Pictures of Lily

telling his parents without having Little and Large making snide comments in the background.
    ‘Here you go, love.’
    ‘Thanks.’ I gratefully accept a glass of champagne from Richard’s dad. I’m going to need this.
    Anne and Joe’s house is in Mosman, a short drive from Manly. I don’t own a car because I commute to work by ferry quite happily, so we had to take Richard’s truck. He keeps it reasonably tidy, but I always feel like it’s dirty and I regretted my decision to wear a cream dress as soon as I stepped up into the cabin.
    ‘You look lovely today, Lily,’ Richard’s mum Anne says.
    ‘Thank you.’ My natural impulse is to dust down my dress. ‘I hope there are no marks on it,’ I say.
    ‘No, no.’ She glances behind me as I look round at my bum. ‘It’s perfect.’
    I do like his parents, but I don’t feel at ease in their home. It’s strange because they’ve never been anything but nice to me.
    Anne is a plump woman of about five foot five with tightly-curled brown hair. Richard’s grey-haired father Joe towers above her at six foot three. He’s skinny as a beanpole and has a large nose, upon which sits a pair of horn-rimmed glasses. Brenda and Sally take after each of them in stature: Brenda is short and plump, and Sally is tall and willowy. As for Richard, he has his dad’s height, but he’s not lanky. I guess years of pulling his weight on building sites has built up muscles his maths teacher father otherwise lacks.
    Anne doesn’t work, but she does knit. A lot. Sally sells some of her hand-knitted children’s rattles in a shop where she works in Manly. It’s actually the shop where Molly used to work before she became Mikey’s full-time mum. I say full-time, but Molly also beavers away at home as a fashion designer. Her offbeat, quirky clothes have become quite popular with Sydney’s trendsetters.
    ‘How are you?’ Brenda interrupts my thoughts. ‘How’s the job?’
    ‘I’m good, the job’s fine,’ I reply breezily. ‘How about you?’ Brenda works in finance for a large bank in the city.
    ‘Fantastic. Business is booming! I can’t believe they ever said we were in a recession; we haven’t seen any cutbacks.’
    ‘You’re lucky,’ I comment.
    ‘Luck! Nothing to do with luck. Life is what you make of it, that’s what I always say.’
    ‘Tell that to the mates of mine who have lost their jobs,’ Richard interrupts crossly and I’m pleased. I hate the way Brenda goes on sometimes.
    ‘Top-up?’ Joe tactfully produces champagne as we hear the front door open and slam.
    ‘Where is everyone?’ Sally calls.
    ‘In here!’ Joe shouts back.
    ‘Sorry I’m late.’ She bustles into the room, removing a heavy knitted black cardigan as she enters. ‘This super-rich bloke came in at ten to six and bought out half the shop. He took some of your rattles, Mum.’
    ‘Ooh, how lovely,’ Anne comments agreeably.
    ‘Do you get commission?’ Brenda interjects.
    ‘No,’ Sally replies.
    ‘You should sort that out with your boss,’ Brenda tells her. ‘No point working in a shop if you can’t get commission.’
    ‘Champagne, darling?’ Good old Joe.
    ‘So, we have some news,’ Richard says when we’re all sitting around the table tucking into Anne’s home-baked chicken pie. Nerves swirl around my stomach as the attention falls on us both.
    ‘You’re pregnant!’ Sally bursts out.
    ‘No,’ Brenda says decisively. ‘They’re getting married.’
    I told you they were annoying.
    ‘Let them tell us,’ Anne chides gently.
    ‘Well?’ Joe prompts as Richard gives me a wry look. ‘Which is it?’
    ‘I’ve asked Lily to marry me and’ – cue shriek from his mum – ‘she said yes.’
    Another shriek as Anne pushes out her chair and leaps to her feet. ‘Oh, darling, that’s wonderful news!’
    ‘Congratulations, son.’ Joe stands and shakes Richard’s hand while he’s in the midst of being smothered by Anne. His mum turns to me so I stand up, too.
    ‘Such exciting news, Lily,’ she says, pulling me in for a cuddly hug. I can’t help but smile.
    Joe leans over to peck my cheek, saying, ‘Well done, dear, that’s fabulous.’
    ‘Congratulations!’ Brenda booms from her sitting position.
    ‘Yes, well done!’ Sally also doesn’t get up. We all take our seats again.
    ‘When’s the big day?’ Brenda asks through mouthfuls of chicken pie.
    Richard glances at me before tactfully replying, ‘We haven’t decided yet.’
    ‘Oh, do make