GRACE
PART THREE
Ty could feel his mouth swing open in utter astonishment as he watched the scene before him.
Faith Yokas, far from being disturbed by the fact that Maurice Boscorelli had his hand on her backside, responded by drawing closer to him, warmly laying her arm across his shoulders.
He turned to Alex, who derived a certain amount of amusement from the look on his face.
"Oh yeah," she said dryly, "The Boscorellis. Just when you think life can't get any weirder." She was shaking her head, a wry smile playing on her lips. "I gave it a month, tops. Just goes to show you how much I know about this sort of crap."
Ty stared at Alex, awaiting confirmation that she was just pulling his leg. None came.
"I mean, they have to be the last couple on the planet you'd think would turn out to be card carrying bluebirds of happiness, " Alex continued, making no attempt to cover the sarcastic tone in her voice. "But there they are - six years and one kid later and they still look like they actually enjoy each others company."
Six years? Faith and Bosco? Gracie is Bosco's daughter?
"And they've got this way of looking at each other - I swear to god Ty, it makes me wanna puke," Alex was saying.
Ty turned his attention back to where Faith and Bosco stood. Gracie was gazing up at her father pleadingly, and Bosco was smiling down at his daughter with a great deal of fondness. When he looked up at Faith the two exchanged a look that had Alex making gagging noises into her wineglass.
Ty watched as Gracie was handed her plate by Faith. Immediately the little girl headed in his and Alex's direction.
"No! No! Not over here," Alex was mumbling, "No, dammit..."
Gracie settled herself on the ground just in front Ty, placing her plate upon the low table next to his untouched meal. She had decided the little table under the tree where the funny man and the sad lady sat was a prime spot to be.
"That stuff is really nice," the little girl said, pointing to something on Ty's plate.
Ty did his best to nod but could feel the scene was beginning to slip away from him once more...
This time he had clearer memories of being helped over to one of the tables, Sully propping him up on one side, an old friend of his on the other. He could stand, he realised, and walk, sort of, but progress had been painfully slow.
He sat now at the head of one of the tables. Alex sat to his right on one of the long benches arranged beside the table, still toying with the food on her plate while eyeing Gracie warily for signs of overwhelming cuteness, he presumed. Next to her was Sully, and next to him, still wearing an expression of concern on her face, was his mother.
Gracie, oblivious to Alex's discomfort, was kneeling on the bench to Ty's left, pointing out to anyone who cared to listen the really tasty items to be found on her plate. Bosco and Faith were next to her.
Faith was regarding her husbands plate with some doubt.
"You gonna eat all that?"
"What? You kidding?" he responded. "Sul's paying. I'm clearing this and then goin' back for more."
"So who won the pool?" Alex asked.
"Sully," Faith answered, "in spite of Gracie's best efforts."
"I swear to you Faith," said Bosco between mouthfuls, "I never told Grace to burst in every time Sully was about to make a shot."
"Uh huh. Right," she said, unconvinced. "God, I'm livin' with a couple of grifters."
Grace clambered down from the bench and began to wander around the other tables. Finding some of her little friends they embarked on an impromptu game of chase, under Faith's watchful gaze.
"Gracie, come eat your lunch."
The game continued.
"Gracie. You can play later."
The game rambled on.
"Grace Eve!"
The full use of her given names was the little girl's cue to comply. Obediently, with little outward sign of descent, she returned to the table.
"Play after, OK?" said her father.
Alex was chuckling into her wine. "So how do you know when you're really in trouble with your mom Gracie?"
Quick as a flash Gracie was standing up on the bench, her hands on her hips, an over-stern frown decorating her face. "I get: 'Grace Eve Boscorelli, come here!"
"What've I told you about impersonating your mother?" Bosco said, feigning annoyance.
"Ummmm...never do it when she can hear me?"
Ty watched as Faith draped her arm across her husband's shoulders, nudging her forehead against his face in a vain attempt to hide her wide grin from her daughter. Bosco was trying to keep a straight face but was not making a good job of it.
"Jeez Gracie," he murmured, swinging his arm around Faith's waist.
Alex looked at Ty and rolled her eyes. "Too cute," she murmured.
To Ty, the scene before him held a strange fascination. Faith and Bosco had an easy charm about them as a couple. Bosco especially seemed different. Calmer. And whenever he looked at Faith there was no hiding how he obviously felt about her. As for Faith, Ty had never seen her laugh quite so much. Between them the pair inadvertently provided poor long suffering Alex with numerous opportunities to make quiet gagging noises into her wineglass.
*********************
TBC - need a bucket yet? Aunty Minn can lay it on when she wants to, eh?
