Flying Circus - 11. The Engineer

Saturday, 8 May 2027
Balearic Sea

“Twenty-nine, thirty, thirty-one…” Lucy nodded and raised her mug but did not stop counting when Kitt stood beside her, carafe in hand.

Pink and lavender streaked the eastern sky as the sun returned to the sky. Once showered and wearing clean clothes, the two couples reconvened on the forward deck, after a detour through the galley to get coffee. Kitt offering refills was welcomed.

“Thirty-two, thirty-three, thirty-four…” The cadence was momentarily broken when she sipped from her coffee, but the count continued in her head.

One might have thought since it was their last day at sea, after a night out partying, they would have craved sleep and rest until docking in Barcelona. Not Ritch and CJ. Full of energy, the brothers had challenged each other on the ride back to the Flying Circus; both swore strenuous exercise would accelerate their recovery by helping sweat out the alcohol in their system.

“Thirty-nine, forty, forty-one…” Although neither Lucy nor the brothers were falling-down drunk when the left Club SXZY, Owen would be in pain for a while. They estimated he drank an entire bottle of Champagne, in addition to the tequila shots, and cocktails provided by strangers they met on the dance floor. Finding out it was his birthday, they dragged him to the bar, and insisted on buying him a drink.

A blond, tan, whirly-whirly broke Lucy’s concentration, and her count faltered. One of the twins ran around her and dropped to the deck beside his father and uncle. Apparently, if the grownups greeted the day by doing as many pushups as possible, so would the kid.

“Ummm, Jeffer? Did you forget something when you left your cabin?” Lucy tried not to laugh.

“I’m Roo! Jeffer’s pooping.” Whichever one he was, claiming to be the other brother was standard operating procedure. Lucy did not see the twins often enough to easily tell them apart.

The boy’s arrival disturbed not only Lucy’s count, but Ritch and CJ’s efforts. Their arms gave way at the same time, and both collapsed to the deck, cracking up.

“Dude, your dick’s hanging out. Go put on some shorts!” CJ had trouble speaking through the laughter. The words were jumbled together between cackles.

The kid looked down at his groin and grinned. “Ooops. Sorry.” His departure was as swift as his arrival.

Lucy lost it and joined the men in laughing. “Little buggers really don’t like clothes, do they?”

“Nope. CJ’s more of a nudist than I am, and those two are following in his footsteps.” Owen had been quiet until then, concentrating on the tea in his mug.

“They don’t wear PJs to sleep?”

“We put pajamas on them every night, but once they learned how to take them off… I’m pretty sure the modesty gene didn’t take.”

“I think it’s because once they figured out how to escape their cribs, they’d jump in bed with us when they woke up, and discovered Ozzie and I sleep naked. Monkey see; monkey do.”

“How was it?” Brett sat next to Lucy while the twins scrambled to kiss everyone before settling down. Roosevelt had returned, wearing shorts, with his brother, sister, and grandfathers in tow.

“We had a blast!” Ritch’s expression presaged a zinger. He tilted his head in CJ and Owen’s direction. “Of course, the fact the DJ shouted out their names—”

César shook his head. “Color me surprised. Who recognized you, CJ?”

“Hey! Why do you assume it was me?” He grinned and shrugged. “Ozzie and I met the DJ at a party in D.C. last month, and she remembered us. And for the record, as Ritch said, she called out both our names.”

“She even played ‘The District’ for us!” Owen reached for the fruit platter and upended most of it on his plate.

“Pig! What about the rest of us?”

“This is for the kids and me. Leave me alone.” He proved his point by sharing with the twins sitting on either side of him. CJ took the plate once Owen was done and served himself and Liebe from it.

Nearing the meal’s end, CJ tossed his napkin on the table and stood. “Be right back. I forgot something in our cabin.” When he returned, he stopped next to his brother, and handed him whatever he had gone in search of. “I think Ritch may have something to share with us.” His grin had an evil tinge to it.

