For All Eternity

Happy Memories

"Are you sure this is alright?" Joe took his attention away from his frolicking daughter to the matriarch.

"Course it is, Dot used to do the same when she was younger."

Dianne squirmed in protest under his arm, "I did not."

"She did," Mark chimed in, "at one point it was like she was allergic to clothes."

"Literally. Oh my gosh, Joe, once we got a phone call from her teacher because she'd-"

"Mum, stop," Dianne interrupted the story, knowing exactly where it would end.

"It was really cute and funny. I can see Connie doing it actually," Rina mused, though to Dianne's relief didn't continue the story.

"Dot please, you've heard so many embarrassing stories about me, and you've seen all my videos. Just let me hear this one story, I bet it's not even that bad," Joe coaxed.

"Fine."

"Brilliant. All it was was Mrs New phones and said Dot was upset because the carpet was scratching her bum. But it was scratching because she hadn't worn any knickers to school."

Joe didn't laugh, and Dianne was turning her head to see if he had heard properly when he said, "aww that's so cute. How old?"

"3 or 4, only a baby. I ended up bringing her home because she wouldn't stop crying," Rina said, stroking her daughter's hair over the top of the bench swing.

"Bless. Yeah, I can totally imagine Monkey doing it. She's definitely allergic to clothes or she was last year, wasn't she?" Joe squeezed her foot, which he had been stroking.

"Hmm?" Dianne wasn't sure what he was talking about.

"When you weren't very well, erm it would have been... Joseph and his Technicolour Dream Coat."

"Shit, yeah. Gosh that's so fuzzy."

"When were you sick?" Rina asked, as her husband went to adjust the sprinkler. She couldn't remember her daughter being ill over Strictly, just Joe and Connie.

"Not sick. Exhausted, I think. I nearly fainted twice," Dianne recalled, nuzzling into his side more.

"Oh yeah, you caught one on camera."

"Yeah, what you don't see is her fainting off camera about 10 minutes later. You really weren't well. I remember worrying that Connie and I had given her this bug that we'd had but she was fine. Anyway, the story. I brought Connie gosh I mean Dianne. I brought Dot back because I was concerned she wasn't alright, which she wasn't because she nearly fainted in the lift. The babysitter was there so we got her to do Connie's bath and I got Dotty all settled. Gave her some medicine and stuff. And I think you pouted at me for a kiss so I kissed you and Connie came running through more naked than the day she was born."

"Did she know then?"

"Nope." Dianne chimed in, rubbing her forehead as the memory came back.

"Yeah I know," Joe said seeing her Mum's face. "I did that thing you know when you'll let them do anything so they stop asking about something?" Rina nodded; she was certain every parent had been there more than once. "Well I just lied and said I was making Dianne feel better. Then I asked her if she would put her towel back on but she wanted to be naked. Obviously, I didn't want to argue with her, I didn't want her asking anymore questions or stressing Di out so I think we ended up eventually persuading her to put some knickers on."

"Then she played doctors, remember?"

"Yeah, and I felt so bad because I could tell you weren't feeling well," Joe said, kissing the top of her head.