Courting - PG-13 (Champagne Challenge #135)

[PNWgal]

This really is kinda fun...

You know what they say about good intentions...



Usual disclaimers apply.





COURTING





“Sit down, Mick.”

“Ma, I’d love to visit, but I’m due at Lilah’s at nine. Her back porch needs some work and I wanna get to it before the day gets hot.”

“Lilah’s what I want to talk to you about, son. You’ve been spending a lot of time with her lately. The neighbors are starting to talk.”

“They can talk all they want, Ma. I’m lending Lilah a hand, nothing more. Ray wanted...Ray wanted me to take care of her.”

“Is that all you’re doing, Mick? Taking care of her?”

“What else do you think I’m doing, Ma? You think I’m carrying on with my best friend’s widow? She’s not some floozy - she’s still in mourning, for Christ’s sake!”

“There’s no call for that kind of vulgar talk, Mick St. John! You’re not too old for me to wash your mouth out with soap.”

“Sorry, Ma. I swear, I’m not doing anything but a few chores around the place. Sometimes I stay for supper, but that’s it.”

“Mick, I don’t disapprove. Lilah’s a lovely girl and much too young to be alone, and she would make you a good wife. Goodness knows I’m ready for you to settle down. I just want you to court her properly, like a gentleman should.”

“Ma, I love you and I appreciate your concern, but I’m not going to be courting Lilah. I couldn’t do that to Ray. I’m gonna keep my word and take care of her, and that’s it.”

[jen]

PNWgal

A conversation like this may have taken place.

Thank you for supplying another bit of information of Mick's pre-Coraline life. Had Ray not returned, Mick and Lilah would definitely have wound up together.

Thank you!

Jenna

[Fleur de Lisa]

So her "back porch needs work" and he wants to "lend a hand?"

Sorry. My mind is a scary place today.

Love this. Mick seems truthful, not realizing that the connection they have through Ray is going to cause them to get much closer than just doing chores together.

Besides, doing Mick would never be a chore.


Sorry.
Again.

edited cuz I kan't spel

[darkstarrising]

Best intentions, indeed, P'Gal

Mothers always seem to know what their sons are up to, and Mrs. St. John was no exception. Loved the way she scolded her grown up boy for his language!! And yes, it would have been wonderful for them all had Mick and Lila been able to get together.

[darkstarrising]

So her "back porch needs work" and he wants to "lend a hand?"

Sorry. My mind is a scary place today.

Love this. Mick seems truthful, not realizing that the connection they have through Ray is going to cause them to get much closer that just doing chores together.

Besides, doing Mick would never be a chore.


Sorry.
Again.

ain't it the truth

[wpgrace]

So her "back porch needs work" and he wants to "lend a hand?"

Sorry. My mind is a scary place today.

Love this. Mick seems truthful, not realizing that the connection they have through Ray is going to cause them to get much closer that just doing chores together.

Besides, doing Mick would never be a chore.


Sorry.
Again.

You are NOT sorry! You are SO not sorry...

In fact, WE are not sorry! Hell, Lila is not sorry!
As usual, Mick's the only one who's sorry...

P...

[Luxe de Luxe]

Yeah, I think Mick is being truthful here - it's before he crossed the line. He wouldn't like to his mother. And LOVE his mother! Too wise not to see what was in motion with her baby and his best friend's gal and feisty enough to rebuke her son for cussing. Great stuff, PGal.

[librarian_7]

Sorry. My mind is a scary place today.

As opposed to any other day?

[Fleur de Lisa]

Sorry. My mind is a scary place today.

As opposed to any other day?

Well, the difference is today I admitted it.

[allegrita]

Oh, Pgal--this could be a little side-chapter to "Taking Care of Lilah"!!! It's wonderful--and I absolutely can see Mick and his mom having this conversation. She's got three things on her mind. First, what will the neighbors think? Second, is Mick EVER gonna settle down with a nice girl? And third... Lilah is her friend's daughter, the girl who used to play in her yard, with her boy. She's like a surrogate daughter. And she's hurting and alone. Of course Mick's mom is thinking that her boy would be a wonderful second chance for her.

[SharonC]

Oh definitely the possibility of this having taken place. You can tell by the way Mick is he was brought up with proper values and his mum would have made sure he treated a lady correctly. The fact it was Lilah and he and Ray had grown up together would make it even more so. Who knows, if Ray hadn't have come back, this could well have been her daughter in law when they went down that route.

[cassysj]

This is just lovely. I love Mrs. St. John. There would be concern about what the neighbors think and how things are supposed to be done. However if they had moved forward to an engagement it would have been all the more difficult when Ray came back

[francis]

And there go his good intentions. Do you think his Ma somehow unintentionally gave him a thought? Lilah didn't need to encourage him much.

[Lucy]

This totally happened...I know this conversation DID take place (and you eavesdropped and brought it back for us)

Society in Post War America was radically different from today on the outside.... on the inside people have always been people...driven by their emotions and balanced by their conscience.

So when Mick laid awake at night did he feel better filing his actions under a promise he made in battle? Was he sublimating a fear that perhaps Ray was alive???

My words aren't coming easy to me this morning... but this is such a wonderful tale and it can provoke discussions...

Did Mick believe Ray was dead before he fulfilled his basic promise that grew to a love affair?
Did Mick have any doubts that Ray was dead and did he throw caution to the wind to deal with Ray when he turned up?

Oh, oh, I love these tales that open Pandora's Box!

[cassysj]

I do think Mick was just doing the "right" thing in his mind. His mother could see that it wasn't hard for him to take care of Lilah