Best try on Chrome browser.
Lily was incredibly happy as they travelled back to her home town. They had left early and decided to stop and spend a few hours in York as it was only a short journey from there onto Redcar, and Alex had never been. After renting a storage locker for their bags. Lily took Alex on a tour. York was one of her favourite cities and her second choice for University if she hadn’t been accepted at Oxford.
She held his hand happily as they walked past some of the sights, explaining that the town dated back to the Romans and was a large part of the Viking settlement in England, even pointing out the name York was derived from Jorvik. She knew he probably knew it all, but she was back in her part of the world after spending so much time in his, and she just wanted to experience it with him.
After visiting the Minster, Lily was surprised when Alex led her to a chain French brasserie nearby.
“Alex, we can eat there in Oxford. Let’s get something local,” Lily complained.
Instead of giving in to her complaint, Alex stopped and smiled at her.
“Do you trust me?” He asked.
“You know I do, but I don’t understand what the restaurant has to do with that,” Lily replied, suddenly confused.
“Just trust me,” Alex replied, taking her hand and leading her inside.
Lily was surprised when Alex told the host they were meeting someone, and before Lily could ask, she heard a male voice call out, “Alex! Over here.”
As Lily turned to the voice where she saw a man in his early 40s with a woman in a wheelchair and two preteen children.
“I’ll explain at the table,” Alex whispered in her ear as he led her over.
By the time they reached the table, the man was standing up and grabbed Alex in a bear hug. As the hug broke, Alex stepped back and introduced her.
“Lily this is my dad’s cousin Toby, his wife Sophie and the two terrors are Dylan and Alice. It’s been a few years since we’ve seen each other, and since we agreed to stop in York, I thought it might be nice.”
Lily was annoyed that he hadn’t warned her but decided she could deal with that later and turned to the table to introduce herself properly. After Alex bent down to hug Sophie in her chair and accepted hugs from the children, they took their seats.
“My word, Alex, do you ever stop growing?” Toby remarked. “I know you were only 15, but you must have grown 9 or 10 inches since we last saw you.”
“Yeah, well, I grew a bit after Mum died, figuratively and physically.”
She watched as Toby nodded his head, “I suppose you had to. Debbie was a good woman.”
Lily took Alex’s hand under the table as she watched him think a little, before he smiled again.
“She was, thanks, Toby. Anyway, I’m meeting Lily’s family this weekend; I need a refresher on my Yorkshire roots and how not to act too much like a Southerner.”
“Oi, just be you, they’ll love you,” Lily complained.
“Oh, don’t worry, it’s just a joke,” Sophie cut in. “Toby loves to tease Alex about being the only one of the Taylors not born in Yorkshire and for being a Southerner.”
Lunch turned into an enjoyable experience, and despite Alex’s description, the children were polite and wellbehaved, happily distracted by their colouring pages. She was included in most of the conversation, and it was a pleasant meal. Toby insisted on paying for lunch, and Alex took the kids into a nearby sweetshop and let them pick out whatever they wanted. Lily waited until they were on the train again before confronting him.
“Why didn’t you tell me you had cousins in York and wanted to meet them?” She asked after they had found seats.
“I didn’t know if they were going to be available, so I wasn’t sure it mattered,” Alex answered. “Toby travels a lot for work, and with Sophie’s disability, meeting up requires lots of planning. He only confirmed last night, and by then, I was more worried about making a good first impression on your family.”
“Oh, is that why you don’t see them very often?” Lily asked. She was still not quite convinced by his justification, but it wasn’t worth an argument.
“As I said, Sophie’s disability means everything has to be planned. I’m mostly in Oxford or Botswana. I last saw them at my granddad’s funeral. Today seemed like a good opportunity.”
Lily was much happier at his second answer and kissed his cheek before settling down to look out the window at the familiar countryside, letting the miles roll past. As the conductor announced Redcar was the next stop she felt Alex tighten slightly and sat up to kiss him.
“Alex, everything is going to be fine; I love you. My parents have always trusted me to make my own decisions, and you are one of them,” Lily reassured him. “Just be the polite, charming person you are with your grandmother, and they’ll love you too. It wouldn’t hurt to emphasise that even though you were born in London, you have strong Yorkshire roots with Dad and my uncles.”
