Casual Date Leads to Big Things

Becky sighed, wondering how her mother would react in the morning when she announced that Zoe and Mac had decided to marry next month and Caleb West and Becky Lynch had accepted invitations to be paired in the Wedding Party.

"Tactics girl, hone your tactics for tomorrow's announcement as you prepare to sleep and your big announcement will go over just fine."

In bed, Becky sleepily thought about building a relationship with Caleb and muttered, "Out of what, we have nothing in common? I don't think so. I'm not long graduated from high school and he's seven years older than me."

"No one knows who I am, including Caleb until early this evening, and heaps of people around us already knew him and had to be introduced to me. I'm meek, he's reined-in boisterous, I'm not long out of being flat-chested and he has a body screaming of fitness, I've only ever been finger penetrated by females and I bet he cuts through willing females with the effectiveness of a tractor-drawn mower dropping prime-ready grass in a hay field."

Becky thought, oh crap, the list could go on and on but enough. Her mum had no reason to fear Caleb West sniffing around her daughter. He only had to ask himself, who the heck was Becky whatshername and the question would self-answer.

Her mum had some real use, though. Becky knew that Anna would order Arnold to allow his daughter to sleep in and miss breakfast in the morning because she'd had a heavy Saturday night. Weren't mums like that lovely!

* * *

Anna came into the bedroom mid-morning Sunday and shook Becky awake and said sternly, "House phone for you. Becky."

"Thanks. Oh hi, this is Becky. Who? Oh, Caleb from last night. I would have expected you to have forgotten me already."

Although shocked at learning the identity of the totally unexpected caller, Becky was alert enough to notice that her mother had shut the bedroom door upon exit gently, instead of slamming it angrily. Christmas, things were looking up all round!

"Uh, it sounds more like you'd forgotten me already," Caleb said humbly.

Humbly? Yes, it sounded something like that in tone, thought Becky.

Her brain slipped into top gear and she was away.

"Caleb, so you think the legendary Don Juan's adoring public would have expected him to waste his time senselessly chasing virgins around village squares?"

"What? Um no. What on earth bullshit about me did Zoe dump on you?"

"Never fear, just accept that I have a fertile imagination at times. You're quite a fixture for the top shelf in terms of manly males, Caleb."

"Becky, for feek sake don't talk like that around your mother. as it could incite her to warn you off me with a shogun while breathing fire."

"Never fear because my mother is a woman of the world, but I shall heed that advice. There was no need to call, you thanked me last night for helping to make the evening enjoyable for you."

"That's true, but actually I'm calling because my mother asked me to invite you to lunch today."

"That seems unlikely to the extreme Caleb. For a start, your mother doesn't know anything of interest about me apart from you hinting that I'm barely out of kindergarten."

"Becky, listen carefully. According to my mother, I spent our entire time at breakfast this morning talking about my date with you, your great looks, your elegance, your skill in delivering idle chatter and the word pictures embodied in your conversation that created imagery."

"Caleb, who the feek were you talking to your family about?"

"I was describing you, Becky Annabelle Lynch, a glorious part-fake blonde with hair in ringlets to her shoulders, who projects a bubbling intelligent personality, the niece of Tim Lynch, our family's lawyer and president of my soccer club as his father and his father's father were before him and my father's regular golfing and fishing buddy. Is there any reason to explain myself further?"

"Um no, you've been pretty convincing and I can guess that your mother has never heard you rave about the long line of females you've introduced continuously to your family since your kindergarten days."

"Feek, and I said you were so smart."

"Caleb, thanks for introducing me to the word feek. It's such a descriptive word in such a widely acceptable form."

"Thanks, I learned that word from my maternal grandmother, who's Irish."

"That makes that grandmother part of the usage mechanism that modernises languages as history evolves, Caleb."

"Oh wow. I believe that my brain has managed to accept and somehow understand what you just said, Becky."

"Good one, Caleb. I'm impressed."

"Christ, is my mother going to love you when hearing you talk like that."

"Fair enough, Caleb, but what do I need to do to impress you?"

"Becky, just let us be friends and should that work out, everything taking care of itself."

"That's rather profound thinking from you, Caleb. I'm impressed. What should I wear to lunch and will you come to collect me?"

