27 Cellophane and Bows – Tuesday

On Tuesday William caught the afternoon train for Oxford. His dad picked him up in front of The Lion and taxied him to the station. They had all been sorry to have him go. Saying their goodbyes before heading off to school that morning, Caroline once again had trouble keeping a check on her emotions. Wasn't it supposed to get easier after the first time you sent them off?"

Returning to the consultant's office that afternoon for the Tuesday – Friday routine they had established last week to have Kate's blood pressure monitored, Caroline had insisted on coming with her again. Bringing the question of how many hours per week Kate should work to Dr. Kent, he sided with Caroline on the Tuesday – Thursday morning schedule. Then she could stop by the office to have her BP monitored Tuesdays on her way home and that would be a good indicator of how things were going. He took the opportunity to reinforce his warnings of the week before, reminding Kate that there was a good possibility that before the baby was delivered, she could be put on bed rest.

Chastened, Kate agreed, she was not willing to jeopardize the baby but it felt wrong not to be working. She'd been saving against this day since there had been even a chance that she had conceived a child. She'd economized and squirreled away money to tide her through this possibility and to allow her to stay home with the baby until the autumn term began.

That had been when she was on her own. Now that she and Caroline were together and living in this posh flat she felt that she needed to keep up her end of the expenses and it worried her to think of her savings dwindling too quickly. This move had been costly, she was sure. They had not sat down yet to begin setting up their joint household budget and she really did not know where she stood.

Caroline saw the furrow between Kate's brows during the drive home. When they arrived, she pulled out her briefcase and gathered Kate's pile of exercise books which had slithered across the floor of the backseat, wondering once again why she didn't use a carrier bag or something to keep them all together. Meeting Kate at the front of the car on the way to the parking garage entrance of the building, she said gently, "I know this isn't what you want, but we can make it work, can't we? The most important thing is your health and Callie's."

"I know," admitted Kate. "I just…"

Tenderly, Caroline tried to relieve her, "Shall we have a cup of tea and talk about it?

Kate tried to smile and pressed for the lift.

They had changed clothes and Kate was seated in her favorite spot at the breakfast bar knowing the Caroline would take the seat around corner. Placing Kate's tea before her, Caroline prompted simply, "Tell me."

This made a smile play at Kate's mouth, when they were in bed these two words had a whole different meaning. On second thought maybe it was much the same, Caroline was asking her to say what she wanted so that she could give it to her. Maybe she hadn't been thinking about this whole thing quite rightly in light of their new relationship. Caroline waited quietly for Kate to find her voice, her words. Caroline being so patient with her drove a wave of pure love through her. It took her breath away and that brought concern to Caroline's face.

Seeing this Kate put a hand on Caroline's sleeve to reassure her, "I'm fine. I just realized again how much I love you. And that everything affects both of us now."

"Won't you please tell me what's troubling you?"

"Caroline, I've never not worked before. Now, I'm required to go very part time much earlier than I anticipated. I've been saving toward this day but now I don't even know what our expenses are. I need to keep up my end here but I don't know what that is."

"Kate, you don't need to worry about this, I've got you. It doesn't matter. It'll be fine."

Sitting up very straight, that regal arch to her neck, the cold steel edge in her voice, Kate challenged, "So, you are saying to me, Caroline Elliot, that if our roles were reversed and I was telling you not to worry your pretty little head about these matters, that you would be just fine with that?

Caroline opened her mouth to protest when she realized that is approximately what she'd just said. Closing her mouth she sat and blinked for a moment, "Kate, I'm sorry. I never meant to patronize you. Please believe me. Hearing you just now, I realize how terrible it sounded." Seeing by Kate's posture that she hadn't made much progress, she tried again earnestly, "I am sorry. I just want so badly to take away anything that is burdening you so that you don't worry and endanger your health. I really am just very concerned for you at the moment."

Relenting somewhat then, "I'm sorry if I was too sensitive. I'm just feeling a little overwhelmed."

Trying again, "Of course you are. What can we do to reduce your anxiety?"

Giving Caroline a direct look, "It would help if I knew where I stood financially."

Thinking for a moment, "We haven't received much post since we moved. I suppose there's a delay having things forwarded. I haven't unpacked my study yet either. Can you give me Saturday to get that sorted? By then the post should be coming through and Sunday we can sit down and budget things out. Would that be alright?"

