Fulfillment(97)
Lucy laid out a blanket next to her mother’s grave and put her hands out for Nic to pass Alexander to her. “Come here, my big boy,” she cooed at him. “Let’s tell Nanna what you have been doing lately.” Her sad demeanour now pushed aside and a forged happy alternative replacing it.
“Yeah, tell Nanna how you keep rolling around everywhere, and that Mummy bought you a jail because of that,” Nic said while clapping Alexander’s hands in her own.
“Don’t,” Lucy groaned. “I already feel bad about the stupid kiddy pen.”
“Mum would absolutely freak if she saw that thing, then she’d throw it right over the balcony,” Bryce interjected, with a knowing smile.
He took a seat on the grass next to Lucy then stretched out his arms to gently pull me down into his lap.
“What is so wrong with a kiddy pen? I used one with both my kids, and they don’t have a jail-complex,” I said defensively.
“I don’t know, they just kind of look punishing. Maybe if they replaced the bars, I’d feel better. Hey...” she addressed Bryce, by lightly flicking the back of her hand on his leg. “Remember that time when Mum’s friend, Ros, came over and her son, Jacob had one of those child restraint things on—”
“Yeah,” Bryce smiled as he traced his finger up and down my leg. “Mum took it off him and threw it straight into the fireplace.”
“How shocked was Ros?” Lucy giggled.
“Well it did look like a leash, Luce. Mum was appalled.”
“I know. That was so funny,” she reminisced, while lightly shaking her head.
I looked at Nic, who shrugged her shoulders as if to say ‘I don’t know, I haven’t heard this story before’.
Bryce caught our exchange and offered an explanation. “Mum was a strong believer of free will; no restraints, no restrictions. And that included restraints of all kinds, including kiddy restraints.”
I raised my eyebrows. “No restrictions?” I teased. “So that’s where you get it from?”
He gave me a playful glare.
“If I remember rightly,” Lucy added, “Ros asked Mum what the hell she thought she was doing, and Mum replied with something along the lines of ‘freeing Jacob from the confines of madness.”
Bryce shook his head and smiled as he recalled that particular memory of his mother. “Yeah and then Ros yelled, ‘How is keeping him safe madness?’ and Mum yelled back ‘because you are supposed to keep him safe, not a dog lead! He is not a dog!’
“Well, she was correct,” Gareth added, his feminine sounding voice grabbing my attention. “This Ros woman was the boy’s mother was she not? Therefore, it was her responsibility to teach him to obey without the use of a restraint. When my son was a young boy, he did as he was told. No ifs, buts, or maybes.”
Bryce whispered in my ear. “Alexis, meet Deirdre.”
Gareth turned in our direction. “Bryce, my dear boy, look at how handsome you have become. And who is this injured young lass on your lap?” Deirdre asked.
I was dumbfounded, stunned, at a loss for words. Gareth was staring me in the face, but it wasn’t him, he had lost all of his mannerisms. Instead, having a whole set of new ones, feminine ones; ones that suited an elderly woman such as Deirdre.
“Well?” she said with a hand on the hip. “Aren’t you going to introduce me?”
“Sorry, Deirdre,” Bryce said with dry amusement. “This is Alexis, my girlfriend. Alexis, this is Deirdre.” Fuck! What do I say?
“Well aren’t you just a modern day beauty. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Dear.” he extended his hand, or was it her hand? Oh, God! I’m so freakin’ confused right now.
“And Lucy!” she squealed in a higher pitched voice, “You look simply exquisite and...oh...don’t tell me...is this? Is this little bonny boy your son?”
Gareth gracefully pranced over to Lucy and smoothed his pants down as if he were wearing a dress before he sat on the blanket next to Lucy, legs together and to the side.
“Yes, Deirdre. This is my and Nic’s son, Alexander,” Lucy happily replied.
Deirdre gave Nic a sideways glance, wrinkling up her nose. “I don’t see how that’s possible,” she said in a pompous tone.
She turned back to face Lucy, fussing over Alexander.
Nic looked at Bryce and me and deliberately went cross-eyed.
I burst into laughter.
“Something funny, Dear?” Deirdre asked as she played with Alexander’s finger.
“Oh no. Nothing’s funny,” I answered, like an adolescent child trying to cover up a secret.