Game of Life Ch. 05-06

I instructed Vivian to sit beside Grif, which - somewhat surprisingly — she did without question. Then I told Grif to get down on one knee and do his thing. Which — also surprisingly considering the audience he had — he did without argument, almost pulling the little ring box from his pocket with obscene haste.

Vivian sat there not speaking and looked from Grif to all the others present in turn. Finally her eyes met mine.

"Well if you don't grab the bugger whilst you got the chance, don't you dare come crying to me in the future." Was the best little line that I could come up with.

"Go for it mum!" Katie added.

Vivian didn't say yes in so many words — well not to start with anyway - she just held out her hand and said, "Thank you," when Grif slid the ring on her finger.

There were no worries about it being the right size, Katie had borrowed her mother's wedding ring from the draw in my flat when Grif asked her if she knew what size ring he should buy. Oh, apparently Katie helped him choose the ring as well; I've always wondered what the jeweller made of that one. "Can we have an engagement ring to fit the lady who used to wear this wedding ring please?" I'm digressing again, sorry.

We all did a disappearing act back into the reception rooms then and left the newly betrothed alone for a while. But Jamie stationed himself beside the stage so that he could nip up and make a public announcement when they decided to reappear. I think, much to both Vivian and Grif's embarrassment.

Two weeks later, Jamie and Frankie had returned from their honeymoon.

"How'd it go, Frankie?" I asked when she called me at the office on the following Monday.

"Great, dad" - the heavy emphasis on the dad again - "You did a great job of raising your son."

"Thank you daughter-in-law, I'm pleased he comes up to your expectations."

"Come on, dad, we've been living together for nearly a year; I knew what I was buying. Anyway, I'm not sure that I like the daughter-in-law bit."

"That's what you are sweetheart. My legal daughter now, whether you like it or not."

"Oh, I like it all right dad, especially the nights."

"Now Frankie, watch your tongue young lady, or I might have to take you in hand."

"Ooh, that sounds like fun, but I've got someone keeping me very busy at the moment."

"And if he hears you talking like that, I'm pretty sure he'd soon have you over his knee and give you the spanking you deserve."

"Now you are talking!"

"Come on, cut it out."

"Okay sorry, dad, but you are so much fun to talk to; much better than my father. And a damn sight more understanding. Anyway I didn't call to spar with you, I wanted to invite you and Liz to my first dinner party on Friday evening."

"Dinner party eh, we are moving up in the world. Does Jamie know yet?"

"Providing he gets his stomach filled, I don't think Jamie much cares. But he's promised to be on his best behaviour. Wasn't so keen on the dinner jacket idea though."

"Oh, going all formal, are we?"

"Yeah, come on, dad, this is my first big dinner party, I want it to be really special."

"I'm sure we'll be there, I'll ask Liz what she's got on when she reappears."

"Yeah Liz is coming, I've already checked that she's free. I just wanted to make sure that you'd be her escort."

I kind of got the idea that my input on the dinner party was just a formality. Frankie had obviously spoken to Liz, who would have checked with our secretary that we were both free. Therefore Frankie's call had been a polite formality. Liz or our secretary — as they usually did - would have just told me what to wear and when to be there anyway.

Frankie had gone all out. Their flat wasn't very big but it sure looked the part that evening. I was somewhat surprised when Katie turned up with Jahn in tow, he - and Eddie's guy — had flown over especially for the occasion; or so they claimed. So that was it the eight of us sat around the table.

During the meal, photographs of the wedding and the kids' honeymoon were passed around the table. They were all very nice, but considering the fuss Frankie had made about that low cut wedding dress ... Well, put it this way, there weren't much of the bikini she wore on the beach.

"No matter, I didn't have it on very much. Jamie kept dragging me back to our room." She replied with a cheeky wink, when I commented on its lack of material.

"Too much information, Frankie!" I used the stock answer in reply.

"Anyway I borrowed it off of Katie, didn't I Kate?" She added with a grin.

Katie avoided my eyes when I looked at her in shock at hearing that piece of news. But everyone else was grinning at me like Cheshire cats so I let it slide, because I realised they were taking digs at me.

After eating Frankie's superb meal, we were all settling around the TV to watch the video of the wedding when Katie asked the question.

"Have you told him yet, Liz?"

"Told who what?" Jamie asked loudly.