PART THREE
Ty could feel his mouth swing open in utter astonishment as he watched the scene before him.
Faith Yokas, far from being disturbed by the fact that Maurice Boscorelli had his hand on her backside, responded by drawing closer to him, warmly laying her arm across his shoulders.
He turned to Alex, who derived a certain amount of amusement from the look on his face.
"Oh yeah," she said dryly, "The Boscorellis. Just when you think life can't get any weirder." She was shaking her head, a wry smile playing on her lips. "I gave it a month, tops. Just goes to show you how much I know about this sort of crap."
Ty stared at Alex, awaiting confirmation that she was just pulling his leg. None came.
"I mean, they have to be the last couple on the planet you'd think would turn out to be card carrying bluebirds of happiness, " Alex continued, making no attempt to cover the sarcastic tone in her voice. "But there they are - six years and one kid later and they still look like they actually enjoy each others company."
Six years? Faith and Bosco? Gracie is Bosco's daughter?
"And they've got this way of looking at each other - I swear to god Ty, it makes me wanna puke," Alex was saying.
Ty turned his attention back to where Faith and Bosco stood. Gracie was gazing up at her father pleadingly, and Bosco was smiling down at his daughter with a great deal of fondness. When he looked up at Faith the two exchanged a look that had Alex making gagging noises into her wineglass.
Ty watched as Gracie was handed her plate by Faith. Immediately the little girl headed in his and Alex's direction.
"No! No! Not over here," Alex was mumbling, "No, dammit..."
Gracie settled herself on the ground just in front Ty, placing her plate upon the low table next to his untouched meal. She had decided the little table under the tree where the funny man and the sad lady sat was a prime spot to be.
"That stuff is really nice," the little girl said, pointing to something on Ty's plate.
Ty did his best to nod but could feel the scene was beginning to slip away from him once more...
This time he had clearer memories of being helped over to one of the tables, Sully propping him up on one side, an old friend of his on the other. He could stand, he realised, and walk, sort of, but progress had been painfully slow.
He sat now at the head of one of the tables. Alex sat to his right on one of the long benches arranged beside the table, still toying with the food on her plate while eyeing Gracie warily for signs of overwhelming cuteness, he presumed. Next to her was Sully, and next to him, still wearing an expression of concern on her face, was his mother.
Gracie, oblivious to Alex's discomfort, was kneeling on the bench to Ty's left, pointing out to anyone who cared to listen the really tasty items to be found on her plate. Bosco and Faith were next to her.
Faith was regarding her husbands plate with some doubt.
"You gonna eat all that?"
"What? You kidding?" he responded. "Sul's paying. I'm clearing this and then goin' back for more."
"So who won the pool?" Alex asked.
"Sully," Faith answered, "in spite of Gracie's best efforts."
"I swear to you Faith," said Bosco between mouthfuls, "I never told Grace to burst in every time Sully was about to make a shot."
"Uh huh. Right," she said, unconvinced. "God, I'm livin' with a couple of grifters."
Grace clambered down from the bench and began to wander around the other tables. Finding some of her little friends they embarked on an impromptu game of chase, under Faith's watchful gaze.
"Gracie, come eat your lunch."
The game continued.
"Gracie. You can play later."
The game rambled on.
"Grace Eve!"
The full use of her given names was the little girl's cue to comply. Obediently, with little outward sign of descent, she returned to the table.
"Play after, OK?" said her father.
Alex was chuckling into her wine. "So how do you know when you're really in trouble with your mom Gracie?"
Quick as a flash Gracie was standing up on the bench, her hands on her hips, an over-stern frown decorating her face. "I get: 'Grace Eve Boscorelli, come here!"
"What've I told you about impersonating your mother?" Bosco said, feigning annoyance.
"Ummmm...never do it when she can hear me?"
Ty watched as Faith draped her arm across her husband's shoulders, nudging her forehead against his face in a vain attempt to hide her wide grin from her daughter. Bosco was trying to keep a straight face but was not making a good job of it.
"Jeez Gracie," he murmured, swinging his arm around Faith's waist.
Alex looked at Ty and rolled her eyes. "Too cute," she murmured.
To Ty, the scene before him held a strange fascination. Faith and Bosco had an easy charm about them as a couple. Bosco especially seemed different. Calmer. And whenever he looked at Faith there was no hiding how he obviously felt about her. As for Faith, Ty had never seen her laugh quite so much. Between them the pair inadvertently provided poor long suffering Alex with numerous opportunities to make quiet gagging noises into her wineglass.
*********************
TBC - need a bucket yet? Aunty Minn can lay it on when she wants to, eh?