A chapter where Beverly's life moves on after the universe is offered, (and accepts) space warping and time warping.
This chapter starts to address the family issues of inheritance and sibling rivalry for control of the firm.

 

Spacetran 12

List of our children.

Wendy, William’s twin, our first-born twins

Jessica and Charlotte, Ben’ sisters, our second born triplets.

Dave and Eddie , Sherriff Jack Johnson’s boys.

Linda and Sandra, Sherriff Jack Johnson’s daughters.

In the years that followed Beverly and the Intergalactic Federation’s successful defence of the Sol Commonwealth against the insectoids, the citizens of Mars, Earth and Venus realised that they would slowly have to evolve their natures and behaviours to become acceptable to the intergalactic federation. They learned a lot from Beverly’s old friends the amphs about making major changes to their natures, mores and social habits but the changes were slow and there were many pockets of resistance to change.

The main engine of those changes was access to the solar-system’s vast resources whilst educating all humans that, despite appearances, those seemingly inexhaustible minerals were still actually finite. Mankind could not go on forever growing and grabbing as though the whole dammed universe was theirs for the taking.

This perspective had evolved mainly from the monotheist creeds that portrayed man as ‘lord of creation’ to do with that creation as he wanted. That monotheism in almost every hue had degenerated into a monetarist greed that had precipitated the ‘resource wars’
that had once almost brought Earth’s human population to the brink of extinction.

The advent of contact with other worlds and other civilisations, many much more advanced than man, had stopped that monotheist conceit dead in its tracks. The only saving grace for mankind had been the enigma of the most advanced of all intergalactic technologies, namely time warp and space warp, having been formulated and developed by one of humankind’s own, namely Beverly.
But to mankind’s dismay, that one, sad, dysfunctional human soul had disassociated herself from her own roots. The very means whereby intergalactic civilizations could meet with precision and have intercourse by arrangement was ironically, the same means whereby the original progenitor had kept herself out of reach of her own kind.

Beverly still kept that little bit of technological ‘extra’ up her scientific sleeve to always be able
to stay one step ahead of any hopeful inquisitors looking to acquire those last warp navigational secrets that would enable them to garnish a technological and therefore military advantage.

In short there was always some megalomaniac hoping to become ‘Ruler of the Universe’.

Beverly had by now perfected a very accurate ‘warp navigation’, based upon some even more incredible maths that finally addressed the uncertainties she had encountered in her earlier wanderings. She was apparently the only sentient in the universe able to go where she wanted, when she wanted and how she wanted without let or hindrance. No-one else had demonstrated that ability amongst the dozens of civilisations who were now signatories to the Intergalactic Federation. No others could ever be certain of the precise navigation and times surrounding their warping adventures.

Beverly however, could now warp from one planet directly to another planet in one accurate step between stars and galaxies. All others were lucky to just to make the destination galaxy then they had to ‘dog-leg’ the interstellar section between stars. These ‘dog-legs’ could consume valuable time if one civilisation was seeking to attack another, though now that these civilisations were ‘in communication’ the ‘jaw-jaw’ scenario was superseding ‘war-war’

This accurate ‘warp navigation’ gave Cold Albatross 2 the edge. Yes, even after a lifetime of warping Bev still used Cold Albatross 2. The technology had never been surpassed. Thus were my and Beverly’s lives made happy and easy. We could come and go to any of our many homes spread out across the universe. Nevertheless I still had a soft spot for my old New England ‘cottage’ and because Beverly still had an even softer spot for me, we still tended to think of this cottage as ‘home — home. And a very well protected home at that.

It was a warm late spring afternoon in New England and Beverly was stretched out asleep on our long porch swing with her head on my lap while I just sat taking in the warm sunshine and reading a romantic novel, (though in truth my own life story with Beverly had been a virtual romantic novel). We were idly watching our earthly brood playing in the orchard of my ancestral cottage. Unusually the children were fairly quiet. Our three girls were picking blossom off the trees and making floral tiaras while the boys were doing juvenile gymnastics on the long swing that we had attached to one of the highest branches of the tallest pear tree. As Beverly and I dozed there was a sudden commotion and I lazily lifted one eye from my book to determine the cause. Unusually the boys had started arguing. This was strange in itself for Ben the younger boy was totally besotted by his older brother. Wearily I asked them to play quietly because they were disturbing the peace and calm of the afternoon and their father was tired.

