All It Takes

by Clare Dugmore

  I needed advice, and as my next session with Ollie was still a few days away, I decided talking to my parents and Marie might be a good idea. I hadn’t caught up with them in a few weeks, and I thought it’d be nice instead of always going to theirs for dinner, to invite them to my place. I’d cook for them, and we could discuss my plans.

  If I was going to discuss buying into Davi’s gym with the most important people in my life, Megan had to be there. This decision affected her too. Plus, it was time Mum and Dad met her, and I could ‘officially’ introduce her to Marie.

  I grabbed my phone, and hit speed dial for Meg’s number.

  “Hey,” she said on answering.

  “Hey. How’s things?”

  “Yeah, not bad, thanks. Just got back from uni.”

  “How was it?”

  “Bloody knackering. But I think I’m pretty much ready for my presentation next week.”

  “That’s good. Let me know if I can do anything to help.”

  “I will do, but I think I’ve got it covered. Mark from class helped me with all the heavy lifting, then Stacey and I dressed the display and I put up the decal.”

  My stomach tightened. Who’s Mark?

  I took a deep breath and shook the thought from my head. I was being stupid.

  “How are you? What you been up to?”

  “Not much. Just thinking about what I’m going to do now I’m not fighting.”

  “Come to any conclusions?”

  “I might have, but I wanted to talk to you and my parents about it.”

  “Oh, is this the thing you mentioned last week?”

  “Yeah. I was thinking it’d be good for all of us to get together so we can talk things over. Are you busy tomorrow?”

  “All of us? As in you, me, and your parents?”

  “And Marie and Darren, if they’re not working.”

  The line went quite for a moment and I heard Meg take a deep breath.

  “You okay?”

  “Erm … I don’t know. This is kind of a big deal. I know we’re not together but still, meeting your family for the first time…”

  “It’ll be fine. You’ve already met Marie, and I know Mum and Dad will love you.”

  The lengthy pause was more deafening than if she’d blasted an air horn down the phone. The word hung in the air, like a spider from a thread, and we were both too afraid to acknowledge it.

  I bloody hate spiders.

  Megan coughed and then cleared her throat. “When I met Marie I was a blubbering wreck on the toilet floor. I’d hardly call that a good first impression.”

  “Ah, come on, Meg. It’ll be fine. I need you there for my big announcement.”

  “I’ll come,” Megan said, without a moment’s hesitation.

  “Brilliant. I’m gonna cook us all dinner. What do you fancy?”

  “You should have told me you were cooking. I’d have said yes straight away.”

  I laughed. “You’re still going on about that stir-fry I cooked for us?”

  “I am. It was amazing. I told Stacey about it. She wants you to cook for her.”

  “I take it you want something Chinese for dinner then?”

  “YES! I mean, whatever everyone else is good with.”

  “If they’re coming to my place, they’ll eat what I give them.”

  Megan giggled. “Want me to bring something for pudding? Work do a really nice homemade carrot cake.”

  “Sounds good.”

  “Okay, what time do you want me there?”

  “What time do you finish uni?”

  “I get off early tomorrow. I’ll be home by half-two.”

  “About six all right?”

  “Yeah, that works for me.”

  “Okay. I’ll text you if it’s any different.”

  “Great. Catch you tomorrow.”

  “Yeah. See you tomorrow.”

  When I hung up, the weight of Meg’s earlier words hit me. Introducing her to my parents was a big deal. One way or another, we were going to be in each other’s lives for at least eighteen years, probably even longer. I’d grown to like the idea of that, but I hadn’t factored in our families. There was still an invisible line we hadn’t crossed, separating Megan from my family, and me from hers. Knowing we were about to cross that line, at least partially, made my muscles twitch and my mouth go dry.

  What was I doing? Was I ready to introduce my family to the mother of my child? I really hadn’t thought this through. I’d been fucking kidding myself to think I could do this.

  My chest tightened and my breath came in short gasps.

  I closed my eyes and counted to ten, then let out a long, slow breath. The band around my chest loosened a little, and I sat down at the breakfast bar.

