Everything Changes

Whenever we went out on the boat, he always had the stereo turned up loud and we sang along.

Klaus surprised me, his voice was clear, and tuneful. The odd one out was Claudia, but she was just happy to dance.

I couldn't believe how generous they were. All their staff got generous bonuses, plus gifts for them and their family.

Some of the video Colleen filmed was so cool it went straight up on our YouTube channel.

What a night. What a party. There were some very sore heads when we climbed into bed at three AM in the morning...

Abby and I left our parents still partying in the living room and went to bed. "Party poopers!" they yelled at us. Especially my dad. "You've gone soft, lass. Blimey, you're less than half our age."

Abby, who was drunk enough, replied, "Yeah, but we're feeling horny." That wiped the grin off his face. As much as he joked about it, I think deep down inside he was still unsure. Unhappy is too strong, but I think there was still an element of unease.

In bed, we were in the middle of making love, our mouths locked together, our bodies tangled as Abby fucked me with a fiery intensity, our very wet pussies colliding and sliding up and down each others thighs, my fingers deep inside her molten core, twirling and twisting, searching for the elusive little spot.

The lights were out, candles illuminating our intimate moment. The sheets and blankets scattered to the wind. Abby was moaning loudly as I found the spot.

The door flew open and Claudia and Mum burst in. "Come on you wet blankets. Come and dance with us."

They stood in the doorway, glasses in hand, tinsel wrapped all around them. Their smiles slowly dissipated as they took in the scene.

Claudia giggled wildly, "Ach du lieber Gott." she yelped embarrassed. "Entschuldigung Mädels."

She had one hand over Mum's shoulder, and said. "I think we should leave them alone, yes?"

Mum stood their mouth agape, her happy laughing demeanour evaporating like a drying oasis. "Tui..."

Claudia escorted her out the door. "Fucking hell. We need to move. There's no fucking privacy here." She said it half jokingly. Our moment of passion had been extinguished, especially for me. The horrific look on Mums face brought out this deep sense of shame.

For the outside world I was out and proud, but one scathing look from Mum and all my bravado vaporised.

Abby cuddled me. "Hey, babe. Come on, it's not that bad."

"It is for me. Did you see the look on her face. She will never accept me."

"You're over thinking it, babe. Imagine walking in on anybody having sex. You're gonna be shocked. Jesus, imagine if we walked in on our daughter and she had a bloke in her bed. I mean, I'd wanna vomit, but that doesn't mean I wouldn't accept her. We wouldn't kick her out, would we?"

"Daughter," I spluttered. "Children..."

She smiled, and it was warm and affectionate. Her arm squeezing me reassured. "Yes, children. I want them, don't you?"

Lying onto my back, I whispered, completely unsure. "Yes, I want children."

She scowled. "You don't sound very convinced."

"Sorry, this whole thing has been a shock. Yes, I have always wanted children, but lately I have wondered. Is this a good environment to raise them? I mean, two mothers... Can that even work?"

"Tui, I want children. I love my Vader, he is an extraordinary man. I love your father as well. When I look at our mothers, I see these two incredibly strong women. They made us, raised us. Why couldn't we do the same?"

"But, when I grew up. I relied so much on my father. He gave my life balance, taught me things Mum never could. He taught me how to tie knots, moor the boat, drive the boat. He taught me to fillet fish, how to read the tides."

Abby sighed. "It was the same for me. My father taught me many things: how to use a skill saw, a square. How to hammer in nails, operate a drill, a screwdriver. We built many things together. The tree house down in the garden, we built that together."

I nodded. "Exactly, who is going to teach our daughter, or son?"

She laughed loudly. "Do you not trust yourself?"

"What..."

"Look, Tui, you just told me all the things you learned from your father. Those things you now know. Why can't we teach our children the way our fathers taught us? I mean, can you steer a boat?"

"Yes, of course I can."

"Then case solved. You will teach them the nautical stuff. I'll teach them how to build. For everything else, we will send them to their grandparents for training. All we have to give them is love, make sure they are cared for and fed, understand empathy, sympathy, love, to be open and honest."

Suddenly, my fears were gone. She was right.

"Hang on, there's a tree house?"

"Oh god yes, it's huge. Tomorrow we will investigate."

