Michael brought Leanne to dinner in 2017 and told us they were moving in together.
He made the announcement after the main course. This meant he had planned it. Michael normally mentioned important changes once they had already happened and could no longer be discussed as proposals.
Leanne had met us before, but this was the first meal where everybody knew the relationship was serious. She worked through Alan’s questions without trying to impress him. This helped.
‘Where is the flat?’ I asked.
Michael gave the broad area.
‘How much is the rent?’
‘Mum.’
‘I’m asking.’
‘Yes. That is the problem.’
Leanne told me the rent. She also told me they had checked the tenancy, the deposit arrangements and the trip to work.
I liked her.
Alan asked whether they had a washing machine. Michael said the flat did not, but there was space for one.
‘There’s always space until you measure it,’ Alan said.
Leanne had measured it.
After dinner, Michael helped Alan clear the plates. Leanne and I made tea. I told her Michael was practical but sometimes left the explanation until after the decision.
‘I’ve noticed,’ she said.
She did not sound worried.
They moved in later that year. We helped with boxes and took over a spare lamp, two saucepans and a folding table that had been in our loft since Havant. Michael said they did not need the table.
Leanne found a use for it before we left.
I tried not to ask too many questions during the first few months. Claire kept me informed about things Michael had not mentioned, which meant I had to pretend not to know them when he rang.
Alan found this entertaining.
‘You could just tell him Claire told you.’
‘Then Claire will stop telling me.’
‘That may be what Michael is hoping for.’
Michael and Leanne came to Emsworth regularly, though less often than Claire and Simon. Their life was their own and they did not report every decision.
When they did ask for help, it was usually practical. Alan dealt with a shelf that had been fixed badly. I took food when they were both working late. Leanne returned the containers.
Michael never had.