Dot and Sam 44

Dorothy Philpot. Landlady of The Harbour Light pub
Sam Philpot. Drag-queen and lifelong companion of Dot.
Billy Parkins Doorkeeper.
Jessica Merlot The town’ and county archaeologist.
Josephine MacDonald The town and county archivist.
Richard Drummond Town planning inspector
Robert Vincent. Junior planning inspector.
Georgina. (Georgie) Homeless Transgender girl previously known as George.
Bobby Gay boy on the school bus.
Marty Girl on the school bus. (She becomes Georgie’s best friend, lover, and wife)
Jack. Marty’s twin brother (Keen runner).
Trevor Aitkins, Georgie’s Biological father.
Lucinda Aitkins Georgie’s biological mother
Terence Georgie’s step-dad
Peter Terence’s homophobic son.
Allison Old friend of Trevor & Retired Solicitor
Fred Allison’s husband
Elizabeth Aitkins (Beth) Georgie’s younger biological sister. Later proves sympathetic to Georgie
Jonathon Aitkins (Johnny) Georgie’s younger biological brother.
Rosie the Rivetter Terf Gang Leader on campus.
Peggy Marty’s mother
Abigail, (Abbie) Marty’s younger sister.
Andrea Marty’s second (youngest) sister.
Gemma Beth’s stepsister.
Beryl Beth’s second stepsister.

Dot and Sam chapter 44.

Marty and her family breathed a sigh of relief as Thursday morning dawned bright and sunny. Sam had arrived in the Land-rover to pick up the whole family and ferry them to ‘The Harbour Light’ where both brides and bride’s-maids were to dress for the wedding.

The pub was the best venue because there were five bride’s-maids to dress, plus the brides. The two wedding planners were truly relieved when they arrived at the ‘Harbour light’ to find several tables and the main bar area set aside for the dressing. The pair quickly spread the table covers over the tables and started to lay out the gowns. When Marty’s family arrived with Sam acting as chauffer, they found Georgie and Dot assisting the wedding planners.

Naturally, the excitement was mounting, and all the girls hugged each other as they contemplated the preparations.

“Are the brides allowed to see each other’s gowns before the ceremony?” Peggy chuckled.

“I think that tradition’s long gone out of the window in this wedding!” Trevor grinned as he adjusted Jack’s tie. “I mean, Jack here is best man to two brides. Have you got both rings young man?”

Jack reached into his waist-coat pocket and produced the identical rings to confirm his possession, before hastily returning them to their secure home in his waistcoat pocket.

Then the men were banished to the stable restaurant while all the girls started to undress. They were down to their very stylish (and sexy) underwear when Lucy arrived at the pub with her stepdaughters.

Immediately, Peggy introduced herself as Marty’s mother and invited her to assist in the dressing of brides.

“I feel a bit of a phony considering I would ordinarily be considered the mother of the groom, but I have to accept things are very different.”

“If you can’t handle dressing Georgie, might I suggest assisting with the bride’s-maids, there are six of them so there’s plenty of work.”

Lucy nodded, grateful that there was distraction enough for her to avoid any confrontation with Georgie though she glanced across the tables to where Dot, Peggy and the two wedding planners were now starting to fuss with both the brides. She shook her head softly and bit her lip but said nothing; though once the gowns were being worn, she had to secretly admit to herself that her child George (or Georgie, as she styled herself,) looked almost as beautiful as the real bride Marty.

Eventually, as the brides and bride’s-maids were nearly ready, the wedding cars arrived to wait outside ‘The Harbour Light.’

In the Bar, Dot, Sam, Peggy, and the wedding planners were making last minute adjustments to Marty’s dress.

“Will you stand still girl!” Peggy scolded Marty as she fiddled with the fasteners.

“It’s too tight!” Marty complained.

“Okay, we’ll let it out one more setting; it’s a good job the shop made the dress adjustable.”

“Sign of the times dears,” Sam chuckled as she and one of the planners put the finishing touches to Beth’s bride’s-maids gown.

“There, is that better?” The other planner asked Marty.

