Chapter 60

"The whole trip has been built around Grandma Tina's wedding; sorry her name's really Litara Williams, but my father called her Tina because that's Samoan for mother and I thought that was her name when I was young and it got more confusing because my elder sister who you know through work is also Litara Williams." I was trying to bring Aarón up to speed on the family connections while he was driving to the airport to meet them.

"Grandma Tina was a friend of Grandpa Joe who it seems was your uncle. Then Grandpa Joe's daughters, Joy and Sophie, married Grandma Tina's son Isaac, my Da, and Da's best friend since childhood Jack. Is that clear? Any questions?"

"Yes, how do you talk like that without seeming to take a breath? When I interviewed you for the television it was like talking to a different person, someone of about 30 but now…?"

"Motormouth!" I apologised. "Sailing gives you time to think and it seems my head has at least 3 people living in it and Motormouth is Venus who is only a few months old and very hormonal so acts and talks like a 12 year old!"

"So who are the others in your head? Who gave the interview?"

"One of them is like my mother who is an accountant and one of them is like my Da who is kind of scary to some people but I can always rely on… But who gave the interview? Try this. If my body was this car then my mum would be the steering wheel so left or right; my Da would be the brakes and throttle so faster or slower and young Venus would be the engine breathing in through her senses and pushing out power but the person you talked to would be the one who decides where the car goes. I think maybe it's grown up Venus you talked to because when I have children she's the kind of mother I'll try to be."

"It's been a pleasure to meet you all," concluded Aarón as we pulled into the car park.

"I know that flights sometimes get delayed but do you ever think how amazing it is that we can travel thousands of miles while expecting to arrive within minutes of the timetable?" Aarón asked trying to calm my impatience!

"Litara!" I squealed sighting my sister leading the pack coming out of the immigration. Aarón was the picture of imperturbability as we congregated around the courier who was with the coach sent to take 3 wedding parties to the hotel. Too my surprise my cousins Elizabeth, Mark and Matthew were with Aunt Sophie and Jack and Grandma Tina's brother Taulapapa and sister-in-law Anna brought the wedding party up to 15 so numbers on our side of the family were respectable but looking at Bill with no family beside him I couldn't help but wonder how he felt.

"Hello Grandpa," I said taking hold of Bill's arm. "Feeling nervous? Ready to back out?"

"Never ban-ogha (Gaelic granddaughter), I've waited a long time for this. Your friend I recognise from the television as Mr Martinez but I'm surprised to see him here with you." My explanation may have confused things but Bill grasped that there was a probable family connection and that he 'a simple Scot' was going to be connected by marriage to a branch of the United Nations.

Rather than confuse things by splitting the party, Aarón and I simply followed the coach to the hotel while I filled him in on a few last minute family details.

"There is only one Venus you know." Aaron interrupted me. "Over the last few hours I've seen you with lots of different people and unfailingly your behaviour fitted the moment. That's why you did so well in the interview because we believe and trust the future you see and act on. That's where your credibility lies."

"If I could see the future do you think I'd have chosen to spend the last month bouncing around the ocean? My whole problem is that I don't know what I should do."

"Nobody knows what anyone should do Venus but you convince me and others that you know what people will do, including yourself."

"That's just common sense Aarón, everyone knows how people behave even though they don't always act on it."

"If you say so Venus, but explain to me how and why you convincingly said 'when' rather than 'if' in your statement 'When I have children.'"

That shut me up for the rest of the ride and for much of the dinner which Aarón shared with us. I was pleased to see he got on well with Bill and they chatted happily leaving my sister to bring me up to date on wedding plans.

"Grandma's gone all Samoan on us." she explained. "The violet dresses we picked are history! Royal Samoans it seems wear siapo or tapa cloth which is made from beaten mulberry tree bark."

"So we're wearing tree bark to the wedding?"

"Not quite but we will be wearing the traditional pattern that they dye the bark."

"Ok, but isn't that going to clash with whatever she has chosen?"

"Grandma's dress is like ours but more so with bare shoulders on a 75 year old !"

"Sis, if Grandma wants to walk down the aisle in a bunny-girl outfit there isn't a force in the world will stop her. We can I'm sure find a piece of material in case she wants something to wrap around her shoulders on the day but sometimes you have to bow to the inevitable so lets forget it for now and join the others."

"You've put on weight but you're still too thin." were the words that greeted me from Mum

"I've missed you too Mum." I replied giving her a kiss. I used to be amazed at what I thought of as Mum's 'lose, lose' comments to my sister in past years and now I was getting the same treatment. No answer was expected just acceptance that you were the loser and Mum was 'the boss'. "I hear that Litara and I aren't wearing the violet dresses so at least the fact that I've gone up a cup size won't matter as long as the new dress fits."

It didn't take long to get us both up to date on what had happened over the past month. Mum had no real interest in sailing or the places I'd visited but was concerned whether I had been eating properly. I in return had no interest in her work and the neighbours except to hear if any new boyfriend had appeared at Serena's home. Aarón on the other hand interested her intensely once she heard of a likely family connection. Aunt Sophie was called over and the rest of us bowed out as the sisters interrogated their new cousin.

"You've made a big hit with Aarón," commented Bill.

"What do you mean? He hardly knows me… "

"Well we talked about redevelopment because of that programme Bilbao Reborn he made for the television. That got us onto the future of islands like this one and the ones I'm involved with in Scotland."

"Yes I could see you two were getting on well and now I understand why but what has that got to do with me?"

"Aarón told me that if I wanted to know the future the best person to ask was you."

"That's silly, he's just got a bee in his bonnet because of a conversation we were having in the car."

"In that case you won't mind if I ask what you see in the future for an island like this."

I looked about the hotel restaurant and thought of the little I'd seen of any of these islands without any idea of what Bill might want from me.

"They're screwed! It's obvious. Outside money comes in and creams off whatever the island has to offer whether that's bananas or tourist dollars then the money leaves again. Local people can only earn money in low paid jobs for outsiders!"