These children, who is carrying them?"

"You are." She giggled fanatically.

"I think we will need more discussion. I think you're stronger than me. You should bear that weight."

It was a light-hearted comedy as we bantered back and forth until sleep overtook us.

The morning was a slow start. Abby and I were showered and in the kitchen when the others started appearing.

Claudia rushed into our arms. "I'm sorry, girls. That was so naughty of us. You have to forgive us, we were so drunk."

"No need to apologise," Abby said, giving her a kiss.

Claudia turned to me. "I'm sorry, Tui, we spoiled your moment."

"No, it's okay. We were only sleeping."

She kissed me, leaving a big wet smudge on my cheek. "Fibber, I was drunk, not blind. You looked beautiful by the way. So much love and passion. I am envious."

"What did Mum say?" I couldn't help asking."

"She was ashamed of herself. She confessed to not having drunk that much for a very long time."

"She looked horrified, disgusted. She must hate me."

"No, no, no. You must never say that," she said, pulling me back into a tight embrace. "She was embarrassed that we disturbed you. She loves you, both of you. We are a family now. When she arises, you must not hold back. You must embrace her like never before. She felt terrible after we interrupted.

Mum and Dad arrived a few minutes later as Abby and I were scrambling the eggs and frying the bacon. Klaus had already added the obligatory sausages to the pan.

I turned to hug Mum but she beat me to it. "Tui, I'm so sorry for last night. I can't believe we were so rude."

Abby, never one to step back from a fight, said teasingly, "You should be sorry, as well. Totally ruined my moment."

Mum shivered, her face a bright red. "I'm sorry. We were having so much fun, we merely wanted you to come back out and join in."

Her arms stayed tight around me, squeezing me harder than ever.

"Mum, it's okay. I was more concerned with the look of disgust on your face."

"I wasn't like that. I'm sorry, Tui, this is all new to me. I was shocked. I have never seen anything like that before. It wasn't disgust. Just shock, you looked like you were enjoying it," she added tremulously.

Claudia had served the tea and coffee, Abby was serving the scrambled egg and Klaus the bacon and sausages. Between the clinking of cutlery and people eating, the conversation started slowly, a little awkwardly. Mum wanted a fashion show so she could see in person the wedding dresses.

Then we talked about the ceremony itself. We settled on our fathers walking us to the alter together side by side, our mothers standing with the bridesmaids.

When I explained that Charlotte was going to be my maid of honour, that created some heated debate. When Abby said Joe was going to be hers, the table erupted. In the end, we explained our logic and they were happy. Maeve, Nigel and Casey were going to play live music. Brenda and Arty were adding vocals.

It was all planned.

Everything came together. The semester ended. Now all we could do was wait for the results.

Our gigs were all completed.

All that was left was the road trip down to Westport. Claudia and Klaus decided to fly down, as did the rest of the party. The only exceptions being Charlotte and Joe, who arrived on the same flight.

I was an anxious bundle of nerves as Abby and I waited at the gate for them to walk through. I didn't expect them to walk out together. I sort of thought they would want to keep out of each others way.

Nope, I spotted Charlotte straight away, and she was walking through the gate beside Joe. I rushed forward, arms open wide, and Charlotte leapt into my arms. I spun her around and she gave me a very passionate kiss. Like a long separated lovers kiss, and there was tongue, lots of tongue. From her perspective, I think she was saying to Abby, "Suck that, bitch."

Abby, though, missed it because she was wound up in a very similar moment. She had Joe in her arms, and they were kissing as well.

Then it was the awkward part: me hugging and kissing Joe, and Abby reciprocating with Charlotte.

Still... we survived, there was no blood letting, ho hair pulling or eye gouging. It was just cooler.

We walked out to the van, and Charlotte laughed. "We're all driving down in old gerty?"

"Yeah, we sure are."

"Fuck me drunk, girl. Are ya mad? None of us'll survive that trip."

"Yes we will." Abby stated loudly. "You girls were big parts of our lives, and we want you to continue to be so. We want all of us to be able to be friends, if nothing else. We want you to be our children's god parents."

"Fuck me..." Charlotte gasped. "You're not up the bloody duff are ya?"

