I DEDICATE THIS CHAPTER TO      ALL    OF YOU MY FAITHFUL READERS.  THANK YOU FOR SHARING THIS CREATIVE JOURNEY WITH ME, I AM SO GRATEFUL FOR YOUR SUPPORT!

On Saturday night, Angie invited Alan over for the evening, so that he could spend time with Clare. Angie thought it was also a good opportunity for him to get to know Matthew better. She'd cooked them a Caribbean meal of chicken with rice and peas, which was followed by Clare's delicious home made Banoffi pie and now they were relaxing.

Angie and Clare were in the Conservatory sitting on the cane chairs with the green cushions, each drinking a glass of red wine. They were talking about the joke Matthew had played on Angie, saying that her legs were horrible and she should hide them away.

They could hear Matthew and Alan laughing loudly in the kitchen.

"Oh, listen to them." said Angie. "I bet you Matthew's telling Alan about his joke."

Angie grinned. "He thought I didn't know what he was up to, but of course, I knew. I know I've got nice legs, they're my best feature. Men think we're stupid, but we're not. I played along with it right from the start and I bought long skirts and trouser suits. I had earrings on the brain at the time. I've told him he must buy me the most expensive diamond earrings we can afford, as a penance. He's horrified! That'll teach him." she laughed and then sighed. "I didn't mean it, though, we can't afford diamonds. I think they'll end up being glass, but still, as long as it makes him sweat."

"He's as bad as Alan." said Clare.

"He's a darn sight worse." said Angie. "In every man there's a little boy desperately trying to get out."

"Poor things." said Clare.

Matthew and Alan came to join them in the Conservatory. "What were you two laughing about?" asked Angie.

"Oh, nothing darling." said Matthew smirking. "Nothing at all."

"Nothing? My eye!" said Angie, pulling a face. She saw Alan look at Clare and smile.

"Anyway, it's getting cold out here," said Angie rising from her chair. "We were just going into the Lounge."

They headed for the lounge, Alan and Clare leading the way. Angie noticed Clare trip over the step up into the Dining Room and fall against Alan, he turned around and helped her up by the elbow.

"Sorry," she said. "I forgot about the step."

"How could you forget, you've lived here for ages." said Alan. He made a big play of escorting her into the lounge and sitting her gently down on the sofa opposite the fireplace. He sat down beside her.

"What a gentleman!" said Clare.

"I'm not a gentleman." said Alan, looking puzzled.

"Of course you are." said Clare.

Angie sat down beside Matthew on the two seater sofa beneath the window and watched closely as Alan looked Clare right in the eye.

"If you knew the things I think, Clare, you wouldn't think I was a gentleman." he said.

"Why, what do you think Alan?" Clare asked.

Alan started to fidget and Angie could tell he was feeling edgy. She cut in, quickly.

"Well, no one would like it if someone else could read their mind. We all think things we shouldn't from time to time. Would you like it, Clare, if someone could read your mind?"

"No, not at all, I'd lose my job at Dixon's to start with!" Clare laughed and they all joined in. Angie saw a look of raw relief cross Alan's face and she turned away before she

burst out laughing. Clare often said that Alan was funnier when he was being serious and Angie could see what she meant.

"I heard something today about Gary." said Clare. "Apparently, he fathered a baby boy with a seventeen year old girl."

"Poor baby!" said Alan.

"Yes, and he refuses to pay any maintenance as he says the baby isn't his although he looks just like him." Clare replied.

"How mean." said Angie.

"Huh, that's typical of him." said Alan.

"I don't expect his parents are very pleased with him." said Clare.

"He'll have to do a DNA test." said Matthew, "That's the way to sort that one out."

They talked about their colleagues in the office; Jessica, who had a habit of saying "and stuff" every few minutes and Geoff whose trademark was "nice." Mark had a habit of overdoing "nightmare" and they laughed and joked about their own idiosyncrasies. Matthew told them funny stories about his training days at the hospital. Angie gave a mock yawn, bringing her hand up in front of her mouth.

"Angie's heard it all before." said Matthew, pushing her away playfully with his hand.

"Yes." said Angie. "And it sounds more like 'Carry on Doctor' every time you tell it."

Alan told them he'd known Geoff before starting his job with Dixon and Halfpenny. Geoff was a neighbor of theirs when he and Philip returned from Canada and had given them good financial advice. Alan and Philip were very fond of Geoff and his wife Francis, he said. They were all surprised, as they'd thought Alan had met Geoff at the office.

"He's so kind, Geoff." said Clare "He's helping Jessica with her accountancy exams. She goes round to his house a couple of evenings each week and she says it's really helped."

"That doesn't surprise me, Geoff's good like that." said Alan.

"He thinks Jessica has great potential." said Clare "She failed her exams last year and he's determined that won't happen again. She was living with her boyfriend at the time and his mate moved into their flat and she was doing all the housework, all their washing, shopping and cooking. You can just imagine that little scenario can't you? Woman does it all, man does nothing! She didn't have much time for revision and she failed her exams. I think that's awful."

"Yes, but she could have left it all and then they would have had to do it." replied Alan.

"You think it works like that?" asked Clare. "Well, it doesn't!"

Alan frowned darkly. "Yes, but..."

"Look, don't get shirty." said Clare.

"But Clare, you're just so sexist." said Alan "I wish you wouldn't say things like that."

Clare shrugged her shoulders. "I'm just telling it as it is, if you don't like it, that's your problem."

They all fell silent and Angie could feel a positive cooling in the atmosphere.

"There's a little white flag over there in the drawer." said Matthew, chuckling.

"It gets a lot of use in this house." said Angie.

Alan and Clare didn't quarrel often, but when they did they got annoyed with one another, so Angie steered the conversation back to Geoff, which wasn't difficult because Geoff was always lovely to talk about. Geoff was a short, plain man with a large heart and a lovely personality. He was one of Angie's most favourite people ever.

"When I first came to Dixon's Geoff went out of his way to make me feel at home." said Angie. "I think he thought I might have trouble being the only black person in the office, but I'm happy to say, there's never been a problem."

"We're very lucky to work with such a good crowd of people." said Alan.

"Don't tell Matthew, but I love Geoff." said Angie.

"Yes, we all know that." said Alan.

Clare laughed. "Yes, we've all seen you patting his head."

"Hey," said Matthew "I'm jealous. You've never patted my head."

Angie thought, 'Okay, you asked for it,' and she reached across and patted Matthew's head

as hard as she could get away with.

"Ow!" cried Matthew.

"I can tell you this." said Angie "Geoff wouldn't be so mean as to play a trick on his wife."

She stabbed a look at Matthew and he pulled a face.

"I think I'll go and get that little white flag." said Matthew.