This is the story of Penny. A closet Transwoman thrust into the outside world 24-7 when she would rather go and hide away. Perhaps the title should be Welcome to Penny’s Paranoid World…

From part two:
Now I was going to go through it all over again. Only this time I was wearing a dress and make-up and the place was full of female assistants and shoppers and at least some of them were going to see straight through me from the start. That was unavoidable with so many women about. This was going into the lion’s den and sticking your head in his mouth, yanking his tonsils and hoping he does not bit your head off. Part of me wanted to finally be able to be ‘Me’ and just look through the dresses like any other woman. The other part of me just wanted to just ‘Get the Hell out of Dodge’.

And now as they say, read on…

As I said this place is about the size of a football pitch. That’s an English one. Haven’t a clue about the size of the one that is the strange adaption of rugby that the good folk of America play dressed as if they are about to go play dodge with a hippopotamus. The women of the Piranha Club admire my new long blonde locks before doing a sort of ground level aeronautic starburst on entering and spreading out in all directions in Boundary Mills and disappearing among the clothes racks. Evie and Trish stay close by me till I tell them to go and do what they want to do here.

“…I’ll be fine” I tell them. “I want to look for some summer dresses for mother anyway. Now be off with you both.”

“You need at least two cocktail dresses if you haven’t got them. Remember that.” Evie tells me.

“And a couple of evening dresses as well. Don’t forget them, too.” Adds Trish.

I laugh, “I’m hardly likely to need either of those.”

“I’m having a Dinner party Thursday and you need a cocktail dress for that. It’s time you stopped hiding away. Time to get out in the world. Clair has said she will sit with Jenny.” The look on Evie’s face said she would accept no arguments, it was a done deal, and here in the middle of Boundary Mills is hardly the place to start having an argument over it.

“And you’re coming to my dinner party Sunday. You need an evening dress for that. So that’s at least one cocktail dress and evening dress, needed. A load of Malcom’s colleagues will be there and given your medical condition it always helps to have some top medical people in your corner. So no excuses, get looking young lady. Go get, if you don’t have already.”

That was Trish again. It seemed my social life is going from totally non-existence to the top of the pile in village life. I nodded and try not to smile. I was after all in my late forties in reality, and Trish could only be in her early fifties at best. She looked more mid-thirties than I do, and she was calling me, ‘young lady’ like she was dealing with her recalcitrant sixteen year old daughter. The rest of the Piranha Club had taken from the start once past introductions to talking to me as if I was a particularly naïve just married thirty year old housewife who had spent all her life until now in a nunnery. Which I suppose in weird sort of way I have; I keep house and looked after mother. But at this rate they would have me back at school as a teenager dating the football captain by the end of next week.

“Okay, okay. Alright I will look for some. Now go and do the things you want to do here, and stop making me feel guilty at stopping you enjoying yourselves.”

I sighed as they reluctantly moved away. Inside I was wishing they were still by my side giving me confidence and protecting me. My heart was banging away like crazy watching them go, but it was not fair on them to spend their time here babysitting me. People smiled at us the way they normally do. Only now I was not sure if it was at Mother and Fred they were smiling at and not at seeing me in a dress.

So as not to become a nervous wreck before I got out of there, I decided to keep in my mind it was Mother holding Fred that they were smiling at and nothing to do with me at all. It is usually Fred being with Mother that gets the nice smiles and strangers talking to her. I just had to keep thinking, ME female and go nowhere near the changing rooms or loos and getting myself arrested. Well the disable loos were ok, as that was where I normally took mother.

Ok, so I was not getting women standing and pointing at me screaming their heads off like something out of the Invasion of the Body Snatchers movies. But it is that kindly smile they keep doing that creeps me out now I am in a dress and make-up.

As I look for dresses that mother likes and are ok. I look up now and again to see where everyone else is. Looking to spot Evie and Trish and Clare, but the place is so vast you cannot spot anyone. I try not to think two days ago none of this had happened. That I might have been a frustrated male, but had been a Safe, frustrated male.

Now I am paranoid about the slightest thing… and… and… and to be truthful part of me is bubbling over like crazy with the joys of spring. I alternate between pure horror and terror at simply being here in a dress, and having to stop a silly grin bursting out all over my face every time I see my new long blonde hair in the mirrors the store has spread all over the place.
Anyway as I get down to looking for some summer dresses for mother I start to relax and have a couple of dresses and cardigans in the basket by the time the coffee break is due.

“Hi, sweetie. How’s it going?” Clair makes me jump, but it is nice to see her.