  They were going to meet eventually, that was a given, so why put it off?

  My parents meeting Meg was a first, but I’d been doing a lot of things for the first time in the past few months. If I could get my head around becoming a dad, I could face this.

  Besides, I had nothing to worry about. What I’d said on the phone was true; they’d love her. She was sweet, and funny, and caring, and intelligent. What wasn’t there to love?

  I shook my head. I had to focus.

  I picked up the phone again, and called my parents, followed by Marie, to make arrangements for the following evening. Marie and Darren weren’t in work, so everyone was showing up at six.

  Perfect.

  All I had to do was decide what to cook.

  I didn’t want to make something that was going to have me in the kitchen all day, but I also wanted to make something special as a thank you to everyone for sticking by me while I sorted my life out. Marie and Meg both liked spices and exotic flavours, and while Mum wasn’t a fussy eater, Dad tended to stick to traditional meat and two veg, which limited things a bit. A roast would be the perfect catch all, but it was a lot of cooking, and it was too damn hot to be stuck in the kitchen. Instead, I decided as the weather was good, I’d fire up the barbeque, and we could all eat outside on the patio.

  The following morning I got to it early, and gave my place a good clean - including the garden and patio area, then went out to buy the groceries for dinner. After a quick lunch, I jumped in the shower, and then made my way outside to heat up the barbeque so everyone wouldn’t be waiting to eat when they arrived. With pieces of chicken, jacket potatoes, and corn on the cobs all wrapped in foil cooking on the grill, I made some salad and put some beers in the fridge, along with a bottle of wine for Mum, and this non-alcoholic fruit punch stuff I’d bought for Megan.

  When the doorbell rang, I put down the jar of salsa I was opening, and headed to answer the door.

  I pulled it open to find a very nervous Megan standing on the threshold, clutching a box I assumed contained the carrot cake she’d mentioned.

  “Hey,” she said.

  My eyes trailed up her body, over her rounded belly, and to her chest. I didn’t want to be that guy, but her figure had filled out as the pregnancy progressed, and what she was wearing wasn’t helping deter the thoughts running through my head. Her outfit wasn’t actually that different from the sort of thing she always wore; black jeans, dark boots, and a leather jacket, but her purple top was cut low, revealing a slight glimpse of her now ample cleavage.

  Meg shifted her weight from foot to foot and cleared her throat, and that’s when I realised I was staring at her and hadn’t said anything.

  I shook the thoughts from my head. “Damn. Sorry. You’ve really gone all out, eh?”

  Megan blushed. “This? Nah, this is just something I picked up in the maternity shop.”

  I scooted back to let her enter then we walked down the hall and to the kitchen.

  “I know I’m a bit early, but I wanted to get here before everyone else. Arriving last would make me feel like they’re all watching.”

  “You still fretting? Meg, chill. It’ll be fine. You really don’t need to over think this,” I said, trying my best to avoid eye-to-
boob-contact.

  Meg handed me the cake box and smiled uncertainly.

  “Yeah, I suppose so. Mmmm … what smells good?”

  “I’ve got some chicken cooking on the barbeque outside.” I placed the cake box down and turned to the fridge. “Do you want a drink? I bought some non-alcoholic fruit punch.”

  Meg took off her jacket and folded it over her arm.

  “Hell yeah!”

  I poured her a glass and handed it to her as I took her jacket with my other hand, and our arms brushed.

  My skin tingled, and I quickly turned away to hang her coat up.

  I had to focus on dinner, and Davi’s offer, not how good she looked in that shirt.

  “How was uni?” I asked, trying to steer the conversation in a safe direction.

  “Yeah, it was good. Helped Stacey with her presentation display. You know she’s had a wedding dress made from one of her designs.”

  “Yeah. Brownie mentioned.”

  Meg tilted her head slightly, her brows drawing together. “He did? What else has Josh been saying?”

  I laughed, knowing she was fishing for gossip. “I can’t break the bro code and say much, but expect an excited phone call from Stacey soon.”

