Eddie and Dave. Ch10.

Chapter 10

"We still have time for a last drink in the Ferry House if you want," Eddie said."

         "You're joking. We probably look a right mess. Everyone will look at us and know we've been at it. Will you take me home?"

         "Of course I will. Dave will be gutted when he finds out that we're back together again."

         "No, Eddie. I'm still going out with Dave."

         "What! What are you talking about? What the hell was all this about then? You've never been one for casual… I've known you for years even before we started going out. You've never been one for that sort of thing. I thought you wanted to go out with me again. I thought you'd forgiven me."

         "I have forgiven you, Eddie, of course I have and I wish I hadn't been so hasty at the time."

         "Well, what's going on then? Look if you're scared to tell Dave then I'll do it."

         "There's nothing I'd love better than to get back with you, but there's complications, Eddie. I'm eight days late. I think Dave's made me pregnant."

         "Eight days, eight days is nothing. You might come on tomorrow."

         "No, I'm never late, never. I can time it to the day."

         "You're being ridiculous and even if you are pregnant, how do you know it's Dave's? It might be mine, it might be our baby."

         "It's not."

         "How can you be sure? Anyway, I thought you were on the pill."

         "I ran out. I've been so stupid, Eddie. I didn't bother getting any more after we split up. What with the rumour an' all about side effects; I thought it would be all right as long as I started taking them again when I was ready, but I got caught when I was with Dave."

         "So, bringing me here tonight is just some kind of punishment for what I did at the party? Using me like this, and I thought I had a chance with you again."

         "I didn't bring you here, you brought me here."

         "I felt so happy, Anne. I felt so bloody happy and contented when we were making love and now you're just tossing me away again like an old worn-out pair of tights. Don't you care about my feelings? Don't you care about me at all?"

         "Of course I care about you. That's why I'm here. You say you were happy and content when we were making love. Well, so was I. I escaped for a while and it was like we were in heaven together like it's always been with us. You may think I'm just being bloody selfish and maybe I am, but I needed the love from you for one last time before I went and got married."

         "Married, to Dave, great! I'll tell you what, why don't we just get out of the car and you can kick me in the bollocks as well?"

         "Do you think I'm not upset by all of this? We were made for each other, Eddie, all right so I used to moan at you a bit sometimes, but our private moments together were always out of this world and you know that as well as I do. We were perfect, I was stupid, Eddie, and I went and messed everything up." Anne suddenly burst into tears.

         Eddie put his arm around her. "Please don't cry. It's all my fault, not yours. I messed everything up at Joy's party. I'm the one who was stupid."

         "Please don't hate me for tonight. I just wanted to be with you, to be in your arms for the last time."

         "Why? Why should it be the last time? You can say it's mine. I can live with that, Anne. I'll bring the baby up as mine, whether it is or not."

         "That's not fair on anybody is it? I've thought about it, I really have. I thought of deceiving you, but I couldn't do that."

         "But you wouldn't be deceiving me, because I know about it and I'm prepared to accept my part of the blame for it. We can do it, Anne."

         "It's not just us, it's not fair on Dave. It's his child."

         "It could be mine, we can say it's mine."

         "It's not, I've told you. I was on the pill when I was with you."

         "Women have been on the pill and fell pregnant."

         "Don't talk rubbish, Eddie, what do you know? I'm not lying to the baby. I'm not gonna watch him growing up knowing I've lied to him all his life. I can't do that. I'm meeting Dave on Saturday and I have to tell him. I have to."

         "And what if he says he doesn't want to know, which he may well do?"

         "Then I'll just have to have the baby on my own."

         "Oh, no you won't. Maybe you will get married to Dave and I wish you all the best if that's what you really want to do, but if it doesn't work out for any reason, then promise me, please promise me you'll come and see me. I love you, Anne, and I will always be there for you."

         Anne looked at Eddie's watery eyes. She threw her arms around him and they both held the moment for a while holding onto each other tightly. A tune began playing on the radio, 'a blast from the past' as the disc jockey said, and a nostalgic tune to the both of them.

         "Dusty Springfield," Anne said. "Do you remember this, the first record we ever danced to at The Lincoln Hall youth club?"

         "Cor, that was some time ago, wasn't it? I remember I felt a bit of a prat dancing in front of all my mates."

         "I can still see you in your Wranglers, Hush Puppies, tab collar shirt, and that bluey green mohair jacket. I fancied you like mad then."

         "So did half the school."

         "Big-headed sod." Anne opened the door and got out of the car. "Come on, have a dance with me."

         "What here, in the middle of the bloody road?"

