Come, gentlemen,
I hope we shall drink down
all unkindness.
~ William Shakespeare
"Well, that was an absolutely smashing meal, if I do say so myself." Millie muses on a contented sigh, pushing herself back from the table and patting her stomach.
"Now for the washing up and I've brought a little surprise from Arizona. A little something to warm the blood." She says with a devilish wink.
"Caroline and I will do the washing up and make some tea. It's only fair since you and mum cooked this lovely meal. Besides, Caroline has a little obsession with the dishwasher." She flashes a cheeky grin to Millie and to her wife, who is gapping, open-mouthed, in mock indignation.
"I most certainly do not." Caroline retorts with a huff.
"Yes darling, you do, but it's quite adorable." Kate says as she rises from the table, Millie now giggling at the scene.
"Kate's right mum, you totally do." Lawrence chimes in with a laugh. Caroline flashes a shocked and stern glance his way and the whole table is chuckling now.
"Well, if people would load it properly the first time, then perhaps I wouldn't have to continually go back and do it again behind them!" Caroline replies in a slightly defensive tone, narrowed eyes to her son.
"Alright darling, then come show me how it's properly done." Kate takes her wife by the shoulders and gives her a light kiss on the lips before turning her toward the kitchen, and casting a teasing eye roll over her shoulder to the table.
"Lawrence, would you please collect the dishes and bring them to the kitchen for us?" Kate turns to ask as she pushes Caroline into the kitchen before her.
Lawrence gets up without a word and begins collecting the plates from the elders at the table. He takes the first round in and sets them on the island before returning to the dining room to collect the serving dishes.
He returns to the kitchen this time to find his mother bent over Kate, seductively kissing her cleavage. He clears his throat awkwardly, still embarrassed each time he catches them in some slightly compromising position. He used to get angry any time he saw them interacting in such a way, but the anger has finally faded to a mild annoyance and awkwardness at seeing his own mother kissing someone so passionately. He's glad to see her happy and smiling, but her face buried in Kate's chest is just a step more than he can handle with aplomb.
Caroline quickly lifts her head and steps away from Kate without looking up, embarrassed at being caught out, and more embarrassed by who might have caught them. Kate looks up with a giggle and makes eye contact with Lawrence, who returns the look with his own sheepish gaze.
"Umm, can I go to my room now? I'm supposed to meet Angus online to play Halo." He asks a bit hesitantly.
"If you want to, but I should tell you, there is pudding." Kate says with a sly smile.
"Oh, well I guess I can stay for a bit longer. I'll just text Angus…" he smiles at them both and heads back into the dining room with the elders.
"Oooh, look at you Mrs. McKenzie-Dawson; seems you have the magic touch." Caroline teases with a poke to Kate's side as Lawrence leaves the room.
"No, I'm just a fast learner. He's a teenage boy; there's two things that will get him to do what you want….food and breasts."
"Well, then I think he's more like me than I thought," she cracks with a sly grin. Kate bursts into a fit of laughter as Caroline leans in and places another luxurious kiss on the top of her breast.
oOo
"Tea and pudding are served." Kate calls as she enters the dining room carrying the pudding. Caroline follows behind with the tea tray after refusing to let Kate carry the heavy object so late into pregnancy.
"Pudding? Well who's responsible for that? Ginika and I certainly aren't."
"That would be me. I wanted to contribute something to this little do." Celia offers up a bit defensively.
"Well, that was very kind of you Celia. It looks lovely." Ginika says with a smile.
"Oh, it's nothing really, just vanilla bean with raspberry." Celia says with a small wave of her hand.
"Don't let mum fool you, that is her signature pudding and I've yet to have one that beats it." Caroline says with a smile and nod to her mother, Lawrence enthusiastically nodding in agreeance.
"Sounds like we're in for a treat then and it will go perfectly with my little treat too! I'll be right back." Millie excuses herself from the table and disappears into the kitchen while Caroline begins serving the pudding for the group, giving an extra slice to Lawrence with a wink.
Moments later Millie returns with a tray of glasses, a large glass of ice and a bottle of a bright magenta liquid. She sets the tray in the center of the table and everyone looks on curiously, not recognizing the drink she's brought in.
"Prickly pear vodka, distilled in Flagstaff, Arizona from locally grown cacti." She says with a wide grin and flourish of her hands.
"Oh, now that sounds interesting. Go on, pour us a bit." Alan says with a smile.
"Can I try some?" Lawrence asks, despite being confident of the answer. Caroline eyes him sternly for a moment and Millie watches on in silence, knowing when not to intrude.
"Alright, but only a small taste and we won't be making a habit of this, do you understand?" Caroline finally consents.
"Sweet!" Lawrence replies exuberantly, the adults all sharing a laugh.