The Air Force officer peeked inside the velvet-covered box, smiled while standing, and cleared his throat. “CJ knew about our plans and was kind enough to bring me this. Let’s make this social media official; Liebe, get your glasses ready.”

Grinning, he opened the box to reveal a diamond ring and dropped to one knee. “Lucy, would you make me the happiest man in the world and marry me?”

In the ensuing pandemonium, with César and Brett offering their congratulations and the kids jumping and shouting, Liebe did not take any pictures. CJ, however, had been ready with his phone and snapped a few. “Ritch, grab her hand and raise both. I want a shot of it on her finger.” When posted online, the caption was “She said yes” on Ritch’s feed and “He said yes” on Lucy’s.

“Those are big diamonds!” Liebe stretched to get a better look. “It’s really pretty, Aunt Lucy.”

“Thanks, Liebe. It turned out better than I thought it would.”

“You knew he was giving it to you today?”

“Sort of.” Lucy looked around the table, smiling. She was ecstatic with the pleased expressions on the grandfathers’ faces. “We’ve been talking about this for a while, but we wanted to wait until we had the ring to make it official. CJ and Ozzie are the only ones who knew it was happening this week.”

“How come?”

“Because I asked for their help. The ring belonged to Mom. Abuelo put me in touch with his jeweler friend who made CJ and Owen’s wedding bands, and they handled the process for me. I asked him to add two more stones around the original one.” Ritch snickered and shook his head. “I now know more about color, carats, and cuts than I ever imagined I would.”

“What are carats and cuts?” Roosevelt looked as confused as his siblings.

“Carats is the size of the stone. Cut’s the way the it’s shaped. The one in the middle, the one my dad bought a long time ago, is a round, brilliant cut, and the two new ones are marquise cut.”

“It kinda looks like a flower in the middle with two leaves. I want one like it when I get married.”

CJ cracked up. “It’s gonna be a long, long time before I’m ready to marry you off, Munchkin.”

“Aunt Lucy, do Roo and I get to go to your wedding?”

“Of course you do, Jeffer. You, your brother, and your sister will be part of it if you want to. After all, your uncle and I were broken up when you two were born, and we got back together because of you.”

The boys had previously been told the story of Ritch being in Washington during spring break from the Academy at the same time she had been in town on vacation from MIT and how they ran into each other at CJ and Owen’s house while visiting the newborns.

“Do we get to wear a fancy suit with a bowtie?” Because of their fathers’ positions and social obligations, the kids were not strangers to dressing up.

“You do… If you agree to do it, you’ll walk down the center of the church together, and each one of you gets to carry a ring.”

“What about me? Am I the flower girl?” Liebe had performed the role at a couple of weddings.

“That’s you, Liebe. And we’ll have someone make a nice dress for you.”

“Do you have yours already, Aunt Lucy? Is the same person making mine?”

“Not unless your fathers want to spend a few dollars on it.” Ritch winked at his niece.

“What you talking about, bro?”

“You know how Lucy and I are stopping in Milano for a bit before heading to Venezia? We have appointments at Valentino, Dolce & Gabbana, and Prada.” Ritch gave Lucy an apologetic look. “I’m hoping we find something at our first stop, so I don’t have to spend a full day shopping for wedding gowns.”

“Keep it up, and I may just marry someone else, Lieutenant.”

The conversation was fast and sufficiently convoluted; the twins had to wait until at least finding a break. They followed up about being in the wedding party. “Are you gonna wait until we get back from Australia to get married then?” Jefferson’s question made everyone chuckle. He failed to see the impossibility of being part of the event if it happened while he was out of town.

“You bet.” Ritch reached across the table to fist bump his nephew. “As a matter of fact, mark your calendar. We’ll be tying the knot on June seventeen next year at the Academy chapel in Colorado Springs.”

“I don’t have a calendar, Uncle Ritch.”

“Is that where you write stuff you need to do? The dads do it for us.”