  “Oh my God! You can’t say that and not give me details.”

  “I promised Brownie I wouldn’t tell you. You’ll only tell Stacey and ruin the surprise.”

  “I won’t, I swear. I’m good at keeping secrets.”

  “No way. You might be having my baby, but some promises can’t be broken.”

  Meg giggled and nodded her head. “Fair enough. If it was the other way around, I wouldn’t share Stacey’s secret, either. So, do you need a hand with anything?”

  “Sure. There’s some coleslaw and potato salad in the fridge. Wanna put them in those dishes on the counter?”

  Megan and I got to work serving up the rest of the trimmings for dinner, then went outside to check the barbeque. The corn and chicken were cooked, so I took off the foil to let them char on the grill tray, while Meg put out some cutlery and condiments.

  When the doorbell rang, Megan froze, ketchup in hand, her eyes widening.

  I came up behind her and rested my hands on her shoulders.

  “It’ll be fine.” She turned to face me, our heads just inches apart, and gave me a small smile. “I promise.” Without thinking, I kissed her cheek then turned to go back inside.

  I opened the front door and Marie greeted me with a grin.

  “Hey,” she said. “Is that Megan’s car?”

  “Yeah. She’s out back.” I shuffled back so she and Darren could enter.

  “How’s things?”

  “All good here. How about you guys?”

  Marie shrugged. “Not much to tell. Same old, really.”

  “You see the game the other night?” Darren asked.

  I fell into step beside my brother-in-law as Marie made her way to the patio.

  “Oh, man! That goal by Thompson was proper fucking magic!”

  I stopped by the fridge and pulled out beers for me, Darren, and Marie, as well as refilling Megan’s glass.

  When we got outside, Marie and Megan were huddled together on one of the patio chairs, their heads inclined towards each other as they talked about something.

  Darren’s eyebrow quirked, and he smiled. “It didn’t take them long.”

  Marie turned at our approach, so I handed over her and Megan’s drinks.

  “This is Darren,” Marie said. “Darren, this is Megan.”

  Darren inclined his head and tapped two fingers to his temple in salute.

  Megan looked up and smiled. “Nice to meet you.”

  There was a moment’s pause, where a look passed between Marie and Darren then Marie and Megan resumed their conversation.

  I turned back to my brother-in-law and picked up our earlier football talk. As we chatted, I watched Megan out of the corner of my eye. Despite her earlier uncertainty, she’d relaxed quickly as she and Marie fell into easy conversation.

  When the doorbell rang again, I pulled the now charred chicken and corn off the grill, and put them on a plate to cool.

  “That’ll be Mum and Dad,” I said, stepping away from the barbeque.

  Megan paused mid-sentence, and her back went rigid. A second later, Marie placed her hand on Meg’s arm, and she continued speaking as though nothing had happened.

  I figured she’d be okay with Marie, so I went to answer the door.

  Mum greeted me with a hug and a flurry of kisses.

  “Isn’t this lovely?” she said, as she walked through to the kitchen.

  “Alright, boy?” Dad said, as I pulled a beer from the fridge and handed it to him.

  “Do you want some wine, Mum?”

  “Yes, please.”

  I poured my mum a drink, and then the three of us made our way outside.

  As soon as we stepped onto the patio, Darren offered Mum his chair, even though I’d made sure there were seats for all of us.

  Bloody suck up.

  She didn’t take it, though, and headed straight for Megan, who she pulled into an embrace without a moment’s hesitation.

  “Meg, it’s lovely to finally meet you,” she said, then held Megan at arm’s length and looked her over in that way Mum did. “And look, you’re absolutely glowing. Our little granddaughter is growing well.”

  Megan blushed deeply. “Thanks,” she said, rubbing her belly affectionately.

  “Let the poor lass breathe, Sheila,” Dad said, then nodded his head towards her. “Lovely to meet you, Megan.”

  “You too, Mr Murphy.”

  Dad laughed. “Brien, please.”

