Makarovia! Yes, I Know Where That is! Sophomore Year - 57. Chapter 57

Malta

We were having a good time with everyone. Including the crew of the Duchess. When Gretchen passed again, I stopped her. “You can join us.”

She laughed shaking her head. “Oh, no. Thank you, but it’s a vacation for me with less testosterone. We have nice quarters and comfortable. I’ll see them at dinner.” She gave a pleased smile. “For now, peace.” She said and descended the stairs.

Okay. I didn’t dislike anyone. Certainly not because of their gender. Was I a misogynist? No! I didn’t dislike women at all. News flash. I'm gay! Naturally I wouldn’t be bothered spending time with just the guys. That was my preference for everything! She could simply be nice, knowing that and let Peter and me enjoy it. She and the others on the crew watched us interact with each other. The ones in a same gender relationship, in a conventional marriage (that wasn’t that conventional) and those we didn’t ask about or knew one way or the other. They knew we were trying to bring us closer together.

I still lacked confidence in my plans. Who was I to say we’re doing things my way on my say so? Remember? No poker face here. Peter came over, pulled me up and took me out on deck giving us more privacy. “Stop it.”

I know my eyes told him I what I was saying. The sun was in the sky as it warmed us. I was surprised. “What am I doing?”

“You’re still worried about how Yuri will take it.” Peter stated.

“How the Hell do you know that!?” I was starting to think he could read my mind.

Peter shook his head. “You read me very well. I read you just fine.” He explained pointing at my face, but he knew that answering my question I thought. I didn't say it. “I see it. You’re a happy and then a thought goes through your mind and it falters a little, then back again. Knowing what we just talked about makes it fresh.” He looked at me seriously. “Since early last year, how long have we been apart? I don’t mean to class or in the next room, I mean, you’re sleeping in one location and and me another?”

I didn’t have to think about it. “Never.”

“That’s right. Never.” He then sounded a little proud. “I think we had to learn to read each other or kill each other. I’m right, aren’t I?”

“Yes.” I grudgingly admitted. “You’re almost spooky at times.”

Peter grinned. “Remember when you helped me so much with Western manners, advice and just…everything. This time, I’ll help you. What are you having doubts about?”

“I have no training as an agent. Yuri trained most of his life! Maybe his way is better.” I confessed. “I don’t know.”

Peter smiled patiently. “But it’s not who you are. You befriend everybody. Even Yuri!”

I grinned. “I love Yuri and Boris.”

Peter tapped me on the chest. “That’s my point! So, do I! When I first arrived in Boston, there was Yuri and Boris. They were trusted employees of my brother. You move in and,” he snapped his fingers, “just like that, you make them friends. With Yuri! It never occurred to me to hug either of them until you came along.” He caressed my face. “I love that about you. What changed here?” He smiled. “Before you even had the authority you didn’t back down from anyone, not even Olek! I know you confronted him! Now that you have the auhority, you’re doubting yourself? That doesn’t make sense.”

“I know.” I wailed. “I shouldn’t.” I tried to think what I was thinking exactly when the doubts came. It was Grandma’s rule to talk it out! “I was thinking about the palace.” I began thinking out loud. “That led me to all the changes there since I came. Then about Makarovia and that changed while I’ve been there.” I snapped my own fingers at him. “Now, I remember! I thought, who do I think I am? No one is the answer to that. I’m a Southern Country Bumpkin from the Carolina's who married well, that’s who I am. By what right am I making decisions about a country and making policy for everyone in Makarovia? It's been around one, almost two thousand years? Now, I have answers?”

Peter nodded. “You are much, much more because I said so. Olek said it and Queen Alla said it.” He waved at the men inside. “All of them said it when the Proposal was accepted! That’s who you are and where the authority comes from. Them! They love you, but they also trust you. That’s very important.” He hugged me. “You’ll be great!”

I smiled kissing him gently. “I may need to be reminded.”

Peter nodded. “It’s what we do.”

“You’re right.” I nodded. “My security net is gone.” I watched try to work that out. I chuckled. “Like a trapezes artist has the net below taken away to cause greater risk. When I made a suggestion before, there were people that would say no if it was a bad idea. Now people are going to do things simply because I said so? Lives are at stake here! That’s a lot of responsibility.”

