Fulfillment by Golland, M. (best large ebook reader .txt) 📕

so funny,” she reminisced, while lightly shaking her head.

I looked atNic, who shrugged her shoulders as if to say ‘I don’t know, Ihaven’t heard this story before’.

Bryce caughtour exchange and offered an explanation. “Mum was a strong believerof free will; no restraints, no restrictions. And that includedrestraints of all kinds, including kiddy restraints.”

I raised myeyebrows. “No restrictions?” I teased. “So that’s where you get itfrom?”

He gave me aplayful glare.

“If I rememberrightly,” Lucy added, “Ros asked Mum what the hell she thought shewas doing, and Mum replied with something along the lines of‘freeing Jacob from the confines of madness.”

Bryce shookhis head and smiled as he recalled that particular memory of hismother. “Yeah and then Ros yelled, ‘How is keeping him safemadness?’ and Mum yelled back ‘because you aresupposed to keep him safe, not a dog lead! He is not a dog!’

“Well, she wascorrect,” Gareth added, his feminine sounding voice grabbing myattention. “This Ros woman was the boy’s mother was she not?Therefore, it was her responsibility to teach him to obey withoutthe use of a restraint. When my son was a young boy, he did as hewas told. No ifs, buts, or maybes.”

Brycewhispered in my ear. “Alexis, meet Deirdre.”

Gareth turnedin our direction. “Bryce, my dear boy, look at how handsome youhave become. And who is this injured young lass on your lap?”Deirdre asked.

I wasdumbfounded, stunned, at a loss for words. Gareth was staring me inthe face, but it wasn’t him, he had lost all of his mannerisms.Instead, having a whole set of new ones, feminine ones; ones thatsuited an elderly woman such as Deirdre.

“Well?” shesaid with a hand on the hip. “Aren’t you going to introduceme?”

“Sorry,Deirdre,” Bryce said with dry amusement. “This is Alexis, mygirlfriend. Alexis, this is Deirdre.” Fuck! What do Isay?

“Well aren’tyou just a modern day beauty. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Dear.”he extended his hand, or was it her hand? Oh, God! I’m sofreakin’ confused right now.

“And Lucy!”she squealed in a higher pitched voice, “You look simply exquisiteand...oh...don’t tell me...is this? Is this little bonny boy yourson?”

Garethgracefully pranced over to Lucy and smoothed his pants down as ifhe were wearing a dress before he sat on the blanket next to Lucy,legs together and to the side.

“Yes, Deirdre.This is my and Nic’s son, Alexander,” Lucy happily replied.

Deirdre gaveNic a sideways glance, wrinkling up her nose. “I don’t see howthat’s possible,” she said in a pompous tone.

She turnedback to face Lucy, fussing over Alexander.

Nic looked atBryce and me and deliberately went cross-eyed.

I burst intolaughter.

“Somethingfunny, Dear?” Deirdre asked as she played with Alexander’sfinger.

“Oh no.Nothing’s funny,” I answered, like an adolescent child trying tocover up a secret.

“One does notlaugh unless one deems something funny, Dear Alexis.” One needsto get the fuck out of here before one puts her broken foot in it.Help!

“I told her ajoke,” Bryce added quickly, sensing my inability to find mymaturity and act responsible in this bizarre situation.

“Well...let’shear it then?” she probed, with an encouraging flick of herhand.

“Dyslexic manwalks into a bra,” he said, stone faced and in an extremely flattone.

Again, Icouldn’t contain myself and burst into laughter. Nic and Lucyfollowed suit and Bryce couldn’t help but chuckle along withus.

Deirdre justlooked downright confused. “How does one walk into a bra? Was ithanging out to dry?”

***

We stayed atthe cemetery for a couple of hours longer, Bryce and Lucy recallingmoments of their childhood, a childhood which sounded just likemost—innocent, fun, and full of love-filled moments. Gareth—orDeirdre, I should say—continued to nosily retract little pieces ofinformation from our lives. She was actually an endearing, if notan overly inquisitive alter, and it wasn’t long before I relaxedaround her and took her not at face value, but character value.

“So, AlexisDear, how did you break that ankle of yours?” Deirdre asked as shetilted her head to the side to study my boot. “That’s quite an oddlooking contraption you have there.”

Bryce pulledme to my feet and helped me balance while getting my crutches.

“Well, I felldown the stairs...” I paused, standing on one foot, feelingslightly uncomfortable in explaining to Deirdre of the series ofevents that led to my fracture. I couldn’t help shake the feelingthat she kind of already knew.

Bryce handedme my crutches which I secured in place under my arms.

“And how didyou fall, Dear?”

“I don’tknow,” I said rather sharply.

Lucy placedher hand on Gareth’s shoulder. “It’s time to leave, Deirdre,” shesaid softly as she turned him around to face Lauchie’s grave. Inoticed him put his hand to his head for a moment.

“Deirdrenormally leaves and Gareth returns about now,” Bryce whispered intomy ear.

Moments later,Gareth turned to face us and almost instantly I could recognisehis demeanour, it was so surreal. He lowered hisgaze looking embarrassed, I’m assuming because he realised what hadhappened. I tried to ignore him and act as though nothing hadhappened, thinking that was the best thing to do.

Lucy and Nichad already started walking to the car, so Bryce and I turned tofollow, Gareth behind us.

Bryce stopped.“Shit! Give me a second,” he said then turned back toward thegraves walking past Gareth. He kneeled down and placed somethingsmall at the base of his father’s headstone.

Gareth slowlywalked up to me as I watched what Bryce was doing. “You didn’t haveto tell her,” he said quietly, sounding partly angered and partlydismayed.

I looked up athim. “Sorry?”

“Sam. You toldher about my condition, and now she is ‘taking a break to clear herhead’.” He held my gaze.

“Gareth, I’msorry, but she deserved to know.”

“I liked her,Alexis. A lot,” he bit out as he leaned incloser, giving me an uncomfortable chilled feeling.

Unpleasant asit was though, I could see the sincerity in his eyes. He reallydoes like her. I tried to reassure him.

“Gareth, giveher some credit. She may just need some time to come to terms withit.”

“That’s justit, I do give her credit. She’s smart and, because of that, she’llstay away from me,” he sighed. “Once, just once, I wanted to beselfish and have a normal relationship.” His shoulders slumped andhe walked away as Bryce approached. That’s just it Gareth, itwasn’t normal. Hiding something like that is not normal.

“Is everythingalright? What were you and