I'm so sorry I haven't updated in a while, I've been super-crazy busy. I really hope you like this.
2015
"Do you think I need to wear this tie?" Joe asked her, for the second time, fidgeting with it in the overhead mirror of her car the moment Phyllis had finished parking up.
Phyllis rolled her eyes just a little looking across at him in the passenger seat.
"I told you you didn't when we were at home," she told him again, "It's alright," she said again soothingly, "No one expects you to be too smart! It's just a little after work thing, that's it."
"I know," he replied, pulling his tie off and sounding a little defeated, "Just I've never met your work friends before. I don't want them to think you're married to a sack of crap."
"Oh, they won't think that," she explained calmly, "Just imagine, I've been going to these staff social things for seven years, all the time insisting I did have a husband. They'll be shocked enough to find that you do exist."
He snorted a little, the humour not enough to make him smile. She looked at him closely, wanting to know if he was alright.
"Which line did you spin them?" he wanted to know.
"That I was in the Department of Education between Oxford and teaching," she replied, "You're in consulting and work away a lot."
"Well, the last half of that was definitely true," he replied.
"Are you alright?" she asked him softly, frowning so deeply that it almost gave her a headache, "Because we can go home if you're not. I don't want you to do anything you're not ready for."
"No, I want to," he insisted, "We can't have all your friends thinking that you've invented a husband."
He gave her a little smile, and she grinned back at him then leant across towards his seat, planting a kiss on his cheek.
"You look very handsome," she told him, leaning back to push the car door open, getting out.
They were parked in front of a large Islington House.
"Bloody hell," Joe's head popped up over the roof of his car, "That is a nice house."
"Yeah, it is," Phyllis agreed, "Cora's husband is something big high up in the government."
"That would explain it," Joe replied, closing the door of the car.
Phyllis stretched out her hand for his.
"Come on," she told him, "Let's go. It's just as nice inside."
There were other cars filling up the drive, and they made their way through them up to the door. Stepping up onto the doorstep, Phyllis rang the doorbell and waited. She squeezed Joe's hand gently.
When the door opened at first both of them looked straight ahead, confused that there seemed to be no one there. And then, from a little way about Phyllis' knee-height came a joyful shout:
"PHYLLIS!"
Phyllis grinned, bending down and scooping up the little girl who had come to the door in a hug.
"Hello, my love, how are you?" she asked.
The little girl's arms were wrapped around her neck, hugging her tightly.
"I'm sorry I haven't been to see you in a while," she told her, "Did your grandma tell you I was busy?"
The little girl nodded, looking unhappy.
"I'm sorry, my love," she told her softly, "But I've brought someone special to meet you. This is my husband Joe," she told her, turning around a little so they could see each other a little better, "Joe, this is Sybil, Cora's granddaughter."
Joe offered his hand, bowing a little bit to the little girl.
"How do you do Miss Sybil?" he asked her.
Sybil giggled, taking his hand. She turned her head towards Phyllis.
"I like him," she told her conspiratorially.
Phyllis laughed.
"Good," she replied, "I like him too. Now, will you do me a favour, my love, and run and tell you're grandma that me and Joe are here? Can you do that for me?"
Sybil nodded eagerly.
"Good girl," Phyllis told her, setting her down on the floor, "Off you go."
Sybil set off at an uneven but impressive run across the hallway and throng the far door. Phyllis straightened up, pulling her top back into place where it had ridden up. She met Joe's eyes, grinning apologetically.
"You're very natural with her," he told her softly.
"She's lovely," Phyllis replied, "She's only four."
"How does she know you so well?" he asked her curiously.
"Because she's always around at our school," she told him, "She's too youngg just now but she'll probably be in my class next year, which will be hell on wheels, she's bright but very very precocious. The babysitter brings her round after play group and she comes and plays in my classroom rather than waiting in Cora's office," Phyllis paused for a second, "Her mother died when she was born."
"That's horrible," Joe murmured.
"Yes, it is," Phyllis agreed, "She was very young. She died when little Sybil was born."
"Christ," Joe murmured, "Poor kid."
Phyllis nodded sadly.
"Her name was Sybil too," she was quiet for a moment, "Cora looks after her a lot."
"It sounds like you do too," he replied.
