Chapter 9

Dealing with that, and then a couple of meetings and a conference call straight after lunch, it was mid-afternoon before I got a moment to myself and started wondering what Joyce's little smile had meant. The answer came quickly and unexpectedly; my private mobile phone started to ring. A little surprised I answered it with a non-committal "Yes?"

"Dad! Who the hell is Laura Elizabeth Jones?" came the voice of Elise.

"Elise, sweetheart! What are you doing in town?" I exclaimed - delighted with the surprise.

"Duh! There's this guy that turns fifty and we're here for his birthday," she replied. "And how do you know we're in town by the way?"

"Duh yourself" I replied. "You are in the lobby of my building, or you wouldn't know about Laura. Anyway, who is 'we'? Is Jess there too?" I asked.

"Yes, she is," Elise replied. "Now, who is..."

I broke in. "What about Jonathan?" Jonathan is Jessica's, or Jess as we call her, boyfriend of seven years and most likely candidate to sire any grandchildren I might eventually get.

"No, he is still in Brazil," she replied. "He'll be here in time for the party, though. Anyway, who is..."

Once again I interrupted her, enjoying the prolonged teasing immensely. "What party?" I asked innocently.

She would have none of that. "Yes, that party! Joyce has kept us posted."

I was not surprised although I'm sure they weren't meant to say anything. I simply said "Well, that's lovely..."

This time it was my turn to be cut off - I could almost envisage Elise stamping her foot with annoyance. "Will you stop it! Now, who is Laura?"

"Laura is my flat-mate," I said, in scrupulous accordance with the truth - if a somewhat restricted version of the truth.

"Flat-mate?! Since when?" she asked.

"Just under six weeks - since early February," I replied.

"And how long have you known her?" Elise fired.

"Just under six weeks - since early February," I repeated.

"She moved in so quickly after you met?" Elise asked with incredulity in her voice.

"She moved in about three hours after we met," I replied.

That naturally opened up for a range of possible new lines of inquiry. After a brief hesitation, Elise chose the obvious one for an aggrieved daughter. "Why haven't you told us?" she demanded.

Once more I carefully selected the most restricted truthful answer I could think of "I wasn't sure she would be allowed to stay."

Bull's-eye! Elise was stunned into silence. When she had recovered, she said "Well, who is she?"

"Why don't you go up and find out?" I replied. "She should be home."

"At this hour?" Elise asked.

"On a Tuesday afternoon? Yes, she should be home," I replied. "Anyway, why don't you get Ramone to take you up there - I'm sure that's what you were planning on doing anyway" - she grunted assent - "and he is the only one around that knows all three of you."

"Oh, well," - Elise suddenly sounded hesitant and, most uncharacteristically, shy - "are you sure? Won't it be awkward, I mean..." she trailed off.

"No, as a matter of fact I think it is a good idea. A very good idea indeed and I'm sure Ramone will agree. Yes, get him to introduce you," I said.

"But who IS she?" Elise said again - now in an almost pleading voice.

"I'm not going to tell you any more," I said. "Form your own opinion. Just remember this one thing of what I told you: six weeks ago I had never set eyes on Laura. OK?"

"Why is that important?" Elise tried in a final feeble attempt.

"You'll find out soon enough. Anyway, see you at dinner time! What a lovely surprise!!!" and I ended the call.

Despite this cheerful exchange with my daughter, I was perfectly aware that I had entered a minefield. Sure, I'd known all along that the minefield was there, but I now found myself in it sooner than I had expected and under circumstances I hadn't envisaged. As that realization sank in, my mood changed.

I went to the front office. Joyce was on the phone, but once she'd finished she looked up. "I wanted to thank you," I said.

"You're welcome," she smiled tentatively. My voice must have sounded strange. "What for?"

"Two things, actually - for telling Elise and Jess about the party" - she was all smiles -" ... and for not telling them about Laura," I added.

"Oh, I wouldn't!" Joyce said and was about to resume writing a note when she looked up again stricken. "Hey, wait a minute. Are they at the apartment?!"

