Stephanie - Part 6 - Squaring a circle

Two events overshadowed the trio’s calendar as the new University year approached. Firstly there was the potentially difficult day of Michael’s funeral and secondly the need to get Claire and Nigel on board with their unusual family arrangement.

At the end of a long day Stephanie, Graham and Jen were lounging in their new bed, but sleep had eluded them for the time being.

“Shall we try to contact some neighbouring Community members?”

“Yes, but how do we try?”

“Lets get as close as possible and think about the same person.”

“I am not sure that I can do that, because I have never met the people you two have helped in the last two years.”

“Look into our shared memories, Jen. You will have a clear image of someone like Seraphena from them.”

“Yes, I see her, and can remember how she speaks and everything. Lets try.”

“The three hugged into a tangle of arms, legs and torsos.”

“I could get used to this.” Stephanie giggled.

“You had better get used to this. We are together for life.” Graham said with mock seriousness.

They thought out to see if they could reach Seraphena.

There was a very unladylike expletive!

“I am in the shower. How did you get into my bathroom?”

“We are not in your bathroom, Seraphena, we are linking by mind alone. And let me say, that you are very attractive standing with water running down, but please continue to rinse the shampoo out of your hair.”

“I suppose there isn’t much I can do about this invasion of privacy now it has happened.”

“How did you know that you could appear in my mind without any sort of permission?”

“We are just trying out this mind linking and you are the member of the Community that we have the strongest link with.”

“I am flattered. Who is your new friend?”

“This is Jen. She is the third person in our family. We will tell you the story of how we came to be living together some time, but it is not important now.”

Seraphena had got out of the shower and was towel drying her hair. The trio appeared to be a few feet in front of her in her mind’s eye.

“I see that I don’t have much privacy here.”

“We are either girls or have been girls. Do you mind?”

“No not really, particularly as you three are as naked as I am.”

“Ooops. We hand’t thought of that. We thought it might help the mind linking process.”

“The Committee don’t appear naked when they mind link.”

“We have never mind linked with the Committee.”

“You have. The burner phones do work, but not as you expect. They are just a prop. The phone rings in your head. You pick up the phone and appear to speak to one of the Committee and actually the voice is directly in your head through a mind link.”

“Wow. That is amazing. So how do the long texts work like the recent one about the election of a new Committee?”

“They are real texts. Some partnerships are not as strong as yours or mine. Those couples do have to use the phone as a phone. There is no mind link.”

By this time Seraphena was getting dressed in a very short almost transparent baby doll nightie. She brushed her teeth over the sink and still displayed a great deal of her bottom as she brushed vigourously.

“How is Jake?”

“He is waiting for me in bed. I think having seen you three so cosy in your outsize bed has made me quite randy. Hope he is up for it.”

“Isn’t your nightie supposed to have a pair of knickers as part of the set?”

Blow that. They would need wringing out if I put them on.”

“We must leave you now. Wouldn’t dream of being voyeurs”

“Yes. You would. You wouldn’t be normal if you didn’t think about watching others making love, but on this occasion I think I would prefer to have this event left unobserved. We don’t have a chandelier in the bedroom, but thinking of me swinging from one will give you an impression of how I feel after showering in front of you.”

“We had never thought of ourselves as being a cause of lust in others, but of course we will leave. We shall wish you a fond goodnight.”

Seraphena just, sort of, faded out.

We didn’t think to ask where Seraphena lives now. I don’t know what our range was.

“We will try again tomorrow with someone else. What about a general search?”

I think it is time for sleep now. A general search could take hours to explain what is happening to a group of people who are not expecting us to ‘drop in, as it were.”

“We must invite Claire and Nigel here. Graham, will you invite them? … but first is the funeral the day after tomorrow.”

The following morning it was all rush and bother with three of them getting through one bathroom in time for Jen to get to work and Stephanie and Graham to start preparing for their studies. Both had been sent an extensive reading list by the University to digest before the term started.

At a respectable hour Graham rang Claire and they arranged a Wednesday evening just over a week away when the two parents would come for dinner, but otherwise it was a quiet day.

Over lunch Graham and Stephanie discussed the message from the Committee.

“I know the Committee are very old, but they are still in good form. They were originally five couples and two couples have now died, perhaps they just feel that they have done enough and ought to be able to retire.”

“Or perhaps there is something more to the decision than meets they eye. In any event it does not concern us as we have yet to start a family, let alone finished our child rearing.”

“The statement seems to say that one has finished having a family, but if one hasn’t started and decides not to, then I don’t see that a trio like us would be excluded.”

“I am very unlikely to be prepared to forego having a family, but I suppose it is a possibility.”

“What about the rest of the deal. We have minimal qualifications and no qualifications in finance.”

