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anglophiletraveler · 6 days

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In My Life

Chapter 37

Pressure

Written by Billy Joel

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Poor Ross. The guy is getting pulled into a couple of different directions, when all he wants to do is keep everyone happy and marry the love of his life! A big thanks to Karen Bockius for supporting me, and also to my friend Chelsea who works in a human resources department and advised me on how the situation with Jenny should go. Sorry it’s been so long since I’ve posted a new chapter. I’ll try to keep writing faster. Enjoy!

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The work week started back up again for Ross and Demelza, and the normal business of their lives got even busier with starting to plan their wedding. The phone calls and emails from Caroline definitely amped up ten-fold. Ross made sure that she was including him on the emails not because he was really into planning the wedding, but because he didn’t want her overwhelming Demelza. He wasn’t afraid to drop a hint to Caroline that something wasn’t cool. Demelza had decided on having Ross come along for the wedding dress appointment, much to Caroline’s chagrin. And to make things even, Ross decided to have Dwight go along as well, which Dwight wasn’t exactly happy about, but he said he would go for his best mate.

Things at work with Jenny had gotten somewhat better, or so Ross thought. Jenny had calmed down her attitude toward Demelza, so that made Ross happy. He thought a lot about Jenny and her family back in Cornwell and didn’t want to upset anyone. Ross was feeling more comfortable in his position as director of the charity division. He really enjoyed the feeling of helping people and making a small difference in their lives. It was a much better fit for him.

Ross and Jenny were just finishing up a meeting in his office, when he mentioned to Jenny to make sure that his calendar stayed clear for Thursday morning.

“Sure, I can make sure I do that. Do you have a meeting or something that you need my help with in getting ready for?”

“No, I’m just taking a few hours off to go wedding dress shopping with Demelza,” Ross just threw it out there like it wasn’t a big deal, and it really wasn’t to him.

“Wait, you’re what!?” Jenny’s voice raised a little bit.

Ross was still looking down at some papers on his desk and smiled and without looking at her, “I’m going wedding dress shopping with Demelza. She asked me to go along, so I’m going with her.” He sat up and looked at Jenny. “What?”

“Wellll, it’s just the groom usually doesn’t go with the bride to shop for her wedding dress. Because you know, it’s supposed to be a surprise.”

“Jenny, it’s okay I’m not going to see the actual dress she picks, if she even picks one that day. I’m just going to support her. She asked me to go, so I’m going. Sorry if that bothers you.” Ross didn’t like where this was going, but maybe it’s a reaction from others that he will have to get used to. He realised that it isn’t something that the grooms don’t usually do, but on the other hand, people don’t know about Demelza’s scars that she’s sensitive about and he’s not about to justify himself to anyone.

“So does this mean that you’ve picked a date?” Inquisitive minds want to know.

Ross sighed, “Yes, Jenny we have. June 3. Is that alright with you?” Ross watched for the next reaction because he had an idea of what was next.

“June 3! That’s soon! Wow, not a very long time to plan a wedding.”

Ross smiled to himself, “Yes, but it will be fine. We want the wedding before my mother has her surgery. And it’s not like we’re going to be planning a royal wedding. It’s going to be small and personal.”

Jenny gave a small smile, “That sounds lovely. Do you have a wedding planner?”

“Nah, we don’t need one. Caroline is going to help us out. The wedding and reception will be at her uncle’s home in Cornwall. It’s all good. Very low stress.”

“Oh. I’m surprised you’re not getting married at Nampara.”

Ross looked up at the ceiling, sighed and took a beat. “Jenny, that's way too much stress for my mum right now. We’re going to have some pictures taken there, and then the rest will be at Killewarren with family and close friends. Now why don’t you go work on the agenda for the Lawson meeting for me, yeah?”

“Sure, Ross.” Jenny knew she was being politely dismissed, so she tucked her tail and left his office. She laid her things on her desk calmly and headed for the restroom to get herself together. She locked herself in a stall and started crying. She didn’t understand what was happening! She and Ross used to be so close. He had never had a cross word for her before, was always so encouraging and kind and nice. The only thing that’s changed is Demelza. Ever since Demelza has come into his life, he’s been a completely different person! She’s changed him! And now he acts like an idiot! It’s all her fault! She couldn’t believe that he was going with her to shop for wedding dresses! Is she so insecure that she can’t pick out a fucking wedding dress without him! She’s glued to his hip! This isn’t her Ross! She’s changed him. It’s all her fault. She couldn’t stop crying, and it sounded like she was mumbling to someone.

