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Upheaval .... but good!


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Posted by Charlie on August 22, 2021 at 16:57:15

Big upheaval today, some expected and some out of the blue. I can’t believe it is happening really, but I am so happy.

In the last few days we have seen lots of occasions when the adults (my mum, Kayne’s uncles, their wives and Chris and Mari, Kevin etc) have been talking among themselves earnestly and then shutting up altogether or breezily changing the subject to banal enquiries about how we are doing or what we want for supper etc when we have entered the room or approached them.

“I expect they were talking about the gas or water bills or something.” Kayne said “Don’t fuss about it, we’ll find out soon enough.”

“Yeah, but there is no gas here and the water comes from your own bore hole, so that can’t be right, Sherlock!” I retorted.

Well, this afternoon, we found out what was going on. We had all (seventeen of us) had Sunday lunch in the dining hall and at the end of the meal Chris’ dad, Greg, announced that a family meeting would take place after we had cleared stuff away, so would everyone please attend, including Kayne, Katie and me, rather than dashing off and do our own thing.

Obviously me and my mum have never attended one of these affairs before, so it sounded interesting. We all sat around the table in our family groups and Greg opened the proceedings by announcing that Mary (Tom’s mother) who lived in a flat at the top of the house, was leaving to go and live with her widowed sister Jane in Leeds who had, sadly, been diagnosed with terminal cancer. He then announced that mum and I would be taking over her flat and staying in the house on a permanent basis, something with which he and the rest of the family were delighted with. That was a shock as mum hadn’t said a word to me, not that I disapprove of course, but it would have been nice to be consulted!

The next surprise was when he said Kevin had an announcement to make. Kevin was there with his girlfriend Alex who he has been going out with for some time and whom he describes as “a keeper” to anyone who asks.

“As you all know Alex and I have been together for a while now and she and I love each other very much, we think we make a good couple ……. so on Friday I did the obvious thing and asked her if she would marry me and, deep breath, I am absolutely over the moon to say that she accepted. We also decided that we would like to live together. Well that’s it really …..thank you.” Kevin looked relieved and happy at the same time as he sat down.

Chris stood up “Kevin forgot to mention that Alex will be taking on aunt Mary’s job at the company as office manager as she was recently made redundant as a result of Covid – Alex is extremely well qualified so will fill aunt Mary’s shoes very well once she gets used to our quirky ways. Nothing works as well as keeping business affairs in the family, eh?”

After the initial chat about that news, Kayne’s uncle Dan stood up. “We have talked about the new situation that arises with Kevin’s engagement and Mary and I have proposed to him, as head of their household, that we take Katie and Kayne under our wing as official guardians …. Kevin thinks it a good idea as you” he turned to Kayne and Katie “are both legally minors and should have a legally responsible person you can both turn to when needed. Kayne and I have become close over the last year or more and it’s been the same with Mary and Katie since your mum passed away, so Mary and I both feel Katie would benefit from being in a proper home environment when Kayne finishes school and goes off to university ……”

“If he gets in!” Kevin joked.

“Oh he’ll get in.” Dan said “He and Charlie are the brightest lads I’ve ever encountered, they’ll go far.”

I looked at Kayne and he was grinning from ear to ear and Katie was bursting with happiness and suddenly rushed over to Mary and hugged her and started crying.

“Thank you.” Kayne said “I don’t know what to say other than that this is wonderful and I am so happy for you and Mary suggesting this – I don’t need to say that we would like to discuss this between us … it’s just a great big YES PLEASE!!” and with that he threw his arms around Dan and hugged him tightly.

“The long and short of it is” Dan continued “if Kayne and Katie agree, that Kevin and Alex will take over their part of the house and Kayne and Katie will come and live in our part of the house and will hopefully, in time, come to think of us as their family as well as Kevin and Alex.”