Giving her a grateful smile, "Yes. That'll be fine. I'll try not to worry until then."

"Have you decided whether to put your house on the market or try to let it?"

"There isn't really a reason to keep it." Mischievously, "The only sentimental value is that it is the first place we made love together."

Glad that the mood was lightening, "Well, I'd say that's reason enough to wrap it in cellophane and put a bow on it." Leaning over to meet Kate, they kissed sweetly before Caroline suggested, "Why don't you put on some music and stretch out on the sofa where I can see you while I start supper?" Taking the teacups with her, "Otherwise Laurence will be here driving us mad looking for snacks. He's always ravenous after practice."

The Dinner Party - Saturday

On Saturday morning, Caroline tackled the stacks of cartons in the new study. By lunch she had filled file drawers, organized the two tall bookshelves with glass doors that had come with her and filled two cartons with paper to be recycled. Kate had helped Caroline for a while, sorted some of her own filing then gone to the market after ingredients for the evening meal.

They had invited Edie, Celia and Alan to dinner. This was the first time they had entertained in the new home they shared and they were both excited. They'd spent evenings this week putting the finishing touches on the decorating. Switching lamps from one place to a more advantageous location, setting out framed photos and other items from both houses and debating over where to hang art. So by the end of the week it looked like a home even though the potential nursery still resembled a box room.

It took them by surprise each time they arrived home into this grand open space. It no longer felt so vast now that it was furnished. Kate had inherited an impressive mahogany dining table from her grandmother McKenzie. It was a piece that she in turn had inherited through her side of the family from the days when people lived in spacious manor homes. The finish was still beautiful and it had leaves and chairs that allowed it to seat 16 comfortably. Even in this generous room they were only using a third of the leaves for everyday use and Kate had never before had space to use more than one. They planned to search the antique markets for a suitable sideboard to fit under the north windows at the first opportunity.

The living area was long and had space for two furniture groupings. Currently, at one end was a large screen telly purchased this week because it suited the size of the room and was a thank you gift to the boys for all their hard work on the move. Before it were the couch from Kate's and chairs from the sitting room of both houses. To the right of center, in front of the windows, was featured the baby grand piano that Kate had saved for years to purchase and had acquired only a year or so before she split with Richard. In the cottage it had sat in the conservatory at the back of the house, filling the entire space. Now at last, it had its rightful pride of place.

The far end across from the dining room near the door was empty now, waiting for them to find time to select pieces for a new furniture grouping to accommodate the adults went the youngsters were playing video games. All in all they were very pleased with the result even though it was not yet completely decorated.

After lunch, the two women prepared as much of the evening meal as they could ahead of time. They were still learning how to navigate around one another in this new workspace that they shared. Actually, they were finding it most pleasurable to work together in the kitchen, taking frequent opportunity for a stolen kiss or a caress. Even the cleanup phase of the work became less onerous as the work was divided and happily they both agreed upon a spotless kitchen.

Caroline had never thought that she could share her kitchen with anyone but it was turning out better than she expected. Although she didn't hold back if she thought something would be more efficient if moved to a new location and Kate would have to defend her decision to put it there in the first place. Sometimes she was successful at this and other times she admitted that now the kitchen was in use the new spot did make more sense.

By mid-afternoon all but the last touches were completed on the meal and the table was set beautifully with one of Kate's tablecloths and grandmother Dawson's china that Caroline had been inspired to use now that there was a table worthy of it.

The women took the opportunity to stretch out to rest before it was time to dress for company. Caroline relaxed into the bed and knew that the relief would be even greater for Kate. Joining her, Kate sighed heavily and when she was ready to roll onto her side Caroline massaged the aching back. "You should have been in here long ago. I don't know what I was thinking to have you working in the kitchen all afternoon after shopping this morning." Smiling, "I am getting to like having you there in the kitchen with me though." Marveling, "Never thought I would say that." Receiving no response, Caroline peeked over Kate's shoulder and found her fast asleep.

Mentally kicking herself for not taking better care of this delicate creature, Caroline resolved to double her efforts to save Kate from all the things she wouldn't give up voluntarily. She thought briefly about returning to the study to continue with the project there but the pleasure of being next to Kate, even a sleeping Kate was too much to resist. Resting her head against Kate she soon drifted off as well.