What Jenny didn’t know was that there was someone a couple stalls down from her. It was Sharon, an assistant to one of the vice-presidents. She left the stall quietly and washed her hands. When Jenny heard someone else she was mortified. Oh shit! What did I say? Did someone hear me?

“Hello? Do you need some help? Can I call someone for you?” Sharon didn’t know who it was crying in the stall but it was very obvious that they were distressed.

Jenny tried to stop crying, and calm herself down, “Um no, I’m okay.” She stepped out of the stall, and saw Sharon standing there and gave her a small smile. “Thanks, but I’m okay. I just, um, need to calm myself down. I got some bad news today. But thank you. I’ll be fine.”

“Are you sure? I’d be willing to call someone for you. Don’t you work for Ross Poldark? Would you like me to get him for you?” Sharon replied.

Jenny gasped, “Oh no, please don’t. I’m just going to splash some cold water on my face and I’ll be fine.”

“Alright. Well, let me know if there’s anything I can help you with,” Sharon gave her a tight smile and left the restroom.

Jenny finally was able to get herself together, got a fresh cup of coffee and went back to her desk. She was hoping that Ross hadn’t noticed how long she had been gone.

Ross had noticed that she’d been gone awhile, but he didn’t want to say anything more to upset her. She seemed to be alright after she came back so maybe she just needed a breath of air and hopefully the rest of the day will go better.

********************

At Trenwith, Francis and Elizabeth were having drinks before dinner, chit chatting about nothing in particular. Charles came into the room and poured a drink for himself and sat down.

“How has your day been father? Anything interesting happen?” Francis asked his father.

“Oh no, one day is about the same as the next anymore. I think I may go into the office tomorrow and see how you are running things,” Charles scoffed.

Francis looked at Elizabeth, “Well, there’s no need for that father. Everything is smooth sailing like always. Have you spoken with Verity lately?”

Charles grumbled, “Verity? Why would I hear from her? She’s still shacking up with that boyfriend of hers.”

“Charles, I’ve heard that he’s not as bad as you think. Maybe you should meet him for Verity’s sake,” Elizabeth was trying to steer the conversation from business because she had a feeling that Francis wasn’t taking very good care of it.

“Bullocks! Oh, I just remembered something interesting did happen today. I ran into my brother at the pub earlier. He was picking up some fish and chips for Grace. Anyway, it seems that Ross and his new girlfriend have set a wedding date. I think he said it’s June 3.” Elizabeth choked on her drink at the news of Ross and Demelza’s wedding date.

Francis saw his wife choking on her drink, “Darling are you alright? Do you need a glass of water?”

Elizabeth’s eyelashes were fluttering trying to keep tears from rolling down her cheeks, “Erm, no thank you, my drink just went down the wrong pipe. Charles, are you sure their wedding is this June 3?”

“Hmm? Oh yes, yes, this June 3. They want to have the wedding before Grace’s surgery, poor thing. I offered to have the wedding here, but Joshua said that it’s already been planned to have it at Killewarren so that Grace doesn’t have the upset and worry of having the wedding at Nampara. I told him they should have the wedding on a family estate, but apparently the girl has connections with Ray Penvenan’s niece, so it’s all set. But I guess they’re going to have some pictures taken at Nampara. Where’s Mrs Tabb? Our meal should be ready by now!”

“Elizabeth you’re awfully pale, do you need to have a lie down?”

“Francis stop, I don’t need you fawning over me. I can’t believe they’re getting married so quickly. Ross doesn’t know what he’s doing by getting involved with that woman.”

Francis looked puzzled, “I don’t understand? She seems like a lovely person the few times that I’ve talked with her. And I can certainly understand that they’d want to get married before Aunt Grace’s surgery. Makes perfect sense to me…”

Elizabeth stood up in huff, “Oh Francis just shut up. You don’t know anything about her. I’m going to see what’s happening with supper.”

Charles looked over his glasses and watched as Elizabeth left the room in a hurry and then looked at Francis, “Seems to me boy, that your wife still has feelings for Ross. You better be reining her in, or you’re going to lose her. If Ross wanted her, it wouldn’t take much for him to steal her from you.”

Francis’s face flushed as his father reprimanded him.

“Mark my words, boy! Mark my words!”

Francis gulped his whiskey down and left the room.

