Educating Danielle
Part Five
by Karen E. Lea
Chapter Twenty One
Next day dawned
overcast, but no rain in sight. I had the Rover outside idling, when Danielle
and Laura came out with lunch in a soft chiller bag. Laura looked good in a
cotton dress and sandals. Danielle had on a white sleeveless top, a black mini
skirt and her white sandals with the two inch heel, her makeup immaculate.
“Hi daddy.”
“And where do you
think you are going, dressed like that?”
“With you?”
“Not in a skirt
that short you’re not.”
“But….”
“But nothing.
These people are a church group; you’ll give them a coronary on the spot. Back
inside and change, above the knee skirt and quickly, we’ll be late.”
“But this is
above the knee….”
“Don’t get smart
young lady.”
“Yes daddy.”
“Ah, parenthood.”
mused Laura.
Danielle quickly
went inside and changed, and then we were on our way to the depot where the
coach was kept. I parked the Rover and went in to the office. A balding guy in
his early forties was sitting at a desk, looking at a roster. I introduced
myself, he was a Jeff too. He asked to see my licences, which I showed him.
Satisfied, he showed me out to the yard to a white Denning forty footer, three
axle coach. An oldie but a goodie.
“Four fifty
Detroit rear mount, seven speed Spicer, specced as an express coach, quite
capable of exceeding the speed limit, so keep an eye on the speedo.” the new
Jeff warned.
“Okay.” I
answered. He showed me over the coach, explained its little quirks. He told me
he had personally checked all the fluid levels for me, while talking, Laura and
Danielle approached the coach and my new found friend became quite distracted.
He finally gave me a list of emergency numbers and left me to it.
I fired the
engine and checked the gauges, tank two on the air gauge came up slowly and
finally the buzzer stopped. Closing the door, we slowly left the depot and
headed for the church taking the long way round, to give me time to become
accustomed to the constant mesh gearbox.
We arrived at the
church and already there was a crowd of people waiting. I opened the door and
bounded down the stairs where a slight man dressed casually, in his late
fifties I guessed, introduced himself as The Reverend Kevin Peabody. He pumped
my hand vigorously while thanking me. Telling him I was very happy to help, I
introduced Laura and then Danielle as my daughter. Danielle just glowed.
Opening the
underfloor hatches for everybody to put their bags and eskys, Laura and
Danielle helped the old people up the steps into the coach. An old lady asked
Danielle her name, she told her how pretty she was and what a pretty name.
Danielle thanked her. Then the old lady asked if she had a boyfriend. Danielle
replied to the negative.
“My grandson is
twenty one and a lovely boy, you two would make a lovely couple.” she said.
“Oh……I’m only
sixteen; my dad won’t let me date yet.”
The old lady was
very apologetic, and then climbed aboard.
“Very good, I
wondered what you would say, if all else fails, blame daddy.” She gave me a
cocky smile.
There was a
mixture of mostly retired people and a few young families. A young boy, about
fourteen wouldn’t stop staring at Danielle, even after repeated warnings from
his mother. The coach was fast filling and I sought out Kevin for a
destination.
“Ah. Yes. Now
there’s a problem and a half.”
“How so?”
“Well. Bit of
dissention in the camp. Half of the congregation wanted to go to the mountains;
the other half would like some where near the coast. I finally convinced
everybody that the decision would rest with you as you have been good enough to
give up your Saturday.”
“Okay. I’ll see
what we can do.” I sat down in the drivers’ seat and studied the map I had
brought with me. After five minutes, it was clear that every body would get
their wish, just a bit more driving involved than I first thought.
Finally, the last
two people turned up, the luggage hatches shut, I climbed aboard and shut the
door and eased out on to the main road and headed for the M5 motorway and south
west.
Chapter Twenty Two
Once we were
moving, there was speculation as to where I was headed, when asked, I told them
it was a mystery. On the motorway, finally, and after paying the toll, the
coach held a steady hundred kilometres per hour.