Celia had found herself slightly off balance as soon as she entered Caroline's new flat. Laurence had opened the door wide for her and Alan and directly in her line of vision had been Kate seated on a stool at the breakfast bar, her mother standing behind her lightly pulling strands of Kate's hair through her fingers as she talked over Kate's head to Caroline. The sight bespoke the closeness between this mother and daughter giving her a pang of jealousy. She couldn't remember the last time she'd had such a moment with Caroline.

Caroline and Kate had both come forward to welcome them into their new home and the moment had passed. She was reintroduced to Edie, Kate's Mum, and struck again not only by her height but her easy composure and stylish appearance. She wasn't that much younger than herself Celia knew but she gave the impression of a much younger woman. Her last conversation with Kate in Caroline's kitchen fresh in her mind, Celia could clearly see where Kate had come by her confidence and poise.

Advancing into the spacious room where the diaphanous draperies had been left open to elicit the inevitable ooohs and ahs over the view of the lights below. Edie, Celia and Alan were suitably impressed. The guests received a tour of the flat with the building's salvaged art deco features pointed out and properly admired. Plans for the nursery were sketched out, the newly organized study/bedroom viewed and the clever innovations of the laundry closet revealed before they sat down to the delicious meal prepared by Kate and Caroline.

During the tour of the flat Celia watched Caroline and Kate as they conducted them through the rooms. It was clear that any reticence they had assumed before her in the past was over now. Whenever the two were within arm's length of one another they were touching. It wasn't overt but fingers would entwine, there would be a hand to a shoulder or Kate would slip an arm under Caroline's to lean against her and if they were separated in the group it was inevitable that their eyes were on each other as they talked about the flat.

There would have been a time when she would not have understood this at all, before Alan had come into her life again. Even in their seventies the sexual attraction between them was stronger than anything she had experienced in her life. They were hardly ever more than an arm's length apart themselves if they could help it. What if they had found one another again in the prime of life? Celia smiled to herself at the fireworks she could imagine if she and Alan shed three decades. Her thoughts turned to what that side of life would be like for Caroline now and immediately switched off such thoughts. Who wanted to think of her daughter as sexually active at any age? Even when pregnancies had provided incontrovertible proof of it in Caroline's marriage to John she had not gone there. The thought of two women… Well, it was difficult enough to deal with what was before her eyes. She was doing the best she could given the circumstances. She saw that Edie too noted the magnetism these two held for one another and wondered what she thought about them.

Edie was wishing fiercely that Alistair were with her tonight. She missed him as the integral part of her life that he had been for the last fifty years. His sense of fun, his wit and laughter had made even difficult days better. They had shared so much over the years and now with these significant changes in Kate's life, she especially missed having him to talk things through with, his perceptive insights and wisdom would have made it all so much easier to deal with.

She was troubled by Kate's pregnancy and the effect it could have on her health. Glad as she was that Caroline seemed so devoted to her daughter and was obviously intelligent and capable it was still a strange situation to her. Kate had told her and Alistair years ago about her attraction to women. She'd even had them over for dinner one night with someone she had been seeing at the time. By then Alistair had been becoming less and less himself. But there had been lucid moments when they'd talked about this and had decided that after all they'd endured together over their mixed race marriage they could do nothing other than be supportive of Kate.

Kate had not introduced anyone else to her until Caroline. She did speak from time to time of having been here or there with someone and it was apparent that it had been a date but she didn't bring them to meet her or to any of the McKenzie family gatherings that she attended. While Edie didn't want Kate to feel that she couldn't bring her friends with her she'd been glad that she hadn't brought a parade of dates to meet the McKenzies. Not that they wouldn't have been polite and kind as they always were. It would simply have been an added stress and most days it was difficult enough to face what life had become for Alistair.

Last spring when Kate had begun mentioning Caroline more and more often Edie realized it had been a long time since Kate had talked about anyone in her life. She had been a little ashamed of herself to think how much she had come to depend on Kate and her support as Alistair slipped further and further away from them and how little thought she had given to her daughter's quality of life and happiness. She paid more attention to Kate after that and had seen a light in her eyes that hadn't been there for a very long time. Then suddenly the light had gone out. Just like that Kate had become subdued and there was no more talk of Caroline so she knew something had gone wrong. They'd had one conversation about it. Kate had told her that Caroline was still working out the details of ending her marriage. Also that Caroline's mother had been much less than happy about her daughter taking up with another woman and the relationship had been crushed by these weights. Now she was face to face with the woman who had gotten in the way of Kate and Caroline before and she wondered how it was going this time around.