“I’ve got these for mother.” I say lifting them out of the basket to show her.

“And what about you, sweetie.”

“Oh, you know. Been a bit bus… Don’t!”

I move fast reaching out to grab the white jackets I have inadvertently left mother by talking to Clair, and Mother in her delight at this is pulling hard on the sleeves of one of them to get it closer to her and in doing so is about to pull half a dozen off the rail. I grab at them and fail to stop them making an untidy pile on the floor. The two of us, me and Clair put them back on their hangers and back on the rack and hope none of the assistants come by to help us.

“Noooooooo…”

“It’s ok, were putting them back.” But Mother is not listening. She turns away from us and curls herself up as best as she can into a ball in the wheelchair holding Fred tight. Her eyes tight shut whispering over and over to herself.

“Not a bad girl, not a bad girl, not a bad girl, not a bad girl, not a bad...” In between heaving up big little girl sobs.

I bend down to lean over wrapping my arm over her holding her as tight as I can. I am five-seven plus five inch heels and bending over is killing my back. I know she is eighty-eight in physical age. But right now in her mind she is a little six year old living with her Gran and Grandad who seems to think she is always in trouble. It hurts me, physically pains me in my chest when she is frightened like this. When her gran died she went to live with her mum in London. Her mother, my Nana, loved her dearly, but she did walloped her a lot for the smallest indiscretion.

“No, you’ve not been a bad girl. No one said that. The rack was wonky and going to fall on you. That’s all, sweetheart.”

Ok, so I tell lies, we all tell little white lies at times. Suddenly she turns to face me burying her face against my fake boobs crying. She has never done that before when upset and I want to cry myself, now. Realising Channel No.5 and I guess the smell of make-up has made me a woman to her small Child’s mind and the contact is giving her comfort.

My back is screaming at me. As soon as I can stand I am going to get a couple of buprenorphine from my handbag. Thank god you don’t need water or anything to take them. Just put them under the tongue and that’s it. Clair gives me a tissue to dab my eyes.

“You all right.” She asks me softly.

I nod and I’m vaguely aware of Evie and Trish around me concerned. When mother stops whispering I ask her if she would like a cup of coffee.

“Yes.” She says shyly and releases her grip a little on me and I know things are easing up for her. As we make our way to the cafe. She pulls me down to ask the more important question on her mind.

“Can I have some Teddy Bears with my coffee?”

“Yes, you can. What does Fred say.”

She lifts Fred up and nuzzles him, then looks at me. “He doesn’t want any.”

“Okay, that’s alright.”

After a quick stop off to pay for her new clothes. We arrive at the coffee shop and join the rest of the Piranha Club. Mother’s memory of recent events has gone. Her memory is pretty short term now. Her main interest now is getting her Cheese and Onion Teddy Bear crisps. Half way through them mother is watching another shopper with a light blue jacket on sitting a couple of tables away.

“That’s nice, can we look for one. Do we have enough money?”

I nod, adding. “Yes. I don’t see why not.”

Mother is back to her older self again smiling, having the odd word with Fred and putting his nose and mouth to her ear for his reply. The little girl, I know like the other ages she slips into has gone, but she will be back when I least expect it.

My mistake after coffee was to admit I had seen some dresses I liked when looking for mothers. When I came back from putting Mother’s, Trish’s and Evie’s dress bags in the back of the car. We were using one of the shops wheelchairs for mother to leave more space in the E220’s boot space (that’s the trunk area in USA speak). I found them ready to begin the hunt. Clair had taken command of the wheelchair. I merely had to lead the way to the first dress. Which I did with I guess male single mindedness.

“Penny, back here.”

I turned to find them stopped thirty or so feet back pulling out a dress from the rails. A bit self-conscious I went back to have a summer dress held up against me with a cream base and a multitude of small summer flowers printed all over it with a sweetheart neck. They nod and added it to the basket I had not seen when we started off. By the time we reached the first dress I had seen we also had a dress with a gipsy top in light pale green. The cocktail dress was deep blue covered in thick glass beads that looked like un-cut diamonds. On the next rail was an evening dress length version in champagne. Both looked very glamorous in a sixties sort of way which I like.

Reruns of the ‘The Man From U.N.C.L.E’ formed an important part of my television viewing as a child. I just could not work out my feelings about Napoleon Solo, did I want to be him running around with my gun shooting Thrush baddies or did I want to slink around with him as the girl in some high-class eatery in heels wearing a glam evening dress on his arm. It was about then I realised I had a strong desire to have breasts of my own. Even though I had no concept of what sex or the sexes were. I just identified with my mother for who I was and was surprised when I was told I was not. I remember having a profound feeling of resentment about it, and that she was probably wrong.

