Bab’s New Year’s Resolution 53

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.
Beverly. Callie’s maternal great aunt (Ellie’s paternal aunt)

Bab’s New Year’s resolution 53.

Before Wendy started in, Beverly motioned to the waiters to come and clear away the crockery. This was diplomatic tactic to help her friend Wendy gather her thoughts and composure because Beverly, in her dotage had at last become a little more sensitive to moods and atmospheres amongst others.

“Was there anything wrong with the food ma-am?” The concerned maitre’de asked as he noted the unfinished meals.

“No, no Peter,” Beverly reassured him, “it’s just been a somewhat intensive occasion and a couple of my younger companions are a bit shaken. The food was perfect and we’ll probably take the puddings we ordered after we re-compose ourselves. Might I ask for your indulgence and ask your staff to stay away from the table until I give the signal?”

Peter breathed a sigh of relief for Beverly was a regular customer every time she travelled up to Hull.

“No problem at all Ma-am. Just catch my eye when and if you’re ready. You know we love having you here and I sorry to learn that some of your guests are distressed.”

“Thank you so much Peter.”

With that, the Maitre’de signalled to the waiters to stay away from the table unless invited to serve. At this juncture, Beverly turned to Wendy again.

“Right, the decks are cleared love, now what is it you want to tell me?”

“It’s a bit of a shocker I’m afraid,” Wendy confessed, but – well, here goes nothing.”

At that critical instance, Belinda and a tear-stained Lola re-emerged from the lavatories and through the foyer to re-join the table. Beverly sensed the animosity in Lola’s demeanour and immediately interceded. She nodded to Lola to take the seat between her and Otto while Belinda took Lola’s old seat alongside Wendy. Lola looked slightly askance at Beverly who declared.

“I’ve a little experience with these sorts of things darling. You’d best sit by me in case the ride gets rough.”

Wendy paused hesitantly while Lola and Belinda sat down then she responded to Beverly’s nod to start.

“Yes Bev, I do have a past but it’s a bit of a shitty one. Firstly, I don’t know who my mum and dad are. The adoption agency told me I was not wanted when I was born and for several years I was in care before I was finally adopted by a really nice couple. They told me early on that I was adopted and they had chosen me especially because they liked me and loved me.. From aged five until aged eighteen I lived an idyllic life but when I asked them if they minded if I located my biological mother they were not too happy.

They declared that they felt somewhat betrayed but, despite their hurt feelings, I, like many a selfish teenager, decided to go looking.
Eventually I located my mother but never found my father. My mother was an alcoholic who lived in a slum in Newcastle and all she told me was that my dad was transvestite who left her before I was born. She made it abundantly obvious that it was him and her family that drove her to alcohol. She wanted nothing to do with me and she blamed my father and her family for their marriage breaking up.

When I returned to my adoptive parents like the prodigal daughter, our relationship was never the same. Somehow they seem to think that I had judged them and betrayed them as bad parents. I never thought of them like that but after that it was never the same. I left home and sort of drifted from job to job and place to place until I fell into drugs and all the shit that goes with that stuff. Yeah, I know, my fault. When my son was born he was diagnosed as a neo-natal heroin addict so social services intervened and that was the last I saw of my child. I didn't even get to name him!

I was years getting myself back on course and getting myself clean but after several failed attempts I finally managed it. Heroine’s a bastard to break!

Anyway, after a string of jobs, I managed to hang onto a good one and get myself a good reference to go forward. That’s when I started working for you.”

“And your baby, - your son?” Beverly pressed.

“I tried finding him but he’d gone into the care system and apparently passed into a string of adoptive families. I tried to find out why he was being passed from family to family but they wouldn’t tell me. In fact they told me nothing! They also told me that it was illegal for me to go looking for him until he was eighteen and even then, it was customary for him to come looking for me. If I looked for him it might cause stress for him so they advised me to stay away.

