It was the middle of the night, the tourists had all gone to bed, the crickets chirped in the long grass and Angelo was deep in me.
“Angelo, we're going to have children, we gotta get married.” Angelo said nothing, he didn't need to. No one tells Angelo what to do, Angelo is his own man. No, what I said, was what we both thought. Sometimes we discuss things, then we do it. Life with Angelo was and is the best. I don't want anything else.
Life was good. Angelo taught me his language, not the language of his country, but his dialect. I could talk to his family. Very slowly they accepted me, they taught me life in a hotel and life in a restaurant. I worked as a waitress in the restaurant, I could talk to the tourists.
Bureaucracy, big time. All the family called him Angelo now, except his mother. So get his name changed – lots of forms to fill. Angelica is just a name. So get an Angelica-identity for me – lots more forms to fill and documents to manipulate. Getting married – only one form.
Every form meant two or more visits to the town hall and money – lots of bribes. I had been warned about the town hall. “Don't go there! The mayor is a really bad and nasty man. Keep away from him!”
I did. I did not meet the mayor. Why should I? The mayor was above filling in forms. There were enough clerks in the town hall for that.
It was late, it was the end of the season, I had locked up the restaurant, it was dark, I was going home. The lights were on in the town hall, rather late, but I went inside, perhaps the marriage form was ready. I found no one, until I entered one room.
The mayor was sitting on his throne, he had expected me, he was waiting for me, he ignored what I had to say, he explained the local custom. The mayor of each town in the Four Lands was a very important person, he had very important jobs to do, he had to help each couple who got married, he had to help each bride before she got married, he had to do this now.
He stood, walked down from his throne and removed his clothes. “You will enjoy what happens to you next.” I ate him.
Two days later – the mayor is missing – I lay in bed, I was full, I was happy, Angelo's mother thought that I was pregnant.
Four days later – the mayor is gone, hooray! I lay in bed.
Six days later – the mayor is gone, someone has done him in, hooray! I lay in bed.
Eight days later – the mayor is gone, someone has done him in and we know who.
Ten days later – Angelo and me got married. It was wonderful. A reporter came from the local newspaper and took pictures. There was a picture of us on the front page. Angelo's mother thought the picture wonderful, though the headline read:
Missing Mayor Suspect Marries