Easy As Falling Off A Dormouse.
by Angharad & >^^<
part:333

After breakfast, I cleared up the dishes and the toast crumbs. While putting the dishes away I noticed I wasn't wearing any makeup. Did I have time before Simon arrived? It was about five or ten to eleven. Not really, not to do it properly and besides, if I cried it would look a mess. I didn't always wear it to work, so why should I now? I decided I'd give my skin a rest and I did use some moisturiser after my shower.

I was wiping down the worktops in the kitchen when the doorbell rang. I left Tom to answer it. I switched on the kettle and made some fresh tea and coffee, I also put out a plate of biscuits.

I carried the tray into the dining room, Tom and Simon were both seated at the table, although they both rose when I entered the room, I nodded acknowledgement of their good manners. The next few moments were taken up with pouring tea or coffee. Anything I suppose rather than get started.

"Stella would probably have banged your heads together, but as she isn't available, I get the job and violence isn't my scene. However, this is a bit 'beer and sandwiches' because as far as I am concerned, we keep going until you two have sorted this out."

I looked at Tom and smiled weakly, Simon nodded.

"From my understanding, it seems you have both been doing lots of talking but not necessarily to each other or on the same wavelength. My purpose here, is to try and remedy that." We both nodded at him agreeing his role.

"Right, who wants to go first?" Tom looked at each of us, "Ladies first?" Simon nodded and my stomach flipped so much I had to run out to the cloakroom and be sick. A great start, not!

I sheepishly returned and apologised for my sudden departure. My voice was weak and watery, this really was so important to me. I was about to speak when my stomach revolted again and I spent the next few minutes in the loo.

"I'm so nervous, I have so much to lose," I said with a body that was trembling and a voice which wavered with emotion. "I love you Simon and I'm sorry for my part in messing this up."

"Is that it?" Tom looked perplexed.

I sat still, as still as my trembling would allow at any rate, and nodded.

"Okay, Simon, it's all yours."

"Okay, I accept your apology and proffer my own, I've messed up too. I love you too, Cathy, so I hope we can work this out."

"Do you want to comment, Cathy?" asked Tom.

"Other than to say that I too accept the apology, not really."

"This is all fine and dandy, isn't it? You spend the last few days building up to a crisis and then when you get the chance to sort it, you turn it down." Tom glared at both of us, "What sort of idiots are you?"

"I beg your pardon?" said Simon.

"Okay, I'll say it in simpler terms as neither of you seems capable of understanding that you have spent the last week maligning each other and now you have a chance to challenge or confess, you don't do it, instead going for a generic apology which does absolutely bugger all in putting things right."

"I'm sorry, but I said all I needed to," I offered.

"Oh, so it's okay to act like a lovesick schoolgirl who moons about the place when the object of your affections wants something and you don't: only instead of talking it out, you go off on one of your sulks not telling anyone where you've gone but expecting us to know. Is that really acceptable behaviour from the future Lady Cameron?"

My face got really hot as I filled with a sense of shame and anger. But he was right, and I felt tears start to wind their burning course down my cheeks. "No," I said quietly. I noticed Simon was blushing too, but I wasn't sure if that was because he felt bad for me or if he was embarrassed by what Tom was likely to say about him.

"And you, Lord Simon Cameron, some representative of the family you are!"

"What do you mean?"

"If you shut up for a few moments, you might learn something." Tom was really in control here.

"You sulk as well, when you can't get your own way. Oh sure, you tell Cathy what you want, but not what you feel. You expect her to know, sometimes she does but sometimes she gets it wrong. You also disappeared without telling anyone where you were."

Simon looked as if he was going to challenge but changed his mind.

"It's sad because you both have loads to give to a relationship. Cathy, you are faithful, hardworking, intelligent and loving. Simon, you are generous, kind and courteous. So why is it that you can't show these good points to each other? Why is it that you can't sit and discuss these things that beset your relationship? You clearly love each other, but that isn't enough, you need to develop a way to express what you're each thinking..."

Tom went on and on, I glanced at Simon, he was trying to listen but I was bored. I'd heard some of Tom's sermons before, they were so mind numbingly tedious, that I switched off before I realised it.

Simon caught my glance and smiled back, after that we played footsie under the table, neither of us listening to Tom, but we nodded every now and again.

At last it was over, Simon and I kissed and made up. We promised to talk to each other more about how we felt and to use Tom to mediate if we felt it was needed. Simon said he felt hungry and thirsty, I vacated to the kitchen whilst the boys ended up staying in the dining room, where I insisted they lay the table.

Simon and Tom had a glass of beer together whilst I prepared a chicken and shoved it in the oven. I basted it with garlic puree and sprinkled chicken seasoning all over it. I shoved an orange inside it, having pricked the orange all over. I then got on with the vegetables. I thought, Tom deserved a decent sunday lunch for all his hard work, Simon deserved one because I loved him, and I got one for being the cook.

Things would never be the same again, we had come close to messing things up big time. However, we had survived it and had a chance to learn from the experience and thus make things even better than they were before. Perhaps we'd both been cursed with, 'may you live in interesting times,' it was hard to tell.