         "Come on, Eddie."

         "We'll look a right pair of idiots."

         "So, what's changed? Please, Eddie, before it's too late."

         "You're a crazy girl, Anne." Eddie laughed, but turned up the volume on the radio and then got out of the car and walked across to her. They put a hand round the base of each other's backs, the other hands, with fingers entwined, held out and up like old-time dancers as they stepped and swayed to the song.

         "It happens to be true," Anne sang along with the words in the song, "I only want to be with you."

         The beaming smile, while she looked at him as she sang, was a delight to him. The feel of her body and touch of her hand was such a joy that he felt as if he were in heaven, even more so than from their earlier lovemaking. A car passed and pipped the horn at them, but they were oblivious to it.

         The record came to an end and they fell into each other's arms, kissing each other more emotionally than passionately as if slowly making love with their lips.

         Another car passed and the driver gave a blast on the hooter. The couple parted, laughed, and gave a wave to the strangers. They noticed two couples standing outside The Ferry House looking over with great interest.

         "Fancy a drink then?" Eddie said. "We don't have to go in The Ferry House, we can call for a quiet drink in The Londoner if you want and I can buy you a steak or something."

         "No, can you just take me home, Eddie? I need to have tonight's memories just as they are. Whenever I'm down, whenever I need cheering up I can think of tonight."

         "But if you marry another man then thinking of tonight might just have the opposite effect."

         "Take me home, Eddie, and at least let's not put a dampener on my memories before they begin."

         "One minute I'm up, then it all crashes down again. This is really getting to me, Anne."

         "Yeah, it's all so depressing, ain't it, Eddie?"

* * * * *

         It was a few days after Anne and Dave had moved into a squat that a local squatters group had arranged for them. Anne opened the door to greet Dave from his work.

         "Are they still here?" Dave said. "I thought I might have missed them tonight?"

         "They're just cleaning up. It's been a great day. The wiring's been checked, plumbing's done, the two broken windows have been repaired and they've even fitted new locks to the front door. All we're waiting for now is for you to clear the rubbish from the yard like you said you would."

         "Well, I've been a bit busy. I thought the weirdo's would have done that anyway, their transit could shift it all in one go."

         "Shhh, they'll hear you."

         "Don't care if they do," he said unconvincingly.

         The singing started in the main room, "Blowing in the wind." One of the helpers had a guitar, and another had a harmonica. The place was crowded with helpers, and Jeff and Sue had joined them as well. There would be some singing, some drinking of cider, and some smoking of dubious cigarettes before the helpers departed, leaving just the four of them. "They're a great bunch," Anne said after bidding the last of the squatters group goodbye. "I think I'll join their group and help out with their preparation work once we're settled."

         "Very noble," Dave said, "but we've lots to do here first."

         "Stop at our place again tonight if you want," Sue said.

         Anne thought on how the four of them became friends during the preparation of the squat and they had even visited the local steak house to celebrate their blossoming friendship. "No," Anne said. "We're in now and we can sleep on the sofa until the bed's delivered."

         Although it was a big wrench in Anne's life to move out of her parent's house, she was urged to move in right away because another squatters group might seize the opportunity and take the squat for themselves. The thought quickly overruled any slight doubts she had.

         "How's that mate of yours?" Sue asked. "Is that bloke still following her about?"

         "Cor yeah, not many. He's a right nutter," Anne replied. "He's started to phone the restaurant. At first, he made fake reservations trying to get to speak to Monica, but Tony usually answers the phone and he wouldn't let him speak to her. Then he began to get angry with Tony, saying he would abduct Monica when she left the premises or that he would burn down the restaurant. He's sent a couple of loads of furniture and a load of bricks."

         "What for?"

         "Just to be a pain in the arse. Tony's going mad. He'll kill him if he finds out who it is."

         "What about your friend, how's she taking it all?"

         "She's terrified, it's really starting to get to her, and there's nothing anyone can do unless they catch the bastard."

         "They won't catch him until he does something really nasty. They never do."

         "No you're wrong. I think they'll get him soon."

         "I saw it on the tele' once. If they pull him in, he'll just deny it all, and they'll have to let him go. No, they won't get him unless they catch him attacking her, and then it'll be too late."

         "Yeah, well, maybe you'd best keep those thoughts to yourself."

         "I'm only saying…"

         "And I'm only saying, good night. We'll see you tomorrow."

         Sue got up to leave. "Oh, please yourself," she said.

Eddie and Dave. Ch11.  (18+) More dark clouds are forming.. #2295168 by Bruce.