Part Three: Procrastinating

"Daddy, can I call Nicolette, just to let them know I got in okay?" Perdita asked after supper.

"Of course darling, but keep it short." Perdita hurried to the phone, hoping that Nicolette hadn't told her parents yet. There was no way in the world that she could yet. Hurriedly she was connected.

"Bonjour, Celina speaking. "

"Bonjour Celina, it's Perdita, may I please speak Nicolette?"

"Of course." The phone was put down and in a second, Nicolette, sounding breathless had picked up the phone.

"Perdita!"

"Nicolette, have you told them?" There was definite urgency in Perdita's voice.

"No, I can't have you?"

"I know it's silly, but I really want to wait until we're together, the lot of us, as a family. And Aunty Margaret too."

"I do too, we'll wait okay?"

"You bet."

"That's great and Aunty Margaret knows." Nicolette admitted.

"How? Why? What does she think?" Perdita asked, very much surprised.

"I'm sorry sweetie, I was upset and I told her last night. But she's okay with it all. She doesn't mind, and she won't talk to our parents about it until she knows they know. She's coming over next week and I'll talk to her then and ask her to keep quiet."

"I know she will, have you been crying?"

"Yeah." Nicolette admitted sheepishly, "You know how I stress."

"Yeah you little goose, well, we'll wait till we're together." Perdita laughed. "I have to go, I'm running my five-minute time limit."

"Okay, take care."

"I love you, you goose, you know that."

"Yeah Perdita, and I love you too sweetheart."

"Bye, bye." Perdita made a kissing noise down the phone and Nicolette returned it, laughing they hung up.

They were relived that they had to wait until their families were together to tell them as they knew that no matter how close the two families were, it cost a lot to get the five Honnicuts to Maine and even more for the seven Pierces to get to California, so they weren't together very often.

"Why do you say you love Perdita?" Celina asked, she was only 18 when she'd met Hawkeye and 19 when Nicolette had been born. Barely out of her teens herself, Celina didn't understand her daughter.

Hawkeye met Celina just after coming home from Korea. Despite the age gap, they formed an instant friendship, which quickly became a deeply passionate relationship. They were happy, and loved each other very much. Even Hawkeye put his morals aside, until Celina found out that she was pregnant and the couple married at her parent's insistence. Hawkeye's morals suddenly reawakened from wherever he had put them when he - a 33-year-old - had taken the 18-year-old virgin into his bed. Now they were celebrating 16 years of wedlock and 5 healthy children.

"Because she is like my sister mama, it is just how we are." Nicolette explained. Celina smiled, English wasn't her strongest language. Nicolette repeated herself in rapid French, and finally Celina understood.

Very much relived Perdita went to bed, and Nicolette went for a walk. The girls knew they'd put it off, but just how long they had no idea.