For Old Time's Sake

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There were no panic-stricken phone calls from home during the day, so I figured everything had gone smoothly back there. When I got home that evening there was no one around, although Angela's Nissan was parked by the garage.

I hadn't been inside long when I heard the bumble of the old Land Rover we kept for pulling the trailers around, as it came into the drive in front of the house.

I must have had a quizzical look on my face as to why Angela had used it to go out in, when I got outside.

"Five in the Micra is pushing things, Dad!" Angela said, as she climbed out of the old LR.

Goldie came up to me and gave me a kiss, then headed for the kitchen followed by the boys both laden with shopping.

"Goldie said that our diet left much to be desired. She's going to cook dinner tonight," Angela said as she followed behind.

"Mr Caisey?" a very quiet voice said from behind me.

It's Gary or Scratch, Claire," I replied turning to look at her.

"I was wondering, could I have a word with you in private?" she asked.

"There's no one here, Claire, but we can go into the cottage or the garage if you don't want to be disturbed."

I followed Claire into the garage.

"Mr Caisey, Gary." Claire seemed to fumble, as if trying to find the words she wanted to use. "I owe you an apology for my behaviour."

I almost asked, "Ah, the horses, big house and just maybe the trappings of wealth have changed your mind, have they?" But I held my tongue. I was pleased that I did shortly. I just stood there waiting for her to go on.

"Scratch," she found a title she was happy using. "Please don't get me wrong. I loved my dad more than anything in the world. But he was pretty much of a good for nothing. All he really cared about was motorbikes and riding them. Oh, he loved mum in his way, but with dad everything - even mother, Toby and me - came second place to his beloved motorcycles and racing them. Mother was always scrimping and scrapping trying to get two pennies together, and my father was spending it on his damned motorbikes.

"When you turned up at the house with mother that day, I thought that you were another biker. Oh, you didn't look like any that I'd met in the past, but you and mother were talking motorcycles. I pretty soon gathered that mother was in love with you the moment you stepped in the front door. Mother wears her emotions on her sleeve. But I didn't want to see her go through all that again. I'm sorry but all the men that I've ever known properly were dad's motorcycle friends. I'm sorry I had you painted with the same brush.

"So you have no objections to me courting you mother now?"

"No, I think you're the best thing that's happened to mother in her whole life. I could kick myself for being such a fool. You'll get no objections from me from now on, whatever you two do."

"Claire, can I ask you something?"

"Anything, Mr Caisey."

"Well, for a start you call me Scratch, anything but Mr Caisey. And secondly do you like it down here?"

"Yes, it's a beautiful place."

"But would you like to live here, out in the country like it is. You know, it's a hell of a change from having the local shop on the corner."

"Scratch, it's quiet and clean. And the view over the moor there is out of this world."

"It's not quite so delightful in the winter, with a force nine blowing, Claire. I can assure you of that, but most of the time I find it better than living in the town. Now I'm going to ask you a favour. Please don't mention what we've talked about here today to your mother."

"But I have to tell I've apologised to you."

"Oh, yeah, you can do that. But don't say anything else."

Goldie sounded pleased when she heard that Claire and I had buried the hatchet.

It was two nights later that I took Goldie for a walk up in the top fields, from where we could look down on the house and stables below

"God, this is a beautiful place you've got here, Scratch," Goldie said.

"Just the setting for three beautiful women to live in, don't you think?" I asked.

"Three?"

"Angela, Claire and you!"

"Oh, yeah!" Goldie replied. "Oh, god, did you just ask me what I thought you did?"

"Well, I could be jumping the gun a little, but it's what you wanted me to ask you, wasn't it?"

Goldie stood there staring down at the farm bellow, but she didn't answer me.

"Well, what do you say, Stella?" I said, taking hold of her by the shoulders and turning her so I could see the tears running down her face. I kissed them away and we stood there cuddling each other whilst she got her emotions back under control.

"Scratch," she eventually said, "how many fields have you got here?"

"Three big ones up here on the top and six paddocks down below near the house. Why do you ask?"

"Oh, I was just wondering whether we should christen them all like we did that field out at Radlett, before the wedding or after."

I looked around to make sure that there was no one in sight.

"Let's christen this one now!" I replied.

Life goes on.

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Epilogue

Almost two months had past since I'd asked Goldie to marry me. Plenty has gone on in those two months. When we eventually got back to the house that evening and broke the news to the children, they were all -- even Claire -- ecstatic at the news.