Fifty minutes
later, the exit I required was coming in to view and my mobile rang. I deftly
passed it to Danielle, she answered, “Good morning, Starburst…………….Lady Carrington.”
Everybody within earshot of Danielle certainly became interested in the
conversation. “Hi…….it’s Danielle, how are you?.......he’s driving a tourist
coach at the moment……...just a minute.” she held the phone to her chest, “Dad,
Kim would like a word.”
“Won’t be a
minute.” I pulled the coach up within half a kilometre. In the meantime
Danielle spoke French to Kim, which sounded quite plausible, although I didn’t
understand a word. I took the phone, “Hi Kim.”
“Darling,
whatever are you doing.”
“A favour. Long
story.”
“I’m not a
betting woman, but Laura wouldn’t be far away would she?”
“She’s here.”
“Darling. The
reason I rang, and I apologise, I should have rang earlier, is that I sold
photos of the wedding to a woman’s magazine and I mentioned Starburst and
Karen, Laura and Danielle by name to the reporter. Anyway, I expect it would be
published very soon, if not already. Just in case of phone calls for Karen.”
”Thank you for
the warning.”
“Now Danielle. I
think I should take her under my wing, at least she listens to me and takes my
advice.”
“Your advice?”
“The other day, I
told her to learn French, and already she is fluent in short phrases.”
“Uh, that’s good.
Kim, I’m sorry to rush you, but I have people waiting.”
Goodbye darling.
Say hello to Laura for me.”
“I will, goodbye
Kim.” I pushed END and passed it back to Danielle. I turned to Laura and passed
on Kim’s greeting.
I pulled back in
to the traffic and we slowly meandered through The Southern Highlands town of
Mittagong, in the centre of town, I veered left and headed for the next town,
Bowral. Once through Bowral, I headed for Fitzroy Falls on a quiet country
road. Twenty minutes later, I was parking the coach for morning tea.
Everybody
alighted, while I stayed in the driver’s seat and filled out the logbook. I
made some notes in my diary of Kim’s phone call, so I could remember to look
out for the article in the magazine.
Laura brought me
over a cup of coffee and said, “You’ve certainly made a name for yourself over
there.” pointing at the group. “The people at the front who heard Danielle
answer the phone; have told the people who didn’t. To coin a phrase,
speculation is rife.”
We left the
coach, and as I drowned the last of the coffee, Danielle approached me with a
plate of cake, “Dad, one of the ladies wanted you to have some cake.”
“Thank you. Could
get me another cup of coffee, darling daughter dearest.”
“Yes daddy
dearest.” she said walking away, hips swaying.
The overcast day
had cleared to a warm sunny day. “Did you know Danielle spoke French?”
“No. I was
surprised when I heard her on the phone.”
Kim told me she
was quite good. She told her at the wedding that she should learn.”
Danielle returned
with my coffee, “Since when do you speak French?”
“Since when do
you drive coaches?”
“I think I like
Daniel better. He doesn’t have a smart mouth like his sister.”
“I’m sorry dad. I
was going to surprise you both.”
“You did that
okay.” I finished the coffee and threw the cup in the bin. “Seeing as we drove
all this way, let’s go down and see the waterfall.” We walked along the
boardwalk through the bush to the lookout overlooking Fitzroy Falls. It was
quite a drop to the bottom. We watched the water for a few minutes, and then
strolled back to the coach. I started the engine to run the air conditioning,
as it had become decidedly hot.
Kevin approached
me, while I watched people board. He again thanked me for my help. When a
driver couldn’t be found, everybody was very disappointed. It had been a long
time since the church had an outing such as this. I beckoned over Laura, “This
is the girl you should thank, she found me.” Kevin thanked Laura so profusely,
she blushed.
He turned back to
me, “I take this is not your normal day job?”
“No. You would be
very surprised at what I did during the week; you may want to walk home.”