“But he kissed me!” William protested loudly, - loud enough to wake Beverly.

Beverly opened one sleepy eye and grinned at me.

“Well that’s a bit different from ‘He hit me’. Tell him to kiss him back.”

I grinned at Beverly’s weird sense of humour.

“It doesn’t work like that Bev, well not usually; not with boys.”

“Beverly grinned and gave me a ‘cock eyed’ look. I had to stop and remember she had once been ‘a boy’; indeed she was still ‘technically’ a boy, - and a father! Then she added with the womanly wisdom endowed to her later years.

“I think it might for Ben. Haven’t you noticed how besotted he is with his older brother”

I looked hard at Beverly and frowned.

"Are you trying to tell me something?”

“Well he’s very attached to his older brother.”

“That’s just hero worship.” I blustered as the seed of doubt took root.

“You think kissing is hero worship; - between brothers?”

I was about to tell Ben to desist because his older brother didn’t like it when Beverly interrupted and called to our younger son.

“Ben, darling; - if you want to kiss anybody, kiss your sisters or kiss your mother or even kiss me.” I don’t think Billy likes it.” Beverly had used her own affectionate, private nick-name for William.

“You’re too right I don’t dad. Tell him to stoppit. It’s sissyish!” William declared.

Beverly sat up with a sigh and grinned again at me then at Ben who was already approaching with tears in his eyes. She held out her arms and he flung himself into them.

“Billy’s horrible.” He cried.

“Not really darling. Some boys don’t like kissing other boys. They only like kissing girls.” Beverly explained as she caught my eye while hugging Ben to her and looking over his shoulder. Then Ben dropped the bombshell that Beverly and I had been anticipating, ever since all the children had been born.

“But you kiss boys daddy.”

“Yes darling,” Beverly replied, “but only you, Billy and Grandpa George, that’s your mummy’s dad.”

“So it’s okay for boys to kiss.”

“Only if they both like it and agree to it darling.”

“So why doesn’t Billy like it? Why doesn’t he like kissing me?”

“Because he doesn’t darling. Some boys don’t like kissing other boys, even their younger brothers.”

“Why?” Ben persisted.

“Because he just doesn’t darling. Why don’t you like pomegranates when everybody else does?” Why is your sister Wendy the only one who doesn’t like marmalade when the rest of us do?

Ben couldn’t answer this and he finally realised that different people had different tastes. Reluctantly he separated from Beverly’s embrace and trudged across the yard to the orchard gate where the girls were making fruit blossom tiaras. We watched him beg to join them and relaxed when Wendy agreed to allow him. He was immediately given the task of picking the deepest pink apple blossoms whilst Charlotte continued picking the pure white pear blossoms and Jessica picked the creamy apple blossoms from the different breeds of apple tree. Soon Ben was giggling and squealing with our daughters as Billy sidled up to us on the porch.
“He’s turning into a girl mum. Just look at him playing with our sisters.”

Beverly caught Billy’s gaze and gently admonished him as she offered him a hug.

“Well maybe he’s like me darling. I’m a girl but I’m still your father.”

Ben shrugged and turned to me again.

“Can I go and play with David and Eddie?”

“It’s a bit late in the day now darling, besides Sherriff Johnson’s family were going to their maternal grandparents. They’ll not be back until tonight.”

William sighed and separated from his father’s affectionate embrace.

“I dunno what’s got into Ben. He embarrasses me, even at school.”

This was the first that Bev and I had heard of any issues at school. We had decided to send our kids to the local elementary school in the village. Beverly felt it was important that kids grew up ‘belonging to their local community’ so our three daughters and two sons travelled the daily ‘school bus’ to school with neighbouring kids from other outlying farms. Sherriff Johnson also lived out next to our place and had had become a good neighbour. Our sons and daughters played together. They were the only kids for several farms spread out over a couple of miles. Beverly gave me a concerned look as Billy mentioned the issues at school. I dug a little deeper.

“So what’s Ben been doing at school?”

