by M J Lee
Buxton, near Manchester. May 18, 2016.
Jayne had just pushed through the fire doors and was walking to her father's usual place in the corner, facing the picture window with its view of the oak tree and the garden, when she felt a light tap on her shoulder.
A man leaned in and kissed her on the cheek. 'Good morning, lass, good to see you here.'
'Dad, I'm so…'
'Surprised? Shocked?'
'I was going to say, I'm so pleased to see you.'
Jayne's father was standing in front of her, wearing a dapper waistcoat, freshly ironed shirt and trousers, and brightly polished shoes. His hair had been cut short with a sharp parting on the left. Even more, the moustache had been removed and the rest of his face was clean shaven.
He stroked his chin. 'Smooth as a baby's bum, but it does feel strange without the tash. I got used to tasting my soup twice.'
'You look great, Dad. I suppose this is Vera's influence? Where is she anyway?'
'Out for the day with her daughter.'
'So those two have buried the hatchet?'
'Aye, and not in each other's head. Now, lass, come and sit down, I've got some news for you.'
He led her by the hand to his usual corner.
'Is it good news or bad news, Dad?'
'Oh, definitely good.'
He sat her down in his usual sofa and pulled up a chair facing her. 'Now, lass, might as well tell you straight. Me and Vera, well, we're going to be married.'
Instinctively, Jayne's hand covered her face. Her dad married again after all this time?
'First time I've ever seen you stumped for words, Jayne.'
Then, she leant forward and hugged his thin body. 'I'm so happy for you, Dad. When did you decide?'
'I asked her this morning, after the boiled eggs but before the second serving of tea. Didn't get down on one knee though, wasn't certain I could get up again.'
'Oh Dad, that's wonderful news.' She reached forward and hugged him again. 'I've talked with Matron and we can stay here still. They've got rooms for married couples.'
Jayne stopped smiling for a moment. 'You are sure, Dad?'
'As sure as I'll ever be. Vera is a lovely lass, any man would be proud to call her his wife. And she can do the crossword better than me, too.'
'When's the day?'
'Three weeks on Wednesday. I wanted to have it quicker, but Vera wants to do it properly. New dresses and all that.'
'Where's it going to be held?'
Her father spread his arms wide. 'Why here, lass, where else? I've spoken to Matron and she's all for it. Said it will be good to have a proper knees-up.' His face went serious again. 'I want you to be my best woman, Jayne, to give me away on the day.'
'I'd love to, Dad. I'll get a new frock too.'
'Aye, it'll be good to see you in a dress for once. You've got lovely knees, I remember. And what about you? What have you been doing?'
She let go of his hands. 'Not much recently. Mark has decided he wants to research for himself if his great grandfather survived the Somme.'
'You're not upset?'
'Not at all. I pointed him in the right direction; the POW records held by the ICRC, and the Gillies Archive for Medical Records at the Royal College of Surgeons. He has to find out for himself, Dad, it's his journey, not mine any more.'
'And Paul? Are you two getting divorced?'
Jayne nodded.
'It's for the best, lass. Might not seem so right now, but it is. You two need to get on with life separate from each other.'
Jayne nodded again. 'I know, Dad, just it's never easy going through the process.'
It was her father's turn to take her hands in his. 'Vera and I will always be here for you, lass. Vera loves you as a daughter.'
Jayne wiped a tear from her eye, quickly sitting up straight. 'I have one piece of good news. It's from somebody in the American embassy, an email came this morning. They want me to go down to London for a meeting.'
'What's it about, lass?'
Jayne shrugged her shoulders. 'They wouldn't say. But I guess it's some sort of genealogical investigation they want me to undertake.'
'You're going?'
'A thousand revving BMWs couldn't stop me.'
'Well done. But wait until after the wedding, please. I need help choosing a new suit.'
Jayne leaned forward and gave her father a long, long hug.
She knew it was time to forget about the past and move on with her life.
Except she wouldn't. The past was always there.
Somewhere.
Hidden deep, but still there, waiting to be discovered.
She reached forward and gave her father another squeeze.
'Hey, lass, are you going soft on me after all these years?'
'No, Dad. But it's time to get a few hugs in before Vera bans them completely.'
'No, Jayne, she'll never do that. You'll just have to hug both of us, instead of one scrawny old man.'
And Jayne hugged her scrawny old man even tighter, not wanting to let go.
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