Danielle announced that everybody was back on board. I shut the hatches and
climbed into the driver’s seat; Danielle was checking her makeup in her compact
mirror and reapplying her lipstick. I gave her a big smile and she just glowed.
Settling back in
the driving seat, selected first gear, I released the brakes and slowly left
the parking area. Turning left on to the main road, I headed east towards the
coast, dropping nearly straight away in to The Kangaroo Valley through some
very tight hairpin bends, slowly wending our way to the township of Kangaroo
Valley. We passed through without stopping and after another steep descent,
reached the main highway and headed north for Kiama, a major township on the
south coast famous for its natural blowhole. A huge natural cavern cut by water
over time and depending on how the sea is running, depends on the size of the
spout of water from the blowhole. It was my planned lunch stop.
We arrived at
Kiama at twelve thirty-five. After parking the coach near the blowhole, and
telling everybody to be back at two thirty, Laura, Danielle and I sat and ate
our picnic lunch. During lunch, Danielle imparted her knowledge of French. I
was no wiser, but the accent and her looks made her more beautiful. Laura threw
in her limited schoolgirl French and we rolled around hopelessly laughing.
After we finished
eating, Kevin came over to thank me for accommodating every body with the
mountains and the coast. He told us that the church used to have regular
outings, such as this, funded by cake sales and fetes. But the church, a very
old building, now needs some expensive repairs. Every extra cent they raise
goes to savings for the repairs and it had been a few years since an outing had
been possible. He told me he had promised himself he would have the repairs
done before he retires in six years.
“How much are you
short?” Laura asked.
“Eight thousand
dollars to go. Although inflation seems to be the stumbling block. Every time
we get close to the target, the price has gone up.”
We excused
ourselves and after stowing the bag on the coach, went for a walk to the
shopping centre.
Chapter Twenty Three
We walked slowly
through, window shopping. At the jewellers, Danielle saw a pair of beautiful
earrings. Heart shaped gold, with a small diamond nestled in the vee of the
heart. They were for pierced ears, which of course she didn’t have. They were
lovely earrings, “You would have to go to school with pierced ears as Daniel.”
I said.
“They are lovely,
but I guess it’s a complexity I don’t need.” she said biting her bottom lip.
We kept walking.
It was nice out walking with them both, except as attractive females, they
attracted a lot of attention and stares. Danielle was just happy to be out
dressed as a girl. We worked our way back to the lookout on the headland to see
the blowhole. Danielle went down to a lower lookout, closer to the blowhole.
Laura edged in
closer to me and said, “Jeff, I want to thank you for doing this today.”
“That’s okay. I
must tell you I agonised over it before I said yes. I did know other people who
would have done it for me. But it’s good to know I haven’t lost some skills.”
“When you pushed
me to tell you the problem that Saturday, it was just out of desperation.”
“It’s okay, I’ve
enjoyed it.” I said as I put my arm around her and looked in to her eyes. On a
sudden impulse I kissed her on the lips. There was an awkward silence. “I’m
sorry; I don’t know what came over me.”
“Would you do it
again?”
I kissed her
again, only longer this time. “Laura. Can I tell you something at the risk of
sounding foolish?”
“Yes.” she
answered breathlessly.
“Laura. I love
you, I have since that first night I opened the door to you. I fell hopelessly
in love with you. I was afraid to say anything in case you didn’t feel the same
way.”
“Oh Jeff. I love
you too. When I saw Karen, I couldn’t understand my feelings for her. I never
imagined myself gay……It doesn’t matter now, I love you so much.”
She put her arms
around my neck and I pulled her in by her waist, we kissed a couple of times.
When we parted, she said “The last couple of weeks have been hell; I kept
thinking you were going to say something to me, but kept holding back.”
“I’m sorry, fear
of rejection.” We kissed again. There was a tap on my shoulder. I parted from
Laura and turned.
“Does this mean I
have a mummy and daddy now?”
“Yes.” We had a
group hug where we stood, Laura and Danielle started to cry. “Girls, girls.