Peter nodded. “It is. I resisted mine by staying in that room. You came out swinging! You took on the press, potential deadly threats…ready to take on Presidents, Kings, Prime Ministers and others in control. You made Generals back down! You’re good for Makarovia!”

“Okay.” I conceded smiling. “You're right.”

Peter hugged me. “Don't doubt yourself.”

I had thought of inviting everyone to the table. I joked that since I married all of Makarovia, it was everyone's and my honeymoon. You know I only had eyes for one Makarovian and you know that.

I got an idea. Nothing demanding or taxing, but needed doing to keep it going. No dress code was being enforced. We would never come to the table without shirts, just in underwear. You didn't have to dress up, but you dressed to come to the table. I think Grandma was the reason I didn't need lessons until now.

With some assistance, I put things together for the night. Henri even showed me how to do it faster. Thank goodness the agents were in a game with Peter. He and Alec were a team. They'd stopped poker just to have something new.

Spades, where they made a bid for books after the shuffle and looking at what you could win. I knew that, too. Then I saw Peter and Alec seem to be losing, not taking a single book, then ran the board by making the other two have to take every book because of the card in play making the other two to lose miserably! If Alec and Peter got one book they lose. The opponent team only had certain cards in the end but had to play what they had. Peter and Alec didn't have one! That something that didn't happen often. Alec and Peter had worked that out silently. Communication between partners was not allowed. They did it anyway. Maybe I did marry a card shark.

It was seven in the evening when I was asked to bookmark where we were with the movie we were watching. Then the guys headed toward the stairs to go down to eat. Peter was about to go, too. We didn't have to eat separately. I reached up and gently pulled him down. He looked puzzled, but the silence and shake of my head. Again, words unspoken, but it was understood. A smile grew as he nodded his head.

At the agreed upon half hour, I took Peter's hand and led him to the dining area.

It was a bit darker that usual. The lights were turned down. I picked up the little silver lighter left for this reason and lit the four candles on the table. Two on my side, two on his. I put the lighter in the drawer and picked a remote, hit a numerical code and hit “enter.”

Peter's smile grew with amazement as the lights went down further and a couple of recessed light increased to allow us to see what we ate. Music began playing softly as a slow pulsing sound of a piano was heard quietly. He looked at the room and simply said, “Wow.”

That Y chromosome guys carry, sometimes gets in the way. I'm glad it's there. You bet. But Peter was reaching for the remote. “How'd you do that? I saw you enter one thing!”

I almost bought into it nodding as I began showing him. “It's a task code I programmed to do certain things with...” I suddenly caught myself, shook my head and put the remote away. “Never you mind about that.”

A guy loves tech-stuff and talking tech-stuff and I nearly went right with it. It didn't ruin the mood, but...

“Show me later?” He asked hopefully.

“Maybe.”

Peter wasn't bothered a bit. “Romance hasn't died for us.”

I nodded. “This is a preventative romance intervention. We see a doctor before running a fever or have symptoms to not have a problem. No sniffles or anything. Just turn your head and cough.”

Ever man knows that phrase. Peter nodded. “You're a wise man.”

Henri's antics were even subdued. He very quietly explained the lobster and crab bisque and then the Flounder of the Mediterranean. I wondered if...I know they ship sea products all over the world now. How did he verify these flounder were Mediterranean? What identification did they have? The dish was baked with fresh tomatoes, olives and I could see.

Grandpa's wisdom said if I really wanted to know, I'd ask later. I guess I really didn't. I didn't remember and still don't know. I'm fine.

Peter and I had enough good manners to not linger where people needed to work. In spite of what Peter had said to me, I felt guilty not helping to cleanup. Grandma, Grandpa, Mom and Dad had taught me that long before I even knew there was a Makarovia. I took the remote out of the drawer. Peter looked at it and tried to touch it again. I lightly smacked his hand away. “Later.”

We walked through the ship and the music “followed” us. Or followed the remote. In our quarters, the music played as we enjoyed our time together. I say it again, there is nothing wrong with passion. That almost animistic drive we sometimes have. That desire to “do it” was just calmer. There was less urgency for either of us to stake our claim. I belonged to Peter and he belonged to me. It was love, not just sex. Time was secondary. An hour? Several? We didn't worry about it.

