Fast Forward 6 Months

Surprise for Betty

11 am. Stephen went for his 11:00 coffee break and dialed Betty.

"Ladies' Apparel," Miss Brahms answered.

"Hello, Miss Brahms, may I please speak with Mrs. Slocombe?"

"Hello, Captain Peacock! She's just finishing up with a customer. How are you?"

"I'm alright? You?"

"Good. Here she is," she said handing the phone to Betty. Betty removed one earring and put the receiver to her ear.

"Mrs. Slocombe."

"Hello. Is this the head of the department?" he asked in his Royal Signals' voice.

"It all depends. To whom am I speaking?" she asked in her posh voice.

The sound of her voice made him blush a little, "I need you to find out which weeks you are able to take holiday. I can put in for the same weeks. I want to take you on holiday with me. Make sure your passport is up to date."

"Where? Where?" she asked excitedly.

"It's going to be a surprise. Just let me know. I'm going for my coffee break, so I will talk to you later."

"OK, Buh-bye," she trilled.

"Bye, Love."

Betty placed the receiver back in its cradle and turned to Miss Brahms.

"Oh. Miss Brahms, exciting news! He's going to take me on holiday!"

"Where's he takin' you, Mrs. Slocombe?"

"He said it's a surprise and I should have my passport up to date," she gushed.

"You'll have to tell me as soon as you find out. I would never have believed this would ever happen after that day…"

"He has really changed, Miss Brahms."

"Oh, Blimey! You're not gonna to start singin' songs from Beauty and the Beast, are you?"

Betty was sitting on the couch in Stephen's lounge. He stood up, "Close your eyes. I have a surprise for you."

He walked out of the lounge to his bedroom closet and retrieved a shoebox covered in map sheets.

"You have your eyes closed, right?" he called from the bedroom.

"Yes," she said in anticipation.

"No peeking!"

He returned to the lounge and sat down next to her. He set the box on her lap, "OK, now open your eyes!"

She studied the box, which he decorated with a map of Italy and pictures from magazines and brochures pasted on it. There was the Leaning Tower of Pisa, the Coliseum, a gondola boat, a pizza, and pictures of lips scattered all over.

"What's this?"

"Open it! I've worked a lot of overtime this year. I saved every bit of my overtime pay and bonus pay so I can take you to…"

"Italy?" She gasped.

"Yes. Are you surprised?"

She threw her arms around his neck and kissed his cheek. Betty looked through the box. Brochures. Plane tickets. Stacks of pound notes neatly bundled in gum bands.

"WOW! You have all this even after buying the tickets?"

"I worked as much overtime as possible while I was going through the divorce. It helped to stay busy. Sometimes I worked double shifts. Do you remember when Harman used to come in the department on payday and flash his wedge of cash? He wasn't joking!"