Lily smiled as Alex chuckled and got up to sort out their luggage as the train began to slow down. Lily could see her parents waiting for them through the ticket barriers and subtly pointed them out to Alex. Lily felt him hesitate a little when they got through barriers, so she took his hand and led him over.
“Mum, Dad, this is Alex, my boyfriend. Alex this is Mum, Susan and Dad, Bill,” she said simply, introducing him to her parents without any greetings.
Lily watched as her parents studied him before her mum stepped forward with her arms open, offering a hug.
“It’s lovely to meet you, Alex. Lily speaks about you, and she’s sounded a lot happier on the phone recently.”
Her father wasn’t quite as openly welcoming but offered a firm handshake.
“It’s nice to meet the two of you. Thank you for having me,” Alex replied politely.
“Once Lily decides something, it’s hard to disagree with her,” Bill chuckled.
Lily watched the scene play out, happy it hadn’t been awkward before claiming her own hugs from her parents. Once done, she turned back to take her things from Alex, but he just told her he had it handled. Her father gave him an approving smile and took Lily’s things from him before leading them to the car.
By the time they got home, Lily was more confident than ever that her parents would learn to love Alex as she had. In the car, he was polite and answered all their questions respectfully and in a charming tone. She knew he was onto a winner when it casually came out that he played rugby at college and cricket for the pub in the summer. Of course, her father had questions about Alex and his rugby.
“Do you play proper rugby, or that nonsense called Union you play in the South?”
“I’m sorry, Bill, I do play Union. Maybe I’m not tough enough for Rugby League,” Alex joked back. “But I do prefer a game with actual rules and structure.”
Lily smiled as her father laughed, “Nonsense Lad, there’s plenty of rules in League. I’ll have to educate you.”
At home, Lily gave Alex a tour of the house and showed him his room. Closing the door quietly behind them, she pulled his face down and kissed him gently.
“You’re doing great. Dad seems impressed already,” Lily told him in a soft voice.
In return, Alex tightened his hug, “Thanks, they seem like really nice people.”
“They’re the best,” Lily replied. “Anyway, come on, Mum’s probably making us a cup of tea,” Lily finished before taking his hand to lead him downstairs.
“Hang on, I just need to get something.”
Lily watched as Alex rummaged through his bag before pulling out a bottle of what appeared to be gin and a selection of beers. Lily held her hand out to inspect Alex’s offerings, finding the bottle of gin was from an artisanal distiller in Oxford and the beer was all types of traditional ales (her father’s favourite) from around Oxfordshire. Lily smiled and looked up at him.
“So this is why you were asking about what drinks my parents preferred?” Lily rhetorically. “I thought you were just trying to learn their pub orders ahead of time.”
“It’s rude to turn up emptyhanded,” Alex said simply, taking his presents out of her hands and following her downstairs.
Lily was overjoyed when her parents thanked Alex profusely for his gifts, and her mum even promised to make sure they shared a gin and tonic before they headed back to Oxford. It was a simple evening, and her father insisted that they go out for a meal to celebrate Lily’s being home and Alex’s presence.
They decided on a curry, and Lily was happy. Alex continued to make a good impression throughout the evening. Lily already knew he had impeccable table manners from their date nights. But he turned on the charm, flattering her mother appropriately and not trying too hard to impress her father. This was especially apparent when they ordered their meals.
“I thought you would try and order the hottest curry on the menu to impress me,” Bill remarked after Alex had ordered.
“I like spicy food, but I don’t think ordering something I can barely eat or enjoy out due to a false sense of bravado is that impressive,” Alex replied nonchalantly as if the thought had never occurred to him.
Lily remained mostly silent through the meal and watched Alex deal with her parents’ questions, occasionally squeezing his thigh gently under the table in support. She was impressed by the open and casual he answered everything, from questions about his upbringing, his family, and Botswana, even letting her mum take his hand after he revealed his own mum had died.
By the time dinner was complete, Lily was convinced that her parents liked Alex. He offered to contribute to the bill but retreated gracefully when her parents refused, asking if he could at least look after the tip instead. Her father looked at him carefully.