Makeup.”
Laura dabbed her
eyes with a tissue. “To hell with the makeup. This is the happiest day of my
life.” she said laughing and crying at the same time.
I looked at my
watch, “Whoops, two thirty. Every body will be waiting. I put my left arm
around Laura’s waist, held Danielle’s hand and walked back to the coach.
Chapter Twenty Four
Unlocking the
coach and starting the engine to run the air conditioning, I stood outside and
apologised to Kevin for being late.
“That’s alright
son, your day out too.”
“Thank you for
understanding.”
“You know, I’m
not normally this nosey. But I’m intrigued by our earlier conversation, what is
your normal vocation?”
“Promise you
won’t want to be dropped at the railway station?”
“You’ve got us
this far.”
“I’m a
professional makeup artist and run a photographic studio.” I could see him
mulling this over in his mind; I stood there with a straight face. Deciding
that I wasn’t pulling his leg, “I wouldn’t have guessed that one.” he replied
with a laugh.
“Most people
think I’m joking.” Kevin and I were the last on, I was about to sit when my
mobile rang. Danielle answered, “Good afternoon, Starburst.” Her next words
were in French and I guessed who it was. “Dad. Lady Carrington.”
I took the phone,
“Hi Kim.”
“Darling. Dad are
we?”
“Long story Kim.”
Darling. You must
tell me all these long stories one day, I’m most intrigued. Do you have a
minute?”
“Very brief
couple of minutes.”
Darling. I’ve had
the most wonderful idea. I would like Danielle to come and stay with me at the
next school holidays; I’ll take her under my wing and turn her in to a lady.” I
left the coach, so I had no eavesdroppers.
“Kim…..um…..that
would be normally a lovely thought, but I’m sorry, not possible.”
“Can I ask why?”
“Um……Danielle is
Laura’s son Daniel. He’s like Karen. I’m sorry; I should have told you before
the wedding.”
”I’m tempted to
call your bluff. But you wouldn’t lie to me would you.”
“No I wouldn’t Kim.”
“Darling, the
offer still stands. Boy or girl, she is a beautiful, charming young lady. The
two of us will have a ball.”
“I’ll ring you
back at afternoon tea, I’ll have to talk to Laura, and she is his mum.”
“Please, I would
like an answer this afternoon darling. And darling, do you and Laura have
anything to announce.”
“Not really”
“Are you sure
darling? Deidre was convinced you two were lesbians at the wedding.”
“We were that
obvious?”
“Yes darling.
Like two love sick puppies. Goodbye.”
“Bye Kim.” I hit
END on the phone and stared at the exhaust stacks of the Detroit burbling at
fast idle. I shook my head and climbed aboard, raising my eyebrows toward
Laura. Apologising for the delay, I slowly left the car park, turned right and
headed up the main street through the shopping centre we had walked through
earlier. As the traffic stopped and started, I saw there was a bus stop outside
the jewellers where we had seen the earrings. Will I or won’t I. Decisions,
decisions. We moved closer. What the hell, I pulled in, maxis’ on, door open
and raced down the steps in to the shop. If the people on the coach thought I
was bit loony up to now, they probably thought I was certifiable right at this
moment. The people waiting for the normal route service weren’t exactly
impressed either.
The girl at the
counter had luckily, just finished serving a customer. I pointed out the
earrings and asked for two pair, telling her I didn’t want to put the pressure
on, but I was in a hurry. Glancing out at the coach, forty eight pairs of eyes
stared back. We completed the sale, put the small bag in my top pocket, and
raced out of the shop, up the steps of the coach, into the driver’s seat. Shut
the door, first gear, brakes off and forced my way back in to the traffic.
Five minutes
later, we were on the Princess Highway heading north towards Sydney. I pushed
the coach hard to make up a bit of time, Jeff was right; it easily exceeded the
posted limit. Forty five minutes later, I turned off the highway to our last
stop. Mount Keira has a panoramic view over the Illawarra area. The ocean, the
city of Wollongong and the steelworks are all visible from this vantage point.
