by Rosie Harris
I’m very lucky in that respect, Richard reflected. Peggy had made it quite clear that she didn’t want George around all the time and George, whilst showing appreciation for the helicopter gift she bought him, most certainly hadn’t liked her. Richard had noticed the look of frustration on George’s little face, when Peggy sent him upstairs to his room the moment he came home, so that they could chat together without any interference. Any other child would have rebelled probably, but George had been so well brought up by Delia that he was too polite to do so, Richard thought with a smile.
Yes, in many ways he had very little to complain about, Richard thought, except that they did live a rather isolated life. He must try and take George out and about more and do some of the things, like going to a football match or a cricket match, like other fathers seemed to do with their sons. Perhaps he should try and get to know some of the other parents and encourage play dates; that might help George to have a better social life. George seemed to have very few friends, he reflected. He never seemed to be invited to other children’s parties and he never brought friends home. He wondered if that was his fault, because Delia wasn’t sure if he wanted other children in the house. He would have to make it clear to her that he didn’t mind in the least. All he wanted was for George to be happy.
George recovered from measles in record time; keeping him happy and occupied until he was fit enough to go back to school was another matter. The brunt of doing so fell on Delia’s shoulders because Richard was away all day, but Bill was a great asset. He came to see George most days and would play board games with him or read to him. Although his eyesight made reading difficult and half the time he made up the stories. George knew this but he didn’t mind and he laughed about it to Delia afterwards. When they played board games, George usually won. Half the time George was making moves for Bill and telling him what card he had drawn, and Delia suspected that George might be cheating. Mary did her share of entertaining George, but she didn’t like games very much.
A major problem arose, however, when the time came for Bill to visit the eye hospital again. It was not only on the same day, but at the same time as Delia had an appointment at the dentist. Delia offered to cancel her appointment but neither Bill nor Mary agreed to her doing that.
‘It’s Bill’s fault for not telling us the date sooner,’ Mary said.
‘I thought I had told you,’ Bill mumbled.
They waited until Richard came home to see if he had any ideas but he shook his head.
‘I know that it is quite impossible for me to get time off,’ he said apologetically.
‘I can go on my own,’ Bill insisted but Mary refused to let him do that.
‘It’s a pity we can’t call on Peggy to come and look after George,’ Richard said, ‘but I don’t know if she would be free at such short notice. I can try phoning her, she gave me her mobile number.’ As Richard stood up to go and phone her, George, who had been playing with his train set in a far corner of the room, ran over and caught hold of his arm.
‘No, Daddy, don’t do that. We don’t want her here again, not ever,’ he pleaded.
‘George! Why ever not? You can’t stay here on your own and grandma doesn’t want Bill going to the eye hospital on his own.’
‘Why can’t I go to the hospital with them?’ George said sulkily.
Richard and his mother exchanged looks. ‘Is there any reason?’ Richard asked. ‘He’s not ill now; in fact he’s going back to school next week.’
‘I don’t know,’ Mary murmured. ‘What do you think Bill?’
‘It would certainly solve the problem for all of us,’ Bill agreed.
George was delighted and said he would be on his best behaviour.
In the taxi, he was excited as they drove down the relief road and he could see Windsor Castle and the Round Tower looking resplendent in the early spring sunshine. At the hospital, he sat on a chair between Bill and Mary, fascinated by all that was going on. When Bill was called into the examination room, George sat holding his coat until he came out. When they moved from one department to the next, George helped to carry things. The only time he seemed to be uneasy was when Bill was called in for an injection.
‘Will he be all right, Grandma?’ he asked worriedly.
‘Of course he will be. He’s had it all done before. He might not be able to see very well when he comes out, that’s why I wanted to be here. When he does come out we’ll all go the restaurant and have a drink and you can have a cake or some biscuits,’ she promised.
George’s face brightened, then it clouded over again as he saw someone in a dark blue uniform coming over to them and recognised Peggy. He had quite forgotten that this was the hospital where she worked.