“Alex, it’s really kind, but you don’t have to. If you really want to pay for something, you can buy us a round at the pub before you head home. Think of this as a thank you for looking after Lily all summer and bringing our little girl home.”
When they got home, Lily truly learned how big an impression Alex had made over dinner when her mother pulled her into the kitchen to make some tea while.
“I know this is only a first impression, but if you let that boy go, I will seriously start doubting that you are as clever as you’ve led us to believe you’re entire life,” Susan said in a hushed tone.
“I have no intention of letting him go; I love him, like imagining our future together, love him”, Lily replied in the same voice.
“I know it’s written all over your face every time you look at him.”
“But we’re so young, we’ve got two more years of Uni, and then we have to worry about finding jobs and starting careers; what if our paths don’t align?” Lily whined as the kettle began to boil.
“That’s life sometimes, Lily; not everything is going to work out the way you planned it, but if you both truly want this, you’ll find a way,” Susan soothed. “Don’t worry too much about the age thing. I met your dad at 20 and was married by 22, and now we’ve been married for just over 23 years. Don’t think too far ahead, Love. Learn to just enjoy the moment.”
Lily went to sleep that night feeling very happy. She was in her childhood home with her parents, and most importantly, they had accepted and seemingly approved of Alex. He still needed to pass the test with the rest of the family, but that would have to wait until the next night at her grandparents, and she had no doubts he would excel as he did at most things in life.
Lily had a plan in mind when she woke up the next morning. She knew they were expected for a family party at her grandparent’s that evening, but there were no plans for the day, and she wanted to take Alex on a tour.
After a quick breakfast, they started locally walking past the scenes of her childhood and adolescence. She showed him her old school and the park where she would hang out with her friends before taking him to the local corner shop, where she got her first job at 16; they even went in so Lily could introduce Alex to the manager. Once they finished, they ventured into the town, where Lily’s mood changed.
Like many British towns, the town centre wasn’t the thriving centre of activity she remembered from her childhood; shops had been boarded up, never to reopen. Unlike Oxford, which had a thriving tourist scene, no big investors were coming in to rejuvenate the town. Saddened, she led him towards the seafront and Esplanade. Standing on the Esplanade, she stood in front of Alex and wrapped his arms around her for warmth as she looked out to the North Sea.
“You know, for over 100 years, the Northeast was central to the building of this country,” She started quietly, knowing he probably knew the hi. “There used to be 91 blast furnaces within a 10mile radius of here. It was the second largest steelworks in Europe, stretching from here to Middlesbrough. Middlesborough took the steel and made the ships that helped build and maintain the ‘Great British Empire’; Durham, just a little further north of us, provided the coal. The steel made here built the Syndey Harbour Bridge, Aukland Harbour Bridge and many others. But we weren’t just an industrial area. Before planes, travel was by sea and reserved for the rich. This was a thriving tourist area, heading south to Whitby, Robin Hood’s Bay, and Scarborough.”
“I know about Whitby. Mike’s got a family connection,” Alex interrupted quietly.
“We’ll talk about that later, I swear you two need a DNA test just to prove you’re not related,” Lily replied sharply before continuing her . “As I was saying, then the decline started; really, it started in the 80s when the coal mines first began to shut down. But steel stayed strong. Steel would always be needed, right? I guess the world didn’t agree, or cheaper sources were found, and they shut down the steel works for two years. A new company came in and relit the main furnace, and there was hope again. That lasted less than 3 years. I’m old enough to remember that. They extinguished the furnace, and there was no going back this time. They demolished most of it just a few years ago. There are a couple of remaining furnaces, but it’s nothing like it used to be. Steel is why I’m here; my greatgrandfathers, grandfathers, Dad, and uncles all worked in the steelworks and provided for us. There’s talk about regenerating the area, building an electric arc furnace, a new industrial zone and freeport, but there’s never a timeline or any details, and I hate it. I hate the promises that never seem to happen; I hate the false hope that someone will come in and make our area what it was before. We went from the industrial backbone that built this country to an afterthought. Dad was one of the lucky ones getting his job with Royal Mail, and Mum has always been fairly secure in her job at the hospital, but it’s not the same, you know.”