Chapter Twenty Five
It was very busy
at the lookout, and there wasn’t much room for a forty foot coach, eventually
squeezing it between a tree and three cars. The passengers filed off, me, me
receiving some funny looks. Once the last passenger left, I reached down for my
briefcase, took out a notepad, wrote a brief letter, then a cheque and put it
into an envelope. I wrote Kevin’s name on the envelope and put it to one side.
I brought the logbook up to date and then left the coach.
Danielle and
Laura were waiting for me. Taking the earrings out of my pocket, I gave them
each a set.
“They’re lovely,
thank you, but you shouldn’t have.” Laura exclaimed and kissed me.
“Thank you Daddy.
They’re beautiful.” Danielle said, kissing me on the lips.
“Danielle. Young
ladies don’t kiss their fathers like that.” Laura gasped.
“Danielle has had
the lecture before, time for it again, I think.”
“I’m sorry.” she
pouted.
“If anybody from
the coach saw you, they would never understand.” I said.
“I’m sorry, just
excited.”
“Okay I forgive
you. Just be careful.”
“Why did you
leave the coach to talk to Kim, before we left Kiama?” Laura asked. I told them
the discussion I had with Kim.
“And she doesn’t
mind?”
“Quote, ‘Boy or
girl, she is a beautiful, charming young lady. The two of us will have a ball’.
Unquote.”
“What do you
think, Danielle?” Laura asked.
“Sounds like
fun.”
“This is two
weeks of Danielle, not a weekend.” Laura said.
“The only thing
that worries me,” I said, “Is that you slip in to Danielle very easily. But you
don’t become Daniel again easily. After two weeks, would Daniel still be
there.”
“Danielle. I love
having you like this, but we have reality. School.” Laura said.
“Mum. This is
reality, “Danielle said pointing to herself, would Kim offer Daniel the same
opportunity….I don’t think so.”
Before we could
continue the conversation, one of the ladies found us, to offer cake and
coffee. As we walked over, I said,”You’ll have to get your ears pierced, to be
able to wear those earrings.”
“Well, duh.”
“Kim’s right, you
do need some polish.” I said cuddling her.
We ate our cake
and sipped the coffee. Kevin walked over and said,” I’m going to be nosey
again. How does a makeup artist and coach driver relate?”
“When you’re
young and starting out, you need both skills to eat regular. Eventually I got
my big break and here I am driving for you.”
“Aha.”
We started
herding the people back on to the coach, when the phone rang again. Danielle
answered, “Good afternoon, Starburst.” Then the French started. She handed me
the phone.
“Hi Kim.”
“Down to business
darling.” I recounted our concerns over the length of time Daniel would be
Danielle, and going back to school as Daniel. I whispered to Laura and she
nodded her head in the affirmative.
“Okay Kim. She‘s
going to be all yours.”
“Darling that
will be wonderful. I have lots of plans; we’ll talk when it gets closer. Bye
darling.”
”Bye Kim.”
“Thank you Daddy.
Thanks Mum.” she said hugging us both.
Once every body
was back on board, we headed for home. An hour and a quarter later we were
parked in front of the church. People off, luggage out, swept the interior and
checked the interior luggage racks. We said our goodbyes and gave Kevin the
envelope with strict instructions not to be opened till after dinner. He gave
me a curious look, shook my hand and we climbed aboard for the last time.
Ten minutes
later, I parked the coach where it had been that morning at the depot, said
goodbye to Jeff in the office, and headed for home and a shower. Laura asked me
in for dinner. While Danielle put the Rover away, I went inside and had a
shower, changed in to T-shirt and shorts and headed down to Laura’s with a
bottle of wine.
Danielle had
changed into the mini skirt from this morning. Laura was busy cutting up a
chicken salad and I walked up behind her and kissed her on the neck and nibbled
her ear. She shuddered and goose bumps appeared on her arms. We kissed and our
tongues briefly met. I helped her with the salad and soon we were eating at the
table, chatting about the day’s events.