“Then the dads will have to remind you. After all, CJ’s going to be my best man.” Ritch had asked, and CJ had accepted when they had last been together.

“Big diamonds, fashion-house gown, destination wedding… Now I know why you’ve been thinking and talking about money so much.” César smirked. “Large wedding party? Is your sister your maid of honor?” Charlotte Wilkinson was two years younger than Lucy and Ritch, and César and the rest of the family were aware the youngest Wilkinson had not been close to her siblings in the recent past.

“No.” Lucy took a breath to ensure she said what she wanted to share properly. “We barely talk these days. Charlotte’s been a pain since our parents divorced after she graduated from high school.

“After almost thirty years together, both our parents wanted a change, but my sister’s been a total jerk to Dad. She blames him for the breakup, even though Mom had as much to do with their separation as he did. Harley and I don’t talk with Charlotte unless we have to. She screams at us for not taking Mom’s side. Which is crap because Dad’s tried very hard to be fair and not involve us in his fight with Mom. We’re not happy with our mother either for not making Charlotte stop.”

Lucy was upset. It happened whenever her sister’s behavior was discussed. She wished her parents had stayed together too, but she was realistic. They had played the part for as long as their children remained at home, but the relationship had been over for a while. Maybe Charlotte, being younger, had not noticed it as much as her older siblings, but the woman was in her twenties and needed to leave her fantasy world. Ritch squeezing her hand helped calm her.

“That’s sad, but it happens. I’m glad these two have always gotten along.” Brett pointed at his sons. “So, you guys haven’t settled on who else’s gonna be at the altar with you?”

“We have. But we haven’t approached anyone. The only reason Ritch already asked CJ was because he was involved with the ring. I’m hoping Kim will be my maid of honor. I mean, she’s going to be my sister-in-law whenever she marries Harley. And I plan to ask two friends from college to be the other bridesmaids.”

“We don’t want a lot of people up there. Aside from CJ, I plan on my two roommates at the Academy, Will, and Joel.”

“We better start reserving vacation rentals.” It was typical of César to think of details others might not. “I remember from Ritch’s graduation availability isn’t that large.”

“The doolies will have just arrived at the Academy, but there won’t be big events that weekend. We should be okay. And a lot of the military people can stay at the Rampart Lodge on Academy grounds.”

“Let’s talk later, okay? Brett and I will pay for everything.”

Ritch shrugged while his fiancé looked surprised. Although the bride’s family traditionally paid for the nuptials, the couple had discussed the matter and agreed to keep her parents out of it. Lucy did not want to deal with her mother, nor did she want to place the financial burden on her father. He had given up his lucrative lobbying job after the divorce and returned to live in Wisconsin.

Lucy noticed the kids’ interest in the conversation had diminished once they were not the primary subject. Considering their age, she was shocked they had stuck around as long as they had, and was not surprised when one of the twins complained about being bored.

In response, CJ jumped out of his seat. “It’s Saturday, guys. Dojo time!”

“But that’s in Washington, Ceej. That’s where the sensei’s at.”

“Ha! Lucky for you, substitute sensei CJ will be starting a practice session in five minutes in the main salon. Go pee now if you have to.” As all three children rushed inside, CJ winked at his companions. “I’ll keep them busy for about an hour or so. Get ready to intervene then.”

“Can I get you something to drink?” Kitt had approached without Lucy noticing.

With CJ entertaining the kids, and the others chatting about who would make the cut for wedding invitations, Lucy moved to the upper deck; she wanted to lay out topless, trying to even out her tan. She didn’t want to see white stripes when trying on wedding gowns.

“Could I have a lemonade or iced tea? I think I had enough alcohol last night.”

“I don’t know about that. The four of you look pretty alert. And I heard something about a pushup challenge at sunrise?”

Lucy chuckled. “Ritch and CJ. Those two turn anything and everything into a competition. One of their dads, the Marine, is usually in the mix. And the twins are following in their footsteps.”

