Britt gave birth without complications to a chubby boy with the intention of returning to work after one year, all being well. Rita had from the outset volunteered to care for the infant during the day when Britt was ready to return to work.
Rita attended the birthing and asked mother Britt had she finally chosen a name for him.
"No, I ask you as share-giver to name our boy."
"Oh no, you can't do that. Call your mother if you can't decide."
"No way, I won't allow mum and dad get near him."
"You can't do that; it's so cruel."
"It's my choice and please accept that Rita."
Rita backed down and pleaded to Britt to name her son but the new mother wouldn't move on her decision. When Rita visited next afternoon she reluctantly announced her choice of names, Marty Luis.
Britt said, "Marty Luis Eagles. Yes, that sounds fine. Where did you pull those names from?"
"Search me, they came up tops from many names I thought of."
"Oh really; and what were the two least favoured from your selection?"
"Pierce and Felix."
"Thank goodness you chose the top two. Pierce Felix Eagles would have sounded like the names of three homing pigeons."
"Or three randy roosters," Rita suggested.
They laughed and Rita asked where had the gorgeous flowers come from.
"From Rach and Leonie and their mums. The girls sneaked in about 10:30 last night and had been drinking, allegedly wetting Marty's head after you'd phoned them to advised he'd arrived and we both were in good shape. They were asked to leave but they refused until they were shown Marty. He was brought from the nursery and they just loved him and began competing to be the first to hold him, creating such a noise. Security arrived and the girls were marched off and told to never return outside of visiting hours."
"They deserved their fate."
"That's not fair Rita. They were excited because I'm the first of their friends to have a baby."
"And they were drunk."
"Oh, and that too. Ah, before Leonie vomited on to the floor, she declared her godson will become an astronaut while Rach said no, that her godson would become a world-famous teaching Professor on nuclear physics."
Frowning heavily, Rita asked, "How can they proclaim they are godmothers?"
"Oh easily. Although none of us are churchgoers, Rach said that was merely a technicality and I could simply anoint them honorary godmothers."
"And you accepted that rubbish and appointed them."
"Well almost. Actually, I told them as at times you'd be the baby's principal care-giver and therefore I must first ask you for your consent."
"What?" Rita asked, sounding astonished. She sniffed and turning away blew her nose vigorously.
"Rita, are you okay."
Rita turned back to face the radiant new mother and said solemnly, "I became quite overcome for a moment. Never has anyone in my adult lifetime considered me in such esteem. I'm deeply honoured."
Britt quietly reached for Rita's hand and they squeezed hands. Britt smiled softly at her domestic companion who would soon turn sixty-five.
A deep bonding had occurred.
Rach and Leonie's mothers arrived with more flowers. Marty, who was in the room for part of the day beside the bed in a bassinet, was clucked over by the visitors who included Rita, much to Britt's delight. Visitors loved his name.
Britt said warmly, "I'm so pleased I have three women older than me taking such an interest in my love child."
"Hush dear," Thelma Hopkins, Leonie's mother said. "Dear Marty must never hear you use that term. Just call him your baby for a while and as he becomes a toddler, refer to him as your child and only refer to yourself as a solo mother. Most people will understand and dear Marty will escape being stigmatized by other children as being different in respect of parentage. Later when he is talking and begins mixing with other children and then enters school, in all probability other kids will assume his father has 'gone away', if you know what I mean."
"Thanks, that's good advice Mrs Hopkins."
"Call me Thelma darling; you are a young mother now and I'm aware you call Harriett and Rita by their first names and you should also call my husband Ian."
"Oh, Ian wishes to be remembered to you and asks when the time comes may he buy Marty his first pair of football boots. In his youth, Ian was a star in age-group football but alas didn't have that pleasure of buying football boots for our son Peter or for Leonie for that matter. Ian was devastated when Peter declared he wanted to become a tennis pro and was not the interested in boring football."
"Omigod, everyone one is being so kind to me, more than I deserve."
"Darling, regards you as our Leonie's best friend although I know it's a tie between you and Rachel."
"I just regard them as the gorgeous three," Rita said and Thelma and Harriett nodded approvingly.
* * *
When Marty was eleven months old, Britt began to feel ready to resume work. She'd resigned from the coffee shop six weeks before giving birth and Harriet had offered her re-employment when a vacancy occurred but understood when Britt said she hoped to gain a position more financially rewarding and more importantly, one that offered greater responsibilities to provide her with knowledge and skills to allow her to progress along a career path.
At the same time, her contact with friends Rach and Leonie had diminished, particularly with Rach who had two boyfriends, one to please her mother but he was simply a 'front' as the other chap was buried in the background. Britt had learned, sworn to secrecy by Leonie, that he was a married university lecturer twice her age and they were secretly entwined in a torrid affair.
Aware of her promise to say nothing about the scandalous revelation, especially not to Rach or her mother, Britt thought lucky Rach and attempted to push that knowledge toward the back of her mind and sighed, oh the duplicity of women.
The female group who met on Thursday evenings at the pub was down to three of the originals but had gained four newer members. Leonie continued to show up regularly while Rach's attendance was intermittent. Leonie had explained, she and Rach now had more intense commitments with their university studies, their circle of friends had widened and, with a wink, said as Rach had found, other distractions tended to pop up.
Leonie noticed Britt focused particularly on that last comment and added slyly, "Whereas lucky me at the moment is casually engaging in sex with two other females, sometimes together, and there is my dull frequent male companion I tolerate for appearance sake. I tried a secret lover but it didn't work out as he was always looking over his shoulder. I just adore juicy and completed giving young women like you."
"Lucky you," Britt giggled.
"And you Britt my darling, are you back to exercising your pussy with someone else?"
Britt shook her head wistfully and said she was thinking more and more about resuming dating, that weaning was progressing slowly as intended and all was well.
"My circle of friends is growing quite regularly but mostly they are young mothers, which is good, but the downside of that is most are working class in conversation and attitudes."
Leonie laughed and said, "Oh listen to you. Darling I apologise being the stupid bitch who pushed you into 'speaking proper'.
They giggled and that comment left Britt thinking she was on the cusp of perhaps taking a new direction in her life and wondered what direction should that be.
Later that evening, when Marty was down (he was a great little sleeper) and Britt was thinking about having been taught to 'speak proper', she watched Rita making their after-dinner coffee before Britt dealt with the dishes.
"I'm at the point of carving out my next slab of life."
Rita said with obvious interest, "I gather this to be serious conversation?"
"Indeed, and once I'm working I can begin repaying the money you spent supporting me during my lay-off."
"No way will that happen darling. I have plenty of money and that support was lovingly given as my gift to you and our dear wee Marty. I've also had my thoughts about you and have been waiting for the opportunity to say my piece."
"Proceed thoughtful meddler who always means well."
"Cheeky young bitch. Well, here it is: I think you should enrol at university and study for a degree."
"What and leave you two here alone all day?"
"Yes, and for as long as it takes and I'll buy you a small used car and pay all your fees and provide you with a clothing allowance."
