A New Start Doesn't Fix Everything

She looked at me and giggled mischievously. "What say we have a little ceremony right now? We flush your pills and we don't even tell Kurt."

No, we couldn't do that. It wouldn't be fair."

"Fuck fair. I want to see the look on his face when we tell him."

"No, I couldn't."

She nodded and kissed me lightly. Her hands held my head. "Trust me, Bligh. He will love it"

Kurt didn't take long to figure out something was up. When we had sex, Alle made sure it was he and I who went first, Alle often choosing to make love just with me."

"Okay, you two. What the fuck is going on? It's been weeks since you and I made love, Alle. What are you up to?"

Alle just laughed, but I broke down and told him. "I'm trying to get pregnant."

He looked shocked at first, but then he came to life. After that, he was a man on a mission, and it only took another couple of weeks before I held the test strip up to Alle. I thought I was happy, but looking at Alle and seeing the huge smile which spread across her entire face...

"Oh my god... I can't believe it." She rushed into my arms and we staggered around, hugging and kissing. "Oh, Bligh. I am so excited right now. Such wonderful news, a brand new child. We are so blessed."

We waited for a month before we told anyone. Leanne was first. She was exactly like Alle. My mother was next, I dreaded that. We had been so distant since I told them about our living arrangements.

"Hey Mum."

"Hello, Bligh, how are you?"

"I'm fine, Mum, I was just ringing to let you know I'm pregnant."

The line ticked eerily, as the silence cloaked us.

"Are you serious?"

"Yes, Mum. About one month as of today."

"Well, goodness me. That is wonderful news."

For wonderful news, she didn't sound very happy. "How did Kurt take the news? Hasn't he already got two children with the other girl?"

"Her name is Alle, Mum, and yes, we do have two children already."

We spoke for a few moments, but it was so obvious she wasn't excited at all.

When Alle saw my glum expression she knew things hadn't gone so well. She drew me into her arms. "I'm sorry, babe. Trust me, they'll come around when they hold our newest child. You'll see."

"I'm not sure they're interested enough to even come for a visit."

It was late when my phone buzzed.

"Hey Mum, what's up?"

"Bligh, I'm sorry about earlier. You just surprised me. I know we don't talk much, and that's as much my fault as yours. I am apologising. We are ecstatic. When I told your father, he almost jumped for joy. We had given up hope of getting grandchildren."

I started weeping, wiping away tears. Alle saw and again wrapped me in her loving arms.

"Thanks, Mum," I mumbled through the sniffles.

"Would it be all right if we came down and stayed for a while? We would love to be there and support you?"

"That would be amazing, Mum, but we don't have that much room."

"Don't worry about that, Your father has taken early retirement, and we brought a big caravan. We have been planning to come down for a visit anyway. Now we might stay a little longer."

"Bloody hell, Mum. When were you going to tell me?"

She laughed cheekily. "We were going to surprise you."

"Wow, what are you doing with the house?"

"We're renting it out for a year." She really laughed excitedly. "We're going to be Gypsies. Can you believe that, us... We have hardly been out of Wellington. Now we are going to be like hippies."

"Holy moly... I can't imagine you two smoking pot and dancing under the stars."

She sniggered. "Who knows? We would like to come and be with you though."

"I would love that. I'm sure we can find somewhere here for you to park here. It's a large property."

We will be there in a month, if that is all right? We have to move out our furniture and tidy up the house. We already have a young couple who want to rent the house."

Alle, who had her ear close to the phone and was listening, squeezed me tightly. "Told you so," she whispered.

After Mum hung up, I simply stared at Alle. "Can we find somewhere for them to park?"

"Of course, this is our home, yours as well."

"Nah, not really. You guys brought it together. I haven't put anything into it."

"Bligh, the money's not important."

"It is to me, I should put something into it."

"Shit girl, you're giving us four hundred a week now. That covers our mortgage, our rates. You're doing plenty."

"Nah, I want to put something in. I do have money you know."

She sniggered, "Oh yeah, Miss Money Bags. How much you got?"

"About a hundred grand."

I saw the look of shock on her face. "What the fuck!"

"When I worked in Aussie, the money was great, and they supplied food and accommodation. It was in the middle of nowhere. I saved it all. Then thre was th cruise ship. Same deal, everything supplied. You save every cent."

"Fucking hell. What about when you travelled?"

"I always worked, I had jobs."

"Yeah, but a hundred grand. Shit, oh dear."

When we told Kurt he was blown away. "I don't understand how you saved all that money while you cruised around the world?"

"Well, I had two jobs where there was nothing to spend money on. When I worked on the cruise ship and out in the Aussie outback, I banked all that. When I lived in Scotland, I worked as a stripper, and an exotic dancer."

He just about lost his lunch. "You did what..."

"Yeah, I worked at a massage parlour in Amsterdam. God, I must have given like a thousand happy endings."

