The rainbow of dresses descended the stairs. The gentlemen couldn't have hoped for a more glamorous entrance. Slowly, one by one, in order of age, they came down and placed themselves exquisitely in front of them. Celeste, distraught but also enjoying the moment, did the introductions.
Shock was the prevailing emotion on the young girls' faces. Their expectations - despite the fact that they'd only ever seen four other men in their entire life - were not fulfilled at all. Not even Dora's, who immediately detected in her impeccable partner something that had escaped the welcoming committee.
"He doesn't like me," she whispered to Roxanne, opening up with her in an unprecedented manner.
"Why do you think that?" asked Roxanne, ignoring the fact that she'd called her wild just moments before.
"I don't know. But he doesn't look at me the way Mr. Harris looked at Celeste."
"You can give thanks for that," thought Roxanne.
The four men intended to pick the girls up and leave right away, but Joseph, introducing himself as the elder brother, categorically refused to let that happen: they'd stay until the following evening, to give everybody time to reassert their decision.
There was widespread confusion in view of the change of plans and the news of Joseph's kinship - which the girls took as something figurative he'd said in order to help them. However, the fiancés eventually agreed and they spent the evening, as was Joseph's wish, getting to know each other. Violet's fiancé's wife had no choice but to leave the vehicle. It was augured to be the hardest initial contact of the four. Joseph, Alan, Roxanne and Celeste stayed outside, at the entrance, next to the vehicles to make sure nobody bypassed the agreement.
Alan smiled as he followed Dora and her husband-to-be with his eyes.
"What?" asked Joseph, leaning against one of the small aircrafts while he bit a carrot.
"Doesn't he look familiar to you?"
"Who?"
"That guy. He was at one of the medical meetings we went to shortly after arriving here."
Joseph took a good look at the aforementioned individual.
"Na, I don't remember him."
"He dined at our table once. He was with a friend. A boyfriend."
Joseph raised his eyebrows.
"Really?"
"Absolutely. He might be a man of… diverse tendencies."
"He might. Or maybe this is just a paternal business marriage doomed to make this poor girl in yellow suffer."
Roxanne was standing in front of them with her arms folded.
"Some people," explained Joseph, "feel attracted to others of the same sex. Alan thinks this may be the case of Dora's fiancé."
"What?" was Celeste's spontaneous reaction.