"No, not yet, but eventually." We crammed all their gear in the van, and we hit the road south. We stopped for food in Pokeno. As we sat around the table, Charlotte, as was her want, said, "I hate to raise the subject, but there's only one bed in that bleeding van. Are we confirming our roles as god parents by shagging your fucking brains out?"

The table erupted in laughter. It was really the first time I'd seen Joe smile. I mean really smile. It changed her completely, and I realised how beautiful she was. I could see why Abby was so attracted to her. Physically at least.

"We've booked hotel rooms. We're staying the night in Taumarunui," Abby said, once she'd stopped laughing.

"Oh yeah, who's sleeping with who then?"

Abby, realising Charlotte was pushing her, replied, "You're sleeping with me. Tui said you were a good fuck. Joe is going to be sharing Tui's bed. She was pretty keen to find out why I was so hot for Joe."

"Right, sounds good. I've always wondered what you German girls would be like. Do you taste like sauerkraut?" Charlotte asked putting on her best German accent.

"No babe, I taste like honey." Abby replied coyly.

"Cut it out, Abby. Charlotte needs no encouragement."

Driving into Taumarunui, we were all pretty well exhausted. For Joe and Charlotte, jet lag had well and truly kicked in. We pulled up at the hotel and we picked up the keys. The girls were unpacking their gear, complaining they needed showers.

I explained that we had only booked one room. It was a twin share, so they had privacy, but it did mean sharing.

They didn't seem to upset. They had been chatting the whole trip like old friends, anyway.

We found a secluded place to park the van and climbed into bed. "Did you see that?" Abby gasped.

"See what?"

"They're into each other."

"No way," I said, wondering. They did seem to be getting along.

"Tell you what babe, if we burst in through their door in about half an hour, we'll be doing to them what our mothers did to us. They'll be fucking before the nights out."

"Rubbish. Not everybody's a raving sex maniac," I said with some conviction.

She laughed loudly. "There's only one sex addict here, and it ain't me. Oh, by the way. My pussy is ready for your tongue."

"Pervert," I snarled playfully as my tongue lapped deliciously along her very sticky sex.

We met for breakfast the next morning, and the mood had changed. Charlotte, the confident cheeky little minx, was subdued and a little anxious.

Joe seemed even more introverted than ever, and it was Abby and I who carried all the conversation.

It felt uncomfortable in the van. Charlotte and Joe spoke in hushed whispers as Abby and I carried on our own conversation. We pulled up outside a little tea rooms in Taihape, and all made a mad dash for the restrooms, Abby laughing hysterically as she beat us all.

We stood legs crossed outside waiting. I could see the stressed expression on Joe's face, so I let her go next. "I'll get us a table while you two fight over who's gonna be the most embarrassed, aye?" Abby said.

"Bitch," I threw at her as she walked away giggling. While we waited, I asked, "What's going on Charlotte? Did you and Joe fight?"

She gave me a scowl. "No, we didn't fight."

"Then what's the problem?"

She was about to say something when Joe walked out. She saw us talking and blushed, before walking quickly towards the table Abby had confiscated. Charlotte took the chance to jump into the ladies, leaving me busting. "Fuck," I muttered.

When she finally emerged, I was about to embarrass myself. I dived in like a starving feline.

The relief was instantaneous, and I could breathe. I walked out to find Abby had filled the table with scrumptious food. Everybody else was already stuffing themselves, so I followed suit.

Back on the road we made good time, pulling into Wellington about six. The hotel was easy to find. Showers, fresh clothes and something to eat. The restaurant was nice and the food good. The only thing missing was conversation. There were lots of furtive glances and cheeky smiles, but actual words were at a premium.

In the end, it was Abby who cracked.

"Okay, I've had enough of this shit. What the fuck is going on with you two?"

Charlotte and Joe grimaced as they exchanged fleeting looks. "We slept together," Joe blurted out.

Abby laughed, glared at me and said, "Told ya."

"So why all this tension?" I asked.

"We thought you might be a little peeved," Charlotte snorted. "Either that or I meant even less to you than I thought."

Grabbing and squeezing her hand, I said, "Charlotte, you meant a lot to me. You still do. I love you, you're me mate. I fucking love you like my sister. I'm bloody thrilled. If you and Joe have something going on, then it's bloody marvellous."