Lily paused before continuing, knowing she wasn’t far from tears, “It’s hard to see your parents struggling to provide for you when they grew up never needing or really wanting anything. My grandparents are fine because they retired before the collapse, and their pensions are protected but they still need to be careful. The rest of my family, we all have the same problems. There are jobs, but they never seem to pay what we had before. Yes, everything is cheaper here, but it still never seems to be enough.
Alex, whatever happens with us, I need you to know this. This is why I came to Oxford and this is why I resented you in the beginning. I don’t want to struggle, I don’t want to have to save up for a night out like my parents do, and it all looked so easy for you, like it didn’t matter if you did well or not, when I had to fight every day to get the opportunity to make it out of here. I know your real now, and I love you, but please never take the life you’ve been given for granted. You know that sometimes I struggle to feel like I belong in Oxford. Unlike most of you, I know what it feels like to hear your parents argue over which bill to pay. Living with Mike and Sarah and seeing how easy it is for them, all of you, really has been like being let into a world I never knew existed or dreamed I would be allowed in.”
Lily, very aware of the fact she was now crying, turned around and buried her head in his chest, drawing comfort from his powerful frame as he wrapped his arms around her. Being wrapped in his arms was her safe place. She felt like nothing could touch her in the cocoon of his arms. After a minute or so, her sobs settled down, and she felt Alex kiss the top of her head before moving his hand to lift her chin so she would look at him. His eyes were sad with empathy and full of love. Lily had a weak smile as he used his thumbs to brush away her tears before he gave her a gentle kiss.
“Thanks for telling me all of that,” he said quietly before pushing their foreheads together. “Remember, ke a go rata.”
“Le nna, ke a go rata,” Lily replied and kissed him again.
“Come on, let’s find a café and get you a cup of tea before we start thinking about lunch,” Alex said, simply taking her hand and leading her along.
“I already know what we’re doing for lunch; you’re getting proper northern fish and chips; some of the chip shops in Oxford should be ashamed of themselves.”
“They’re not all bad,” Alex replied defensively.
“Alex, there’s maybe one or two that are okay, and what the pub does isn’t bad. But most of them are not chip shops. If they’re selling doner kebab, they have no business doing fish and chips.”
“Next, you’ll be telling me I’m not allowed ketchup on my chips.”
“Aren’t you a clever thing,” Lily replied, grabbing his arm and leaning against him. “Salt and vinegar should be plenty, maybe some gravy or curry sauce for the chips if you’re that way inclined, but nothing touches the fish apart from some lemon juice or tartar sauce.”
For the rest of the day, Lily forgot her vulnerable confession and focused on sharing the fun parts of Redcar with Alex. They went to the Zetland Lifeboat Museum, which housed the oldest lifeboat in the world, before going to the small amusement park and enjoying the small rollercoaster and arcade games.
By the time they got back to the house to get ready for the party at her grandparents’ house, Lily was full of love for Alex. Getting ready for the party, she went through her things, looking for the dress she had packed deliberately for the occasion. Before putting it on, she stood naked in front of her mirror and snapped several nudes. Picking her favourite, she texted him.
Lily: Everything you see is all yours. For as long you love me, I’m yours. You are everything I want and never knew I needed.
Lily didn’t wait for a reply, knowing he was in the shower and slipped on the dress she had picked for the night, a fairly tight lavender wrap dress, which she didn’t need a bra to wear. It wasn’t short or overly revealing, but she wouldn’t normally wear a dress like that for a family gathering. She picked it because she knew Alex would dress up to make a decent impression on her family, and she wanted to match her man.
At the party, Lily focussed on introducing Alex around in order of priority, starting with her grandparents before her aunts and uncles and saving her cousins for last. Leaving Alex with her cousins, she went to the kitchen to find drinks. Two of the girls, Kerry and Hannah, followed her.
“Wow, Lily, where did you find that one?” Hannah asked. “You either need a better phone or need to use different filters because your social media does that man no justice.”
“We go to the same College; he’s really clever, like maybe the cleverest person there,” Lily replied, looking through the fridge for a beer Alex might like.
“Wait, so he’s handsome, built like a male model, and smart?” Hannah asked incredulously.
“And he’s great with kids,” Lily added, turning around with Alex’s beer to face her cousins.
ero