“Yeah, great and it doesn’t show,” Marty sighed as she turned to stroke her stomach in the mirror.

“Right girl, now get in the car.”

As Abbie and Andrea fussed with the bridal train, Marty’s dad gently eased her into the car and then carefully settled beside her. The bride’s maids then arranged themselves in the fourth car as Georgie led off with Trevor in the first car whilst Dot, Sam and Peggy entered the third car with Lucy.

At the litch-gate, the bridal procession arrived in reverse order at the beautiful but somewhat remote little country church where the vicar was waiting for them with her hand resting on the litch-gate and her bible under her arm. There the mothers and bride’s-maids emerged just before both bridal cars arrived simultaneously.
Next, the respective fathers stepped out while the bride’s-maids once again fussed with their charges. The vicar smiled and led the bridal procession into church then turned at the alter as both brides made their way up the aisle on their father’s arms while Jack waited at the alter with the wedding rings and Johnny acted as a somewhat superfluous usher.

There was a noticeable tension in the church as the vicar had to ask if anybody found just cause to prevent the wedding. Then an almost silent sigh of relief rippled down the church and finally filtered out through the porch as the vicar returned to the ceremony.

The wedding was brief, and the vicar smiled as Georgie and Marty each ringed the others’ finger, exchanged vows then turned to march down the aisle to the strains Lohengrin’s March. As they emerged into brilliant sunshine both Georgie and Marty scanned anxiously about but to their relief, there was no sign of Terry or Pete.

Then next they were lined up for the official photo-shoot and video footage before setting off back to ‘The Harbour Light.’ In the car both brides hugged each other as they arrived in the pub forecourt and the driver waited for the bride’s-maid’s car to pull in behind. Then the various sisters-cum-bride’s-maids bustled about to make Marty and Georgie presentable as the parents emerged from their cars.

Then the guests started to arrive, and the pub started to fill up as the wedding planners organised the tables. Eventually the vicar calmed the babble of voices and offered the prayers. This pleased the parents for despite the wedding involving two daughters, both Peggy and Lucy were secretly reassured to see their children ‘churched.’ Indeed, Marty was touched to see a brief teardrop in Peggy’s eye as the vicar said grace.

Eventually the meal was eaten and those that liked to dance and party, retired to the stable restaurant where the floor had been cleared for dancing.
As the dance celebrations got started Lucy looked to grab her opportunity to approach Marty about the little scene she had noticed when Peggy had been helping with the wedding gown.

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After Marty and Georgie had changed outfits with a view to departing on their honeymoon, they were coming out of their bedroom in ‘The Harbour Light’ when they encountered Lucy on the landing. It took Lucy all her courage to approach the pair, but the question had been bothering her all day.

“Excuse me please.” She asked tentatively.

Marty answered with an inquisitive eyebrow but no words. This served only to heighten Lucy’s fear whilst simultaneously strengthening her resolve. Georgie just glared but kept silent. She still felt resentment to the woman who had allowed her to be thrown out of home and family. Nevertheless, Lucy felt bound to persevere.

“I’m sorry but I feel bound to ask you something.”

Marty cocked her head slightly whilst repeating her eyebrow lift before finally responding.

“Go on.”

“Well. - Well, I couldn’t help but notice when your mother was helping you into your dress; you said it was too tight and I noticed the planner adjusting the waist.
Since then, I’ve been watching you all day and now you are wearing your honeymoon outfit, I can’t help but notice you have a slight bump. Are you pregnant?”

“Happen I might be,” Marty conceded. “What’s it to you?”

“But” then Lucy was lost for words.

Eventually she found her voice again even as Georgie and Marty were going downstairs to the bar. She called tentatively.

“Who’s the father?” She called after the pair.

Marty paused on the stair and turned to face Lucy.

“It’s not really any of your business since Georgie was thrown out of the family; but the truth is, Georgie’s the father.”

Marty threw this last remark over her shoulder after she had turned to continue down the stairs.

