The drive down the A1(M) from Sunderland had been quiet, mostly.<a class="link link--external" data-proxy-href="/proxy.php?link=https%3A%2F%2Fspeakerdata2.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fphoto%2Fimage%2F828477%2F3108_1089_xlg.jpg&amp;hash=99ddb31c9960b76fac7cb316ca596ee9" href="https://speakerdata2.s3.amazonaws.com/photo/image/828477/3108_1089_xlg.jpg" rel="nofollow ugc noopener" target="_blank">Carl Parkstone</a>was lost in thought about case-law and precedents - All to do with cases of parents disinheriting their children and children suing their parents. He even considered (very briefly) two appeal cases he had read up on,<a class="link link--external" data-proxy-href="/proxy.php?link=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bailii.org%2Fcgi-bin%2Fformat.cgi%3Fdoc%3D%2Few%2Fcases%2FEWCA%2FCrim%2F2009%2F1326.html&amp;hash=3ae1a5bac340e7074a573b06168d13fc" href="http://www.bailii.org/cgi-bin/format.cgi?doc=/ew/cases/EWCA/Crim/2009/1326.html" rel="nofollow ugc noopener" target="_blank">Holderness Vs Regina</a>, and<a class="link link--external" data-proxy-href="/proxy.php?link=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bailii.org%2Fcgi-bin%2Fformat.cgi%3Fdoc%3D%2Few%2Fcases%2FEWCA%2FCrim%2F2017%2F739.html&amp;hash=3b1f24bba7abc397af6854f1e4392ef8" href="http://www.bailii.org/cgi-bin/format.cgi?doc=/ew/cases/EWCA/Crim/2017/739.html" rel="nofollow ugc noopener" target="_blank">Markham &amp; Edwards Vs Regina</a>, but very quickly dismissed those. Even though in the second case the appeal was upheld it resulted in a reduction of sentence of not a lot, for the two appellants, and anyway, murdering his mother was rather extreme...  Onto the M1, and past one junction, then off at the Austhorp Interchange. Carl was not normally this quiet. He would normally have been chattering about the coming weekend, how it was good to get away, how it was nice to meet new people...<br/><br/>But Carl knew his mother... Tammy's hand on his knee and her reassuring words as he drove the short way down the A6120 before swinging left onto Stile Hill Way, that did little to reassure him. Loosing his first case hadn't been as big a deal as introducing his girlfriend to his mother!<span class="fixed-color" style="color:#4da6ff">"Nothing to worry about, yes..."</span>He smiled his best Jury-winning smile. This could go one of two ways. Like pretty much any legal case, it could go for the defence or for the prosecution - the plaintiff or the respondent. The question he was trying to answer in his mind was, which was he?<br/><br/>--------------------<br/><br/><span class="fixed-color" style="color:#ff4dff">"No. Absolutely not. No bloody way!"</span><a class="link link--external" data-proxy-href="/proxy.php?link=https%3A%2F%2Fpics.wikifeet.com%2FCamren-Bicondova-Feet-3085748.jpg&amp;hash=d164b7995af4d3bf2201cb8c75d90998" href="https://pics.wikifeet.com/Camren-Bicondova-Feet-3085748.jpg" rel="nofollow ugc noopener" target="_blank">Samantha Parkstone</a>stamped her foot and deliberately used about the mildest curse word she knew.<br/><br/><span class="fixed-color" style="color:#ff4d4d">"Samantha Marion Parkstone, don't you use that kind of language in this house!"</span>Her mother called from the bottom of the stairs. How she had even heard the obscenity, Sam didn't know, but<a class="link link--external" data-proxy-href="/proxy.php?link=https%3A%2F%2Fi.dailymail.co.uk%2Fi%2Fpix%2F2014%2F04%2F02%2Farticle-2595316-1CC4C9D600000578-329_634x994.jpg&amp;hash=ab6656b51dd775394de5f0c3fbdbc8df" href="https://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/04/02/article-2595316-1CC4C9D600000578-329_634x994.jpg" rel="nofollow ugc noopener" target="_blank">Stephanie Parkstone</a>seemed to have some sort of magical super-hearing when it came to rude words.<br/><br/>Her father,<i>the</i><a class="link link--external" data-proxy-href="/proxy.php?link=https%3A%2F%2Fakns-images.eonline.com%2Feol_images%2FEntire_Site%2F2017812%2Frs_634x950-170912102007-634.george-clooney.91217.jpg%3Ffit%3Dinside%7C900%3Aauto%26output-quality%3D90&amp;hash=28191c4ebb5084219b2756a46a7b40cf" href="https://akns-images.eonline.com/eol_images/Entire_Site/2017812/rs_634x950-170912102007-634.george-clooney.91217.jpg?fit=inside|900:auto&amp;output-quality=90" rel="nofollow ugc noopener" target="_blank">Michael Parkstone</a>, owner and CEO of Parkstone Production Ltd, made famous by a BBC Docu-soap that showcased the company as a shining light of post-Industrial Britain, coughed softly. "<span class="fixed-color" style="color:#8000ff">Listen to your mother, Sammy. Now, look, it's just for one night. Your mother would be <i>so</i> disappointed if you didn't, she picked it out es<i>pecially</i> for you..."