"You're not pissed?"

"Fuck no, ecstatic more like."

"Yeah, ya pair of dirty skanky bitches," Abby said. "Jesus, I'm glad, makes me feel less guilty." She leaned over and kissed Joe. "I'm happy for ya."

Slowly the conversation started to bubble, Joe and Charlotte cuddling, lots of little gestures, hands caressing hands, Joe sweeping a stray lock of hair from Charlotte's brow.

That night we slept in the van again. The mood was bright and jubilant. We made love with energy. The world seemed brighter, a weight had been lifted. I felt terrible about the way I just vanished from Charlottes life. I know we had talked, but she still had hopes for us. I shattered them with a sledge hammer. Knowing that she had somebody made me smile.

The rest of the trip was fun. There was a genuine feeling of friendship. Okay, if I'm completely honest, seeing my ex with another girl did give me little flutter of jealousy, but here we were. All four of us in the same boat. Locked in a van, watching our exes make out.

Everybody converged on my parents' house. The first night was wild: all my close friends, current and old, Family, new and old, whanau from all over the country, cuzzies I hadn't seen for years.

Dad and Klaus ruled the barbecue, and they cooked up a storm. Drinks flowed, and Mum and Claudia were laughing like best mates. My Aunties were shocked. Once they got to know Claudia, they let their guards down, and the laughter was louder than ever. Two days the party lasted before we all had to hit the road for Karamea. Things were starting to get real. The celebrant arrived, just as the band climbed into the van with Abby, Joe, Charlotte and me.

Luckily it dawned a beautiful day. The drive up to Karamea isn't a long one, but it is very tight and twisty as we followed the coast road past Granity, Hector, then at Mokinui, we made the trek up over the hill. It's the worst part of the drive: hilly, very windy and narrow. We stopped in Karamea for food and drinks. Once we had all settled our tummies, it was up the dirt road to Oparra. At the end of the road, it was out with the backpacks. The walk only took thirty minutes, but parts of it were hard going.

Once everybody converged, there were the expected cries of "Oh my god." The place was spectacular. Limestone country, lots of tomes and caves. Th one we were interested in was Oparra. It's a cave, but aside from that, there were huge limestone arches and cliffs. Truly magnificent. Mum escorted all us girls into a little cage where we could all get changed into our dresses.

It was quite comical. We might not have had to get naked, but seeing our ex's in nothing but lingerie. Wow, Lilly had obviously been working out, because she looked insanely fit. Stunning. I noticed Maeve couldn't take her eyes off of her, either. Although I wasn't the only one who noticed. Lilly caught the attention. She made quite a fuss of parading around in her lingerie. She asked Maeve to zip her up. Bloody flirt.

As we were finalising our appearance, there were no tables for make up, and the only mirror was a small hand held one. I held the mirror for Abby as she applied her makeup. "Last chance to escape," I whispered hoarsely, my heart racing.

"You're the one who should be trying to get away. I'm not letting you go."

I giggled along with her before I breathed into her ear, "I love you."

Her lips grazing mine felt so good, but hearing her say "I love you more" was better.

We wandered out to the area we had selected. All the bridesmaids made a line leading to the celebrant, our mothers standing proudly, hand in hand at the front of the line.

Our fathers stood side by side waiting for us. As we held their hands in ours, the buys started playing. It was nice to see Joe join Maeve on violin. The sweet sound of the strings echoing beautifully around the valley.

We walked side by side until we were standing in front of the celebrant. Our fathers moved aside and we were left there, facing each other. Our hands clasped tightly as the celebrant started to read the scripted lines. Our vows were ours, special. As she got to the dedications, we echoed her words. When she declared us married, the cheer went up from everyone. The photo sessions were epic. We got photos and video from every angle, and in every cave and arch. Abby thanked me for buying her a pair of my special gold and silver sneakers.

From there, it was back to the reception, which was in Karamea. That party raged late into the night. There were plenty of headaches the next morning. I did get a giggle seeing Lilly sneak out of Maeve's room.

It had been a long and winding road, but there we were. Married, the rest of our lives stretching out in front of us, but that's another story.

The end.