Later that day, the two girls were sitting in the kitchen when Lucy said,

"Sorry for my Mother."

"That's all right. I'm kind of used to being ignored. In my last year at home, I don't think I said a word to anyone at School. Well apart from pleading with the bullies to stop kicking the shit out of me for apparently being a closet gay. Then some of the girls thought I was undressing them with my eyes as I looked at them. Well, I sort of was doing just that, but not for the reasons that they imagined."

Lucy looked into Andrea's eyes and then wrapped her arms around her partner.
"I don't deserve someone like you. You are so considerate of my feelings. You don't take me for granted."

"And I can wrap you around my little finger."

"I know and I like it."

"Really?"

"Well no but doesn't this say how good we are together?"

Andrea didn't respond with words but with a long passionate kiss.

The next afternoon the girls were in the kitchen. Lucy was getting a cooking lesson from Andrea. Well, a lot of mess was being made and not much kneading of bread. They didn't mind. The lunch episode from the previous day was being pushed to the back of their minds. A bottle of wine was helping things along nicely. Neither of them noticed the first ring of the doorbell.

It was Lucy who heard the second and longer ring.

"That's the doorbell," she said in a slightly tipsy voice.

"It is indeed. I think I'd better go answer it don't you?" said Andrea looking at the floury hands of her lover.

Andrea opened the door with a smile on her face. It disappeared in an instant when she saw who it was.

"Hello," she said in a matter of fact voice.

The visitor was Lucy's mother.

"Can I see my daughter?"

Andrea thought for a moment about saying no. Sense prevailed.

"Please come in. We are in the Kitchen. Please excuse the mess."

Lucy's mother came inside their home. Her eyes were giving it the once over as Andrea took her coat.

"Interesting décor," were her only words.

"Thank you. We did it all ourselves," replied Andrea not knowing if the comment was a compliment or a 'put me in my place' remark.

"Please go through the door right ahead," said Andrea once the coat was hanging up to her satisfaction.

The pair went into the kitchen. Lucy was sitting at the table with a large glass of Red wine in her hand.

"Hello Mother. Come to apologise to Andrea? It was really impolite to ignore her at lunch yesterday like that."

"Lucy. When did you become a Lesbian? Why didn't you tell me you fancied women?"

Despite being a tad tipsy, Lucy was sober enough to answer.

"Mother, how many times have I told both you and father that my personal life is just that mine and nothing to do with you. You had me shipped off to prep-school as soon as you could. I was always an embarrassment to you. How many Christmases did I spend with you while I was growing up? Why couldn't I come to Barbados or wherever you and your clique spent the holidays?"

"Then Andrea came into my life and for the first time I was being treated as a real person. Someone who cared about me as a person. I've grown to love her dearly. You ignoring her at lunch was an insult especially as we'd gone to so much trouble to dress appropriately."

Then she emptied the glass in one go and said,

"If you will excuse me, nature calls. Why don't the two of you get to know each other."

Before anyone could react, she'd dashed out the door.

"Well, Mrs Fowler, can I get you a drink? We have some bread about to come out of the oven. It is wonderful hot with some butter."

Angela's question was ignored. Instead, she received a question in return.

"What do you want with my Daughter? She has no money and after today, I will make sure that she never gets any. What have you done to subvert my plans for my daughter? It won't do, I tell you, it just won't do."

"Well, Mrs Fowler, I've done nothing to subvert your daughter. We grew to like each other and well, that turned into a deep love for each other. As for money, I have none. Never have and probably never will."

"You can't fool me. That frankly outrageous outfit you wore earlier was very expensive. Those shoes alone would cost a small fortune."

Angela smiled.

"Then, I'm sorry to say, you were fooled. That whole ensemble cost me just under a hundred pounds thanks to charity and second-hand shops. Those shoes you so admired cost me nothing. I painted a bedroom for a neighbour last year. They belonged to his wife who'd done a runner with his brother but left them behind. Make do and mend."

The Mother's mouth dropped open in incredulity.

Andrea took the opportunity to push home her possibly temporary advantage.

"I made those curtains just last week. In fact, in all the rooms we have done over, I've made all the curtains and most of the soft furnishings."

"Don't you have some work to go to?"

"Not at the moment. I could say that I'm between jobs but we've been redecorating this place but then we are done, I'm starting my own interior design business. I already have work lined up to take me through to the end of the year."

Andrea's lies had the desired effect.

"But what about Children?"

Andrea smiled.

"We will cross those bridges when we come to them."

She smiled again.

"Look Mrs Fowler, I'm not some sort of ogre. I'm a human being who happens to be in love with your daughter and hopefully when the time comes for us to get married that you and Mr Fowler will be there for her. I know and despite her bluster that she loves the both of you but to be honest, neither of you are very good parents. Shipping her off to boarding school like that. That really hurt her. However, it made Lucy a really tough nut. She won't be pushed around by you, me or anyone for that matter. She is her own woman and that has to be down to her parents. That is probably the only thing she has to thank you for."

At that moment, Lucy decided to make her re-entry into the kitchen. Right on queue the timer on the oven went off.

Andrea stood up and walked towards the oven saying,

"Right, who's for some fresh baked soda bread with butter?"

The thought of having butter made Lucy's Mother's face go white.

"No, I must be going."

"Must you Mother? We would like you to stay for tea."

Mrs Fowler looked at the kitchen clock for an instant. Then she said,
"It is that late, I must be going."

"Mum, please stay. If not, come for lunch tomorrow."

"I can't…. I have to be home before your father gets back from Portugal."

"So, he's off golfing with his cronies? Will he notice if you aren't there to put his slippers on? I don't think so," said an indignant Lucy.

"I… I promised," said Mrs Fowler as she almost ran towards the front door.

Andrea kept in the background as Lucy tried to reason with her mother. It was fruitless as was evidenced by the rapid disappearance of her mother.

Lucy was fuming when she returned and slammed the front door.

"That woman!" shrieked Lucy.

"I'm sorry," said Andrea.

"Sorry? You have nothing to be sorry for. I heard everything you said. You tried really hard to get through to her."

"No, my darling. I am sorry because I let her get to me."

Lucy came up to Andrea and gave her a hug.

"Welcome to club."

That night in bed Lucy asked,
"Did you mean what you said about children? Don't you want to get it cut off?"

"Welcome to my world darling. To be honest, I don't know. I've met other transgendered people who couldn't wait to get rid if every vestige of maleness as soon as they could. I'm not one of them that's for sure. I've always known that I wanted to live as and be accepted as a woman. You know some of the issues I've had mostly with other people who can't or won't accept me. Things are different now though."

"Eh? How?"

"You my darling, you. You are part of my life. Before I could make decisions just for me. Now I can't."

"Are you sad that you can't?"

"Oh, I was at first. Then I found that it didn't matter. Now that it is us I can't be thinking just about me. That was hard. Don't you remember when I first moved in here and I locked my bedroom door all the time. That was my space, my sanctuary. How long did that last? A week and that was all down to you. You let me into your life. No one had ever done that before. I felt that I had to let you into mine."

"Let me stop rambling before I bore you to sleep and say that I promise not to do anything rash with my bits downstairs but one day I want to wear a skimpy wimpy polka dot bikini."

"Oh you!" replied Lucy as she started tickling Andrea.

[to be continued in part 7]