Babs’ New Year’s Resolution 51

©Copyright to Beverly Guinevere Taff.

List of Characters.

Lola Smith Bab’s adopted trans daughter.
Callista Denton (Callie). Transgendered Duchess of Denton.
Margaret Denton (Maggie). Callie’s wife.
Molly Denton Callie’s grandmother
Ellie Denton Callie’s mother.
Bab’s Barbara Smith. Lola’s adoptive ‘Nana’
Olivia Smith Bab’s adopted daughter.
Angela Smith Bab’s newly adopted daughter
Erica Bab’s foster daughter.
Sergeant Bridie Davies Lady Police detective protecting the girls.
Sergeant Brian Davies. Bridie’s twin brother.
Inspector John, Heading up the anti-rape-gang operation.
Gareth Jenkins, Police office trained in firearms and protection.
Belinda Harrington Bab’s university girlfriend.
Aaron Talbot Surgical registrar – married to –
Shirley Talbot Lecturer at Local university.
Mickey Talbot Aaron and Shirley’s oldest son.
Jessica Talbot Aaron & Shirley’s middle daughter.
Bianca Talbot Aaron & Shirley’s youngest daughter.
Henry Denton Callie’s only son.
Charlotte Denton Callie’s only daughter.

Chapter 51.

Erica gave her usual nervous twitch as the plane wheels evinced their usual short screech and the plane lurched slightly because of the crosswind at Gatwick’s runway. Lola gave her friends’ hand a comforting squeeze partly to reassure Erica and partly from her own sense of relief to be back on UK soil.

Olivia and Angela glanced across with smiles as the reverse thrusts engaged and the plane started to slow down. They too were glad to be home, as was Inspector John who followed immediately behind them off the plane.

At the arrivals hall, they were ecstatic to see Babs standing at the rails with Bridie supporting her. It was the very first time in nearly two years that they had been allowed to go collectively abroad publicly. Nevertheless, they noticed that two armed police had attached themselves to Inspector John and they were immediately behind the girls.

On seeing Babs at the rail Erica was the first to have spotted her and the other three tacitly agreed that Erica should have the pleasure, (nay delight), of giving their Nan the first hug. In return, Nan held out an envelope as Erica rushed through the crowds towards her.

Through tears of joy and relief Eric finally released her embrace and took the envelope.

“What’s this Nan?”
“Your adoption papers. It gives your equal rights in my will.”

Erica tensed momentarily.

“You’re not dying are you Nan?”

“Of course not you silly girl. Now let me hug the others.”

Erica released her embrace and Lola; Olivia and Angela took their turns embracing Babs gently. Eventually Inspector John had to urge them forward along the rail to the waiting police transport.

“Come on girls, you’re blocking the way.”

The girls needed no encouragement as they towed their cases behind them and eventually emerged onto the concourse where yet another police mini-bus was waiting. Eager hands assisted Bab’s into the more comfortable passenger seat and the remainder piled happily into the back.

“Are we going back to Canal Cottage then?” Lola asked for all of them.

“Yes. The security rules have been relaxed but there’s a lot of extra electronic surveillance been installed.” Bridie explained. “You’ll get the picture when we arrive. There’s still an armed guard living on the boat but the extension has been finished and the security suite fitted to the whole cottage.”

“Can’t wait.” Olivia intoned guardedly.

“It’s the best we can do,” Bridie continued, “short of you moving to a totally new location, there no better solution. You’ll get the picture when you’re home.”

By then, the minibus was crawling out of the Gatwick traffic and Inspector John suggested lunch. A chorus of ‘Oooh yesses’ met his offer and the mini-bus promptly diverted to the little town of Horley.

“Anywhere in particular Guv?” The driver asked.

“Yeah. The Six Bells just over there by the church.”

In a couple of minutes the four girls were tumbling hungrily out of the mini-bus then clustering around Bab’s to ease her from the front seat. Bridie smiled as she watched them fussing before she turned to Inspector John.

“What where you saying about carers for the old lady?”

“See what you mean sergeant. Come on, they say the grubs pretty good here.”

“Flippin ‘eck Inspector!” Olivia exclaimed in her usual loud estuarine accent. “Look at this place an’ look at that sign! ‘Ye Olde Six Bells! Did Olde’ Queen Bess sleep here or summat?”

The inspector smiled as he caught Lola rolling her eyes with amused embarrassment.

“Come on you lot, less chat and more action. I’ve booked ahead so there’s a table ready.”
ooo000ooo

Disapproving heads turned at first as the raucous quartet bundled noisily into the bar but the atmosphere soon changed when a police inspector (in uniform) , a lady police sergeant (in uniform) and finally a pair of police officers (in combat fatigues) all followed the girls in while assisting a somewhat frail elderly lady.

