The engagement party

During my second week of voluntary exile to Warrington, Iris phoned me at work. Andrea, my secretary, took the call as I was out of the office at the time. She introduced herself to Iris and told her that I would ring back when I returned. She also asked Iris if she would be going to the engagement party that was being held the next Saturday. Two of my staff were getting engaged and I had been invited to the party. Iris knew nothing about it, naturally, as she didn’t know them. However Andrea insisted that she came with me.
Returning later, Andrea told me that Iris had rung and had accepted the invitation to the party. This was Andrea’s way of getting to meet her! A crafty gal was Andrea!
The week went by and I remember that we finished early Friday lunchtime and I was hot-foot for home. I popped in to see Iris in the evening but couldn’t stay long as I had promised to take the kids to the pantomime that evening.
The engagement party was uppermost in my mind on Saturday and I picked Iris up in the morning and whisked her off into town to an exclusive dress shop. There were several dresses that were her size, (10) and I persuaded her to try a couple on. One of them was a perfect fit; it was pale lilac in colour and she looked lovely in it. I bought the dress and we went and got a pair of shoes for the occasion. Iris wasn’t altogether happy about it but I explained that the party was a bit special and the dress was just the thing. She had never been used to being treated like this but I would have bought her the moon if it made her happy! I dropped her off at home and went home myself to get ready for the evening.
Saturday night came and I picked Iris up around 7pm and headed for the venue. She had done her hair, and was not only wearing the new dress and shoes but the choker and earrings that I’d bought for her birthday! She said she felt a little self-conscious in it but she looked absolutely drop-dead gorgeous and I told her so. I had also bought her a bottle of expensive perfume that had just become very popular. I couldn’t resist buying it, as the name of it was also my nick-name! She loved it as soon as she saw it and dabbed a little behind each ear. I took the perfume and dabbed a little on the end of her tongue; she made a face but didn’t object.
Iris was a little shy at meeting my work friends but Andrea was there to introduce her all round. I remember that when I was at the bar getting drinks in, Andrea and Iris appeared to be in deep conversation. I don’t know what or whom they were talking about but I figured that I would be one of the main subjects!
We danced quite a lot that night and to feel her so close was almost more than I could bear. The party finished late and we left around midnight. It was almost 1am when we arrived back home and we had both had quite a lot to drink. (It was ok; we got a cab there and back!)
Iris made ourselves a coffee to sober up a bit and we sat together on the settee. She was feeling rather romantic that night and before I left, I was rewarded by getting as far as No.4 on the International Snogging Scale! Things were definitely on the move!