"Dress smart casual to impress mum and don't remove your hair extensions from last night, I'll call at 12.30 approx. Now hear this: mum has never before asked me to bring home a female in this manner. Don't worry, keep relaxed. My mum is one of the best females I know."

"Thanks for that assurance; I guess it could be called that, Caleb. See you. Bye for now."

"Bye my kindergarten girl," he cackled.

Anna swept into the bedroom saying, "Omigod."

"Mum, were you listening into that conversation?"

"We both were on phone speaker. That guy has a huge concept of you. That is beginning to influence my opinion of him in realisation that my adverse opinion that was based on hearsay."

"So, you won't prevent me from meeting his family?"

"Correct. You apparently trust him and I think therefore so should I. I've not been close and expansively with him while you have, placing you in the better position to judge character and your safety. Truthfully speaking, I believed he sounded genuine when describing why he was impressed with you. And I repeat, I'm aware that my perceived threat was not at all based on fact or clear warnings."

"Thanks mum. I look forward to introducing Caleb to you."

* * *

The meeting between Caleb and Becky's parents went smoothly and ended with Becky aware that Anna had almost kissed the visitors goodbye.

She felt elated, though subdued a little by her father whispering as she was leaving, "I can't for the life of me understand what that pin-up guy sees in you."

When driving to his family home, Caleb asked, "Are you apprehensive?"

"No."

"Are you expecting my mother to be over-expecting?"

"Hell yes."

They drove for another couple of minutes and he said, sounding uneasy, "Well. that fell a little short of inspiring conversation."

"Caleb, are you guilty of over-empathizing me and I suspect that not all attributes you may have thought you detected actually exist."

"Um, you mean I have over-worked my family in their expectations of you?'

"In a nutshell, yes. Caleb, I'm uneasy about this and so I need your honest reply to my question."

"I've been enthusiastic in expressing my thoughts about you, Becky, but only time will tell if I've been guilty of projecting myself into fantasy. What really is your concern?"

"We both should know that first impressions are important, and your mother's first impressions of me is important to me. However, I've gained have the impression that I've been hurled from loitering at Stage Left direct to Centre Stage without possessing a truly plausible script."

"Ouch, that could be uncomfortable."

"Indeed Caleb, and so now for the duration of this incursion into your home, please refrain from hurling any more complimentary comments concerning me in my direction.".

"Right."

"You seem aware of theatre terms?"

"Yep, either music or theatre were practically compulsory at my senior high school and I shuffled around on stage doing my bit."

"Omigod, Caleb, we do have something in common."

He looked to the passenger seat at the attractive smiley face looking up at him and blurted, "Good."

Caleb's father Frank, mother Alecia and visiting and obviously pregnant daughter Clara and husband Cliff, came out on to the front terrace to greet the arrivals.

Alecia looked at Becky and gasped, "Omigod."

"Hi, Mrs West. There's no need to be alarmed. I'm merely your son's one-night and non-sexual date who only graduated from high school three and a half months ago."

"That's difficult to believe as you look more like a ravishing 22-year-old Queen Pageant contestant.

"Illusions can flitter," Mrs West.

"Ah, there it goes already and just as Caleb alleged. You have unleased my thoughts pictorially, simply be uttering three words in reply to my comment."

"I... I have little idea of what you are talking about, Mrs West."

"Call me Alecia. In bygone eras you would have been branded a witch but these days you are simply recognised as a female with the powers to visualise and mentally create and then vocalise, rather similarly to what for centuries were women branded as witches and then more moderately fortune tellers and more accurately psychics."

"I can't believe this," blurted Becky. "Are you calling me a witch?"

"Ease off, Becky," Clara soothed, "Mum has been taking Readings for more than 40 years. She was guided by our maternal gran who in her younger days had been a Fortune Teller at a major European circus. In my opinion, mum probably sees a commonality between you and herself, with perhaps you appearing to possess a more advanced form."

"Alicia?" Becky ventured, a little shakily.

"Yes dear, Clara's comment was quite accurate. You do have the power, or spirit as it was called in bygone eras. It's rarely apparent in males and extremely rare in children. Usually, it begins to emerge as those few possessing the power begin reaching maturity, which is the state that you are approaching right now."