I woke to noise. We weren't moving now and the usual sounds like the distant sound of street traffic droned and that famous, lazy clang of a sea bell rang without force occasionally.

The reason I heard traffic, I found out cars were owned in great numbers by the people of Malta. They numbered four on in the whole European Union! Don't make me give you numbers, but I'll say by the amount of land, people per square mile they had more!

Malta wasn't big. There are two large islands and one small one between them. Malta was the biggest of the two, Gozo was smaller, but not tiny and little Comino.

It was always warm with a lot of beaches, beautiful waters and very, very old. Because of it's location, like Makarovia, many people have taken over and control of Malta. But, unlike Makarovia they wanted to keep that control of Malta for their location if nothing else. It was ancient! They found pottery that dates back six thousand years. BC!!

And everyone is what I meant! Greece, Roman, Phoenicians, Arab, French and British is naming only a few. There are plenty more.

“I think,” Peter said in a low rumble as he woke up, “we're here.”

I can't help it. I grinned. “Of course, we're here. If we were over there that would be here instead of over there and here would be over there...”

An eye widened. Peter grabbed me pulling me over him. “You just sit up nights thinking this stuff up, don't you?”

I grinned shaking my head. “No, it's a gift and just comes."

“I enjoyed last night.” Peter grinned.

I shrugged. “Henri's a fabulous cook.” I said, “It's not surprising that we love it.”

Peter rolled is eyes and then rolled us over so he was on top. “You know what I'm talking about.” This time his voice was a louder rumble.

I smiled. “I do.” I said more seriously and added. “I'm in love with you.”

Peter smiled. “I know. I'm in love with you.”

From the first time or thousands of times since. It made my heart almost hurt hearing that. It was such a sincere statement that caused a surge in my heart. It didn't really hurt, but it was really felt. “I know.” Yes, we did it again.

We rose and showered. All those morning things not to offend anyone just had to be done.

By now, those odd things said and seen by me is no surprise to anyone. I searched the net for what to see. Anchor Bay! You know I associate a lot of movies and television to life. Anchor Bay was here! About a sailor who loved this skinny woman named Olive Oil? Popeye! Bluto, Popeye's rival for Olive Oil? You might need to brush the webbing and dust from the VHS player, but it was good enough for a movie with Robin William! 1980. The village is in Malta! You'll recognize it if you saw it. It's online. I don't even need to look.

We berthed in the area of Marsaxlokk. We were on the edge. There were many boats and small ships there. Colorful boats that were painted in bright red, vibrant yellow and blue sitting on water that was so clear in shallow water the boats seemed to float in the air. Not sort of these colors, but the primary, base and bright colors. They didn't have to have anyone on them to look like a party or festival on the waters. Out in the lagoons the water or got more blue the deeper the water was. It was beautiful! Like many communities here the other word was congested. The older parts of the cities and towns looked like they crammed in as much in as they could. It was clean, just cramped in places.

There were ruins here that were here before the pyramids where even built! Churches. There were many churches. Religion and belief that someone was in control of all the wonder in the world just happened. From coming up for a reason the sun shines, rain falls or for answers about death itself. Someone or something with greater understanding than we were capable of had it all under control. Religion was a way of more understanding for us. A comfort buffer. Many predate Christianity. The Tarxiens. There were temples, one huge one in Malta. A lavishly decorated temple that dated back three thousand years! Again, BC!! It blows my mind!

I was getting excited by this. I paid attention at school, but knew almost nothing about the Tarxiens. As far back as they went in history, there was a lot of Tarxiens in all of us! The top brains in the scientific world say we originated from Africa as primates. I don't care what the race is. That far back did it matter? I saw a reconstructed skull of one of our great, great whatever grandpa. I say again, we weren't pretty. We looked a lot like chimpanzees than like we do now. Since we migrated out through Northern Africa, it makes sense the oldest anything human would be in this area. Sicily was just North of here. South a little ways was Tripoli. Tunisia was West. Malta was all by itself as civilized men evolved.

I know! I get sidetracked. Even courts of justice have sidebars to discuss some things related more privately. This was related.

I was looking forward to this.

The crew and our agents ate an hour earlier. We were never late but once. I'd talk to them today about joining us tonight.

Henri looked up and smiled at us. It wasn't his typical happy-go-lucky smile. It was love of what he saw that pleased him. “Good morning. I hope things went well last night.”