"This is quite nice actually, a bit sweet, but not overly so. Do you normally drink it like this, or can you mix it with something?" Caroline asks as she swirls the rocks glass in her hand.
"Some people make gimlets with it, but I prefer it up or on the rocks."
"It's a bit like wine, more than vodka, isn't it?" Celia says as she takes another sip.
"I suppose it is. It is really nice in the hot Arizona summer evenings."
"Well, you'll have to send us a bottle in a month or two, so I can actually have a taste of this magic elixir." Kate says with a slight pout.
"It's taken care of. There's an extra bottle in your wine cabinet, a little post baby celebration when the time comes," Millie replies with a wink and tender rub of Kate's belly. Kate flashes a megawatt smile and squeezes Millie's hand.
"So, Millie, tell us a bit about you. We've had nearly two weeks to chat with Ginika, but you're our newest and least known guest." Celia says with a cautious smile. She's finally up for more than just congenial pleasantries, the vodka slowly starting to work its magic.
"Alright then, what would you like to know?" Millie says with a smile, she has no problem talking about herself, but she's not sure how much information Celia has an interest in knowing.
"Well, we know you're Kate's father's sister, but little else after that. What do you do, for instance, and how did you end up in Arizona?"
"Yes, Douglas, Kate's father, was my older brother, by 5 years. I went to university in Glasgow and then on to Cambridge for my graduate degree. That's where I met Alfred. He studied Anthropology and was offered a professor's assistant position when we graduated. He did that for 5 years, while I worked in a local gallery and then he was offered a teaching position in the department, which he did for the next 10. In 1981, he took on a research project with the university that was studying the Native American tribes of Arizona. That's how I ended up in America."
"That's a very interesting field, I imagine. So, what did you do over there?" Celia prods further, slightly interested, but also looking for cracks to use to her advantage later.
"Well, my training was in Art History and I specialized in pottery restoration and other clay crafts so I aided in the excavations of the cliff dwellings. They were recovering large volumes of pottery and other crafted items, so I was responsible for cataloging and identifying the items discovered and then bringing them back to Cambridge for further evaluation."
"Wow, that's rather exciting." Celia replies, the smile finally breaking across her face. Alan nods in agreement and continues to listen, along with the rest of the group.
"So, how long were you and Alfred married?" Caroline joins in, now curious to know more about this increasingly interesting woman.
"Oh, we never married. We met in 1966 and he died in 2002, massive heart attack."
"I'm sorry to hear that." Caroline replied with appropriate reserve.
"It was a long time ago. I loved him, but he loved the work more. Took his death to make him rest." Millie says in a flat tone.
"Sounds about like Caroline's father, except he had his women on the side." Celia says over the silence, the vodka making her tongue a little more loose than normal. Caroline looks up, a bit shocked by her words. Not offended, but surprised at her openness in saying them. Kate and Ginika exchange a slightly amused glance, cautious to hide it from the rest of the table.
"Men…scoundrels, I tell you; except of course you, Alan…and Lawrence here, if we can help it." Millie declares with a laugh and reaches over to ruffle the teenager's hair.
"So why did you stay in America after he died? Did you continue on with the research?" Lawrence asks, now interested in the conversation.
"No, but I started doing research on the local art scene and had started taking some pottery classes of my own. I wanted to learn more about the actual crafting of the things I was cataloging and to try my hand at making the art I had spent so many years studying. The culture there is just lovely, so alive and free and welcoming, and I fell in love with the place….and another person." Millie confesses with a sly smile and wistful look in her eye.
"Was he an artist then?" Celia is practically eating Millie's words up with a spoon now, on her second glass of vodka.
"Georgia, yes, she was. She made beautiful turquoise jewelry and traditional Navajo pottery, both crafts her grandmother and mother had done before her."
Celia instantly sits up straighter in her seat, surprised by Millie's confession. She tries desperately to hide the shock on her face, but it's useless. Caroline can't help the smug smile that has crossed her mouth, already having been aware of Millie's most recent past.
"Oh, have I shocked you? I thought you had moved past that bit now, I am sorry." Millie replies in a sweet, but slightly condescending tone.
Celia fumbles for a moment for a reply, having been caught off her usual game by the vodka and the newest guest at the table.
"No, it's just well…no, I didn't know, that's all." Celia feebly replies in a fluster. Alan takes her hand with a gentle smile, giving it a reassuring squeeze. Lawrence watches on in amusement, enjoying seeing his granny bested by this boisterous Scottish woman.
"She sounds like a lovely woman. Why didn't she come with you? We would have loved to meet her." Alan quickly recovers, always trying to smooth over his wife's rough patches.
"She died, 6 months ago. It was a life-long battle with diabetes." The room falls quiet for a moment, Millie temporarily losing the light that seemed to eternally glow from her face.
"I am so very sorry for your loss." Alan says kindly, reaching across the table to pat her hand and offer a reassuring squeeze.
