Never walk alone- Walk on - 32. Chapter 32

The decision to sail early proved to be a good one. It was indeed cooler out at sea, so much so that it was comfortable enough to relax on the Sky Deck without the air conditioning, much to everyone's relief. Once again, a mirror sea and a healthy following current allowed 'Lady Janice' to slice through the oily-calm ocean with a good turn of speed. Just before sunset they were thrilled to receive a visit fron a large pod of dolphins and everyone gathered at the main deck railings to appreciate the natural, sinuous beauty with which the friendly mammals moved through the water. Their antics once again captured the attention of all on board as they leapt clear of the water, droplets glinting in the low sun, their eyes seeming to glance at their audience before arching back into the sea with a splash that every now and then reached those on the deck. It was magical, awe-inspiring and humbling at the same time, and when the creatures finally disappeared back into the, now, rapidly darkening water, it left them all with a sense of loss. Andrew
sighed as he stood with his arm around Ryan's waist and the children in front of them, who were all squealing with excitement, particularly Jamie and Fiona who were experiencing a dolphin visit for only the second time.

"You know, as many times as I've seem them now, it never gets old. Their visits are always so exciting and special. It's simply one of the most beautiful experiences", he said softly.

They all stood at the railing for a while, gazing wistfully at the surface , hoping to see fins breaking the surface again to leave white water in their wakes. As the sun finally began dipping below the horizon, they turned to go back inside.

The watches had been altered slightly to allow Ryan, and Andrew who had indicated that he would joining Ryan on his watch, to enjoy a leisurely dinner. So Brian was currently at the helm on the 18h00 to 22h00 watch while Michael was resting. Ryan and Andrew would stand the 22h00 to 02h00 when their skipper would take over to see them into Hermanus just before dawn. The plan for the small port was just a quick 'splash and dash' - fill up with diesel and water and be back at sea in the shortest time possible. In fact, Michael was hoping to be in and out before any of his passen-gers were up and about.

Ray had arranged a deck BBQ for dinner and after dinner, they all sat and watched the video of the game lodge that Dan and Joan had brought with them. As they watched the video, Andrew was aware of the growing excitement in him. It was the same excitement he felt when he was contemplating the purchase of the three wholly owed properties. Ryan was all too aware of his partners state of mind. His hand in Andrew's was gripped so tight he was concerned Andrew might break one of his bones. At one stage when he and Andrew turned to look at one another, he could quite clearly see that 'look' in his eyes, and he grinned and nodded, knowing exactly what his husband was contemplating. Neither said anything, and once the video had ended, they herded the children and Rascal up to the master cabin and got them all settled for the night, telling them where they would be if they woke up and reading them a bedtime story until they all fell asleep. They returned to the main salon to have coffee with the two older couples until they indicated that they were ready for their beds.

They joined Brian at the helm ten minutes before their watch was due to start and Brian did the handover including their present course, anticipated course changes, which were all entered into the autopilot and would just have to be monitored, all the systems on board including the state of the battery bank, how to complete the log book entries, and the weather, which seemed to be changing. Although the sea was still absolutely flat, there was definitely some cloud gathering above them as evidenced by the moon disappearing every once in a while. It was, however, almost windless and quite humid.

Once Brian had gone to his cabin, they got settled on the big helm seat, sitting close to one another in almost complete darkness, the only light radiating from the instruments on the console in front of them. Andrew could not help thinking back to their first night together on 'Belle Catherine' when they were sailing her home after her launch. It was so similar and yet so different. Back then, the only sounds were the swish of the water on her hull and wind in her rigging with all the accompanying creaks and the slap of the sails. Now, as 'Lady Janice' ploughed towards Hermanus, the swish of water against her hull could still be heard. But tonight there was no wind and no rigging, so the only other sound was a very faint hum from the electric motors. But what was exactly the same was the sense of completeness and utter peace that enveloped him. Eventually Andrew broached the subject that he had tucked away since the end of the video.

"What did you think of the game lodge, my love?", he asked quietly, still gazing out over the bows onto the, momen-tarily, moonlit ocean.
"It's quite beautiful. The setting, the accommodation, the wildlife. I know you were quite excited by what we saw. It would be a good fit for the Devlin-Major Portfolio", he replied, just as softly. Andrew straightened to look at him.