“All that is true, but during the first four weeks of this new academic year it is quite possible to change courses where there is a vacancy. Our A levels are good enough to allow us to change to Economics or Business Studies. They are a more prestigious option than Civil Engineering. We didn’t know our A level results when we applied.”

“Whatever happens, I wonder whether to change to Economics. My grades are good enough to get into LSE to do Economics. I wonder what options there are in Clearing?”

(Author’s note - Clearing is a Clearing House where candidates who know their examination results can apply for unfilled places at Universities. They can also change courses during clearing, or apply for courses with lower entry requirements if their grades are not as good as expected.)

“It is certainly food for thought. I hadn’t considered any change. I thought our life path was sorted, but so much has changed in the last two years that almost any alteration could be embraced.”

“Jen isn’t home for a couple of hours, look up vacancies at LSE. It does no harm.”

Graham sat at the computer and looked up the opportunities to read Economics at LSE. There were vacancies it seemed, but not many. A candidate would need A*A*B to enter. That was ok, because both Stephanie and Graham had three A* exam grades, and a good range of GCSEs to back up the A levels.

Graham sat and thought.

“Three? What do you think about the proposition of moving from our present University to the LSE to do Economics, and then applying for one of the Committee posts for the three of us. I don’t know what would happen to the childbearing part of the message. Your opinion would be valued.”

Three replied. “It is not a combination that we had considered, but you are currently unique in being in a trio. It would be possible for you to live here and study at the LSE. It is only a short journey on the Underground. Your children could be looked after by some willing adults. Leave it with me. I know that Clearing only takes a couple of days, so we need to give an answer promptly. Discuss it with Jen and Stephanie, but from my point of view there is merit in your suggestion. So far, the interest in the Committee roles has been muted.”

“Thanks Three. I will do exactly as you say.”

Graham was thoughtful when he rejoined Stephanie.

“There are vacancies, but they will not last long. We have good enough grades to get in. Three says that they hadn’t considered the work load for a trio. Apparently we are the only one on the books at the moment.”

“Three is going to consult, and will be back in touch later today or tomorrow.”

“We will need to discuss this with Jen tonight, before the funeral tomorrow.”

The afternoon dragged for them both, waiting for Jen to come home. They drifted off to bed and Jen found them there two hours later.

“Can I join in?”

“Of course.”

Jen’s clothes were scattered around in her rush to get undressed.

After 30 minutes of intense love making the three were snuggled up together when Graham raised the burning question in his and Stephanie’s minds.

Graham explained what had happened to Jen as they lay in post connubial bliss.

Jen was thoughtful for a minute or two. “I can see the advantages for you two, but how does it help me?”

“I looked up the branches of firm you work for. The website says that there is a branch only a bus ride away from the Community building in London, and the web site also says that employees can work from home some of the time.”

“If the worst comes to the worst, you would have a loving home with lots of willing ‘aunties’ and ‘uncles’ in a very upmarket residence in central London and a good allowance to replace a salary.”

“OK, Go for it. I am on board.”

Very conveniently, ‘Three’ appeared as if by magic in their heads.

“We have considered your situation with the three of you. I caught the end of the conversation with Jen and we also approve. We recommend that you get on to the computer now, and get those places booked. We have a contact in LSE who has put a temporary hold on two places on the B.Sc. Economics course. That is until someone notices and removes the hold.”

It was a long and tedious business contacting LSE, but there were still staff manning the phones until the mid-evening filling the last of the available places on Clearing.

At the end of two hours on the phone their places had been confirmed and a huge batch of documents appeared as attachments on several emails. It was also confirmed that their firm offers to study Civil Engineering had been withdrawn.

The next day was the funeral, but sleep eluded all three with the enormity of what was happening to them. Life was a whirlpool at that moment and they needed to be grounded for Michael’s funeral.

The shower ran continuously for over half an hour until everyone felt that the night had been washed away. Their clothes had been chosen with care the night before. Graham was easy. His one all-purpose grey suit was matched with a deep purple shirt and a black tie. His black shoes had been polished and he only had to keep out of the way for the girls to get ready.

Stephanie had chosen a white shirt with a short black skirt, black tights and black shoes with a small block heel. She had a dark blue jumper over the shirt and a yellow metal necklace that emphasised her bust as it moved to and fro as she walked. Her make up was light, with a pale pink lipstick that matched the pale pink Morganite drop ear rings.

Jen had scoured the shops for the right outfit. In the end she had chosen a pale blue trouser suit matching shoes and clutch bag. Her makeup was more emphatic than Stephanie’s but it was clear that she had both ‘developed’ and had regressed. She wasn’t sure whether Michael’s relatives would even recognise her.

“Are we ready then?”