‘What’s this – a family outing? Where’s Delia today?’ she asked as she greeted them.
George closed his eyes and pretended not to be there and hoped she wouldn’t speak to him.
‘Delia had to go to the dentist,’ Mary explained, ‘and, as there was no one to look after George, we had to bring him with us.
‘I see. You should have let me know, then I could have come and looked after him, he’s not infectious now?’
‘No, he’s going back to school next week,’ Mary said.
‘Good. Tell Richard I’ll pop in and see him, possibly tomorrow. After all, it is Valentine’s Day,’ she said and laughed.
George didn’t understand what Peggy had meant. He thought about it while they walked to the restaurant and while he munched his way through the little packet of biscuits that Mary had bought for him, and drank his lemonade, but he still couldn’t work it out. He was about to ask his grandmother to see if she or Bill knew, when the taxi driver appeared and there was no time to do so. Bill swallowed the last of his tea, George quickly finished his lemonade and they all went out to get in the taxi. As they started on their way home he could contain his curiosity no longer.
‘What is Valentine’s Day?’ he asked.
‘Well, it’s a special day like St David’s Day on the first day of March, or St Patrick’s Day on the Seventeenth of March,’ Mary explained.
‘You mean like Christmas Day?’ George said.
‘Yes, that’s right,’ Bill agreed.
‘It’s a very special day; it’s when you propose to the lady you love and ask her to marry you,’ the taxi driver said, giving a loud guffaw. ‘That’s what I did and now I’ve got a wife, three kids and a mortgage.’
‘You married her!’ George exclaimed.
‘Yes, that’s right son, so make sure you don’t get carried away and ask someone to marry you on Valentine’s Day.’
George shuddered. Peggy had said that she was going to come and see his father on Valentine’s Day. What did she mean? he wondered.
‘Can a lady ask a man to marry her on St Valentine’s Day?’ he asked worriedly.
‘Only if it’s a leap year,’ the taxi driver said.
George said no more. He wondered if it was a leap year, but he didn’t know what that meant either and he was afraid to ask in case this was one. Somehow he had to try and think of a way to stop Peggy coming in case it was a leap year.
She’ll probably ask him anyway even if it isn’t, he thought miserably, and he couldn’t think of any way of stopping her from doing so.
FORTY-FOUR
George couldn’t sleep. He tossed and turned and thumped his pillow. He crept into Delia’s room but hesitated about waking her. So instead, he went into his father’s room and crawled into bed beside him. Richard woke with a start. George had been wandering about for such a long time that his feet were icy cold and he was shivering. Richard wrapped his arms around him and held him tight, and George burst into tears.
‘I don’t want her here, I want just us, like it is now, just us: you and me and Delia,’ he sobbed.
‘What are you talking about?’ Richard said. ‘Have you had a bad dream, or a nightmare? What are you crying about?’
‘Peggy!’ George said in a choking little voice.
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‘Peggy! You must have been dreaming. We haven’t seen Peggy for ages and I doubt if we will ever see her again.’
‘We will, she said we would.’
‘You’ve been dreaming,’ Richard told him and held him tighter, rubbing his back to try and calm him.
‘No I haven’t!’ George struggled to sit up. ‘We saw her at the hospital yesterday and she said she was coming to see you today, because it’s Valentine’s Day and if you didn’t propose to her then she would ask you to marry her.’
‘She said what!’ Richard asked in disbelief.
Choking and hiccupping, George repeated what he had said. ‘That’s what happens on St Valentine’s Day,’ he added. ‘The taxi driver said it was. He asked someone to marry him on Valentine’s Day and he says he now has a wife, children and a mor … mor something.’
‘Mortgage?’ asked Richard, trying not to laugh.
‘I think that was it,’ George agreed.
‘I don’t think we have anything to worry about,’ Richard told him. ‘I won’t be proposing to anyone on Valentine’s Day and if they ask me to marry them I shall say: no thank you.’