"Good enough fit to own. Not just to manage?", Andrew questioned. Ryan nodded in the darkness.

"Yes. Without a doubt. And I know you do not need me to tell you. You had already come to that conclusion yourself. What do you have in mind?"

"Well obviously we have to approach Dan and Joan with our proposal. I would like to have a controlling interest - I'll be happy with a 51-49 split seeing as we will be the ones actually on the ground, so to speak . And I think Dan and Joan will realise that it's a win for them as well. They will have someone who actually cares about how the lodge is run because they own it and have a vested interest, as opposed to someone who just runs it for a monthly fee. And I agree, it will be a good fit. I see it as one of the missing pieces in the puzzle that is the Devlin-Major Portfolio", Andrew explained. Ryan raised an eyebrow.

"One of the missing pieces. What are the others, if I may ask?", he said, his white teeth visible, as he grinned broadly.

"In my opinion there are two missing pieces. One is the game lodge which, with a bit of luck, is almost within reach. The other is the Reunion project. The marina for large visiting yachts. We haven't really done much about that yet. It keeps getting pushed onto the back burner by other stuff. There is definitely a gap in the market. And I really think Devlin-Major can capitalise on that. Sure , it's going to take hard work and a ton of cash, but in the long run, I believe it will be worth it. Once the game lodge is up and running, we need to make the Reunion marina a priority. No other projects until a yea or nay decision is made.". He could see Ryan's head nodding in the darkness.

"Okay. I say look at the Reunion project after Easter. That should be enough time for the game lodge to get settled, and we can do a bit of research into the marina in the interim. It does mean that I will have to spend some time on Reunion at some stage, which to be honest I am not entirely happy with because it means I will be away from you and the children". It was Andrew's turn to nod.

"Yeah, I had thought of that. But Reunion is, what, six hours away by air via Johannesburg. I think are direct flights from O.R. Tambo or via Mauritius. I can fly over with the children if needs be. Without sounding blasé, it's not that we are exactly penniless! A couple of flights are not going to bankrupt us". Ryan giggled in the darkness.

"True dat. Okay, we'll look at it come Easter"

The remainder of their watch was spent just enjoying the closeness and the serenity of the moonlit night, the boredom only broken every now and then as the radar picked up another vessel, that became visible only by its lights in the distance, and none close enough to cause any concern. Michael arrived on deck at 01h45 to relieve them of the watch and after handing over to him they headed for the master cabin and some well earned sleep.

Which did not last as long as they both would have liked, as four children and one very wet nosed sausage dog joined them on the bed just after 7am, followed by a series of shrieks and gurgling laughter as the dads tickled the children, and they in turn ganging up on each of their dads in return. Of course, all the laughter had Rascal absolutely hyper and he scampered on and around the bed, barking madly and wanting to get in on the mayhem as well. It all ended when the cabin door chime sounded. Cameron ran to open the door, admitting Gary carrying a tray and grinning.

"Good morning everyone. My apologies for disturbing your fun. Just delivering your early morning beverages"

"Morning Gary", Andrew replied, "No problem, it will be most welcome. Give these terrors of ours time to calm down"

"Hi Gary", Ryan added. "We're not moving! Are we in Hermanus?"

"You could say that, Ryan. Although things are not going as planned. We are currently at anchor just off the harbour mouth. The fishing fleet beat us in and are occupying the fueling dock, so we have had to wait our turn. Our captain is a bit grumpy having to wait - he wanted to be back at sea already.It should not be too long before they can accommodate us, and then we can get going again. Michael just want to refuel as a precaution because the weather has turned rather grey, so not a lot of sun around to replenish the batteries, and we may have to use the diesel engines on the leg back to Cape Town. But he and Brian want to push the batteries as far a possible to see how far we can get on them", Gary explained.

Once Gary had left, they all enjoyed the refreshments and then the dads got their children bathed and dressed for the day, alternating between the bedroom and the bathroom so that by 9am they were all trooping down the internal stairs to the salon.

Gary's description of the day being grey was actually optimistic.
On the way down they noticed it was positively dull. Not only was it overcast, but a light drizzle was falling as well, although the sea was remarkably calm as there was very little wind to speak of.
Due to them still being in port, and the amount of floating traffic around, breakfast was being served in the salon. Ray had arranged the usual cold items and had an omelette bar going with bacon, sausage, grilled tomato and hash browns. There was a dozen additives to be added to the eggs, depending on preferences and, of course, plenty of hot toast. They joined Michael Gibson and the Kinleys at the table,who all already had plates in front of them. David and Janice had eaten earlier and were on the Sky Deck having another cup of coffee.

