Lawnmower Man
Angus and Bethany had just about worn me out. I needed to get inside and have a cold drink and have this niece and nephew of mine give me a bit of a break. We had the best mowed lawn in Devon, without a doubt. I instructed Bethany to take the mower to the back terrace, where we could take a little time off. She did a great job. I climbed off the mower a little stiff in my legs and bottom and headed into the house.
The children piled into the kitchen looking for their Dad and Mum. Tarquin and Phoebe had already retired to the living room, leaving me alone with Mr. and Mrs. Robbins and Cathy cleaning up her tools. Young Thomas had joined his parents. "Well, I'm back Cathy", I said. "Oh Thomas," she said, "Come here." I went to her and she laid a piece of newspaper on the floor. "Bend down." She ordered. I did so and she ran her fingers though my hair and left a pile of grass on the newspaper below. It felt nice to have someone making a fuss over me. "I presume you did an adequate job," said Mrs. Robbins. Mr. Robbins was out in the living room, assessing the need for tea and sustenance. Aunt Glynis was out there, too, thankfully. Cathy took my face in her hands and kissed me affectionately. I gazed at her delicate beauty…coveralls and all…and still wondered how I'd gotten so fortunate.
"Aunt Glynis requests the pleasure of your company, sir." Said . I had just glanced down at Cathy's t-shirt and noticed that her nipple was hard and asking to be touched. I didn't want to go. "Er, uhm, yes," I said, "But let me get some cold water first." Oh well, first things first. "Oh Thomas, thank you for joining us," said Aunt Glynis, "Much better than staying in the kitchen, wouldn't you say?" I had nothing to say. "These children look like they had a grand time. Doesn't your gardener come in most days of the week?" she asked. I had nothing to say and sat in a side chair in the room. I heard Cathy go up the stairs and wanted to go with her desperately. Mr. Robbins brought in tea and snacks. I dare not move. "Mum, I have to go upstairs, but I'll be back in a minute," Phoebe said. Aunt Glynis nodded as Phoebe left the room.
Phoebe rushed into the kitchen and rifled through the grocery order. "It's on the counter over there, dear." Mrs Robbins said to Phoebe. Phoebe nodded and picked it up with a thank you smile and ran up the stairs after Cathy.
"Poor Thomas," thought Cathy, "He doesn't want to be there….but then, no one invited me." I was so happy I had been able to finish that faucet. Mr. and Mrs. Robbins had a formal dinner planned with Cornish game hens and mushroom stuffing. God forbid the plumbing would cock up. I heard footsteps on the stairs and saw Phoebe behind me. "Hello, Phoebe," I said, "Bathroom emergency?" I knew she could handle my jokes. "No," she said, "We need to find some privacy. I invited her into Thomas's and my room and shut the door behind. I figured Thomas was stuck for a little while.
"Look", she said, "I hope I'm not being too presumptuous, but I notice how tired you seem to be and how Thomas's coffee put you off this morning. How do your breasts feel?" "Well", I said, "They are really sore." She pulled out the box. "Could you be pregnant?" she asked. I had never thought about the possibility but then, I'd never been pregnant before. "Look at the directions to this and go and follow them." She said. "OK', I replied. I went into the loo and did what the directions said. We timed the five minutes and looked at the result. Blimey, but I was as pregnant as I could be. Phoebe and I hugged and jumped up and down. Thomas and I were pregnant! There would be an heir to the Manor House, barring any untoward circumstances. Phoebe was so happy she jumped up and down on the bed. "I knew it," she said, "Thomas will be over the moon and he deserves it. He is such a wonderful man." I was still a bit in shock and had to sit down before all the blood flowed out of my head. My God…what did this mean? We agreed to keep this under our hats. Good Lord.