[ At the Ladeez House ] [ Developments in Manu Valley ] [ Mambo Loa the Ghostbuster ] [ Two Guys ] [ The Birds and the Bees ] [ Macondo ]
See also [ The Ladeez' Party and its Consequences ] [ A Good Night's Shopping ]
Anne Foucault invited her boss, Spock, out to the Laughing Parrot beach, and they spent the whole, long summer evening and night swimming, talking and getting to know one another.
Soon they married, with a minimum of fuss, and moved to a house. Little Nancy was pleased to have a Daddy, but missed her other Mommies.
Went onto the dating site.
She had responses on from Lance, Elvis and an older chap, Benjamino Gotti. His family were pretty wealthy, though he was new in town.
Lance always seemed to be busy. She contacted him quite a few times, and he was sweet, apologising for his busy life, although he could never tell her exactly WHAT he was busy doing, just inferring that as a Very Important Person he had to go to lots of meetings. Well, he could do that without her, Ambassador or no.
Elvis looked nice, but she was friends with Karen, his former roomie, and she told Ava that he seemed to be a confirmed bachelor, devoted to his career. "A really nice guy, and a hero! But he's the sort of guy who will always be an uncle, never a father," was Karen's conclusion.
So Benjamino was the next candidate. She tended to prefer older men, as they were more appreciative! and he might not be around for so long... She decided she would do her bit to make his later days extra pleasant.
"Yes, I am really a kind of Social Worker!" she reflected, and set off to increase the sum of happiness in the community.
He wasn't bad looking and delighted in her company. They both loved Bar Surcouf, for its music, its liveliness and its beach-front feel.
Back at Bar Surcouf, she told him about her money worries.
He laughed and laughed. "I never have any money worries," he told her. "There's more than enough in my various accounts to see me out and then a lot more. I could set you up for life. That's if that was what you wanted."
A pause, broken only by the bartender's call:
"Happy Hour, people, come have a drink!"
"I'll be honest with you, Ava. I don't have very long. And I don't have time to waste - but if I did I would like to waste it on you!"
"That didn't come out very well."
"Oh yes it did!"
" I do love a woman who takes control."
After Ava went home, Benjamino decided to tease Joe.
Having assured herself that he had no living wife or girlfriend, Ava saw no point in waiting, and a few evenings later, on their next date...
He ticked all the boxes. He was rich, fun, and old. And he found her fascinating.
So yeah. Of course, he said yes.
He had already bought a lovely house when he moved out of his sister-in-law, Tina's huge but busy home, Macondo.
He put the new house in Ava's name. "Just being prudent, why should you have to pay extra tax on the house when the inevitable happens..."
"You mustn't think like that!"
"I really am feeling my age, my dear. I have outlived my daughters and my brother. I love my sister-in-law, my nephews and my niece, and I love you. But I don't expect to be here very long. Let's just make the most of the time we have."
She hugged him. "We have all the time in the world."
They completely refurbished the old house, installing lifts from bottom to top because Benjamino had a bad hip from years of climbing, jumping and running as a Master Thief.
Of course, he encouraged her to continue with her career. "Make me proud, cara! I want to see your name up in lights!"
Unexpectedly, she had to take a short career break. They called their baby son Arthur. Benjamino was so thrilled! "I've never had a son! You have given me the best reason to keep on living, my dear!"
When he wasn't spending quality time with his baby son, he took to hanging out at the seafront gym, where he started to work out his upper body, hobbled around, and once at the table, beat all comers at table tennis hands down.
Johnny was unaccountably, uncharacteristically depressed.
Sir Lance invited him to the Embassy, where they had long, top-secret conversations.
But Sir Lance did pull some strings and arranged for new balloons for Johnny's ship.
The ship is from the Exchange by exdemon1120