  When everyone had said hello and settled into easy chatter, I started serving up plates of chicken, corn, and potatoes, letting everyone add their own extras.

  With my plate piled high with food, I sat next to Megan in the spot Marie had vacated when she’d joined Darren.

  She turned to me, a half-eaten drumstick in her hand, and grinned. “This is so good. What’s on it?”

  “Lemon, garlic, and a little thyme. I’ll show you how to make it some time.”

  Meg went back to eating her chicken, and I tucked into my pile of food.

  When we’d all finished eating, I started scooping up paper plates and throwing them in a black bin bag, and Meg stood to give me a hand.

  Our fingers brushed as we both reached for a piece of balled up foil. “I’ve got this. Why don’t you take it easy?”

  “You’ve been taking care of everyone all evening. Spend some time with your family. I’ll finish up and get the cake.”

  “Don’t be silly. You go and rest.”

  Megan gave me a look I was used to seeing from Mum. “Kian, please. I’m not a complete whale yet. I can still move about.”

  “Okay, okay. Suit yourself. Just make sure I get the biggest slice, yeah?”

  I sat down between Dad and Darren and joined in with their conversation, leaving Meg to throw the last of the rubbish away and get dessert.

  The second she was out of earshot, Mum was next to me, and I hadn’t even noticed Darren switch seats.

  “Kian, that girl is a sweetheart. You’ve got a good one there. You look after her.”

  “I will, Mum.”

  Megan returned with the carrot cake and more paper plates. She cut off slices, while I handed them out to everyone.

  “Oh God, this is so good.” Marie licked cream-cheese frosting off her fingers with an appreciative ‘mmm’ noise. “Where did you get it from?”

  “Do you know the café on Mill Street?”

  “Oh, yeah. Daley’s, isn’t it?”

  “That’s the one. I work there … well, I do for one more day, anyway.”

  “Then you’re taking your maternity leave?”

  Meg shifted in her seat, and for a moment I saw a look of uncertainty in her eyes, but she recovered quickly. “Yeah, something like that. I graduate soon, so I’ll be working towards that, then gett
ing everything ready for when Ella is born.”

  “What are you studying?” Dad asked.

  “Graphic design.”

  “Show them the thing you made for Ella’s room,” I said.

  Megan pulled out her phone, tapped the screen a few times, and then handed it to Dad.

  “It’s a vinyl wall decal. I want to get a job with an interior design company when my maternity leave is over.”

  Dad passed the phone to Mum, who studied the picture closely. “Oh, that’s beautiful. Little Ella will love it.”

  “Let me see!” Marie said, practically yanking the phone from Mum’s hands. “Look at this, Darren. It’s stunning.”

  Darren took that phone. “That is stunning,” he said, handing it back to Megan, who slipped her phone back in her pocket.

  After a small pause, everyone turned to me expectantly.

  “So, what’s this big news you wanted to discuss?” Dad asked.

  “Davi has asked if I want to buy a share of the gym.”

  Marie snorted into her beer and Mum shot her a dark look. “Sorry, sorry. It’s just you don’t know anything about running a gym.”

  “Exactly. Which is why I want to know what you all think. Davi said he’d train me up, teach me the business side, and then in a couple of years he can retire.”

  “What about your fighting career?” Darren asked.

  I glanced across at Megan, before focussing on him. “That’s the thing. I don’t know if I want to go back. After what happened in the Matthews fight, well, I don’t want Ella growing up without a dad.”

  “I can understand that, boy. Why do you think I hung up my boxing gloves when I did? I wish I’d had the opportunity to buy into a gym when I retired.”

  “So you think I should?”

  “Why not? What else are you going to do for money if you’re not fighting?”

  “That was my train of thought too. I mean, I know about training and stuff. But like Marie said, I don’t know about business.”

  “Yeah, but you can learn that,” Megan said. “What you can’t learn is passion, and you love fighting. I think you’d be great at teaching others.”

  “Even with a temper like mine? What happens if someone pisses me off, like Bagley did, and I end up breaking their arm… or worse?”