Ipso facto, he apparently never came looking for me, so that was that. Failed parent, that was me. I’d resigned myself to being childless until Griselda and Mia made their unexpected appearance. Otto’s family made a huge fuss of them cos, as you know, Otto’s gay and nobody expected him to ever father children. The twins are named after Otto’s grandmothers cos I’ve got no family to speak of, as you well know Bev.”

“You bloody well have now!” Lola snapped as she sat sobbing with her arms folded on the table and her face down on her arms.

Wendy stared uncomprehendingly at the young woman opposite.

“What the hell d’ you mean by that?”

Lola looked up through angry tears.

“I said you have now. You’ve got family! Me !”

Wendy swallowed as confusion tore at her composure.

“Look darling. I never had another child after my son. I certainly never had a daughter, leastways not before Griselda and Mia landed like a nuclear explosion in my life. Having one baby taken off me was pain enough, so please, don’t –.“

Once again Lola cursed as she gathered herself to explain. The effort overwhelmed her and she slumped again head in her arms on the table. Belinda reached across and stroked Lola’s hair as she offered her support.

“Shall I explain love?”

“With her face still buried in her arms, Lola reached out blindly and grasped Belinda’s hand to squeeze it as she choked out, “yes.”

Belinda looked around the table and nodded before explaining.

“Lola’s transgendered Wendy. She was born with boy bits. She used to be your son.

Wendy’s eyes widened with pure shock as she tried to comprehend that the stunningly attractive young woman crying on the table had in fact once been a boy.

“My son?!”

“Yes! Your son! – As was, that is; but now your daughter!”

The table fell silent as everybody awaited Wendy’s response but Wendy was too confused and shocked to form a coherent response. She just stared, dumbfounded at the long golden tresses spread around the crying girl’s head. Then, slowly she found her voice.

“Lola? You’re name’s Lola. I was going to call you William or Billy for short. I never even got a chance to name you. They took you away after I’d only held you in my arms for only one breast feeding.”

“That’s not true. I was told you had me for up to twelve months before letting me go.”

“Who told you that?”

Lola hesitated for she couldn’t exactly remember. It had always been a tenet of her very existence that her mother had got rid of her a year after she was born but still too young for Lola to remember.

“It must have been the social workers or my foster parents, I don’t know – I cant remember. Dammit I was too bloody young to know.”

“Neither do I Lola,” Wendy revealed, “all I remember was what I just told you. They let me hold you and let you suckle the first colostrum from my breasts then they literally dragged you out of my arms and I never saw you again.”

“How could they bloody do that?” Lola cursed.

Wendy let out a slow gasp of resignation and emotional exhaustion before confirming again.

“I was a bloody Junky Lola. You know, the lowest form of life as far as the care system is concerned. Their plan was to ensure you found a good family. Somebody who could look after you.”

“Like fuck did they!” Lola almost snarled. “I went from pillar to bloody post, foster family after fucking foster family; passed around like an un-exploded time bomb.”

Her outburst caused what few late-afternoon diner’s heads there were, to all turn towards Beverly’s table. Even Pete, the Maître-de attempted to catch Beverly’s eye. Beverly gave the Maître-de a glance to reassure him then put her arm around Lola’s shoulder.

At first Lola attempted to break open Beverly’s gentle embrace then just as suddenly changed her mind and fell deeper into the old ship-owners arms. The tears started to flow again but the outburst at least had subsided. The silence around the table became painful as everybody was afraid to spark off another outburst. Instead, Beverly motioned to Pete the Maître-de who sidled respectfully to the table and accepted Beverly’s simple collective order for ‘Spotted Dick’ and custard all round. It arrived almost immediately and Lola eventually disengaged from Beverly to eat the dessert after having missed most of the main course.

Her face brightened as she savoured the sweet boiled pudding and even sweeter custard.

“What’s this? I don’t think I’ve ever tried this before.

