Paul arrived home in the late afternoon, he had got the results of his finals, and he was now a lawyer. He was on cloud nine. His dad was putting a suitcase into his car. Paul told him that he had passed his finals. His dad congratulated him then said, "Paul, I am so happy for you, you have done well. Your mother and I have had a little disagreement, and I have decided that I will now sleep in the apartment at the coast. I believe that now your mother and I have reached the end of the road. You are without a doubt the best thing to come out of the relationship. We are both going through a difficult time. I wish that I was celebrating with you tonight, we will do it another day. Please feel free to have some Champagne from my cellar. If you need to contact me, then please do it through my mobile, and I will get back to you as quickly as I can."
He gave Paul two hundred and fifty pounds from his wallet, shook his hand and left. Paul was grateful for the money, he then went into the house, and his mum wasn't there. He went into the Cellar and took two bottles of Pol Roger Blanc de Chardonnay and put them into the fridge in the kitchen. There was an opened bottle of his mum's Chablis there. He poured himself a glass, and as he sipped it, he said to himself, "Well done Paul, no one has ever graduated with this degree with doing less work."
At the end of his first term in his first year, Paul had realised that when a lecturer emphasised a point, then that was an important point. He always made notes when this happened, and this had paid dividends in all his exams. He then sent his mother a message which read, "Hi mum, just got home and I am now a lawyer. I'm happy that it's now over. Dad was here and told me that you had had a slight disagreement and he is going to stay in the apartment. What's he done this time? I want to invite you out for dinner this evening, where would you like to eat? I'm having a glass of your Chablis this now, and it's wonderful, my first drink as a lawyer. When will you be home?"
A minute later his phone rang, and his mum said, "Darling, I am so proud of you, well done, I will be home in ten minutes. Pour me a glass as I need it. It's Friday night so let's walk to the Golf Club, I am sure that they have a supper dance tonight. When I get home just let me talk to you but make sure that you keep my glass topped up. A slight disagreement, I fucking hate that man. We are finished now, I will never sleep under the same roof as him again. I'm so proud of you, be with you soon."
Paul got a glass for Val, his mother and topped his glass up. He then thought of the implications of what his mother had said. His father was a doctor in General Practice. He had his practice with five assistants. He was comfortably off. Val had inherited her father's business; it was a considerable business which included hotels, restaurants and bars. It also included a wine company which was the largest independent wine company in the area. It was run by her father's personal assistant who was now in her sixties. She had worked for his grandfather for over forty years.
As his Aunt May said, "Your father puts the bread on the table, but your mother puts the jam on it."
Aunt May wasn't an aunt, she was Val's best friend, and he always referred to her as Aunt May. May was a doctor and had her Clinic. Paul had worked in the business during his school and University holidays and knew the day to day operations inside out. He got on well with Bunty who ran the process. Bunty had her finger on the pulse, and the whole business was computerised, and all the staff were geared up for customer service. It worked well.
Val arrived home and immediately hugged Paul and said, "I'm so proud of you. I was so depressed half an hour ago, and now I am the happiest woman in the world. Where is my glass I need a drink?"
