A Tale of Two Mothers Pt. 02

Mum turned to look at me and a moment later she put out her arms and I stepped forward and hugged her.

"You're happy, mum, I'm not so happy but you can't keep going over the road every time you and her want to be alone, it's not fair on you."

"My God," mum murmured, "whatever happened to my little girl?"

She pulled back a little to look at me.

"Okay, I'll out myself but there are rules, certain things I need you both to understand," she glanced at the house, "now let's go see what damage he's done to himself."

"He was playing basketball and showing off."

"Huh," she chuckled, "well he's certainly got his father in him."

Paul was looking a little pale when mum and I stepped into the living room and she took charge straight away, I was sent to get a towel and some ice blocks from the freezer. By the time I got back she'd pulled off his shoe while he yelled loudly. Mum put the blocks on the towel and folded it over and then wrapped it around his ankle.

"I think something's broken," he whimpered.

"Can you wiggle your toes for me?"

Mum held his foot and he wiggled his toes. She elevated the foot and went to get the first aid kit while I sat with him. She was just opening it when Birgit walked in, she was still wearing the white shirt but it was hanging over her trousers. Mum glanced up and smiled.

"Welcome to the casualty ward, take a seat and I'll get you when I'm done here."

"Can he put any weight on it?"

"That's what we're going to find out as soon as I put this bandage on."

When Paul did try to put weight on it a few minutes later he yelped and instantly sat down again. Mum frowned and then stood up.

"All right, I'll drive, can you look after Tess, please? I don't know how long we'll wait."

"Of course," Birgit replied.

And that left me alone with Birgit and there was a few minutes silence before Birgit finally spoke her mind.

"I'm sorry you had to find out like this."

"It's cool," I shrugged, "I talked to mum about it on the way back here. Just as long as you don't turn into a psycho killer."

Birgit laughed out loud at that.

"Somehow I doubt it," she finally recovered, "when I was a few years older than you, my uncles took me out hunting rabbits, I suppose they were just trying to include me and about midday I had this rabbit in my sights. My dad was there and he whispered that if I didn't want to shoot the rabbit I should aim high," she flicked at her hair.

"I aimed high and the rabbit ran away, and that was the first and last time I went hunting."

I shifted in my seat and nudged my glasses.

"My dad loved going hunting but I always felt weird when he brought back rabbits and one time he brought back half a deer," I replied.

"My uncles and cousins hunt deer even though they're from Copenhagen," her eyes shifted to the drawing pad at my side, "you're starting to draw people now?"

"Kind of," I looked at it, "but I need a model, I was just about to print a picture from a website when all this happened."

"Uh huh," Birgit leaned back, "well, how's about I get a coffee and then you can draw me?"

That drawing still hangs on the wall in the hallway, it's in a frame now because mum thought it was a really good effort. I got some of the detail wrong but the proportions are right and you can see that it's Birgit. Mum brought Paul back three hours later, he was on crutches and at first I thought mum was going to sit him down and tell him about her and Birgit but he just stood there leaning on his crutches and then nodded at Birgit.

"I'm tired, I'm going to bed, and congratulations, Birgit."

As Paul hobbled off to bed Birgit stared at mum.

"I told him on the way back and he's okay with it."

"Okay," Birgit looked at me and then mum sat down beside me.

"This thing between Birgit and I," she started, "it can't be repeated outside, I don't want to put Birgit at risk of teasing from other kids. The staff and principal will know soon enough but let's try and keep this quiet for now."

"I won't tell anyone," I promised.

And so began the strangest period of my life.

It was odd to come through the next morning to find mum in bed with Birgit and even odder to step out of the bathroom and find Birgit waiting for her turn in the shower but after a week it was almost normal. She didn't stay overnight every night, but about four nights out of seven she stayed.

The first time I saw them kiss was that second night when I came through to get biscuits from the kitchen. Mum and Birgit were sitting on the couch, mum had her arm along the back of the couch and her other hand on Birgit's leg while she kissed her. I blushed, not because it was two women kissing, it was the first time I'd seen mum kiss like that. With dad it was a peck on the cheek or the lips but never the kind of passionate kissing I saw that night and it obviously happened out of sight but mum was a different woman, freer and more relaxed than before. If you want proof you just have to look at the before and after photos. She had a pensive, focused look, like she was trying to psyche out the photographer, now she laughed more and actually dropped the ban on swearing, more or less. She still hated the word, cunt but fuck was okay.

However for the next few weeks mum kept it all secret even from her family, it was only when Paul pointed out the obvious that she changed tack.

"I mean if Auntie Jodie or Auntie Sue walk into the back yard what are you going to tell them? And it's not like you're committing a crime but you need to tell them something."

I remember mum staring blankly at Paul and then frowning as she took her glasses off and started cleaning them.

"My God, I turn my back for a few weeks and you're evolving into a young man," her eyes shifted to Birgit, "what do you think, honey?"

"It's your family," Birgit looked up from her prone position on the couch, "but the boy has a point, your daughter just walked in and nearly caught us in the act and with summer nearly here who's to say we won't be getting affectionate out in the back yard?"

Mum said nothing as she finished cleaning her glasses.

"What're you doing for Christmas?"

"Probably staying home, why?"

"Hmm mm," mum smirked, "how about you have Christmas dinner with us at dad and mum's?"

