The next day, Emma, Prince, and Kirk left for the airport early in the morning and flew in the private jet to the island of Curaçao. Emma and Prince took an extended nap on the opened sofa during the eight hour flight. A private chauffeur met them at the tarmac, loaded their luggage, and whisked them away. Prince handed Emma a bottle of water and said, 'You should probably take some anti-nausea meds now, mama. I'll explain in a little bit, but I don't want you uncomfortable.'
'And I don't want to be sick on you-that would make you very uncomfortable!' Emma laughed, digging in her handbag for those little pills that always traveled with her. About twenty minutes later, the limousine pulled into a luxury resort. Emma's eyes were big as saucers, and she turned to Prince and said, 'Wow! This is gorgeous!'
'Mama, you ain't seen nothin' yet! I had to pull a couple of strings, but I got exactly what I wanted for us. This is the surprise.'
The limousine came to a stop, and they were met by a member of the resort staff, who said, 'Welcome, Mr. Nelson. We have everything prepared for you. Let me escort you to the boat.'
Emma and Prince were in one golf cart, Kirk and the luggage in another, as they made they way down to the beach. A luxury motorboat was waiting at the end of the pier, and Emma looked at Prince quizzically.
'Just wait, it will all make sense in a minute,' Prince said, and then laid a finger to his lips while wiggling his eyebrows at the resort staff person. He winked at Prince in return and pretended to zip his lip closed. Emma giggled as they got on the boat. As the boat left the dock, the boat captain welcomed them aboard. 'We're so glad you're joining us for the weekend! We'll be at your private island in approximately 10 minutes. Enjoy the trip!'
'Prince, are you kidding me?' Emma looked at Prince with her jaw almost hanging open.
'Oh, mama, it was all worth it just to see your face.' Prince and Kirk burst out laughing, while Emma pushed out her lip and pretended to pout.
The private island was exquisite. There was plenty of room for them all, complete privacy, and housekeeping and meals made available for them. They had dinner on the beach at sunset, and made love under the stars behind sheer curtains on a bed put in place on their private, secluded beach. Emma was reminded again of how sensual a warm breeze felt against naked bodies. There was time for lounging, and even a grand piano for Prince to use.
The concerts they attended were impressive. Emma enjoyed being with Prince while listening to other performers. Emma's prejudice towards Prince's performance showed in her comments when they were alone.
'Hon, I've gotta tell you, you take things to a whole 'nother level compared to these other performers.'
'Well, you've seen how hard we work in soundchecks, making sure everything is tight. And this is after months of rehearsals this spring. I don't like leaving things to chance.'
'That's obvious, and you and your band do it for me like no one else.'
'You better mean I do it for you like no one else, mama. That has been established by now. You belong to Prince.'
Emma found herself picked up, carried to the bedroom, and tossed on the bed like another throw pillow. Prince tore off his clothes landed on top of her quickly after. Watching him disrobe, even in a hurry, was such a turn on for her. Then she was thoroughly convinced once again that she belonged to Prince, and no one else, which is just how she wanted it.
They flew back to Atlanta Monday morning, dropping Emma off in Atlanta with her girls. She would only have 3 days there, and fly back to Minneapolis for the trip with Prince to see Dillon and Barb. She packed like a fiend, getting things ready for the movers to come and take boxes and several of her pieces of furniture up to Minnesota, to blend in with Prince's decor and make the space truly reflect both of them.
As planned, Emma and Prince flew to see Dillon and Barb Saturday morning. Dillon met them at the airport, gave Emma a big hug, and said, 'Barb is over the moon that you are here, Emma. She has really missed you since we moved north, though this has made caring for her parents easier. I'm sure you won't be surprised that she has gourmet meals planned. Prince, it's a pleasure to meet you. I hope you're still a vegetarian, since that's what Barb has planned for dinner.'
Prince shook hands with Dillon. 'The pleasure is all mine, Dillon. Emma speaks so fondly of you both. I'm very pleased you're willing to perform the ceremony for us. Yes, I'm still a vegetarian. It works for me. But your wife doesn't have to go to all that trouble.'
Emma and Dillon just laughed. 'What Emma may not have told you, Prince, is that Barb's hobby is gourmet cooking. She's made it hard to keep my weight under control for over 30 years. This is loads of fun for her.'
'Well, then, that's fine. Tell me more about your work in the Middle East. Emma mentioned it in passing, and I'm intrigued.'
A very in-depth conversation between Dillon and Prince began about faith and Dillon's outreach, which continued off and on throughout the weekend. At one point Dillon got Emma alone and said, 'You have a treasure here, Emma. I really didn't know if anyone deserved you, but Prince is a very deep thinker, and obviously is head over heels in love with you. I am concerned about his religious beliefs, though. I don't have a high opinion of the Jehovah's Witness religion. It's almost a cult in some respects.'
'I think that's a conversation the four of us should have, Dillon. Prince is willing to come to Atlanta for Christmas to see how we celebrate in our family, and he is looking forward to worship tomorrow. The emotional support he received while he was first studying with a man he had idolized for years made a huge difference for him when he decided to join that group. He has been questioning things recently.'
'Okay, that sounds like a Sunday afternoon debate to me, if you two can stay around for awhile.'
Emma chuckled. 'Well, Dillon, since Prince owns the plane, and doesn't have concerts planned this week, it makes it a little easier to change travel plans. He is enjoying getting to know you and Barb. His lifestyle ends up isolating him from lots of things the rest of us take for granted.