Yes, she's sharp that one. "Indeed. I told them to get Ramone to take them up and let them in. They were going to do that anyway; now he can do the introductions."

She was looking positively alarmed. "Is that wise? Not being there when they meet, I mean?" she asked with panic - very unlike Joyce - creeping into her voice. That did nothing to ease my fears.

"Well, short of telling them to go away and come back later, the alternative was to stone-wall them about Laura, throw myself in the car to race home and effect the introductions myself - nervous, defensive and out of breath..." I trailed off.

"When you put it that way, I can see your point," Joyce consented. "Do you think you need me to, you know, help explain things, this evening?"

I was touched by the offer, but it was not a viable option and I simply shook my head. "Thanks, but no. We'll work it out."

"I am really sorry," Joyce said - sounding it too. "I didn't even think of the possibility that your daughters would arrive without you being home. I hope it will be alright. I didn't mean to mess things up - I shouldn't have interfered." She looked down.

I walked over to her, put my hands gently on both sides of her face and turned it up to make her look me in the eye. "Joyce. Sweet sweet Joyce. You cannot imagine how happy I am you have arranged for my daughters to be there for my birthday. I'm sure it will be alright."

"OK," she almost sniffled. I kissed her and went back to my office to finish off some tasks.

I couldn't - I was totally distracted, thinking only of what might be going on at home. Various scenarios, so unlikely that I blush writing them down, ran through my head. In the end I went to have a final cup of coffee before going home. Jock and Joyce were there too. "I hear Laura has made another two conquests," Jock said. Joyce, who had obviously confided in him, looked almost angry. "Oh, stop being such a worrier!" Jock said in his best Benjamin Bunny impersonation. "Of course they will love her. Anything else is impossible!"

With Jock's certainty ringing in my ears - bless his sunny disposition - I drove home. But I must have changed my mind about likely (make that unlikely) scenarios at least a dozen times on the way - rush hour traffic was worse than ever! - and decided to take soundings with Ramone.

When I stood in the lobby I realized how absurd and pathetic that was. What would he be able to tell me? That Elise and Jess had gouged Laura's eyes out in his presence? That screaming and yelling had been heard? That someone had jumped - or been thrown - out the window from the sixth floor? That blood was seeping out from under the front door? Get a grip! I told myself. As usual, Ramone was calm personified. "Good evening Mr. George," he said. "I took your daughters up to Miss Laura. It is really nice they are here for your birthday."

"Thanks Ramone," I said weakly. "And how did they, I mean, were they..." I faltered.

He smiled a knowing smile. "Is 'surprised' the word you're looking for? Yes, I think they were. On the way up I heard Miss Elise say to Miss Jessica that you had emphasized very strongly that you only met Miss Laura six weeks ago and she wondered why that was so important." He chuckled. "I am sure they worked that out soon enough."

"I, eh," I started, but words failed me, so I shrugged and went to get the elevator. On the way up I realized that the most likely unpleasant scenario would be a frozen atmosphere. That was bad enough, of course, but it could be endured.

What actually met me when I unlocked the front door was a total anticlimax. Rather than frosty silence or the sounds of bitchy recriminations, I heard pearls of laughter and giggling from the kitchen. When I got there, Elise, Jess and Laura were cooking dinner and having a lot of fun in the process. They sounded like they had known each other for ever. "Hello girls," I said. "This is a sight for sore eyes!"

"Hi Dad!" both my daughters chirped.

"Hi George!" Laura said in a similar tone of voice. They all lined up for kisses - in order of seniority - and I happily complied. The kiss I gave Laura was not lost on Elise. Our eyes met.

"Relax Dad," she said. "We know."

"You could have told us, you know," her older sister said.

"I suppose I could. I suppose I should have actually," I agreed - not letting go of Laura who cuddled me closely. "I just didn't know how. Besides, until very recently there wasn't all that much to tell."

"We know, and it's not like we want a blow by blow," Jessica started - making her little sister, always the rudest, start giggling loudly.

"No Jess, they don't! Blow, I mean!" Elise said in a theatrical whisper, after which all three girls had a complete giggle fest.