Chapter 10

Oh shit. 'Rebecca' from the dance hall, all those years ago. When she saw who I was she went a terrible shade of white. Thinking quickly I rounded the car and introduced myself.

"Mrs James, I'm Tony Merlin, I can see where Taffy gets her good looks from, you have a lovely daughter."

Thankfully she pulled herself together. I turned to Ted and introduced myself there, giving her a bit more time to compose herself. "Call me Ted and this is Jayne." With the interaction between Taffy and her dad taking place, they missed the drama playing out between her mum and me.

Moving into the house, the conversation was about the trip and how did Taff and I meet. When there was a lull in the conversation and I had a chance to get my head together I came up with a plan.

"Is there a bottle shop or pub close by? I'd like to buy a couple of bottles of bubbly. We would have brought some with us but in the back of the MG they would probably explode, like most sports cars the suspension is pretty stiff."

Jayne quickly picked up on my plan.

"Yes Tony, there's one a bit down the road, while Taff and her Dad bore each other with football we can run down and buy some. Might even get to drive your snazzy sports car."

Once we away from the house Jayne exploded.

"You sweet talked me into this mess, how are you going to talk me out of it 'FREDDIE'? You will have to break it off with Taffy that's for certain, she's your daughter."

"She's Ted's daughter Jayne, yours and Ted's. Anyway it's a bit late for that now, we're slightly pregnant."

"Jesus, my daughter's going to have a retarded baby!"

"Bullshit, there's no throwbacks in my gene pool so none of our kids will be idiots."

"You intend on having more?" She screeched.

"Taff is expecting twins Jayne, and what's more, the will be perfect."

"Twins! Oh my god, why did I listen to you?"

"If you hadn't, then you and Ted wouldn't have had all those years to enjoy Taffy. Ted would have realised he couldn't have kids, that would have been a massive blow to his ego, football heroes think they are a cut above the rest of us; I imagine he would have felt a lesser man.

"We could have adopted a child."

"Ted would still have thought himself the lesser man; no doubt you both would have given it all the love you gave Taffy but there would always be that underlying thought 'it's not really mine'"

"I'm going to confess everything Tony, this is too much of a burden to carry on my own. All these years I've had the guilt, now the hens have come home to roost."

"Great idea Jayne, get it off your chest, it doesn't matter how many lives you wreck, you'll have a clear conscience. What about Taffy or Ted or the two unborn babies, don't they matter?"

"Oh god! What are we going to do?"

"Nothing. Taffy and I will get married and 'we' will both keep our mouths shut. Sometime in the future I'll have the 'snip'"

"Just like that huh?"

"Do you have a better solution, one that doesn't blow the lid off everything, one that doesn't hurt anyone? I doubt it."

"Damn it, why must you be so right?"

"Jayne, put things in their right perspective, suppose you and Ted had opted for a sperm donor. He would be unknown to you, he ends up, as I have, not realising Taff was his offspring. You and Ted would be none the wiser and would accept him even though you were concerned about the age difference. Just assume that Taff was conceived by an unknown donor and stop beating yourself up about deceiving Ted. Nothing's going to change between Taffy and me, we're too far committed to back out now."

"I don't know if I can Tony."

"Do you love Ted?"

"Of course I do."

"Is Ted happy?"

"Yes."

"Then let sleeping dogs lie. I think we should find this bottle shop soon or they will be starting to wonder what's keeping us."

"I suppose so."

"You drive Jayne, you know where to go and it'll look good when we get back." We changed places and I gave her a quick rundown on the gears, a few jump starts and we were off.

...

"Whoopee!" We pulled up in the driveway. Ted and Taffy were sitting on the glider, no doubt still yapping about football. "Ted, I just got to have one of these, wow, that was exciting."

Top marks Jayne.

Once inside the house my nerves started to go, time to face the music.

"Jayne, Ted, I would like your permission to marry your daughter. I worry that there is an age difference, but Taffy assure me that the thirteen years isn't a problem. I love Taffy and I promise her welfare will be my highest priority."

"Thirteen years? That would make you thirty four then Tony?" I was watching Taff out of the corner of my eye, she gave a guilty blush.

"Yes Ted, I honestly think it's too much of a gap, but I also love Taff 'til it hurts; as long as she is happy, then I'm proud to be her husband."

"Thirteen years is a big gap Tony."

"It's not that big Daddy, anyway, I love him and that's all that counts."

"What do you think Jayne, is he good enough for our little girl?"

"The age bit worries me Ted, but then he seems mature; perhaps that's what Taffy needs in her life."

"What are your prospects in life Tony, are you able to support our daughter?"

"Daddy! Tony owns his own business, it's the one that Uncle Jack is building the village with."

Jayne perked up.

"Are you the one that 'bearded the Dragon' Tony?"

"Ah, yes. Being on the outside so as to speak, I saw more than those close in."

"You're far too modest Tony. That bitch just about ruined Jack, you have my heartfelt thanks." I felt my face going red with embarrassment.