Goldie and the children stayed for two weeks, instead of the one that had been originally planned. Then I took them back to London so that they could tie up the loose ends in their lives up there and prepare for the move down west. It took another three weeks before they could actually make the big move.

They didn't return to the holiday cottage, but moved straight into the house, Goldie moving in to my room with me and Toby and Claire into two of the spare rooms. Most of Goldie's furniture we put in the unfinished holiday cottage for storage for the time being. Eventually we planned to use some of it to furnish the place when it was completed. Yeah, that plan was back on the agenda, and has since been completed; Goldie, I might add, always refers to it as "Elaine's other cottage."

James was really enjoying himself, playing driving instructor to Goldie, Toby and Claire, in the old Land Rover. If you can drive that old beast around the fields and tracks, you can soon drive anything anywhere. Apparently none of them had ever learnt to drive, because there wasn't the spare cash around to pay for either a car or driving lessons. Besides London has a pretty reasonable transport network that means getting around up there - although time consuming -- doesn't really require a car.

Angela was playing riding instructor to all three of them as well. She claims that Claire is a natural in the saddle and would soon be as good as her. Toby just wants to ride because James can, I think. And Goldie wants to ride out with me on "Legend", Elaine's old mare.

The big day is only three days away; Goldie's parents are due down tomorrow. They are going to stay in the holiday cottage. So tonight is my last opportunity to discover who the fourth conspirator was. I really had to clear the air before Goldie and I took our vows.

The boys were in the house playing computer games or something and Goldie was in the kitchen cooking up dinner. I'd been fiddling with the Triumph; it was running by then, but there is always something to adjust or polish. The lads at the local garage had done an unbelievable job on the paintwork. Somehow they'd even managed to duplicate the scratch on the top of the fuel tank. Goldie had made that scratch with the metal stud on the heel of her stiletto's ... what, must be over twenty-three years before.

I'd just gotten the bike. It wasn't brand new, but it was immaculate. Goldie had come running out of the café to see it. In her excitement she managed to scratch the top of the fuel tank as she swung her leg over, causing me to throw a wobbly. I'd gone on about that scratch so much in the following weeks that the boys began to refer to me as Scratch Caisey. So if you were wondering, that's where the name came from.

Having finished playing with the Triumph, I took a walk up to the stable to see how the girls were coming along, as it would soon be time for us all to sit down and eat together. Half way up there I met the girls coming in the other direction, so I turned to walk back with them. Angela took hold of my left arm and but then suddenly Claire was holding my right. I turned my head and smiled at her.

"Scratch?" Claire said, in that "I want something" tone of voice that most women normally use when they're after something.

"Yes, Claire," I replied.

"Well, I was thinking. After you marry our mother, Toby and me can't keep calling you Scratch. Doesn't sound very respectful, does it?"

"Well, I can't see that that makes any difference," I replied.

"Well, I was wondering ... that's if you don't mind ... I wouldn't want to upset you or anything..."

"We don't seem to be getting to the point of this conversation, Claire," I suggested.

"Claire's trying to ask you if you'd mind her calling you Dad! She's been trying to get up the nerve to ask you all week!" Angela butted in.

I stopped walking and both girls swung around so they were looking straight at me.

"Well, Angel, what do you think of the idea?" I said throwing the ball into Angela's court. The only losers that I could see in this marriage were going to be Angela and James. They'd be losing their exclusivity of my attention. So I thought Angela's input was important on this.

"Well, makes sense to me, dad. I assume that in the long term, you'll be doing the adoption thing as well. It'll be cool when Claire's my proper sister," Angela said smiling.

"Sorry, Claire, I had to ask Angela's opinion first. All I've got to say is that I would find it an honour if you referred to me as dad, or your father.

Claire threw her arms around my neck and kissed me. "Thanks, dad. I didn't know how to ask you, what with the way I behaved when we first met."

We walked the rest of the way back to the house with the two girls skipping along each side of me like a couple of ten-year-olds. Both were still hanging on my arms like grim death.

Goldie informed us that dinner would be about another twenty minutes. "It's all in the oven; we've just got to wait until its ready," she said.

"In that case, family meeting in the lounge right now!" I announced.

There was a little discord from the boys who claimed to be on level six or something, but they were sat around the room with the others pretty quickly anyway.

"Right, family meeting in session," I said.

