This is the fourteenth episode of my unreliable memoirs and brings to an end the story of how I met and married Lesley. Each episode can be read individually but it helps to have read the previous episodes in particular the first three parts of our trip to France.
I didn't realise when I started that it was going to take so long to tell this part of the tale. I hope you have enjoyed it so far. There's just another thirty odd years to get through now.
M4bloke
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I woke up on Sunday to discover that I was alone in the bed. I looked at the clock on the night stand and it read ten thirty. The sound of laughter was coming from downstairs and so I brushed my teeth, put some clothes on and headed down to see who was already up. Basically it was everyone except me.
"Here he is," said Carole who was first to spot me when I walked in.
Lesley came over and gave me a big hug and a kiss.
"Hello sleepyhead," she said. "You must have been tired, you didn't even wake up when Donald started thumping the bed with his tail."
"Do they need to go for a walk?" I asked.
"No need," she replied. "I've already done it. Oh and Peters has loaded your bike into the van along with our helmets and other gear. Now you sit down while Michael teaches me how to make 'Eggs Royale' for you. When we get back to England he's going to teach me how to cook. Not the simple stuff but the dinner party stuff."
"Oh I see we're the sort of couple that holds dinner parties now are we?"
"Remember, student Steve during the week, adult Steven at the weekend," Lesley reminded me. "And adults hold dinner parties."
"Who are we going to invite to these dinner parties?"
"Well there's Michael and Claire, Ruth and David, Daniel and Kate and Fabien and Carole when they come over." Lesley thought for a moment then said. "We could even invite Richard and Ophelia."
"You mean invite the guy who last night assaulted Cathy, punched Peters in the face and then tried to land one on me."
"Well if you're going to be picky," said Lesley and everyone laughed.
"Lesley's right Steven," said Carole. "You need to be making friends not enemies."
"It's hard being an adult isn't it?" I said. "There's a lot to be said for staying a student."
Lesley cooked the Eggs Royale perfectly and I was in breakfast heaven as I ate them.
"When's your flight back?" I asked Michael and Claire.
"Four o'clock," said Claire. "We thought we'd leave at around midday and give ourselves plenty of time to return the hire car."
"It will seem strange when everyone has gone," said Carole. "Poor Donald and Mickey won't know what to do with themselves."
"I'll miss them," said Lesley.
"Me too," I added.
"Well you must promise them that you'll come and visit soon," said Carole.
"We could come back at Christmas, couldn't we?" Lesley's eyes pleaded with me as she said this.
"If Carole and Fabien want us back then."
"Why don't you come for New Year rather than Christmas?" suggested Carole. "Fabien needs to see his family at Christmas and as the new Madame Bisset I'll need to be there to support him," she said giving Fabien a kiss.
"I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking," Lesley said and then she went quiet.
It dawned on everyone that Lesley may not have celebrated a family Christmas in a very long time.
"Good point," I said. "My mum won't be at all impressed if her new daughter in law snubs her Christmas dinner."
"And if you are both free then Michael and I would love it if the two of you spent Christmas Eve with us. We could go to a carol concert."
"Oh I'd love to do that I've always wanted to go to one," said Lesley
"Then that's what we'll do. Michael will sort it out. He's a high court judge you know." And everyone laughed.
Lesley perked up immediately. She'd gone from no Christmas to a full diary in the space of a few seconds.
"So we are going Michael and Claire's on Christmas eve, your parents for Christmas. We'll need to spend some time with Daniel and Kate, if they aren't going away that is and we'll also need to see Ruth and David if they aren't already in France. Then we'll come to Carole and Fabien's for New Year. I'm so excited, I can't wait."
It was odd saying goodbye to Michael and Claire because we knew we were all going to see each other again in a couple of days' time. Nevertheless we all hugged. Michael gave Lesley an extra big hug then told her that he would let her know everything about the registry office booking on Tuesday.
After they had gone, the four of us drove over to Daniel's rented villa to meet for lunch and to say goodbye to Ruth and David. Lesley asked Carole if she could drive the Land Rover which Carole of course agreed to. Lesley hadn't driven a left hand drive car before but she adjusted very quickly. Quicker than I had. If Lesley had liked the Land Rover as a passenger she liked it even more as a driver.
"I really want one of these when we're married Steven. You sit up so high, can we have one? I could sell my car in Nottingham and we could both use it in London."
"How would we get to see Ruth and David?"
"Oh. I hadn't thought of that. Well next year perhaps then."
Ruth, Kate and Daniel were relaxing by the pool when we got there. Apparently David was feeling better. He'd joined them for breakfast but had gone back to bed for a rest afterwards. The next morning Ruth and David planned to drive to a hotel nearer to their new house and David wanted to be as rested as possible for the journey.
"Is anyone hungry?" Ruth asked after we'd caught up on the news from the wedding the night before.
"I could definitely eat something," I replied.
Ruth went into the kitchen to prepare some baguettes, cold meat and cheese for lunch.
"What are we doing this evening?" Kate asked Lesley when she'd disappeared.
"Well, actually Sophie and Pierre from the club are coming for a pool party at Fabien and Carole's later this afternoon," replied Lesley. "Why don't you come too?"
"Could we go?" Kate asked Daniel.
"I don't think that's fair on Ruth," said Daniel trying to close the idea down.
Kate got into a strop and all through lunch she sat simmering at the table annoyed at the simple logic of the situation.
After lunch Ruth cleared the table and Daniel gave her a hand in the kitchen.
"It's not fair," said Kate to those still seated. "This is our last chance this holiday"
"Your last chance to do what?" asked Lesley teasing her.
"You know bloody well what," Kate replied and we all sniggered.
Then when Daniel came back from helping Ruth he sat down at the table and thought for a moment.
"It's our last night Kate. I was hoping we could spend it together. But if you really want to go to the party then I guess I could stay here on my own if I have to."
"I'll make it up to you," Kate said then whispered something in his ear.
"I don't know Kate," he replied.
"How about if I agreed to do this as well," then she whispered something else.
"Really?" he asked, "You mean it, cross your heart?"
"Yes, cross my heart."
"In that case go and enjoy yourself but remember we've got a plane to catch tomorrow at two."