125:A

We drove with only quiet conversation to the parque where the ritual was being set up. Los Valedores was performed to honor the Sun Gods of the Aztec, but their ritual involved climbing a very tall pole, standing on this little tiny platform at the top, saying prayers and things, and then twirling as they let out long colorful ribbons, or a rope or something, and then doing this amazing free fall as the pole twirled, and around and around they went all the way to the bottom. There were usually about four guys at the top, shirtless, and prepared for their fealty to the Gods.

I'd seen Los Valedores performed in YouTube videos, as part of a study in High School, but Ben read the information to us so we'd be properly prepared. We got out and were escorted to the front of the crowd, with all our security detail accompanying us. Our group had swelled to well over twenty.

Rafe held my hand, and he seemed completely absorbed in the daring and amazing ritual being performed. But finally he leaned close to me, "Aubrey."

"Yeah, Rafe?"

"Look at us, we're a couple. It's like we're a married couple. Is this what it's going to be like? Forever, sharing things, having you to attend with, to share with, to be with.... It's so... secure."

I smiled and leaned into him, squeezing his fingers. "You know, I've never been insecure in my whole life. I've had moments of anxiety, and confusion, but I don't know what it's like to worry about being wanted. And with guys--- I've had a few I thought might be the one over the years, but I never really wanted it enough to put it to prayer. But I was never insecure. Just confused."

"But you're not even confused now, are you?"

"No. I'm not. And you know how we asked in our prayer last night for the confirmation of our union, you said those words, remember them?"

"Yes."

"Well, tomorrow we can go inside the temple, where the world will be shut out, and time won't exist, just eternity. I plan to fast and pray for that answer."

"Don't you already know the answer?"

"I know the answer I am giving you, but I still want that confirmation from the Lord, don't you?"

"So, you're going to go without food?"

I nodded. "You remember fasting don't you?"

Now he made a face. "I do. But I love food."

"Maybe you want access to God more?"

"Is that what you do? Gain access to God by fasting?"

"If that's what you're fasting for."

"You're so wise, Aubrey." And he said my name the way he had those first few days. So, gently and drawn out. Like he wasn't sure about saying the end of it, or saying the end of it was like giving me a title of Queen. I don't know why I thought that, but it came to me, and I went with it. And Rafe drew me close, the way he did, with a palm against the back of my head, watching my eyes as he drew me close, and then he kissed me, open lips and tongue and everything, right out there, in the open, in front of everybody, knowing of course, that when he kissed me like that, my world fell away and I lost all awareness of everything except him. Maybe he needed that. He slowly lifted me by both palms, closed his eyes and just took us to the top of that sun god pole. And then, as he finished the kiss, we simply fell off together, diving toward the earth, connected in this amazing way that left us both breathless and dizzy. My arms wound around his back and neck, and we simply enjoyed the sun on our heads, the breezes, the dull murmur of the people around us. And felt isolated in our little cocoon of deep feeling and swaying gratitude.

"Guys." Ben's voice permeated the cocoon.

We came apart slowly. My eyes opened on Rafe's. His eyes opened on Ben's.

"Yeah?"

"Be the man." He said to Rafe, who gave him a gesture, I hoped wasn't the finger. Ben chuckled and moved away from us. Rafe sighed and then initiated the kiss again, and I responded, oh, help me, but it had been a few days due to the cut lip and the PMS, and I didn't care much who saw us, we were engaged.

The Veladores jump was happening, and we came apart to watch it, breathtaking, and spiritual, as they plummeted off the top of that seventy foot pole.... Or was it a hundred feet? It was pretty tall, for sure. I stayed in Rafe's embrace, and he tightened it as the ropes holding the boys snapped them down, and their friends at the bottom, helped guide them to safety and not a lot of jerking around. It was still spectacular. There was a collective gasp from the crowd, and many of the older locals were on their knees, looking steadfastly toward the sky. I had the time to wonder how many of their customs actually came from original gospel tenants? Not this one, perhaps, but others.

After a few minutes of reverence, we all started walking back through the park, I held Rafe's hand tightly, our connection so in place, I couldn't stand to be separated by even an inch. I started feeling this whole bride to be thing going on. I had visions of us together walking like this, in the parks near our home, or on the beach, on dates forever. I kept the vision going by picturing us talking the way we did now, discovering, working things out, sharing, being captivated by cultures, and peoples and history and place.