The taxi drove up on time, and they were soon ferried to the Crematorium where the family and guests were waiting in an anteroom for the previous cremation to be completed.

Very soon they were ushered into the Crematorium chapel and took seats well back from the main mourners.

Michael’s mother was dressed in black but was otherwise very together. She was chatting with two men who Jen had never met.

A duty Chaplain had been asked to conduct a non-denominational service and they began with a suitable hymn. Jen couldn’t stop looking at the coffin, knowing what it held. They had been told that the coffin would be closed as Michael could not be made presentable after the seriousness of the car crash.

The chaplain had been briefed with details of Michael’s short life and right at the end, Jen was mentioned almost as an afterthought.

Stephanie noticed a tear running down Jen’s face and she gestured to Graham to offer the neatly folded handkerchief he had in his pocket.

Jen nodded her thanks and held on to the handkerchief for the rest of the service.

Only 20 minutes later the small congregation was lead out past the coffin and the mourners could touch the wood of the coffin and say a final whispered farewell as they moved sedately past.

Jen was clearly finding it difficult to hold back her tears as they left the chapel through a side door into the sunlight where five patches of concrete held arrays of flowers from the funerals that had already taken place that morning. A large group of mourners for the next funeral were already waiting in the reception area that they had occupied so recently. Several men and one woman hastily stubbed out cigarettes as the next group were ushered in to a rousing pop song that Stephanie assumed had been a favourite of the deceased.

The chaplain shook everyone’s hand as they left the crematorium chapel and then they were able to greet Michael’s mother who seemed distracted by her phone.

“Work” she mouthed and waved a cursory greeting, to Jen and her supporters as they moved past.

It had been made clear from the Undertaker’s website that it was only family flowers, but they were particularly well done. The blue, gold and red were Michael’s favourite colours, Jen noticed.

No one came to talk to them, and after a few minutes Jen said. “I think we are done here.” and lead off down the path with Stephanie and Graham following in her footsteps.

They caught one bus into the city centre and another to home.

As soon as the door closed, Jen dissolved into a flood of tears. “That was awful. A soulless hygienic disposal of a beautiful human being. That bloody woman couldn’t get off her phone to greet the other mourners. I grew up with that harridan. I loved her because she was my Mum. I can see clearly what a rotten mother she was. ”

Stephanie and Graham guided Jen upstairs and undressed her. After undressing themselves they lay together in an tight embrace that helped to rebuild Jen’s tattered nerves in a way that only such an intimate embrace can.

An hour later Jen untwined herself from her partners’ limbs.

“Thank God that is over. We have plans to make. Can we visit London tomorrow and look round our new home?”

Three broke into their conversation. “Yes of course you can. You come to the Concierge’s station in the entry lobby and identify yourselves. You will need something like a passport. The day manager is the only one who can issue passes. After he arrives you will be given a pass each with a lanyard. The cards are already filled with biometric data for each of you. That card allows you to go up to the 24th floor in the bank of lifts to the left of Reception. You then need to walk down the length of the corridor to the executive lift that will take you up to the 26th floor which is the penthouse with the five suites. One of the two empty suites can be yours. It will be up to you to choose which. The 25th floor has no windows and is used for storage of our records and IT equipment and other things, in case you are wondering.”

“We will see you for lunch at 1pm if that is convenient.”

“Brilliant will see you tomorrow.”

Three disappeared from their perception.

“We need to let our parents know what is happening.”

“Can we take April and Tom out to a meal?”

Graham offered “I will give them a ring and see if they are available.”

“And I will book a restaurant if they are”, said Stephanie. ”

“Jen you look beautiful as you are but perhaps public nudity is not right for a restaurant in the late summer.”

“Point taken. I will have a quick shower. I love you both. I am so excited about the move. I cannot get in touch with my employers until Monday, but if I can move locations I will. If not I will be stay at home mum.”

‘Mum, dad. We have lots of news for you. Can you meet us for a meal tonight. Our treat.”

Whatever plans April and Tom had, were put on hold, and within an hour the three young people dressed in blue jeans and identical pattern check shirts arrived. They could be seen waiting outside the local Chinese restaurant for April and Tom.

“You three look all colour co-ordinated” was April’s first comment as she kissed each one on the cheek.

Jen, you are blossoming. Let me look at you.”

April held Jen at arms length and turned her this way and that. That is a curvy body you have now. Every detail typical of an eighteen year old and you are really beautiful.”

Jen curtseyed ‘Thank you Mam or is that Mum.”

“How do you feel about today?”

“Rotten but it is all over now. Michael is at rest, and I will need to have nothing to do with his mother now. It seems so long ago that she was my mother, but I can move on now she thinks her only son is dead.”

“Darling Jen, I don’t think anything would make us think you could be anything different from the lovely girl that we both love.”