"I emphasis, be no afraid and unless you decided to exploit it scientifically or commercially, don't reveal it recklessly as that could place you in contempt, with some people labelling you as a charlatan or outright fraud."

"Then what do I do with this, with this... thing?"

"Nothing, I suggest, unless you find you can see into the future which could provide you with the ability to accurately predict seismic activity, for example. But if that proves so, be prepare for evermore to experience sleepless nights and unsettling days."

"You could, of course, read poker cards with their backs facing you or even laying face-down on the table, when gaming machines are about to release a jackpot or inform your parents of precisely the moment they will die."

"Omigod, how do I discard this power if indeed it does possess me?"

"I have no idea, Becky. But my guess is that it will die with you. What you and I are experiencing is a touch of increased evolution within humans that is taking hundreds or even countless thousands of years to evolve."

"However, Becky, this power resident within you has nothing to do with the charming natural personality that Caleb discovered in you last night and blathered to us over breakfast this morning. He thinks he's made a miraculous discovery, whereas I think it's probably the first time he's dated a refreshing, intelligent young woman as yet unsoiled among the mass of dateable young females."

"And I'm inclined to agree," Clara giggled. "Be careful of becoming attached to him unless you can manage to expand his mind, interests and stimulate his finer feelings."

"But I'm too young for him."

"Nonsense," chorused Alicia, Clara and Caleb almost in unison.

Speaking for the first time, Frank said, "Age differentials are of little consequence in the order of things, Becky. Just how rational or near top in priority are your thoughts about age when it comes to thinking about any guy you may date? I'm mindful of a little profound thought that slipped between your lips shortly upon arrival when replying to my wife: Illusions can flitter."

There was silence, and Becky stared at Dr West in awe until Alicia called, "The moment has arrived to serve a pre-lunch drinks Frank."

When it was time to sit at the table for lunch under the awning on the side deck overlooking the pool, Alicia asked, where would you like to sit at the table, Becky."

Becky replied without hesitation, "Between Clara and Cliff immediately facing Caleb and you and Frank, thanks Alicia."

Alicia smiled as if she'd already known the answer.

Driving Becky home late afternoon, Caleb said, "I apologize for my mother jumping in on you so unexpectedly, Becky.

"Unexpectedly, Caleb?"

"Err no. She's usually quick off the blocks. But it staggered us what she saw immediately in you. Feek me, they were only three words."

"But words are not only words, my sweet. Oops. Sorry."

"Are you sweet-talking me?"

"Who really knows/ That rouge endearment just slipped out."

"You are teaching my something."

"Yes, smart-arse," Becky said with the smile more appropriate from a wise-looking 30-year-old.

"The meaning you read into 'my sweet' is much like the trigger that my words 'Illusions can flitter' unintendedly had on your mother. She immediately read something into that expression that only moments later made sense to me. You see, the art of an illusionist is more or less a rouge activity in our orderly world and the thing is, I acknowledge I already suspected was an emerging status of some sort in me. Even so, in form that your mother identified as a hidden talent in me was startling news even to me."

"Baa, baa black sheep have you any wool."

"Pardon me, Caleb?"

"I was just reciting that line to unravel my mind back to normality after your latest dump of convoluted wordage, though 'convoluted' is perhaps not the right choice of word."

"I understand, Caleb. Bright younger and well-educated confident young females can be a huge pain in the butt for likely lads who have honed themselves primarily into focusing on adventure, sporting glory and memorable bouts of feeking."

Caleb almost blew out of the windscreen in his enormously robust peel of laughter,

Chapter 3

Uncle Tim called Becky to his office, and she found the four other partners and the practice manager already there.

"Good morning, everyone," Becky smiled brightly, aware she'd done nothing wrong and therefore was not being called on to the mat. But why were the others in attendance if she were only about to be told she was no longer required as an admin assistant?"

"With all you lot here, I must be in for a piece of good news," Becky chuckled.

Elderly partner Sam Flower commented, "See, I said in my nomination that Becky is bright and even-penetrating in her assessment ability."

Of significance here, Becky said,, on her own initiative, she began fetching Stan a cup of tea each morning from the café when she learned he didn't go to the café at 10 am because he couldn't stand the coffee aroma. She thus ended Sam's tradition of 34 years drinking tea from a thermos that he bought from home in his office midmorning.