Danielle thought
the funniest thing was when I went in to the jewellers for the earrings. She
mimicked an old lady who was sitting about half way, “Why have we stopped? He’s
left us; I knew he couldn’t be trusted. Where’s he gone? We’ll be stuck here
all night.” We all laughed. Danielle resumed her normal voice. ”Every body
around her was going, ‘quiet, he’s in the shop’. Then the old lady started
again, ‘what shop? What’s he doing?’”
Laura thought the
funniest thing was when Danielle answered the phone the first time and said
Lady Carrington.” The gasps, oohs and ahs behind us were very comical. What was
your highlight?”
“Kissing you and
telling you I love you.”
“You’re right,
that was my biggest highlight too.”
I raised my glass
to her glass and clinked, “To us.”
“And me. To all
of us.” Danielle giggled.
Laura went and
had a shower while Danielle and I washed up. When we had finished, she pecked
me on the cheek and said, “I love you Dad.”
“You don’t have
to call me dad now.”
She looked
crestfallen, “You don’t know what it means to be able to say dad to you.”
“I’m sorry. I
didn’t realise it meant so much, I should have guessed. Call me dad anytime.”
She smiled and
hugged me, “Thank you.”
“I love you too
and it’s really cool having a daughter.”
“Good night,
Dad.”
“Good night.”
§§§
Kevin settled in
to his comfy lounge chair. It had been a lovely day, every body raved about it
after the coach had left, on the wonderful day it had been. Mr and Mrs
Tomlinson’s wedding anniversary today to the day and they had had their
honeymoon in Kiama forty years ago. Brought a lot of memories back for them.
The driver was an
enigma. He still didn’t know whether to believe his story about the makeup
artist job. Still, Kevin wasn’t there to judge, he gave every body an enjoyable
day out. But then there were all those phone calls from supposedly Lady
Carrington. Kevin shook his head. It was too much for him to think about and it
wasn’t his business anyway.
Kevin remembered
the mysterious envelope and retrieved it from the hall table, settled back in
to his chair and opened it. He took out the letter and read. He read it again
and then took out the cheque. He stared at it and read the letter again, and
then looked at the cheque.
Kevin’s wife,
Elise, had just walked in to the room to see her husband staring off in to
space. “Kevin, are you alright?” He looked at her, passed the letter and cheque
to her. After reading the letter and cheque, all she could say was “Oh my.”
§§§
Chapter Twenty Six
Laura came out of
the shower, smelling of soap and her perfume. She was wearing a cotton dress
and no bra. We sat and watched television for about half an hour, petting like
two fifteen year olds. “I better go and let you go to bed; it’s been a long
day.”
She looked
disappointed, “Before you go, could you help me with something?”
“Sure.” She led
me down the hall to her room, we entered, the bedside light was on. Thinking
she wanted the main light repaired, I turned; she had shut the door and was
right behind me.
She circled my neck
with her arms and whispered “Please make love to me.” Then kissed me so
intensely, I was overwhelmed and returned the kiss with the same intensity.
“What about
Daniel?”
“Asleep.”
“I’ve got no…..”
“I’m on the pill.
I love you Jeff.”
“I love you Laura.”
She removed my
shorts and shirt, leaving me only standing in cotton panties. I undid the
buttons on her dress and it slid to the floor, leaving her naked. We sat on the
bed and I kissed her neck working my way down to her breasts, teasing her
nipples with my tongue till they stood erect. I continued my journey across her
tummy as she slowly lay on the bed, fingering me through the panties.
The journey
continued as I repositioned myself. After a few minutes I felt her tense and
heard a stifled squeal, then, “Jeff, please don’t stop, please don’t stop.”