“He’s not been doing anything really, it’s just, well; he plays more with the girls now than the boys. Ask Wendy and Charlotte.”

We both took Billy’s word for it. Our kids weren’t much into ‘sibling rivalry’ at that age, particularly when it came to telling the truth about themselves. Besides the five of them, they also had twenty much older half siblings who regularly visited from the planet Amphia. This very real ‘blood connection’ with alien siblings from a far-away planet had done lots to make our own kids compassionate and tolerant. In the local school they had long ago learned to handle the legitimate curiosity of the other children concerning all aspects of their unusual lives. For example while other kids from schools all over Earth enjoyed educational trips to Mars and Venus, our children often took trips to far away galaxies and regularly ‘week-ended’ once a month on the planet Amphia to visit their half siblings. Sherriff Johnson’s children often accompanied them just to enjoy the experience. Our two families enjoyed a close and warm friendship. David and Eddie were firm friends of Ben and Billy and the four formed a tight union that deterred unwelcome abuse.

The four went everywhere together and several other ‘geeks’ also had cause to be thankful for their tolerance. We knew this because the teachers reassured us and whenever we had a birthday party, it seemed the whole school wanted to come. If our kids were popular then we felt they probably weren’t bullies at school.

Ben’s preference for playing with the girls however could easily invite abuse from the less tolerant children in the school.
Yes, despite all that Beverly had done to advance the cause of transgenderism, there were still people who remained bigoted and intolerant, and what’s more, raised bigoted and intolerant children. I made a note to contact the school on the Monday morning. It was no good expecting Beverly to address any gender issues at the school, she still had issues of her own and was liable to ‘fly off the handle’ if anybody showed the slightest sign of transphobia. The trouble was that with her immense wealth and institutional muscle, Beverly had the wherewithal to ‘back up’ her threats and if she lost it during such a transphobic confrontation, there was no knowing what might happen. It was best for me to handle any homophobic or transphobic stuff in our children’s lives.

My reflections were disturbed by a ‘nurse ant’ reporting that tea was ready so we gathered around the table on the porch and the conversation soon became animated as we discussed Ben’s issues. I was proud that our children could deal with such stuff without recourse to criticism or censure but I was even happier to see the smile of relief, (or was it satisfaction?) on Beverly’s face as Ben sat beside his ‘father’ and proudly showed her the Tiara he had made. Later that evening Ben came down for a goodnight kiss whilst wearing one of Jennifer’s old frocks. Beverly and I could see there were issues ahead. Not issues in our family I must hasten to add but probably issues in the school and in the small town. I sighed as I concluded that I would have to pay a visit to Sheriff Johnson in the morning just to explain the situation. The sheriff was well genned up on transgenderism after having had Beverly as his neighbour for several years.

Thus it was that another transgendered individual came to our family. I must admit, I was mildly and pleasantly surprised to find that there weren’t too many serious issues in the school or the town. Beverly’s status was known word-wide so the town and the school were relatively fore-armed about the new situation with Ben. The only worry I had was wondering if somehow, Beverly’s brand of transgenderism might be hereditary.

Once the issues were sorted we settled back to more years of contentment with now four ‘girls’ and only one son. Billy took to spending more time over at Sherriff Johnsons place to play with Dave and Eddie.

“I’m outnumbered at home now mum, I can’t even get to the bathroom in the morning.”

Beverly and I decided that we’d have to add a small extension to my beloved cottage just to enable Billy to stay clean now that his new ‘sister’ Bennie had commandeered what had once been their shared bathroom. Girls spent so much more time pampering their bodies and each one of our other daughters had their own separate bathroom, Bennie was deemed no different.
Billy was really pleased when he got a new bedroom in its own separate wing and he was overjoyed when he saw the new shaving socket over his own sink. He hadn’t started shaving yet but it was a real sign that the new bathroom was his and his alone. Beverly of course, didn’t shave.

As the years rolled by our children grew. Beverly and I watched them leave home and go to college. Then, naturally as far as I was concerned, they took work in our family business. It was then that the first rumblings of inter-sibling strife emerged. Beverly and I could have kicked ourselves for not having noticed it earlier and it left us distraught that our own children could not see their way to sharing equally the vast wealth that our family business had accrued.