Rafe was talking to Ben and Jeff, and I missed the first little bit, because I was so busy envisioning my future with this amazing man who loved me, who was changing his life for me, and whose own visions were so all encompassing for us both.

"I've never seen Rafe so calm, Bree, without meds." Jeff said coming up beside me.

"Her sister is Bree." Rafe said before I could make the correction. "And yeah, I can't believe I am not on meds. She does have that calming effect, although when we both get going it can be scary. Did you know she's a sufferer as well?"

"Sorry about the name. I can't very well call you Aub, now, can I? What does your family call you? Do you have any nick names?"

I shook my head, not able to share the nickname my parents and siblings called me, Aubrey Angel, or just Angel. It was just too funny out here, with them.

"Did you hear me? I said she has ADHD."

"I heard you. I didn't want to draw attention to it. I can tell, the way you guys go at it sometimes, and don't back down. But you're both grownups. You seem to deal with it well together, a lot of physical exercise, and the music. You're a good fit."

"Thank you." I said.

"By the way her nick name is Angel. Her Uncle told me the other day. Aubrey Angel."

I blinked at him in consternation.

"Fitting." Jeff said. He winked at me. "Really fitting."

I know I blushed. Rafe spotted a children's playground and pulled me toward it. Jeff and Ben followed, and so did the rest of our crowd after a few minutes. The closer we got, the faster Rafe started to move, until we were running haphazardly across the grass and rocks. He kicked off his sandals as we hit the sand that was the boundary of the playground. It was an older playground, made of metal and hot in the sun.

"You might want to keep your sandals on." I called as he took the ladder to the slide like a monkey.

"Ouch! Ouch!" He found that little tid bit out too late and at the top, was doing this little, hot feet dance. I tossed his sandals up to him and he caught them and put them back on his feet. Then from way up there, Rafe opened his arms, and ran down the metal slide--- in his sandals. He slipped at the bottom, and did this kind of running somersault. Ben and Jeff ran to him as it looked like he would have flipped off balance into the merry-go-round. But he didn't.

So, now Ben and Jeff had to go on the slide too. And Rafe had to try it again. I laid one hand on the railing and screeched inwardly. It was really hot! I backed up.

"Go on, Aubrey." Rafe called from the merry-go-round, where he was riding in circles with his buddies, going really, really fast, and not holding on. Jeremy was pushing them.

"It's too hot!" I called back.

Rafe leaped off, ran over to me and ran up the ladder not using his hands. "Come on! You can do this!"

I started up the ladder, felt off balance (it is that time of the month and that is a common symptom, mind you) and stepped back to the ground. Rafe gave me a questioning look from the top.

"Oh, that's right, you don't like heights."

"It's not that." I said. This wasn't the kind of heights I was afraid of. "Somebody has to be a rational example for our kids. They might be watching from the pre-existence, right?"

He cocked his head to one side, and then literally jumped off the top of the slide. "Hey kids, watch this!"

I screeched at him, as he tumbled on the ground, coming up uninjured, of course, he looked like a thirty-seven year old teenage monkey.

"Come on, Aubrey! The kids are waiting!" he yelled this really loud and I saw the others, a lot of others, look at us curiously.

I stepped up the ladder without holding on. And then.... Closed my eyes. "Fine!" I yelled.

I pretended I was on the balance beam in our gym at home, I had perfected the balance beam blindfolded before graduating high school. I could do this. It was how I got away with the heights issue. Up I went. I had my hands out to the side of course, and just went up, one step at a time, feeling with my sandaled foot. How hard could it be?

There was only one time, when I leaned to one side, balancing precariously till I got my equilibrium, and heard the guys gasp. I smiled. Good. They should feel silly, and worried, egging a girl on this way! I made it to the top and Rafe said, "Open your eyes, you made it!"

I stretched my arms wide, felt the slope with my foot and simply slid down with my eyes closed, and my arms out, and my sandals on.

"Whoa!" I could hear the astonishment all around as I landed, and opened my eyes. I bowed, and Rafe was there, leaping at me, twirling me in circles in the air, kissing my lips, and whooping and howling.

"You made the kids so proud!" he laughed and kissed me again before putting me down. Then he grabbed my hand. "Let's go on the swing."

"I swear I'll throw up. I can't swing." I said getting dragged along behind him.

"You thought you'd throw up on the Ferris Wheel, too. And you didn't. Come on!"

"No, not this time! I wasn't hm hm hm, then!"

"Oh, hm hm hm, has something to do with it?"

