September 1966
Sharon was running around frazzled having agreed to hold a Bon Voyage party for Stephanie and Michael before they left for England. Well, she hadn't exactly agreed, she'd insisted, and she could tell Louis was getting annoyed by how much she'd taken on.
'Hey, why are we having to have this thing here?' he asked as she hurriedly tidied the kids' toys away.
'Well, we have a bigger house than Johnny and Paulette so it makes sense to hold it here,' she pointed out. After they had got married in her mother had sold them her house with a generous discount, much to the envy of their friends.
'Couldn't Rhonda have come and helped?' Louis grumbled. 'No don't tell me, you insisted on doing it all by yourself.'
She smiled sheepishly. 'I can manage but could you go give Thomas his breakfast?' Thomas was their two-year-old son who had arrived nine months after their wedding to the surprise of no one.
'And what about the demon child?' Louis asked groaning.
'Don't call her that,' Sharon admonished trying not to smile, their daughter did have a hell of a temper. 'Anna had a bottle earlier, I don't think she'll be hungry.'
'My mom was saying we shouldn't pander to her all the time,' Louis started to say and she silenced him with a stern look. She hated anything that was remotely like criticism where their kids were concerned, but fortunately, Louis knew his life was happier if he left her to it.
~~~
'Come on JJ it's time we were going,' Paulette shouted to her son Jonathan Junior as she gave her hair one last brush.
'I wanna play,' he said sitting down stubbornly.
'You'll get to play at Auntie Sharon's.'
'Will she have ice cream?'
'I'm sure she will.' Sharon left nothing to chance. Paulette tried not to feel jealous, things had only been harder for her and Johnny because they'd started off on the back foot. If they'd had that extra year that Sharon and Louis had had to prepare before they'd got married, they wouldn't have struggled so much.
'Will Goose be going?' Paulette asked Johnny who was still sat watching TV.
He turned to her frowning. 'Why wouldn't he?'
'Well he and Rhonda were together, I thought he might feel a bit awkward.'
'Nah Goose was over her years ago, they weren't that serious in the first place.'
'I guess I'm overthinking it,' she mused. 'So JJ are you looking forward to playing with Thomas?'
'Yeah,' he said perking up.
Paulette turned to Johnny. 'I think JJ would like a sibling.'
'Ahem, maybe in another year.'
'Oh come on, JJ is three and a half now,' she said exasperated. 'Sharon got married after me and she already has two kids, and I bet she'll be onto her third before long.'
'Paulette the only thing that surprised me about Sharon is that she didn't have boy-girl twins! Seriously do you think she planned to get pregnant when Thomas wasn't even a year old?' Paulette frowned but she knew Johnny was right. Sharon and Louis had been somewhat shell shocked when she'd fallen pregnant whilst they were settling down with their first child.
~~~
'So where's my goddaughter,' Goose hollered as he stepped into Sharon and Louis's living room.
'What have we said about knocking?' Louis asked.
Goose grinned. 'Yeah but that doesn't count for the favourite uncle does it.'
'Hey I'm the favourite uncle,' Davey objected.
'Technically none of you are,' Sharon pointed out watching as Goose picked Anna up. She was surprised how good he was with her and had to admit Louis had been right in wanting him to be godfather.
'So when's Shakespeare getting here?' Goose asked as Anna pulled at his shirt collar.
Sharon glanced at her watch. 'Anytime now, hopefully.'
'I've been telling Johnny we should have another baby,' Paulette said looking wistfully at Anna. 'I'd love a little girl.'
'You can have her,' Louis joked.
'Louis!' Sharon snapped.
'I'm joking.' However, everyone knew Anna was a handful, very much her mother's daughter.
'I wonder if Steph'll ever have kids,' Paulette mused. 'She's not exactly maternal.'
'She might change,' Sharon said. She didn't see how Steph couldn't want a family one day but she'd been getting involved in politics and coming out with some pretty strange ideas.
'Once they get married she'll change her mind,' Paulette said.
'Stephanie doesn't think marriage is necessary.'
'It's a strange relationship her and Michael have got then,' Johnny said, and Sharon wondered if he was still a little bitter. 'I don't know how Michael puts up with some of the BS she spouts these days.'