Alle started laughing loudly. "Cut it out, Bligh, he's gonna choke."

He looked back and forth between us. "Jesus, I almost believed you."

"Why not? I'd make a great stripper." I said proudly.

"Yeah, you sure would." Alle chirped in. "You'd have all my money."

Kurt got that thoughtful look on his face as he absorbed the fact I was prepared to put the money in. "Bligh, if you want to do that, we'll have to redraw the mortgage docs. We will need to include you, make you an owner as well."

It took a month or so, but we got it done and the cash brought our mortgage down. Kurt, it was fair to say, was nervous about my parents visit. Alle wasn't much better. "What if they hate me? God it'll be hell living here if they feel that way."

"They'll love you; how could they not?"

"Well after all the drama when you left. I bet they blame me. I'll be that scarlett woman who stole your man."

"We have moved on from that. There was some blame casting, but in fairness to them, that was all my fault."

"No, it wasn't your fault. It was all our faults. We should have talked more, worked it out. I cried for weeks after you left. We nearly lost Kurt."

"What happened?"

"He was so depressed, and he blamed himself for everything. He was drunk for days, and he went to the doctors and they prescribed all these sleeping tablets. He was going to take them all. Bill found him bawling his eyes out in his car at work. Thank god."

She started crying as she told me. It was my turn to hold her and comfort her. Although to be fair, it comforted me, as well.

Mum and Dad's visit threw the house into a panic. Alle scrubbed and cleaned like a mad woman. Kurt mowed the lawns to within an inch of their lives. We painted, and tidied. Kurt got a large load of gravel delivered, and we made a spot next to the large shed where they could park up.

Watching them drive up the driveway was stressful. We waited as a group, Alle and I standing either side of Kurt with the kids in front of us.

They pulled to a stop, and we held our collective breaths. It was almost two months since we had talked on the phone. Mum climbed out of their new car and ran towards me. "Good heavens, look at you," she said elatedly.

We hugged tightly, and Dad was right behind her. When we separated, Dad held his hand out for handshake. "Good to see you, Kurt."

"You too, sir," Kurt replied. Dad chuckled lightly. "Since when have I ever been sir?"

"Sorry, I'm nervous as hell," Kurt muttered.

"Mum, Dad... This is Alle, our partner."

Mum glanced at her, and I could feel the tension. Mum opened her arms and welcomed Alle in for a hug. "Hello, dear. Lovely to meet you."

When the introduction was finished, Dad moved in and they hugged. When that was done, I said, "And these two are Shian and Alex. Your first grandchildren."

Shian, who was never daunted, went looking for a hug. "Are you my mummy's Mum?"

Mum, a little taken back, knelt down, opened her motherly arms, and said warmly, "Yes I am, so that must make me your grandmother."

"Can I call you Nanna?" Shian asked cheekily.

"You certainly can, darling. We have some gifts for you in the car,"

"Yay, Mummie, we have presents," she said to me."

"Sounds like it, baby."

Alex, who could be quite shy, asked, "Will I get a present as well?"

"My sweet little man, of course. How could you think we would forget a handsome young man like you?"

Dad wandered off to get their gifts, and I asked, "Would you like a cuppa, Mum?"

"Love one, darling."

We wandered inside, Alle heading for the kitchen, "My, my, my. What a charming home. It's beautiful."

"Would you like a tour?" Alle asked. Mum nodded, and they wandered up the hallway leaving me to finish the drinks. The kids came running in the door, "Mummies, we have new bikes!"

"Wow. New bikes."

"And a football," Alex added happily.

"And a netball, and some clothes," Shian gushed as they leapt into my arms.

Dad had walked in behind them. "They're wonderful children, Bligh."

"Thanks, Dad. More thanks to Kurt and Alle, really."

He nodded, "I'm sure there is a little of you in there as well."

"There sure is," Kurt said loudly. "These kids adore their second Mum."

Mum helped in the kitchen as as Alle, and I made dinner. We talked about my pregnancy and if there were complications. Slowly all the barriers came down by the end of the night. After Mum read Shian and Alex bed time stories, she and Alle were fast friends.

It was weird having them living on the property, but in the end it worked out amazingly well. They already knew Kurt's parents, and they spent a lot of time together, Leanne acting as their tour guide.

The arrival of Sandra, our new daughter, brought everybody together. Kurt was like a first time father, but having Alle there to support me was the best. Mum was great, as was Leanne, but Alle was there with me every night.

Our lives were somehow completed, and it made me feel like I had finally found my home. It was the final piece of the puzzle. We were now united. Or at least that's how it felt for me.

Mum and Dad went off on their merry way. Life couldn't have been better.

We were once, and for all time, a family. Love did win out, we made it hard for ourselves and the road was certainly windy and steep.

Now, it was hard to imagine any other way of life.

We had our ups and downs like every family. We fought, we argued, we loved.

The end.