For All Eternity

Fabric

"Hey Joe?" Dianne shouted through the flat on a quiet Sunday in October. She heard shuffling and a couple of swear words before his head appeared out of the office door. Giggling, she asked him, "you okay?" as he rubbed his foot.

"Ran over my toe and then stubbed it, what can I help you with Dear?"

"I know I'm making well not making but taking in this costume for Ellie's-"

Joe interrupted, "Sophie's, Ellie's is at the soft play the day before. Anyway, sorry carry on."

"Right yeah for Sophie's party but is she going trick or treating anywhere else? Can I take her on Halloween? She loved it last year didn't she?"

"She did. I hadn't really thought. Do you think our complex would do it? It's a lot of well to do people and couples. Shit actually just remembered, Halloween's the Thursday right?" Dianne picked up her phone and after tapping a few times nodded, "she's at Mum's anyway, they're getting her at 2. So she'll be trick or treating there I think. Yeah she will."

"Oh, shame, I'd have loved to see her on the actual night. At least I get to take her to the party," Dianne said, tying off a stitch holding the dinosaur costume up for inspection.

"She's going to love it and the party! You, I'm not so sure, are you sure you don't want Elise to take her to both of them, her other family is away this week so she's free during the day."

"Why wouldn't I take her?" Dianne asked him confused, as she picked up the yellow bow that Connie had requested be stitched onto the dinosaurs head.

"No it's just the other Mums actually. They're a little bit fierce. And actually the Dads sort of too. It's a weird dynamic parties, it's why I usually send my mum or dad or Elise. Mum just chats everyone up, she's the cool Nan and then Dad just sits there and does fuck all and then Elise knows everyone and probably drums up business. You don't have to go, you can still be saved!"

"Joseph," she chided, as he sat down next to her only narrowly missing a set of needles, "just because you don't like them doesn't mean they're horrible people. Plus I mean Con personally asked me."

"You can still say no, have the courage Babe!"

"Babe again? Joe you sound like my brother, its not cute." Dianne groaned, when he had woken her up a few days ago he had accidentally called her babe and it seemed to have got stuck in his head.

"Whoops sorry its because I've just been on th- never mind, so you're definitely sure you want to take her?"

"You've been on the phone to Andrew, why were you calling Andrew? And without me."

"I haven't, I promi-" one look at Dianne's raised eyebrow was enough to make him crack, "okay I did but it's nothing to worry about, I promise."

"Joseph!" Somehow her eyebrow got higher.

"Okay, I was calling to see if he and Mel would be down to watch Connie one night so that I can take you on a date to a restaurant I found in Perth," Joe rushed out, in practically one breath.

Dianne smirked momentarily in success before completely folding on her persona and letting out an elongated "aww," smothering his face with kisses a few minutes later. "Wait, you do know we're only in perth for like 3 days, 2 nights before we go home and that's like 2 or 3 hours away. We can't go from Bunbury to Perth in one evening."

"I know, it's booked for the second night. Connie should be nicely jet lagged in the evenings so she should theoretically be asleep the entire time they're watching her but I wanted to double check just incase they had an unknown aversion to Connie after visiting."