Tim said, "Indeed, that's interesting info. Becky, the partners, on the recommendation of Mr Flower, with me not being involved because you are family, have voted for you being awarded the 3-year Archibald Lynch Law Scholarship introduced by your late paternal grandfather in 1948."

"The partners were aware that you intend entering university next year to study either philosophy or psychology and thus the scholarship may be refused if you don't wish to study law. Alternatively, study law and it can be uplifted in the new year in three equal drawdowns over three years upon signing a contract of intent to join this firm on your graduation from law school."

"Wow," Becky gasped, all eyes following hers to look at the photograph of her grandfather and Tim and her father's father, Archibald Lynch, in pride of place in the boardroom as founder of the firm.

"Feeking wow!"

Everyone eyed her nervously.

"Oh, that outburst was uttered in tribute to my granddad of Irish extraction and a bit of a hell-raiser in his youth when I've been told his father gave him the opportunity to enrol at university or to be banished to the West Indies. Granddad chose the scholarly route to his future. In great excitement, I accept the offer."

That was greeted with applause.

"Thank you everyone for this honour. Until I walked into this room, I really didn't have an aim. From this moment I'm on a mission, to occupy a law desk in this establishment in the shortest practical time with high university ranking."

* * *

Becky left the boardroom a little wobbly and almost fell into the arms of Zoe.

"Omigod, you are extremely flushed. Have you been fired?"

Becky kissed Zoe hugely on the mouth in excitement and said, "I'm going to see if I can start Philosophy 1 and 2 online as early as next week and complete the bachelor degree over the summer break plus a little longer and then start my degree at law school contemporaneously if permitted."

"Omigod, that's amazing and very ambitious," Zoe gushed.

"Zoe, I've just been awarded the $150,000 Archibald Lynch Law Scholarship to assist me gain my law degree."

"Oh darling, for a moment I was thinking we were excited about the possibility of having sex. Congratulations, and that's a huge honour for you and the Lynch family as I understand it rarely has been awarded to anyone associated with this firm. But why do you want a law degree?"

"Because the opportunity was offered, and it will give me a career of substance to um personally treasure to serve my community in a solid manner and perhaps brilliantly."

"But what about your babies, you'll want children, won't you?"

"Yes, their arrival will be carefully planned, at least that's my intention. I'd like to take mum and dad, you and Mac and Arnold out to dinner tonight or supper if the guys have soccer training."

"Great, leave it to me to invite the boys and the boys and I will pay for the Champagne."

"Oh darling, you're up there with the best. I'm slipping home for an hour to break the news to mum and dad."

* * *

Anna and Arnold had arrived back from assisting farmhands from shifting cattle and were sitting and having late morning tea.

They heard Becky arriving fast and skidding to a stop.

"That's Becky driving uncharacteristically fast and rough for her, but there's no horn blasts so it mustn't be an emergency," Arnold said with an edge to his voice.

"She's probably remembered she was supposed to answer my question first thing recently."

"What question?" Arnold asked but it was never replied.

Becky raced in flushed, dropped an opened long enveloped in front of Anna and said, "Read it out aloud mum, and remember this moment because it's life-changing for me."

Anna began reading it but stopped to jump up screaming to hug and kiss her daughter.

"What the fuck does 'awarded' mean without reading awarded what," Arnold snorted.

"Becky has been awarded the Archibald Lynch Law Scholarship worth one hundred and fifty thousand lovely dollars over three years," yelled his wife.

"Then you best get out your study books and get on with it right now," Arnold said happily. "Isn't there an old legal term in contract law still in vogue saying 'Time is of the essence'?"

"Rather than nit-picking dad, please fetch the delayed university admission application and you both sign it and I'll make adjustments and take it to uni admin right away. I propose to complete a BA in Psychology, starting stages 1 and 2 next week if I can extramurally and continuing cramming through the summer until Law School starts a new intake in late March. They allow con-concurrent studies for bright students and my school marks indicate that 1'm bright. Another advantage for me is that our regional university hosts the Archibald Lynch Law Scholarship, or whatever the term in used."