**********************

The next day at work, Jenny had definitely seemed off again to Ross. He was concerned about her for more than one reason. Her family had been lifelong friends of the Poldarks, he had brought her onboard here with a job because he knew her family needed money. And she has always been a good worker, very conscientious of her work, typical of a Cornish family. But she almost seemed depressed, and not happy with her job anymore. This was a new situation for Ross and he really didn’t know what to do. He decided to go to Richard Tonkin and ask for his advice. His family was also from Cornwall and had known the Martin family as well, so maybe he had some insight.

Tonkin’s door was open, but Ross knocked a few times on it anyway. “Ross! Good to see you mate, come on in and close the door.” When Ross walked in he noticed Richard’s secretary Sharon sitting in the office as well. The slight confusion must have shown on Ross’s face, “Have a seat Ross. I’ve asked Sharon to come in on this conversation as well. It’s always good to have a third person in the room when discussing issues such as this.”

“So,” Tonkin started, “you’re beginning to have issues with Jenny. Is her work no longer satisfactory?”

“No, nothing like that. It’s feeling personal. We used to be great friends. Well, you know the Martins from Cornwall.”

“Yes, I do. Lovely family.”

“Exactly. So when Jenny’s family needed some more income brought into the family, I had given her a trial period for two months to see how she would do, and she turned out to be quite excellent in her job. She’s very good with the computer programs that we run on, she’s full of good ideas ever since we moved to the Charity Department. But personally she’s become almost confrontational with me when it comes to my personal life, and she’s never done that before.”

Richard looked at Sharon and nodded to her to let Ross know how she had found Jenny in the restroom the day before. “She was an absolute mess, Ross. I offered to call you or anyone else for her but she was adamant that she was fine and she didn’t need anyone. She had been talking with herself in the stall before I spoke with her. I couldn’t quite make out what she was saying, it was a lot of mumbling. Has something happened between the two of you?”

“Yes, and that’s exactly the scenario that I’ve been worried about. We’d had a decent day working together and we were working on a new client. Then I told her that I needed her to make sure that she didn’t schedule any appointments for me on Thursday morning because I was going with Demelza wedding dress shopping. It was as if she were Linda Blair in the Exorcist and her head was spinning around! She started going on and on about how I shouldn't go wedding dress shopping, and that it’s bad luck to see the bride in her dress before the wedding.”

Sharon spoke up, “Well some people always have to give their two pence when it comes to weddings and babies. But still, it’s really none of her business as your assistant. Have you shared such details of your life with her before?”

“Well, yes. Back in Cornwall our families are very close. She knows about my brother Claude Anthony’s death, she knows about my mother’s cancer diagnosis. And she’s known about Demelza since we began dating. I don’t give her a lot of personal details about our relationship. It never seemed to bother her until the last couple of months. She started speaking ill of Demelza, like she was always blaming Demelza if I had to stay up late to pick her up from the music hall. Demelza doesn’t drive and I don’t want her riding the tube that late at night by herself, so I usually stay up to pick her up. I have had to remind her at one point that my relationship with Demelza isn’t any of her concern. I hated to do that, but she kept pushing and pushing against Demelza so I was stern with her when I told her that my relationship with Demelza isn’t any of her business. Then yesterday with the wedding dress shopping… I’m at a loss, Richard.”

“Yes, I see that. Well, make sure you keep your office door open whenever the two of you are working together in your office. And whenever she’s not in the office, keep your door closed. Sharon, can you think of anything else.”

“Well Ross, it’s obvious that she has a thing for you, almost like an obsession. Has there been any sexual contact between the two of you? We don’t want her to go over the deep end and start yelling sexual assault.”

“Absolutely not. And I don’t want her to lose her job. She’s a very good assistant. Can she just be moved to a different division?”

Tonkin let out a sigh, “I don’t know. I think we need to bring in HR on this and get their take on things. They are better trained at this type of thing than we are. Sharon, can you see if they have anybody free to come up here for just a few minutes.”

“Sure, I’ll go to my desk and call them. I’ll be right back.”

“This is dangerous business Ross. We don’t want you to be accused of something that you didn’t do, and we don’t want Jenny to freak out over a move to a different department,” Tonkin said.

“I know. I’ve been hoping that it would just blow over, but it hasn’t.”

“Her family are so nice, really good people…”

Sharon came back in the room and closed the door, “They’re going to send someone up. They should be here shortly.”

Ross sighed, “Thank you Sharon.”

“No problem. So you’re going all modern groom and going wedding dress shopping? Nobody can accuse you of being a caveman,” Sharon said.