They eventually got their turn at the fueling dock during breakfast, and as soon as the diesel tanks were filled, Michael took them out to sea again, heading south south-east on, what could only be described as an oily sea that heaved and undulated under the steadily falling rain.
The day was mostly spent indoors, mainly in the Sky Deck, that had been secured against the weather, although the aft doors were left open for fresh air as it was not cold at all. The children begged to be allowed to swim in the tub and got huge enjoyment of swimming with the soft rain falling. When they had had enough they went down to the salon to watch movies on the entertainment system, while the adults relaxed upstairs, chatting and supplied with drinks and snacks by the attentive crew. Lunch time saw them rounding Cape Point and they cruised into the marina shortly after 4pm under a slightly lightening sky, although Table Mountain still brooded under heavy cloud and mist. The Blue Bay guest courtesy vehicle was waiting to convey Dan and Joan to the lodge, after receiving and accepting an offer to join the family for Christmas lunch and New Years Eve dinner. Michael Gibson thanked his hosts for the wonderful hospit-
ality and then left for the airport, driven by a colleague from their Cape Town office. The Devlin-Major party travelled home in their private vehicles.

The next few days before Christmas were, to put it mildly, very hectic. No shopping had been done for gifts, so that was the first order of business the next day. Leaving their offspring with their grandparents, the boys hit the malls for the day, finally picking the children up in the early evening, having been home to stash their haul out of the inquisitive eyesight of four eagle eyed munchkins, and one even more inquisitive hound. That night the entire family had enormous fun decorating the house and the tree, culminating in the magical moment when the tree lights were turned on. For the dads, it never got old watching the joy and excitement bloom in their babies eyes as the switch was flicked, and the tiny, crystal-like lights began flickering on and off. Andrew was only too aware that the profound sadness that he used to feel at Christmas without his own parents had been subtly dulled by the love of, and for, the four children and Ryan, and for that he was deeply grateful.

The following day, David and Janice took the children shopping to hunt down gifts for their dads. Each of them had been given an allowance to fund their purchases and, according to Janice, they had an absolute blast. When they returned to the house, they each carried two gift-wrapped parcels which were reverently placed under the tree, with strict instructions from Fiona that they must not be opened until Christmas Day, which had both their dads having a hard time containing their giggles.

Once all the gifts had been wrapped and labelled, Andrew and Ryan could, at last, relax and enjoy the season. For the two days left before Christmas, they were with children and Rascal - lazing in bed until late, having raucous fun in the pool, taking long strolls on the beach, and spending cosy nights at home watching Disney movies while the Christmas tree lights flashed on the tree.

On Christmas Eve they had a BBQ at home with the grandparentals and Donna and Craig who had arrived from Johannesburg until the New Year. And the Kinleys. The children adored Dan and Joan and in Andrew's opinion, they were as close to another set of grandparents as could be.
Christmas Day dawned bright and clear, with a light breeze blowing that presaged a stiff southeaster later in the day. As expected, the children had their dads awake early, eagerly expectant of what awaited them downstairs. Andrew momentarily toyed with the idea of making them wait while he and Ryan showered and dressed, but four pairs of bright, shining eager eyes got the better of him, and the second he and Ryan left the bed, bedlam ensued. They took off downstairs, yelling and screaming, accompanied by Rascal's excited yapping. When they arrived downstairs, Andrew did keep them waiting while he made the usual tea, coffee and hot chocolate, adding some muffins and cookies to munch on while opening the gifts.

They had made four piles of gifts when arranging them under the tree before going to bed and Elizabeth was bossily telling the other three which was their pile of gifts. Each one stood at his or her pile with very big eyes, beaming widely, but eyeing the remaining gifts still under the tree that their grandparents and Donna and Craig had dropped off. Those would only be opened once the Majors and the Kentons arrived a bit later for the traditional family breakfast.
After he had set the tray with the refreshments down and everyone had something to drink, Ryan spoke to them, placing a black bin bag close to them
.
"Okay guys, here are the ground rules. You open one present and then throw the wrapping in the bag. I do not want to see any rubbish on the floor. Then you can move on to the next present. Understood.?"
Four heads bobbed up and down as they nodded and replied in unison.