Maybe a pre-planned response to draw attention to Katie's question, I never have been too sure, but Jamie isn't usually that quick.

But Katie didn't reply, she sat there staring at Liz. Then I realised that almost everyone — including me was doing the same, with what can only described as expectant expressions on our faces. But Liz was looking straight back at me with that "deer in the headlights" expression on her face.

"Well have you?" Frankie asked this time.

Liz didn't reply, she opened the small clutch bag she'd been nursing all evening and produced a sealed letter from it, which she held out, obviously for me to take from her.

Breaking the seal, I realised that there was complete silence in the room and everyone was watching my every move intently.

The letter was extremely brief. To put it succinctly, it was Elizabeth's formal resignation from the company. A rather odd situation for Liz to choose to give it to me in, I thought. Besides not being able to fathom why she would want to quit, because she was just about to be promoted as sales director. Something she'd been hoping would happen for years.

"I don't understand." I said, looking up from the letter to Liz.

"I'm surprised, I would have thought you at least, would have noticed." Frankie commented.

"Noticed what?" I asked. I do hate when women beat around the bush and don't explain what they are really talking about.

My god, dad, to anyone who's known Liz as long as we have, it was showing at the wedding. Don't you ever open your eyes?" Katie commented.

"Maybe not where I'm concerned." Liz entered the conversation.

"Look you've lost me, what are you girls on about?" I demanded.

Katie held up an enlarged picture of Liz and I dancing together at the wedding, it was taken broadside on, and Katie's finger was pointing at Liz's waist area. "Notice anything-unusual dad?" She demanded.

Well to be honest I couldn't see or understand what Katie was referring to. Liz had always had a pretty lithe figure; I noted it many times over the previous few years. I supposed there was a chance that she might have put on a pound or two ... My conscious mind locked up at the realisation of what Katie and Frankie could possibly be inferring. All sorts of thoughts, were racing around my unconscious mind at the same time, and probably causing the overload.

She couldn't be! But that would explain Liz's resignation. She and Anna had always been adamant that babies and high-powered jobs don't mix for women. But if she was, then who could possibly be the father? I thought that I knew where Elizabeth was and whom she was with, almost twenty-four hours a day and I had done for years.

Oh no, of course there was Torquay. I had no idea what Liz had been getting up to or with whom whilst I'd been ... er, otherwise occupied with Anna. But I couldn't recall any hint that Liz had teamed up with anyone in particular during the week.

"Who?" I mouthed at Liz. Not daring to ask the question out loud.

"You!" She mouthed back at me. Maybe also not daring to say the actual word out loud.

"But we never..." I replied, out loud this time.

"Anastasia soon picked up on the boss habit, didn't she?" Liz smiled.

"Are you telling me?"

"Yeah Anna and I are identical twins and for a while there, there was absolutely no one in the world who could tell us apart. And that included you Jimmy!"

"So when I thought I was...?"

"Yes, after the second night when you told Anna that you were attracted to me."

"Oh my god, every..."

"Dad, I really do think you two should have the rest of this discussion in private." Katie interrupted. "But you can ask Liz to marry you now. We're all waiting!"

I glanced around at all the smiling faces staring back at me, then back at the tentatively smiling Elizabeth.

"But, I haven't got a..."

"Yes you have, and it fits!" Katie said, producing the box that contained the engagement ring I'd given to her mother many years before. "Mother said she couldn't think of a better use for it. And she hopes Liz will honour it better than she managed too."

Liz was smiling at me by then, but I wasn't too sure that using Vivian's ring was such a good idea. Liz must have read the thought in my face.

"Vivian and I have discussed it Jim, she's happy with the idea."

"Oh you have, have you; has everyone been conspiring behind my back?"

"No just Mum and Katie; Vivian was the first to realise that Liz was carrying. Actually whilst you were twisting her arm to accept Grif's proposal. She told us that she thought she'd be pushing her luck a little too far, had she pointed it out at the time. But this evening was all her idea." Frankie informed me. "So get on with it dad, we've got the Champagne Grif bought, on ice in the kitchen.

Liz had tears in her eyes as I got down on one knee and asked her to be my bride. Yeah, I still had reservations about the ten-year age gap, but I think I was alone in that worry. Then things got really out of hand the Champagne flowed and a real party kicked off.

Although Liz took a few minutes to make an international telephone call.

Life goes on.