By this time Beverly was becoming tired of running the whole ‘Taff Spaceships’ family business single handed. The children were approaching their later twenties and I could sense the tensions whenever a board meeting was called and this happened normally on the second Monday of every month. Beverly, ever the dysfunctional misfit, totally failed to pick up on the subtle signals that the children seemed to put out as they secretly jockeyed for position; I however started to notice them. The kids would somehow appear at the family cottage often with their long term partners or latest companion and somehow, during the weekend before the board meetings the house seemed to be filled with our kids. The atmosphere noticeably cooled especially if Bev was away and the kids were unable to work their various magics on their ‘dad’. Then, if and when Beverly arrived home, the children would all be vying for her attention. After one particularly exhausting trip Beverly actually snapped at her children and retreated to the bedroom. The children decided to go into town. Wendy phoned Linda Johnson and arranged a shopping trip.

With the house now empty, I seized the opportunity to describe what I was seeing as we snuggled up on our favourite place, the wide double porch swing. At first Beverly ‘poo-hooed’ the idea but slowly she came around to my point of view. I explained.

“You’re going to have to decide who’s going to follow in your shoes. You can’t live forever especially now that you’re spending more time on earth in a normal ‘space-time continuum’.”

Beverly sighed.

“I suppose I’ve been half expecting something like this ever since the kids were born. The trouble is which kid to be chief executive when I hand over the reins? Can’t you do it?”

“What! Me? I’ve got enough to do running the prosthesis business. Besides, I’m not getting any younger either.”

Beverly frowned.

“Well who do you think should run it?”

“If you distribute equal shares between each of them, that’s twenty percent per child. Let them each sit around the table and sort it out themselves.”

Beverly frowned again. She was never good at people stuff which was hardly surprising considering her own childhood.

“I suppose I could invite them each to the board and offer them ten percent each then you and I hold the other fifty.”

“That would be the simple way but would they be happy with that?”

“It’s not their happiness I’m worried about, it’s finding out who best I can trust with the last secrets, the secrets that keep the business in our hands and away from ‘the suits’, the navigation stuff.”

“Can’t you let each of them in on the secret?”

“It’s not a secret then is it. One of them is bound to succumb to temptation. Everybody has their price. I know for a fact that Billy thinks the chairmanship is his by rights, primo geniture and all that crap.”

“How d’you know?”

“I overheard him discussing it with Wendy.”

“And what was her reaction.”

“As you’d expect, - outright rejection.”

I thought long and hard then asked Beverly.

“These navigation secrets, I know the maths is up there in the stratosphere but could anybody else ever work it all out, you know, solve the final equations?”

Beverly shrugged.

“I dunno’ I suppose one day, somebody with a better brain than mine.”

“It’ll be a cold day in hell then before that kid is born.”

“Not necessarily, there’s billions of kids being born to millions civilizations on habited planets all over the universe and a lot have got access to my cruder secrets. It’s bound to happen someday.”

“So it could happen anywhere, anytime.”

Beverly slumped in her chair, disappointment writ large over her face. I’d never seen her show disappointment over our kids before but I think this new sibling rivalry for the control of the family firm after their dad’s passing had left Beverly distracted and vulnerable. She turned to me.

“Well I’d hoped that one of our kids might have inherited the maths gift but seemingly not; don’t get me wrong’ they’re bright kids but, -.”

“Yes and they all have issues with that. All the kids feel a little guilty that they haven’t got your maths genius, you know, it’s the famous father syndrome. They’re as worried as you about the navigation secrets”

“Yeah. I suppose I could wait until a grandchild arrives, maybe the gift skips a generation.”

“You’re not getting any younger Bev.”

“Don’t remind me. In earth years I’m nearly a hundred but with all the time warping and stuff I’m physically only fifty or thereabouts; leastwise that’s what the quack told me at my last medical.”