"Yes dad", positively vibrating with excitement. And when he said "Okay, you can start" there was a mad scramble as they tore into their first parcel. Rascal was scampering round excitedly so Andrew pulled out a wrapped gift for him as well, a squeaky ball, which he squeezed before setting it down in front of the little hound. In no time at all, tail whipping around madly, he ripped into the paper to reveal his ball, grabbed it in his mouth and went to lie down on the couch to play with it. He had several other gifts as well including a new bed, and some warm outfits for winter.

Needless to say it did not take very long for the kids to get through their pile is gifts, ending up with a respectable haul, including practical items like new backpacks for Cameron and Elizabeth with the school badge on them, a Manchester United one for Jamie and a Barbie one for Fiona. The most expensive item that they each got was a new mobile phone. It had led to some fairly heated discussion between Andrew and Ryan, as Ryan was of the opinion that, although Jamie and Fiona both needed mobiles as they were going to Grade 1 in 'big school' at the beginning of the new year, Cameron and Elizabeth already had mobiles from the previous Christmas. Andrew had then pulled Cameron's mobile out of his backpack and tossed it to Ryan, who was stunned at the condition of the device.

"Holy moly", he muttered, "How the hell is this thing still working. It looks like it been though a nuclear explosion?", staring at the battered device in his hand, the screen cracked and badly scratched.

"Our son told me about it a couple of weeks ago. You remember when his came home with skinned knees and elbows. Well, he was running and tripped. He hadn't closed his backpack properly and when he fell, it came out of the backpack with everything else and slid on the concrete. Hence its present condition. It does work, but he has to swipe the screen just right to do anything. So we need to get him a new one. And if he gets a new one, then Elizabeth should get one too, although hers still looks like new. We could even trade hers in for her new one".
Ryan stared hard at his husband, and sighed.

"God, I hate it when you go all practical on me. Okay fine, so they all get new mobiles for Christmas. Just make sure we get screen protectors as well, because we will not be having this discussion at the end of next year". Andrew grinned and wrapped his arms around Ryan.

"Yes, my love. Anything you say, my love". And so the four children all got new mobiles.

It was a case of rinse and repeat when David and Janice arrived a bit later with Donna and Craig, and the children got to open the gifts from their grandparents and the Kentons. Janice got a pair of diamond ear studs, which she immediately put in to wear to lunch, while David got a pair of top of the range golfing shoes and gloves. Donna got a designer tote bag, while Craig got a voucher for a pair of new sunglasses which Donna had told Ryan he needed. The boys were given a gorgeous family portrait done by Janice and framed by David, which immediately went up in pride of place in the lounge. It had been done using a photograph of them all attired in their Cameron finery against the backdrop of The Cameron. And they got an air fryer from Donna and Craig.

At 12.00pm, they departed for Christmas lunch at The Cameron. With the light southeaster cooling things down, the decision was taken to walk the five blocks to the lodge, taking an easy stroll along the pathway above the beach, knowing they could just hitch a ride back home with Dan and Joan Kinley in the Blue Bay guest courtesy vehicle. The privileges of being the owners! Rascal, with a red, green and gold bow tied around his neck, trotted along quite happily, his tongue lolling and tail wagging, Cameron holdinghis leash securely in his hand.

As expected, The Cameron was a hive of activity. With the lodge being fully occupied, and an additional one hundred or so guests arriving for the Christmas lunch, parking was at a premium, one of the reasons they had decided to walk. James had really pushed the boat out and had arranged not only the traditional Christmas Day lunch in the restaurant, but had a BBQ going on the pool deck as well for any in-house guests who wanted something a bit more substantial than a salad, sandwich or burger. All the in-house guests would be enjoying a full Christmas night dinner which was included in their accommodation rate for the day.

They took note that the pool deck staff all looked very smart in their new uniforms, a style echoing that of the yachts - navy blue cargo shorts with crisp white golf shirts and blue and white deck shoes. The only nod to The Cameron was the tartan edging on the pockets of the shorts and on the collar and sleeves of the shirt. The ladies, however, had the choice of the shorts or a skirt. In addition, in keeping with the mood of the day, they all wore a santa or an elf hat as they hustled around the very busy pool deck and surrounding gardens.

