Mother of the groom foils her son's former best friend.
The speeches were over at last. I wiped away a tear and swallowed the last of my champagne. My handsome son Jonathan and his lovely bride Emma were now man and wife. There would be a new Mr and Mrs Gilchrist on the scene, and Harry and I could head towards graceful retirement. I wondered what that would entail. Harry swayed drunkenly in his dress kilt, shirt and beer belly escaping over the top. His herd of brothers were the same. We Gilchrist's are only Scottish at weddings and funerals, and the rugby. But once he had enough to drink, or watched Braveheart for the millionth time, Harry's heritage would come to the fore. It looked like being one of those days. I'd make my rounds thanking guests, then retire to our room and rest before the disco in the evening.
We held a small dinner for the immediate family on the eve of the wedding. Guests were Rsvp'd to say if they were coming to the service and reception or just the evening do. To Harry's delight, most plumped for the evening do with a cash bar. The sixty people who stayed for canapes and champagne after the ceremony didn't make too much of a dent in his wallet. Harry drank away his good fortune. "Judith, I'm just off to the bar with the boys for a couple, then I'll join you in the room later, love." He winked and pinched my arse. Empty promises, I knew he would turn up three hours later, so drunk all he'd be up to was a quick grope before rolling over, farting and falling asleep. The sexy underwear under my mother of the groom outfit was a wasted expense. We were only fifty-five for god's sake, but our love life was over. We could easily live another thirty or forty years. But not like this. I'd kept myself a trim120 pounds from Tuesday keep fit and walking the dog and still got the odd glance from other men, which was nice. I'm top heavy for my five foot seven, but my boobs, which entertained Harry so much in our youth he once threatened to sell the TV, had not tempted him in a while. Still, the expensive bra I'd bought on his credit card earned its keep today. Several friend's husbands gave me the once over, but their eyes were on autopilot.
Our next-door neighbours came over to thank me for the invite. He had to go, but his wife would stay and leave with friends later. Some other ladies came over, also refugees from their bar bound husbands, and we chatted about weddings and kids, the usual stuff. I heard a man's voice behind me and turned but had to look down for its owner. My high heels gave me another three inches, but without them I'd still look over the head of Billy Jennings, my son's best friend from primary school. Billy stopped growing at fourteen while Jonathan sprouted up to six foot two. They made an amusing pair.
"Lovely service Mrs Gilchrist. Thanks for inviting me. Jonathan is rocking the kilt and Emma looks beautiful. You must be thrilled."
"Thank you, Billy. I can't believe Jonathan overlooked your invitation. It was lucky we bumped into each other last week. I'm so glad you came."
"I wouldn't miss this for the world Mrs G. Can I get you ladies a tray of drinks before the bar closes?" Billy headed to the bar with his ears echoing with praise for what a nice boy he was. Billy was twenty-eight like Jonathan, but his stature was more like that of a teenager.
Moments later Jonathan appeared and asked for a word.
"Mum, what's he doing here?"
"Billy was your best friend at school he would have been heartbroken to miss your big day. I'm embarrassed you forgot to invite him."
"That was deliberate mum. We fell out a while back. It was great when we were kids, but he followed me to university and then into banking. He's like a bloody shadow. I tried to be kind, but our friendship ended badly."
"I'm sorry to hear that, son. You seemed keen to speak to him after the service."
"It shocked me to see him. I thought he was here to cause trouble. I warned him off."
"Oh Jonathan, I'm sure he won't do that."
"Look, he likes you mum. Had a schoolboy crush on you years ago. Can you keep an eye on him and make sure he goes before the disco tonight? Emma and me are off for a bit of a rest." His cheeky grin let me know that one Mr Gilchrist would keep his promises.
"Okay, son. You have a nice rest and I'll sort this. I'm sure Emma will welcome the opportunity to put her feet up." The bubbles had made me fruity and Jonathan blushed. I'd accidently walked in on them at it more than once. The first time he was fucking Emma as she gripped onto the edge of our bath. I thought I'd made enough noise coming up the stairs to warn anyone, but the door was unlocked. The second time he was doing her on the bonnet of Harry's classic Rover car. I was looking for peas in the freezer we keep in the garage. I scuttled away, but I heard Emma, "You get turned on by the thought of your mum catching us." I thought the same.
***
Billy was back with a tray full of drinks and two bottles of champagne with his compliments. We invited him to join us. He'd be intimidated by a group of young women, but with us old mums he was in his element. He told funny stories about when he and Jonathan were kids. I felt sorry they were no longer friends. His stories somehow always mentioned me, and I was not the only one to notice it. When he excused himself to go to the loo, one of the ladies said, "I think you've got at admirer there Judith."
"Don't be silly, I've known him since he was a kid. He may have had a boob fascination when he reached puberty, but what lad doesn't?" I dismissed their banter as the drink talking. Billy had kept our glasses topped up, so I'd slowed down. I'd put the glass to my lips several times but drank only once. Two glasses went into a plant holder and were refilled with icy water from the bucket when no one was looking.