"What on earth's the matter darling?" I asked my twenty-year-old daughter Sara who was crying when she phoned me.
"Oh, mum it's terrible," she sobbed.
"What is it tell me? I asked, of course fearing the worst.
"Mum I am sorry."
Thinking that she was probably pregnant I steeled myself to think that at forty-five I might become a grandparent, lovely but a bit scary.
"Come on love what is it?"
She sobbed for a few moments before managing to mumble. "I think, er maybe, oh god I am probably oh bugger it. Mum, I think I might be a lesbian."
Sara was in her first term at university some hundred miles or so from where we lived. When she was away at uni I lived by myself in a large flat in the Docklands area of London. That was part of the division of assets in my divorce settlement when I split from her father John three years previously.
She explained that she had met a group of girls when she first went to the university two months ago and that two were gay.
"So why do you think you might be?"
"Mum you can guess can't you?"
"No love I can't."
"Oh, sod it, I am very attracted to one of them."
We didn't get much further that evening, although I managed to calm her down, comfort her a little and assured her that we would talk about it at the weekend when she said she was coming home.
She arrived home around six on the Friday evening having driven the Mini that John and I had bought her as reward for getting into the prestigious 'red brick' university; she had worked so hard. She looked awful and had obviously been crying. I cuddled her and said.
"Want to talk now or after dinner, I have made the shepherd's pie you like, baked beans or peas?"
Smiling she replied. "I don't mind mum but I am not sure I can eat much."
I decided on peas and managed to get her to eat about half the sized portion I was used to giving her. Being European, well until recently, John and I had let both our children drink from, possibly, too early an age, but had preferred that to them drinking 'behind our backs' as it were and how it is so often in the US! So, we soon downed the best part of a bottle of red wine that relaxed both of us and made us ready for the chat.
We cleared the table and tidied up then sat side by side on the Chesterfield in front of the floor to ceiling French windows looking out over the East India docks and across the Thames to the O2 arena. I topped up our glasses and said.
"Totally up to you Sara, do you want to talk about it?"
Looking down and averting my gaze she mumbled. "Yes, please mum."
"Over to you then?"
She started to cry and I cuddled her.
"Oh mum," she sobbed. "You'll never have any grandchildren, I am sorry."
The consideration but near absurdity of that made me smile as I held her and stroked her long, silky, blonde hair.
"Sara this is about you not me."
"Oh, mum I thought you would be annoyed at me because of that."
"Of course not. And in any case," I said smiling as I cuddled her. "It would ruin my Docklands' street cred wouldn't it?" as I tried trying to lighten the situation.
I was relieved to see her smile.
"Thanks mum."
"No need for that S," I whispered holding her with her head on my full boobs making me feel quite warm.
Breaking the cuddle, she sat up and dabbed her eyes with a tissue messing up her mascara but still looking beautiful, particularly with her long eyelashes.
"Well I met this group of girls when I got on the tennis team."
"Playing again then?" I asked my mind recalling all the tournaments and training sessions I had taken her to when she was younger.
"Well I didn't play much in the sixth form did I when I had to study?
"No and that's probably why you got such good grades
"It seemed a good way to make friends at uni and I do enjoy it?"
"And you are pretty good love."
"That as well, oh by the way I am number one on the team," she said a little lighter.
"Well done."
"I'm not so sure now."
"Why not?"
"Well the team and the tennis group have training and open sessions and play matches, both within the uni and against local clubs and other colleges."
"So, what's the problem with that?"
"There's a small group of us, the better players I guess, who spend a lot of time together."
"And that's where the problem is?"
"Yes, well if it is really a problem."
"Well tell me more about it?"
"We all get on well and have drinks and meals together after practice and matches."
"I see," I said not yet fully understanding the problem.
"Oh, mum I don't really know how to tell you."
"Take it easy and take your time."
"We were talking about boyfriends and whether you needed to be totally faithful to your home boyfriend when away at uni."
"Interesting idea. So, what was the consensus?"
"Split decision but one of the girls Frankie asked if it applied to girlfriends as well. Then we got talking about that and got onto being bi as most seemed to have had some experience."
"Not prying love, but most?"
"Yes, mum," she tutted. "I have messed about a bit but all girls do nowadays."
"Er do they?" I asked rather hesitantly.
"Then Frankie said that she's not bi," and then announced. "I'm gay, yes I am a lesbian." That stopped the conversation a bit until Melanie said that she thought she was too."
I interrupted. "How many were there?"
"Oh, eight or so."
"Ok."
"Anyway, nobody thought it was a particularly big deal as we all had known other lesbians and as you know when I was really into tennis we met quite a few."
"Yes, we did didn't we?"
"So why were you so upset?"
"Frankie's my doubles partner and we get on really well."
"But you hadn't known she was gay until then?"
"No but I had wondered and sort of suspected."