Surrogate Pregnancy

Chapter Eighteen Part 19

The day of the party started, at five in the morning, with cars arriving. Leon and Lydia, now both sleeping in the master bedroom, by silent agreement, were up early for breakfast. Lydia noticed Marmelade making himself scarce, under their bed, he did not like too many strangers. Jason was up too, and Nicole came soon after. People were setting up tents, and caravans were rolling in. Leon had guest quarters for about twenty people. So the people coming on a plane, because of too long a distance, could sleep in a bed. Some of them were older, and needed it. Everything went like clockwork. Mimi had organised everything having to do with food and drinks. Ben was looking after accommodation. The paddock was divided up into squares, with roads in between. So people could camp, connect to power and water, and still have roads, to drive on. This setup had been there, since his grandfather's time, and still worked well.

Ben had opened the particular shed, which had the dance floor, stacked up as large squares that clicked together. And the floor was ready long before lunch. The younger folks that always came to the dances did not waste time. Barbecues were being set up, and pigs, lam and halve sides of beef, were put on spit, and started to cook slowly. Lydia and Nicole were amazed; they were walking around, to check that everything went well, and it did. Everybody knew what they should be doing, and they were doing it. Lunch was on them, so large hot plates were filled with beef, onions and sausages galore. Little children sat around the place, eating sausages on a stick or hotdogs. There was a tent, with coffee and tea, lemonade and water 'ices'. Under another awning a band was setting up, they had been booked by Leon. They were at all the parties, in The Kimberley, and they were very good.

Lydia managed a baby nap after lunch. And she went in the spa, together with Nicole a little before dinner, to relax. Leon was hosting, but at regularly intervals, he checked on, what he had realised, was the most precious gift he had ever received in his life, Lydia.

***

Dinner was noisy, but very charming. Long trestle tables were sat up neat the spits, and there were tables with vegetables and buns. Punch for the children, and punch for grownups. And the music played softly, nowhere near the sound they would put out, at the dance. So much had happened, since they were together last time. Margaret and Roland had died. Tom and his daughter had moved away, and would stay away, and now Leon was to father twins, and Jason was coming home.

They had all heard about Alicia, and most were not surprised. They had known her mother, when she was alive. The apple thing, about not falling far from the tree. The talking about that was over and life went on. Leon had always been held in great respect, that was not changing, but how did he manage to be so sick, and still make apparently several babies? He who never really dated? That was a mystery, mostly the younger women wondered over. Several had hoped to catch Leon for themselves, and now a young woman, from of all places, Melbourne, was having his babies.

The men thought, he was a man that got things done, so good on him. Jason was back to stay. That was news, he was also worth catching. Jason was well thought of, so he was toasted, where ever he went.

Lydia was shimmering on Leon's arm, in the blue-green dress with rhinestones from Singapore. She was looking wonderfully pregnant. Her long loose golden hair, and her shimmering, made her look like a fairy princes. All the men thought she looked wonderful, the women realised early, that she was a warm and friendly woman, so they thought she looked great too. She looked after the children's tent, put mercurochrome and bandages, on all the little scrapes. And at dinner time, she made sure even the littlies got their dinner, sausage or drink. So the bigger children didn't hog it all.

Only then, she made her way to Leon's side, for her own dinner. She was starving as usual, but also bone tired. She leaned slightly on him, and he saw the shadows beneath her eyes. He leaned closer, and whispered in her ear.