by Ivan B
Mary held her arm up so Josie could see the other side.
“Look closely inside the pattern.”
Josie looked and the turned her head nearly upside down.
“It’s got my name too inside the pattern!”
Josie snuggled up against her.
“You’ll stay even when I’m naughty.”
“Even when you’re a teenager and are humungously awful.”
Mary looked at Josie in the mirror.
“But next time you’re in church I want you to pray for us, that we’ll be happy together,”
Josie sat up.
“You don't need to be in church, your book said that you can pray anywhere, anytime, anyplace and about anything.”
Mary was surprised.
“You read my book?”
Josie looked sheepish.
“Only the first three chapters, the next one was about copper prayer and I found it boring.”
Mary laughed.
“Corporate prayer - that means praying together, I found it a hard chapter too.”
Josie nodded seriously.
“I’ve already asked God to make you stay and he's answered that, so I'll ask him to make you happy.”
Mary gave her a cuddle.
“You do that Josie, you do that.”
Chapter 16
Special
Robert was sitting in the armchair patiently waiting when Mary walked into the room. She was wearing her silky long blue dress, her tattoo clearly visible below the short sleeve as was Robert's red necklace around her neck. She seemed to radiate joy. Robert stood up.
“You look stunning.”
He kissed her on the cheek and sniffed her perfume. Mary waved her arm.
“And for one night only.”
Josie appeared from the corridor and Robert was dumbstruck. She was wearing her gold party dress, dangly earrings and was clutching a small golden handbag, but her hair was absolutely bright ginger. Mary laughed at his expression.
“It’s party dye and it’s all coming out tomorrow.
Robert exhaled.
“Thank goodness for that.”
Josie twirled round, Robert grabbed her and gave her a kiss. He sniffed.
“I’ve smelt that somewhere before.”
Josie practically danced.
“It’s Mary’s, she lets me use it for special occasions, but it’s very expensive.”
Mary gave Robert a dazzling smile.
“Us girls got to stick together.”
He chuckled and looked at the clock.
“Time to go.”
He offered his arm to Mary, Josie ran round his other side.
“Where we going.”
“The restaurant downstairs in the Barbican, all the theatregoers will have left by now and it will be peaceful and just right or a special evening.”
They all trooped out arm in arm like any other happy family.
As Robert had promised the restaurant was quiet, but had a good view overlooking the fountains in the centre of the barbican complex. They ordered their food and the wine waiter appeared, Robert and Mary looked at one another and had some form of mutual unspoken agreement. Robert smiled at him.
“Sparkling mineral water only please, but we’d like champagne with our desert.”
The wine waiter’s eyebrows moved up a fraction of an inch.
“With the desert it is sir.”
As soon as the waiter had gone Josie started on one of the bread rolls, she looked at Mary as she ate.
“Have you got any brothers and sisters?”
Mary smiled.
“You mean are you going to get any aunts and uncles and extra Christmas presents?”
Josie grinned from ear to ear. Mary pinched a bit of her roll.
“I’ve got two older sisters and they are twins. We don’t see each other much and to be honest I’m not sad about that. They were very nasty to me when I was your age so I don’t go out of my way to see them. I used to call them my sinister siblings.”
Josie screwed her nose up.
“What’s a sibling?”
“A brother of sister by the same parents.”
“What’s sinister?”
“Nasty.”
Robert laughed.
“It also means left handed.”
Mary rolled her eyes.
“Only in a time when knights had round tables, don’t confuse the child!”
Robert grinned like a schoolboy about to receive an extra large jam doughnut and Mary continued.
“And I’ve got a younger brother called Daniel. He’s nice and at the moment he’s living in a commune in Brixton.”
Josie spread butter on another piece of her bread.
“What’s a commune?”
“A group of people living together, he lives with seven others in a big house and they share the costs, it makes it far cheaper to live in London. For a living he’s a landscape gardener, he always was good at growing things.”
Josie opened her mouth, but Mary put her finger over Josie’s lips.
“My turn. What’s your favourite pop-group?”
Josie pondered the question.
“Well I like Jasmine Jaunt and Kangi, but …”
All three of them talked through the starter and main course, finding out a little more about each other and taking the trouble to make sure that nobody was left out of the conversation.
After they had ordered desert Robert suddenly left his chair and knelt, on one knee, at Mary’s feet. He took the ring-box from his jacket and gazed into Mary’s eyes.
“Would you do me the honour of becoming my wife and joining into the adventure of seeking love?” He said tenderly.
Mary felt as if the lump in her throat would explode.
“Of course.”
He slipped the ring on the second finger of her right hand. The table next door broke out into clapping. Robert resumed his seat and Mary gazed at the ring on her finger. She dragged her eyes from it and winked at Josie.
“Give me the goods.”
Josie handed over a small package that she had had hidden in her clutch bag. Mary offered it to Robert.
“Men don’t get engagement rings, so I got you this.”