Jen blushed so prettily.

Over a variety of small dishes Stephanie, Graham and to a lesser extent, Jen, explained all the changes that had taken place that day. It was left to Jen to say how much of a disaster the funeral had been, but Jen felt that she had done her duty for Michael and she could now let him disappear from her life.

“Let me see if I have got this straight.” Tom said.

“All three of you are going to move to London and be given accommodation in a very swish penthouse in Mayfair in exchange for looking after your Community. The job is for life and your children will have support from the neighbours. In the meantime Stephanie and Graham have accepted places at the most prestigious University in the United Kingdom, and have withdrawn from your places here.”

“That’s about it. Jen’s house will be sold eventually, but not yet. We will have a large allowance to refurbish the apartment. We are going up to London tomorrow to see the apartment and greet the six residents who are all over 100 years old.”

“That is very old. I can see why it is time for a change of staff.”

“Yes, two couples have died and the other three certainly feel that it is time to move on … as it were.”

“Doesn’t that mean dying in their case?”

“Probably it does, but I believe they have plans for a quiet few months or years away from the responsibilities of being on the Committee.”

“What do you know about the other applicants?”

“We know nothing about them. We know that older members of the community have established lives and have found it difficult to uproot themselves and devote themselves to the Community, so applicants have been fewer than anticipated.”

“Why do you need Economics degrees?”

“The Community has large assets. Administering those assets and continuing to build them up depends upon a good knowledge of finance. I don’t know how big the assets are, but the building we will live in is owned by the Committee and must be worth many millions of pounds.The lower twenty-four floors are devoted to the head offices of many large well known companies who would expect the highest standard of accommodation, and would be paying well for such a prestigious address.”

“Are you keeping the appointment with April and Tom?”

“Yes of course. There will be even more to tell them now.”

“Is there guest accommodation in the penthouse?”

“That is a question that we haven’t asked yet, but there are lots of hotels in the area. I suppose it will depend upon the accommodation needs of our growing family.”

“It will take a month for the refurbishment of the apartment to be completed. Apparently the Committee have a trusted team of workmen and women who have been positively vetted and are cleared to access the top two floors of the building. They drop everything when an order goes out from the Committee for work to be done. Tomorrow we will have just hours to decide on a colour scheme for each room then it will be ready for the start of term. There will also be a lot of furniture to be delivered. A well known Swedish brand of furnishers are likely to do rather well out of this I think.”

“Are there just the five apartments in the penthouse floor?”

“I believe each apartment has the usual things features, but there is a community room, a gym and a smallish indoor swimming pool.”

“How do you know this if you have not visited yet?”

“I was sent a plan of the top floor and can see the suites and these extra rooms.”

Jen leaned across to Graham.

“I didn’t know that you have seen a plan.”

“It was only sent to me a few minutes ago. The conversation was going so well that it would have been rude to interrupt.”

Stephanie and Jen both gave Graham a playful punch on the arm.

“That’s for withholding vital information. We need to know the room sizes and so on to begin to plan our home.”

“The apartment only has to be liveable when we move in. We can continue to order furniture and other things in the next few weeks.”

“I want a home for us all that is finished. Not a half-finished place.”

“OK. I don’t know what sort of timescale we will be able to implement, but decorating, updating of kitchen and both ensuite bathrooms will take time, and then carpeting and curtaining will take more. I think it should take several months before it is finished.”

“If I can be of help, the count me in” said April. “I am sure Tom can look after himself for a day.”

“Three? Can Mum come too?”

“Yes, I am sure she will visit at some time. I will arrange for a visitor’s pass to be at Reception for her, but we do suffer incursions from time to time by busybody officialdom and criminals with varying levels of skill. We do need to be absolutely sure we know who can get access or there will be problems with eavesdropping by spy equipment, and the like.”

“Yes I am sure that can be a problem. You will need to guide us over all the security matters and how to prevent privacy incursions.”

“We have a security team who supervise that. They occupy an air-conditioned room inside a Faraday cage on the 25th Floor to maintain security throughout the building and beyond.”

I will pick you up at 9:30am tomorrow. I don’t know if there is any parking at the apartment.

“Three, is there parking?”

“No. No parking for residents of the penthouse. All the bays are rented out. No one who lives here has driven for years. We can get parking spaces for you as soon as someone gives up a bay, but it doesn’t happen very often.”

“We will park at a tube station that has a car park and will travel the last bit by Tube.”

“I have just heard that Eight the husband of Seven has been taken to hospital. He is unlikely to survive more than a few hours. Seven may never return here. She is over 110 years old. It just shows how negligent we have been in securing replacements for the Committee. Would it be practical for you to occupy the second vacant apartment whilst your apartment is being refurbished. It may not be to your taste but it is fully functional.”

