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 Chapter 11

   When we got back to the cabin Jennifer came to stand in front of me and
with a very solemn face asked "Did you really mean what you said - about
the addition to the cabin?"

   I smiled and took Jennifer's face in my hands.  "Yes, my dear, I did. 
We'll start collecting salvage logs and we can start laying out where the
room will go.  I can't get anyone out to help me - yes I know you'll help,
but those logs are heavy and I need a few guys to do the work.  I can't get
them until spring since they'll be sleeping in tents."

   Jennifer was so happy she was quivering.  Suddenly she grabbed me and
gave me a big kiss and not just on the cheek.  "Oh, Oh, Wow!" she finally
said.

   I managed to disentangle myself from Jennifer's hug, smiled at her and
thought `well here goes nothing'.  I took Jennifer's hands in mine and,
after taking a deep breath, continued, "Jennifer, I've slowly come to the
realization that in the short time we've known one another, I've fallen in
love with you."

   It was interesting to watch the expressions on Jennifer face when I said
that.  First a look of confusion, then as what I'd said sank in, a look of
delight.  I paused and braced myself before I continued.  "If - and only if
- if you feel this way about me too, once you're legally an adult, I'm
going to ask you to be my wife.  Now, we can't do anything until you're
legally an adult so you've got to wait for a year and a bit."

   I had to brace myself again as Jennifer let go of my hands and launched
herself at me, almost knocking me off my feet.  I couldn't speak because
her lips were glued to mine.  Finally I managed to get a break and looked
at Jennifer.  She was beaming from ear to ear and had tears - tears of joy
I'm sure - running down her cheeks.  "I take it you're comfortable with
that plan?" I said, smiling.  That last comment cost me a slug on the
shoulder - Jennifer has a mean right arm.

   *****

   Over the next few months as weather permitted, Jennifer and I would
search around on the shore of the island looking for logs that had washed
up.  Some logs had a company stamp on them and those we couldn't take. 
These were logs that had come from a `boom' of logs, usually one that had
broken up in a storm.  Any logs with no stamp though, we were free to take.
Jennifer became good at sizing up a log and deciding whether it would be
useful to us or not.  It got to the point where if Jennifer said `take that
log', I took the log without a second look.

   During this period, things got real interesting.  As Elizabeth had
asked, I had waited until Jennifer was outside with Maggie then unwrapped
the package she'd given me and discovered a box of condoms with a note -
unsigned - saying simply `Be careful'.  I found a place where I could hide
the box and said nothing.

   At first, Jennifer came and joined me in my bed on the floor in front of
the heater.  One evening, Jennifer told me she'd had enough of sleeping on
the hard floor and that `WE' were going to sleep in the bed behind the
curtain.  I realized that I was so in love with Jennifer that it was futile
to argue with her, so that night my bed on the floor never got used.

   As the days passed, I noticed that Jennifer was becoming less modest and
would often do her `sponge bath' while I was in the room.  Usually all I
could see of her was her back side, but on occasion she would move so that
I could see some or all of her front.  She did this without embarrassment
and without any comment.  I decided that the wisest thing to do was to keep
my observations to myself.

   One day I got a message that Ron would be over the next day so I made up
the bed on the floor and slept there that night.  "Jennifer, we must make
sure Ron sees nothing that would lead him to believe that there is anything
untoward happening.  He needs to be able to tell Edith that I'm sleeping on
the floor and you're sleeping in the bed behind the curtain.  If he asks we
can honestly say that was how we were sleeping."

   Ron came over, and as he'd said, just gave us the paperwork, both for
the distant learning and for the fostering, and had a cup of coffee with
us. He was much more relaxed here than he was back on the main island and
we had a lot of fun chatting and getting to know one another more.  At
first Jennifer was a bit nervous but it wasn't long before she was teasing
Ron and trading puns with him.

   We showed him what logs we'd collected and where we were going to add
the extra room.  He volunteered to put the word out and when we were ready,
to help get the crew over to assist us in the construction.  I'd left my
pile of bedding neatly folded and but readily visible.  I saw Ron look at
it but he never asked any questions or asked to see where Jennifer was
sleeping.  Of course we never said anything either.

   Before Ron left, we filled in the distant learning paperwork and asked
Ron to mail it off for us when he got home.

   *****

   One night when I got into bed I discovered Jennifer had not put her
nighty on but had come to bed wearing only her panties.  "Uhh, where's your
nighty?" I asked.

   "It's too hot.  I'm just going to sleep like this tonight." Jennifer
replied.

   I wasn't real comfortable with that but having a set of naked young
breasts snuggling up to your back was something that was hard to resist.

   I'd not forgotten Jennifer's birthday and had managed to purchase a
card, some balloons and a `Happy Birthday' banner.  The morning of her
birthday I managed to get the banner and the balloons up on the wall while
she was out at the biffy.  She was overcome with happiness when she came
back in.  "I'd almost forgotten that today was my birthday and I thought
you'd forgotten too." she said through her tears.