When I started to head for the tills I had seven dresses in the basket and no more fight left in me. It was easier to give in to them. I’m not a wimp, but I really did not want to cause a scene in the shop by arguing the toss and bring attention to myself. The day dresses I would wear, but the cocktail and evening dresses would get worn once if I was lucky and then hide in the cupboard until I donated them to a charity shop in umpteen years’ time.

“Penny, where are you going?”

“To the tills.”

Most of the Piranha Club members had already left. Clair had already left to take Zoey home. Trish taking over on the wheelchair. Evie’s husband Johnny was going to collect Zoey’s daughter April as well pick-up his granddaughters from school, something Evie normal did. But Zoey wanted to get back to prepare Aprils tea.

“Don’t be silly. You need to try them on first.”

I shook my head. “No. they will send for the police if I go in there.”

Trish and Evie looked at each other with a sigh. “You’ve got to try them on first. Don’t worry, one of us will go with you.”

Despite my fears and thumping heart, the girl at the changing rooms said nothing and I was soon being helped into dress after dress by Evie who then cast a critical eye over them. Trish stayed chatting to mother outside. With Evie helping me to change, I’m glad I changed to the stuck-on boobs. The dresses I am trying on would have failed miserably with the ‘me’ boobs.

As I drove back to Lower Steeping my heart was gradually slowing down, I played little attention to the conversation Trish and Evie were having with Mother. I was just feeling at peace with myself at having survived the trip to Boundary Mills and concentrated on the driving. Trish had asked to be dropped off first as she had to get husband Malcom’s dinner on. So we drove pass the farm and our place to the bottom of Sheep Dip Lane and turned sharp left onto Church Lane with Trish’s high stone wall on the left till we came too two scowling stone lions atop the two stone pillars of their gateway and turned in leaving our rather plain Norman Church over on the right side of the lane. I followed the curving gravel drive round past some trees leading to the side of a circular drive. Looping round it I stopped in front of the house. Trish hopped out and with a smile and wave danced her way across the flagstones to the front door in her flimsy four and a half inch heel sandals to disappear inside with a quick wave goodbye. Just watching her so light on her feet made me feel like an elephant.

We back tracked and when I turned into the gateway at Apple Tree Farm. Evie asked if I minded dropping her off at her son John’s farmhouse half a mile away across the farm as Johnny would be watching the girls there and would be champing at the bit to get back to the farm.

“No problem. Just point the way.”

Evie directed me onto a track of crushed stone just past the farm house that went round the back of the farm buildings.
“When John and Susan got married, her parents, Bob and Cerys retired to Wales leaving them the farm which is next to ours. John and his father joined the two together and work them as one rather than two separate farms.

“Susan didn’t come with us to day?”

“No, four years ago she got leukaemia, Emily was just three, Eve and Lizzy were five, just starting school. It was very aggressive, she went downhill rapidly. All it took was six weeks and she was gone, poor girl. Poor John.”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t know. It must have been a very painful time for you all.”

“That’s all right, darling, you wasn’t to know.” She thought a bit. “The sad thing is the Emily never got to know her mother, and the twins barely even remember her, now. I spend a lot of time with them, but they need a mother, really.”

I pull up behind the four door Toyota Hilux pick-up Evie was driving yesterday. I smile, it has been washed and pulled up behind it. The house is quite an impressive fake Elizabethan affair. All oak beams and overhanging first floor.*

“Nice house.”

“Yes, the old farmhouse, the one Susan was born in was rather small. She and John had great fun knocking it down one week-end and had this one built in its place from a kit.”

As Evie got out three pretty young girls, all with long blonde hair burst from the farmhouse yelling “Grandma!” As they mobbed her I raised the tailgate, and saw the two bags Trish had given me back at Boundary Mills. Oh well, easy enough to go down to Trish’s to drop them off after we leave here. Evie’s husband, Johnny, had come out behind the girls with a young collie dog running excitedly around his legs. After he greets Evie with a kiss, he turns to me smiling.

“Hello, you must be Penny. Nice to meet you.”

“Hello.” I said smiling nervously back. Not sure how he was going to react to me being a girl.

Then realising I was holding Evie’s shopping bags, he moved towards me.

“Here, let me have those.”

”Johnny, did you start dinner for me.” Evie called after her husband while making a fuss of the dog.