As the girls joyously argued about seating arrangements it was obvious to everybody in the pub and restaurant that the four of them obviously adored their Nan. This was not a surly crowd of London cast-off dustbin kids but obviously a group of some importance to the police. Olivia’s loud humorous remarks concerning the antiquity of the building plus the huge inglenook fireplace raised many smiles throughout the genteel middle-class clientele.

Inspector John privately concluded that the vivacious, confident black teenager would one day become a famous cartoonist or comedienne.

By the time the group were all seated the other restaurant customers was struggling to contain their laughter.

The next rich vein of comedy was the girls responses to, and questions about the menu and the foreign dishes thereon. Once again, Olivia’s brash comments reduced the restaurant to tears.

By the time they had finished their meal, Inspector John’s and the two escorting police officers sides were aching. Babs was also in tears of both joy and relief that the girls were seemingly well on the road to emotional recoveries from the catastrophic ordeal of their last three and even four years.

The splendid meal set the whole party up for the four hour drive across the south of England along the M4 motorway thence to Canal cottage. They arrived to find the cottage guarded by a single officer and the family were soon ensconced in the revamped and enlarged home. After a pleasant supper, Inspector John and the armed police made their ways home while Sergeant Bridie was appointed to stay at the cottage.

The next morning, early, their peace was disturbed by the clatter of a large helicopter that Lola failed to recognise and she was mildly surprised when Callie emerged from it.

“That’s not yours is it?” Lola asked as the other girls examined it excitedly.

“No, I belong to a flight-share syndicate. I very rarely have need of this one because it’s got eight passenger seats. This the largest one my licence allows. I’ve agreed to ferry it up north for another member of the syndicate and I thought of you guys. I hope you don’t think me presumptuous just arriving out of the blue and inviting you north. I’ve come to take you all to Denton Hall for a break. Are you up for it?”

“Would we ever!” Olivia squawked loudly before anybody else could object.

The lack of any objections affirmed Olivia’s assumption and immediately, the girls dispersed to pack some clothes. Lola however explained the limitations.

“None of us can stay long. We’ve all got school or Uni to return to in a couple of weeks.”

As she explained, Lola opened the port door and summed up the equation.

“Would you be able to collect Belinda as well?”

“That was the plan,” Callie grinned. “I’ve already taken the liberty of inviting her up because she’s got family photographs that we’d like to share what with her being one of us. Molly want’s to meet her Nan as well so that’ll be company for Bab’s if she’s up to flying.”

Lola did a quick bit of Arithmetic.

“That’s nine of us. I thought you said she’s eight seats.

“No darling, I said eight passengers. That doesn’t count the pilots. You’ll be in the co-pilot’s seat kiddo. Best seat in the house.”

“That’ll set the cat amongst the pigeons. They’ll all be fighting for the co-pilot’s seat for the return.”

“Sorry love, you’ll probably be coming back by train or in dribs and drabs in my own chopper. I’ve got several flights to make next week back and forth to GCHQ in Cheltenham. There’s some Yanks coming over and they want to interview me.”

“What about?” Lola wondered.

“Can’t say much but some of it is associated with Erica’s case and the Turkish angle. There’s other stuff as well Now you’d best get packed I want to make a daylight flight, there’s more for the girls to see. Which one’s the artist, Olivia isn’t it?”

Lola nodded affirmation as she trotted to the cottage while Callie checked over her craft. Within thirty minutes they were airborne and arranging to pick Belinda and her Nan up at Gloucester airfield. Within three hours after refuelling at Gloucester, they were landing at Denton Hall. There the other member of the syndicate collected the chopper for onward flying while Callie settled everybody in at Denton for a week-long break. Naturally, Olivia, Angela and Erica were gob-smacked at the size of the hall, as was Belinda’s Nan who was a first cousin to Molly.

“Is it ‘aunted?” Angela asked as she and Olivia flung themselves on the huge bed.”

“Not this room,” Callie replied mischievously. “The ghost generally tends to stick to the Eastern wing away from the family quarters.”

“Bloody ‘ell Angie!” Olivia giggled nervously, “you’d better hug tight to me tonight. Don’t want any frights or stuff.”

Callie then led Lola and Belinda to the next room and Erica looked slightly fraught as she concluded she would not be sharing with Lola, now that Belinda was present.

“Bugger! Am I sleeping alone?” Erica asked.

“You can sleep with me if you wish darling,” Bab’s offered and Erica snapped up the offer.

Belinda’s Nan slept next door to her first cousin Molly for they found they had a lot of family history to recover and they would probably be sharing photographs long after the younger girls were bedded.

Exhausted by the days hectic events, Callie was asleep with Maggie the moment her head hit the pillow. She had not even checked her computers.

ooo000ooo
The first to rise the following dawn were Olivia and Angela.

