Valerie Pike walked into the kitchen and straight to the coffee pot.
Lindsay laughed at her daughter. "A bit under da weather?"
Valerie sat at the table.
"Not really. Didn't drink that much last night."
She sipped her coffee.
"Where's Dad?"
"Oh you won't see yer Dad fer a while yet. He got into the shooters with his brother and Bill and a few of the others. He will be sleepin' it off fer a while yet."
"I thought you were opening this morning?"
Lindsay shook her head.
"Landa and Tanya are going in. Mostly to clean up. I don't think you will see too many bodies dere this morning, after last night."
Valerie agreed.
"It was quite a party. I left at four and there were still people there."
Lindsay laughed.
"I just left at five. Told Bill to lock up, but I am sure he didn't remember. Poor Landa will probably find a couple of da boys dere asleep at the table. I knows dat Cindy and Eva jest went home and left der husbands dere. A couple of da other women did da same."
Valerie rolled her eyes.
"Gotta love da men of da Bay."
"So, speaking of men and parties," Lindsay continued.
"Who are youse takin' to da Halloween dance."
Valerie shook her head, as she sipped her coffee.
"No one. I think I will work that nite. Let you enjoy da night."
Lindsay stared at her daughter.
"Youse knows it be an open bar that night, Val. Everyone brings dere own booze and looks after demselves."
"Well you will still need someone to clean up. You knows what pigs da men can be."
Lindsay stared at her daughter, as she sipped her coffee.
"What?"
"Are you okay?"
"Of course. Why do you ask?"
Valerie stood up and took her mother's mug, walking to the coffee maker.
"You want some Irish Creme?"
"Sure."
Valerie prepared coffee for both women and walked back to the table.
"What?" She asked, again, as she sat down.
":What's wrong with you?"
Valerie shook her head.
"Nothing."
"Then why haven't you asked anyone to the Halloween dance?"
Valerie laughed.
"The pickings here in the Bay are rather slim, Mom. Youse knows dat."
"What's about Neddy's son."
"Patrick? Fuck no."
"Why not? He bes a nice young man and everyone knows he has a crush on you."
Valerie put two fingers in her mouth.
"Gag me now."
"Well what about Kevin Pike?"
"Mom, he's a relative."
"Its not like he's your first cousin or anything."
Valerie stared at her mother.
"You trying to marry me off or something?"
"No. Its just that you haven't really shown much interest in boys since you were like thirteen or fourteen."
"I have been focusing on my career."
Lindsay nearly spit out her coffee.
"Working at da Pub is not a career."
"Just drop it, Mom. I'm fine."
Lindsay shook her head.
"No. Ise knows my own daughter. Dere bes something going on with you. Ever since your cousin hooked up with Dave, you have been acting strange."
"Mom," Valerie emphasized.
"I am fine. Isn't it okay, not to be interested in a relationship?"
Lindsay nodded.
"Yea. You are still young. There bes lots of time to find the right man."
"Or not find a man at all."
Lindsay put her mug on the table and took a deep breath.
"Does you means that you will find a man when you are ready?"
Valerie bit her upper lip.
"Or. Maybe.
Not find a man at all."
"So, you want to be a spinster?"
Valerie forced a laugh.
"No Mom. What I am saying is that I am not interested in men."
"Well there are more men in the world besides the ones here in the Bay."
"Yes there are, Mom," Valerie agreed.
"And I am not interested in them either."
Lindsay sat back in her chair and lit a cigarette, all the while staring at her daughter.
"How long has dis been going on?" She asked, finally.
"Remember when I was in grade ten?"
Lindsay nodded.
"Remember Danny White."
"You mean Danielle?"
"Yea. You were the only one that called her Danielle."
Valerie let out a long sigh.
"Danny and I were a lot more than just best friends."
Lindsay drew hard on her cigarette and exhaled strongly.
"Remember when I finished highschool and Danny went away to Memorial?"
Again, Lindsay nodded.
"You were brokenhearted that your best friend had moved away."
"I begged you and Dad to let me go to University."
"Honey. Times were really hard then."
Valerie put her hand on her mother's hand.
"I know Mom. I know that now, by back then ...
back then ..."
Valerie searched for the right words.
"The person you loved had moved away?" Lindsay suggested.
Valerie's eyes filled with tears.
"She was my first true love, Mom. We did everything we could to keep our relationship alive."
"Oh fuck," Lindsay sighed, as a memory came to her.
"That Christmas. When Danielle came home. You went to visit her. You were supposed to stay for a couple days."
Valerie wiped her eyes with a napkin.
"Danny broke up with me. She had met a girl at university. I was fucking devastated, Mom."
Lindsay got up and walked around the table, sitting next to her daughter.
Valerie fell into her arms crying.
"I am so sorry, baby," Lindsay whispered, as she stroked her daughter's hair.
"I should have seen."