He scooped me up and ran with me to this Spiderman climbing thing made out of plastic covered ropes. It wasn't hot to the touch. It was pretty high however. I had visions of getting tangled and falling only to be caught and hung upside down. I started up it anyway, after the Spider-Monkey ahead of me. He, of course, made it to the top, and flagged everyone else over. I managed to climb it without too much ceremony, and sit on one vine, below the one on top, who straddled the thing like the King Ape.

Ben arrived right after me, barely having to use his hands at all.

"So, tell me about this.... Kids thing."

"I'm not expecting." I said by way of warning before everyone else got there.

"No, but the kids are watching us from the pre-existence. Aubrey was worried that I was setting a bad example not using the slide properly." Rafe explained our private thought, and I laughed uncomfortably.

Ben bit his lips at this trying not to laugh. "So, you guys are planning to have a lot of kids?"

"Twenty or so." Rafe said.

"Eight, I thought we decided on eight."

"Eight." Ben repeated, blowing out his breath in appreciation. "For some reason, I thought you were planning to go back to work. Guess I thought wrong. Eight kids will be a full time job."

"They don't come all at once!" I laughed. "I am going back to work, right after Mexico."

"And then when is the wedding?"

I looked at Rafe. I didn't know, hadn't thought that far. His brows puckered too. "Depends." Was all he said.

Ben nodded. "When I talked to the Bishop yesterday I told him I wanted to take Addie to the Temple. He's going to send missionaries over to visit with her."

"Is Addie a member?" I asked, recalling the tight, low cut dress, the cigarette outside.

"Om, once upon a time. But she was having these feelings too, even before she got pregnant."

"Well, maybe it's time." I said gently. "And maybe your kids are on the other side of the veil--- with ours----." I eyed Rafe who grinned in understanding and held up his hand for a fist bump. "And maybe they want to be sealed to their parents, even born under the covenant. They are rooting for you!" I held up my hand now for Ben to fist pump, he did, but slowly, thinking this concept over as if he'd never heard it before. I know it would have been a long time ago, maybe he hadn't thought about it ever before.

"What's that? What is born under the covenant?" Rafe turned intent eyes on me. "You're speaking that foreign language again."

"If parents are sealed in the temple before having children, their children are simply born under the covenant and already automatically sealed to them. If parents are not already sealed, then children will have to be taken to the temple and sealed to their parents after they the parents are sealed. Simple."

"So, my kids..." Jeff said slowly, thinking it through. "Will have to go the temple and get sealed to me and Rhonda?"

"Are you guys sealed?"

"No. She's not a member."

I nodded. "Well, after she gets baptized, then you wait a year, and then you go to the temple and be sealed, and then they bring your kids in to you and they get sealed."

"You know this for a fact?" Jeff looked concerned. "Because I remember someone in my Primary class who wasn't sealed to his parents even after they got sealed."

I swallowed. "I don't know the specific circumstances, but if the parents were not the biological parents, say that one of them was a step-parent, then they'd have to have permission from the biological parent. Maybe there was an objection. In that case, they'd have to wait till they were eighteen." I looked hard at Rafe now, recalling other questions about when a child wanted to be baptized and had to wait till eighteen. It wasn't that uncommon, or cruel. It was a protection to their family life as they grew up. I saw his eyes clear, and he smiled and tipped me a salute with one finger. I knew he understood.

"What's all that?" Ben mimicked the salute.

"She is reminding me she's already explained similar rules to me before, and even though I don't always agree with the church rules, or understand them, I get that they are there for a reason."

"You still don't agree with that one, Rafe?" I was a little startled. "I thought you told the Bishop you got it."

"I did. And I get what you're saying. The kids are protected by the rules. If they were sealed against their biological parent's wishes, it could cause a rift between them and their parent, or between them and their beliefs later in life. I don't know. I still think it would be better to let the kid make the choice earlier, rather than later."

I nodded. There were rebuttal's I could say, but I was hesitant. I'd rather Rafe came to his own conclusions now. I'd already explained all I could.

Jeff was nodding. "I get it, Aubrey, and I agree." He started to climb down. "Are we jamming this afternoon before the concert? It's the first really big one, and I hear it's sold out. You need a nap after all this exercise."

I climbed down. "Hey, you guys stay up there a minute, I want to get a picture." I jumped the final few feet, raised my phone and snapped the picture, just in time to see it light up with an incoming international call. I shaded it better with my hand to help me see it and didn't recognize the country code. I was used to calling England for my grandpa, but this was a different number.

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