Ross chuckled, “Well, it’s not something that I’m thrilled with, but her mother died long ago, and she’s been estranged from most of her family. She’s concerned about what the back of the dress will reveal. She has scars on her back from when her father used to beat her. So she asked me if I would come along. I couldn’t say no to that.”

Richard leaned forward in his chair, “That’s horrible. What father would beat his children!”

“Tom Carne would. When Demelza got accepted to uni she left home and hasn’t been back since. I keep telling her that for the most part her scars have faded, but I understand where she’s coming from.”

Richard nodded his head in agreement, “Yes, my friend, you would understand. Tom Carne…that name sounds familiar. Is he from Sawle?”

“Illugan. We think he’s still alive because he’s contacted one of Demelza’s brothers for money. Hopefully, he never finds out where we are…”

There was a knock on the door. Sharon got up and answered the door. It was James Ellis from the Human Resources department.

*************************

James Ellis was a well respected member of the human resources department. He had worked at the firm almost from the beginning of its inception, and was known to be a fair and decent man whenever it came to awkward or sticky situations. He was taking plenty of notes, handwritten in a yellow tablet while Ross and Richard spoke describing the situation, and their past history with Jenny and her family.

“So what do you think James? Have any idea of how Ross should proceed?” Richard asked.

James took a sip of his tea and sat back in his chair. “Well, there are a few different avenues that could be taken, depending on how far you want to take this.”

Ross was listening intently, brows furrowed, “Avenues… what kind of avenues?”

“Well, one direction we could take would be a written warning of her behaviour. She could then either keep working for you, Ross, in hopes that things get better, or we could give her the written warning and transfer her to a different department. Either way, she needs to know that although her job performance itself has been exemplary and well regarded, her present behaviour towards you is unacceptable and will not be tolerated. Normally, an employee isn’t allowed to transfer to another department if they’ve had a written warning, but we’d make an exception for something like this, since the warning isn’t for job performance. And then there’s the last option that we could take, immediate dismissal.”

Ross gasped and shook his head no, “No, I don’t want her to be dismissed. Is there any type of counselling that the firm could offer her?”

“You mean psychological counselling? Mmm that could be offered as well for possibly a ten week period.”

Sharon spoke up, “Ross, do you really think she would want to keep working for you after she’s received a written warning? She might be too upset or maybe even embarrassed to keep facing you on a daily basis.”

Ross was slowly nodding his head, “I..I don’t know Sharon. Maybe not. Bullocks I hate this! I really, really hate this.”

James closed his notebook, “Well, think on it, but don’t take too long. The last thing you want is for this to blow up in your face, although now that you’ve spoken with us, you do have that on your side. But make sure that if you decide to have a conversation with her about this, that you have someone from HR in the room. Make sure you always leave your door open when she’s in your office working with you, and when she’s not working with you, keep your office door closed.” James gathered his things into his briefcase and stood up, “Let me know what you decide.”

Ross stood up and shook hands with James, “I will. Thank you for your advice.”

“No problem. That’s what I’m here for. Sharon, Richard, it was good to see you both again.” Sharon and Richard both stood up to shake hands with him.

“Thanks again, James. Sharon can you show James out,” Richard asked.

“Certainly. After you James,” Sharon led James out of the office and down the hall to the elevator.

Richard closed the office door and turned to look at Ross, “Well Ross, you have a lot to think about. Do you have any idea of what direction you want to take?”

Ross sighed and rubbed his face with his hand, “I was really hoping it wouldn’t come to a decision like this. I guess the best choice would be to have her move to another department.”

“With a written warning, don’t forget,” Richard said.

Ross shoved his hands in his pockets and shook his head, “Christ, with a written warning. It’s madness Richard!” Ross took a look at his watch, “Bloody hell, look at the time, I better get back to my office. Thank you for your help in this matter, Richard. I know I’ve been a bit of a git about this, but it’s only because I care about Jenny a great deal, she’s like family to me.”

“Well, unfortunately she doesn’t think of you in that way. Maybe this will help her Ross. You know, wake her up to what she’s been doing so that she can move on.”

Ross raised his eyebrows, “That is another way to look at it. Alright, well I shall keep you informed. Thanks again.” The two men shook hands and Ross left to go back to his office. He was hoping that Jenny was not at her desk when he got back because he didn’t know what to say to her if she asked where he’d been. She always knew about his meetings, almost before he did. He really didn’t want to deal with an awkward situation at the present moment.

Ross was almost to his office and could see that Jenny was at her desk, so he braced himself for her barrage of questions.