April looked at Graham, Jen and Stephanie.

“We are sure that could be made to work, Three. We will see you tomorrow.”

“We have been chosen by default in the absence of a ballot. We don’t know if there are any other candidates or not, and whether we will have a hand in choosing the other Committee members.”

“There are lots of unanswered questions, and I am sure there are things we do not know that are being kept secret from us for the time being.”

“How do you know that, Stephanie?”

“Lets say I just have some intuition. Three’s mind link seems to leak a bit. If you are not speaking to her directly there are some other wandering thoughts that drift one's way.”

“I suppose there have to be some consequences of being over 100 years old, perhaps a leaky mind is one of them?”

After April and Tom had gone back to their car for the drive home, the three partners walked home arm in arm the short distance to their house.

“What a lot has happened in the last twenty-four hours! We have said goodbye to Michael, also said a firm goodbye to his mother and have found a new life in London. We have shared Seraphena’s shower and we are off to London tomorrow.”

… and in no time at all April was driving up to their front door and the three were piling into her car for a longish drive to Hounslow West Underground Station where they could park.

At just before 1pm the four presented themselves to the Concierge Station at the Building Reception. The senior Concierge was called. She was a kindly woman of about fifty.

April was given a card badge with visitor printed across it. It was put into a plastic case with a lanyard.

To the three young people, she said “We haven’t ever given one of these passes out since this building opened.” she said with a smile, and now there are three at once. The badge was some sort of metal and had a gold frame, and the word ‘Owner’ in enamel on the surface. A chip was buried in the back face.

“What is this made from?” Graham asked.

“Titanium I believe.”

Soon they were rising rapidly up the first set of lifts. Floor 24 was thickly carpeted and there was the hum of some sort of business and muted conversations as they walked the 30 metres or so to the Executive lift door that would take them to the top floor.

The lift recognised their badges from a distance and opened in readiness. It was slow compared with the first lift, but finished in what appeared to be teak or some hard wood that had been buffed up to a high shine.

A very elderly woman walking with a frame greeted them as they emerged.

“Welcome she said in a slightly watery voice. I am Three. This is Four, my husband of eighty years. We are very pleased to meet you and to welcome you to your new home.”

“How is Eight?”

“He died overnight and Seven is clearly desolate, and will join him in days if not hours.”

“That is very sad. Will we be able to attend the funeral?”

“I think it may be difficult. They originated from Italy, and their children and grandchildren are already making arrangements for their father to be transported there for an interment in a family crypt. They don’t yet know that it is likely to be a double funeral, but Seven is expected to travel back to Italy with her husband’s remains. She is unlikely to get there alive.”

Please look around. The suite I share with Four is Suite B over there. Nine and Ten occupy Suite E on the far side. Seven and Eight occupied Suite A, and the other two suites are unused. They are unlocked. Please look round. Lunch is provided in the Community Room that is on the west side overlooking the pool. The gym entrance is near the lift.”

April and the trio wandered through the empty apartments and the communal facilities. The views were amazing with a clear view of the Thames curving round almost beneath their feet. The planes from London City airport looked like toys as they took off and circled. Lorries and buses seemed to crawl along through the crowded streets and people were like dots sometimes moving purposefully, and sometimes appearing to move at random.

“This place is amazing”. Graham commented.

“Yes, it is amazing, but we mustn’t let it go to our heads. This is a place of work, but also a gilded cage. Once we are residents here, we will be a source of envy and jealousy. People will try to win us over for favours or spy on us to find out about the Community for their own profit or to create ‘stories’ for the gutter press.”

“We must ask the remaining residents here how they recommend we manage our lives with needing to leave every day for our University courses, and Jen will need to get to work on some days of the week.”

“We will need to get a secure access to the Internet as well. I think we need to speak to the Head of Security to sort out those things.”

“So, which Suite will be upgraded, and which to be your temporary home?”

“What do you two think. I reckon Suite D has the better view of the unoccupied ones.”

“Suite D it is then, and Suite C until the upgrading is completed.”

“Yes, that will be fine. We can move the contents of Jen’s house here because both Suites are completely empty of furniture.”

When they returned to have lunch, Stephanie asked about the refurbishment.

“We employ an Interior Design Consultant who has been positively vetted, and is used to redecorate the houses of senior military officers and politicians. She employs the decorators who are equally positively vetted and project manages the whole project. Although it is the weekend, I have invited her for lunch. She will be here shortly. I think I can guarantee that your suite will be ready within two weeks.”

“That is impressive. Most decorators take months before they get to your house.”