"Can we...?" James asked.

"No, I've called this meeting for a specific purpose. Well, two purposes actually!" I stopped James before he went off on his usual 'we need a new state of the art computer' request, James's normal opening gambit!

"Firstly Claire has asked me today whether she can call me dad in the future and Angela has brought up the subject of my adopting both Claire and Toby. Are there any objections from anyone to that idea?" I was looking straight at Goldie when I said that.

Goldie's reaction was to cross the room, sit on my lap and kiss me. "Does that answer your question?" she asked.

"What about you two boys?"

"We thought we would be brothers anyway, once you and mum got hitched," Toby informed us.

"So everyone's in favour then?" I asked

Sounds of approval came from everyone.

"Okay, that's out of the way. Goldie and I will see the solicitor as soon as we get back from the honeymoon."

"Now for something very serious." I tried to put on my grave voice. "I have become aware that there has been a conspiracy of sorts in this house, aimed at manipulating my actions."

The six of them looked at each other, but didn't say anything.

I fixed my eyes on my daughter, "Angela, exactly how long after I came back from London on that first trip did you call Goldie and where did you get the telephone number from? I know that Geena didn't give it to you."

Angela was suddenly looking like a deer caught in the headlights. She stared at me for a few seconds and then looked at Goldie - who'd returned to her seat by then -- for guidance I think.

"I ... You ... We ..." were the only sounds that came out of Angela's mouth.

"I got it for her, dad," James spoke up. "When you took Angela and me in and showed us your new office. You and Angela were talking to Geena out in the big office and I slipped back into yours and got the number from your address book thing on your desk."

"So, Goldie, those evenings when I called you for a chat, you'd already spoken to my loving daughter and the pair, or should I say the three of you were planning my seduction," I said, turning my gaze onto her.

Goldie smiled back at me. "Well, if you want the truth, yes, that's about it. Angela was convinced you'd be back, but I can't say I was at first! Don't get me wrong. I wanted you to come up again. I don't think I could have made it any clearer than I did."

"Angel," I said, turning my attention back to Angela. "You've been on at me for a few years to get another woman in my life, so I knew that you thought that I needed a little push. But what I don't understand is why then, just after I'd run into Goldie again. What made you think that Goldie and I would get on together?"

"Give me a sec please, dad," Angela said and left the room. It took her less than a minute to return with that cigar box of hers. Angela opened it and took out an envelope. She looked at it with tears in her eyes and then passed it to me. Martha gave this to me on my sixteenth birthday. The first part is mother and daughter stuff, but the latter part is about you. I think, father, that you should read this in private; come-on, everyone." Angela demanded, and then they all got up and left me alone.

I looked at the envelope that Angela had placed in my hand.

Martha, would you please give this to my Angela on her sixteenth birthday. it said on the outside.

I took the contents out and slowly unfolded them.

My little Angel The first line said and then Elaine went on to talk about mother and daughter things that I don't intend to repeat here. But later the tone of the letter suddenly changed.

I'm feeling terribly guilty about leaving all of you, especially your father. I'm worried about your father and how he's going cope when I'm gone. The thought keeps going around in my head that I've cheated him somehow. I hope and pray he finds another woman to fall in love and grow old with. If he does, I want you to promise me that you will encourage him to take that woman into his life.

I keep thinking that if I hadn't interfered with his relationship with Goldie, he would probably be looking forward to many more happy years with her than I've been able to give him. Baby, if your father ever finds himself another Goldie, don't you let her get away! I bent the rules to get your father from her in the first place; you have my permission to do whatever is necessary to make sure that your father is as happy as he can be in his old age. And for pity's sake don't let him waste his life mourning me when I'm gone. I know what he's like; he'll have the excuse that he's too busy looking after you children to go looking for romance.

I'm not proud. If when the time comes for him to join me, he's got someone else with him, I know he's got enough love for both of us to share through eternity. Oh, don't tell him that I told you that; he never was one for believing in the after life.

I leave him in your care, my daughter.

Your loving Mother.

I wiped the dampness from my eyes then went outside where my now somewhat extended family were sitting around the picnic table.

"So now I know who the other conspirator was," I said, for want of something else to say.

Angela looked at me with a grin on her face. "You always insisted that I do as my mother told me without question, dad."

"Well, your mother was one of the wisest women that I've ever known, Angel. You can never do wrong in my eyes by following her lead.

Life goes on.