Robbie & Jamie

Eight - Overwhelmed And Unprepared

Time was running out for Margaret; it loomed over her and caused her nothing but an inconvenient panic. There were less than two months until the wedding, and she hadn't received an official invitation. Of course, she already had plans to buy a new outfit, shoes and hat regardless, but without an actual invitation it would be hard to physically attend the ceremony.

What Margaret needed was a revelation; new information to promote an act of kindness she could perform for the girls, that was so special and moving, that the only way they'd be able to thank her would be with an invitation. But the question was, what? Margaret had begun to formulate a plan to help with the wedding cake, but she overheard Robbie and Joseph talking about that in their garden. It turns out, Jamie was worried about going into shops, so Joseph and Robbie were going to go instead, and come back with catalogues for the girls to look through.

Then, upon even more pondering, Margaret recalled that they still had transportation to sort, but when she looked online for possible limousine rentals, she became too engrossed in imagining HERSELF showing up to the wedding in one; she simply couldn't be upstaged by the brides-to-be.

"It's hopeless," Margaret sighed, closing the laptop and nestling her head in her hands. "I don't know what to get Roberta and Jemelin for their wedding." She turned to her husband, who was sat at the kitchen counter with a cup to his lips. "You'll have to go next door and do some scouting for me."

"Me?!" Peter spluttered, almost spitting out his mouthful of coffee. "Why?!"

"I don't want them getting suspicious of me," Margaret hissed, "or the wrong idea. But there's no doubt Claire has gone and gossiped about me."

"The wrong idea? In regards to...you wanting to go to the wedding?"

"No, the wrong idea that I'm DESPERATE!"

Peter suppressed his sigh by pretending to clear his throat. When his wife had an ambition or idea in mind, she couldn't be stopped. Because of this, she had been known to have countless disagreements with others. What Margaret saw as kindness, others saw as her being controlling and always taking lead. Despite having the passion to help, Margaret would always take things too far, and it was something she'd always struggled with getting under control.

"Margaret, darling," Peter began. "I think you need to stop for a moment and think about what you're doing."

"Well, the problem with that is I'm not actually doing anything yet," Margaret explained. "I need to find a way to make Roberta and Jemelin want to invite me to the wedding. Where I don't actually have to ask." A thought popped up. "Would it be insensitive if I asked which of them was the man of the relationship?"

"Yes, it would. Neither of them is 'the man' of the relationship. That's why they're lesbians."

"It's probably Robbie," Margaret told herself with a satisfactory nod, her fingers drumming against the desk. "She's the one with the shortest hair. And no sensible woman would wear those clumping boots."

"Margaret, listen for a moment. Robbie and Jamie don't even know us. You wouldn't like it if a stranger attempted to crash your wedding, would you?"

"Peter, we had all sorts of hooligans at our wedding."

"You don't have to talk about my parents like that."

"But that's besides the point," Margaret spoke as if Peter hadn't, and waved her hands to dismiss the conversation. "I want to go to their gay wedding. I've never met any gay people in my life."

Why didn't Peter understand this urge of Margaret's to see something new? Why was he so stuck up in his lawyer mind, fighting for Robbie's and Jamie's cause when they weren't even in the same room to overhear it? Because of his profession, Peter had met all sorts of different people. Rich, poor, gay, transgender, foreign, mentally challenged, disabled, struggling. And he always stuck up for the little man. It was admirable how her husband had helped so many people, and Margaret was proud of him, but sometimes she just wished he'd find excitement or confusion in new things, that he'd want to learn more.