“The people who need these services haven’t time to wait. If you need their very particular services then you have the resources to pay for such exclusivity. All the staff who will come here have signed the Official Secrets Act and whilst this is not a military or government building, the contract is just as secure. The financial penalties would be enormous if any detail of the work they do here became known. It might involve the relocation of our accommodation and services on the floor below.”

There was the sound of the lift working and a dapper woman in her fifties emerged.

“Let me introduce Sylvia Braithwaite. We have had a long association with her.”

“Sylvia shook hands with all her new clients.”

“Have you had a chance to look at the available suites?” was her first question even before she at down.”

Stephanie seemed to take charge with the negotiations.” Yes, we have decided that we will live in Suite D, but will move our current belongings into Suite C until everything is ready.”

Sylvia smiled. “I don’t think that will be necessary. We can have the Suite ready for you in ten days. Three teams will work eight hour shifts until the work is completed.”

“That is extraordinary. Won’t it be very noisy for the current residents?”

There will be some noise inevitably, but the suites are very well insulated and it will be kept to a minimum.

“Do you want a full service where we provide all the furniture that matches (?) or just redecorate, re-tile and fit a new kitchen and new bathrooms”

April just looked on, amazed at what was about to happen to these youngsters.

Stephanie seemed to grow into the rôle.

Bathroom 1 is bigger. It should have a wet room with a double shower head with a black and silver finish on the tiles. The suite should remain white with twin sinks.

Bathroom 2 should be should have a bath and be finished in white throughout.

“Anyone disagree so far?”

No one did.

“The kitchen should be white throughout except for stainless steel work surfaces. I would also like a large marble area for making bread and pastry.”

“I am sure that you are more experienced than I am with designing an ergonomic kitchen. I will leave the units to you. I am sure we would like a double oven, a microwave, and a hot air fryer built in.”

“Yes. I would include those as standard.”

The dining room faces the city with its brick reds and red roof tiles. I would like the dining room to be fitted with a table and chairs to seat eight. The walls should be an opulent deep red to match the red of the roofs.

“The three bedrooms should be in tune with the sky and the river below us. Shades of blue. The blues should match the ever-changing moods of the London sky. Ceilings should remain white and the flooring should be wood. Light oak perhaps or bleached pine. We have to consider that this apartment will be a home for children. Scatter rugs to soften the effect of the wood. For the time being the third bedroom will be an office for Graham and I to study and for Jen to work. It will need banks of ducting round the walls with built in sockets, rather like a hospital ward. Utilitarian but functional. Built in desks and three office chairs.”

Sylvia was writing everything down as Stephanie spoke.

“The sitting room should be modern with leather and steel armchairs and a three seater sofa. One coffee table to match and a selection of vibrant framed prints, perhaps of the Notting Hill Carnival or similar.”

“Double bed in the middle bedroom, and 8ft super king in the Master bedroom and the walk in closet just needs freshening up with a lick of white paint. Bedside tables with lights and a matching dressing table in both rooms.”

“Anything else?” Stephanie said smiling.

“When did you make these plans?” Graham said equally smiling. “I would not disagree with anything you have said, how about you Jen.”

“I am gobsmacked. It all sound wonderful. I like the workspace and the simple design. My only concern is what happens to my little house.”

“When you have removed all your personal effects from the house we can clear the furniture, and do a simple redecoration and then it can be rented out either by us or a managing agent. Let me say that certain people in the military and the police are often looking for furnished properties such as yours to be safe houses. They are only kept for about five years before undesirable people get to know their whereabouts, and then it can be emptied and sold.”

“That all sounds excellent.”

“Is there anything else that you need to know, Sylvia?”

“I don’t think so. You will have your newly refurbished suite ready for you in ten days, as promised. The fitted stainless steel work surfaces will take the longest to manufacture, but if they do take longer than ten days, we can put a temporary surface down for a few days. I must go now, because my teams are waiting for their instructions. They will be here in the morning at 8am.”

“Three commented that the service Sylvia provided was second to none. If her teams come up with anything that is not clear she will be on the phone to you on your ordinary numbers.”

“Now you need to have a brief chat with our Head of Security.”

Simon Foyle arrived as if he knew that Sylvia had left. Perhaps he did?

After introductions he sat with the trio and April.

“The security of this penthouse is the highest it can be. There are always two members of staff on the 25th floor below here. They access the 25th floor by stairs from the 24th floor and a lock that is only activated by their tags.”

“You will be provided with three new computers that have the top military specifications. They will only work when they are close to someone wearing one of your special ‘Owner Tags.’ Even I cannot access one without creating a new tag.”

“You will find that you can access the whole of the Internet, but if you try to download any software it will be rejected unless you have put it past me first. You will find that the computers behave just like ordinary Windows computers but the underlying programming is far from ordinary.”