She spotted him and smiled and stood up to stop him before he was at his office door, “Oh Ross, I hope you don’t mind. I wasn’t sure where you were but I didn’t think you’d be long.”

Ross furrowed his brow, “Jenny, what are you going on about?”

“Your friend, Dr. Enys came to see you, so I let him sit in your office until you returned.”

“Oh, is he still in there?”

“Yes. I offered him something to drink but he said he didn’t want anything. Do you want some coffee or tea?”

Ross’s head was spinning from his previous meeting and this encounter with Jenny. “Um yeah, get us both some coffee. He takes his like I do mine.”

“But he said he…”

“It’s fine Jenny, just get it please. He’ll drink it. Thank you.”

“Sure.”

Ross took a deep breath after she left and then walked into his office and greeted his best man, “Dwight! I hope you weren’t waiting long. I was at a meeting.”

Dwight was smiling just like he always does, “Yeah, that’s what Jenny figured. She wasn’t sure exactly where you were. You look like shit, mate. What’s wrong?”

Ross rolled his eyes and shook his head, “Well, gee thanks, I’m glad to see you. What can I do for my favourite best man?”

“I’m your only best man….”

Jenny walked in with the two coffees.

Dwight looked up at Jenny and smiled, “Thank you Jenny. I hope this wanker doesn’t keep you running for coffee too often.”

Jenny smiled, “Oh no Dr. Enys, not at all. Is there anything else I can get for you?”

Ross looked at his watch again and it dawned on him it was getting close to the end of the day, “No thank you Jenny, in fact, why don’t you just take the rest of the day off. This day has been a wash as far as I’m concerned.”

Jenny looked confused, “Are you sure? It’s just now 3:00.”

“Yeah, I’m sure. Have a good evening. Just close the door as you leave, please.”

Jenny smiled and pulled the door shut behind her.

Ross sat down and took a drink of his coffee, “Wish that I had something stronger I could put in there.”

Dwight frowned at his friend, “I had already told her that I didn’t need anything to drink. What’s wrong with you? You didn’t answer me before.”

“Hmmm, I asked her to get you a cup as well. If you don’t want it you don’t have to drink it. There is some stuff that I have to deal with …” He looked out his door to make sure Jenny had left for the day, “with Jenny. I’m probably going to have her transferred to a different department. She’s been acting really strange since Demelza and I got serious. She’s always saying bad things about Demelza and questioning the things I do for her. It’s like she has a crush on me and doesn’t want Demelza in my life. It’s gotten worse since we got engaged.”

“Wow. I had no idea. She’s always been so nice hasn’t she? And she’s from Cornwall.”

“Yes and yes. Which is why I have put up with it for so long. I’ve even told her that what goes on with Demelza and I, isn’t any of her concern. So, today, I finally went to Richard Tonkin about the situation, you know him don’t you?” Dwight nodded, “And he brought in HR and we went over the situation. Best case scenario is we give her a written warning and transfer her to a different department.”

Dwight took a drink of his coffee, “Wow, no wonder you look like shit. So obviously you haven’t talked to her yet?”

“No, I was just coming back from that meeting when I found you here, which I am eternally grateful for, because I’m knackered and I just didn’t want to deal with an awkward situation right now. So thank you for being here when I needed you!” Ross gave a weak smile to his friend.

Dwight smiled back, “Well, I’m glad that I could be of some help. My main reason for coming here was to talk with you about the wedding dress excursion that you’re going on. Caroline is a little upset about it. She thinks that you’re going because you don’t trust her. I told her that I was sure that wasn’t the reason but she didn’t believe me.”

Ross looked up at the ceiling and huffed, “I feel like I have been doing nothing but explain this decision to everyone around me! Grrrrrrrr it’s so infuriating! I know that it’s not normal, I know that it’s bad luck for the groom to see the bride in her wedding dress, yes, I am sure that I want to go with Demelza to the wedding dress shop.”

Dwight raised his hands up to stop Ross from more rambling, “Okay! Take a beat mate! What is going on with you?”

“Look, I’m sorry but this wedding dress has to be perfect for Demelza. She has concerns about the dress and how it will look in the back. I don’t know whether I’ve told you this or not, but Demelza still has scars on her back from when her father beat her while she was growing up, and she doesn’t want them to show on her wedding day. So she asked that I come along to make sure that the scars don’t show. Her decision. And it has nothing to do with Caroline. I was hoping that you were still going for support.”