“It’s Spotted Dick darling,” Belinda replied, “a regular standby for school dinners at my old school.”

“Spotted Dick!” Lola nearly choked as she struggled to contain her amusement. “Who invented that name?”

“I don’t know,” Belinda smirked, “it’s been called spotted dick from time immemorial.”

“Is she on the level,” Lola checked with Beverly.

“You heard me make the order darling – ‘spotted dick all round’. D’ you like it?”

“Yeah it’s delicious, but the name – I mean -.”

Lola descended into giggles again but at least the mood around the table had lifted. Beverly silently congratulated herself for having thought to order spotted dick. It was a shot in the dark and she’d scored an emotional bulls-eye. When the conversation resumed, Lola was better set to cope with revelations from Wendy that tore huge chunks from the lie that Lola had always assumed was the story of her early infancy.

Wendy’s narrative was not the end of Lola’s abiding hurt surrounding her feelings of rejection but it was certainly the beginning of the end.

After the meal, Lola even managed to hug her mother momentarily before quickly clambering into the Aston as yet again, tears started to overwhelm her. Belinda managed to give Lola another reassuring hug from the back seat while Beverly exchanged a few final words of shipping business with Wendy and Otto.

Then as she finalised their arrangements Lola picked up the last few remarks.

“Yes. I’ll be around to see them tomorrow. You know I wouldn’t miss them for the world.”

After Beverly had closed the door and exchanged a final affectionate peck with Wendy through the window, she 'blipped' the throttle before driving away back to Denton. Almost as soon as Beverly had shut the window, Lola was asking to confirm.

“Are you seeing her tomorrow then?”

Beverly nodded as she sensed what was coming.

“Yes, but it’s mostly a social call to see Wendy’s little girls. We’ll take them down to the ship if she makes the tide. Not sure yet about that, she was late leaving Bremen yesterday.

After a thoughtful silence Lola asked.

“D’ you think Nana Bab’s might like to see her daughter and her grandchildren?”

“What d’ you mean?”

“Bab’s,” Lola continued softly. “I don’t think anybody’s told you this but you do know that Bab’s is like you and me – a post-op.”

“Ye-ees.” Beverly responded, “you told me that last night when we first met.”

“Well, it’s a bit more than that.”

“Go o-on,” Beverly pressed curiously.

“Well, - Bab’s is my maternal grandfather. The police found out when they were getting our passports to get ready for the trials in Europe.
Being the police, they were able to by-pass all the secret bullshit that the adoption agencies enforce because of the importance of the gang rape cases. One thing led to another and Bab’s worked out that we might be related. The police did a DNA thingy for her and bingo! It came back that Bab’s was my grandfather, my maternal grandfather. Bab’s is Wendy’s father!”

“Shit!” Beverly expostulated in sheer astonishment. “You’re not bull-shitting are you girl!”

“No. So who’s going to tell Bab’s?” Lola finished.

Beverly could not contain her snort of amusement as she succinctly summed up the dilemma.

“Ha! Cat – pigeons; --- pigeons, - cat!”

“D’ you think she’ll be angry or what?” Belinda asked from the back seat.

“Dunno’.” Lola replied. “She never talked much about it and even when she did,it was more pain than anger as far as I could discern.”

“D’ you want me to tell her?” Beverly asked.

Lola sighed and blew out a long wistful breath before declaring nervously.

“I’m a big girl now and these are big girl matters. Besides, I think I’m the only one with a right and duty to reveal this to Bab's. Huh! Families eh, suddenly I’ve got one and now I’m more uncertain than ever.

Belinda sensed Lola’s fears and reached over the passenger seat to gently squeeze her friend’s shoulder as she deliberately misquoted the Bhagavad Gita in a comedic, spooky voice. -.

“And I am become family the destroyer of dreams!”

“Oh don’t you start!” Lola couldn't help giggling. "Too much classical education, that's your problem."

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