“So you can wait a bit longer. Wendy looks like thinking this new guy is Mr Right. He passed the main check namely the anonymity thing. Wendy kept her identity a secret until he declared his undying love for her. He doesn’t appear to be a fortune hunter, the guy’s done fairly well for himself and the poor kid went on to describe his prospects to her after proposing. Wendy said it was sweet. She and I used your information network to check him out. It all rings true, she knows how worried you are about ‘gold-diggers’ but this poor guy had genuinely made his own way and built up his manufacturing business all on his lonesome. By his own modest origins, he has done very well for himself. After proposing to her he asked to see her father to explain his prospects and all the old fashioned ‘hand in marriage’ stuff.”

“Don’t knock modest origins Ruby. Mine were as ‘modest’ as they can get. If the guy has done it all by himself, he’s a guy I can respect no matter how ‘modest’ as you put it. I’d like to meet him, does he know about Wendy?”

“He does now, yes, after he proposed, she brought him home while you were off gallivanting on one of your interminable jaunts.
He’s met me and that shocked him, there’s no hiding my identity what with my pictures being in all the papers almost bloody weekly. I can only thank God that Wendy has always been the camera shy one. She’s like you in that respect; few people have seen you to recognise you. There are virtually no public pictures of Wendy since high school. Thank god it wasn’t Charlotte or Jessica they’re both stunningly beautiful and never out of the prurient ‘bimbo press’.”

“Wendy’s just as pretty as them.” Beverly observed.

“Well I’m sure she’d be delighted to hear you say that. But she was always the hard working one, well, her and William; though it’s hard for William to stay out of the limelight being such an eligible bachelor. He’s just so weary of bimbos throwing themselves at him. It’s hard for our kids darling, d’you know even Bennie has girls coming on to her and she’s virtually living cross-dressed, - and yes I know she’s bisexual and the gutter press are always making news of that. Bennie’s just so lucky she’s got you for a dad and the fact that because you live cross-dressed, people don’t actually know what you look like. Makeup is a wonderful camouflage.”

“So what’s with this new boyfriend of Wendy’s then?”

“Really Beverly! She’s been going out with him for nearly three months. You’ve been very remiss as a father since the children left home. Even William knows about him. William’s also checked him out. He’s spotted him at the New York round table meetings doing the networking stuff.”

“Uugh, networking, it’s a load of parasites feeding off each other’s insecurities.” Beverly Declared.

“You may see it like that darling but for the average guy, struggling to make it, it’s a very necessary evil. He’s terrified of meeting you, what with your power, your wealth and your transgenderism. Wendy was going to chat to you about it this weekend.”

“What’s he like?”

“He’s a nice kid. He was terribly embarrassed when he learned who Wendy was, especially after he’d already proposed. He offered to drop it but Wendy really likes him. He’d always felt particularly proud that he’d done his thing all by dint of his own efforts and without a university education. Jenny said it was a bit embarrassing the way he went on about ‘making his own way’. His single mum couldn’t afford to send him to college apparently so he had to leave school at sixteen and make his own way.”

“Well I won’t condemn him for not having gone to college, neither did I. We seem to have more in common than he’s prepared to concede. The only difference seems to be the size and scale of our relative successes. I’d like to meet him.”

“Well speak to Wendy first. She’s down with Linda Johnson in the town at the moment; they’re organising Sandra Johnson’s birthday.”

“Oh! Another party, that’ll be fun then?”

“Yes, those Johnson daughters are the only girls that Wendy and the twins feels they can trust. They’ve been friends since way back in kindergarten. Linda’s mum is with them and their dad Sherriff Johnson’s running them back later in his own pul. In fact talk of the devil; here they are now coming over the orchard.”

Beverly grinned, “I hate that name for them, who the hell invented it?”

“What, - ‘pul’? It just grew Beverly, where’ve you been these last twenty years? I suppose some lawyers were looking for some short of shorthand and the name just grew. Lawyers are always trying to impress themselves with new words and stuff; they're a conceited lot. Anyway, you can’t change it now darling, you gave the things to the universe but mankind invented the name, at least for our solar system.

Jack Johnson’s pul slowly descended onto our landing pad between Cold Albatross 2 and my own pul. (Pulsed utility levitator.) Jack and his family were some of the few people who had carte-blanche landing rights on our ring fenced landing pad. A pul was the latter-day equivalent of the old-fashioned cars. Cars had died a death almost overnight as antigrav became universally available and cheap.