The owners found themselves running the gauntlet of 'Merry Christmases' as the walked through the garden from the bottom gate, from both the staff and the guests. They stopped briefly to chat to the crew of the Kinley jet who were making the most of their short break between trips and were lodged at The Cameron for the duration.

At the top of the garden they crossed the circular driveway, walking around the fountain and entered the building through the main doors where Abel stood at his post, waiting for the next vehicle to come to a stop at the bottom of the stairs. His smile was as wide as the horizon when he saw his employers.

"Mr Andrew, Mr Ryan. Welcome and a merry Christmas to you", he said in greeting. They both shook his white gloved hand.

"Merry Christmas to you too, Abel", they replied, almost in unison. "Have Mr & Mrs Kinley arrived yet?", Andrew enquired.

"No not yet, Mr Andrew", and then glanced over Andrew's shoulder. " But I think that may be them now. The Blue Bay van has just come in the gate"

They turned and watched as the courtesy vehicle rolled up the driveway and drew to a stop. Abel hurried down the stairs to open the side sliding door to reveal a smiling a Joan and Dan. Ryan helped them alight from the vehicle, getting a kiss and a hug from Joan and a hearty handshake from Dan before walking back up the stairs to the entrance where the others waited. A flurry of greetings, and then they all moved into the turret foyer and main lobby where they were greeted by Richard and the magnificent Christmas tree that stood in its usual place at the intersection of the two main walkways. It's tip was only just shy of the ceiling and was resplendent in The Camerons signature tartan and gold decorations. A Santa Claus and three elves handed the children each a small gift, while the adults were given small box of chocolate truffles and a glass of sherry, either Medium Cream or Pale Dry.

Andrew could do nothing to prevent the swell of pride as he took in their surroundings. The lobby throbbed with vibrancy, filled with voices and laughter. The Christmas decorations and festive muzak filtering through the speakers in the ceiling just added to the happy atmosphere.

Richard escorted them to the restaurant where he hand them over to Douglas who, in turn, escorted them to their table in the corner of the room against the windows where they could admire the gardens and the view of the bay, and see the entire room as well.
Another gift awaited each diner at the table - a wrapped box containing a small, exquisitely decorated individual fruit cake. Once again, lunch was a feast, highlighted by James speciality turkey roulade. As usual, Andrew and Ryan circulated through the tables chatting to their guests and to their immense please received nothing but praise, which they passed on to James and his staff in the kitchen before leaving. The restaurant staff received effusive compliments as well. It was yet another roaringly successful festive luncheon for The Cameron. The only negative for Andrew was that, for the first time, Paul and Marie were not with them, having not made their annual year-end trip back to South Africa, due to Marie's parents having also emigrated to Canada, and Vancouver in particular. So they were spending Christmas and New Year in British Columbia with her folks. The Mason family would instead be coming out over the Easter school holidays, when they would all be travelling up to the Drakensberg Resort and, if everything panned out,
to the game lodge for a couple of days as well.
Rather poignantly, he once again realised that, also for the first time, the deep melancholy he felt at the loss of his parents, was no longer quite so profound. The realisation brought its own measure of regret, but being the positive person he was, knew that, at last, he was indeed moving on.

As predicted, the southeaster had strengthened significantly by the time it came to leave, so they took advantage of the guest courtesy vehicle that arrived to collect Dan and Joan, travelling to Blue Bay with the couple where they spent some time with Claude and his staff, who had also had a very successful day.
After a sampling of dessert and coffee, and arranging with Claude to have them driven to the airport with Dan and Joan the following morning, they were driven home where they all had a quick splash in the pool before taking some rest on pool loungers, or their beds.

Dan and Joan had once again showed their class by inviting Donna and Craig along for the trip as well after realising that they would be on their own with David and Janice at the game lodge, which they accepted in a heartbeat.

For once Andrew had not arranged any takeaways from lunch, but they were all still quite full after the big lunch, so dinner was just a simple toasted sandwich and ice cream. The children were all fairly tired after the long day so they were in bed early, giving their dads some time to pack for the trip up to the game lodge the next day. It was an early night for them as well, but only after exchanging one or two more loving gifts.