He stopped, half turning back to her. The girls were around their grandma, looking inquisitively at me.

“In the oven love. Be ready in about half an hour.” Then, looking at his watch, added. “Thinking of which. I best go and give John a hand or he won’t be back in time.”

He looked back to me grinning. “No peace for the wicked. Bye Penny.”

I nodded and grinned saying ‘Bye’. As he headed back to the Hilux calling to Patch to come too. Once there the young dog jump in the open driver’s. Passenger window powered down and Patch stuck his head out grinning at us.

“We shouldn’t be more than half an hour, love.” Johnny called out from it to Evie pulling a face. “Well maybe a little longer. Bye all.”

The girls yelled “Bye Grandad. See you later.”

After they have gone Evie took the bags from me. “He’s sixty-five years old and still needs written step by step instructions on how to put the oven on.”

Shaking her head she turned to the girls to hand them each a Boundary Mills bag. “Okay girls, one each for you.”

“Thanks Grandma.” They chorused, as they rushed off back into the farmhouse.

Evie laughed and shook her head smiling. “They will be straight up to their bedrooms to try on their dresses.”

I moved closer to her.

“Well, anyway, we best be off. It’s been a lovely day, Evie. Thank-you.” I grinned, adding. “If a bit nerve racking at times I must admit at Boundary Mills. But thank-you for coming into the changing room with me. I would never have gone in by myself. And thank you thank-you, for my hair. I love it. I know I’m a bag of nerves, but this hair gives me such a boost of confidence. Anyway, I’ll see you tomorrow night.”

I made to leave, but Evie took hold of my hands, stopping me. She looked over at mother and back to me. “Why don’t you both come in and have a cup of tea, before you go.”

“Thank-you, but no, I don’t have Mother’s wheelchair with us, I left it behind to give us more room for the bags. And I forgot to give Trish her bags, so I’ll drop them off now, on the way home.”

“We have a wheelchair here. That’s no problem.”

Before I could reply. There was a plaintive cry from the car.

“I need to, Weeee!”

“You won’t get home in time. I’ll get the wheelchair. There is a downstairs loo, just inside to the left of the door.”

I got Mother out of the car just as Evie came back and quickly got her in the wheelchair. Emily had come out with her grandma and Evie asked her show me the way to the bathroom while she dashed back to the kitchen and check on their dinner.

“Is that the dress Granny brought you today?” Emily nodded her head. She was for some reason a little in awe of me I think. “Well you look lovely in it.” Emily smiled and opened the door into the bathroom for me, which I found was big enough to get both me and the wheelchair in easily.

“Thank-you, Emily.”

She smiled and then a touch embarrassed, scooted away before I could say anything else.

When we came out I pushed mother down the short hall to the kitchen where I could hear Evie taking to the girls, to say thank-you and give our good-byes. The kitchen was a large open plan affair with a centre work counter. Evie smiled as we entered. Over in one corner by a western style round table with a half round bench and some chairs. Beside it an old sheepdog was watching us from his bed by a radiator, he slowly got up and plodded over to us with a happy grin on his face, tongue hanging out.

“That’s Nelson. He’s quite friendly, but he’s quite an old chap now.”

You could see why he was called Nelson. Mostly white with a few black patches, with one of them over his left eye like an eye patch. He stopped, looking from Mother to me and back. Mother got in first cooing and reaching out to stroke him. So he moved closer to her enjoying the fuss. I bent down and fussed him too. Evie laughed.

“He’ll let you do that forever. And before you say no, again. You’re staying for dinner. I have some chicken soup Jenny can have. The girls have laid places for us all at the table, so it would be rude for you to refused, wouldn’t it.” She smiled knowingly at me. “Besides, Penny. How many times do you cook yourself a proper dinner? I know Jenny can only take liquids. So I’ll bet it’s not often.”

True. But I was not going to admit it. I sort of cocked my head sideways in a wry way trying to look impassive as I rose up from fussing Nelson my knees complaining. Evie giggled.

“Oh god! You wouldn’t be doing that if you could see how cute you looked bent down with Nelson...” Then amused, added, pointing. “I’ve poured you a cup of tea with the stupid amount of sweeteners in it that Clair says you have.”

Evie picked up another cup and went to mother. “Cup of coffee, Jenny.”

“Thank-you, thank-you.” Mother taking it with both hands smiling up at Evie. I love it when she smiles like that. There is such pure innocence in her face. It is a pity it is born out of such a cruel illness.