'Oh, his bodyguard is staying at a hotel in town, and will be joining us for church and lunch tomorrow, if that's okay. He's a sweet man who takes his job seriously. Prince is hounded by paparazzi and has received death threats since 1984, so he's had to have a bodyguard ever since. It's sad, since he's a pretty laid back guy. You do need to ask him about what he feels his calling is. I think it might surprise you.'
There were a few interested stares when Emma, Prince, and Kirk walked into church with Barb and Dillon on Sunday morning, but people were respectful. Even though Prince didn't read music, he was familiar enough with the hymns to be able to sing along and harmonize with Emma, though he did drop out from time to time. They had one of the best sounding pews in the church, with Barb singing along in her pretty voice.
It was a standard protestant service, leaning a little toward the 'frozen chosen' variety, and though Prince was one of a very few non-Caucasians in attendance, he didn't seem concerned. Emma was reminded of the fact that he had spent most of his life being a true minority where he lived, and had found ways to be comfortable with that. He really lived out his belief that everyone deserved the same treatment.
After a delicious vegetarian lunch, Dillon, Prince, and Kirk got settled in the living room, where Dillon asked Prince questions about his beliefs and what he felt his calling was. Prince had a fully thought out response, and the level of spirituality and Christianity involved in his answers was reassuring to Dillon. He finally said, 'Prince, I have to tell you that you don't sound like a Jehovah's Witness to me at all. Has your belief system evolved from what it was when you were first baptized into that faith?'
Prince replied, 'Yes, it has. It's pretty obvious that I believe Jehovah created the sensual, and just like everything else on our planet, it can be and has been perverted by the presence of the Evil one. Singing about the sensual isn't the only thing I sing about, but it gets attention. When people listen to an entire album, it has opened their ears to what I thought was really important to say. Not everyone has been open to my message of Jehovah's love and the need for social justice in our world, but I have received enough fan mail, emails, and such, to believe that I have been able to get my message across to many people.
'If you look at my discography, every album has at least one song specifically about Jehovah's love for us and our need to worship and honor Him. There are plenty of songs from early in my career that I won't touch these days, because I am older and wiser than I was then. Sadly, not everyone is happy with the fact that people grow and change, including me, but I don't concern myself with that. I know what I've been called to do, and I'm adhering to that until Jehovah tells me otherwise. I still enjoy celebrating the sensual, but within the boundaries of marriage and monogamy.'
'That's a very well-reasoned response, Prince,' Dillon replied. 'Listen, if you ever want to talk theology, give me a call. I've really enjoyed talking with you this weekend.'
'So have I,' Prince said. 'I can see why Emma wants you to officiate at our wedding. Getting to know you makes it more meaningful for me. I look forward to seeing you both in two weeks! I honestly can't wait to be married to Emma.'
'You have a great gal on your hands, who has an unforgettable singing voice. It was a treat to see and hear her this morning. It's always been clear to us that she was created to sing God's praises.'
In the kitchen, Barb and Emma were cleaning up after lunch. Emma finally asked, 'Well, what do you think?'
'He's such a dear man, Emma. He definitely knows what to do to get people's attention, but behind all that he is a sweetheart. I can see what you see in him, and why you think he's worth marrying. Are you sure you're up for all the changes that are going to take place in your life?'
'Yes, I'm still figuring out how I'm going to meld my life with his, but I know I'm supposed to be with him. This may mean the end of me and full time church music work, but I can still volunteer. The thing Prince never talks about to the public is how much philanthropy he is involved in behind the scenes. I think I can help with that, and other things. Mostly, I'll enjoy spending time with him. We enjoy so many of the same things, and I do love him with all my heart.'
'It's obvious he loves you. He doesn't even try to hide the admiration in his eyes when he looks at you. Has he heard you sing?'
'A little, but we have time for that after the wedding. He isn't doing a lot of performing this fall, and I hope I can do some more singing for him then.'
'I know that's right!' Prince interrupted as he walked into the kitchen. 'This woman's voice goes right to my soul. I just have to figure out a way to use her with the kind of music I do. I'll figure it out, and when I do, I'll send a copy your way. Emma, I hate to break this up, but the airport just called. There's weather moving in, and we need to beat it home.'
After hugs all around, and promises to get together after the wedding, Emma, Prince and Kirk got back on the plane to head for home.
'Prince honey, thanks so much for this weekend. It was such a gift to reconnect with Dillon and Barb. I'm glad you enjoyed their company as much as I always have. They're great people.'
'Yes, they are. I've gotta say, Your version of worship is much more staid than what I was raised on.'
'I'm sure that's true. We frozen chosen types let our music do the talking. It saves us the emotional exhaustion.' Emma giggled.
'Feel me now, I really liked parts of it. I don't really like tradition for tradition's sake, but Dillon's explanation of the history of how you worship makes it pretty interesting. I'll be doing more investigation, and I'll definitely be talking to Dillon more.'
'I'm sorry you didn't know all the hymns this morning. I noticed you dropped out of the singing from time to time.'
'That wasn't about the hymns, mama. I found myself listening to you instead of singing. Your voice really speaks to me.' Prince pulled Emma closer for a kiss on the cheek, then chuckled at the blush he had caused once again. He whispered,
'It's a long flight. Let's see what kind of mischief we can get ourselves into. There's no flight attendant, and I can send Kirk up to sit with the captain. Ever been initiated into the Mile High club?'
Emma's blush covered her whole body, as Prince discovered in a very few minutes.
A/N-Thanks for reading and for your wonderful comments! Don't forget to vote!