“We were talking in the crew mess, and the girls are amazed at how well you deal with all the testosterone-fueled hijinks surrounding you.”

“Patience and longevity, Kitt. I’ve known them all since I was a kid. Plus, CJ and my brother are BFFs. I’m used to their antics. These guys know how to live. They’re classy and sassy most of the time, and they can be pretty crass now and then. But they have the biggest hearts around and are always the first ones to offer help if they see a need.”

“Sounds like you hit the jackpot marrying into the family.” The rapport Lucy had established with the female crewmembers meant they chatted more as friends than anything. “Of course, the fact your boyfriend’s insanely hot doesn’t hurt.” The two women giggled.

“Don’t let him hear you say that. He’s a reformed skirt-chaser. But you’re right; he’s hot. Smarts, pretty face, solid body… And he looks great in uniform. I’m not blind to him turning heads. But I know he’s mine, and I ain’t letting go again.”

“Again?”

“We dated in high school, broke up our senior year, and got back together during our last year in college. I think we’re meant to be together.”

“Oh, that’s so romantic. I can’t wait to tell the others.”

“Mind if I join you?”

Lucy squinted in the harsh glare to find a smiling CJ standing by the lounging couch. She patted the spot next to her. “As long as you don’t mind me being topless…”

“Really, Lucy? Sorry, but you don’t have the kind of tits I like.” His chuckle engendered an equal response.

“You’re done with your training session?”

“Yep. Grandpa Cap’s keeping them busy until lunch. They’re practicing the nautical knots the deck crew taught them.”

Kitt joined them at that moment, carrying a tall, weeping glass. “Are you staying up here, Mr. Mayor?” Can I get you something to drink?”

“What’s Lucy having?”

“Mint tea.”

“I’ll have the same, please.” CJ stripped his t-shirt off and leaned back. “Last day of warmth. I checked the weather for Lubjanka, and the forecast’s for upper fifties this coming week.”

“And it’ll be cold in New Zealand when you get there too because it’s winter.”

“Yep. Let me tell you, it was a pain in the butt to pack for this trip.”

“Hey, I’ve been meaning to ask you something. How bad is it when you or Ozzie have to travel alone? Like him heading to Australia while you fly to Slovenia?”

“Thinking about Ritch being posted somewhere after you get married?”

Lucy nodded.

“For us, it’s not too bad. We’re rarely gone from D.C. for very long, and we’ve been at it for so long, that the two of us and the kids are pretty used to it. It’s gonna be different for the two of you.”

Concern clouded Lucy’s face. “I know… Postings overseas are my biggest worry. Ritch claims he’ll rotate home sometime next year, but has no idea where he’ll end up.”

“What about you? Are you accepting the JPL fellowship?”

Founded in the 1930s, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory was a research and development facility owned by NASA and managed by the California Institute of Technology.

“Yeah. Ritch and I discussed it earlier this week, and we think it’s my best option right now. I’ll get to work in nanotechnology, and maybe it’ll play a part in future space missions.”

Lucy graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology with dual degrees in computer technology and mechanical engineering. While in college, she had interned with a firm researching nanobots for the health field, and worked for them in Virginia since graduating.

“Sounds Star Trekkie as shit.”

“It is, CJ. The possibilities are endless!” The subject always made Lucy sparkle. “It won’t come about for years, but the hope’s to create an arm or leg cuff that can help with diagnostics and determine the type and number of bots needed to treat multiple symptoms while on extended space travel.”

“Yeah, definitely sounds like something Dr. McCoy would use. Are you going to stay at La Casita?” The family’s house in Malibu was about an hour’s drive from the JPL campus. “Free house, free car, the beach, and cool neighbors.”

Lucy laughed. “Yeah, I mentioned I might be living out there for a while to a friend, and all she could talk about was meeting celebrities. I think she forgot who my future brother-in-law is.”