George snuggled back down in bed, clinging on tight to Richard. He was so quiet that Richard thought he was asleep when George said, ‘Why don’t you ask someone to marry you, Daddy?’
‘I don’t know anyone who would want to marry me, except Peggy, of course, and you said that you don’t want me to marry her.’
‘I don’t!’ George said vehemently. ‘I want you to marry Delia.’
Richard’s laugh was so loud that it brought a sleepy Delia in to find out what was going on.
‘What are you doing in here disturbing your daddy’s sleep?’ she asked George.
‘He couldn’t sleep,’ Richard said quickly. ‘He’s all right now and he’s going back to his own bed. Isn’t that right, George?’
‘Well, since I am up, I’ll take him and tuck him in,’ Delia offered. She walked over to the bed to pick George up. He grabbed her by the neck and pulled her towards him so hard that she lost her balance and toppled over on top of him and Richard.
‘Ask her now, go on, go on,’ George said, holding on tight to Delia as she struggled to stand up.
‘Ask me what?’ Delia said
‘It’s Valentine’s Day and Daddy wants to ask you to marry him,’ George said.
‘George!’ Richard protested. ‘Delia doesn’t want to marry me.’
‘Yes she does, I want her to. I want you to marry each other,’ George said stubbornly. ‘You tell him Delia! You ask him to marry you.’
‘Bed!’ Richard said in an authoritative voice.
‘Come along,’ Delia took his hand very firmly. Sensing that he had in some ways upset them both, George went meekly back to his room.
After that Richard tried to go back to sleep but his mind was in turmoil. He tossed and turned until the bedclothes were all tangled. He thumped his pillow, then turned it over to find the cool side. He closed his eyes but all he could see was Delia’s lovely face. So cool and calm, a delectable kissable mouth, and when he looked into her eyes, they were so bright and honest that it was as if he could see right into her very heart. He could hear her voice inside his head. Firm yet gentle when she was speaking to George. George adored her and most of the time obeyed her without question. Richard didn’t know what George would do without her. What would he do if Delia decided to leave them?
He would also miss not only the care and attention she gave them both, but he would miss her as a person. She was so much a part of both of their lives that he couldn’t imagine living without her. Did she feel the same way about them, he wondered. She seemed to be very much at home with them and never seemed to want time off to do anything else. He wondered about her friends and then realised that she didn’t seem to have any. Like him, she was something of a loner.
His mother and Bill liked her. They all seemed to get along quite happily. There never seemed to be any altercations about the way she was bringing George up. Then, how could there be, Richard reflected, when Delia was doing such a splendid job. Soothed by the feeling of satisfaction that his life was so well ordered, Richard fell into a dreamless sleep.
Delia wasn’t sure whether she was having a dream or a pleasant nightmare. Richard was there, an amorous charming Richard, who was expressing his love for her and beseeching her not to leave him, because both he and George would be devastated if she did.
It was such a wonderful dream that when morning came she didn’t want to wake up to the rather hard realities of life.
George seemed none the worse for his restless night. He came down to breakfast grinning cheerfully and, as soon as they were all sat around the breakfast table, he reminded them that today was Valentine’s Day and did they remember what he had told them about Valentine’s Day?
‘Yes, we remember,’ Richard affirmed, catching Delia’s eye and noticing how the colour was staining her cheeks.
‘Well,’ George persisted, ‘are you going to do what you are supposed to do or is Delia going to be the one to ask you to marry her?’ he asked.
Richard and Delia both looked startled.
‘Don’t you worry about it,’ Richard told him.
‘It’s important,’ George told him.
‘I know,’ Richard agreed. ‘I’ll do it as soon as I’ve finished my breakfast.’
‘Now!’ George insisted. ‘I want you to do it now.’
‘I think I would rather wait until we are on our own, in case she says no,’ Richard told him.
‘She won’t say no,’ George stated. ‘You won’t, will you Delia?’
Delia felt her colour rising. ‘I think we had better wait until we are on our own, like your daddy says,’ she prevaricated.
