Planning went on apace and ffleurbert was amazed at the way in which he assumed the guiding hand. He never saw himself as leader-material. Lack of interest, he supposed. But Ava seemed to want him to take the lead, and he seemingly couldn’t put a foot wrong in her eyes.

“Okay, okay…I suppose I can let you buy me some sweets,” she said, heaving a huge, dramatic sigh. “But we shall share them, Mister!”

“Oh, that goes without saying, sweet.”

Having got her demonstrated stamp of approval and an even better mark of approbation applied to his lips, ffleurbert was a contented man.

Beware contentment; trouble has a way of finding the contented.

There was a harrumphing that bode no good, and then two males of indeterminate age were looming over Ava and him.

“Hello?” ffleurbert ventured.

“You’re ffleurbert,” Theo said.

“I readily admit it,” Said ffleurbert, not quite getting the point but sensing that they thought it no good thing.

“My sister’s boyfriend.” Gormley added.

“Erm… if Avaline is your sister, than I must admit it…”

“The one that’s taken her away from us,” Theo then said

ffleurbert looked from Theo to Gormley to Ava and back in slow succession.

“Is there a problem?” He then asked. He would have stood up, which would have equalized things rather, because he was taller than Theo, certainly. But he had his arm around Ava and wasn’t about to let go.

“Actually, as you can see, I have not taken her away. Here she is, all present and correct. There stand you, in no way inconvenienced, should you want to talk to her. Thus, ipso facto, not taken away. Now I feel certain that there have been numerous times in the past when  Avaline has been occupied elsewhere and you have not felt the lack of her presence. Given that this is the first time I’ve clapped eyes on you both, I can’t think you’ve really been all that bereft. So, really, where do you come up with the idea that I have taken her away?” With is free hand he pointed at Ava.

“She’s right here!” He exclaimed. The ‘You idiots,’ was implied, not spoken.

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Not Getting Any Younger