“Fuck you, Wilkinson. I thought I could rely on you not to give me shit.”

Lucy’s laughter was a little louder. “Sorry, but after a week with all of you, I think I might be catching whatever afflicts you guys.”

“Yeah, well, you better find a cure for that real quick. How long would the assignment be for?”

“A year starting in September. They’ve agreed to time off for the wedding and the honeymoon, so when Ritch returns to Aviano, I’ll head to California. We’re hoping he’ll rotate home about the same time I get done at JPL.”

“What then?”

“Who knows? In my field, most work can be done remotely. Depending on where Ritch gets stationed, I’ll probably move there. Although if he winds up in Alaska… Not sure why he liked that place so much when he spent a couple of weeks there while at school. Anyway, I may have to do some traveling if I work from home, which was another reason for asking how you and Ozzie deal with the separations.”

The lack of sleep caught up with them, and both dozed off. When Kitt awoke them for lunch, she let them know Owen and Ritch had also napped while on the lower deck.

“Where does your fixation with this stuff come from?” Brett ran a falafel ball through the tahini smeared on the plate and popped it into his mouth.

“A Middle Eastern place on the edge of campus in Boston. Whenever cafeteria food got boring, my roommate and I used to hit Levant. The tiny restaurant was clean, inexpensive, and the Lebanese couple that owned it was very friendly. Plus, the food was fantastic.”

Minutes after Ritch made their engagement official, the crew asked him and Lucy if they had any special requests for the day’s meals. Lucy asked for the chickpea fritters.

“Did you know there’s a really good falafel place in Shaw? It’s right by the Howard.” Shaw was one of Washington’s hippest enclaves; craft cocktail bars, beer gardens, indie clothing boutiques, and trendy global restaurants populated the area. The historically African-American neighborhood was also home to the 1910 Howard Theater, where jazz greats had performed in the past, and all types of artists did at present. Over a century after it opened.

“Really? I’ll have to check it out.”

When the empty plates were removed, and before the next course was served, Brett tapped his glass with a knife. “We did this with juice earlier, but I think Ritch and Lucy deserve a real toast.”

Also at Lucy’s request, the stewards popped the corks on a couple of bottles of Portuguese Mateus Rosé. She blamed CJ and Owen for getting her hooked on cool rosés. They seemed to discover a new one every summer.

“Did you know in the early seventies, Mateus was the most popular wine in the world? Even Queen Elizabeth requested it.” Of course, Owen would know more about the wine than anyone else. “It’s pretty darn good for being so inexpensive.”

“Whatever, wine-boy.” Brett dismissively waved a hand while raising his glass. “To Lucy at last officially joining the family. To her and Ritch and the grandchildren they’ll give us! Cheers!”

“Slow your roll, Grandpa Cap. How about we at least get married before she starts popping out kids.”

“Watch your language. I’m recording.” César placed his phone in the middle of the table. “Today is May 8, 2027, and this is a special meeting of the Davenport Family Foundation board of directors.” Lunch over, they lingered at the table, waiting for their espressos. It was as good a time as any to hold the meeting they knew needed to happen.

“Move to waive the reading of the previous meeting minutes and accept them as presented.”

“Second the motion.”

César nodded when hands were raised. “Passed unanimously. Let it be noted CJ Abelló made the motion, and Owen Liston seconded it.” César paused, smiled while looking at his grandchildren, and winked at Lucy when he shifted his gaze to her. “Before we take care of business, I’d like to note that aside from all board members, we have several guests with us. Future directors Elizabeth, Jefferson, and Roosevelt Abelló are in attendance.

“Also with us is one of the reasons for our meeting: Lucille Wilkinson. Lucy’s now engaged to Ritch Peterson and entitled to join the board. I move to accept her.”

“I second the nomination.” An enthusiastic Ritch shouted.

“All those in favor?” César chuckled, and Lucy realized how incongruous it was to hold a quasi-formal meeting while sailing the Mediterranean, wearing bathing suits. But she knew legal requirements had to be met.

