Tea

“OK, decisions made by the sound of things Gin, are you confident that you know what it is you're planning to do?”

“I think so M, I'm not going to go into full-blown 'ram it in all her orifices' mode, I figure I'll start slow and see what the effect will be – what do you think?”

“Sounds good, I'm not much help with this, I know, but I think I agree with the take-it-slow bit.”

“So, are you going to stay? Watch? Play? or don't you know?”

“No, I don't know, I think I'll play it by ear. See how you guys handle it before I decide what I'm gonna do, Honey you know you're going to the outer edge of the unknown doing this for Liz, you're maybe risking a lot, especially a pretty staunch friendship, if it doesn't feel right, don't do it ay?”

“I know, I'm going to see how things lie before I do anything, are YOU sure Mike, I'm NOT risking US for this M, are you sure?”

“Ginia, I realised something when I walked into that restaurant and gave you my little speech, We have been through a lifetime together, OK I wasn't there for seventeen years, you were with another man, your husband, I never stopped loving you, I realised it that night. I gave you up seventeen years ago because I knew it was the right thing to do, you would have a better life with him, I loved you when I did that, and I know you loved me too. Now after all that I get another chance with you, I don't want to stuff it up, I've seen you on film, you know what you're doing, end of story. You're putting yourself out for MY ex-wife seventeen years later. Oh look if it was anyone else other than my ex-wife I would definitely have something to say and that would be no way, but it's not and I've still got love for Liz invested in her, she is hurting, she knows she's killed us and she doesn't know how to fix it, I don't want to see her like that forever, always with regrets, if we or mostly you can help that I'll be more than happy, and Gin it's like I said before, I am your's, You are mine, AND WE ARE SOLID.”

Tea was more than enjoyable, if nothing else we three made a pact that this would be at least a weekly event, it was friends being friends, with all the familiarities that go along with it, Liz and Gin got stuck into the wine and we told Liz she was staying for the night, she wasn't going back to a dark parking lot and an empty dark condo, Leigh and Paul were at her Grandfathers, Randolph and Morgana were seperated and she'd found another coven to stay at for a while, it was Randolph's way of punishing her and Liz believed it may work.

I'd sat across from the girls listening with half an ear at their banter. I watched these two beautiful women as they chattered and laughed away both sitting, facing each other, each with one leg tucked comfortably! under themselves, that's always mystified me how women do that. I'd not seen Liz so happy in a long time and especially in the company of another woman, and Ginia was well Ginia, animated, relaxed with poise, involved but she had the gift of knowing just when to be quiet and listen, she had mastered it well and used it to advantage. I figured that given the way the evening was playing out she more than like wasn't going to need to put plan B into action.

I left Liz and Gin sitting together chatting and laughing and went to find my phone, I'd planned to text Leigh and see how things were with her Grandfather and whether between the two of them they'd managed to drive Paul crazy. Well they hadn't and I got admonished for even suggesting it, all in typical Leigh fashion with emogi's and such, ah well at least Randolph was happy, Leigh said her and Paul had got him out of his funk and convinced him to watch of all things the latest Fast and the Furious flick, God knows how, Randolph absolutely hates cars, go figure. Ginia had sidled up to me and I showed her the text, “REALLY, given he's temporarily apart, I hope those two don't put ideas in his head. Leigh and Paul are very convincing, god what happens if they end up down at the local Nissan dealer in the morning?”

We burst out laughing, me as I pictured Randolph and Paul dressed in their Vin Diesel getup and Leigh dressed in her, wait, oh no she's not, - dressed normally. Anyway Gin snatched the phone out of my hand and showed Liz and the laughing started again. Gin gave me a big kiss, “I love you Michael, did I tell ya?”

“All the time honey, all the time.”

“Geez, M, I gotta pee, I gotta pee.” she was still laughing as she ran down the corridor to the bathroom.

I was just replying to the question Leigh had asked me about her Mum and how our evening was going, when I realised Liz had come to sit with me at the breakfast bar, wine glass in one hand she hopped up and plonked herself on the stool and sat and watched me, I reached over and patted the top of her hand that lay on the bar, just a little reassurance that we were fine, here, tonight, we were fine. She put her wine glass down, put her elbow on the bar and rested her chin in her tiny hand sat staring at me as I texted away. I put the phone on the bar, a bit awkward to text, but she could read it with me, scrolled it so she could see the beginning and then rolled it to the end for her to read.

“You have such a good relationship with Leigh Mike, it's one of the things I've always been a little jealous about, oh don't get me wrong mine and Leigh's is strong and getting stronger but it pales with what you have with her.”

“Actually Liz, what we have is just traditional between dad and daughter, evidently the dynamics change about now, when puberty really kicks in, dating, sex with males, all the things that men have never experienced and Mums have. We males can expound and theorize those things as much as we want, which I don't want. Experience counts Liz.”

“Well I've got first hand experience on how to fuck up a relationship.”

“DON'T do this Liz, you don't need too. Just don't do this. We all love you, we all worry about you.”

“And you know what Liz, you've done a fine, fine job with Leigh, we both have, don't forget that.”

She shook her way out of the funk, physically and mentally, “You're right Mike, onward and upward! Cheers.”

She skulled her wine so I got her another and pulled a beer out for me, Liz typed away a question to Leigh and sent it while I was doing that. So we started talking, really talking, back and forth, like we hadn't done for a long time, we sat and laughed and smiled, then we stopped.

“Thanks Mike.”

“Your very welcome, but for what.”

“For everything, especially Ginia.”

“Oh, no you are, well you don't need to thank me anyway. She wasn't about to leave you, she cares Liz, a lot.”

'Ding' Leigh replied to Liz's question about the Nissan dealer in the morning.

Four words: Skyline, twin-turbo, intercooler, YAY-yah.

We burst out laughing again with visions of Randolph in that scenario, too much.

We were still giggling and smiling at each other, Liz was leant over towards me balancing on the stool step peaking at the screen, when we both moved together and kissed each other, it wasn't romantic, well maybe a little, it was on the lips, but mostly it was a reaction to the moment and we didn't hold it, we were laughing all the time, “What do you think you're doing with MY husband Elizabeth?”

We both looked at each other and kept on sniggering, Liz had a look of mock surprise on her face, but it didn't stop us, we both had another little peck, laughing. I couldn't see Gin, I guessed she was over by the doorway.

'WHACK'.

I looked as the smile disappeared off of Liz's face, replaced with first a neutral look, then her eyebrows flattened, it showed she was not happy at all, “VIRGINIA, WHAT the HELL!”

Liz turned now ready to come up fighting, we both looked in stunned surprise at my wife stood there like a seven foot Amazonian warrior, complete with thigh high black boots, red Basque adorning her fabulous body, a flail in one hand and a very, very seductive and curious look on that beautiful face.

I heard Liz whisper, “Oh!”