Educating Harry Ch. 17

"It's only a bit of a get together," Ellie assured her, lying airily, "People pretty much come and go as they please."

Susan wasn't convinced, but there was an interruption as a tall gangly girl of about fifteen came in from the garden. "This is my younger daughter Carrie. Carrie, tell my little brother that he has a visitor."

"Who shall I say it is?" asked Carrie looking directly at Susan.

"Don't say, just tell him he has a visitor."

A few seconds later Joe appeared in a barbecue apron and with very black hands, "Had a bit of an accident with the charcoal," he started to explain, then, "Susan! this is terrific, I never thought...how did you get here, what are you doing in that uniform?"

"It's all down to your sister," laughed Susan, "if I had known it was a family party I wouldn't have come. Now stand still while I give you a kiss and don't dare touch me, You're filthy. She did so, "Now run along and get cleaned up."

For the next four hours or so, Susan enjoyed herself far more than she would ever have anticipated, she was swept up into a family party which comprised more than a dozen people, including Ellie, her husband John, Maggie her younger sister Jane, their husbands, and five or six children. It was apparently a fixture at John and Ellie's home every Boxing day. Susan as an only child with one daughter of her own, had little experience of big family get togethers, but soon realised that they were all aware of her by report at least, and the younger ones clearly assumed she was their uncle's girl friend. Susan didn't know whether to be pleased, consternated or amused but decided on balance to go along with their assumption.

At one of the rare breaks in the conversation Joe announced with mock seriousness, "I should tell you all that I have a bone to pick with Susan."

"And what might that be," smiled Susan.

"When I was up in Hawksworth I told Susan at great length how I was learning to fly, but she never said a word that she has been flying for years."

"I did, well I said I was involved in operations not just accounts...and I told you one of the reasons I didn't drink was because work didn't allow it"

"Yes but I thought... and you never let on that you flew yourself."

"What did you think Joe, what did you think exactly?" asked Susan innocently.

"I, umm."

"I think, that Joe is trying to tell you that he assumed I was an air hostess, a hostie."

"Oh no, Uncle Joe how could you?" Carrie burst out laughing,

"I know, I was mortified," claimed Susan mercilessly, "Joe thought I was a hostie... a trolly dolly."

"You couldn't be," declared a very serious fourteen year old Thomas, "Four stripes means captain, so Susan is captain; do you fly jets?" he added breathlessly." Susan nodded.

"That," declared Thomas, "is cool...seriously cool."

"Thomas you are dead right," agreed Joe extricating himself, "Susan is seriously cool"

Much later in the afternoon Maggie, Jane and their families left, leaving just Joe, Susan and his parents; "I don't know whether you have heard Susan," said John, "But our company is looking at the possibility of purchasing the company or possibly the assets of what was your family company, which you sold to WGG a couple of years ago."

"I was aware of it," responded Susan guardedly, "but if that is the case, I'm not too sure that I should talk about it. There are certain contingencies written into the original agreement we made with WGG, which, whilst most unlikely, could just possibly come into play. I'm also still a trustee of the old pension fund for our former employees, and I was, for just a few months a Director of WGG... I wouldn't like to run the risk of breaking any confidences."

"Quite so my dear, I shouldn't have brought it up...understand your position completely."

John did indeed understand, and more completely than Susan realised, he had it from an unimpeachable source that Susan had resigned from the WGG board after having a major difference of opinion with them over what she saw as their rash financial management. He had wondered whether Susan might say exactly what she thought, but the fact that she had dead batted his invitation to talk about them impressed him even more.

It was at that moment Susan's phone rang asking her to report to the airport in an hour for duty; "I'll take you," Joe declared, and within five minutes they were on their way.

Ellie and John stood in the doorway for a few moments until the car turned at the end of the street. "Well darling, what do you think?

"Besides the obvious, that she's absolutely gorgeous and delightful...She's also very canny and smart; Joe is smart but I suspect our son has fallen for someone even smarter than himself."

"I agree," responded Ellie, and added mischievously, "Like father like son?"

"Just so, just so," agreed her husband with a smile.

They re-entered the house, "I just hope Joe doesn't mess it up...like he did with, what was her name, that dreadful woman Marcia?"

"Marcia Meyer," declared Ellie with forceful distaste, "Can be left to me."

"But I understood that your committee had invited her to your shindig."

"I invited her myself, told her it was time we buried the hatchet."

"Oh," responded John Callaghan, "I see;" he now had a quite precise notion of where Ellie planned to bury said hatchet. "Nothing I hope that would stand in the way of Joe's ambitions with Susan."

"Nothing at all," confirmed his wife, "Joe is being very well advised."

"Not by you surely," laughed John, "You know that children never take notice of their parents."

Ellie gave a pained expression, "Of course not, Diane told Joe very firmly how he should go about it, when she picked us up from Hawksworth airport a few weeks ago. She told him that Susan would not make an emotional commitment lightly, told him to stop trying to sweep her off her feet. Diane suggested that with the sale of their business a couple of years ago, her parents removal to the coast last June, and Alice, her daughter, starting Uni in February she thought Susan had been very pre-occupied with her life in Hawksworth, but after Alice is settled at Uni, things will likely fall into place quite quickly."

"Clever girl...you I mean," explained John, "Getting Diane on side, that's bringing in the heavy artillery."

"I thought so, after all she is on the spot ... though she did give Joe one very dubious piece of advice.

"And what was that?"

"Diane suggested he should be more patient and conduct himself with a little more grace... 'Like your father,' she said."

John stopped surprised, "Did she say that! ...Sensible woman Diane Salt, I've always said so."

Susan had rather less chance to go over her meeting with Joe's family. After Joe dropped her at Mascot airport she was soon involved in preparations for the flight, and then the trip itself to Melbourne. On arriving in Melbourne she was told that she needed to deadhead to Adelaide to replace a pilot there for the following morning. However, when she settled into the passenger seat for the short trip to Adelaide she went over the afternoon in her mind. Susan was still a little surprised at how much she had enjoyed her time with the Callaghan family, and it made her realise that being an only child and having few relatives, it was a new experience for her.

Joe was obviously delighted at her unexpected arrival, and it pleased Susan that he was so pleased; but not as pleased as he was when she kissed him goodbye. It had been not so much a kiss as a totally over the top snog, Susan recollected with a smile, she had never before been in the position to manipulate a man, no matter how gently, she decided she liked it.

Joe's response to the day was much simpler when he later responded to his mother's observation that he seemed very happy; "As a pig in mud mum, a pig in mud."

To be continued...