Still the One

Chapter 18 - Out of the Pan and into the Fire

A pros and cons list ran rapidly through my mind. I had two choices, as I saw it: keep calm, make no comment, and hope they'll all get so bored they go away; or answer questions and accept whatever the repercussions are. Okay – three choices; I could also up and run. But it wasn't just me involved – our twins are in this too as well as Maria and Matteo. Do I back down for their sakes? Walk away and live to fight another day, as it were? If this goes public the café owner may end up being fined and I certainly wouldn't be welcome to come back again - but how many other mothers have been given this kind of treatment, I wondered, not just here but in other places too, because they're unaware of their rights? I thought of Ben then looked to Maria to gauge her reaction. She gave me a nod and a wink. Well, alrighty then.

"No photos of the children," I said firmly as the reporter approached me, the photographer not far behind.

"We'll pixel their faces out," she countered.

"All three? I have your word on that?"

"Yes."

I eyeballed the photographer. "And yours?"

"Yes," he nodded.

"Also none of my boobs," I added as an afterthought. I felt a small fluttering of my ego when the photographer guy looked disappointed, then reminded myself it was probably only because sex sells and not because he admired my...er...assets. Focus, Cara!

"We'll keep it tasteful," I was assured and figured it was probably the best I was going to get.

"Okay." Just then Alex gave a nice loud burp and we all laughed a little; it helped ease the tension somewhat.

"You want me to go change him?" Maria asked me.

"Can we get some shots first?" The woman introduced herself as Candy from OK! Magazine and the guy was Rufus. When I agreed, Rufus scooted around taking shots from different angles and when he was done Maria grabbed what she needed from my bag and went off to the ladies' room, taking Alex and Matteo with her. By now we had the attention of many of the other café clientele as well as people passing on the street. I spied our waiter hiding behind the counter peeking out occasionally.

"So we picked up tweets that there was a fuss about you breastfeeding here – is that correct?" Candy asked, holding out her portable digital recorder. I gave her a blow-by-blow of what had happened and what my reaction had been. It must have corroborated with the tweets she'd seen because she didn't question any of it. "How did you feel when the café owner asked you to leave?"

"Angry. Affronted. Insulted."

"How did you know about the law, the Equality Act?"

"My mother-in-law told me about it." I saw her eyes widen, so she was obviously aware who my mother-in-law is.

"Wanda Ventham?" she breathed, confirming my assumption.

"Yes."

She sent a look to Rufus like she'd struck gold and I quickly crossed my fingers, hoping Wanda wouldn't mind getting dragged into this.

"How does your husband feel about it?"

"About the law?"

"No," she flicked her perfectly bobbed blonde hair back from her face. "About how you've been treated today."

"He doesn't know yet," I was surprised to have to point that out – could she not see Ben isn't here? She opened her mouth to ask the next question and I forestalled her. "But when he hears, I'm sure he'll agree with my decision."

"He has a lot to say about human rights," Candy pointed out. She's not wrong – Ben has been pretty voluble about the plight of refugees lately. "Will this be something else he speaks publicly about?"