The dining room sparkled with reflections from the prisms of the elegant chandelier onto the fine china and crystal. As the meal had been put on the table Laurence regaled them with stories from school and the rugby pitch. Edie was reminded of a rugby story about her son, Kevin, which lead to a story about Kate winning piano competitions when she was at school. Naturally, Celia could not let Kate's mother think that her family was any more distinguished than her own and told stories of honors in science earned by Caroline and the time she received rave reviews in the school musical, then a story that ended slightly to Caroline's disadvantage producing a laugh around the table. This in turn had seemed to give permission for Edie to tell a story at Kate and Kevin's expense. Laurence was lapping it all up and asking for more, though in truth at this point neither mother needed the encouragement.

The two women had been indulgent at first if a bit embarrassed. Caroline had begun to interrupt her Mum when the less than flattering story had begun, knowing where this was leading, but at a touch to her wrist by Kate she subsided against her better judgment. Kate, seeing the glint in her mother's eye had tried to prevent the next story but it was too late, the train was careening down the track now. Turning to look at Caroline she received a look that said she could have predicted this so the two endured as patiently as they could to the end of Edie's story. As Celia opened her mouth to carry on Caroline had had enough. She rose to her feet and pulling out Kate's chair for her said firmly, "Kate will you play for us while Laurence clears the table?"

"Hey, why me?"

Smiling wickedly, brows raised, "He who plays, pays." Caroline continued to smile as she followed the others into the living area, hearing him muttering as they moved off, "they were the ones telling the stories, not me."

Sitting down to the piano, Kate opened with 'The Queen of Sheba' partly to tweek Celia back a little but mostly to evoke the last time they had heard her play. Celia and Alan laughed and explained the joke to Edie. Making themselves comfortable they listened as Kate moved from one piece that she thought they would like to another. Caroline stood behind Kate so she could rest her back against her from time to time. After a bit, having successfully broken the storytelling competition, Caroline led Kate over and seated her next to her Mum before going to make coffee and the talk turned to Celia and Alan's upcoming trip to France.

At the end of the evening, Laurence walked the elders to their cars and Caroline talked Kate into getting ready for bed while she finished putting the kitchen to rights. When Laurence returned he plopped himself onto a stool saying, "We should do this more often, it was great hearing all of those stories about you and Kate."

Sitting down beside him, "Yes, well keep in mind that one day it'll be us telling stories on you to your new mate." Then rubbing between his shoulder blades, she smiled, "It was a good evening wasn't it?" Musing, " The only thing that would have made it better would be having William here too."

"Yeah, he sure missed out tonight."

"Before long, I'll be saying the same about you." Glancing over, "I'm not looking forward to that either."

Glancing at her sharply, "No?"

Stricken, "Oh, Laurence, you haven't gotten the impression that I don't want you here, have you?"

Reassuring her, "No, I didn't mean that," although he had a little. "I just reckoned that you'd be kind of glad when I wasn't around so much and you could live your lives."

Caroline regarded him with her face full of love. Putting an arm around his shoulders and pulling him in until his head rested against hers, "You know, you and William have been my life for a long time. As things stagnated between your Dad and I, the two of you became my reason for living, the joy of my life. Every decision was made with your best interest at heart."

Kissing him on the cheek and turning his stool until he faced her, Caroline looked at him for a moment, trying to find just the right words, "I know things have changed quite quickly these last weeks but one thing that will never change is my love for you and William." Meeting Laurence's eye with the same directness that he had inherited from her, "You and William are still at the heart of every decision I make. You may not have been the reason for every choice I've made recently but your welfare is primary to me. I hope you never have reason to doubt that."

Seeing the negative shake of his head, "You're growing into such a fine young man. I couldn't be prouder of you." The love and pride showing clearly on her face, "I've loved every moment of being a mother. Of being your Mum."

Going on intently, "Family has always been very important to me. Nothing would make me happier than for you and William to feel that you could include Kate and the new baby into our family." Tilting her head and shrugging a bit, "I can't force that on you but it is my fondest desire. For all of us to have a happy home life, loving one another, caring for one another, that's the best I could hope for." Taking his hand, "This is your home. I want you here. Kate wants you here. No matter how old you get, where you go or where I live, my home is your home." Hugging him hard for a moment, Caroline rose saying softly, "Good night Laurence."