‘I said, ask Delia now, Daddy,’ George persisted, tears coming into his eyes.
‘All right, all right!’ Richard agreed. He took a deep breath, rose from the table and came round to where Delia was sitting. ‘Will you marry me?’ It was so stiff and formal that Delia was sure he didn’t mean it and that it was all part of a charade to keep George happy.
‘Yes,’ she said, holding out her hand, ‘of course I will.’
To her surprise, Richard pulled her out of her chair and kissed her. It was not a peck on the cheek or even a formal kiss on the lips, but a deep passionate kiss that left her breathless. George was so excited that he cheered and, as Richard pulled Delia into his arms and kissed her again, he hugged them both around the waist.
Finally they let him squeeze in between them and all three hugged and kissed until they were breathless. Delia wondered if it was really happening or whether she was still dreaming. This wasn’t being done for George’s benefit; this was a fantasy come true. Then her bubble of happiness burst and the black cloud of reality blotted out her happiness. How could she have forgotten? This was a farce! Richard couldn’t marry her; he was already married to Megan.
Sensing something was worrying her, Richard whispered quietly, ‘What’s wrong?’
‘You’re already married,’ she said sadly.
‘No, I’m not!’ he assured her. ‘Megan filed for a divorce and it’s all gone through. Everything is legal and above board. I’m a free man.’
‘You are!’ Delia couldn’t believe it was true. As if to clear her mind of any doubt, Richard swept her into his arms and kissed her again.
‘I think this calls for a glass of champagne, don’t you,’ he smiled.
‘At this time in the morning!’ Delia said in mock horror.
‘I suppose it is rather early,’ Richard admitted.
‘Why don’t we invite your mother and Bill round and let them celebrate the news with us,’ Delia suggested.
‘Great idea,’ Richard agreed and kissed her once more.
Mary and Bill were delighted by the news.
‘About time,’ Bill said. ‘I was getting tired of waiting. What took you so long?’
‘Needed a bit of prompting,’ Richard la
ughed. ‘Cupid here helped,’ he added, ruffling George’s hair.
‘I told them what the taxi man told us yesterday about Valentine’s Day,’ George said. ‘You know about asking someone to marry you.’
‘Yes, I remember,’ Bill told him. ‘Clever boy.’
‘It worked,’ George said proudly. He stopped and frowned at Bill, ‘Why don’t you ask grandma to marry you?’
‘George!’ Mary said sharply. ‘You mustn’t say things like that.’
‘No,’ Bill said quickly. ‘The boy’s quite right. Why don’t we get married? Mary, will you marry me?’
Mary Wilson looked flustered. She looked hesitantly in Richard’s direction, then as she saw the smile of encouragement on his face, said, ‘Yes, why not!’
There were more hugs and kisses all round and then Richard fetched the champagne. As it was such a special occasion he even poured out a small glassful for George. They all congratulated each other again before clinking glasses and drinking their champagne.
‘Perhaps we should make it a double wedding,’ Bill suggested, as he put his empty glass back on the table. The two women exchanged glances, Mary gave a little shrug and Delia smiled to show she was in agreement.
‘Right then, if everyone agrees, shall we set a date?’
They all suggested different dates but Bill was impatient. ‘What about making it an Easter wedding,’ he suggested.
‘That’s only a few weeks away,’ Mary protested. ‘We won’t have time to get everything ready.’
‘We’ve wasted enough time already,’ Bill muttered.
‘Right, Easter it is,’ Richard affirmed. ‘George will be on school holidays and so will I, so it’s perfect.’
FORTY-FIVE
For the next couple of weeks all conversations centred on the coming weddings. There were so many conflicting ideas that Mary was in despair and thought they would never settle anything. Finally, it was agreed that their double wedding would be on Easter Sunday, which left them with only a few weeks to get everything ready. Since three of the people involved had been married before, they agreed that it should be a very quiet civil wedding, with a meal at a top restaurant afterwards.