Finally I did stop and retraced the kisses up her body back to her lips. We
both whispered our love to each other and kissed again. We came up for a breath
and Laura rolled into the centre of the bed, I quickly followed her and as she
parted her legs, I lowered myself into her. Laura shuddered to another orgasm
and a few seconds later I orgasmed myself. We kissed and held each other.
“Please stay with
me.”
“What if Daniel
finds us in the morning.”
“I’ll wake you up
in time to go.”
We laid in each
others arms and drifted off to sleep, it had been quite a day.
I awoke at five
fifteen, Laura was staring at me. “You okay?” I enquired.
“Fine. I woke up
at four and couldn’t sleep. I just watched you sleep.”
“That must have
been exciting.” She hit me, and then giggled. “I better go.”
“Well, I don’t
want you out of my sight. I’ve waited sixteen years for the right man to come
and sweep me off my feet; I’m not going to lose you.”
“Honey, I don’t
want Danielle to find me here when she wakes up. We need to talk to her first;
she’s old enough to deserve that.”
“I’m just greedy
and I know I shouldn’t be, but last night was the first time I’ve had sex since
Daniel was conceived.” We kissed again and I rose from the bed, found my
clothes and dressed. I kissed her again. “Can you give Karen a message for me?”
“Sure.”
“She’s next. And
breakfast at eight thirty.” She called after me as I left.
§§§
Laura sighed
contentedly as Jeff’s back vanished through the door. She pulled the pillow
that he had slept on and cuddled it, inhaling his scent. Sixteen years in the
wilderness, she finally had a man to love, and loved her in return.
Nearly every male
she had come in to contact with over the years had hit on her, even married
men. But none of them ever looked her in the eye. Their eyes were always fixed
on her breasts. She had promised herself she wouldn’t go out with a man, till
the right one come along; she just never thought it would take so long.
She still
couldn’t get over how brazen she was to lead him to her room last night. It was
worth it, she smiled at the memory, he was a gentle lover and she enjoyed every
minute of his touch. Clutching the pillow tighter, she made a wish that Jeff
would ask her to marry, a husband for her and a father for Daniel.
Daniel she
thought, part son and part daughter. The effect that Jeff had on Daniel since
they first met wasn’t lost on Laura. He smiled a lot now, laughed and showed
interest in a lot of things now. While as a parent she knew the dangers of such
a relationship with a virtual stranger, but, she had an inexplicable trust in
Jeff.
Stranger. She had
fallen in love with a stranger. It just occurred to her, that she virtually
knew nothing about him, except his job and Karen. Whenever we were on a date,
he always steered the conversation to me. He seemed to be well off, although he
always seemed to use a credit card, something she had never owned. Laura sighed
again; she wished Jeff was still here in the bed snuggled up with her. There
was something about the closeness and touch of another person. Slowly she
drifted off to sleep with her thoughts.
§§§
Chapter Twenty Seven
The alarm woke me
at eight. I had been in an extremely deep sleep and I was a bit disorientated.
Last night seem to be a dream. Did I share Laura’s bed? Slowly it came to me,
it did happen. I showered, dressed and headed down to Laura’s place for breakfast.
Laura met me at
the door, halter neck top, shorts, four inch heels and the new earrings, “No
bra, no panties, I can be ready in three seconds.” She whispered as she kissed
me.”
“Can I have
breakfast first?” I said returning the kiss.
Following her in to
the kitchen, Danielle came over and pecked me on the cheek, “Hi Dad.”
“Hello darling
daughter.” She looked uncomfortable and I commented on the fact.
“My own breasts
are really sore.”
“I think you
should have a bra on, there’s a lot weight there unsupported. I’ll have a look
after breakfast.”
Laura served
bacon and eggs, orange juice and coffee, and we all sat and ate. We made small
talk as we ate, listening to the radio. I asked them if they would like to go
shopping to buy some more clothes for Danielle for the wedding. She needed an
outfit for the wedding, a coat because it can get very chilly at night down
that part of the state, maybe some jeans and autumn tops.
