Just Bee – Jenny 51

[For a quick guide go here: Quick guide.

For back story go here: Story so far at 30 Nov 2020 and more recent Jenny episodes maybe this one.]

[Other back story through in-links.]

The park was busy. There was no getting away from that. If she’d been hoping for a nice quiet afternoon of hanging out with her son, his wife and their new child, Jenny sadly let down. Sure she could see her granddaughter, but so too could about fifty to a hundred other people who’d decided to take time out this afternoon to wander around and taste the freedom they’d been given.

The problem was, as always, the combination of things people could do at the moment. They had to work from home still wherever possible and they could only travel locally. So they didn’t have to stay at home the whole time and working from home was working from home. So it was inevitable. Bit of work in the morning, bit of sunshine in the park as soon as possible. No one could blame them. Well, maybe they could.

And so Jenny met with Peter and Jude, Jude’s sister, Odette, and little baby Astra. Two households (both alike in dignity) and under the rule of six as well. Quiet, safe, the perfect new normal afternoon thought Jenny, were it not for the uncountable numbers of people around them, picnicking, playing ball games, jogging, walking, shouting, drinking and graffiti-ing. 

“Are you Granny, Grandma or something else?” asked Jude.

“Oh definitely something else,” said Jenny. “Not sure what but I can’t get my head around being called any of those right now.”

“What about Izzy?” said Odette.

“Oh she’s working again,” said a Jenny, hastily covering for the absent grandparent. “Work has suddenly become busy and even though she thought she’d get away in the end I’m afraid she couldn’t.”

“I meant did she have any particular name she wanted to go by?” said Odette.

“Oh, no. I don’t think so,” said Jenny, digging deeper into her embarrassment. “We haven’t really talked about it. Haven’t at all actually. Because she’s been busy. So busy.”

“Well,” said Jude, bringing Astra out of the pram and into the world. “Here she is.”

 

She held the baby up for Jenny to view. From a safe social distance. Jenny was right, it was difficult not to be able to hold or touch. But at least they were in the same place. Smelling the same smells. Breathing the same air. Or maybe hopefully not that last one just in case.

“She’s beautiful,” said Jenny, and she meant it.

Jude, Odette and Peter all smiled, which was a nice moment entirely spoilt by someone cycling past and semi-shouting “Oooh, lovely baby!” At them. Jenny swivelled her head and scowled. It was a lovely baby, yes, but it wasn’t just a baby to be commented on by anyone who happened to be cycling past.

“Think she has your eyes, mum,” said Peter.

“Oh, are they blue?”

“Yeah,” said Jude, “Although all the kids in our family had blue eyes and then they switched. Don’t know why, just a thing. But they’re blue at the moment. When she opens them. And they’re sort of the right shape.”

“Well, yes, I should hope so,” said Jenny.

“To be your eyes,” added Jude, to clarify that she wasn’t just impressed by eye shapes on the whole.

“Wish I could hold her,” said Jenny.

“Yes, well,” murmured Odette.

“You will soon, mum, honest,” said Peter. “As soon as it’s safe.”

Jenny processed the weirdness of this phrase and was trying to get past it when a further disruption landed in their meet-up. A group of young men had been throwing a frisbee between each other a little way off and they’d been getting more and more excited and adventurous with their throws. With no warning, other than a very late “Watch Ooooout!” their frisbee came to an abrupt halt on Jude and Peter’s picnic blanket, knocking over two beakers of red wine in the process.

The 'could have been idyllic moment of family with newborn’ moment was completely obliterated as Odette frantically tried to mop up. Jude held the baby aloft and Jenny didn’t really know what to do - unable to help tidy anything without breaking the two metre rule.

Peter meanwhile had flipped.

“It could have hit the baby,” he said. “It could have hit my baby!”

And having scooped up the frisbee he started for the men. The men were obviously apologetic, if a little innocent of how stupid they’d been, but Jenny could see Peter was going to have no truck with any kind of excuse.

“What the hell were you thinking?” he was already yelling as he strode towards them.

“Now Peter,” began Jenny, walking after him.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

“Let’s stay calm,” said Jenny, semi-hopefully. “It’s been such a lovely afternoon…”