He opened the package and lying in the box was a silver pen with the single word ‘Mary’ engraved on the side. He took off the pen top and turned to Mary.
“It’s a drawing pen.”
She grinned.
“Man in the shop told me that it was the one that architects used most and it’s got a spring loaded nib and there’s a spare cartridges in the box under the pen holder.” She added softly. “It’s not an ornament, I want you to use it every day and think of me.”
Robert looked into her eyes.
“I don’t know what to say, but yes, I’ll use it every day.”
Mary turned to Josie.
“I wouldn’t want you to go away from here without having something to remember the evening. She delved into her own small handbag and passed Josie a small parcel. Josie tore the wrapping off, opened the box inside and extracted a necklace similar to the one her father had given Mary, except that the heart was made of dark Amber. Robert reached over and fastened it around her neck; Josie beamed like a lighthouse. Before she could say anything the wine waiter appeared.
“Am I right in saying sir that you just proposed to the young lady?” He said formally.
Robert nodded and grinned.
“Exactly right.”
“Then the manager says to tell you that the champagne is on the house.”
The finished their meal drinking champagne and eating expensive looking chocolate covered mints. Josie was allowed no more than four, but she managed six.
When they finally arrived back at the flat just before midnight Josie, who had been animated right up to the end of the meal, suddenly started yawning. Robert and Mary both gave her a kiss and she plodded off to bed. Mary made some coffee and took it to Robert in the lounge, she sat on t
he settee and he moved next to her. She popped off her hook and placed it on the small table, he gently took hold of her wrist.
“Thanks for a really special evening.” She murmured.
He massaged her wrist and stump with his fingers.
“First one of many I hope.”
He gave her a kiss and said very quietly.
Two cups of coffee, and much canoodling, later they sat holding hands with their heads touching and their eyes closed. Robert finally murmured.
“You’d better go to bed, if you don’t I might start something I know you’d rather not do until we’re married.” He rubbed her stump. “I know your views and I promise to abide by them and I don’t want to spoil a wonderful evening.”
She gave him a final kiss and departed for her bedroom, if all their days were going to be like this then she’d be in heaven. She knew it was a ridiculous hope, but she clung to it all the same. She was seeking love and the journey had started well.
Once Mary had spent more than a few minutes reliving the evening in her mind, and to some extend re-enjoying the experiences, she reached behind her to undo the dress’ zip and it stuck after about three teeth. She tried wiggling it up and down, looking in the mirror and flexing the fabric, all to no avail. She looked in Josie’s room, but she was sound asleep and Mary thought that it would be unfair to awake her. She contemplated sleeping in the dress, but decided that it was too expensive. So, in the end and after half and hour of frustration, she tiptoed down the corridor and opened the lounge door. Robert was still sitting on the settee looking like a contented cat and holding his silver pen. He was obviously surprised to see her and she said quietly.
“I’m stuck in my dress, wretched zip won’t budge.”
She turned round and he came up behind her, after a few seconds she felt the zip being run down the length of her back. There was a pause and he kissed the nape of her neck before enfolding her in his arms, still from behind. She felt him gently fondly her breasts and made a rapid appraisal of the situation before her own hormones took over. She instantly decided that if he continued she wouldn’t resist, after all she had come back to him and he may have assumed that the zip was a ploy. The more he kissed her the more her own pulse raced and after a few more seconds she knew that, despite her earlier statements, she was about to succumb to her own desires. Then, without warning, he stopped fondling and relaxed his grip. He kissed her gently below her right ear and whispered.
“You’d better go, I promised to wait and I will.”
She turned round, mouthed, ‘thank you’, and went back to her own room and sat on the bed. It took her ten minutes to recover full equilibrium; however, she knew one thing, there was going to be no problem with the physical side of things. In fact she was amazed at the strength of her own physical desire; it was something that she had never thought herself capable of. She looked in the mirror and studied her tattoo for a while and then completed her bedtime routine. As had now become usual she finally sat on the side of the bed and talked to God.
“Well God it’s been quite a day. I know things can’t keep at this level and that at some time I’ll have to face the cold light of day, but thank you.” She paused knowing what she wanted to say, but not knowing how to say it, eventually she blurted out. “And thank you for the peace in my heart, I know what Robert and I are doing is unusual, maybe we are just two lonely people seeking solace with one another, but I know with you help we can find love.” She paused again. “And Josie, she’s caught up in all this and I want with all my heart her to come to no harm. Help me to be patient with her and help her to be patient with me.” She then prayed for her family and finished with the Lord’s Prayer. She smiled to herself as she realised that her prayer times were getting longer, but one thing was now certain, what had started her on the road to prayer, being Josie’s Godmother, was now not an option; now she had even more of a challenge to face, that of being Josie’s surrogate mother.
They all awoke late the following morning and it was nearly eleven before they managed to start breakfast; they had only reached the start of the toast when Mary’s mobile phone rang. She glanced at it, furrowed her brow, and accepted the call.