I drank some tea and sighed. You cannot beat a decent cup of tea and had my eyes closed savouring the taste. I opened them for a quick glance at mother, but she seemed happy enough with her coffee and with Nelsons head laid on her lap. I closed them again. With everything that had happened today, I could now relax a bit. No more worries. It was bliss.

With my eyes still closed I heard the front door open and the sound of male footsteps come down the hall into the kitchen. I froze, trying to stop my hands from shaking.

“Hi Mum.”

“Hello darling. Where’s your dad, he should be with you.”

“He was right behind me.”

At that the front door opened again and I heard the girls tear through the kitchen to greet their grandad as Patch’s frantic sliding paws shot into the kitchen to greet Evie. I opened my eyes my heart thumping. I had not really met any men so far. Just the postman and Evie’s husband earlier, and that had literally been for only a few seconds. I had to hold my cup with both hands to my mouth out of fear of either dropping it or spilling my tea. I turned and put the cup down just in case, then turned back.

Her son is standing about five feet away watching his daughters with their grandfather.

“There, he is.” Then to the girls. “Hey, girls. Not going to say Hi, to your old dad, then?”

The girls left their grandad and charged back into the kitchen jumping onto their father in a big hug. Laughing. He staggered, but stayed upright. Emily was hanging round his neck, the twins hanging on each side, there arms wrapped around his shoulders, his arms tight around their waists.

“John. This is Penny and her mum, Jenny. They were our ride to Boundary Mills today. I’ve invited them to dinner tonight. Is that alright?”

“Sure, of course mum.” He turned to me and smiled a friendly, not forced smile. “Hello. I presume you’ve met my trio of little banshees, here.”

The girls giggled as they hung on to him. He nodded to each of the girls in turn.

This little’un here is Emily, and these two horrors and Eve and Lizzy.”

The girls giggled some more. The twins really are perfectly identical twins.

“I bet you have great fun at school, Eve and Lizzy.”

They grinned and cackled with laughter.

He sort of moved a hand towards me somehow.

I reach out my hand and he took it in his lightly. His hand bigger and a lot stronger than mine, but very gentle. I have always been told I have pianist’s hands. Long and thin and they have never done a day’s manual labour in their life as well as had dollops of hand cream lavished on them since the age of fifteen. I’m very vain about my hands and legs. Everywhere I’ve worked people have said I have woman’s hands. Obviously bigger than your average woman’s hands I know, but soft and wrinkle free. And of course I have always denied using hand cream claiming they are just like that naturally. Another of those little white lies!

He winked and let go my hand.

“Well, I better go change and make myself decent as we have guests. Or I will be in trouble with mother. Come on, off girls.”

The he made a bear like sound and shook about letting the girls laughing drop off him. Picking up Emily off the floor where she had managed to fall down on her bum. He gave her a quick hug and left us. We heard him in the hall talking to his dad. “Hey, dad, we got company. Mum says to make ourselves decent or else!”

“Okay girls, you go watch television or something while Penny and I get dinner ready. And take Patch with you.” She looked at me grinning. “That dog has got begging down to a fine art.”

The girls and dog gone, Eve turns back from checking the oven to me. “You don’t mind, do you.”

“No, I would have been embarrassed if you had not let me help.”

“Good girl, if you can get the plates, they are in the warmer draw.”

I went where she pointed. This was a ‘has everything’ kitchen. It made mine at home look positively primitive.

It was a nice meal, chops, boiled and roast potatoes, runner beans and broad beans which the girls pulled faces at, reluctantly eating them only on the promise of ice cream afterwards. John asked me to cut Emily’s chop up for her as she was next to me. It was fun deciding with her what size she wanted it cut to.

I lost my uneasiness as we were eating with John and Johnny at the table. I had not thought how even before my enforced change, how much I was already living in a female only world. Taking mother to town shopping, stopping for coffee. It was all female assistants; shop. Café, wherever we went.

And now here at table it all seemed perfectly natural. Emily the youngest was next to me on my left followed by her sisters, Eva & Lizzy. Opposite me at the head of the table was John. On my right mother was between me and Evie, then Johnny. We looked like the perfect family gathering. Husband, wife and children, with great granny and gran and grandad.

Talk was about all sorts of things, the girls about school that day. John and Johnny about what they had done on the farm, and Evie and me about our day at Boundary Mills. The girls were very interested in seeing my evening dresses. Nelson and Patch sat between the men getting titbits off both their plates. No wonder Nelson is a fat happy old fellow.