Dwight shook his head in agreement, “Yes, I’m still planning on going. Well after what you’ve said, I can understand Demelza asking for you to be there. I had forgotten about the scars. But don’t forget how long these two women have known each other, far longer than we’ve known them, and they’re very close. So I don’t think it would be good for you to push Caroline away from Demelza.”

“Bloody fucking hell Dwight, that’s not what I said! Please don’t make this out to be more than what it is. The last thing I’m trying to do is tear apart their friendship, I would never do that. They’re like sisters, much like you and I are brothers. But I also don’t want this to turn into Caroline’s wedding instead of Demelza’s if you catch my drift.” Ross was not in the mood for all of this Spanish inquisition. He was trying to keep his temper from flaring up anymore than what it was.

“Caroline does have a habit of getting over excited about things, so I can understand your concern on that score. Well, I’ll explain the situation with the scars to Caroline, and I’m sure that she’ll understand. You look exhausted, why don’t you take your own advice and go home. I was going to ask if you wanted to go to the pub, but watching you fall asleep on the table won’t be any fun. So walk me out?”

“I’m sorry for being pissy. I’ve always heard that planning weddings can be stressful, but jayzus it’s only been a few days. Let me close everything up in here and I’ll walk out with you,” Ross checked his diary to make sure that he didn’t have anything else going on the rest of the day before he left early. He couldn’t wait to get out of the office.

*******************************

An exhausted Ross shuffled through the back door at home, practically ripping his tie off.

Demelza came down the stairway surprised to see Ross home so early, “Ross! I wasn’t expecting you home so early. Is everything alright? You look…”

“Terrible. Yes, I know, I was told that earlier. So, it’s still early, I’m going to take a shower before I have to take you to the music hall, yeah?” He grabbed a beer out of the fridge.

“Don’t worry about it Ross, I have tonight off, remember?”

Ross’s head dropped back, “Oh thank God! Look, it’s been a fucking awful day, and I’ll tell you all about it after I get a shower, alright?”

Demelza walked over and took him in her arms. “Sure. Are you hungry for anything in particular for supper tonight?”

“Mmmmm I don’t really care. Whatever goes good with beer!”

They both laughed at that. Demelza reached up for a kiss, “Well, how about I just order us a pizza so that we don’t waste any of this precious extra time that we have together tonight cooking in the kitchen.”

“That sounds perfect. Bloody hell you’re so smart! You order the pizza, and I’ll go jump in the shower.”

***********************

Ross attacked his slice of pizza like a lion attacking his prey.

“Oh Ross, I’m so sorry that all of this has happened with Jenny! I guess I didn’t realise that her feelings had gotten that far. I mean, I suspected that she had a crush on you, but I didn’t realise that it had gone this far.”

Ross washed down his pizza with a gulp of his beer, shaking his head, “Babe, I really don’t understand why she’s gone down that rabbit hole. I swear to God, I have never, ever flirted with her or tried to lead her on.”

“Oh Ross, I know you never did. You don’t have to prove anything to me. I just feel bad for her. Do you think it would help if I talked to her?”

“Oh love, I don’t know. Mmmm this pizza tastes so good tonight! Um, I really don’t know if it would help or hurt. That’s something I haven’t even thought about. And you know, we’ve got the wedding coming up, and I’ve always thought that she would be on the guest list, but now I don’t know how to handle that.” Ross let out a big belch.

Demelza laughed at him, “Ross, that was nasty! Judas! Haha. Well, I guess it’s something we can think about for a bit. Are you done eating? Or are you going to chew on the pizza box as well?”

Ross laughed, “Don’t make fun of me! It’s been a stressful day, and this pizza and beer was so good tonight. Just what I needed.”

“Really? I’ll remember that the next time you want to have sex!”

Ross’s eyes grew wider than saucers, “That’s not what I meant, Demelza!”

“I don’t know, maybe you’ll just have to sleep with the pizza box!” She had a devilish grin on her face.

“Oh Ross, I did something today I think you’ll be happy about.”

“Oh? Did you buy some new lingerie? Because I think I’d be pretty happy about that!”

“Ya wanker! No! But, I did sign myself up for driving lessons! I won’t be done with them until after the wedding, but I do start next week! I’m kind of excited!”

Ross gave her a big hug, “Oh love, I’m so proud of you that you took this step on your own! Once you get your licence and get more comfortable with it, I think it will really open up your life. But... can you still buy some new lingerie?”

“Oh Ross!”

***********************

Pressure by Billy Joel