I nodded smiling back. “Very well.”

He nodded again. “It's not just for show either.” He pointed at us. “Is it?”

Both Peter and I were a little surprised. “For show?” Peter asked.

“Why would we do that?” I asked.

Henri looked as he considered his answer. “It was a spectacle. A marriage never done before. Two handsome young men marrying while millions watched live on television and the repeats broadcast in many languages many times since. It could have been for show.”

I had never heard about repeats. “Repeats?”

Henri nodded. “And bootleg copies to countries that tried to prevent their citizens from seeing it like Iraq, Iran and parts of India.”

We were contraband?

Peter sighed and smiled sadly. “Some times I often wanted to just go somewhere and get it over with.”

I nodded. “We knew because of that unknown territory people were more interested seeing the wedding than usual.”

“Other than King William and Harry,” I began, “what royal weddings did you see or hear about?”

Henri shrugged. “None, really.”

“But you saw ours.” I said.

Peter cocked his head. “What happen to make you question it was for show?”

Henri turned a little pink. “Last night.” He confessed. “I could overhear some and saw...you are really in love.”

I smiled nodding understanding now. “Oh, I see.”

“You spoke in Makarovian,” Henri said quickly. “I don't understand it. I didn't hear the contents, but I heard how it was said. You two are really in love.”

I chuckled. “Even if you understood Makarovian we didn't say anything graphic.”

Peter leaned in to seemingly confide in Henri. “There were so many forms and rituals to go through to get him, but I'll do it gladly again.”

My eyes widened. “Forms and rituals you went through?! Have you lost your mind!? That whole Proposal and year long engagement to Makarovia...” I was pointing behind us like they were there in reality.

Peter nodded, not bothered and whispered to Henri. “See? He's very sensitive.”

Henri chuckled. “It's nice to see. Many only want a commitment for fifteen to thirty minutes. Its nice to see someone really in love.”

That was almost sad to hear. Henri didn't say who, but said in a way that said there wasn't much hope. He was a great guy! Someone anyone would be proud to be with. I touched his arm. “Don't give up.”

His smile too placating. He didn't believe it. He looked at the clock. “What I thought making will take forty-five minutes. Can you wait that long?”

“With coffee.” Peter said. “Yes.”

We didn't have to go get our agents. The concept that we wanted them up here was finally understood. They had found the library, too. Mikell was reading something, Cosmo was scrolling through something as Mercea was shuffling the cards for no one but himself.

“Where are we going today?” Mercea asked with a hopeful sound.

Rolph came in the Living Area.

“You may know my love of Archaeology.” I said and got no reactions of surprise. “There are some ancient ruins, oldest in the world here. I'd like to see where great-grandpa went to church.”

Mercea frowned. “Great-grandpa?”

I nodded. “Yours, too.” I said. “After five or six thousand years, I know they were here. Thousands and hundreds of thousands were here. Many will be the same grandpas! We came from the same gene pool. We're all related!” I turned to Rolph. “And that won't be a gamble. It's a sure thing.” Rolph snickered knowing I remembered what he said and nodding.

“Fine,” Mikell said standing up. “When and how are we doing this?”

“We have time, Mike.” Peter chuckled shaking his head. “No schedule. We need to eat in about half an hour. We don't want to call attention to ourselves...”

Alec looked up suddenly. “Wait!” He dashed away. He came back with somethings in his hands. He handed Peter and I pair of those dark glasses I asked to get. The ones that help you see better as it cuts glare even at night. It improved how we see at night! There was more detail and definition wearing them. The details of our eyes were hidden. He handed us two ball caps. The kind with that little draping thing in back that keeps the sun off your neck and keep it from burning. That really obscured our appearance. “This should work for now. We can work things out on what you can wear...”

“Alec!” I nodded hugging Alec. “This is perfect!”

Fair skinned Alec was like Peter, his face easily reddened. “Well...”

Peter nodded looking in the mirror. “No. This is perfect!”

I smiled knowing what Peter was doing. He hugged Alec, too. It was a very primitive, primate and basic behavior. Peter was staking his claim. I was his. I chuckled. He was being nice about it. I was the same way with Peter. Remember Brad at Jocks?

“We want blend in,” Peter said. “Dress comfortably.”