Valerie sat back up in her chair, wiping the tears from her eyes.
"No. How could you have known? And I couldn't tell you."
"Why?"
"Because I didn't want to embarrass you and Daddy."
"What?"
Lindsay took her daughter's hands.
"How could you ever embarrass us?"
"Face it, Mom. Tuckamore Bay is not exactly the hub of understanding."
"No. That is true, but everyone here in the Bay loves you, Val. They would have come to accept it."
Valerie shook her head.
"No. I would have been the laughing stock of the entire village and you and Daddy would have been embarrassed to hell by me."
"Not a fucking chance. You are my baby girl and you have to understand that I might nots always understand why youse makes da decisions dat youse do, but I will always listen and try to understand."
"So what about this?"
Lindsay put her hands on both sides of Valerie's face.
"I love you. And maybe I don't completely understand this, but it does not change how I feel about you and it sure as hell will never make me think any less of you. Your Dad and I are so proud of you and if this is the path that you want to take in life, then we will understand this as well. And we will both be there to support you, in any and every way wes can."
She kissed Valerie's forehead.
"Do you understand that?"
Valerie smiled and hugged her mother.
"I love you. Mommy."
"I love youse too, angel."
Valerie sat back in her chair, wiping her eyes and taking deep breaths.
"You feel better?"
Valerie took one last deep breath.
"Yea. You have no idea how long I have wanted to tell youse."
"Tell your mudder what?" Carl Pike wondered, as he walked into the kitchen.
"Just woman talk," Lindsay assured him, as she stood up.
"Sit down and I will get youse a coffee and some ibuprofen."
"Lots of both," Carl smiled, as he sat.
"Last time Ise drinks wit dem crazy Rideouts."
He looked at his daughter.
"Youse looks like youse been crying."
"Just reminiscing with Mom."
"About what?"
Lindsay put a mug of coffee in front of her husband and passed him three tablets.
"Just her highschool days."
Carl nodded as he took the tablets and washed it down with coffee.
"Talking about Danny?"
Valerie looked at her mother.
"Ah, just wondering what Danielle is up to now," Lindsay assured him.
"I am sure Danny did well fer herself. She were a strong woman."
"That she was," Lindsay agreed.
"She wud of had to been."
"Why do you say that?"
Carl looked at his wife and then his daughter.
"Val would never fall in love with a weak person."
"Danny and I were ..."
Carl took his daughter's hand.
"Ise might jest be a welder from a little village, me love, but Ise knows when two people are in love. The way youse and Danny looked at each other and the way youse two would always sneak off together.
It were plain as day to me."
Lindsay stared at her husband.
"What are you trying to say?"
"I am saying that Val and Danny were not just best friends. They were ..."
Carl stared his daughter for a moment.
"Girlfriend and girlfriend? Is that right?"
"You knew?"
Carl stared at his wife.
"Didn't youse?"
"Ah. Well."
Valerie looked at her father.
"Why didn't you ever say anything? Were you ashamed of me?"
"Fuck no," he snapped back.
"Ise jest figured dat youse wud tell me when youse were ready. All I did was jest do what I cud to make tings easier fer youse."
Valerie smiled.
"That's why you always agreed to bring me to Deer Lake or go to Deer Lake to get Danny."
"Of course. Danny made youse happy. Anyone cud sees dat. And it made me happy to see youse happy.
Which youse hasn't really been fer a few year now."
Lindsay sat back in her chair.
"I don't fucking believe this. You never said a word to me."
Carl shrugged.
"Ise thot youse knew and youse weren't saying anyting to me. You knows Ise don't git involved in all those women tings. I just saw dat Val was happy and that's all that I ever want for all my kids."
Valerie stood up and hugged her father.
"I love you Daddy."
"I loves youse, baby."
Carl kissed her cheek.
"Youse know Ise always dere fer youse. Always."
"So you are not embarrassed?"
"Why wud Ise be embarrassed?"
"But what about what others will say?"
"Fuck'em. Who cares what they say or tink. It bes your life to live. So live it Val. Be happy with what you are and who youse are. It isn't anyone else business, da way youse lives your life."
He looked at Lindsay.
"Jest knows dat me and your mudder will always bes there fer youse."
Valerie started crying again, as she hugged her father and then her mother.
"I love you guys so much. Thank you."
Valerie headed out of the kitchen.
"I am going to have a shower and go to the Pub to help da girls out."
Lindsay slapped Carl on the arm.
"Seriously?"
"What?"
"Youse knew?"
Carl laughed.
"Linny. It were as obvious as da nose on yer face."
Lindsay sat back in her chair.
"How could I have not seen it?"
"Well, maybe youse didn't want to, my love."
"And you did?"
"Linny. Val is goin' to make her own way in life and we jest have to be there to support her, no matter what. That what we does, as parents."
Lindsay stared at her husband.
"Who the fuck are youse and what have youse done with me husband?"