Returning Home.

Chapter 10

I'm dishing out breakfast while Xavier comes into the kitchen. I just look up at him and a war in my head begins - do I throw him out or offer him a coffee?

I'm saved as Mae comes past him and asks him if he wants some coffee. He declines as he has to go and do some work. I just turn back to what I am doing.

"See ya later Lia." Xavier says as he goes to leave.
"Lia, who is Lia?" Will asks.
"Oh honey, that is Xaviers name for your mum." Mae replies. "When they were toddlers, Xavier could not say 'Amelia' properly, he used to just say 'Lia' so the name stuck."
"Oh, like how you call me Bas instead is Sebastien?" says Sebastien.
"Yes honey." I reply.

Xavier stops and is just looking at me like he is surprised. Sebastien is Xaviers middle name, his Grandma used to call him 'Bas' when he was little.

"I just wish you spelt it the normal way though." Says Will.
"What do you mean?" Xavier is now joining this conversation and I turn and say "Hurry up boys, we have so much to do today."

I was hoping to change the subject but Will is such a switched on kid that he finishes his sentence.
"It's spelt S-e-b-a-s-t-i-e-n. We can never just buy things with his name on it." Bas just agrees with Will.

Xavier just looks at me and smirks. He's so got one on me now. Yes, I used his middle name as my second child's name. I loved the name and as much as I hated the person, it just seemed to be the right name for Sebastien when he was born.

Xavier turns and walks out the door. I wait to hear his bike go and as I turn Mae is looking at me like she will be asking me some questions later on about what just happened.

######

The boys had planned a lunch for me which I thought was weird as we usually celebrate with a cake for desert at dinner time.  After having my fill of sausages on bread, my favorite meal, from the BBQ. Carrie comes in the door with Tyler and Slater. Tyler is holding a cake box and Slater has a few bottles of champagne. I give him a puzzled look and he just smiles and says "It's for when you get ready."

I turn and look at both Mae & Carrie who are giggling at this point. Tyler says to the boys, "Where is that playstation that you had at the old place?" The boys have been dying for Tyler to come over and set it up. Tyler brought it when he lived with us but the boys mainly played it.

He showed them that he had picked up a new game and then he turned to us and said, "Now there is no rush, I can stay in the spare room. My only condition is that you don't act like a pack of teenagers when you come home."

"What are you on about?" I ask.

"Surprise!" Carrie says "We are going out tonight and Tyler is babysitting."

"Don't you mean that the boys are babysitting Tyler?" Slater jokes.

"I heard that dad." Tyler yells from the hallway.

I'm just staring at them all. "What do you mean?" I say.

"I mean, grab your phone, we are heading to Annie's hair salon for a 'make me look like a million bucks' moment." Carrie squeals.

Slater chuckles as his flings my phone at me from the counter and kisses Carrie on the forehead. "I already think you look like a million bucks." he says to her.

"BLAAAAH" I cry as they start to get into a public display of affection.

"Your such a child Amelia." Slater says as he flips me the middle finger.

Tyler is standing on the porch giving me the shooing motion. I head over to him and say "Are you sure Tyler, its Saturday night and you could be out with your mates?"

"Stop being silly and go and enjoy yourself. I have plenty of other Saturday nights to go out and it has been ages since mum has gone out anywhere, so I am not going to stop this at all." Tyler replies. "Also, let me know what you think about Shelia when you are at Annie's" he winks when he goes back inside.

Slater ducks into the house and comes back with 3 drinks bottles for us all. I take a sip and nearly spit it out. "Slater, these are the boys." I say to him.

"Oh well, I'll make sure I wash them out extra well." he laughs. The cheeky bugger had put the champagne in the drink bottles for us to take in the car.

"Come on ladies, your burning daylight. Your chariot awaits." He says as he opens the doors of his truck. Mae and I jump into the back while Slater eases Carrie into the passanger seat.

"I feel like that time we all snuck out to the rave at the Sirromet winery." Slater says.

"You guys what?" Mae cries out.

"Bloody hell Slater, I had been keeping that secret." I giggle as Slater goes red realizing that Mae never knew that we had done that when we were younger.

####

As we leave Annie's Salon, all the girls come out and wave us off. They were so nice and went way overboard in making sure that we looked 'like a million bucks' before we left.

Carrie the sneaky cow had taken 2 dresses from my cupboard so that Annie and the girls could work out which one they liked the best, which was a black cocktail style dress that had a low cut frount that hugged my boobs and  just ended above my knees and then worked their magic. I could not remember the last time I had dressed up to go out.  I just kept staring at myself in the mirror as I didn't even recognize myself, I could not even remember the last time I had worn my hair not in a pony tail.

Annie had curled the ends of my hair so that they ran down my shoulders in messy loose ringlets and I got to meet 'Sheila'. Wow, was she a beauty. She did my makeup and as much as I protested about it, she was so calm and said that she was only going to use a light makeup as I was 'a natural beauty' in her eyes. I just laughed, I've never seen myself as a natural beauty.

Slater had taken off to do some work and when he pulled up he just kept looking around for us. Carrie practically grabbed him.

"Excuse me beautiful lady, but I'm looking for my wife." he said but he could not hold his poker face as he let out a laugh. Carrie slapped him on the chest as he pulled her in for a kiss.

Mae and I were laughing as they just embrace on the sidewalk. In the end Mae had to clear her throat so that they would stop.

"Oh sorry ladies, but I'm taken by this beauty." He said as he smiles at us.

"Your a dork Slats." I said as we all piled into his car.