Lucy’s jaw sagged as she hurried down the stairs to ask further, but by then the brides were already engulfed by the happy throng of well-wishers who pressed forward as they struggled to reach their car.

Lucy cursed as she failed to reach the car before Georgie and Marty drove off down the narrow country lane. As she watched it round the bend and disappear from view, she turned to Trevor her ex-husband, who was standing by the litch-gate.

“Did you know that Marty is pregnant?”

“Is she?” Trevor shrugged. “It wouldn’t surprise me. I thought they might have been trying. How did you find out?”

“I point blank challenged her to tell me.” Lucy hissed angrily.

“Well, if she is, I’m sure she’ll tell us all in her own good time.”

“She said our George is the father.”

“Well, that’s as it should be, They’re a married couple now. I know for a fact that Georgie had her sperm frozen before transitioning, Dot helped with the expenses of the sperm bank when she adopted her.”

“Would Dot know anything about this now, - this, this pregnancy!?”

“If anybody knows anything, it’ll be Dot. She’s been like a mother to Georgie ever since she took her in.”

“But that means I am still the grandmother!” Lucy snapped.

“In blood only,” Trevor replied. “You told her she was no longer family then you let that brute Terry throw her out on the streets.

I only found out much later when Beth told me during my parental access visit. What you did was evil. She was literally living rough in those old dockside warehouses when they were derelict. Dot found her in a dirty sleeping bag curled up on some filthy old sacks and packing cases, so it speaks volumes about Dot’s compassion that she took my daughter in. But for Dot, my daughter, yes, you heard me! My daughter could be dead.”

Lucy ignored Trevor’s anger as she persisted in her own self-centred vein.

“I noticed she kept calling Dot mummy.”

“Are you surprised? Who else was there when she needed a mother?”

“Would Dot know if they are expecting a baby.”

“She would probably be among the first to find out, after all she helped George freeze his sperm when he was only sixteen. Anyway, it seems that’s water under the bridge now. If Marty’s told you she’s pregnant, then she almost certainly is. She’s never been a liar, nor has Georgie.

“Well, if Dot knows, she hasn’t told anybody.”

“There could be several reasons for that. Perhaps Dot knew that Marty and Georgie might want to keep it a secret; perhaps Dot concluded; rightfully in my opinion, that it was not for her or Sam to reveal Marty’s business. If Marty and Georgie didn’t want anybody to know, then Dot would most certainly respect that decision.

Now that you’ve seemingly found out that Marty is having a baby, it’s still of little or no concern to you. I’ve learned from Beth that you’ve even cut Georgie out of your will so it’s hardly surprising that Georgie and Marty are cutting all ties. You’ve pretty much lost Georgie and that probably means any grandchildren she might father.”

“She might father!” Lucy almost screeched, “There’s an oxymoron if ever I heard one!”

“Sign of the times dear lady, get over it!” Trevor smiled wryly. And left to rejoin the celebrations. Although guests were now leaving after the honeymooners had departed.

Eventually, a calm settled over ‘The Harbour Light’ as only the guests staying overnight remained.

As the bridal parents settled on the armchairs and sofas arranged around the bar’s large ‘inglenook’ fireplace, they fell to chatting. Being as Lucy was staying with Alison in their cottage across the dock, she was allowed the privilege of staying until late. During this gathering, Lucy brought up Marty’s pregnancy again.

“Did anybody else know that those two were having a baby?” She demanded.

For a brief moment there was silence then Dot spoke up.

“I suspected she was, it’s to be expected, they’ve made no secret of wanting children.”.
“Well, she confirmed it to me.” Lucy frowned somewhat petulantly. “I had to literally drag it out of her then she almost ran away from me.”

“It strikes me that she’s got some sort of agenda then,” Dot suggested.

“Or something to hide. How can I be sure it truly was my child’s sperm?”

“You’ll just have to take her word, though I can confirm that Georgie definitely deposited sperm at the bank!”

“We’ll just have to wait and see,” Peggy declared. “I for one believe it’s Georgie’s baby.

On this unsettling hiatus, the parents retired to their respective beds.

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