Chapter 8
Saturday
“Shall we go see what Grace has made for lunch, I’m starving!” Hank said, expertly turning his horse around. They galloped back, and William and Buffy were so surprised when they saw that it was their daddy and mommy that had galloped up in a cloud of dust.
“Wow!” William said, standing up and dusting his hands off. Tom came riding up.
“Can’t go at a gallop these days, shakes the old bones up too much!”
“Hi ya…what have you two been up to then?”
“We’ve been feeding the chickens, and the rabbits…and that man…um, Gabe said that there was a new foal born…he said we could name it!”
“Did he…?” Hank grinned at the children.
“Come on then miss Buffy, and you Mr William…come and see the new foal” Gabe said, smiling. The children raced around to the stables.
“Oh…is it a boy horse, or a girl horse?” Buffy asked.
“It’s a girl horse” Gabe said.
“Princess B! Like daddy calls you princess, I think she’s real pretty!” William said. Buffy blinked, then grinned.
“Oh yes!”
“Ok then, Princess B, for Buffy it is!” Gabe said, smiling at the children.
“Daddy! My William has named her Princess B, after me!” Joyce, Tom and Grace had heard this too, and thought it so sweet. This made Buffy more in love with William than ever.
“Ok then folks, if you’d like to wash up…lunch is served” After a lunch of cold cuts and salad, and some homemade bread, Joyce and Hank took Grace and the children into Pasadena to do some shopping.
Buffy was swooning with glee in the wedding shop, looking at all the beautiful dresses. There was a young woman, about 22, trying on gowns. She had her sister and her mother with her, and when she came out with this really pretty dress with sparkly diamonds on the bodice, Buffy was transfixed.
“I want that dress when I marry my William!” She said to her mommy. The three ladies heard this, and smiled.
“Is it her brother?” The ‘bride’ asked
“Sort of, he’s adopted, and she’s besotted!” Joyce said.
“What’s besotted?” Buffy asked. Joyce hadn’t realised she’d heard.
“Oh, um, it means you love him”
“I do. Very much. We saw a newborn foal today, and William said to call her Princess B, after me, as she was very pretty…B for Buffy, that’s me!”
“Oh, that’s so sweet!” the mother of the bride said. They were all smiling.
“Isn’t it…”
“Which do you like Buffy, the blue or the green?” William asked. He was showing her the cummerbunds and ties to match.
“Oh, the blue…will you wear a suit?”
“I expect so” William said.
“So William, which do you like, the blue or the green?” Grace asked, smiling
“Blue, like Buffy does”
“That’s settled then…”
“Are you going to wear a big white dress, nana?”
“Good heavens, no love, I’m way too old for that!”
“No you’re not!” Buffy said, then said,
“She isn’t too old, is she William?”
“Course not, you’d look really pretty in one, I’m sure!” Everyone beamed.
“There you go then mom, what William says is gospel!” Joyce said, grinning. Grace smiled too.
“I do rather like this…” she took down a pale cream coloured shift dress.
“Well, go try it on”
“Do you think I should?” Everyone nodded to her. She pulled the curtain back, and smiled.
“There, what do you think?”
“Oh mom!”
“Nana!”
“I said you’d look really pretty!” William said. Grace looked so beautiful, and the dress fitted her like it was made for her.
“You must have it mom!”
“Do you think I should…I feels wonderful, but it’s expensive!”
“It LOOKS wonderful!”
“You think I should have it?” Buffy and William grinned and both nodded.
“Ok then, that’s it, I’ll take it!”
“Hold on, before you take it off…try this………” Joyce put on a small hat in the same colour as the dress, it had a little lace veil that covered the eyes.
“Oh nana, that looks very pretty!” Buffy said. William sat in the chair quietly, looking at his Pokémon cards, until it was time to go.
Grace said she’d already got shoes and a bag, and then they looked at the bridesmaid dresses for Buffy. They picked out a pretty little peach dress and Buffy loved it.
Back home at the ranch, Tom said that Susan had rang. This wasn’t unusual, she rang a couple of times a week, but not usually that early.
“Did you tell her, about us getting married?” Grace asked, smiling.
“My dear Grace, I want to shout it from the roof tops, but it isn’t my news to tell, so, I didn’t”
“I wonder what made her ring so early?”
“I think she wants to come and stay, Chuck’s got to go away on a course”
Later that afternoon
“You’re WHAT?” Susan said, crashing her mug down on the counter so the tea slopped over. She was shocked. Grace looked at Tom, and heaved a sigh and rolled her eyes.
