Free Her Name Will Be Faith by Christopher Nicole Page B

couple suspected
nothing, despite the children's conspiratorial glances – they had been
sworn to secrecy.
    Half an hour later, Babs squealed
with delight as Marcia dashed into the house and hugged her parents. "Sweetie! Don't
you look lovely. What a beautiful
dress. And Benny! Wow!" She did a double take. "Don't you look smart. I don't think I've ever seen you in a
suit before. You guys going to a party?"
    Benny was looking distinctly
uncomfortable – but Marcia had insisted.
    Jo, Michael, Owen Michael, Tamsin and Dale crowded the
doorway behind Marcia and Benny, and Babs
stared at them too. "You're all dressed up as well. What is this?" She looked
from face to face in suspicion.
    Jo prodded the shy and nervous Benny in the back,
prompting him to speak. "Er... well..."
he coughed and looked pleadingly at his beloved, who didn't attempt to help – but smiled encouragement. "Well,
Marcia and
I-have-decided-we-want-to-get-married, and we've brought my Mom too."
Words spilled out in a rush, and an equally shy, short, plump, middle-aged
woman in an obviously new, smart, two-piece, was dragged into the room from the
hallway.
    Big Mike leapt up to join the whirl of excited hugs,
kisses and handshakes, beaming from ear to ear, while Babs' eyes filled and she
kept repeating, "I'm so happy I could
cry," while her husband made a grab for the car keys, saying,
"I'm shooting down to the store for some champagne."
    "Not necessary, Dad." Michael produced a
huge cool-box from behind him. "Here we are, all chilled and ready."
    No one noticed Jo slip upstairs to the phone, and five
minutes later the excitement started all over again as Lawson and Belle walked
in.
    Benny was left in no doubt as to the popularity of his
proposal. His natural reserve was swept away on the tide of Donnelly enthusiasm
and soon, with the added help of champagne, he was chatting freely, arm round
his mother, explaining her generosity and all they planned to do.
    Jo was busy organizing food from the car to Babs’ oven,
but she had time to join in every few minutes. She loved watching people
– speculating on what made them tick. Big Mike, Babs and Michael all
relieved that Marcia was at last ‘going legit’, becoming respectable; Benny’s
mother, Annie as she liked to be called, swamped by the noisy and affectionate
welcome, trying to keep her end up with Benny’s encouragement; Belle, who
couldn’t give a damn about respectability, thrilled by her younger sister’s
happiness, and Lawson…but Lawson seemed to hang on the periphery of the fun,
obviously preoccupied.
    Babs followed Jo into the kitchen. “If I’d only known
you were all coming I’d have gotten food in and ready, but I guess we’ll have
to send the boys out for some takeaway, to feed twelve of us… Your poor lasagna
can’t…?” She realized that Jo was grinning, and stopped. “What have you been up
to?” she sniffed. “That’s not lasagna … why, that’s one of your lovely baked
hams… and what’s under there?” She pointed to a large tray concealed under a
dish towel.
    Jo whipped the cloth away to reveal twelve halves of
grapefruit, cut and piled with brown sugar steeped in sherry. “Those just need
to go under the grill for a few minutes, the vegetables on, and the sauce
heated.
    Babs hugged her. "Jo, you are a doll. You've got
it all organized. Say, have I got time to go up and change? I feel awful in
these old pants."
    Her daughter-in-law laughed.
"Babs, you make old pants look divine – but if you want to put on your
mother-of-the-bride outfit, you go ahead. Nothing's
going to spoil if you're quick."
    Minutes later Big Mike came into the kitchen.
"Where's Babs?"
    "Changing. You've time, if you want to," Jo
assured him.
    It was not an assurance he wanted.
"What's wrong with what I'm wearing?” 
    Jo looked at the ancient sweater and cords. "Not
too much, I guess, providing you're not embarrassed."
    "Embarrassed? Dammit, they're clean..." He
noticed a greasy mark over