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Soul Mate for June Ann

June Ann’s brothers left after a week touring England and Scotland and while travelling looked for possibilities to expand their own business interests. June Ann cried as they left Cambridge in the rented van to return to their respective lives overseas. But she felt the love as she was welcomed as a family member. Charles’ children were in awe of her.

The original home Charles had invested in had long been disposed of and they were now living sufficiently out of the city center to enjoy a large home with spacious grounds within easy motoring distance of the city, they could walk, but it was quite a distance to do that. The children had motor scooters and bicycles. June Ann’s brothers had purchased a small car for her, and it occupied pride of place in the special purpose garage and hobby shed near their home. Charles and Jane had their choice of car or van parked in a secure garage providing door entry to the home. The van was used when the family went on vacation as schooling and respective parent jobs made that possible.

As year after year of June Ann’s education ticked off graduation appeared on the horizon. The sadness of passing of June Ann’s grandmother was partially compensated for by her graduation and receipt of her master’s degree. She was of marriageable age and her brothers attending the graduation ceremony approached her to gauge whether she’d be willing for them to seek a marriage partner for her now. She indicated she wished to work for a while and think about marriage later. Her brothers urged her not to take too long as she’d soon be beyond what they felt was marriageable age within their community. Perhaps even at her present age it could prove to be difficult. But June Ann was adamant, and they gave up urging her. Perhaps she was destined to become a career woman and shun marriage. June Ann decided to enhance her education with a law degree and Jane facilitated that further study.

It was during her law studies she revisited her original wish to become a teacher and consulted with Jane as to what possibilities could open for her to do so. This was a project and Jane thrived on projects looking for opportunities in the UK or America for June Ann. She was Charles’ godchild and Jane felt she shared that responsibility. Then she remembered. Perhaps there were other possibilities.

They’d recently been visited by one of Charles sister’s children who was a teacher in one of the most prestigious educational institutions in Australia. His family had migrated to Australia from South Africa and eventually helped Charles’ parents migrate as well in their old age. The parents had long since died and were buried in Melbourne. The young man Charles Maddock was not married. His mother sister to Charles had named him in honor of her brother.  

They’d enjoyed his company while he used their home as a base with accompanying friends as they toured the UK on vacation. Jane noticed a spark of interest between this young man and June Ann, and they often had long conversations about their common interest in education. He’d even taken time off from his friends to have Jane Ann show him over the university and do some personal tours with her around the countryside on day trips. They were in correspondence now.

Maybe there were opportunities for her to start her teaching in Australia too. Jane added that to her list of opportunities and made a trip to London to visit the Australian High Commission. She pondered the difference between an Embassy and a High Commission and to satisfy her curiosity it was one of the first questions asked as she met her interviewer. She came away from the High Commission with some encouraging suggestions and shared them with June Ann observing her reaction closely with each opportunity presented and noted a shy interest in the Australian opportunity.

Charles wrote to his sister to find out if they would have room in their home or at least find accommodation for June Ann if she found a teaching appointment there and his sister responded quickly in the affirmative. Apparently, she’d been hoping her son Charles would look for a suitable partner as his whole interest had been in educational pursuits and she was anxious to see him marry and produce more grandchildren for her to spoil. She was aware of correspondence between the two and had noted her son’s unusual interest in this woman.

So, on the completion of her law degree in addition to the master’s degree already earned June Anne encouraged by Charles Maddock whose interest was growing in a relationship decided on an offer from a college in Australia where she resolved to hone her teaching skills. She quickly established herself as a competent teacher and made a decision to enter PhD studies. Charles Maddock became her constant companion and eventually plucked up courage to ask for her hand in marriage.

Her family in Jamaica were at first skeptical about the relationship and Raj Dass made a trip to Australia to check out this young man who’d captured his niece’s heart. He was aware that Charles Nelson was his uncle but wanted to make sure this young man had the integrity of his uncle Nelson. Young Charles Maddock pulled out all stops to convince June Anne’s Uncle of his enduring love for June Ann and she begged her uncle to accept him as a family member.

Raj Dass was eventually persuaded and the two began to plan their wedding for a time when Charles Maddock was on vacation from his teaching role in Melbourne and June Ann was able to arrange time off from teaching and research toward her PhD.

Raj Dass returned to Jamaica to report to the family who insisted the wedding take place there in the presence of their extended family. This was communicated to June Ann and at first the Maddock family objected wanting to host the wedding in Australia. Eventually it was all sorted out and with the agreement of Charles Nelson and his family in UK it was decided the combined Nelson and Maddock families would make the trip to Jamaica for the wedding which Sunder Dass insisted would be facilitated through him and paid for by the Ewbank family.

Raj Dass made an approach to Uncle Charles Nelson who’d been the one to deliver June Ann at birth in a London apartment before the ambulance was able to attend the urgent call as Taniyah her mother went into labor. As the one who Taniyah had requested to be godfather to the child, would he do the honor of giving the bride away on behalf of the Ewbank family? Charles said he’d be honored to do that.

The wedding was a huge event on the island as the Ewbank family were prominent citizens successful in business and influential in the political realm. The Nelson and Maddock families were given great prominence in the ceremony and a large group of important citizens of the country were in attendance. Charles Maddock and his new bride were reported in the local news media as celebrities and June Ann gave a tearful speech in acknowledgement of all those who’d contributed to her happy upbringing and support in maturity. Young Charles Maddock made a speech in which he confessed his yearning for a relationship with June Ann from the time he met her in Cambridge and how he’d longed for them to establish a home together during their long courtship by correspondence while she completed her studies in law at the university of Cambridge. Everyone was happy and the international guests departed having forged an attachment to the Ewbank clan which endured for the rest of their lives.

But the happiest of all were the newly married couple Charles and June Ann Maddock as they returned to Australia to commence their life together. Charles and Jane Nelson accompanied the couple to the airport in Kingston and Charles hugged June Ann.

There were tears in his eyes as he spoke. “The first special event in my life was being trusted to deliver you as a baby so many years ago then being asked subsequently by your mother to be your godparent. It is my joy now to pass the responsibly of loving and caring for you to my nephew.”

He turned to Charles Maddock. “I’m passing on my responsibility to you now nephew. Do not let me down!”

“You can rest assured I will do that Uncle Charles!” He responded enthusiastically.

Conclusion

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