“Why are you so against it, why can’t you just be happy for us, like everyone else is?” Grace asked her daughter.
“I didn’t say I was against it…I just wondered why, that’s all”
“Why does anybody get married?” Tom asked her.
Susan had no proper answer to this, or if she did, she knew it wouldn’t cut any ice.
“I love your mother, we can grow old together, be there for one another”
“But…doesn’t matter”
“Go on, I’d much rather hear what you have to say”
“Well, it’s not money, is it? – I mean, you told me he already owns half of this place anyway” Susan was playing with a teaspoon on the table, not looking at either Tom or her mother.
“Why does everything always boil down to money with you?” Joyce asked, coming into the kitchen, loaded with shopping. Following her into the kitchen were the children and Hank. They’d been into Pasadena again. She put all their bags on one of the chairs. Tom went and filled the kettle, put it on.
“And hello to you…golly, you look well Joyce” Susan took in her sister’s fit figure and smart new hairstyle and colour. Well, it was new to her, anyway.
“Can we have a drink please, Nana?” William asked.
“Of course you can my darling, what would you like?” She cupped his little face and then she hugged him.
“Um…”
“There’s juice, or milk…or I know, (she bent over, looking him in his beautiful blue eyes, and smiled at him) got some homemade lemonade, would you like some of that?”
“Did you make it nana?” William looked up at her.
“I did”
“Yes please then!”
She gave him another hug and kissed the top of his head.
“You go sit love, I’ll bring it to you”
“And some for Buffy”
“Of course honey!”
“Oh, he calls you nana” Susan said.
Closing the fridge door, Grace frowned, put the jug of lemonade on the counter and turned to face Susan.
“He’s my grandchild, why not, what else would he call me?”
“But…well, he’s adopted” Susan reasoned.
“I shan’t even dignify that comment with a reply” Grace got out two glasses and poured the drink.
“So, are you going to introduce me to your adopted son?” Susan asked.
“Let him have his drink first”
“Where did you get him from?”
“You make him sound like a stray dog” Hank said, annoyed.
“Well, I only asked…broken home was it?”
“No. His parents were killed in a car accident, if you must know…he only had one other relative in the world, and she’s got MS and in a wheelchair now, in a residential nursing home” Joyce said. she could feel the irritation just being near her sister rising fast.
Buffy said,
“Nana, can William and I help feed the chickens?” Grace put her arms around both children’s shoulder’s, and smiling she said,
“I was just going to ask you…you must be doing something right, we’ve had three extra eggs yesterday and today!”
“William…this is my sister, Susan, Susan, this is William”
“Hello – Do I call you auntie?”
“I suppose. Hello William.”
“When we’re grown up, I’m going to marry William” Buffy said, taking William’s hand in hers.
“What? Don’t be silly, of course you can’t” Susan frowned.
“Yes I can!” Buffy said, standing, hands on hips, she too was frowning.
“But he’s…”
“Susan…” Joyce shook her head once at her sister.
“Come on William, let’s go help Nana” They ran off, William shouting ‘Bye’.
“Why do you let her think that – that she can marry him?” Susan asked.
“Oh for gods…what harm does it do, they love each other, it shines out of them, he’s very protective of her, and she dotes on him, they’ll eventually grow out of it, I suppose, meanwhile…” Joyce asked, annoyed. Susan shrugged.
“Anyway what do you know about having kids…” Hank asked, looking over his newspaper.
“That was below the belt” Susan scowled
“Don’t start…I’m not in the mood for you” Joyce said to her sister.
“Who’s starting – it’s your husband with his sarcastic comments!”
“I’m going out…what time’s tea?” Hank had folded the newspaper. He too felt really irritated by Susan and thought that if he got out of the way, then he could keep his good humour.
“Ask mom, she’s out feeding the hens” Joyce said quietly, she patted Hank on the shoulder, and gave him a light kiss. Hank went outside. She turned to her sister.
“You always manage to do it, don’t you?”
“Do what, what have I done?”
“Rub Hank up the wrong way”
“He’s too…”
“Be VERY careful what you say…Hank is a wonderful father and husband”
“As you never fail to remind me”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Well…the way you go on…anyone would think he’s gods gift or something” Susan said.
“Um, Joyce…just look at this” Tom called.