“Jeff, I can’t
afford that. I was hoping to get a cheap dress, drive down in time for the
wedding and come home straight after the reception.”
“No way. Its two
hours each way. I’ll book a motel room for a couple of nights, we’ll go down on
the Friday and enjoy ourselves, make a weekend of it.”
Laura shook her
head. “Jeff, I really don’t have the money for that and I asked you as my
guest.”
“Forget the
money. I’ll pay and I will pay to dress our daughter.”
Before she could
answer, the phone rang. She rose and answered it, “Hello.”
“Laura.” a male
voice boomed, so, loudly, I could hear him from where I was sitting.
“Mister Faraday.”
It was Laura’s boss.
“That driver you
found for the church. Can you find him right now?”
“I guess so.” She
replied looking at me with raised eyebrows.
“Good. Get him to
ring Reverend Peabody on this number straight away.” Laura scribbled the number
down.
“What’s
happened?”
“I don’t know
Miss Marsden. I just received a call from my mother that the good Reverend
needed to speak to him. But I will tell you this Miss Marsden, if he has done
anything wrong, I will make you personally responsible.” Laura’s eyes started
to well with tears.
I rose from the
table and crossed the room, took the handset and hugged Laura with my free arm,
“Excuse me, if I ever hear you threaten my future wife in such a manner again,
I will personally come down there and rip your bloody head off.” I slammed the
phone on to the cradle. “What an arsehole.” I hugged Laura.
“Way to go Dad.”
“You okay?” I
asked kissing Laura on the cheek. She nodded, wiping her eyes with a tissue.
“What would Kevin
want to talk to you about so urgently?” she asked softly.
“Probably about
the cheque.”
“What cheque?”
“A cheque for the
money they were short for the building repairs.”
“But that was for
nearly……..”
“Ten grand.”
“Ten thousand
dollars.” They said in unison.
“Anyway I better
ring him.” I said picking up the handset and dialling the number. It rang three
times and a man’s voice answered. “The Rectory.”
“Kevin?”
“Speaking.”
“Jeff…from
yesterday. The driver……..”
“Jeff. I’m so
glad they got hold of you. You surprised me with that envelope last night. I
can’t say that I slept. Thank you very much.”
“Glad to help.
Sorry about the sleep though.”
“No need to
apologise. I would like to read your letter at the service this morning?”
“Prefer if you
didn’t, in fact I prefer if you didn’t say where it came from.”
“This cheque has
answered a thousand prayers, I must publicly thank you.”
“I’m in the
position to be able to help. If I wanted backslapping and personal thanks, I
would have given it to you yesterday.”
“You’re being
very humble.”
“No. I don’t
think so. You had a problem. I was able to help. One day I might want a vicar,
think of it as barter.”
“Jeff. I don’t
want to argue with you. You have my personal thanks. Unfortunately I have
communion this morning and I must go. Thank you and say hello to Laura and your
charming daughter for me.”
“I will, and
thank you Kevin. Have a mouthful for me.”
He laughed, “Goodbye
Jeff.”
I hung the phone
up and cuddled Laura, “About this shopping trip.”
“You can’t keep
spending money on us.”
“And why not?”
“I’ll be honest.
I think this is a dream and I’ll wake up.”
“It’s not a
dream. I love you Laura.”
“Well I hope I
didn’t dream the bit you told my boss.”
“What bit?”
“Future wife.”
“Did I say that?
I’ll have to be more careful in the future, you never know whose listening.”
“Mum has a
witness. I heard it too.”
“Whose side are
you on?” I said laughing. Looking at my coffee and realising it was cold. Laura
grabbed the pot and poured me a new cup. I took a sip, then the door bell rang.
“I’ll get it.”
Danielle said.
“Not dressed like
that you’re not.” I said. “I’ll go.”
Opening the door
and peering through the security screen to see a teenage boy, tall, blonde and
large build. “Can I help you?”
He stammered
nervously, “Does…. Danie….l live here?”
“Normally. But
he’s away at the moment.”