A pul was usually about the size of the old ‘transit’ vans with commensurate carrying capacity. Nearly all families on Earth, Mars and Venus had one for they were as essential as air to a family’s wellbeing. Younger, single people had all sorts of transport solutions based on antigrav. The main benefits had been the removal of the necessity for roads and the end of hydrocarbon fuel. Most people felt Earth was a better place for that. Our fortune had been largely built on the universality of puls. As Jack Johnson’s pul hummed softly to a landing Beverly stepped off the porch to greet them. She and Jack went inside while I helped carry the girl’s shopping inside. They were hiding the stuff from Sandra at our house as a surprise. As we hid the stuff Wendy approached me about her dad.

“Is she in a good mood?”

“Now we’ve had a chat and a snooze, - yes. She’s in the library chatting to Jack.”

“I want to talk to her about Raymond.”

“Yeah, it’s about time. You’ve been going out together for months and your dad’s never met him.”

“Well Ray’s a bit shy. Ever since learning who my dad is he’s been on tenterhooks. He’s terrified that he’ll make some stupid and huge mistake like refer to dad by the wrong gender pronoun or something.”

“Tell him everybody in the family refers to dad as she or her.”

“Yeah, you and I know that as do all the others but poor Ray comes from Harlem. We all know it’s much wealthier now since dad brought prosperity to the Solar system but Ray was reared in a very rough, macho neighbourhood. Brothers are brothers and the bitches had better know that.”

“There’s no need to use language like that. It’s offensive to women and you know that perfectly well.”

“That’s as may be mom but it’s the way it was down in Harlem. Remember this ‘prosperity for all’, thing has only come about in the last ten or twenty years or so. Ray was born in the bad times, he still doesn’t know who his dad was and he was nearly ten before our dad changed things for the blacks and Hispanics. He’s one of the very few of his generation who stayed clear of all the shit whilst not going to college or playing at sport; - avoiding the gangs and drugs and stuff.”

“Good for him then dad will respect him even more. Now when are you bringing Ray out from New York to meet her? Your father’s not a monster! She’s beginning to suspect Ray’s a figment of your imagination.”

“That’s what I want to speak to dad about.”

“Well go on in, you don’t have to stand on ceremony with your own father. You never have before, go on.”

Wendy took a deep breath and knocked gently before stepping into the library. She glanced at Sherriff Johnson who quickly realised Wendy wanted a private word with her dad. The sheriff made his excuses and joined me in the kitchen. Beverly patted the seat beside her on the sofa and Wendy eagerly took the offer whilst giving her dad a peck on the cheek. Wendy was a bit tongue tied so Beverly opened the conversation.

“Is this about your boyfriend Ray?”

“Yes. He wants to come and see you.”

“I’ve gathered that, your mum’s told me about him.”

“You know he’s um Black don’t you?”

“Yes.”

“And you’re okay with that?”

Beverly stared long and hard at her daughter wagging her head partly through disappointment.

“Have you learned anything from me? In all the years you’ve been growing up have you not learned anything?”

“Well I know you’re transgendered.”

“So you don’t think I know a thing about prejudice then?”

“Well, yes, but you’ve got it made.”

“And how d’you think I got to making it? D’you know; I’m hurt that you even had questions about my feelings towards his race. Your own half sisters and brothers are from another planet for God’s Sake! They are my children and your mother’s and they are only half human!

“Yes, but, - but you didn’t, you know, have sex with them, nor did mom.”

“But they’re still our kids aren’t they, half amphibian, half human but they’re still our kids! So why would I worry if my first grandchild on this planet is half black, - can you be ‘half black’? - Or is it half white? Bloody hell Wendy you’ve shocked me and hurt me. My own child does not even know what I felt while suffering years of prejudice, - and abuse I might add.”

I had to confess that I had been listening at the keyhole and I felt it was imperative to intervene before Wendy dug herself into a deeper hole.

Tears started to flow and I heard my Beloved husband starting to cry. I quickly intervened as Wendy sat there stunned, uncomprehending and yet ashamed.

“You’d better get a cup of tea for her. What did you say to her?”

