This story is the continuation of the tale of a young couple that first appeared in my story, 'The Professor's Women, Chapter Ten, and later when they left to go their own way in Chapter Twelve. If you are not familiar with their story, or have forgotten about them, I recommend that you reread 'The Professor's Women, Chapters Nine through Twelve.
Jake and Audrey, A Love Story
Chapter One, On Their Own, Together.
Audrey and Jake were two young people who very much in love, and they were completely committed to each other. They knew little about their religious backgrounds, because they had been kept mostly in the dark by their families, and by those who loved them the most, to protect them from harm. Neither had an inkling of the dangerous forces at work that were fighting each other, one wanting to bind them together, while the other, to tear them apart.
They were both descended from the same redheaded, green eyed, fraternal twins born of the incestual coupling of a brother and sister in late nineteenth century Pennsylvania. The children were separated, but somehow, their genetic lines crossed six more times over the next century, until the present time, when their union would, almost certainly produce a seventh set of redheaded, green eyed, fraternal twins; that is, if they were allowed to reproduce.
The fact that this was happening between members of the Apostolic Christian Church of America, was a closely guarded secret by the Church hierarchy. There were, however, also members of a radical branch of the Church who thought that any children born to such a marriage was an abomination, and the work of Satan.
None of this mattered to the young lovers, who were completely unaware of the dark forces at work around them. Audrey had no idea about her family history, or even that she had been born into a family that belonged to the ACCA. Her mother had been ostracized by her family because Audrey had been born to her out-of-wedlock, and never told her daughter about the embarrassing circumstances of her birth.
Although Jake had grown up as the son of an Elder, he had never taken an interest in his parents' Church. He had met and fallen in love with Audrey, and she with him, and that was all he knew. He had paid little attention to the intrigue that was happening around him, only caring about the love he shared with his new bride.
After the ceremony, they had spent the night of their wedding in a hotel suite in Peoria, before being moved unexpectedly to Chicago, where they had been thoroughly enjoying themselves and the luxury of a plush suite at the Palmer House.
On the Thursday morning after their Saturday wedding, an envelope with 'J Thorndyke' written on it arrived with their breakfast order. When Jake opened it, there was a handwritten note on a sheet of paper with the letterhead 'Saul Kauffman, Attorney at Law'.
The letter introduced the lawyer to the young man as Professor Jackson Powell's Chicago cousin, and cautioned Jake that he and his bride may still be in danger. It went on to direct the young couple to dress, pack their bags, and take the elevator to the ground floor of the hotel. Once there, they were to proceed to the State Street entrance, and then outside, where a black Mercedes sedan with Illinois license number 'LY 5494' would be waiting for them at 11AM.
Since it was already 10AM, Audrey and Jake hurriedly finished their breakfast, and shared a shower together, before dressing and heading for the elevator. They walked out onto State Street at exactly eleven in the morning, and saw the black S Class Mercedes with the proper license number sitting at the curb idling. They opened the unlocked rear door, climbed into the back seat with their bags, closed the door, and the driver locked it. He pulled into the busy downtown Chicago streets, made his way through traffic, and eventually merged onto I-90N.
No one said a word until they were on the Northbound Dan Ryan Expressway, when Saul introduced himself, said, "I'm Saul Kauffman, Jackson's cousin, and Family attorney. We're sorry we had to put you kids through this, but there are some dangerous people who want to do you harm. When we get to my home in the suburbs, I will explain all of this to you.
An hour later, they pulled into the driveway of a sprawling home in an exclusive gated community in the Western suburbs. Saul opened the garage door with his remote, and drove into the garage, closing the door behind them. After he turned the car off, he told the young couple to grab their things and follow him. He led them out of the rear door of the garage and into the large back yard, surrounded by a 12' tall cedar privacy fence. He led them past the in-ground swimming pool and spa to a small structure at the rear of the property.
They walked into what looked like a small cottage, with a bedroom, bathroom, and a living room/kitchenette combination. Saul told them, "You should be safe here in the 'pool house' as long as you don't go outdoors in the daytime. My neighbors are not nosy, but you will be much safer if no one knows you are here."
