Chaperone: A person who accompanies and looks after another person or group of people.
'To our wonderful Chaperones: Thanks so much for agreeing to supervise. There's a bottle waiting for you in the den! Love Steve and Miriam'
As Frank drove them both across town Laura recalled the message that their best friends had sent them before they left. A couple of months earlier their best friends had asked for a favour. Bound for the Caribbean for a week they had intended to leave their large, detached house in the care of their son, Liam. For a nineteen-year-old, he was quite trustworthy, so, ordinarily, Laura didn't think they would have had a problem leaving him in charge.
But then Liam asked about the possibility of a party whilst they were away. To his credit, he asked his parents for permission to which they happily agreed. But their acquiescence came with a proviso: Laura and Frank would have to be there. They may have trusted their son, but thirty plus teenagers in one house will always have the potential to be a handful.
Laura knew that Liam would be okay with the two of them supervising. Having been friends with his parents for many years, they knew him well and had always got along fine. He knew they would allow him and his friends to have fun and just be there in case he needed assistance.
Anticipating a quiet evening, Frank had suggested they might even be able to make the most of it. with a little adult time for themselves. Smiling at Frank, she caught his eye. His wink told her his thoughts were similarly engaged. Underneath the short skirt and loose blouse, Laura had dressed to excite, and she hoped there would be a chance to show it to Frank later.
Pulling up on the drive, they saw the door was open and as they both got out of the car, Liam appeared at the doorway with a big smile.
"Hi guys." Over the last few years, they had watched their friends' son grow into the handsome teenager he now was. Six foot tall, with short brown hair, he looked athletic and strong - but not like he spent every moment in the gym. Looking at him, it struck Laura that he reminded her of Frank at the same age.
"Hi Liam, how are you? All set for tonight? Anything we can do to help?"
"I'm great, thanks, looking forward to it. Everything's ready to go! You can just relax!"
At that moment Frank's phone rang. Glancing at the screen, Frank said "I have to take this, sorry," and walked slightly away from the house.
Moving inside, Laura saw that Liam's assessment was correct. Everything was tidy, the dining table was loaded with food (and a big bowl of punch) and the home bar looked well stocked.
"Well, you've been busy, Liam! Good work!"
"Thanks. I've put a few things down in the den for you guys as well."
Laura smiled at him in thanks. "You're very sweet."
"Although I don't know why you think you need to hide down the end of the garden, you'd be more than welcome to join us."
"Oh, Liam, thanks, but I'm sure you and your friends don't want two oldies cramping your style."
"No way! Everyone would love it. Besides, you could easily pass for a teenager."
The appreciative look on his face made Laura wonder, not for the first time, if Liam 'liked' her, more than was appropriate for a friend's son.
"Flatterer!" said Laura, laughing. "Bless, you, Liam, but my days of fitting in at teen parties are long gone. We'll be fine in the den."
Like anyone she was still susceptible to being complimented. But whenever she glanced at herself in a mirror, she was proud of her thirty-eight-year-old body. Regular exercise and a good diet meant she was still trim. Laura was average height, had a flat stomach, firm breasts and dark hair cut into a bob. Okay, she didn't have the body of a teen anymore, but she thought she still looked damn good!
"Now, your guests are coming from eight, right?" Liam nodded. "Okay. So, Frank and I will install ourselves in the den and I promise we won't get in the way, we'll let you guys enjoy yourselves. If you need anything just call us on the extension and one of us will come up. Otherwise, we will stay put. Unless we run out of snacks, of course!
Liam chuckled. "Thanks. Come up to the house any time, you'd be welcome."
At that moment Frank came into the room with a rueful look on his face. "Sorry, love, crisis at the plant, I'm going to have to go and see what's happening." Frank was a senior engineer at the power plant. An interesting, well-paid job that gave them both a comfortable lifestyle, but it did come with a lot of responsibility.
She knew she must have looked disappointed as Frank quickly gave her a hug and said quietly in her ear, "Don't worry, I promise you'll still get your sexy time." Out loud he said, "Looks like there's the possibility of power cuts if we can't get a fix in, so might be best to be prepared if you can." And with a pat on Liam's back, he was out of the door and in his car.
As she watched him drive away, she asked Liam if they had any candles. "Oh sure, they're in the den."
"Ah good. I'll drop my bag down there and then bring some back up whilst you finish off up here."
Liam told here where to find them, and she walked out of the French doors over the patio and down to the bottom of the garden.
They called it a den, but in reality it was more like a small lodge style one bed apartment. It had power, plumbing, heating, a large bed, TV and a sofa. Tonight, there was also a bottle of red wine (knowing Steve and Miriam, an expensive one) and a bottle of whiskey. One each, with a little bow tied around them. Their intention was to stay overnight, but it wouldn't be wise to make too much of a dent in either.
Looking in the cupboard Liam had pointed her to, she saw there were several boxes of tea light candles. Picking two up, together with a box of matches, she walked them back up to the house and deposited them in the corner of the living room. Hearing voices outside she peered through the windows and saw Liam greeting one of his friends, who had obviously arrived a little early. She though she recognised him, but couldn't place his name. Was it Tim, perhaps?
They both came back in, and Liam said "Laura, this is Tom. Laura's my chaperone for tonight". Ah, I was close, thought Laura, laughing.
"Okay, Liam, I can take a hint. I'll decant to the den, since your guests have started coming. I've put the candles in the corner". As she passed the dining table, she picked up a bowl of crisps, gave Liam a wink and walked down to the den.
Daylight was starting to fade so, she switched on the lights. Opening the bottle of wine (a Merlot from the Napa Valley) and pouring herself a glass, she kicked off her shoes. Retrieving a book from her bag, she settled down to read, sipping the delicious wine.
Occasionally looking up at the house, Laura waited for a message from Frank, but her phone was silent. Some time had passed since he'd left, and the party was in full swing. She could hear music (not too loud) and laughter. All seemed calm, up there so apart from a short visit to replenish her snacks, she left them alone. The party seemed to be going well, and Liam's friends weren't getting too wild. As it was dark, she pulled the curtains together, but it was a warm night, so she left the sliding door open.
It was just before eleven and after she poured her second glass of wine The lights went out. Laura put down her book and sighed, thinking Frank did say there might be power cuts. She fumbled her way to the cupboard with the candles, lit a couple and put them on the coffee table.
Pausing to grab her phone she also picked up a small torch from her bag, slipped out of the door and made her way up to the house.
At the patio door, she called through "Liam!"
"Over here Laura!" Pointing her torch to where he had called from, she saw he was by the boxes of candles and picked her way through his guests.
"Let's put some of these out. Keep some back, though, we don't know how long it will last".
Once she had lit a couple, she distributed the rest, and the others proceeded to light the rest.
As she was handing them out, her phoned beeped. At last! But Frank's message read - 'Sorry, going to take longer than I thought. Not likely to be back until morning xxx.' She sighed. Being left on her own was all too familiar.
