me, and I realised that he was a career NCO, with many experiences in active service conditions. I was pleased to hear he was now a Sergeant Major, and also that he was to go back to a training role. I would not like Gilly to be married, and then watch him go off and be involved in a conflict situation.
I shared some of my experiences, and we found that we had several things in common, either places we had both been, or events we had been involved in, perhaps in different areas.
I asked about the expedition on which they had met, and obviously fallen for each other.
His expression softened whenever he spoke of Gilly, and I learned some of their experiences on that island. I must confess that I found many of his tales a little far-fetched, but he was too down to earth to try flights of fancy. He pulled out a twisted hunk of metal and plastic in a plastic bag.
“This was my right kneecap. They took away my own one when I had a parachute accident. Now, the Shaman on the island managed to take this out, yet he never broke my skin! If this is now in my hand, and my original knee joint has long since been disposed of, how the hell am I walking about, and what is under my skin right now?”
It was all very weird, but because I was driving, I could not examine the article, or his knee.
By the time we reached the farm, Ed and I were well on the way to becoming friends. Our backgrounds were very different, but our career paths and outlooks were remarkably similar. If I had been given the unenviable task of selecting a suitable husband for my little sister, he would have been in the top ten.
Also, if I was selecting a group of crack troops to go into battle, I’d like him to be my number two.
I pulled up on the drive outside the house. It was a large granite house, built in the 1890s, but fully modernised several times since then. We both breathed a sigh of relief as Gilly’s bike stood unscathed by the front door, so we shared a relieved smile. As we got out of the Land Rover, three black Labradors came bounding out to meet us, closely followed by Gilly.
She had changed out of her leathers, and was now wearing the skirt and top she had placed in the panniers. I shook my head, as I had never ever imagined seeing her looking like this at our home.
“Hi! Took your time, didn’t you? I’ve been here for ages,” she said, laughing. She then embraced Ed, and they just held each other for a while.
“Have you seen Alex yet?” I asked.
“No, but I saw a tractor down the hill, I think that he must be doing the hay,” she replied.
“He’ll have a fit when he sees you like this,” I said, with a smile.
She just grinned mischievously.
“What are Rory and Malcolm up to?” she asked.
“Rory should be over with Fiona for dinner tonight, and hopefully Malcolm and Susan are free, but I think Susan in on call tonight.”
“Rory is the policeman, Fiona is his wife, and both Malcolm and Susan are doctors,” she explained for Ed’s benefit. Then she turned to me, “I haven’t asked, but how’s tricks?”
I had just gone through a divorce a few weeks before she went off on her expedition, and we had spent a few evenings together drowning our sorrows. My ex-wife, Patricia, had had a bellyful of the army, and buggered off back to New Zealand with our twelve-year old daughter.
“Not so bad, some days are better than others!” I said.
She then explained the situation for Ed, and he nodded.
“I’ve been there. Some women just can’t hack the service life, or use it as an excuse,” he said.
“So you are divorced?” I asked, surprised.
“Yup, some years ago now. We married for the wrong reasons, stayed for the wrong reasons and divorced for the wrong reasons. I haven’t seen my kids for twelve years.”
“Shit, that’s tough!”
“Sure is. My kids call another man ‘Dad’, that is the toughest break of all.”
“I just miss my daughter,” I admitted.
“One good thing, she will always have the option to catch you later in life.”
“Maybe, but that hardly helps me now.”
“True,” he said, with a sad smile. I instantly knew that he understood my feelings, so neither of us needed to say any more. Ed took the bags and cases from the back of the Land Rover, and I helped him carry them into the hall. Gilly disappeared to the kitchen to put the kettle on. I just shook my head at this uncharacteristic sign of domesticity.
At that moment, the dogs became excited, and Alex appeared.
“Hi Will. So you found the travellers?” he said.
I introduced him to Ed, and they shook hands. Alex asked some mundane questions about the trip, while I eagerly awaited seeing my brother’s reaction to the new Gilly!
“Alex!” she shouted, and Alex suddenly found he had an armful of his sister.
With his eyes nearly popping out of his head, he just stood and stared at her with his mouth open. I glanced at Ed. He simply smiled that gentle smile he seemed to wear whenever she was near him.
“Gilly? Fuck me! What have you……? Gilly! You look great! Shit, no you don’t, you look fucking gorgeous! What the fuck happened?” Alex said, completely baffled, as I had been.
I turned to Ed. “Farmer - basic and not highly articulate. Usage of earthy language and inability to formulate clear sentences. You can tell he has no military background,” I said, and everyone laughed. We retired to the kitchen, and Alex watched in amazement as she made tea for all of us. He looked at me, but I just grinned at his confusion.
This time, Gilly gave us her full and much more detailed version of events, including Ed’s heroic rescue of the natives, and his subsequent injury. Her perception of the ceremony in the hut was obviously clearer than Ed’s, as he had been unconscious for the most part. I found her description of the marriage dance highly erotic and rather disconcerting, but, once again, I felt that she too was holding something back.
Alex just shook his head and obviously was as confounded as I had been at his new sister.
“We’ve put you in your old room. Dad had a double bed put in there, so we are under no illusions as to the sleeping arrangements. It was assumed that you would want to be together,” Alex said.
“That’s true, thanks. Are you and Helen still in the same house?” she asked.
“Aye, but Dad and Ma are talking about swapping with us now the kids are getting so big,” Alex replied.
She took Ed off to get their things to the room and to unpack. They had been travelling for a long time, so she wanted to have a shower. I was left with Alex in the kitchen.
“Shit, Will, she is so different!” he said.
“I know, your reaction was brilliant.”
“You could have warned me, ye bugger.”
“How? I just picked them up from the airport and never got a chance. Besides, I reacted the same as you.”
“I can’t believe it. I always thought she might be a lesbian.”
“Nah, she wasn’t bothered about any kind of sex or relationship. She was just one mixed up little girl, she was sort of dumped on the fence,” I said.
“Not any more, if appearances can be believed.”
“Not any more. There is no doubt as to what side of the fence she has fallen.”
“I never realised just how attractive she was, under all that.”
“Ma knew, but Gill just hid it well,” I said, so Alex nodded.
“What do ye make of her American?”
“He’s a good solid guy. I like him. He will do very well, and they are totally besotted with each other.”
“He seems very quiet.”
“Maybe, but I think he is not the kind of man who makes idle chit chat. If he has something to say, he will say it, and you had better make sure that you hear him right.”