“Michael,” Bee said. “We put him on the birth certificates.”
“It would really put him on the spot. We need to talk to him. I mean we’ve decided to live in a certain way, an unconventional way, and the children can’t be the ones to suffer by it.”
“Well, not any more than is inevitable. They already know not to say they have two mothers. We’ve talked to them about it.”
“Yes, I gave Philip that talk before he started school in September.”
Bee sighed. “I’m so sorry to have missed that.”
Pat stroked her arm consolingly and then hugged her close. “It really is so wonderful to have you here again. I’ve missed you so much.”
“Me too, you.”
Pat rang Michael the next morning after she’d taken the children to school. He agreed to come down at the weekend. She also called Lorna, and asked if she knew any friendly lawyers. Lorna called back later with a name, and Pat called and made an appointment for Monday.
Bee’s resolution sometimes faltered and she sometimes grew short-tempered with pain and exhaustion. In general Pat was astounded by how well she dealt with everything. They ordered an electric wheelchair and were told it would be delivered in a few weeks. Michael arrived on Friday evening and disappeared beneath a wave of children. He had brought them cylinders of bubble mixture with wands, a different shaped wand for each child. “Only outside!” Pat said. “Which means not until the morning!”
Michael was very impressed at how Bee swung herself around. “You wait until I have my electric wheelchair,” she said.
After the children were in bed it was Michael who opened the subject. “I’ve been worried about what happens to them if something happens to you.”
“That’s what we wanted to talk to you about,” Pat said. “We’re going to make each other the legal guardian of all the children.”
“You can’t adopt them,” Michael said. “I looked into that. Two women…”
“We think we can name each other the legal guardian if anything happens. Anyone can be a guardian. But you’re down as the father on their birth certificates, you’d be the automatic person they’d ask.” Bee looked at him inquiringly.
“Are you asking me to give up my rights in them?” he asked.
“No, only to agree if it came to it that the one of us that was left would keep them all,” Pat said.
“What if neither of you were left?”
Pat and Bee looked at each other. “Well in that situation what would you do?”
“I suppose I’d look after them,” he said, slowly.
“I know this isn’t what we originally said,” Pat said. “We hadn’t thought about this at all.”
“It was all so theoretical,” Michael said. “Now they’re people, all of them, even little Philip. Yes, all right, if something happens to both of you I’ll do it. But what if I did get married the way you’re always telling me to do?”
“That would be more complicated,” Bee said. “Are you thinking of it?”
“What, jilt you after that photo in the Standard making half of London and my own parents think you’re my fiancée? When would I have had time to think about it?”
Bee laughed and then turned serious. “I’m eternally grateful to you for that.”
“It was the least I could do.” Michael turned his teacup in his hands. “Do you have anything stronger?”
“I think I might have some wine we brought back from Italy last year. I didn’t bring any this year because I left in such a hurry,” Pat said, getting up.
“She didn’t even bring any olive oil or dried porcini,” Bee said.
Pat dug up an unopened bottle of red wine and dusted it before taking it through to the sitting room. She gave it to Michael with the corkscrew and went back for two glasses.
“Who opens the wine when you’re alone?” Michael asked.
Pat and Bee looked at each other. “Either of us, when we have parties,” Pat said. “We don’t usually drink wine when it’s just us. I mean I don’t really drink.”
Michael opened the wine and poured a glass for himself and another for Bee, taking hers over to where she was sitting in the green chair that had become hers in the week since she had been home. He took a sip. “Red Tuscan wine, like we were drinking the night we started this whole thing,” he said, turning the stem of the glass.
“I remember that,” Bee said. “In Bordino’s.”
“So I think the sensible thing is if you designate each other guardians and all that. Ideally you’ll never need it and everything can go on as it is and the children will grow up with nothing worse to worry about than the European independent nuclear deterrent and the creeping privatization of everything in sight.”