Joyce followed the direction of the disembodied voice, and found Tom on the porch.
“What’s that Tom?” Joyce went to the outside door where Tom was standing
“The peace and tranquillity of not being by your sister and her silly comments!” Tom said, sotto voice and smiling. Joyce smiled too.
“You know, I always promise myself that I won’t get annoyed, or loose my cool, or argue with her, then she’s not here two minutes, and she’s already managed to upset everyone and get my dander up”
Grace was walking back to the kitchen, Hank was playing with the children.
“Susan on her own is she?”
“I called Joyce out, Susan was being…” Tom shrugged diplomatically.
“Susan. Susan, was being Susan as usual, and opening her big mouth” Joyce said.
“Joyce…I’m taking the children to the woods, ok?” Hank called from outside.
“Ok love, be careful”
“Hold on…I’ll come with!” Tom grabbed his hat and a basket, and strode off outside.
“Come on then…I’ve promised my grandchildren and son-in-law roast lamb and all the trimmings for dinner” Grace said, tying on her apron.
“Great…want help with the veggies?” Joyce asked her mother
Half an hour later
“Look nana! Look what we’ve picked!” Buffy looked at her nana’s face when Tom put a laden basket of blackberries and apples down on the kitchen table.
“Ooh, lovely…I know, I’ll make a nice big apple and blackberry crumble for after dinner, would you like that?”
“Yes please!”
“Daddy and Tom lifted us to the trees and we picked the apples mommy!”
“And we saw squirrels!” William said.
“S’cuse me ma’am…is Tom there?” One of the ranch hands asked at the back door.
“Tom” Joyce called.
“Joyce?”
“You’re wanted, back door”
“Gabe, what can I do for you?”
“Do the children want to come see Princess B, she’s out with her mother in the field, first time out”
“Buffy, William…Tom called. Both children came into the kitchen.
“Want to see Princess B?” They both nodded and grinned and went out. Susan had got a knife, and began to prepare the apples that the children had picked. Grace put a pan on the table for them to put the prepared fruit in.
“I can’t place that accent” Susan said.
“Whose?”
“Your adopted lad’s?” Joyce’s hands flopped to her lap.
“Is it really necessary for you to say, ‘adopted’ all the time? THE lad’s, or your son’s…would be sufficient”
“Well?” Susan asked, ignoring what Joyce just said.
“Well what?” Joyce asked.
“Where’s he from?”
“England…North London to be precise, place called Highbury”
“He’s English?”
“Yes” Joyce gave her a look as if to say, ‘what now?’
“But, well, why did you pick him?” Susan asked. Grace caught the look on Joyce’s face and she too rolled her eyes, shaking her head a little.
“What do you mean, why…why not?”
“Well… there are enough American children up for adoption…or, why not have one from a war torn or famine ravaged country, that would have been more… noble, more fitting”
“What are you on about, noble? – I –We didn’t adopt William to be noble, we adopted him because we love him, he’s a super little boy, who’s kind and loving and…I’m out of here, before…” Joyce threw the knife into the water. It landed with a ‘plop’ in the pan, and splashed Susan in the eye.
“You do talk some absolute RUBBISH at times, don’t you?” Grace practically hissed at her elder daughter. Hank came into the kitchen, could sense an atmosphere, took in the look on Grace’s face and the lack of Joyce.
“Where did Joyce go?”
“Out to the children, I think.” Hank put his mug down on the counter and went out. Joyce was petting a stallion in the corral.
“You ok, love?”
“I think I’m glad to be going tomorrow” Joyce said.
“Now, come on…don’t let her get to you…”
“You didn’t hear what she just came out with”
“And you better not tell me…it had been lovely up until she arrived, hadn’t it”
“Mommy, daddy, look!” Buffy called. They both looked up and saw William feeding Sienna, Princess B’s mother, sugar lumps off the palm of his hand. Buffy was wincing and shying away a little, scared that the horse might hurt him. When all the sugar had gone, William patted the white blaze on the horses nose.
“You’re so brave!” Buffy hugged him, and holding hands, they ran off to look at the rabbits.
Dinner was a little strained, it seemed no matter what Susan said, she said the wrong thing.
“When are you getting married then?”
“We thought around Thanksgiving…before Christmas anyway” Tom said.
“So soon, you’re not dying, are you Tom, you’ve lost weight” Susan asked.
“Susan!” Joyce banged down her cutlery.
“What?”
