This is set in the UK in the 1970s, so attitudes are very different. There is no social media, mobile phones, or internet. It was also easier in many ways to disappear and leave your past behind. It is a different POV but overlaps the second chapter of Grampa's Last Hurrah, which is in Mature.
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Juliette set out for lunch on Tuesday with her sister-in-law, Daphne. Her sister-in-law was nearly fifty, although Juliette was not entirely sure. Something Bernard had said suggested that they had only been born two years apart, making her at least fifty and, more likely, fifty-one. Perhaps she had decided to stop counting at forty-nine. Indeed, she did not look fifty in the way her aunt did with her thick black coat, warm hats, and greying hair.
On the way there, Daphne confirmed that Arnold (or Grampa, as Daphne and her family called him) had handed her the pictures from last night's photo shoot, and they would look at them over lunch. She complimented Juliette on how well she was getting on with the twins. That cheered Juliette. She liked the thirteen-year-old girls and had played table tennis with them and their brother James this morning. They had decided that she was part of the family and made her feel welcome. They hugged her when they said goodnight, and she liked the warmth.
To her huge relief, it did not appear that James had spotted her yesterday in the cinema when she watched him canoodling the waitress. She did not believe that, if he had recognised her, he could have been as nonchalant about things as he had been. He had told his sisters about the film, and they had volunteered Juliette to take them to see it. They had only just come home from boarding school, so they would not have had the chance to see it before.
She was unsure what to expect from Daphne and how honest she wanted to be with her. There were some things which were personal to her that she could not imagine talking about to anyone. At the same time, she knew that if she was to make a success of her marriage, she needed to deal with whatever held back her husband from being able to do what was necessary for them to have children.
When they got to the Club, they were shown to Arnold's favourite table, and to her horror, the waitress was Samantha. The girl had winked at her and given her a thumbs-up sign yesterday when she spotted Juliette watching her pleasuring James. At the very least, she would not dare wear the white linen suit again this summer in front of James or when going to the Club. Today, she was in the polka-dot summer dress.
The waitress, however, showed no signs of recognising her from the cinema, although she did recognise her from the two previous visits. Daphne ordered them two G&Ts and opened the envelope with the photographs from last night.
Daphne quickly skimmed through them and then picked out four of the headshots. Two of each of them. They were in black and white. Initially, Juliette was disappointed they weren't in colour, but the more she looked at them, she realised they were more effective this way. They heightened the contrast, and she realised that Daphne had meant it when she said that Juliette had a distinctive face. Her eyes were emphasised, and she was shocked at how strong she seemed. Looking at Daphne's photographs was also illuminating. In one shot, she appeared demure, and in another, there was a sense of mischief which made her look like she was nearer thirty.
She hardly noticed that Samantha had arrived with their drinks. This was, in part, because the photographs had caught Samantha's attention. She was taking the opportunity to look at them but finally coughed and said, "Your drinks." She paused and said, "I'm sorry if I do not know my place, but those photographs are amazing."
Daphne looked at her, "We'll take that as a compliment, young lady."
Samantha looked embarrassed, but Daphne tried to put her at ease. "We were thinking the same ourselves. It's good when the photographer can flatter you but makes you feel the picture reflects an inner truth."
When Samantha had taken their order, Daphne leant over to Juliette. "Is that the woman who flirted with Grampa and James? The same one who annoyed Bernard?"
"Yes."
"I'll keep an eye on her. I thought I recognised the skirt. Grampa will appreciate it tonight."
"Sorry?"
"Do I really need to explain?" Daphne looked amused.
Juliette blushed, of course, it would allow Grampa's hand to go further. "Why do women let men like Grampa touch them like that?"
"In Grampa's case, the tipping helps. He also tends to get to know them first and gradually sees how far they will go before saying no further. Some don't know how to say no. Don't think that will be a problem for that young lady. Occasionally, they are open for hire or at least gifts and treat the caresses as advertising. In other cases, the interest is good for their morale. When I was her age, I never minded being flirted with, provided that I felt that I was in control. It also depends on the establishment and the locale. In Southpool, it is accepted that with so many holidaymakers, a little bit of fondling comes with the job, but that there are limits."
Juliette nodded and hoped that Daphne would let it go at that. Instead, the older woman looked thoughtful and got out another set of photographs, which showed both of them looking over their shoulders. Juliette had done about ten of these, but the old man had chosen two. In the first, she looked demure and almost awkward and in the last one, she was shocked to see what she supposed was a "come hither" look.
Daphne laughed, "I knew I would be a good influence on you. I hope that, eventually, even Bernard will recognise that you have the same needs as him."
The equivalents for Daphne showed a friendly demeanour, and the second showed a wicked-looking grin as her hands were on her hips and her mouth was open. Just then, the waitress arrived with the starter.
Daphne said, "What do you think of these, Samantha? My father, Juliette's father-in-law, took them last night."
"Arnold? Sorry, Mr Cockburn." She pronounced it the way Arnold preferred.
"Yes."
Daphne turned to Juliette, "A lot of young ladies posed for my father in his time."
Samantha said, "I'm not surprised. He is excellent."
"He has a studio in the basement of the house."
Juliette was puzzled at why Daphne was volunteering the information, especially in the light of the fact that James was seeing the waitress.
By the time her starter had been eaten, Juliette was feeling slightly lightheaded. She wasn't used to drinking at lunchtime. She was nervous about the likely turn the conversation would take and had gulped her G&T down. Daphne also kept topping up her glass with white wine.
Daphne had now chosen three more photographs for them to look at. One was of Daphne lying on the chaise-longue in lingerie, and two other had Juliette leaning over in her new skirt and blouse. To her shock, her cleavage was showing in one and in the other, with her hands on her hips and her head to one side, Juliette looked almost wanton.
Again, Daphne had timed it so that the waitress was taking the plates away as the photos were on the table. Her eyes widened, and she looked like she wanted to say something but thought better of it.
Daphne giggled as the girl retreated. "She thinks we both look hot but didn't dare say so in case we took umbrage."
Her sister-in-law then softened her voice. "I hope you now know that you are an attractive woman. Now, we just have to make certain that Bernard learns that it is no sin for a man to lust after his wife, especially when the aim is having babies."