   "Now why on earth would I do something like that?" I said as I handed
her my birthday card.  "Happy Birthday, Jennifer."

   She sat down and read the card.  It seemed she was taking a long time to
read the few words that were printed inside the card.  As I watched her, I
realized she was day dreaming so I just sat and waited.  Finally she came
out of her daze and came to sit on my lap and hug me.

   "Wally, this day might never have come if you hadn't rescued me, but it
has and it's become one of the best days in my life.  I have a wonderful
man who is looking after me - and who is going to ask me to marry him in a
year's time.  I have a wonderful cozy cabin to live in.  I have good food
to eat and nice clothes to wear.  I couldn't be happier - at least until we
get married." Jennifer ended her little speech with a lover's kiss.

   "I have one more surprise for you.  I have the makings for a birthday
cake which I'll make for supper.  How's that sound?" Another kiss told me
all I needed to know.

   *****

   I'd set Jennifer up with her own email account so that she could order
her `lady stuff' without getting me involved.  I'd sent Elizabeth an email
telling her what I'd done and unbeknownst to me, Elizabeth took Jennifer
under her wing and became sort of a surrogate mom.  Neither of them went
out of the way to keep it a secret and when Jennifer mentioned this to me,
I was delighted.  Jennifer turned out to be a pretty resilient and
resourceful young woman but I knew that young women like Jennifer need to
have an older woman to talk to from time to time.

   One day Jennifer told me that the next time we went over to the main
island, she was going to stay with Elizabeth for about a week.  I didn't
ask why just nodded my head.  In reality, I was glad Jennifer would have
another female to talk to one on one.  We set it up that we'd go over to
the main island two days from then and a week after that I'd go back and
pick her up.

   *****

   A few weeks later my friend Ben called to say that `Officialdom' (Ben's
words) needed to have an inquiry into the wrecking of the `Ocean Wanderer'
(Jennifer's parents' boat).  Constable Ron had told the person organizing
the inquiry of the difficulty of us getting off the island.  Ron was
assured that the officials understood and would meet with us at our
convenience but requested that it be as soon as possible.

   After some discussions and getting things set up, Jennifer and I made
the trip over the main island where we met with a lady who was heading the
inquiry and two of her staff in the large room in the RCMP building. 
Jennifer told everyone what had happened and after a few questions to
clarify the details, the lady thanked Jennifer and told her that with the
statements from the Coast Guard, her report would be sufficient to allow
death certificates to be issued for both of Jennifer's parents.

   That statement caused Jennifer some discomfort but everyone was most
sympathetic.  "I know it hurts you to have to do this," the lady told
Jennifer, "but the formal inquiry will at least leave you in a clear
situation, legally." Jennifer nodded her understanding and the meeting
ended.

   Then about 6 weeks later a letter arrived from Mr.  Dufor, Jennifer's
parents' lawyer.  In the letter he spelled out the details of their will
and provided a financial statement as to the worth of their estate.  When
Jennifer read the statement she was sure there was some mistake - the value
of the estate was quite substantial.

   The upshot of the letter is that Jennifer and I made arrangements to
meet with Mr.  Dufor in Vancouver, BC where he had arranged with a Canadian
lawyer to assist with things.  After an hour or so, everything was settled
and the money was placed in a trust account until Jennifer turned 21. 
Arrangements were made for Jennifer to draw some funds from that account if
she needed them but she would have to arrange things with the Vancouver
lawyer.

   The other thing that we discussed was what to do with Jennifer's
parents' house.  When the family left on their round the world trip, they
had packed all their personal belongings and put them in storage.  They
rented the house, furnished, to another family.  Mr.  Dufor needed to know
what to do with the house and what to do with the stuff in storage.

   Jennifer and I had a quick discussion then Jennifer asked Mr.  Dufor
what he thought she should do with the house.  She indicated that she would
like to sell it.

   Mr.  Dufor had obviously thought about that very possibility.  "I had a
quick chat with the couple who are living in the house and informed them of
the situation.  The man had known your father and was quite distressed to
hear of his death and the death of your mother but was pleased to hear
you'd survived.  I asked if they had any interest in purchasing the house
and was told that they did.  If you like, I can arrange for a real estate
appraisal to determine a fair value for the house and will work with the
couple to arrange the sale of it."

   After one of those `non-verbal discussions' between Jennifer and myself,
Jennifer agreed to his suggestion.  "I don't want to make a lot of money so
whatever is a fair price, I'm happy with that," she told Mr.  Dufor.  She
also asked if he could have someone go through the stuff in storage and
with the exception of things like pictures and keepsakes, he could get rid
of it.  She asked if he would ship anything that was to be kept to us.  Mr.
Dufor agreed and told us that anything he wasn't sure of, he'd take a
picture of it and send that to us so Jennifer could say `keep' or `toss'.

   When we got back to our home Jennifer and I had a long discussion about
her new found wealth.  Jennifer was adamant that the money wasn't going to
change things - that she was still going to live here with me.  "I'm so
happy here that I never, ever want to live anywhere else." Jennifer told
me. I smiled at that and hugged her.