“For god’s sake woman…how crass can you be?” Hank said with exasperation.
“I only asked” Susan said, helping herself to some potatoes.
“So, when you adopted William…he didn’t have any other family, at all?”
Luckily, Buffy and William had been allowed to leave the table as they’d finished.
“No, he only had an aunt, the one with MS, I told you” Joyce said.
“Seems odd…still” Susan shrugged.
“What?” Joyce asked
“Well…young kid, his parents didn’t have family, neither of them…”
“Just what are you getting at, Susan?”
“Nothing…I’m just saying…it seems odd, that’s all” Joyce was frowning; she didn’t understand what Susan was getting at.
“Huh, you’re odd – Thankyou for the delicious meal grace, but I’m out of here - now!” Hank said, and threw down his napkin and scraped his chair back, and stood up.
“Hank…there’s something I’d like you to look at…” Tom stood, and both men went into the study. Joyce stood, began stacking the dirty crocks.
Susan hadn’t finished her coffee, and lit a cigarette.
“Not in the house” Grace said, picking up a vegetable tureen and the gravy boat, to take them into the kitchen.
“Treat me like a leper, why don’t you” Susan moaned. Just to annoy people even further, she left the backdoor wide open to smoke on the porch.
“I swear to god, I’ll swing for that woman one of these days…what was she trying to say, about it being odd about William’s lack of family?” Joyce asked her mother.
Grace shook her head,
“Love, I have absolutely no idea…don’t let her get to you…you know…I’ve half a mind not to…” Grace shut the dishwasher door, turned the dial, and a rushing water sound could be heard as it began it’s cycle.
“Not to what?” Joyce asked, covering a dish filled with leftover potatoes with film-wrap. Grace put them in the fridge.
“The wedding, not invite her.” Grace shut the fridge door and leant against it, then asked,
“Would that be so terrible?”
“No, course not – actually, it would be fine by me!” Joyce said.
“Would what be so terrible?” Susan asked. Neither Joyce nor Grace answered her.
*****
“Look, absolutely no problem…I’ll get the legal department to cast a glance over it, but I’m sure every things in order” Hank said to Tom, as they came out of the study.
“Be careful what you sign, mom” Susan said.
“What are you on about now?” Grace asked, totally exasperated.
“What Hank was just saying…legal department…Tom isn’t trying to…you know…do you out of what’s legally yours”
“For the love of god…WHAT are you on about now?” Grace raised her voice, which was very unusual for her.
“All I’m saying is, if you go, you know, die first…”
“Susan. If you’re suggesting what I think you’re suggesting, it doesn’t make sense. Who, would Tom leave his money and shares to, other than me?”
“All I’m saying is…”
“Tom has nobody in the world, other than us” Grace said. Tom decided to but in, and trying to keep his voice even and not to shout, he said,
“Susan…I’ll say this, so listen carefully. If I die before Grace, everything I own, will go to her. If Grace dies before me, then I shall leave everything to those two children through there, ok? – End of story”
“Well! That’s fine I must say…why should HE get anything? – And getting Hank to look over legal documents, too’, when he stands to gain it’s not fair!” Everyone looked at Susan.
“What are you on about, Hank stands to gain, what? – I’m asking him about a public liability insurance claim we have at the riding school…” Tom said.
“A…Oh, I thought it was your will, or one of those pre-nuptial thingies”
“By he, did you mean my son?” Joyce asked, her temper bubbling to the surface.
“What? Oh. Um…well, yes”
“Listen lady…I’ll leave my money to whom I want, and quite frankly, I’d rather see it burn, than you have a penny of it” Tom said, and left the room, to be quickly followed by Grace, Hank and Joyce.
“Look mommy…that’s Gabe, he ‘s very clever with that rope thingy, he caught a steer with it” Buffy said. They were watching a video of a rodeo they’d had at the ranch the previous month.
“Did he darling…” Joyce smoothed her daughter’s hair.
“Mommy” Buffy began to draw circles on her mothers knee with her finger, while she thought, and then looking up at her mother, she asked, I CAN marry William if I want to, aunty Susan’s wrong, isn’t she?” Buffy was looking big eyed at her mother.
“You, take no notice of that silly woman princess, you can if you want” Hank hauled both children up by him on the sofa, and cuddled them both.
Susan glanced in on the cosy family scene from the kitchen doorway, and decided that she had no part in it, and just went to bed, without even saying goodnight. Both Buffy and William fell asleep on the sofa.