'Now Johnny, be nice,' Paulette scolded him. 'They're our friends.'
'I am being nice, and if it works for them, then great.' He shrugged his shoulders. 'I just wouldn't want a relationship like that myself.'
'Hey, at least Shakespeare's got a girl,' Goose said. 'Some of us aren't so lucky.'
'Actually, there's someone I want to introduce you to,' Sharon said eager to change the subject. 'There's this toddler group I take Thomas to and one of the mom's there has just split up with her husband. I think you'll like her.'
'Sharon,' he said in a weary tone, and she knew he got tired of his friends trying to matchmake for him.
'Goose she's nice, and she could do with a fun guy like you. She's not looking for another husband.'
Goose started to smile. 'Is she good looking?'
Sharon rolled her eyes. 'Yes, I'll introduce you to her later.' She paused hearing a sharp knock at the door. 'Louis can you go get that. It's probably Stephanie and Michael.' Thank god she'd put a stop to Johnny's bitching before they arrived.
~~~
'I don't know why but I've got nerves,' Steph said as she stood outside Sharon's house with Michael, her foot tapping impatiently.
'It's not too late to back out,' Michael said looking down at her.
She shook her head. 'Sharon would kill us.'
'No, I meant-' He fell silent as the door opened.
'Hey come on in,' Louis said beckoning them inside.
'Hi, how are you?' Michael asked, polite as ever. 'Thanks for doing this for us.'
'No problem. We couldn't let you guys go without a proper goodbye.'
Stephanie swallowed, feelings of apprehension and excitement wrestling inside her.
'Steph!' Paulette exclaimed running over to hug her. 'I was beginning to think you weren't gonna make it.'
'Now why would you think that?' she asked smiling.
'Oh you guys are always so busy trying to change the world, and here I am with my little family.' Her face softened as she looked at her son.
'And how is JJ?'
'He's the best! He's playing with Thomas in the back garden, it's so nice our kids get along. We were only just saying that before long you'd be joining us.'
Stephanie smiled tightly, her teeth gritted. 'I don't know why you guys keep going on about his. I don't want kids, not yet, maybe not ever.'
'Oh, you say that now,' Paulette said lightly as she dismissed her words. Stephanie caught Michael's eye and he winked, he knew how tiresome she found all the child-centred conversations.
'Well at least let me enjoy this trip to England first, then maybe I'll consider joining the barefoot and pregnant gang.' Paulette pursed her lips ever so slightly and Steph could tell she was offended by the comment. Fortunately, Sharon and Rhonda joined them and the moment passed.
'Any last minute nerves?' Rhonda asked.
'A few,' she admitted. 'But Michael wants to see his family and I want to see where he grew up. I'm hoping we can spend about a year there and maybe do a bit of travelling.'
'You're lucky, it's a big opportunity.'
'Yes, I am lucky.' Stephanie smiled reaching for Michael's hand and squeezing it.
'You must be looking forward to seeing all your old friends,' Sharon said to Michael.
'If they haven't forgotten me,' he said with a rueful laugh.
'I'm sure it'll be like you never left,' Stephanie said. 'I dread to think what they'll make of me.'
Michael scoffed. 'You're worried about that? Let's put it this way, I'm sure you won't get half as hard a time as I did when I first arrived here!'
'I hope not.' She looked at them for a moment and felt melancholic. 'Now this really is an end to an era. It's proper adult stuff.'
Sharon snorted. 'I've got a husband and two kids, I think I did the adult stuff a long time ago.'
Steph held her hands up. 'Sorry, I was talking about myself. After we graduated I coasted for years at the service station not doing much of anything. This is the first time I've properly stepped out of my comfort zone.' The irony wasn't lost on her; all those years ago she'd wanted something different, and yet out of them all she was the one who had made the least changes.
'You'll be fine Steph,' Sharon said sounding conciliatory.
'And everyone will love you in England,' Michael added. 'Hopefully not too much though.'
'And we'll be waiting for you to return,' Paulette said biting her lip. 'It won't be the same without you guys.'
'We'll always be together though,' Steph said as Michael put his arm around her. 'Like birds of a feather, we'll be together forever.'
~~~
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