Lois was excellent company. She was shy at first when all four of them sat down but it didn’t take her long to come out of her shell and she was soon producing anecdotes about Barney’s younger years, his mischief at the marina, the way he’d always seemed to be the troublemaker even when he wasn’t, how much fun they both had over the long lazy summers they’d shared. They stopped before it got to the crux of the moments that broke them, shared a knowing glance, and moved the conversation on.
As Harvey cleared the plates, talk turned to the Wedding Dress Ball, its history, how Lois wanted to organise one where she lived. Barney was full of advice, Harvey hadn’t seen him this animated in a long while.
‘The barn does look wonderful,’ Lois complimented. ‘And you have music all sorted?’
‘We certainly do,’ Barney chimed. ‘I have the same band every year, they work the crowd, they do a mixture of songs from different eras, some to get you moving, others more sedate and romantic.’
‘And the food?’ she asked.
Barney took the lead again as though he couldn’t stop talking now he’d started and explained their choices, how the catering would be served. Harvey and Melissa shared a look of amusement. Barney was well into his stride.
‘And do you have your outfit?’ Lois asked Barney.
‘If there’s one good thing about hospital it’s the revolting food.’ He patted his stomach. ‘I’ll definitely fit into my suit.’
‘And what about you, Lois?’ Melissa asked. ‘Will you come?’
Lois didn’t reply until she’d looked at Barney. ‘I think I’d like to, very much. I could extend my stay.’
‘Well that’s settled.’ Neither Harvey nor Melissa missed the wobble in Barney’s voice. ‘You’ll need a dress.’
‘Don’t get any ideas, I won’t fit into the one I know is still in your wardrobe. A little birdie told me,’ she said, both of them looking Melissa’s way. ‘I was a slip of a thing back then and although I’m not much bigger now, I wouldn’t fancy my chances.’
‘You know,’ Melissa began, ‘a lot of people have their dresses altered to fit. I’m sure there’s something we could do.’
‘I’d rather not,’ Lois admitted. ‘The dress holds a lot of memories as it is. But it seems a shame for it to go to waste.’ Barney seemed to intuit her meaning straight away as they both looked at Melissa.
‘Me?’ Melissa asked. ‘You want me to wear it?’
‘Do you have a dress?’ Barney asked.
‘Well…no –’
‘Then that’s another thing settled. Let me get it.’ He went off to his bedroom.
Melissa moved across to his vacated place, next to Lois. ‘I know what the dress means to you, I don’t want to ruin it or bring either of you any pain by wearing it.’
‘It won’t – in fact, it may well help. It’s about time it did something other than hang in a wardrobe.’
When Lois received the dress from Barney, each of them touching the material at the same time, it was a moment of peace, an acceptance of the pain they would share forever.
Lois sniffed gently. ‘Barney, do you have any pins?’
He bellowed a laugh that was just like their Barney of old. ‘Of course I don’t.’
‘Don’t look at me,’ Harvey chuckled. ‘I’ll give Mum a call, she’ll have some.’
As he did the honours he pretended to only be taking notice of his conversation on the phone when really his attention was fixed on Melissa. Lois was holding the dress up against her, talking about her measurements, how much they’d cut off the length to avoid the material with the chunk already cut out, discussing taking it up to above the knee, how they’d pull it in at the waist, the way it would flatter her figure.
When his mum began to talk about his brother having sent another letter, passing on his regards, Harvey bristled and finished the call he was only half focused on anyway. ‘I’m going to head to Mum’s, pick up pins and her sewing machine. She said she’d be happy to come over and help with adjustments if you need it.’
‘The more the merrier,’ Lois declared as though she was a part of the household already. And Barney didn’t seem to mind at all. ‘I may take her up on that over the next day or so.’
‘I’ll pass the message on,’ said Harvey.
Harvey was glad to get out of there even for only half an hour, and he returned a lot calmer – at least until he walked into the lounge and found Melissa standing in the dress. Despite the section cut out at the bottom, the waist that needed pulling in a little, she looked drop-dead gorgeous and he had to pick his jaw up from the ground before she caught him staring.
Lois soon got busy with pins and a tape measure and Melissa was chatting away, being herself. Barney had taken a seat and was taking all of this in, his eyes brighter than they’d been since before his fall that day in the barn.