“Unanimous approval. Welcome to the board, Lucy.”

“Thanks. So what do I do now?”

Laughter was universal, and Ritch came to his fiancé’s rescue. “They’ll have their attorney in D.C. meet with you at some point to go over details. You’ll need to sign a bunch of documents, and you’ll have to let the grands know if you make any charitable contributions so the foundation can match them.”

“Perfect! One of those matching contributions is our next subject of discussion.” César glanced at Owen. “You want to present it, Ozzie?”

“Sure. I mentioned earlier my involvement with the National Zoo, and our hope to create an Australian Outback exhibit. CJ and I talked about giving them twenty, and Grandpa’s A and Cap think the foundation should match the contribution.”

“Wait. Is that twenty million?” Lucy was surprised. She knew the family she was marrying into was wealthy but had not realized they could play around with such substantial charitable donations.

CJ nodded. “The foundation automatically matches any contribution made by a board member up to a million. Anything above that requires a vote.”

The fact these men talked about donating millions of dollars the way ordinary people talked about hundreds would require getting used to. Lucy had never been part of family financial discussions before. “So you’re talking about giving them forty million dollars?”

“Yep… And for that amount of money, I want a critter named after me. Brett, the kangaroo, has a nice ring to it.”

The matching contribution was approved.

Lack of wind kept them from raising the sails leaving Ibiza, but soon after they were done eating, the breeze increased. Captain Glenn sent Wolf to collect the kids so they could assist the deck crew. She also invited the three of them to join her on the bridge once they were sailing. Freed of babysitting responsibilities for a bit, the adults lounged on the upper deck.

CJ had shared the ring pictures he took with Ritch and Lucy, and both posted them for the world to see. Moments later, Ritch’s phone pinged with the first response.

“Fucking, Ed. He replied in Arabic. If it wasn’t for Google Translate…” A classmate of Ritch’s at the Academy, and part of his close circle of friends, Edrice King was stationed at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar.

Before Ritch finished his comment, his phone and Lucy’s chimed in concert; their friends responded to the engagement enthusiastically. When they sent a follow-up message suggesting people plan to be in Colorado Springs mid-June of the following year, Ed was again the first to reply, claiming he was asking for leave immediately.

Once the banter about the responses ended, CJ had the final word. “Hey, with Ritch in Italy and Lucy in California, planning the wedding could be a pain. If you two need any help, let us know, okay?”

“Sure, CJ. It’s not like you have anything else to do.” Ritch’s sarcasm earned him a middle finger from his brother.

Their luggage packed, the family stood at the rail, watching Barcelona’s lights come on in the twilight. The setting sun painted the sky a multitude of colors and provided enough illumination to dock easily dock. With everyone but Brett and César having flights Sunday morning, they planned on spending the night at the Barcelona airport hotel.

“Captain, it was a pleasure having you and your family on board. I wish every charter were as enjoyable.” Glenn stood on the dock with the rest of the crew while their guest said goodbye. Luggage had already been loaded in a van, and a couple of taxis waited for their fares.

Brett handed her an envelope thick with currency. “Best family vacation ever, Captain. CJ wants to do it again, and he doesn’t usually like to repeat himself.”

“I still don’t. We’ll have to reposition the Circus for our next charter. I want to cruise the Greek Isles, and Santorini’s on my bucket list.”

Glenn grinned while shaking CJ’s hand. “Any time, Mr. Mayor. You let us know when you want to sail with us again.” She turned her attention to Ritch and Lucy. “Congratulations on your engagement. We’re all thrilled you did it on board. Best wishes for a great wedding and a long, happy life together.”

Lucy’s smile was radiant. “Thank you so much for everything.” She turned her attention to the crew after shaking hands with Glenn. “You guys were amazing. I’d sail with you again. In the meantime, I’m about to spend a week in Italy with the man I love. Don’t any of you come looking for me.”