EPILOGUE
New Beginnings
How does the nursery rhyme go? Friday’s child is loving and giving. I hope so. I’m just looking up the birth sign too. It gives me something to do while Ray and I wait for the nod from Patrick to go through to the delivery room. All the action is over with now, which is good because I’m a bit squeamish about that type of thing anyway. I’ve seen movies with childbirth scenes in them and I wouldn’t want to be anywhere near when that’s happening. I don’t think Ray would either. Anyway, according to this website the twins have been born on the Cancer-Leo cusp, which means they’re going to be a pair of feisty little devils. Twins! I can still hardly believe it. I only met Ray a year ago and look at us now!
These last nine months have been a whirlwind of activity. I’ve changed jobs and Ray and I no longer live in London. We visit frequently, but I’m sure that’ll change now the twins have arrived. We’re actually living with my parents. That’s not as bad as it sounds. In fact, it’s rather wonderful. We live in the roundhouse, as they call the west wing of their converted oast house. The roundhouse is the former hop kiln and we love the quirky architecture. It even has its own entrance, so we can come and go as we please without disturbing my parents. They used to rent it out as a holiday let in the summer, but now it’s our home. Ray and I have the nursery all kitted out, waiting for the new arrivals.
The whole family wants to get involved with bringing up the twins, which means we’ll be seeing a lot more of my sister and Patrick because they plan on staying at my parents’ most weekends. It’s great that my sister—the twins’ mother—is going to be such a big part of their lives, as well as their cousin, Aimee.
Ray has been communing with his dad on a regular basis, keeping him informed. I’m sure he must be really proud to know that his son has secured man’s future.
As for my job, I’m working at the family firm. It’s what my dad always wanted. I know I’m only the office clerk for now, but it pays as well as my last job and with us living rent free, I think we’ll manage to keep our heads above water. Not only that, the work is way more interesting and varied than being a hotel receptionist and Ray even comes in to lend me a hand from time to time. And when we sit outside the local coffee shop, watching the world go by, the air is a lot fresher. I think this is the perfect place to bring up the twins. All in all, everything has worked out just great. Ray and I even had our first trip abroad a couple of months ago. We went to sunny Spain, on a budget last-minute deal, and we had the most amazing time. Ray had never flown before, but the best part of all was the secluded beach we found, where we took a bottle of champagne and had our own private pretend wedding ceremony. I will never forget the look of sweet devotion on Ray’s face when he said to me, “Blake Denby, will you take me to be your unlawfully wedded husband?” I videoed the whole thing, for the sake of posterity.
I catch sight of Patrick out of the corner of my eye. It jolts me back to the here and now. Ray and I jump to our feet, as Patrick rushes over. “You can come through now. Mother and babies are doing just great,” he gushes.
Ray turns to face me, his eyes glittering with unspent tears, and I give him a great big hug.
“Come on, you two, put each other down,” Patrick teases. “Your son and daughter are waiting to say hi! What did you say their names were again?”
“Dagny and Beeja,” Ray replies with a beaming smile.
“I know you’ve told me a hundred times already but I’m rubbish with names.”
“They’ll be known as Dag and Bee,” I inform Patrick.
“Oh good! That’s easier to remember.”
Patrick ushers us off to see little Dag and Bee, and as we all scurry up the corridor I squeeze Ray’s hand. He looks at me, giving me a wink and a knowing smile. I wink back at him.
He and I share a massive secret. A secret we must keep from the rest of the world as we watch the twins growing up. For as much as we want to shout it from the rooftops, only Ray and I can know just how precious these two newborns truly are.
Maybe one day in the future the truth can be told, once their kind has become fully established. Until then, they’d just be regarded as freaks, simply because they’re different, and we don’t want them to be taunted and harassed their whole lives. At some point in the distant future, Ray’s father can pass on the information about exactly how and why this evolutionary boost took place. I want the new breed to know their history. I want them to know who Ray really is. I want them to know what he sacrificed to be with me, so they understand that they came from a place called love.
I want them to remember that part above all else, because without love there is no future. For who among us would want to live in a loveless world?