“Your titanium tags are immune to water so they can be worn when swimming or bathing and so on. It is difficult to say exactly what you should do with them when you are not here, but I cannot emphasise enough that the best place for them is on your body somewhere. Leaving them in a handbag or jeans pocket is not an option.”

“Have you got any suggestions as to how we should wear them?”

“The tags are 8cm long and only 3cm wide. They can easily be concealed in your clothing. We do not recommend that they are on show. The staff at reception will soon learn who you are and will nod you through when you enter and leave.

The tag is almost impossible to destroy. Colleagues of ours have driven military tanks weighting 80 tonnes over them without a scratch.”

“Will they interfere with the tags we will get at LSE, or at Jen’s work if she manages to move to the London branch?” Graham asked.

“We took one tag to LSE and it doesn’t interact with their software, but we can add an extra program to the card so it will access the facilities at LSE if you wish, but we quite understand that it might be desirable to keep separate things separate. We cannot say yet with Jen’s work as we don’t know where it will be.”

“Finally, you will need new numbers. Your old four digit numbers are hard for others to remember. Stephanie will be O1, Graham O2 and Jen will be O3.

“Three will remain Three, but the new numbers stand for Owners 1, 2 and 3.”

Simon lastly gave each one a 128Gb memory stick. This stick has virus and spyware checking software built in. Please transfer all the pictures and music and documents that you want to save onto your stick. Do any of you think you will need more than 100Gb of items? (The three looked across at each other and indicated that they wouldn’t.) Leave your computers in your house when you move out. They will be destroyed professionally.

“We have been asked to take degrees in Economics, but no one has mentioned how and when we will need to have financial knowledge.”

Simon answered. “This building is worth £15 million. The assets the Community holds would purchase one, or maybe two small countries. We have teams of financial experts working in every city that has a stock exchange. Our wealth is hidden through chains of shell companies, but every company is entirely legitimate and pays all the right taxes. The reason for the secrecy is that if it became known about the size of the joint assets, then it is almost certain that the World’s economic stability would be compromised. We have no wish to disrupt the World’s economy.”

“Who owns the Community?”

“It is held in many Trusts. When your studies are completed you will become Trustees of the Master Trust and can affect changes at an International level. The Trustees of the Master Trust only meet very occasionally, maybe once every five years unless there is an International emergency. It is the national Trusts that manage the assets in their own economies on a day-to-day basis.”

Simon left after being thanked.

“How did the appeal for new Committee members pan out?” Graham asked Three.

“To understand that you need to have some knowledge of the membership. There are about 8500 members that have been created. Of those 1500 or so, have died. Another 1000 went through transition with their partners, but the bond is not complete. Jen’s partnership with Michael was one such. Such incomplete partnerships cannot do the job here. There are another 3000 or so who are in established jobs earning good money and have children who need parenting through University and beyond. Others live abroad and have no interest in moving here. Others felt that they were too old and so on.”

“So, how many applied?”

“Just you!”

Everyone looked at each other with their mouths open.

“Just US who can take up an offer with a job for life and live in comfort like this?”

Graham said … “I said it was a gilded cage, when we applied, but even so; I am not unhappy that we did.

April had sat for the whole of the last two interviews quietly. “Can I share any of this with Tom, or is it all secret?”

Three answered. “I think it is better not to share until Tom has had a chance to visit. He can come when the personal effects of the owners have been moved here and all of this will be explained to him. It should be clear that this is all for the safety of the owners and their future children.”

Three asked “I think that is probably all that needs to be done today. All four of us who live here now are over 100. We get tired easily. I hope you will not mind if we make our excuses. Nine and Ten decided to move out to avoid all the noise and disruption of the refurbishments. They are in respite care not too far away. They will be back and you can meet them after you move in.

Please stay as long as you wish, but I think there cannot be much left to discuss about your new home. Any questions, please ask me or Sylvia or Simon. You have their phone numbers, but be circumspect about what you say over an open phone line. Simon will always pop up here to explain something if you ask him to.”

“It would be better if you did not talk about this on the tube or in the car. It is quite possible that a parabolic microphone will be pointed in your direction after you leave or a lip reader can translate from a filmed encounter. There is no point in making yourselves too obvious.”

“We will, thanks for the advice.”

April, and the three youngsters now named O1, O2 and O3. chatted for a few minutes and finished up much of the buffet meal that had been provided.

“We all have an enormous amount to absorb. I don’t like the idea of it just being us administering a huge amount of money. I wonder why Seraphena and her partner didn’t apply?”

“Perhaps we should ask them.”

The O1, O2 and O3 sat together and concentrated on Seraphena.

“I am glad you didn’t catch me in the shower this time.” she said with some pleasure.

“How can I help?”

“We are at the apartment complex in London and have had a lot explained to us about the workings of the Community. There has been a dearth of applicants for the Committee rôles that we are now involved with.”