The newlyweds thanked Saul for his hospitality, and asked if he could tell them what was happening, who they were hiding from, and why.
Saul said, "Let me get something for you to eat and drink first. Make yourself comfortable, and I will be back shortly to explain what is going on. I'm sorry we have kept you in the dark about all of this, but please understand that it is for your protection that Jackson and I have done this," and Saul left them alone and confused.
When Saul returned, he was carrying a large tray with sandwiches, chips, and a large pitcher of iced tea with fresh sliced lemons floating in it. He set the tray on the snack bar, and as the young couple ate and drank, the lawyer explained the reason for the secrecy, and what had been happening.
Saul began by explaining the two's intermingled genealogy. He went back to their common ancestor who had given birth to redheaded, green eyed, fraternal twins, fathered by her twin brother. He went on to detail the times that their family lines crossed, every time resulting redheaded, green eyed fraternal twins. He then told them that their union was the seventh time that their family lines would cross, and even though no genetic abnormalities would result from their coupling, not everyone was comfortable with their union.
He told them, that although the hierarchy of the main body of the ACCA was supportive, and completely enthusiastic about their marriage, there were extremist factions within their Church that thought their coupling was an abomination. He explained that it was this group of radicals that had bombed the Church in Congerville. It was because of the actions by those radicals that he was going to help them to 'disappear', so to speak.
Saul told them that to assure their safety, he was in the process of moving them to Massachusetts, and changing their surnames. They would be living in a small college town outside of Boston, and their housing and schooling would be taken care of by a trust he was in the process of creating, financed secretly by the ACCA. The Church, however, would have no knowledge of their new names or whereabouts, because they could not guarantee there would be no 'leaks' that would allow them to be discovered, and cause them to be in danger.
The newlyweds sat in stunned silence, until Audrey finally said, "Wait, we're related? Isn't it against the law for us to be married?"
Saul smiled and replied, "Actually, your marriage is completely legal. You two are, in actuality third cousins, twice removed. Do you remember the cheek swab that Jackson did on you two?"
The two both nodded, and Saul continued, "The results of that test confirmed the genealogical connection, that Dr. Powell first surmised after he recognized the physical similarities between you two. His curiosity was only aroused by Jake's father's and the Pastor's insistence that you be married in the Church. You see Jake, your father and the Pastor already knew about your 'family ties' from their delving into Church records. However, their research alerted the extremists, and this caused those 'terrorists' to be 'Hell-bent' on stopping your marriage."
The couple sat and ate silently for about fifteen minutes, as they pondered what had just been revealed to them. Finally, Audrey said to her husband, "Jake darling, I barely remember my mother, and never knew or met any of the other members of my family. As far as I'm concerned, the only 'family' I have are the Powell's. Because the Professor is the one who discovered what is going on, I have no problem 'disappearing' to keep us safe. You, however, have a family who loves you, so I will understand if you don't want to stay married to me."
The young man reached over and took his new bride's hands in his and said, "My darling Audrey, before I met you I did not know what love was. I thought my parents loved me, but now I have come to realize they had always treated me like a possession. They had me late in life, and always treated me like I was a status symbol, not a child. Growing up in our household there was no love, only calm acceptance and blind obedience to 'the rules'."
He continued, "This all changed when you became a part of my life. I think I fell in love with you the first night we met. You were so beautiful, but so vulnerable, and I knew right then that you were the one I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. Also, the love and passion that was alive in the Powell's home was something I had never experienced before. I'm not talking about the sex, although that was pretty amazing. What I mean is, the love that everyone in that home shared with each other was totally foreign to me, and it opened my eyes to what living and loving was all about."
He finished, "I never want to go back to my old repressed life, ever again. I was not living my life before we met, I was just existing. I do not care if I ever see my parents again, because you are my whole life now. If we are lucky enough to have twins that look exactly like us, then I will be the happiest man in the world. Audrey, I want us to grow old together, and watch our grandchildren grow up."
She jumped up and climbed onto his lap, wrapping her arms around him and kissing him so passionately that it made both of their heads spin.