“Which is it first?” Angela enthused, “the trains or the jungle beasties.”

Olivia grinned; for her the opportunity to draw anything new and novel was pleasure enough. She tried imitating the Liverpudlian vultures in ‘Dumbo’ but her estuarine accent completely blew it. Angela curled up with laughter and the convulsion forced her to dash for the en-suite.

“Bitch!” She snorted amusedly as she emerged naked from the shower to find fresh pants. “Stop making me laugh like that.”

Olivia shrugged and followed her companion into the shower. The novelty of showering together, indeed, sharing everything together was now ‘old hat’. They still indulged in shower-shares frequently but it was no longer necessary to demonstrate any reinforcement of their abiding support and love for each other. Olivia emerged to find Angela standing in the huge mullioned window and admiring the Denton woods that reached down to the stream across the shallow valley.

As she heard Olivia emerge from the en-suite bathroom she grinned.

“Callie’s a lucky bitch isn’t she? Just look at this place.”

“I still prefer Canal Cottage. We’ve got a better view.” Olivia countered.;

“Come on, let’s get breakfast.”

They emerged into the marble-floored hallway and hesitated momentarily as they noted the grandeur of the various busts, statues and paintings on the wall. After both girls realised they were staring like tourists, their empathy caused them both to join hands and act like processionals making their grand entrance.

“Da-a daa, da da daa da; da da dee daa dee da da!”

The noise caused Callie to pop her head around her bedroom door and grin.

“I thought you two already considered yourselves married.”

Both girls stopped immediately as embarrassment crimsoned their faces.

“Sorry Callie. We weren’t making fun honestly.” Angie croaked as she struggled to hide her embarrassment.

To put the girls at ease Callie ignored the situation and simply suggested.

“Put both kettles on when you get to the kitchen, there’s a few for breakfast. Apparently my mum Ellie had some guests arrive last night.”

“Bloody ‘ell!” Olivia squawked in her effervescent way, “’ow many bedrooms’ you got?”

“Enough,” Callie replied, “now go and put the kettles on. First up gets first dibs.”

The two growing girls needed little encouragement and found themselves in an empty kitchen.

“I thought they’d ‘ave ‘ad servants!” Olivia opined.

“Nah, they only ‘ave those for grand occasions. I’ve found the milk and sugar, what’ll it be – coffee or tea.”

As they started to choose their breakfasts, other guests soon appeared and within minutes there were nearly twenty guests seated around an immense kitchen table. As the other guests demonstrated their familiarity with the breakfast set-up Olivia and Angela became slightly self-conscious’

“Cat got your tongues girls?” Ellie grinned as Olivia and Angela fell silent.

The girls simply nodded and concentrated on their cereals. Ellie decided to break the tension and declared.

“Right some of you are new here, so I’ll do the introductions.”

So saying she went around the table naming everybody and giving a brief rundown of each guest for the benefit of the others. On completion, Olivia turned to the elderly lady sitting next to her.

“So you’re Callie’s great aunt?”

“Yes darling, I’m up here on business and I often stay here instead of a hotel in Hull. Ellie tells me your friends of Callie’s”

“Sort of. Lola is her real friend, they’re the same you know-“ Olivia made a discreet pass over her lap.

“Yes, like your Nan and I.”

“What! You mean you’re –“

Beverly smiled and nodded as Olivia’s jaw sagged slightly before recovering her composure and now happy to find a conversational connection.

“D’ you think it runs in families?”

“It seems to in this one.” Beverly chuckled, “are you having a full breakfast?”

“Please.” Olivia replied as she followed Beverly to the side-board where Molly and Ellie had started cooking the main food.. Callie was gathering dishes while Maggie was making more toast.

“Here, let me help.” Erica offered as she started the first load into the dish-washer.

Within moments, the kitchen was a hive of activity as everybody pitched in to eat and assist in a collective mood that utterly broke any ice. As Lola paused momentarily from her task she leaned against the work-top and grinned at Callie and Maggie.

“I always thought you’d have some sort of long formal dining table and a side-board groaning with food while servants trotted around clearing away the plates and stuff.”

“No-oo,” Callie replied easily. “This way breaks the ice. We’ll be having a dinner tonight in the family dining room, but only the end of the main table will be used. It won’t be too formal though cos it’s mainly friends and family.”

“Is that the huge table downstairs?” Angela asked as she was unloading some plates.

“Oh God no!” Maggie chuckled. “That thing seats over sixty settings. We only use that for special occasions like weddings and stuff.”

“And my birthdays!” Young Henry piped up as he appeared biting an apple.

Belinda reached down and gave the boy a squeeze as gradually the bustle of breakfast calmed down and guests retired to the large family living room. There, everybody arranged their day to suite their own interests.

ooo000ooo