“It’s the air, and all the running around they’re doing, knocks them out!” Hank carried them up to bed, individually. Joyce asked if he wanted tea, but he and Tom decided to have a whiskey instead.
“Tom…I’ve decided, I don’t want Susan at our wedding” Grace said.
“Fine by me love, you have who you want, or rather don’t want…”
“Where is she, anyway?” Tom looked round.
“Who cares?” Hank asked, draining his Scotch.
“Mind if I have a re-fill?” Hank asked.
“Help yourself” Tom gestured to the drinks cabinet.
“We’ll go just after lunch tomorrow mom…I’m back at the gallery on Wednesday, and need to catch up on some correspondence”
“Ok love, I understand”
“How long’s she staying?”
“Huh, too darn long!” Grace said
“I think she said she was going tomorrow night, I’m not 100% on that though, so don’t quote me” Tom said.
Sunday evening
“Bye then, young William” Grace gave him a hug and kiss.
“Bye nana…it’s really good having a nana, I’ve never had one before, now I’ve got two!” William said, giving her a hug.
“Bless you child!” Grace stroked his head, then kissed and hugged Buffy.
“Bye my little bridesmaid to be!”
“Bye nana…will you be my bridesmaid when I marry William?”
“I might be too old then!” Grace said laughing.
“Hey, careful, you’ll be loosing that!” Tom said, ‘magically’ finding a $20 note behind both William’s and Buffy’s ears. Both sets of children’s eyes lit up, and they grinned.
“Oh, thankyou Tom!”
“Yes, thankyou!” Buffy said
“Now, remember, you just be kind to me in your best-man speech!” Tom teased William.
“Speech?!” William looked at Tom, round-eyed.
“Oh yes, it’s traditional, the best man reads out a speech…don’t worry, I’m sure your dad will help you” Tom said, grinning.
“Course I will, son. Now, shall I keep that safe for you until we get home?”
“Please” William said, surrendering the money to his father.
“Now, remember, just you waste it, don’t do anything sensible like saving it, will you?” Tom joked
Hank fixed the seatbelts for them and they waved and drove off.
After a good journey home, Joyce phoned her mother to tell her they’d arrived home safely.
“Susan still there?”
“No, she left just after you did, thank god…I sound terrible, don’t I, I can’t stand my eldest daughter!”
“Mom…have you…I mean, don’t think I’m daft or anything…but when was the last time you saw Chuck?”
“Oh now…let me see…it’s been a good long while…can you remember, Tom?”
“What’s that, love?”
“The last time we saw Chuck”
“Oh now…He came to Dan’s funeral…did he come to Marilyn’s wedding? I know Susan was there.” Tom said.
“No, he didn’t come to the wedding, remember, she came by train…made a right fuss of the cost of the taxi from the station. The last time I saw Chuck, was three Christmas’s ago…they dropped in some cards and a doll for Buffy” Joyce said.
Grace re-iterated this to Tom.
“Joyce said she saw him three Christmas’s ago…you know, thinking about it, that’s about the time I saw him…three years ago” Grace said, then added,
“Tom’s nodding here…I’m sure it was three years ago…it is, because I had my fall in the March, and I haven’t seen him since my fall” Grace said.
“He didn’t even come to visit you in hospital…I remember now. Do you ever speak to him, on the phone?” Joyce asked.
“Actually…no, it’s either the Ansaphone, or Susan”
“And she always says that he’s busy working, or away on a course…do you reckon he’s left her, and she’s too…ashamed to say?”
“It’s quite possible…” Grace said
“What’s that?” Tom asked, wanting to know what Joyce had just said.
“Well, Joyce reckons he’s gone, and she’s too ashamed to say”
“Think you’re right, love!” Tom called out, Joyce laughed.
“Children ok?”
“Yes, they fell asleep on the way home…they’re both as good as gold, absolutely no trouble, ever”
“They are both delightful children Joyce, I love William just as much as I love Buffy”
“I know mom…well, I better go, I’ll phone you in the week…oh yes, and Hank say’s he’ll fax that info on public liability through to the riding school, ok – bye then”
“Bye love”
Joyce went into the lounge.
“Mom and Tom think I or rather you might be right”
“What, about Chuck legging it?” Hank drained his Scotch.
“Put it this way, I think he’s a jerk too, but I wouldn’t blame him for running away from your sister!” Joyce smiled.
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