</span>He held up<a class="link link--external" data-proxy-href="/proxy.php?link=https%3A%2F%2Ftse1.mm.bing.net%2Fth%3Fid%3DOIP.-B0nlxyoQMt-zntdp57ybQHaLI%26pid%3D15.1&amp;hash=c97fdbb2e8ae2b0eb6edcc6fe1506211" href="https://tse1.mm.bing.net/th?id=OIP.-B0nlxyoQMt-zntdp57ybQHaLI&amp;pid=15.1" rel="nofollow ugc noopener" target="_blank">the dress</a>again, and Sammy took a deep breath. It actually looked really gorgeous, and she would love to see some of the girls at university wearing it. It really was stunning. Maybe just this once she could look feminine?<br/><br/><span class="fixed-color" style="color:#ff00ff">"Oh, okay, fine... It really is gorgeous... Thanks, Daddy."</span>She kissed him on the cheek and ushered him out of her room. In truth, she had wanted to put the dress on, ever since she'd seen it hanging on the back of the bedroom door, but her sense of pride meant she couldn't go down without putting up a token fight. Pretty soon she was down in the lounge, mingling with the guests as they arrived. Most of them were relatives, uncles and aunts and cousins, people she'd met maybe once or twice in her entire twenty one years, and had absolutely no idea who they were. And yet by some strange magical power (she thought to herself, ironically,) they all seemed to know who she was and commented on how much she'd grown since they'd last seen her. Not surprising as the last big family get-together like this one had been six years ago when her cousin Angie had got married. Angie was the rather plump woman with the enormous belly - that was nothing to do with her weight and everything to do with her husband, this being their third!<br/><br/>The place was full, some of dad's business cronies and some of mum's church cronies were there, and everyone was waiting for the guest of honour to arrive. Sam was just a bit worried. She knew that Tammy had finally convinced Carl into bringing her to meet mum and dad. Carl had not told Tammy why he didn't want them to meet her and Sam had tried to imagine all the different ways it could go. So far she had come up with seventeen different scenarios, and not one of them included her mother giving a warm and genuine welcome to her brother's girlfriend.<br/><br/>The sound of another car outside caught her attention, and she glanced out of the window. The quiet cul-de-sac was crammed with a variety of cars. Dad had asked Carl to drive down last night so he could be here to greet the guests, but he had said that the case he was working on was far more important and he wouldn't have been able to get away. So a space had been deliberately left on the driveway. And now Carl's beamer was pulling in.<span class="fixed-color" style="color:#ff00ff">"I'll go...!"</span>She called out and used all of her gymnastic ability to weave through the party-goers and get to the door before anyone else. She was out, the door pulled closed behind her even as Carl was opening the passenger side door for his girl.<span class="fixed-color" style="color:#ff00ff">"Hey <a class="link link--external" data-proxy-href="/proxy.php?link=https%3A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FPerry_Mason_%28TV_series%29&amp;hash=454c06f740865429185e18685ca34bc1" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perry_Mason_(TV_series)" rel="nofollow ugc noopener" target="_blank">Perry Mason</a>. Hiya Tim-tam. It's great to see you both."</span>She used her personal nicknames for both her brother and his girl, gave her brother a hug that had Carl gasping for breath, then deliberately gave Tamara a similar hug, that had her face deliberately buried in the tall, buxom woman's boobs. She pulled away age grinned.<span class="fixed-color" style="color:#ff00ff">"Yum. I love your choice in women, bro!"</span><br/><br/>Carl rolled his eyes and pulled his sister off his girlfriend.<span class="fixed-color" style="color:#0080ff">"Well look at you, Sammy-girl. All dolled up like a woman, for a change. Looks good on ya, kiddo."</span><br/><br/>Sammy giggled.<span class="fixed-color" style="color:#ff00ff">"I know. It feels strange though. I feel like I ought to have a tall slim woman in a tux escort me to dinner!"</span>She did a twirl and then glanced at Tammy and her expression turned serious.<span class="fixed-color" style="color:#ff00ff">"Look, mum's feeling pretty chill, she's had a couple of sherries, so things might go okay..." <br/>
</span><br/>At that moment another car pulled up. Sammy recognised Mr Thompson's vehicle and smiled.<span class="fixed-color" style="color:#ff00ff">"Oooh, Tif is here. You'll like Tiffany, Tammy. She's really cool. She plays cello!"</span>