"Thank you; that is very kind Alan." Millie says with a weak smile.
"Yes, she lost Georgia the same time Douglas passed, which is why she couldn't be here for the funeral." Ginika offers in a somber tone. Kate reaches up and takes her mother's hand, rubbing her thumb tenderly across her knuckles. Caroline leans in to her wife and rubs her arm protectively with a gentle smile. The table sits silently for a while, no one really sure what to say to lighten the mood. Finally Millie sighs loudly and wipes the corner of her eyes.
"Alright, enough of that melancholy stuff, we're supposed to be celebrating these two love birds. Caroline, tell us how you two met and brighten up this somber mood." Millie says robustly as she continues to wipe the unshed tears from the corners of her eyes.
"Well…I don't really know what to say. We met at school, obviously. Kate was simply brilliant…and very persistent, at offering me a shoulder to cry on after the fiasco with John. She pulled me from my misery and put the smile back on my face." Caroline confesses, smiling shyly at her wife who is simply beaming next to her.
"Now see, that is what I'm talking about. How could anyone not see that these two are madly in love, just look at those silly grins!" Millie smiles widely at the two younger women at the table. Caroline shakes her head in embarrassment and Kate leans into her shoulder, biting her bottom lip through her smile.
"So Katie, tell me, what made you fall madly in love with our fair haired doctor?" Millie affectionately goads her niece.
"Well, do you want the PC version, or the adults only one?" Kate replies coyly. Caroline gasps in mock horror and plants a playful slap on her wife's bicep.
"Darling, since when have I ever been PC?!" Millie replies with a robust laugh.
"Don't you dare, missy. My mother is here, not to mention my teenage son!" Caroline says with a pointed finger, ominous tone, but a delighted twinkle in her eye.
"Nope, that's my cue to leave. Angus is waiting for me anyway." Lawrence declares as he gets up from the table.
"Shoot all the baddies then." Alan calls after him as he leaves the room, turning back to the ladies with a laugh.
"Right, it's just adults now, so tell me all about it!" Millie says devilishly, pouring another round of vodka for everyone.
"Well, first it was her eyes. They're gorgeous, just look at them, but I can read so much emotion behind them. If I'm going to be a bit more carnal then I'd say her enviable curves and killer legs." Kate says with a quick wink and wide smile. Caroline buries her head in Kate's neck, beyond embarrassed at her wife's confession.
"Caroline, your turn, and there's no escaping." Millie warns with a laugh. Caroline rolls her eyes with a groan, the delighted smile still plastered across her face.
"I have to agree with my wife on the eyes. She has such expressive and kind eyes. That's what really made me open up to her in the beginning. I could see such kindness and genuine care in them. I also love her beautiful skin….and her arms, they're very toned. As for the rest, well, I have to leave some to the imagination." She finishes with a wink and crooked grin.
"And what about you Celia? What made you fall for Alan all those years ago?"
Celia sits for a moment, thinking. Suddenly, to Caroline's shock and the rest of the table's delight she blurts out her response.
"His bum!" She hiccups after and falls into a fit of giggles.
"Oh, I think I'm a bit squiffy. Think I've had enough of this stuff." She says with another laugh as she pushes it away. The whole table is laughing now, joining in the fun.
"Well, not just his bum. I liked his smile too. He has a beautiful smile." Celia says and leans in to give Alan a quick peck on the lips.
"And what about you love? What did you like about me?" She asks Alan with a silly grin.
"I liked your smile and you had lovely hair. Your legs weren't too bad either." He says with a wink and laugh.
"Alright mum, you're up, what was it about dad that had you?"
"I agree with Celia about the smile, Doug had a wonderful smile. I also really loved his shoulders. He had such strong shoulders. It gave him such a powerful presence." Ginika reminisces with a smile.
"Now, don't think you can escape your own little game Millie. What was it that drew you to Georgia?" Caroline asks, turning the tables to Millie, the rest of the group now looking to her in anticipation.
"Her raven hair, dark skin and high cheekbones…among other things…" she casts a sly smile and wink to Caroline and Kate.
"Well, this was actually a very lovely evening, but I'm knackered and ready for bed. Ginika and Millie, thank you for the wonderful dinner and this…colorful drink. Come on Alan, bring that nice bum of yours to bed with me." The two get up from the table and prepare to leave, the rest of the group rising to offer their farewells.
"Yes, it's getting a bit late, I guess we should all be off to bed. Just leave the dishes and I'll clean up in the morning." Ginika says with a yawn as she rises.
"Oh, don't worry, I'll just switch over the dishwasher before I go to bed." Caroline says with a smile as she goes to hug her mother and Alan.
"Just leave it!" The group replies in unison before all falling into a fit of laughter, having one final convivial go at Caroline.