"Christmas," Birgit's eyes shifted, "are you sure?"

"Positive," she nodded, "it's Christmas for Christ's sake and it's about time I told my family that I've fallen in love with the hot Danish woman who lives next door."

"Oh," Birgit propped on her elbow, "just like that?"

"What else do you expect from a woman who flirted with the other team in her twenties, I never got anywhere in life without taking risks. Getting together with you is one of the least riskiest things I've ever done."

***

That Christmas dinner has become part of family history. When mum stood up at the table on the back patio and calmly announced that she was in a relationship with Birgit there was a stunned silence. Auntie Jodie just stared at her as if she'd sprouted a second head.

"What took you so long to tell us?" Auntie Jodie finally spoke, "we knew what was going on and couldn't work out why you were keeping her a big secret."

"Oh," mum blushed and nudged her glasses, "how many of you knew before today?"

"Um, all of us," Auntie Sue broke in, "except for dad, he only found out this morning when mum told him.

Mum shot dad a sympathetic look and smiled crookedly.

"Well that's that then," she sat down suddenly, "God, what an anticlimax."

"What did you expect?" Auntie Sue's partner, David raised his glass, "all I want to know is who gets to wear the dress at your ceremony?"

"Dress? You never said anything about a dress," Birgit looked at mum.

"Um, I guess we'll both wear dresses."

"As long as they're not both the same dress," Auntie Jodie's husband, Stefan quipped, "because it'll be the shortest marriage in history."

All jokes aside though, mum's outing had brought something else to the surface. Same sex marriage was not recognised in Australia back then. The best you could manage was a civil ceremony and there were plenty of civil celebrants who'd do it as part of their normal duties. All you need is a certificate stating you can conduct a marriage ceremony and you're good to go. The lack of a priest or minister to actually do it didn't bother either mum or Birgit. Mum had shed the trappings of religion long ago and Birgit had never been blighted with that kind of upbringing. What was the big concern was the fallout at school when Ms Kristiansen and Mrs Murphy became partners. There would be an announcement in the paper. I think Birgit was more worried than mum because kids can be cruel, often to see how far they can push the boundaries.

Mum and Birgit announced it on mum's birthday, and then we went out for dinner at Pizza Hut in East Ringwood, which doesn't sound that romantic! But it was a birthday dinner, not a romantic dinner, they actually went out for a romantic dinner the following Saturday night in the city and stayed at a hotel.

The date for the ceremony was the Saturday at the beginning of our term holidays in April and both Paul and I were somewhat surprised when mum applied for our passports at the start of March. When Paul asked why she just shrugged and said that at some point we'd both need them and left it at that. We didn't inquire further because preparations were well underway for the event.

The first hurdle to overcome was when Birgit told the school principal and in the space of one day my life turned around dramatically. The principal stepped into the breach and decided that his school was not going to descend to the level of homophobia. He put his stamp of authority on it by passing around the hat for a wedding present and it was not just the staff who put money in. The box was out on a table in the assembly hall along with two pictures of mum and Ms Kristiansen. Kids would stop by just to stare at the pictures and inevitably a dollar or two would be slipped into the pink collection box.

I went from being the new kid from the Catholic school to the status of a minor celebrity. Everyone wanted to know what it was like having two mums, which is what this story is all about! I would find myself telling them it was just like having a mum and a dad, my dad was now six feet under but I had another adult who cared just as much about me as dad. Of course there were some kids who thought she might give me an A+ for French but when I got an A- instead it seemed to deflate that argument.

The ceremony took place out at Lilydale Lake on a beautiful Saturday morning. My mother looked beautiful in an ivory dress and seeing as it was Birgit's first she wore the white dress. I was a flower girl and Paul a page boy. Dad walked his daughter down the aisle formed of silk banners that the art teacher had made up especially for the occasion and the principal walked Birgit down the aisle. A lot of our classmates were there as well, and afterwards it was back to a local hall for the wedding dinner and here's where I learned a valuable lesson about receptions.

They don't have to cost a fortune. I swear to God the biggest expense was the hire of the hall, all the rest of the stuff like food was bring your own. Grandma and her other two daughters put out the word that if you wanted to come to the reception you had to bring a plate. I did the same at school and you should have seen the array of food on tables along the walls. It was a true smorgasbord, which is actually a Swedish word meaning a table of sandwiches! Even the wedding itself didn't cost much, one of mum's old friends from school had a beautifully restored Dodge Charger that he decorate with ribbons, Birgit turned up in the principal's white Commodore. All in all it was a true community effort, showing that when everyone puts in you don't end up out of pocket or owing money.

Mum and Birgit spent their first night as a couple at the Hyatt in Melbourne but even that didn't cost them a penny because that was their wedding present from the school. When they got back the next day to pick us up from Auntie Jodie's though they had an even bigger surprise.

"We're going to Copenhagen next week," mum announced.

"Copenhagen," I swallowed, "for real?"

"For real, this will be our honeymoon but you two are coming along too. When Birgit married me she was making a commitment to you two as well."

"So that's why you got us passports?"

"Um, yeah, you kind of need one if you're getting on a plane," mum rolled her eyes.

And now it's time to finish this section. Next time I'll tell you all about Copenhagen and the first time I met Karin.

To be continued...