“Hello mother.”
She listened to the reply and then squeaked.
“You’ve done what!”
Mary rolled her eyes at the unseen caller and said, in a more even voice.
“What time do you reach Paddington?”
She listened.
“No, don’t you dare try to get across London, I’ll meet you at Paddington.”
She put the phone down and turned to Robert.
“That was my mum, she’s put herself on a train to Paddington Station, she didn’t say why, but I bet my sinister siblings have something to do with it.”
Robert’s heart sank, no longer would he have her to himself.
“Fine, we’ll pick her up and she can stay here with us.”
Mary sighed.
“If only, but there’s no bed she can sleep in, and she won’t share with me.”
Robert nodded.
“Then it’s time to pack.”
Josie coughed.
“There’s a bed in my room.”
Mary ruffled her, still ginger, hair.
“That’s a futon, my mother couldn’t get down into that.”
Josie fidgeted with her hands.
“No I mean a real bed.”
Robert looked at her.
“What do you mean a real bed?”
Josie glanced at Mary.
“There’s a button labelled ‘bed’ on the remote control, you press it and a bed comes down from the ceiling.”
Robert slapped his forehead.
“Of course, it’s stored above the suspended ceiling.”
Josie gave a very worried look towards Mary, whose bed she had been sharing on pretext of a hard futon.
Mary gave Robert a warm smile.
“Well if there is a bed my mother can use, Josie can always share with me, it’s only for a few nights.”
Robert nodded.
“I'll go and check out the bed.”
He left the kitchen and Mary pinched Josie’s nose lightly.
“You little minx, how long have you known?”
Josie obviously didn't know whether to grin, or be worried.
“First night we arrived, I pressed the button by accident.”
She suddenly looked apprehensive.
“I… ”
Mary gave her a cuddle.
“It’s all right, I’m not mad, but in future… ”
Josie nodded in understanding. Robert reappeared.
“It’s a proper bed, bit like a four poster, but comfortable.”
Mary smiled as a thought crossed her mind.
“Have you looked at the lounge remote?”
A look of horror crossed his face and he shot out of the kitchen to return a few seconds later.
“Lounge has got an identical one, I've been sleeping on the settee for six nights and there's been a comfortable bed above my head!”
He looked so despondent that both Josie and Mary burst out laughing. Robert eventually joined in when the absurdity of it hit him.”
An hour later Mary drove out of the Barbican car-park and headed West for Paddington Station. She went round a couple of corners and Robert made a sort of suppressed squeaking noise. Mary glanced at him.
“Problem?”
He shook his head. Mary followed the road round and joined a one way system. She shot past an obelisk and Robert made another squeaking noise. Mary stifled a laugh. She joined the two way system again and went down a road where there were cars parked on both sides and a narrow two-way strip down the middle, Robert managed two cars coming at him, and just missing, before he made a sort of suppressed scream. Mary grinned.
“Finding sitting in the right seat difficult?”
He replied, through clenched teeth.
“Just a tad.”
“Want
to take over?”
“No, I'll get used to… ”
He didn't finish the sentence, instead he stamped his left foot on the floor and mad a sort of ‘aagh’ noise as Mary pulled up behind a taxi that had seemingly stopped on a sixpence to pick up a fare. Robert let out a long breath; Mary resumed the journey, but after a few yards a white van overtook them and cut in, forcing Mary to brake slightly. Robert opened his mouth and Mary snapped.
“Not in front of Josie.”
Josie piped up from the back seat.
“He didn't say anything?”
May grimaced.
“No, but I knew what was on his mind - oh shit!”
She slammed the brakes on and swerved round a cyclist that had appeared in front of her from seemingly nowhere; Robert and Josie both fell about laughing. Robert managed to control himself for the rest of the drive to Paddington, but he clearly did not enjoy the experience. When they finally arrived at the station and Mary squeezed her car into a seemingly impossibly small parking space reserved for the disabled; Robert let out a heart felt sigh. Mary turned to him.
“Seriously, other people have said that being a driver and sitting in the right hand seat while I'm driving can be difficult, you can drive back if you like.”
Robert shook his head.
“I’ve got to get used to it.”
She tossed him the keys.
“Well let’s get you used to it in Suffolk and not London.”
He leant over and gave her a kiss, nothing else needed to be said.
The station was not too crowded and Mary checked the arrivals board and turned to Robert.
“Looks like her train will arrive early in a couple of minutes, why don’t you take Josie to that coffee bar and by her a cake, I think I’d better meet my mother on my own.”
Robert nodded and steered Josie towards the coffee bar, Mary heard her remark on ‘the nice chocolate cake’ before their voices were lost in the background noise. Mary walked to the appropriate platform and waited at the barrier as the train pulled in; she said, under her breath.
“I think I’m going to need your help here God, this could be difficult.”
People started pouring past her and she kept an eye out for her mother, eventually she spotted a porter helping her down the platform. She came through the barrier and stopped dead.