“Can I just say” Katie piped up “that I already think of you both as a second mum and the dad I never knew, and I know Kayne thinks the same way. We have secretly wished for this to happen ever since mum …..” and she teared up at that and couldn’t say any more. Well that even bought tears to my eyes.

After everyone had taken that news in, Chris and Mari stood up. Chris rubbed a hand across Mari’s bulging belly.

“Well everyone, I don’t need to tell you that Mari and I are expecting a baby daughter on the 4th September …… it’s all rather too obvious, isn’t it darling?” he kissed her.

“Too right, I can’t wait for it to be over, to be honest.” Mari said “But as you probably know, routine scans and appointments at the hospital have all been a bit scarce since Covid struck, so we have been relying on the midwife’s home visits and chats on Zoom with the doctor. We did however go for the last scheduled scan on Thursday and it seems that we have been rather deceived by this bump and the young lady inside …… as she has a companion in there with her, another little girl!”

“More twins?” Kevin asked “Do you and Chris never want a good night’s sleep ever again?” which raised a laugh “Mind you that is what probably caused the problem in the first place – a lack of sleep and looking for something to occupy you …..” he added.

“I’ll ignore that comment Kevin, naughty man. Yes, seems they have been lying on top of each other so weren’t detected on the last scan and because of their positioning within the womb the midwife could only hear one heart beat.” Mari explained “They both seem healthy and normal and everything is still on track for the due date, maybe even a day or two early.”

“Wow, congratulations guys, that’s great news.” Tom said “Means you’ll have to think up two names now though!” he laughed.

After all the chatter had died down with that bombshell, Chris’ dad stood up.

“Chris and I have been chatting about this news, and have decided between the four of us that his mum and I will be swapping homes with Chris and Mari. So we will move up to their flat and they will take over our home downstairs. It seems the sensible think to do as we only need a couple of bedrooms but with four growing kids – and who knows how many more - Mari and Chris will need all the space they can find and more, no doubt, if they want to remain sane. Any volunteer help with moving furniture and belongings from one floor to another will be most welcome – particularly from any young, strong men in the household!” he finished as he looked at Kevin, Kayne, me, Tom and Simon.

Wow after all that news, it took a while for everyone to absorb and chatter about it until Dan asked “Why don’t we all celebrate by having a relaxing time in the hot tub and pool? Last one in the water gets to make and serve the celebratory cocktails.”

So we did just that and minutes later everyone was in the pool or hot tub. Tom and Simon were the last two to jump in the pool so they had the job of making cocktails for everyone. That was interesting as I have never had a cocktail before and hardly dared ask for the only ones I had heard of which all had rather rude names! I ended up, at mum’s suggestion, with a Gimlet which was very nice. Turns out that Tom’s partner Simon had worked in a cocktail bar whilst a university student and knew cocktail recipes off the top of his head.

I can’t begin to satisfy you all with the details of what everyone was wearing when we ended up in the pool or hot tub. I was in denim shorts and a tee and Kayne was in the same. Most of the guys were in shorts and tees or polo shirts and the older ones like Dan and Greg pulled off their tops as they went to the pool, but Tom and Simon did like us and just jumped straight in as they were. The ladies were mostly in summer dresses or shorts and tops and most of them headed for the hot tub rather than the pool, apart from Alex who was carried to the pool by Kevin before he jumped in with her in his arms – very romantic!

I’ve just related the facts here as I am still taking in the fact that mum and I are moving in here on a permanent basis. The flat is obviously smaller that our old home but my room is much bigger than my old one at home and has fantastic views across the valley beyond the back garden as well as its own bathroom and balcony, far and away nicer that the view of an urban street that I had before. Mum and I both had tears in our eyes after she and Tom’s mum showed me around. I’m nearly 17, I shouldn’t be emotional about these things, surely? It felt good though.

Kayne is pretty speechless at all the proposed changes to his life and is happier than I have ever seen him, he and his uncle Dan keep grinning and laughing together like conspiratorial school kids who can’t believe they’ve got away with something that shouldn’t have happened.





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