"I don't mind," she replied, "I really like it actually."
"Phyllis," a voice came from the other side of the hall, from the door Sybil had disappeared through, "You're here!"
A woman was there, slender, dark haired, dressed in elegant casual clothes.
"Hello, Cora," Phyllis replied, "Thank you for asking us over."
Cora crossed over to Phyllis, kissing her on the cheek.
"It's my pleasure," she told her, smiling, "Is this your husband?"
"Yes, it is," she replied, "This is Joe, Cora."
"It's a pleasure to be able to meet you at last," Cora told Joe, shaking his hand.
"Thank you for inviting me," Joe answered, "It's very kind of you."
"Nonsense," Cora replied, "Do come through and let me find you a drink."
…
"There you are."
Phyllis was sitting on the edge of Cora's patio with a glass of wine in her hand when she heard Joe's voice.
"Sorry," she told him, turning towards him as he sat down beside her, "I fancied a bit of air."
"It's alright," he replied, "I was talking to your friend Beryl."
Phyllis snorted a little.
"I think you were quite the hit with Beryl," she told him, "Once she'd got over the shock of you being real."
He grinned.
"She did seem very surprised," he replied, "For a long time."
"Do you want some of this?" she asked him, holding out her glass of wine.
"Go on then," he replied, taking it form her, "Just a little bit. Cora's asked if we want to stay to dinner."
"That's nice of her," she replied, "She definitely likes you."
"I'm glad," he replied, "I know they all must find it very strange that they've never even met me before."
"And that's in no way your fault," she told him swiftly, "You of all people know that."
He paused for a second and then nodded firmly.
"You're right," he replied quietly, "You're right."
She reached over, taking his hand and squeezing it. They had talked about this when they'd discussed coming to Cora's at all, over their last food and talking evening.
"You were right," he told her softly, "It was a good idea for me to come to something with normal people who've had normal lives. Except then I think of Cora and her poor daughter," he continued thoughtfully, "No one really has a normal life, do they? We all end up with that exceptional thing to bear, don't we?"
Her thumb stroked over the back of his hand.
"I'm so proud of you," she told him quietly.
He glanced at her, smiling.
"Thank you," he replied softly.
There was a long silence.
"Phyllis," he began again after a while, "Can I ask you something?"
"Almost anything," she told him with a glimmer in her eye.
"Do you want to have a baby?"
She looked at him very taken aback by his question.
"Call me ridiculous-… And if I've got the wrong end of the stick just tell me straight. But seeing you with Sybil, it made me think, a lot. You're just-… so good at it. You look so natural. And it looks like it makes you happy."
There was a silence.
A lump swelled in her throat a little and she had to push it down.
"Is it that obvious?" she asked him, "That I want to?"
It was good, she thought, to be able to finally voice the thoughts that had been creeping slowly into her mind, the sudden explosion of feelings that she'd been trying to leave unnoticed afraid that they would lead her astray into more pain. But they themselves had become a kind of pain. She was only shocked that he'd seen them in her when she'd been trying so hard to keep them under raps.
"You say it as if there's something wrong in it," he told her gently.
"I know," she told him, raising her hand to her face, "I just feel like such an idiot-… I've always been so adamant that that's something I didn't want."
"It is ok to change your mind, you know," he reminded her.
"I know," she replied vaguely, "Oh-… I don't know! When we were younger I thought it was a terrible idea."
"When we were younger we thought a lot of things," he told her, "Not all of which transpired to be correct."
"That's true," she agreed, "God knows."
"I don't know," he said, looking at her tenderly, "I feel like we've had enough chances taken from us. We shouldn't miss this if we don't want to."
"Oh, Joe," she murmured.
He took her hand back into his touching it carefully, and then squeezing it, very gently.
"It's alright," he whispered, "I'm asking because I want to have a baby with you," he told her quietly, "If that's what you want."
She looked at him very clearly. A smile was using at her lips.
"I don't know," she replied after a moment, "I need to think about it."
"I know," he agreed, "You're right, we do need to think, and talk, and plan. But in theory," he asked, "If you thought we could make things work-…?"
"Then I would be in," she told him firmly, "Yes."
"Alright," his other hand touched her cheek softly, "Then I will make it work for you. Let's have a baby."
Please let me know what you think.