I helped Evie take the plates away and dish out the ice cream. I enjoyed playing housewife with kids and a hubby. It felt like that sitting opposite John at the table. But it was also sad. Seeing a life I would never have. Never really being mum to these three lovely girls.

When Evie and I finished in the kitchen, we left Nelson asleep in his basket and joined the others in the sitting room, me carrying the tray with coffee for the men and Evie bring up the rear with the cake tin. I didn’t realise until I had done it that I had given them a right eyeful of my fake boobs pressing against my dress when I bent down to let them take their coffee. Evie and I went without. Diets and all that.

Mother was out of her wheelchair and fast asleep in an armchair which was a nuisance. I had wanted to get her home before she fell asleep for the evening, now she would be dead to the world for a few hours. By the sofa the girls had the Monopoly board out on the coffee table and Evie ask if they would like us to join them.

“Please Gran - Dad! You and grandad going to play as well.”

“O-kay, sweetie. Come on dad, we’ll have to get the old grey cells working seeing as we are outnumbered by the females.”

I followed Evie to the sofa and kicked off my high-heels, feeling the soft carpet on my stocking toes was lovely, but as I tried to land my heels...

“Aaaaarrrh…”

After spending all day with my heels five inches higher than my toes my arches did not want to go flat anytime soon and instantly cramped up locking my feet in invisible super high-heels with my toes at a right angles to my arched feet. Unfortunately with only thin air between my heels and the ground, I stumbled backwards, found Patch in my way and tumbled over.

“Aaaaaaaaaaaarrrrh…”

With my rear end fast heading for the floor, John grab my arms and yanked me back upwards, losing his own balance as he did. With the result I sort of flew past him as we both fell back, me landing with my legs flying up in the air and coming back to land across his lap as we landed each end of the sofa.

Evie giggling, told us. “Now children, no hanky-panky in front of the girls.”

I would have laughed, but you cannot laugh and cry out in pain at the same time and pain won.

“Aaaaaaaarrrrh.”

“Cramp?” said John pointing at my feet.

I nodded in pain, “yes – and - my calves.” I managed to half whisper, half hiss out.

The next moment two powerful hands began rubbing my calves.

“Give us a hand, Em.”

Soon Emily was working hard on my left calf while John rubbed my right. Before they switched to massaging my arches.
It was pure bliss, and weirdly quite sexy as they switched to massaging the stockinged arches of my feet. I thought about that expression about women purring with pleasure. I was sure I heard some sort of sound like that come from me, but it may just have been relief as the pain eased away.

I hugged Emily thanking her and gave her a kiss making her giggle.

“Are you going to give daddy a kiss as well?” The twins said expectantly.

Instantly both of us became embarrassed.

“I…” then I realised what to do. I tucked my legs up under me and puckered up my lips like I was in a slap-stick comedy and dived in landing a quick one on his cheek and then pulled back like he had the plague shaking my head before sitting down with my legs under me, then gave my shoulders shake while holding my hands against my boobs covering them and making a disgusted noise. The girls were in hysterics, as was Johnny and Evie.

John put on a hurt look on his face and asked if it was that bad would I like to try again and see if kissing him got any better. I declined saying only one kiss per-person per night and he had had his quota. He said he would remember that. Then we played monopoly with Emily after a while slowly reversing herself up onto the sofa and into my lap where she made herself comfortable which ended with my stockinged legs back in John’s lap. Eva snuggled up to her gran as we played. Lizzy climbed up into her granddad’s lap. John grinned and started to massage my feet and toes again. Which was nice until he ran the knuckle of one of his thumbs under one of my arches making me jump. I’m sure he did not mean to do it.

“Sorry.” He smiled apologetically.

A tired Emily turned to her father and told him off. “Stop that, daddy. Not in front of the children.” And turned back sleepily and made herself comfortable against me again and fell back asleep. We adults just looked at each other trying not to laugh.

“Well that told me.” Said John, resting his hands across my feet with his fingers curled around my left foot.

I should have freaked out really, John touching my feet, but until he had done the last bit. It had all been rather nice. Normally when I got cramp, it was just me trying to ease away the pain. It had been wonderful having someone else this evening to work the pain away far better than I ever could.

Later when John called time, Emily was still curled up fast asleep in my lap. He scooped her up and took her up to bed while Evie shooed the twins up behind them. I stretched, slipped my heels back on and went out and started the car engine to warm it up inside before taking mother out.

*In the UK we have a ground floor, followed by the first floor (i.e. the first floor above ground level. In some countries the ground floor is the first floor).

To be continued…