“I only felt I’d better warn her that Ray’s black.”

“Oh, Wendy, Wendy, Wendy! Did you really think that would have mattered?”

“I didn’t know. It’s different for us kids. It’s not like we’ve ever suffered what dad’s suffered. I just wasn’t sure and I wanted to make sure!”

I wagged my head and hugged my daughter to my breast; the poor kid just couldn’t and wouldn’t ever understand. Beverly looked at us and dabbed her eyes before smiling wanly then offering her arms to her daughter. Wendy just collapsed into her father’s arms and the pair fell to wailing as I concluded that I would have to make the tea. It seemed a mother’s work is never done.

Ray appeared that same evening nervously carrying two bouquets of flowers and two huge boxes of chocolates. Wendy had obviously forewarned him. William opened the door to him and smiled to reassure him as he led Ray into of all places, the kitchen, cos that’s where we were gathered sharing several pizzas that Sherriff Johnson had ordered. Poor Ray looked a bit flustered to see a tall man with a uniform and pistol in his belt sat at the kitchen table sharing the pizza with two families. Wendy grinned as she sensed Ray’s uncertainty; he was a bit un-nerved to be expected to ask for her hand in front of so many people. I decided to take a hand and ordered Ray and Beverly into the library. I could see the gratitude in Ray’s eyes to be offered the privacy. For a moment he paused uncertainly as he debated what to do with the flowers and chocolates. Bennie relieved him of his embarrassment and took them off him with a promise to sort it out. Beverly closed the library door behind them as Ray cast about nervously.

“Take a seat. The fireside chair is as good as any. Sorry there’s no fire. If it was winter, there would be a roaring fire in that grate.”

Grateful for Beverly having broken the ice, Ray calmed down and settled a bit more confidently into the chair. Beverly sat back demurely on the sofa opposite Ray and made a point of arranging her soft chiffon skirt modestly. It was a very feminine movement that sent a loud message to Ray. He was in the presence of a lady despite that lady being Wendy’s dad! Again Beverly opened up the conversation.

“Well Ray, my daughter’s told me all about you. You and I have many things in common; - like only ever knowing one of our parents, bad times as a kid, facing prejudice and danger albeit different sorts of dangers; never going to college, making it on our own despite all the shit in our respective lives; - d’you want me to go on?”

“No sir, sorryee! I mean ma-am.”

“If you marry my daughter, you can call me dad or daddy but as you can see I live and present as a woman.”

“And a very pretty lady if might be so bold ma-am.”

“Well thank you. You know the way to a girl’s heart. I can see why Wendy is besotted with you.”

“And me with her ma-am. Am I to take it then you have no objections?”

“No objections at all, nor reservations save one. If you ever hurt her you’ll have me to answer to and I don’t have to tell you how powerful I am. That’s legitimate power not some criminal bluster or Mafiosi threat. Just don’t ever hurt her! If you marry her it’s til' death you do part!”

“No ma-am. I love her too much for that and if I might say, please, I didn’t know who Wendy's family was before I proposed to her.”

“I know that, my son William checked you out and confirms he overheard you telling your friends in the New York round table club that you never knew until after. Besides, I’ve had you checked out. I apologise for doing that but Wendy is an extremely rich and powerful woman, she shares joint vice-chairmanship with her brother, my son William. In affairs of the heart we women can be very vulnerable. I’ve been lucky, my wife, Wendy’s mum Ruby, has been a very real support to me. Just make sure you support Wendy!”

“Yes ma-am.”

“Thank you, I’m glad to see you’ve got the pronoun right but it’s easier if you call me dad or daddy. All my children do, it saves confusion with their mum Ruby when we are gathered together as we are tonight. I’m going to say that I’m giving your marriage to my daughter my blessing and that’s a very real blessing in every respect, now let’s return to the kitchen and I’ll introduce you to everybody before they guzzle all the pizza.”

Ray had the composure to open the door to let Beverly through then he followed Beverly back into the kitchen. Beverly gave Wendy a little smile and she squealed with delight as her father took the cutter to one of the pizzas while she declared.

“Now, if you gannets haven’t eaten all the pizza I’ll let my dear wife Ruby do the introductions while I grab a bite.”