“We didn’t apply because it said that we had to have completed our child rearing, but would have done otherwise.”

“We applied because we have yet to start a family and the existing Committee members felt that as a ‘trio’ we could arrange our childcare and be left with enough time to be administrators through the Committee.”

“How does that affect us?”

“If you applied, then all the children could be looked after together. It would work from what we have seen today.” There is a very nice apartment in a very upmarket building that is vacant. You and your partner would be a real asset to the administration, and because we get on so well, we can vouch for the value of you coming in with us.”

“There are five apartments with a large area of communal space, a gym and a swimming pool. Each apartment has two bedrooms, sitting room, two bathrooms, a kitchen, an office and a dining room. The views over London are spectacular.”

“There are occupants for two of the apartments who remain as members of the Committee. One other apartment is currently occupied by a couple where the husband has died recently and his wife is soon to join him. Both the other couples in residence are very elderly.”

“It is a highly secure job for life. The constraints for security would not suit everyone, who would see it as very restrictive.”

“I cannot go into everything because I am restricted as to what I can say, but we would welcome you and Jake being part of this adventure. You helped us at the beginning, and now you would be able to help many more people transition.”

“What jobs do you and Jake do now?”

“We are both teachers in schools near here.”

“Where is here?”

“In London’s East End.”

“I am fairly sure you would be able to carry on with your jobs, but would not need to as you would not need to earn.”

“What do you teach?”

“I am a Deputy Head of a large Primary School ,and Jake teaches Business Studies at a Comprehensive school.”

“Did Jake do a degree in Business Studies.”

“Yes, he got a First Class degree in Business and Management Studies from Sussex, or rather I did when I was him!”

“What was your degree in when you were him?”

I did English, but it was actually him that did it of course, and then I did professional training in Education. We both remember a lot of the courses, and the shared memories allow us to teach the other’s subject.

“Better and better.”

“Your skills would be very useful here, particularly if we have to teach our children at home. What is known as ‘Education otherwise’ in the jargon as I am sure you know.”

“We are going back next weekend to see the progress on the apartment and for Tom to see where we will be living. I am sure you could meet us there if you wish to take this further.”

“I will talk to my partner, Jake, and will get back to you.”

“We will look forward to it.”

Now we must consider how to win over Claire and Nigel.

Claire and Nigel accepted the invitation to visit what had been Jen’s house the following Wednesday.

At 6pm the doorbell rang and the two parents were welcomed into the house. The suitcases and a group of the packing cases containing Michael’s belongings were hidden out of sight.

After the usual pleasantries they were seated with a glass of wine and the complete story began. They already knew the idea of the bonding of couples, and had accepted that. Everything else was new. Explanations were interspersed with questions, and one course followed another until Stephanie finished the explanation just as the final mouthfuls of desert disappeared.

Claire and Tom were quiet for the moment, then Claire asked.
“Can we visit you and enjoy the grandchildren that you assure us will appear?”

“Yes of course, we can visit you, or you can visit us. Holidays abroad will be at selected resorts that have elevated security clearance. There are a variety of private islands that fit this category, but we can do anything that the security team have checked. We will be going to LSE as ordinary students without any priority. The fact that we have marginally higher academic ability than the general population just makes us average for LSE.”

“It seems as if everything is sorted. We would not expect to have much impact on your decisions. You both are adult now. We really don’t understand this three-way partnership. It seems to go against everything that we have believed previously, but maybe it is right for you three. The anguish you went through when Michael died, must have been awful for you, Jen, and I am very glad that Stephanie and Graham were able to help … but that doesn’t mean that the long term consequences are any easier to understand.”

At that moment Seraphena and Jake got back to them. Samantha and Graham went a bit vague for a few moments as Seraphena and Jake appeared in their minds. Jen was able to carry on the conversation with Claire and Tom.

“They are in conversation with two potential colleagues.”

“How can they do that?”

“It is a matter of being part of the Community. You can communicate with people you know mind to mind, or members of the Committee or if someone is in a state of anguish.”

Stephanie reported to the waiting parents “We have been in touch with Three. We are going to visit on Saturday when school is closed.”

“We will meet you there.”

The sense of joy in Stephanie and Graham was palpable when they returned to the conversation.

“That is sufficient for me” said Claire. You are clearly part of something apart. The same but different. I hope I can speak for Nigel, but we will keep your story private and will enjoy the grandchildren when they appear, but we do hope to keep close, even though we will not be down the road as we were expecting.”

“You will always be close. All three of us have been boys and all three of us have been girls. Just like April and Tom, we hope that you will feel that we are all sons and all daughters. All three of us remember our childhoods with you both. You are Mum and Dad to us all.”